Colleague’s support

Chuck DeVore backs Van Tran’s possible run for state Senate; Cypress City Council weighs in on Costa Mesa’s immigration-enforcement idea. Newport Beach Assemblyman Chuck DeVore has thrown his support behind colleague Van Tran, a Costa Mesa assemblyman who is considering a run for the 34th District California Senate seat. Tran, a Republican, was elected to the Assembly in 2004.

The Senate seat represents Orange County cities including Santa Ana and Garden Grove. It is now held by Joe Dunn, a Democrat who is termed out this year.

Tran may face a primary battle with GOP Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher, who is also exploring a run for the seat. Orange County Republicans would love to increase their presence in the Assembly by taking the seat, but it’s unclear who the party’s candidate will be.

DEVORE MAKES SOME MORE

Perhaps hoping to check “make endorsements” off his to-do list, DeVore also gave his backing to former Assemblywoman Pat Bates in her bid for Orange County’s 5th District supervisorial seat, which represents Newport Coast and much of South County.

A statement from Bates’ campaign quoted DeVore as expecting Bates to “constantly look for ways to reform and trim county government,” and Bates in turn praised DeVore as “one of the strongest and most thoughtful conservatives in Sacramento.”

In other endorsement news, Bates last week announced support from Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, and state Senate candidate Diane Harkey got the nod from the political arm of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

CYPRESS GIVES THE THUMBS UP

And speaking of support, Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor got a boost Monday for the controversial plan to enforce immigration laws locally. The Cypress City Council voted unanimously to express support for Costa Mesa’s proposal that would train city police to check the immigration status of people who are being investigated for serious crimes.

“I wanted to give a voice of support for what he was doing even though we didn’t have the need to go through and do it ourselves,” Cypress City Councilman Mike McGill said Wednesday.

In his city, he said, when people are accused of felonies they go to county jail facilities, so city police wouldn’t be checking those suspects out.

McGill said the fears of racial profiling some residents have raised are “utter nonsense” because Costa Mesa’s program would target violent criminals.

“If a person is going to be preying on a community, crime is colorblind, so to me [it’s] giving another tool to law enforcement to check to see what a person’s status is,” he said.

The Cypress council sent letters of support to Costa Mesa and Orange County, where the Sheriff’s Department is working on a similar immigration enforcement proposal. Mansoor said he may seek support from other cities, but “a lot of support is coming in without my even seeking it.”

STATE SENATE CANDIDATE OPENS OFFICE IN NEWPORT BEACH

Putting Newport-Mesa further into the thick of political activity, state Senate candidate Diane Harkey announced the opening of her campaign office in Newport Beach this week. Harkey, a Dana Point city councilwoman, is vying with termed-out Huntington Beach Assemblyman Tom Harman to be the GOP candidate for the 35th District seat.

The seat represents all or part of 15 Orange County cities, including Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

Harkey chose a Newport office because it’s central and has good freeway access, campaign manager Scott Hart said. The office officially opened Monday, and campaign workers are gearing up for events such as a Feb. 10 fundraiser in San Juan Capistrano.

Though Harman likely has better name recognition, Harkey’s supporters will tackle that issue by going after Harman where he lives -- a major precinct walk in Huntington Beach is planned for the end of January, Hart said.

THIRD-PARTY COMPETITION

And whoever wins the Republican primary for the 35th District Senate seat will face third-party competition. Fountain Valley video producer James Fron, 48, is collecting signatures to run as a Libertarian candidate for the seat. Fron owns Frontier Pictures, which makes video for corporate training films.

He’s lived in Orange County since 1977 but has never sought office before. Fron said the Libertarian Party asked him to run, and he agreed. He’s not daunted by the heavy Republican registration in the district.

“I view myself as a Goldwater Republican, not as a neoconservative Republican,” he said. “The big problem I see is not so much trying to win the conservative area that this place is in, but once I were to win I’d have to deal with the left, liberal, Democratic power that’s in Sacramento.”

Among his platforms as a candidate are getting rid of certain taxes and going toward user-pay systems for some government programs such as schools.

“I don’t believe in vehicle taxes and I don’t believe in property taxes,” Fron said.20060112ifmyzukfKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Assemblymen Chuck DeVore, left, and Van Tran chat over lunch during a break from their duties in Sacramento in April.