THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

It seems Assemblyman Chuck DeVore can’t compete with the down-home truisms of Dr. Phil when it comes to the debate over texting and driving.

DeVore made a recent appearance on a pre-taped episode of the Dr. Phil show titled “Killer Texting” to defend his stance against a statewide ban on sending, writing or reading text messages on electronic devices that will go into effect Jan. 1. The episode is scheduled to air 4 p.m. today on KCBS Channel 2.

“It was interesting seeing how a nationally syndicated show like this is put together,” DeVore said in an e-mail. “I knew it would not be easy to present my common sense-based opinion in a highly emotional setting — and this particular show did not disappoint.”

DeVore debated the author of the texting ban, State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) on the show to Dr. Phil’s less-than sympathetic studio audience. The debate was preceded by two segments on extreme cellphone abuse.

“Dr. Phil started with a 21-year-old nightmare from Texas who text messages some 4,000 times a month, driving down the road at 70 mph, steering with her knee while holding her BlackBerry with both hands,” DeVore said. “Next, a mother of a 17-year-old girl who was killed by a cellphone user who blew through a red light while looking up an address.”

Simitian also was behind the law banning hand-held cellphone usage in a car. DeVore voted against both bans, citing a belief that California already has laws against reckless driving.

DeVore said there is a disconnect between the new law and the good intentions behind it.

“Every proposed law starts out as someone’s good idea. But the laws are often blunt instruments,” DeVore said. “In the case of the ban on text messaging, there are some basic problems. First, California already has a tough reckless driving law with a penalty of five days in jail or, if you injure someone else, up to six months in jail. The text message ban has only a small fine and it doesn’t even put points on your driver’s license.”

Student confronts Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

Immediately after Tuesday’s blockbuster debate among the four candidates for the 46th District congressional seat held by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, OCC student Christina Scarborough confronted the 20-year congressman at the bottom of the staircase as he attempted to exit the stage.

She was going to be one of five people on a panel that was supposed to be made up of students, faculty and professional journalists to ask the candidates questions, but Rohrabacher’s campaign forced the debate’s organizers to change the format at the last minute.

Instead, the questions were written on notecards by audience members and selectively chosen by moderator Bob Dees, the college’s president.

Scarborough was angry and accused the congressman of going back on his word for initially agreeing to the format then backing out.

Richard Lara, the OCC professor who set up the debate, said that getting students directly involved in the political process was his goal when he first devised the panel format.

“My whole idea was to give the students a chance to participate and they’re outraged,” Lara said.

Rohrabacher defended his decision to change the format, telling Scarborough that he wasn’t going to allow a group of unknown students and journalists to pepper him with questions that might be biased.

ROAD IMPROVEMENTS celebrated in Newport

Homeowner association representatives and neighbors joined with Newport City Council members Keith Curry and Nancy Gardner to celebrate the groundbreaking for the improvements to the Pelican Hill Road North-Newport Coast Drive earlier this week. The intersection was the site of a major cement truck roll-over in 2007 and has been a major safety concern of residents in the area.

Curry led efforts to obtain funding for the $344,000 improvements.

“This safety enhancement is of critical importance to the community” Curry said. “Working with Nancy Gardner and the neighboring homeowners associations, we were able to obtain the needed easements to re-engineer this intersection to make it safer.”