THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:Local reactions to president’s proposal

While some pundits attribute congressional Democrats’ big wins in November to public weariness with the Iraq war, Newport Beach Rep. John Campbell predicted his colleagues, and perhaps the American public, will probably hold their noses and support President Bush’s proposal to send 20,000 more troops to Iraq.

Bush proposed the so-called troop surge in a speech Wednesday.

Campbell, a Republican who represents Newport Beach, has supported the president’s stance on Iraq in the past, but he admitted reluctance to send more troops in a phone interview Wednesday.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who represents Costa Mesa, declined to comment on the plan until he has had more time to consider it.

In the speech, Bush acknowledged that the war hasn’t been going well but also said the U.S. can’t afford to lose. “I think those are two things that most Americans and most members of Congress understand and agree with,” Campbell said.

Bush’s new strategy would shift troops from Kuwait and elsewhere in the region into Iraq and use those troops to back up Iraqi forces. The plan is coming from U.S. military commanders, so legislators should listen, Campbell said.

Regardless of where they stand on the issue, people don’t want to see Iraq devolve into a morass of genocide and terrorist activity, Campbell said. He’ll support the troop surge for now and see if it works, something that should become apparent in a matter of months rather than years, he said.

“As soon as possible, I would like to see our military commitment in Iraq reduced,” Campbell said, “but I’m not willing to see it at the cost of genocide and terrorist growth in Iraq. I’m not willing to see it at the cost of failure.”

Campbell doesn’t expect Democrats to greet the proposal with enthusiasm, but “I’m not sure they have a credible alternative,” he said. “Just withdrawing is clearly not it, and I think most of them understand that.”

TSUNAMI PREPARATIONS

Newport Beach was officially designated as “tsunami ready” this week by the National Weather Service, and next week officials will invite residents to hear about the city’s disaster preparations and learn what they can to be ready.

The city has updated its disaster plans and has several ways to receive a tsunami warning. But some residents worry the city hasn’t done enough, particularly because it doesn’t have a large-scale warning system such as sirens.

“I think that’s one of the things that needs to be brought up” at the public meeting on Tuesday, said Dolores Otting, a former City Council candidate who has long been urging the city to boost disaster preparations.

City Manager Homer Bludau, who has fielded questions from residents, said officials are looking into the best warning system, which isn’t necessarily a siren.

The city is looking into automated phone systems and other options, Bludau said. He expects to bring the council information on options in two to three months.

Tuesday’s workshop, scheduled for 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Newport Beach City Council chambers, 3300 Newport Blvd., will cover the city’s plans in the event of a tsunami and how residents can prepare. For information, call (949) 644-3112.

PACKING A PARTY

U.S. troops overseas will be feeling the love in February after they get the care packages Costa Mesa volunteers will be assembling later this month. “Operation: Cupid,” a party to pack up gifts to be shipped to soldiers, is scheduled for Jan. 29.

The event will launch the latest in a series of donations from city residents to an Army unit the Costa Mesa City Council voted to adopt in September. Councilwoman Katrina Foley’s brother, Bruce, is one of the 125 members of the aviation regiment now serving in Iraq.

So far, Foley said, the program has been a huge success. Each soldier received a box from each of three earlier shipments, and “at City Hall right now there is a room filled with donations,” she said.

Residents have pitched in with gifts and cash donations to pay for postage, students at Killybrooke Elementary School collected 22 boxes of items, and Plums Cafe is catering the Jan. 29 event for free, Foley said.

Donations, including candy and Valentine’s Day cards, are still being accepted for the Army unit. For information, visit the city website, www.ci.costa-mesa .ca.us, or call (714) 754-5688. The box-packing party will be held at 5 p.m., Jan. 29, at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave.

EYE ON THE MONEY

Campbell on Wednesday was named to head the budget and spending task force of the Republican Study Committee, a key conservative caucus. The committee represents more than half of the Republicans in Congress, Campbell said, so “to be the lead person on budget and spending issues there is an important responsibility.”

His goal will be to block new spending and tax increases. But as Campbell realizes, his effectiveness will be blunted by the Democratic majority in Congress.

But as a former state legislator in Sacramento, Campbell is familiar with the politics of the minority party.