The Political Landscape:

Rep. John Campbell (R-Newport Beach) this week was out to avenge an earlier Congressional snub of UC Irvine’s 2009 championship volleyball team.

Speaking on the House floor Tuesday, Campbell railed against a resolution written by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) that would honor the University of Maryland for having the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and for getting into the NCAA Tournament.

Campbell sponsored a similar resolution in October after the UC Irvine men’s volleyball team won the 2009 national championship. Hoyer pulled it from the floor.

It’s just a matter of principle, Campbell said during his remarks on the House floor.

He pointed to what he called a loss of a sense of equity and fairness in the House.

“It seems like if a school is represented by someone from the minority party, they don’t get a recognition, whereas if perhaps if they are from the majority, they do,” Campbell said. “It seems like there are different thresholds, different standards, different ways that things happen in this House rather than simple equity and fairness.”

Campbell encouraged his colleagues to oppose the resolution to send a message that “process matters.”

“Little things like this aren’t nearly as important as big things, like the government-run health-care bill that we’re doing this week,” Campbell said.

“But the fact is … that this little bit is endemic of what is going on in the bigger bills in this House, in the way it operates and has, unfortunately, in this Congress.”

Campbell also took his turn at the podium to point out that the Maryland squad had the lowest graduation rate of any of the 65 teams participating in this year’s NCAA Tournament — 8%.

Zing.

Hoyer’s resolution passed, 279-132, Wednesday.

CURRY TO TAKE TIME TO CHAT WITH RESIDENTS

Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry will take time to chat one on one with residents Saturday as part of a new city program to encourage citizens to express their opinions on city government in a casual environment.

Residents can pull up a chair and visit with Curry between 9 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Coast Community Center at 6401 San Joaquin Hills Road.

Curry will hold what the city has termed “office hours” one Saturday each month through October as part of the new initiative.

For the complete schedule and locations of Curry’s upcoming appearances, visit www.newportbeachca.gov/citycouncil and select “Meet the Mayor” from the left-hand column of the page.

TREASURER’S ASSISTANT JOINS RACE

A day after the Orange County Board of Supervisors stripped investment authority from Treasurer-Tax Collector Chriss Street, his top assistant, Keith Rodenhuis, took out papers to declare his candidacy for the office.

Rodenhuis is the county’s deputy treasurer.

That brings the number of people who have pulled the necessary paperwork to officially qualify for the primary election to six.

But so far, only one — former treasurer candidate Pat Desmond — has completed the paperwork and officially is on the ballot.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to qualify.

Street, a Newport Beach resident, announced last week that he would not seek reelection after a federal judge ruled he had breached his fiduciary duty to a bankrupt company he oversaw several years ago.

Street will keep his job and manage the department until the new treasurer takes office in January.

The primary election to choose a new treasurer-tax collector is June 8.

If any of the four declared candidates gets more than 50% of the votes, that person will win the election. If not, there will be a runoff election in November.