Treasurer Lockyer's estranged wife arrested on drug charges

A former Bay Area supervisor Nadia Lockyer -- who has struggled publicly with substance-abuse problems that led her to resign earlier this year -- faces criminal charges in Orange County following her arrest on suspicion of possessing and being under the influence of drugs, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Nadia Lockyer, the estranged wife of the state treasurer Bill Lockyer and an Alameda County supervisor until April of this year, was arrested by the Orange Police Department on Aug. 28, after law enforcement received a call from a tipster saying she was in possession of drugs, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office.

When police went to a home where Nadia Lockyer was living with her 9-year-old son, police found she was in possession of methamphetamine and saw "objective signs" that she was under the influence of the drug, Emami said.

Police also found drug paraphernalia, including an opium pipe and tubular aluminum foil with a burned end, according to the criminal complaint.

Nadia Lockyer is a native of Orange County and a former trustee for the Santa Ana Board of Education, elected in 1998. Lockyer resigned her position in Alameda County amid a months-long drug and sex scandal.

ALSO:

Legislature OKs cost-cutting pension bill

A conservative assemblyman gets in his right jabs

As Gov. Jerry Brown considers bills, campaign cash pours in

-- Rick Rojas, in Orange County

Photo: Nadia Lockyer, then Nadia Davis, when she was on the Santa Ana school board. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

Recalls appear successful against 3 Fullerton council members

The beating death of a mentally ill homeless man by Fullerton police appeared to be upending local politics Tuesday as voters were on pace to recall three City Council members criticized for their tepid response to an incident that garnered national headlines.

In early returns, council members Richard “Dick” Jones, Pat McKinley and Don Bankhead were being beaten by 2-to-1 margins.

Leading in votes to replace them were Fullerton Planning Commissioner Travis Kiger, attorney Doug Chaffee and Greg Sebourn, a businessman and educator.

LIVE RESULTS: California primary

Jones, McKinley and Bankhead were criticized by many in the community for not aggressively dealing with the alleged police brutality caught on surveillance cameras. Eventually, Fullerton’s police chief stepped down, and two of the officers involved were criminally charged.

The recall campaign was bankrolled by businessman Tony Bushala, a Libertarian-leaning political activist often at odds with the council majority that was targeted. Some accused Bushala of exploiting Thomas’ death.

Also late Tuesday:

• Former state Assemblyman Todd Spitzer appeared to be handily defeating fellow Republican Deborah Pauly for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Spitzer raised more than $1 million for the campaign. Pauly, an outspoken Villa Park councilwoman, caught heat for protesting an Islamic charity she equated with terrorists. She was ousted last month from a leadership position on the county’s GOP central committee.

• Supervisor Janet Nguyen appeared headed for reelection, beating former Orange school board member and serial political candidate Steve Rocco.

• Future county supervisors would get lower pensions under a measure that was leading by a 3-to-1 margin in early returns. Measure B would give board members the least-generous pension formula available to county employees.

ALSO:

The political sands are shifting in California

Obama, not issues, is the draw for some L.A. voters

New rules, low turnout mark state's primary election

-- Mike Anton in Orange County

Photo: Travis Kiger, center, speaks after the first results came in as his campaign manager Chris Thompson, left, celebrates during a election party in Fullerton. Credit: Anne Cusack \ Los Angeles Times

Legislation would complicate Kings' move to Anaheim

Anaheim would be prohibited from signing a lease with the Sacramento Kings before the basketball team repays a $77-million loan it received from its current hometown under legislation announced Tuesday by the leader of the state Senate.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) noted that the owners of the Kings have not missed debt payments in the past and have said they will repay the loan, but he wants to make sure that money is paid back if the team is going to move south.

"In the next day or two I’m going to introduce a bill that essentially says that no California city can sign a lease with a professional sports franchise unless that franchise has paid off its existing debt to another California city,’’ Steinberg said in his weekly appearance on Sacramento radio station KFBK.

"We are one state,’’ he added. "We shouldn’t have one city picking off another.’’

-- Patrick McGreevy

Former GOP Senate candidate DeVore joins O.C. supervisors' race

Former Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a conservative candidate who lost the GOP Senate primary to Carly Fiorina last year, announced Thursday that he is running for the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

The 2012 contest will be a raucous competition among two well-known Republicans and former state legislators. DeVore’s opponent is former Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, who already served on the county board and has a healthy campaign war chest.

In an email to supporters, DeVore focused on the state’s unfunded pension liability and accused Spitzer of being part of the problem in Sacramento -- where he served in the Assembly -- and Santa Ana.

“The battle to end the era of Big-Government Republicans starts right here, right now, in Orange County,” DeVore wrote. “Soon, voters in Orange County will have a choice: returning to office a Republican who works for the union bosses; or voting for a proven fiscal conservative.”

A strategist for Spitzer countered that the former prosecutor would prevail once voters examined the candidates.

“This campaign is going to be about who can do the best job for the people of Orange County,” said Dave Gilliard, a GOP consultant. “When they look at Todd’s record and Chuck’s record, they’re going to come down on Todd’s side pretty resoundingly.”

-- Seema Mehta in Los Angeles

Today is your last chance to register to vote in March 8 elections

Today is the last day to register to vote in March 8 elections that will be conducted in 30 Southland cities, the largest of them Los Angeles.

Voters can register or re-register by filling out and mailing forms that can be picked up at libraries, post offices, fire stations, Department of Motor Vehicles offices and other public buildings. Those forms must be postmarked Feb. 22.

L.A. voters will consider 10 ballot measures and candidates for seven open seats on the City Council, as well as a handful of school board and community college offices. To get the latest election news, candidate comments and editorial endorsements, check out The Times' elections page.

In the tiny city of Bell, meanwhile, voters will elect three City Council members and decide whether to recall four others in the wake of a salary scandal that has made national headlines.

And in the Orange County city of San Clemente, voters will consider a development proposed for the North Beach area. For details, check the Orange County election website.

Voter registration is also required for residents of the various communities outside Los Angeles who want to cast ballots for the Los Angeles Unified School District board of education or the Los Angeles Community College District board of trustees.

Ballots are also available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. For more information, call (213) 978-0444 or toll-free at (888) 873-1000, or check the Los Angeles City Election Division’s website.

-- David Zahniser

Anaheim voters ban red-light cameras

Anaheim voters have decided that they don’t want cameras installed at city intersections to monitor for drivers who run red lights.

Nearly 73% of voters Tuesday approved Measure K, which amends the Anaheim City Charter to prevent the City Council from authorizing any red-light cameras or other automated traffic enforcement systems.

The move comes amid growing debate about the cost and effectiveness of the cameras, which are used in dozens of California cities.

The Anaheim City Council does not want to install them. But backers of the measure said they feared future councils might be tempted to do so to generate extra revenue for the city.

“Anaheim’s voters recognized that red-light cameras are not a proven deterrent to traffic violations or traffic accidents, and I happen to agree with that assessment,” Mayor Curt Pringle said in a statement Wednesday. “Other cities have chosen to use red-light cameras as a revenue-producing tool, but the City Council disagreed so we took the vote to the people, and they have spoken.”

Red-light violations accounted for nearly 40% of the 2,397 accidents at Anaheim intersections from 2007 to 2009, according to police figures. In all, there were 12,858 traffic accidents during that period.

-- Alexandra Zavis

Photo credit: Nick Ut / Associated Press

Longtime Huntington Beach treasurer wins contentious bid to be O.C. treasurer-tax collector [Updated]

In a hard-fought race for Orange County treasurer-tax collector, Shari Freidenrich, longtime treasurer of Huntington Beach, won 54.6% of the vote to beat Deputy County Treasurer Keith Rodenhuis. Freidenrich will replace Chriss Street, who withdrew from the race after he became embroiled in a legal battle.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors stripped Street of his powers and back wages shortly after a federal judge ruled in March that he had breached his duty in a private deal he cut before he went to work for the county. After the board's action, the county's money was invested by the chief financial officer.

The race remained contentious after Street’s exit. Claiming that Rodenhuis was unqualified to run because of a lack of experience, Freidenrich took the county’s registrar of voters to court before the June primary.

An Orange County Superior Court judge sided with Rodenhuis, who went on to become the top-vote getter in the primary, with Freidenrich coming in second to set up a runoff in the general election Tuesday.

Former Treasurer John Moorlach, now serving on the Board of Supervisors, backed Freidenrich’s lawsuit and said that if Rodenhuis won, he would not vote to transfer the county's investment powers to him.

[Updated at 5:16 p.m.: “The voters have chosen the only CPA candidate who has a proven track record as a treasurer and a long history of safely protecting taxpayers’ funds,” Freidenrich said Wednesday.

“I do consider this election a mandate from voters that want a change in the treasurer’s office,” she said, promising, “I will bring accountability and integrity to the office.”]

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson fends off challenge from Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu

Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson on Tuesday captured 62.9% of the vote to retain the one seat on the five-member board that was up for a vote, in a contentious race against Anaheim City Councilman Harry Sidhu.

Nelson joined the board in June after he won a primary to fill the 4th District seat vacated by Supervisor Chris Norby, which includes Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra and Placentia. Norby ended his term early to fill the Assembly seat vacated by Michael Duvall (R-Yorba Linda), who resigned after he was caught bragging on tape at a public meeting about extramarital conquests.

Nelson had campaigned in June against hefty government pensions, but drew criticism from Sidhu after it was revealed that as a supervisor, he had signed up for the most generous county pension plan.

Nelson's spokesman said the supervisor investigated the claims and discovered he had inadvertently signed the pension paperwork. He was therefore able to opt out, and did.

"The pension issue is still very big for him," said Nelson's campaign manager, Scott Carpenter. "He wants to look into basically every aspect of county government and make sure everything is not being wasted."

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Loretta Sanchez, Van Tran to square off in KOCE debate

In their only face-to-face confrontation of their heated congressional race to date, Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez and Republican Assemblyman Van Tran, both of Garden Grove, are scheduled to meet Wednesday in their first debate, sponsored by public television station KOCE.

The debate is to air in two half-hour installments this week -- the first segment at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and the second at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, a KOCE spokeswoman said. The programs are also to be available online at video.koce.org by Friday. News anchor Ed Arnold will moderate.

Sanchez and Tran have been locked in an increasingly contentious battle for the inland Orange County 47th Congressional District -- the only one in the county to be represented by a Democrat.  

The closely watched race has drawn stars from both political parties, an indication of how important it is in the Nov. 2 fight for control of the House.  Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani campaigned with Tran earlier this week, and former President Clinton is scheduled to appear at a rally for Sanchez on Friday.

Human services administrator Cecilia Iglesias, who is on the ballot as an independent, was not invited to participate in the debates, sparking protests at the station's studios in Huntington Beach. KOCE spokeswoman Lindsey Neal said station officials believe a two-way debate format works best and therefore invited the two top-polling candidates.

-- Jean Merl