REPUBLICAN TO CHALLENGE ISSA, FONG.

Byline: Doug Willis Associated Press 

Rep. Frank Riggs entered the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate on Monday, saying he is running ``to repair and rebuild the moral fabric of American society.''

``We have balanced the budget and eliminated the federal deficit. Now we need to address the moral deficit,'' he said. ``We must teach our children that there is nothing more important than personal morality, that the truth matters and character counts.''

During rallies in Eureka and Fairfield - at the opposite ends of his sprawling North Coast congressional district - Riggs also pledged to end lenient prison release and parole standards, and to seal off California's border from drugs and illegal immigration.

``I want to speed up the process to deport illegal aliens, especially those who commit crimes here,'' he said.

He also said as a senator he would work to restructure and reform the Internal Revenue Service, stop IRS abuses, stop federal borrowing from the Social Security Trust Fund and reduce tax rates.

``Tax reform without tax cuts is unacceptable. As for paying for the tax cuts, if the president has the money to spend, we have the money to cut taxes. We need to reduce spending, to reduce taxes and to save Social Security.''

He also proposed giving workers a choice of investing part of their current Social Security payments ``into a directed IRA to earn a better return on their money.''

Campaigning on a theme of ``principle over politics,'' Riggs said he picked Presidents Day for his formal announcement not to compare himself with Lincoln and Washington, but because every person running for office should try to emulate their qualities of leadership and strength of character.

He will face state Treasurer Matt Fong and businessman Darrell Issa in the June 2 Republican primary. Incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer is seeking the Democratic nomination for a second term.

Riggs noted that most political observers discount his chances against Fong and Issa because he comes from a rural portion of the state, is starting his campaign late and doesn't have as much money as Issa.

But, he said, ``based on experience, I clearly have more qualifications than my Republican opponents,'' and that his three victories in a Democratic-leaning congressional district make him ``the most viable, most electable Republican candidate against Barbara Boxer.''

Riggs, a 47-year-old former police officer and sheriff's deputy, was largely unknown outside his 1st Congressional District until he gained national attention in October for supporting officers who used pepper spray to break up a sit-in by four women at his Eureka office.

When the women, who were protesting a proposed compromise he supported in the Headwaters Forest dispute, refused to leave, officers used pepper spray and then arrested them for trespassing. Riggs became a target of nationwide criticism when he described the use of pepper spray as ``probably an appropriate use of force.''

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Photo: Riggs