Baugh Quits GOP Post as Split Deepens

Orange County lawmaker Scott Baugh has resigned as assistant Republican leader of the state Assembly in a dispute with his boss, GOP minority leader Rod Pacheco.

“We have some major disagreements on the direction of our caucus,” said Baugh of Huntington Beach, who stepped down Friday.

Assemblyman Bill Leonard of San Bernardino, who preceded Riverside’s Pacheco as caucus leader, said the difficulties are not just between Baugh and Pacheco.

“I think it goes beyond that,” Leonard said.

A schism within the top rank of the GOP caucus just two months into the session could undermine Pacheco’s ability to lead the Assembly’s 32 Republicans.

Already, private discussions are underway among some GOP members about whether to challenge Pacheco as leader, perhaps this week--though sources said there are not enough votes to remove him.

Sources inside the party said the main issues are a rash of staff departures from the GOP caucus office and the problem of whether the caucus will work as a team on fund-raising.

Assemblyman Bob Margett of Arcadia said Pacheco is “in trouble.”

“It’s unclear what’s going to happen, but you have a lot . . . who are restless,” Margett said.

Pacheco could not be reached for comment, and Baugh would not elaborate on the controversy.

Two sources said that Pacheco had a fund-raiser in Orange County on Friday night but that he neither informed Baugh about it nor invited him to attend. Baugh’s job as assistant leader was to oversee fund-raising for the GOP caucus.

Pacheco further alienated himself with a comment quoted in the New York Times on Monday that reportedly dismissed three of his GOP Assembly colleagues as “the three stooges.”

The newspaper identified the three as Leonard, Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield and Bruce Thompson of Fallbrook. The three had organized a rally for potential presidential candidate George W. Bush, the Texas governor, during the state GOP convention in Sacramento over the weekend.

Though also a Bush supporter, Pacheco was quoted as saying that the rally, which drew 200 for free pizza, was “trivial.”

Leonard said: “I’m obviously disappointed. We thought our effort helping Gov. Bush was pretty good, and that just took the bloom off it.”

Leonard said Pacheco apologized for the disparaging remark.