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Archive for April, 2013

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Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Roy Reynolds

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

3:13 PM– Taking a quickbreak and then onto Roy Reynolds.

3:18 PM– We are back.

3:19 PM– Roy Reynolds came up with an out of the box idea right off the bat. He started out with a proposal to outsource the office. he talked about an article he wrote for the OC Register and a blog. He is not a politician and has no interest in running for higher office.

3:21 PM– He has an AA in business and a Bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Kansas. Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!

3:23 PM– He repeated his business background in more detail when asked by Supervisor Janet Nguyen. As a follow-up he does intend to run for the office because he believes that if his plan works it will put him in an excellent position. Long term he thinks that the OC Board of Supervisors should consider making this an appointed position.

3:24 PM– Awkward pause by Janet Nguyen after she pointed out that voters rejected making OC Public Administrator an appointed position and Reynolds responded “I know.”

3:25 PM– Per Nelson’s stepping stone question. Reynolds stated that he is not interested in any other office. As a follow-up on technology, Reynolds sees a need to update the software and brought up the Brandman Report.

3:28 PM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

No.

2) What is your highest level of education?

Some graduate work at San Francisco State.

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

No.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

No.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

No.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

He does not see the need for satellite

3:30 PM– Regarding his job movement he points to the way jobs have changed in the technology field due to the evolution of technology and this caused a frequent change in occupations.

3:32 PM– Supervisor Bates asked the financial management question. Reynolds referred to his banking experience and investigative reporting experience to help guide him through this.

3:34 PM– He pointed out that he knows where the politics are in County government. He claimed that the “Brandman Report” is corruption that he will not allow on his watch along with the Daly Sports Hall of Fame.

3:36 PM– Spitzer asked about the way he thinks outside the box as if it relates to his job history. Reynolds pointed out that he was with Bank of America for 10 years and says that he can play well with others. His job history was opportunistic in his eyes because he was trying to climb the corporate ladder.

3:38 PM– Wow! He stated that if he attempted to outsource and was unsuccessful, he would not run for re-election.

3:40 PM– Spitzer asks the marriage question. Reynolds claimed that he will handle this by whatever the law dictates. He personally believes in traditional marriage but has no problem with legally binding two individuals together for legal purposes. He does not have a strong position on this because of other issues that are far more important.

3:42 PM– In closing he talked about his plan that he outlined in a handout given to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Steve Rosansky

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

2:49 PM– We are now on to Steve Rosansky who has a tough act to follow.

2:50 PM– He talked about his experience as education, background in business, and local elected office background as reasons that he is the best choice. He is currently going back to school for more experience in dispute resolution at Pepperdine.

2:52 PM– He gave a five point plan 1) Audit all departments, 2) Meet with all major title companies, 3) Explore staffing cuts, 4) Review all current contracts, and 5) Complete the audit of the archive building.

2:53 PM– Supervisor Nguyen asked for him to elaborate on his background for the job. He says that he has run for office before and has experience in the public light.

2:55 PM– He stated that he would run if appointed but he is unsure whether or not he would run if not appointed.

2:56 PM– Nelson asked about him using this as a stepping stone. Rosansky danced around this one saying he does not intend to run for anything else but things can change. On the follow up question on technology Rosansky talked about his background watching technology change in the title company and that he understands the need to stay on the cutting edge.

3:00 PM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

No.

2) What is your highest level of education?

A J.D. from UCLA

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

No.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

Has possibly been involved in a political investigation with the FPPC

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

He feels the need to learn more information before discussing the topic.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

He wants to look into more information about the satellite offices before making a decision.

3:02 PM– He is also an applicant for Orange County Public Administrator but has not considered consolidation of the offices.

3:03 PM– Bates asked the question about financial management of the office. Rosansky stated the need to not give in to the temptation to spend money at every opportunity possible. Fiscal transparency was also a key point that he brought up.

3:05 PM– Spitzer asked the marriage question. Rosansky says that he believes in the institution of marriage and understands that it is important to follow the laws as dictated including whatever the Supreme Court decides on Proposition 8.

3:08 PM– Rosansky does not see the office as one that he will use as a platform to get involved in any issues outside of what the office is meant to do which is more administrative. He does feel a need to work closely with the Supervisors.

3:11 PM– He believes that his résumé is equal or better than that of anybody else that has applied. Since he left Newport Beach he now has the time to do the job.

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Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Steve Madoff

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

2:11 PM– We are on to the most interesting guy in the bunch Steve Madoff.

2:14 PM– He introduced himself and discussed that he found himself to be an outlier with most other candidates being from inside Orange County local government. His view would be as somebody with fresh eyes who can take the department from good to great.

2:16 PM– He discussed his background working for a trade association as well as Paramount which I think is awesome. He is very straight forward and to the point. Over the past couple of weeks he has visited all of the County-Clerk Recorder offices.

2:19 PM– His experiences with the Clerk-Recorder visits were very interesting and he found people to be very knowledgeable. The only issues he witnessed were a lack of foot traffic.

2:21 PM– He points out that his experience was that a bit of inefficiency seems to exist in the offices and a better realignment of resources could be used.

2:25 PM– Supervisor Nguyen asked about his willingness to run for re-election. He stated that he does not know what will happen but he intends to do so.

2:26 PM– On the follow-up question he does not intend to run against the incumbent if he is not appointed. He does cite his disadvantage due to not having internal experience.

2:27 PM– Per a Nelson question, Madoff laughed and said he definitely has no grand political ambitions.

2:29 PM– Supervisor Nelson asked about technology and the future. Madoff talked about the motion picture industry as it evolved from a technology standpoint from theaters only all the way to Netflix.

2:31 PM– Supervisor Bates asked the financial management question. He talked about the book ” Good To Great” (Insert old OUSD Superintendent Joke here) and how it relates to managing the office.

2:33 PM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

No.

2) What is your highest level of education?

A J.D./Advanced Law degree/Master’s degree.

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

No.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

No.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

No.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

He does not support the idea of adding extra satellite offices and stated the reasons why he would not expand the office unless foot traffic increases greatly.

2:35 PM– I really like this guy.

2:38 PM– Spitzer asked about his résumé and why he had the background that he did with different professions in the 1970’s. He talked about how in college he had an interest in math and writing with in inclination in going into journalism. He went into TV because his brother sent him the wrong application for school.

2:41 PM– He left Syracuse because it was cold and he wanted to advance in terms of his career so he applied to law school with the intent of working on production somewhere nicer.

2:43 PM– Spitzer asked him why a person of his stature would run for this position. Madoff said that he likes it because he is not the typical type of person. He does not consider it a demotion to take over this department and sees it as a way for him to be of service.

2:45 PM– Moorlach asked about his last name and Madoff said it was pronounced differently and that a lot of people named Madoff are on the East Coast.

2:46 PM– In closing he talked about the fresh eyes that he would bring along with a business background.

2:47 PM– He has had the best interview of the day in my opinion and we have had some good ones.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Michael J. Fox

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

1:46 PM– Sadly it is not the actor as I was still holding out some hope.

1:47 PM– He talked about his family along with pets and his background as an attorney. This was really a short introduction and Nelson had to prod him to talk more about why he is applying.

1:48 PM– Supervisor Nguyen asked about his background and education. He talked about his background as a lawyer being a great benefit.

1:49 PM– He intends to run if appointed and hasn’t really considered whether or not he would run against the incumbent.

1:50 PM– Per a question by Shawn Nelson he stated that he has no intention of running for any other office and isn’t a politician.

1:51 PM– On a follow-up question he talked about how he likes the current OC Clerk-Recorder website and supports questions.

1:52 PM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

No.

2) What is your highest level of education?

A J.D. from Western State

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

No.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

No.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

No.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

He wants to look into more information about the satellite offices before making a decision.

1:54 PM– in response to the Bates financial management question he brought up the Brandman contract as something that he would not allow to happen.

1:55 PM– Spitzer talked about Fox not being his top choice but how his résumé really was interesting with his background in real estate. He wants to know why he wants to do this. Fox stated, “It seems like a great job.”

1:57 PM– Spitzer asked the marriage question. Fox seems to not want to get involved in anything political. He states that he has no problem with gay marriage. On Proposition 8 he did not know what he would have done on either side of the issue.

1:59 PM– In closing he talks about wanting the job and learning quickly. I must say he was a really nice guy.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Harry Sidhu

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

1:03 PM– Just got back from lunch near the Hall of Administration with a friend of the blog Allan Bartlett who is also sending tweets from the meeting. Now onto the interview that most people are interested in seeing (Harry Sidhu), how will Shawn react?

1:07 PM– Supervisor Spitzer gave a shout-out to the blog. I knew I liked that guy.

1:09 PM– We are now back. For his introduction Sidhu talked about his reasons for seeking the appointment for Orange County Clerk-Recorder.

1:11 PM– The building that was purchased to house the County Archives is a major concern that he has for this position. His experience as a businessman was brought up along with amount of skills that it takes to run as many restaurants as he did. He talked of running government more like a business.

1:14 PM– Sidhu also mentioned that he has been a real estate broker for over 25 years and also over 30 years as an engineer. His ability to get elected to office was also talked about.

1:17 PM– He talked about helping to integrate software in the City of Anaheim with that of the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder as a Councilmember.

1:20 PM– Supervisor Nguyen asked about his intentions to run. Sidhu answered that he would run although he did see a possibility of running against the appointee if he was not selected.

1:21 PM– Supervisor Nelson asked about running for higher office. Sidhu said that he is not intending to run for any other office.

1:22 PM– Supervisor Spitzer was intrigued by the thought that it was interesting that Sidhu would run if not the appointee. Sidhu said that the performance of the Clerk-Recorder will dictate what he decides to do if he is not the appointee.

1:24 PM– Supervisor Bates asked about the issue of financial management. Sidhu responded that his background in land development, real estate, and local government have given him the knowledge that he needs to manage the office with no problems.

1:26 PM– He talks about his 4 years that he spent on the Anaheim Budget Commission as another experience that he has had in finance.

1:28 PM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

No.

2) What is your highest level of education?

A Bachelor’s from Drexel.

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

No.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

No.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

Awkward moment when he stated that he ran for State Senate and Orange County Supervisor.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

Lastly, he talked about the potential for expanding the number of satellite offices.

1:31 PM– Supervisor Nelson asked about his top goals as Clerk-Recorder. Sidhu talked about streamlining the processes in the office of OC Clerk-Recorder and advancing technology.

1:35 PM– Spitzer asked the marriage question. Sidhu stated that he believes in traditional marriage but recognizes that the Supreme Court is making a decision and he will implement whatever they decide.

1:37 PM– Spitzer asked about the Jordan Brandman contract and what he would do. Sidhu stated that the contracts need to be more clear in the way they are crafted. He seemed to hint that he was not impressed by the Brandman Report although he had only seen the draft of it.

1:41 PM– In closing, Sidhu talked about running many successful businesses and how he can translate this to an excellent job he would do as a Clerk-Recorder. Love him or hate him he has a great personal story coming to this country at 18 years old and getting his first job cleaning toilets, getting an education, and parlaying that into a successful business career.

1:44 PM– Nelson deserves some major kudos as he was professional and kept that super classy.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Bruce Peotter

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

11:25 AM– We are now on to Bruce Peotter who at this point I think I would call the favorite if his interview goes above average.

11:26 AM– I am now onto my iPad as computer battery died. Peotter thanks the Supervisors for the opportunity. He talked about his experience running against Tom Daly back in 2002. His family was introduced through his brief biography of himself. He has experience working for Orange County along with private sector experience.

11:29 AM– iPad is way easier to blog from than computer. Technology is a focus of his introduction and he says that he plans to move the office forward from a technological standpoint. He talks about his experiences in the public and private sector.

11:31 AM– He made a pledge to not seek out higher office.

11:32 AM- He has a business degree from Arizona State and a law degree from UC Hastings. This was in response to a question from Supervisor Nguyen. Experience in the office of OC Public Administrator-Guardian were crucial to his knowledge.

11:33 AM– Per a follow-up question he will not seek election to the seat if he is not appointed. He wants to focus on stepping up the technology in Orange County where he feels that we are lacking.

11:36 AM– Supervisor Spitzer talked about his timeline of doing things and asked about what he knows now that he didn’t when he ran. Peotter answered that the timing seemed right although things didn’t work out. He was asked to join the office of Orange County Public Administrator-Guardian after he ran for office.

11:38 AM– Spitzer asks why not run if he is not appointed. He stated that he might consider it although he believes in the process. A slight hiccup here as he brought party affiliation into it.

11:39 AM– Supervisor Bates asked about the financial issues in the internal audit. He answered with details about the Fund 12D and the failings of Tom Daly. Budgeting transparency was a point that he brought up.

11:40 AM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

No.

2) What is your highest level of education?

A J.D. from UC Hastings

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

As a private attorney he has been involved in election law suits that involved Registrar of Voters being sued in order to deal with ballot designations.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

When he ran for Clerk-Recorder he forgot to do the right size disclosure on a fundraising mailer which resulted in a FPPC fine.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

He’s run for three other offices Irvine City Council, OC Clerk-Recorder, and OC Assessor.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

He does support online services replacing the satellite offices.

11:46 AM– He talked about why he stopped working for Public Administrator John Williams due to philosophical differences and the uses of HR during his tenure.

11:48 AM– It appears that he is also applying for the vacancy in the office of Orange County Public Administrator and seems to be in favor of consolidating the offices.

11:51 AM– He discusses increasing the technology usage by residents thus decreasing costs on staff and office space. The Phoenix Project used in Maricopa County is the program that he keeps pointing to as an example.

11:54 AM– Supervisor Nguyen asked about people who don’t have access to the Internet or do not like it. Peotter answered that he is not going to immediately shut down anything. His point is to decrease the needs for satellite offices and eventually try to direct people to the main office.

11:57 AM– He agreed to support the Board of Supervisors if they decided not to consolidate the office of Clerk-Recorder and Public Administrator.

11:58 AM– Spitzer asked the marriage question. Peotter answered that he supports keeping marriages together and supports strengthening marriages through information about pre-marital counseling. Once the question was clarified he stated his support for traditional marriage. As a Clerk-Recorder he will follow the law and grant marriages to anybody if the Supreme Court overturns Prop 8.

12:03 PM– In closing, he talked about his management style and ability to advance the office. He admitted to not being perfect but learning a lot along the way. His ability to listen and use persuasion are assets that he will bring to the table. The ability to get re-elected was another factor that he brought to the table.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Dick Ackerman

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

10:55 AM– The first of a couple of fun interviews today, In the words of T.O. get you popcorn ready.

11:01 AM– Dick Ackerman talked about the scope of work that is required in the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder. Efficiency is a key point that he focused in on and he stated that people were calling him when the office opened up because of his qualifications.

11:04 AM– Ackerman talked about his political experience in the Senate along with his experience with other local elected officials including the OC Board of Supervisors. He got a Governor to agree to a bond deal if I understood him correctly (why would he say this???). His local government expertise was quite a lengthy part of the discussion.

11:06 AM– Per questions from Supervisor Nelson he stated that he will seek re-election if he is appointed and he would oppose the idea of a caretaker being appointed. If he is not appointed he says that he will not run for it.

11:07 AM– He did state that he was not planning running for higher office although no verbal commitment was made. Although, he did state that his dream office is being a Supreme Court Justice.

11:08 AM– Supervisor Nguyen asked what specific things that he would do while in office. Ackerman stated that having a CPA/financial person in the office would be a great start. If I didn’t know any better I would say that he collaborated with Chris Norby prior to the meeting. Norby also said that he wanted a CPA in the office.

11:10 AM– Supervisor Spitzer asked the marriage question. Ackerman answered that he has been married for 45 years and opposes gay marriage. He has even been active (up in Sacramento) against a couple of initiatives that dealt with gay marriage. As Clerk-Recorder he does not plan to be active on the issue unless the Board of Supervisors directs him to do so. Spitzer cited Hicks vs. Board of Supervisors as a case to look into.

11:14 AM– He was then asked the technology question by Supervisor Nelson and talked about how he does support advancing technology and will work to stay on top of things.

11:16 AM– Supervisor Bates asked the question about his first 100 days in office. He talked about meeting with some of the folks that are currently working in the office. Expecting huge changes quickly in 100 days is not reasonable in his opinion.

11:18 AM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

Ackerman stated that he is not currently receiving a public pension

2) What is your highest level of education?

A J.D. from UC Hastings

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

He was unsure.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

He mentioned the investigation into the OC Fairgrounds.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

He has run for office 15 times (14-1 I believe).

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

Finally, he does support the satellite offices being used throughout the County.

11:21 AM– He has made his second college basketball joke during his closing statement. Political experience he feels is a must and he will work closely with the Board of Supervisors.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Hieu Nguyen

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

10:22 AM– Paging Hieu Nguyen to the dais, Hieu Nguyen to the dais.

10:23 AM– Hieu Nguyen opened with a thank you to the Orange County Supervisors for giving him the opportunity to make his presentation. Nguyen stated that he has been a resident of Orange County for 34 years. In 1993 he was hired by County Clerk-Recorder Gary Granville, working at the counter and worked his way up the ranks.

10:26 AM– Nguyen talked about his plans for the office including technology advancements, leadership changes, and improving communication with the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Cost effectiveness was a point that he repeated during his opening statement. It is clear that he has a real knowledge of the office and what the position does.

10:29 AM– Nguyen stated that he will run for re-election to the position if he is chosen.

10:30 AM– Supervisor Nguyen stated that Hieu Nguyen has already answered all of her questions.

10:31 AM– Nguyen stated that he will not run for higher office if he is appointed, in response to a question from Supervisor Nelson. Nguyen said that he will not run against the incumbent if he is not selected, in response to a question from Supervisor Bates.

10:32 AM– Spitzer asked, why not? Nguyen answered that it is difficult to run a campaign against an incumbent in Orange County.

10:34 AM– Marriage question asked again by Supervisor Spitzer. Nguyen stated that he will follow the law as it is decided by the Supreme Court. He stated that he personal supports traditional marriage but reiterated that he would follow the law.

10:37 AM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

He answered that he is not currently receiving a public pension.

2) What is your highest level of education?

He answered that he has a Associate’s degree from Santa Ana College and a certificate from Chapman University.

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

He answered no.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

He answered. “None that I know of.”

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

He pointed out that he ran for Orange County Clerk-Recorder back in 2010.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

The satellite offices will be reviewed if he is appointed, but he would not give a yes/no answer.

10:39 AM– When asked why he left the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder, Nguyen responded that he did it to broaden his skills and work for Darlene Bloom.

10:40 AM– Supervisor Bates asked about the scrutiny recently placed on the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder. Nguyen  stated that he plans to do a serious internal review, if he were to get appointed and will take a long look at hiring practices.

10:42 AM– When asked about financial expertise he talked about the costs associated with the office and how he knows the inside of the Clerk-Recorder position. On a follow-up question from Supervisor Nguyen, he stated that in dealing with people who cannot afford the internet (satellite offices related). His answer was that he wants to review the possibilities and will consider satellite offices but believes that the Santa Ana office could handle everything.

10:46 AM– Spitzer referred to Jordan Brandman when asking about contracts being given to outside consultants. Hieu Nguyen stated that he would have done that research project in-house and that resources should not have been wasted on an outside consultant.

10:48 AM– On a follow-up question Nguyen believes that contracts of below $50,000 would still need to be at least communicated with the Orange County Board of Supervisors on a monthly basis. He clarified that these are not contracts that he would allow, stating that he has common sense.

10:53 AM– Nguyen gave a nice closing statement that talked about his knowledge of the office and his focus on leadership by example.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Chris Norby

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

9:44 AM– We are currently searching for Chris Norby who I am told has a PowerPoint presentation. He arrived for his interview as I was typing this.

9:46 AM– In his opening statement Norby talked about the office of Clerk-Recorder and tried to show his knowledge of the office. As shown in his PowerPoint “Moving forward” is a key focus for him in order to get the office back on track if he is appointed. Budgeting in collaboration with the Orange County Supervisors is something that he will be proactive about if appointed. Civic Center homelessness is another problem that he plans to help tackle.

9:51 AM– He spent a lot of time talking about his plans for homelessness and then finally moved on. He stated that he would plan to keep the branch offices open (Fullerton specifically) if he is appointed. Identity theft is another issue that he plans to focus on, pointing out the amount of private information that is stored by the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder.

9:53 AM– Staffing was the next issue and pledged to hire a CPA instead of a political appointee as his assistant. I have to admit Norby is on fire right now and is giving me energy just watching him talk about his plan.

9:55 AM– Funding was next on his PowerPoint presentation and he discussed the Fund 12D issue that has been discussed at previous meetings.

9:56 AM– Building 433 which is sitting vacant (proposed for County archives) is a major issue that Norby brought up, Supervisor Nelson warned him that he is running a bit long but he appears to be speaking faster and not wrapping up. I had trouble keeping up with the last part and all I remember is that Richard Nixon, violins, and Brea-Olinda High School were all mentioned.

9:59 AM– At future job interviews I will never bring a PowerPoint after watching this interview. Norby gave a great verbal presentation that was very distracting due to the PowerPoint.

10:00 AM– Supervisor Nguyen asked about his experience. Norby answered that this is not a “silo agency “as it does deal with other County offices. As a Supervisor he worked with the office of County Clerk-Recorder despite not having actually worked there.

10:02 AM– On a follow-up question Norby stated that he will run for re-election if he is appointed. Norby did clarify that he will not run if he is not appointed.

10:04 AM– Norby is answering a lot of questions before they are asked by stating he will opt out of his pension if he is appointed.

10:05 AM– Supervisor Spitzer asked about whether or not it is fair to have a caretaker appointed to the office. Norby answered that the Orange County Board of Supervisors have the obligation to appoint somebody who is not in the office as a caretaker.

10:07 AM– Supervisor Nelson asked the technology question. Norby responded that the technology in place is sufficient and he has an understanding of it through his tenure serving as an elected official.

10:10 AM– Supervisor Moorlach asked his series of questions:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

I missed his answer on this one.

2) What is your highest level of education?

Norby answered that he has a Master’s degree from Cal State Fullerton.

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

He answered no.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

He answered that the FPPC did investigate him but he was cleared of the charges.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

Norby stated that he has run for public office a dozen times with an approximate record of 10-2.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

He stated that a lot of “soccer moms” might need to use the satellite offices which is why he supports them.

10:13 AM– Norby stated that he plans to keep an open line of communication between his office and the Supervisors if he is appointed, in response to a question asked by Supervisor Bates.

10:15 AM– Norby stated that his stance on marriage was, “Quit while you’re ahead” or “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.” Once the question was clarified he stated that he will discuss this with the Supervisors.

10:19 AM– In reference to previous contracts (Brandman) Norby discussed not handing down contracts to outside consultants if appointed.

10:20 AM– During his closing statement he talked about his focus on records, tackling bigger issues, and why he is the best choice.

Posted in Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Clerk-Recorder Interviews: Larry Bales

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 2, 2013

9:14 AM– Larry Bales is now in the room.

9:15 AM– He talked about his military background serving during the Vietnam War, working in the office of Orange County Assessor, and working for the FDIC. He is clearly a very intelligent man who has a very strong background in the field of finance.

9:18 AM– He talked about his volunteerism in helping veterans to receive all of their benefits. Also, he mentioned that during his tenure in the office of the Orange County Assessor he ended up helping the Orange County Grand Jury corruption that he discovered while working in the office of OC Assessor.

9:20 AM– He is trying to link the corruption that he uncovered to the passage of Prop 13 linking the scandal he uncovered in the office of the Orange County Assessor (property assessments) to the California outcry on property taxes.

9:22 AM– Supervisor Nguyen asked about his experience and education. Bayles responded that he was involved with the internal review when he worked in Orange County. Supervisor Nguyen also asked if he plans to run for the position in 2 years. Bayles stated that he would run if the office is not consolidated. It has been discussed in the past that the Orange County Supervisors would like to explore the potential consolidation of some offices.

9:23 AM– Supervisor Nelson asked if Bayles plans to seek higher office in the future. Bayles answered that he is not interested in running for any other office and has given it no thought. Supervisor Nelson also asked about the technology aspect of the job. Bayles responded by saying that he has experience needed to improve technology in the office.

9:24 AM– Supervisor Spitzer asked about him running in 1996 against Brad Jacobs (incumbent) for Orange County Assessor and asked about why he ran for the office. Bayles answered that, “The Assessor should have one job to do and he was not doing his job.”

9:26 AM– Supervisor Nelson followed up with a question asking for more details. Bayles simply answered that he has properties that are over assessed. He appears to have really danced around that question without answering it which leads me to believe that something very bad took place in the Assessors office. Supervisor Spitzer followed up with a question asking about his experience managing people. Bayles answered that he has lots of experience through his previous jobs. although the FDIC job was what he focused on.

9:29 AM– Supervisor Moorlach has questions which he plans to ask of all applicants:

1) Are you receiving a public pension?

He answered that he is currently receiving a public pension.

2) What is your highest level of education?

He answered that he has a Bachelor’s degree.

3) Have you been involved in litigation with the County of Orange?

He answered no.

4) Have you ever been subject to any political investigation?

He answered no.

5) Have you run for office before? If so, how many times and for what offices?

He did point out that he has run for office before, “A few times” but could not recall the exact number of times.

6) Do you believe that the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder needs satellite offices?

He did not give a direct answer but believes that the Fullerton office is not worth the money.

9:33 AM– Supervisor Bates has asked about the financial status of the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder. Bayles answered that the archives building that was purchased previous to him applying for the vacancy was expensive. Bayles plans to look into the requirements of archives and said he would consider all options to save money.

9:35 AM– Bayles stated, “Service to the people should be the number one priority” for the office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder when asked by Supervisor Nguyen. On a follow-up question he answered that he would look into consolidating certain technologies in order to save money.

9:37 AM– Supervisor Spitzer asked about his position on gay marriage since he might be issuing marriage licenses if appointed to the position. Bayles said that he has no problem with issuing licenses based if the Supreme Court overturns Proposition 8.

9:39 AM– Supervisor Nelson asked about what the first 100 days will be like if he is selected. Bayles answered that a lot of internal reviews will take place and his goals would be to immediately make the office more people/taxpayer oriented.

9:40 AM– In closing he stated that he feels that he is the best applicant based on his experience.

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