Craig Young has chance for Assembly seat

On paper, Craig Young appears to have a good chance to be the second Yorba Linda City Council member to win higher elective office, following the genial Mike Duvall, who served three years in the state Assembly after six years on the city's governing body.

Young, elected to council a year ago, wants to replace termed-out Curt Hagman for a two- year stint in California's 80-member lower house. His first task is to survive the June 2014 primary that selects two contenders for the November ballot.

One advantage for Young is that a plurality of the 55^th Assembly District's registered voters reside in the Orange County portion of a voting area that includes all or parts of 10 cities in three counties, with a Republican edge of 40 percent to 32 percent Democratic and 23 percent no preference.

So far, Young has two announced GOP opponents from Los Angeles County: Ling-Ling Chang, a Diamond Bar councilwoman, and Phillip Chen, a Walnut Valley school trustee, while Democrat Chris Brown filed “intents” to run in this and another district.

Current numbers put Orange County ahead with 112,792 voters, followed by LA County with 88,764 and San Bernardino County with 39,309. Brea, La Habra, Placentia and Yorba Linda makeup this county's district populace.

Another Young asset will be his ballot title, since he'll probably be this city's mayor starting Dec. 3, with an almost-assured minimum of three council votes. “Mayor” is better in campaigning than “councilwoman” or “trustee,” especially to “low-information” voters.

But the “mayor” moniker might bring attention to Young's less-than-unanimous support, so far, from councilmates. John Anderson and Mark Schwing opposed Young as mayor pro tem last year, while Gene Hernandez and Tom Lindsey voted “aye” and now endorse his Assembly bid.

Endorsements and fundraising will impact the election, but there's no clear winner for either at present, and much will change before the voters begin casting mail-in ballots in seven months.

Chang claims support from Congressman Ed Royce and state Senator Bob Huff, who both represent Yorba Linda, while Chen notes backing by incumbent Hagman and officials in LA county and Young is endorsed by past Senate leader Dick Ackerman.

Young held a Yorba Linda Country Club fundraiser, but donations haven't yet been reported. Chang has raised $263,560 and Chen $319,000 but $100,000 for each are self-made loans.

Duvall won primary and general elections in 2006 and 2008 in the old 72^nd district that covered the westside but resigned in 2009 after a self-described incident of “inappropriate story-telling.”

Two past council members lost elections to higher office: John Gullixson to Marc Kelly in 2000 for Superior Court judge, and Barbara Kiley ran third to Ackerman and Chris Norby in 1995 for an Assembly vacancy. Before Gullixson's council service, he lost a 1988 primary for Congress to Bill Dannemeyer.