THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

Retired Newport Beach businessman Jack Croul may have tipped the fundraising scales even further in Measure B’s favor earlier this week with another $50,000 donation to the City Hall in the Park campaign.

Croul has given the pro-Measure B camp more than $500,000, campaign disclosure records show. Croul’s latest gift has supporters of the opposition group Newporters Vote No on B crying foul. No on B members say City Hall in the Park’s big money gives the group an unfair advantage in the Feb. 5 election. Measure B would amend the city charter to require the next city hall to be built on a piece of city-owned land next to the central library on Avocado Avenue.

“This amount of money given for a local measure is unprecedented and an obvious attempt to undermine the democratic process in this election,” said former Newport Beach Councilwoman and vocal B opponent Jean Watt.

Newporters Vote No on B has raised about $150,000, most of it from heiress Audrey Steele Burnand, compared to City Hall in the Park’s $570,000, which is mostly Croul’s money.

Lead Measure B proponent Bill Ficker said Croul’s intentions are noble.

“He, [Croul] is a person of total integrity, and he sees things the way I do,” Ficker said. “He believes we (Measure B) should have a fair hearing. It’s about that simple.”

RON PAUL SUPPORTERS SWEEP WEB POLL

The only thing a poll on the Republican Party of Orange County’s website seems to measure is the Internet savvy of local Ron Paul supporters.

The unscientific poll shows Paul as the clear front runner in Orange County, with 34% of the vote. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are tied for a distant second place with 19% of the Web vote.

“The Ron Paul people, God bless them, are very tech savvy,” said George Andrews, executive director of the Orange County GOP. “They realize that all they have to do is delete the cache and vote again. It’s really a reflection of the genuinely grassroots support Ron Paul has.”

Andrews noted that Duncan Hunter supporters may have a bit less Internet smarts than those in the Paul camp. Hunter is in last place with only 1% of the vote on in the Orange County Internet poll.

MANSOOR’S HAVING ‘TOO MUCH FUN’ ON THE DAIS

A recent public records request regarding Costa Mesa Councilman Allan Mansoor’s decision to step down as mayor showed a lighter side of Mansoor as he discussed the move with City Manager Allan Roeder.

“Just so I understand your request, you would like the actual selection of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem on the agenda — not simply [as] a discussion item?” Roeder said in a Dec. 13 correspondence about the council’s upcoming meeting. “I don’t mean to pry and if it’s none of my business, just say so. I do sincerely hope this in no way suggests your (sic) thinking of leaving the City Council before your term is up?”

Roeder said he had previously “had the experience of a Council member simply handing me their written resignation with no prior warning,” and evidently sought to prevent a repeat of such a maneuver.

“No, I am not leaving,” Mansoor replied the following day in an e-mail. “That would be tempting, but I’m having too much fun. Ha Ha. I plan on finishing my remaining three years although I am sure some would like to see me go.”

Councilman Eric Bever was named mayor, with Mansoor taking the unusual step of sliding into the Mayor Pro Tem’s seat in a 3-1 vote.

WHAT’S DEVORE TO DO?

With Chuck DeVore’s favored conservative Fred Thompson dropping out of the presidential race, the assemblyman lingers in the first stage of political grief: indecision.

“I’m staying neutral; there are aspects of the three main candidates left that I like, but there are aspects of them all that trouble me,” he said.

DeVore expressed disappointment in Sen. John McCain’s work with Sen. Ted Kennedy formulating an illegal immigration compromise, and chastised both Romney and Huckabee for raising taxes in their respective states.

“The only candidate that I had that was good on all these issues was Fred Thompson,” he said. “Thompson had the most serious and detailed policy prescriptions, and was thwarted by either a lack of concern among the public, or maybe his own ornery stubbornness in not wanting to descend to the level of sloganeering or sound-bites [typical of contemporary elections].”

“I have faith that America is a very strong and resilient country, and we have survived wars, depressions, disasters and even bad presidents. As long as this country remains true to its founding principles, we’ll continue on.”

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com. CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at chris.caesar@latimes.com.