OC Political

In a bit of a surprise yesterday Fountain Valley Councilmember Larry Crandall pulled papers yesterday to run for the Municipal Water District of Orange County, Division 3 against appointed incumbent Wayne Osborn. The seat was vacated by Ed Royce Sr. former Stanton City Councilmember and father of Congressman Ed Royce. In March Osborn was appointed to fill the vacancy and it should be noted that he has also pulled papers to run.

Not to confuse our readers but it is important to clarify that this is the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) which is different from the Orange County Water District (OCWD). For those of you that were wondering Boardmembers in MWDOC are:

Division 1- Brett Barbre
Division 2- Larry Dick
Division 3- Wayne Osborn
Division 4- Joan Finnegan
Division 5- Wayne Clark
Division 6- Jeffrey Thomas
Division 7- Susan Hinman

Boardmembers on the OCWD are:

Area 1- Kathryn Barr
Area 2- Denis Bilodeau
Area 3- Roger Yoh
Area 4- Philip Anthony
Area 5- Steve Sheldon
Area 6- Cathy Green
Area 7- Shawn Dewane
Area 8- Claudia Alvarez (Appointed Santa Ana Seat)
Area 9- Harry Sidhu (Appointed Anaheim Seat)
Area 10- Don Bankhead (Appointed Fullerton Seat)

This will be an interesting race because although incumbency is a powerful tool being a Councilmember is also a very strong position to be coming from for any seat. Larry Crandall won’t necessarily return his papers though as often officeholders will pull papers as a way to scare others out of a race i order to clear the field for someone who they are supporting.

Many people who are in Republican Party circles know Larry Crandall in his capacity as a Councilmember in Fountain Valley and his work with OC Supervisor John Moorlach. It appears that if he goes through with this run that he will be giving up his City Council seat to do so, unless he decides to run for both (Never a good idea).

Not as many insiders are as familiar with Wayne Osborn who is also a Fountain Valley Republican. Chris Nguyen will be displeased to learn that his Bachelors is from UC Berkeley but that may be offset by the fact that his Masters is from USC. Here is his full bio from the MWDOC website:

Wayne Osborne was appointed to the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) Board of Directors in March 2012. He represents Division 3, which includes the areas of Cypress, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Stanton, Westminster, the western portion of Garden Grove, and nearby portions of unincorporated Orange County.

Director Osborne has a long history of commitment to the water industry.  He worked for the City of Fountain Valley for 33 years as the Director of Public Works and City Engineer.  During that time, he developed the City’s water supply master plan, implemented long-term capital improvement programs for water supply, and oversaw the maintenance of all public works facilities, including water and wastewater systems. He was also instrumental in obtaining grant funding for construction of two wells and other key water infrastructure.

Director Osborne is a member of several water industry organizations, including the American Water Works Association and the Orange County Water Association, of which he is a Past President.  He is also an active member of professional organizations, including the American Public Works Association and the Orange County City Engineers’ Association, of which he is also a Past President.

Director Osborne received his Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California. A longtime resident of Fountain Valley, he is married to his wife Mary and they have four children.