It’s November, and that means the election cycle in 2006 is just around the corner. Candidates for office are already on the campaign trail stumping for dollars and votes.

The Orange County Medical Association will again be active in conducting interviews of candidates running for office in Orange County and will make our recommendations to the California Medical Association Political Action Committee (CALPAC) for potential financial support.

The process is expected to begin shortly after the first of the year and all OCMA members are invited to join our Legislative Committee and participate in the candidate interviews.

If you are interested and would like to be informed about our candidate interview schedule, please contact Perry Cain, OCMA public affairs/communications director, at 714/978-1160 or pcain@ocma.org.

Here is a list of the open seats in Orange County up for election in 2006 and the candidates who are expected to run. Because of the open seat in the 48th Congressional District as a result of Christopher Cox’s confirmation to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the movement of other officeholders, some of the candidates listed here may change the office they are seeking. Since the runoff election to fill the Cox seat is scheduled for Dec. 6, 2005, it is uncertain what impact the election outcome will have on the races listed.

However, if State Sen. John Campbell wins as expected, his open Senate seat would attract significant interest from other current and former officeholders and would impact several races. For example, Assemblyman Tom Harman, who had been positioning himself to run for the County Board of Supervisors, is likely to run for the open Senate seat if John Campbell is elected to Congress. If that happens, there could be a domino effect that could impact several seats.

STATE ASSEMBLY

67th District—Tom Harman is termed out in 2006 and is planning to run for the  35th District State Senate seat if it is vacated due to John Campbell’s election to Congress. Candidates expected to run for Harman’s Assembly seat include Tom’s wife Dianne Harman (R) and Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva, who is termed out of his board seat.

69th District—Tom Umberg (D), who was just elected in 2004, is termed out in 2006 because he had previously served two terms in the State Assembly. This Democratic-leaning seat is up for grabs. Santa Ana Councilman Jose Solario (D) is running and his colleague on the council, Claudia Alvarez (D), is a possible candidate.

72nd District—Lynn Daucher is termed out of office in 2006. Yorba Linda Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Duvall (R) and Brea Councilman Marty Siminoff are potential candidates.

STATE SENATE
34th District—Joseph Dunn (D) is termed out in 2006 and is expected to run for state controller. Assemblyman Van Tran (R) is expected to run for the 34th District State Senate seat on the Republican side. Santa Ana Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez (D) and Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D) may run on the Democratic side. On the Republican side, there is an effort to recruit Rosario Marin, the former U.S. Treasurer, U.S. Senate candidate and Huntington Park mayor.

38th District—Bill Morrow (R) is termed out. There is no list of potential candidates yet, but the challengers are likely to come out of San Diego County where the largest part of the district is located.

ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
2nd District—The current officeholder, Jim Silva, is termed out. Orange County Tax Collector John Moorlach (R) has announced his intention to seek this seat.

4th District—The current officeholder, Chris Norby, is not termed out until 2010. In 2006, he is expected to be challenged by La Habra City Councilwoman Rose Espinoza (D).

5th District—The current officeholder, Thomas Wilson, is termed out. Former Assemblywoman Pat Bates (R) and Laguna Niguel Mayor Pro-Tem Cathryn “Cassie” DeYoung (R) are potential candidates.