Some 70s Pictures

Rummaging through old photo albums continued. I found some photos from the 1970s when I was much more involved in the political arena.



September 1974. In the above photo, I am presenting a stuffed frog novelty I just picked up while on vacation in Utah to Assemblyman Paul T. Bannai in his district office. At the time, I worked as a staff field representative for Bannai. He was big on frogs and would head off to the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee every year.

The photo below is the frog I gave to Bannai. I wonder if he still has it.





On February 7, 1975, I had my first legal "adult beverage" in the bar at the Senator Hotel in Sacramento, California. I had just turned 21 three days before. The above photo records the "event." I was in Sacramento for the annual convention of the Republican State Central Committee (now known as the California Republican Party).

That weekend, Spencer Douglass and I were in the bar doing Richard Nixon imitations with Oregon Senator Robert Packwood sitting nearby listening in.



On September 5, 1975, a big Hawaiian-themed party was held at the residence of R. Spencer Douglass, who was planning to run for California state senate the following year. He switched to running for assembly instead. In the photo above, I am with David and Robin Lorenzen. The photo was taken by Assemblyman Bannai. I am wearing a "Reagan Team '76" button. David Lorenzen is the son of former L.A. City Councilman Don Lorenzen.

It was quite a bash. Douglass's home was in Rancho Palos Verdes with a great view of San Pedro Harbor. The home was on a slope and the yard had three levels. The upper level, was where the house was located. The middle level (going downslope) was where the hosted bar was set up. The bottom level was the pool area, where the band was set up for dancing.

The party was the talk of the town in GOP circles for quite a while. It got pretty wild. The next morning, several pairs of panties were found in the planters around the yard.