Posted by Newsletter Reprint on August 30, 2013
Unite OC is hosting a “Candidate Boot Camp that will take place over 6 days between October 7th and December 16th. Custom Campaigns has been invited as one of the guest instructors for this program and is looking forward to this opportunity.
Here is the information for the events:
Posted in Orange County | Tagged: Campaign School, Custim Campaigns, Unite OC | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Newsletter Reprint on August 29, 2013
This came over the wire yesterday from the City of Orange:
Notice of Vacancy City Treasurer
The City Council of the City of Orange is seeking interested applicants to fill a vacancy as City Treasurer. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m., September 12, 2013.
Applicants shall have their residence in the City of Orange and have general knowledge of finance. The term of office runs through November 2016.
The City Treasurer provides for the investment of the City’s and Redevelopment Successor Agency’s funds in compliance with state law and the City’s Statement of Investment Policy. They monitor revenues, cash flow and needs, and cash controls. The Mission Statement of the City Treasurer is to prudently manage, protect and preserve funds placed in its trust.
The City Treasurer receives a stipend of $365.00 per month.
If you have any additional questions, contact the City Clerk’s Office at (714) 744-5500.
Applications should be filed at the City Clerk’s Office, 300 E. Chapman Ave, Orange, CA 92866.
Posted in Orange | Tagged: Elected City Treasurer, Orange City Treasurer | 1 Comment »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on August 27, 2013
San Clemente Mayor Robert “Bob” Baker
Many people may recall the rather amusing saga of San Clemente Councilman Robert “Bob” Baker, who had an opponent in the November 2012 election with the same exact name of Robert “Bob” Baker, which OC Political covered here and here last year.
In a nutshell, Councilman Baker (R) was challenged for re-election by a businessman (D) with the same exact name. (In the process, we discovered ballot designations had been created in 1931 to solve this problem, but that clearly took a life of its own.) Under Elections Code 13118, which was left substantially untouched since 1927, when two candidates with the same (or very similar) names were to each select a number to be placed next to their names on the ballot if at least one of them filed a declaration that their names were confusingly similar.
Since Councilman Baker pulled and filed his nomination paperwork first, he got first pick of numbers. Naturally, he picked the number 1. Easy enough, right? Well, no. Businessman Baker then threw everyone for a loop by picking the number 0. The San Clemente City Clerk initially determined that businessman Baker would precede Councilman Baker on the ballot since 0 comes before 1. Then, the City Clerk sought advised from the Secretary of State, who then recommended the Clerk to do a random drawing to determine who would get listed first (just like the random drawing of the alphabet for the ballot). 0 was drawn before 1, so businessman Baker was listed before Councilman Baker on the ballot.
Businessman Baker eventually dropped out (though his name remained on the ballot), and Councilman Baker was re-elected by a nearly 3% margin. Shortly after the election, his colleagues on the San Clemente City Council selected Baker to be Mayor of San Clemente for 2013.
| CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE Member, City Council |
| Number To Vote For: 2 |
| Completed Precincts: 46 of 46 |
| Vote Count | Percentage | |
| CHRIS HAMM | 12,308 | 26.2% |
| 1 ROBERT “BOB” BAKER | 10,890 | 23.2% |
| JIM DAHL | 9,555 | 20.3% |
| MIKE MORTENSON | 9,145 | 19.5% |
| DAVID CLEGG | 3,105 | 6.6% |
| 0 ROBERT “BOB” BAKER | 1,995 | 4.2% |
Well, this year, Assemblywoman Diane Harkey introduced AB 1316 in February, which sailed through the Assembly Elections Committee, the Assembly Appropriations Committee, the Assembly Floor, the Senate Elections Committee, and the Senate Floor, getting unanimous votes every step of the way. Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1316 into law this month, and it will take effect on January 1, 2014.
Sponsored by the City Clerks Association of California, AB 1316 was supported by the Secretary of State, the California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials, and the League of California Cities. Harkey’s office specifically cited the situation in San Clemente as the impetus for the bill, and that was cited by all four official bill analyses in the Legislature (Assembly Elections, Assembly Appropriations, Senate Elections, and Senate Floor).
AB 1316 is quite straightforward. If any candidate files a declaration declaring that the name of an opponent is confusingly similar, the elections official (the City Clerk for city offices or the Registrar of Voters for federal, state, county, school district, special district, etc.) will now select the number assigned to each candidate with a similar name. The Clerk/Registrar must start with the number 1 and assign the numbers sequentially based on the order that each candidate filed for the ballot. The ballot order will be determined by lottery. AB 1316 also fixed the annoying problem of the number’s location, moving it after the candidate’s name, as existing law had placed it before the candidate’s name.
If Harkey’s bill had been in effect in November 2012, the Councilman would have been Robert “Bob” Baker 1 while the businessman would have been Robert “Bob” Baker 2. Under the pre-Harkey law, as you’ll recall, they were 1 Robert “Bob” Baker and 0 Robert “Bob” Baker.
Due to the inherent advantage of the number 1, I wish AB 1316 had begun with the number 2 instead or that the assigned numbers for the candidates were determined by lottery in the first place. Oh well.
Sadly (but appropriately), Harkey’s bill also closed my googol loophole: thanks to AB 1316, there can never be a candidate with the number 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Posted in 73rd Assembly District, California, San Clemente | Tagged: Bob Baker, California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials, Chris Hamm, City Clerks Association of California, David Clegg, Diane Harkey, Jerry Brown, Jim Dahl, League of California Cities, Mike Mortenson, Robert "Bob" Baker, Robert Baker, same name, Secretary of State | 1 Comment »
Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on August 26, 2013
There is a weird controversy that has been taking place in Placentia this summer. Councilman Jeremy Yamaguchi is being attacked for his role in one of the City of Placentia’s concerts in the park. Basically, Yamaguchi is being accused of having a conflict of interest with his status as a Councilman and his activities as a VOLUNTEER for the City.
The issue really is much ado about nothing: there is no kind of financial conflict of interest that took place because volunteers inherently have no financial interest.
Yamaguchi has worked for companies that have provided sound services for bands that participate in the concerts in the park and Yamaguchi has been providing his services to the City as a VOLUNTEER. I think it is rather refreshing for a Councilmember to provide volunteer services that don’t involve simply showing up at an event, smiling, waving, and/or gracing everybody with their presence.
According to a memo from Placentia’s city attorney quoted by the Orange County Register:
“In summary, we cannot state with certainty that conflict of interest laws have been violated; however, Mr. Yamaguchi’s income history, coupled with his activities as a volunteer, could lead one to believe that an appearance of a conflict exists.”
What a strange quote. The city attorney basically says, “We can’t find a conflict but somebody might think there’s a conflict.”
Yamaguchi’s activities as a volunteer should have no effect on what he can and/or cannot do as a City Councilmember in the City of Placentia. If he is not profiting in any way financially, I don’t see what the issue is.
One thing that caused me to raise an eyebrow is the fact that Yamaguchi is currently the conservative minority on the Placentia City Council along with Councilman Chad Wanke. The non-conservative majority of Scott Nelson, Connie Underhill, and Joe Aguirre are all technically registered Republicans.
More often than not, when city staff and a Council majority are questioned, they don’t like it. This sometimes leads to efforts to try to discredit the dissenters by making them look bad at both Council meetings and in the media. I’m not sure if this is the case in Placentia, but where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.
What I do know for certain is that Jeremy Yamaguchi has been an excellent vote on the Placentia City Council and obviously cares about his community. People like Yamaguchi should be applauded for their efforts and not dragged over the coals.
Posted in Placentia | Tagged: Connie Underhill, Jeremy Yamaguchi, Joe Aguirre, Scott Nelson | 5 Comments »
Posted by Newsletter Reprint on August 23, 2013
This op-ed came across the wire from Yorba Linda Mayor Pro Tem Craig Young…
Choosing Battles: Local Control, State Mandate and Knowing the Difference
The wise leader considers both armies before going into battle. It is said my NO vote against an Entitlement Program that gives free lunches as well as tens of thousands of dollars to a real estate investor should require that I also vote NO on any funding for the roads we all drive on. Really?? It is also said I should have voted NO on the Housing Element that was approved the night I lost the vote against returning Block Grants. I am painted as being inconsistent. The appropriate retort: apples and oranges.
While ideologically a NO vote on the Housing Element sends a message to Sacramento about objection to entitlements, unfortunately that vote bears consequences that would be overwhelmingly adverse to our city. The NO vote on Block Grants has consequences too (e.g. loss of community embraced programs and over $42,000 in general funding). However, we can afford the adverse consequences on Block Grants, we cannot afford those on the Housing Element.
Long before my time, we were painted into a corner with the Housing Element. Thomas Jefferson said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
Disapproving the Housing Element could give the State the ability to freeze development in our city; we would no longer be able to issue building permits of any type. More importantly, a non-certified Housing Element could subject our city to scrutiny and significant legal claims from housing advocacy groups, which could be very costly to our general fund. And worse, the NO vote potentially even bestows Sacramento with control to step in and approve, without our input, construction of housing they seek.
A NO vote on Block Grants keeps us from receiving something we can choose to selectively fund on our own. A NO vote on the Housing Element has the adverse effect of taking sole local control away and giving it to the State. A glance at the balance sheet indicates to me that the negatives tremendously outweigh the positives.
Would I advocate for the State returning control to the local cities? Absolutely! However, in so advocating, we must carefully craft decisions balancing ideology with pragmatism.
Craig Young is an attorney, active member in the Lincoln Club, and serves as Mayor Pro Tem in Yorba Linda, CA.
Posted in California, Yorba Linda | Tagged: block grants, Craig Young, housing element, state mandate | 4 Comments »
Posted by Allen Wilson on August 22, 2013
San Diego NBC 7 Reports that embattled Mayor Bob Filner plans to resign as part of harassment settlement agreement reached last night.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diego-Mayor-Bob-Filner-to-Resign-220675401.html
Diana Palacios posted this YouTube showing Filner leaving City Hall yesterday in a black SUV with boxes to vacate the office.
Posted in California | Tagged: Bob Filner, San Diego | 1 Comment »
Posted by OC Political Advertisement on August 22, 2013
Hair loss speaks for itself.
That’s why the no-scar hair loss surgery at Orange County Hair Restoration in Irvine is right for you.
Unlike older transplant methods, Hair Restoration is painless, leaves no linear scar, and looks natural.
Call (949) 333-2999 or click to schedule your free consultation today.
Posted in Advertiser | Tagged: OC Neograft | 1 Comment »
Posted by Scott Carpenter on August 20, 2013
With Costa Mesa Councilwoman Wendy Leece’s term on the city council expiring due to term limits and Mayor Jim Righeimer up for re-election next year may be interesting for the Costa Mesa City Council election. Today Tony Capitelli, a staffer for Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, officially announced his intention to run for Costa Mesa City Council.
(Full Disclosure: Tony and I went to Concordia University together and have been friends since.)
Having known Tony since college I was excited when he called me a few weeks ago to inform me of his intentions to run. He has always been an admirable person, he holds deep conservative values and truly understands public service. Costa Mesa of course remains the center of a lot of political turmoil with the ongoing labor negotiations, however I think Tony is taking a wise approach of asking for civility while city leaders must take steps to put Costa Mesa on a course of fiscal sanity based in reality. Below is his official announcement:
After careful prayer and consideration, I have decided to run for a seat on the Costa Mesa City Council. God has put each of us on a unique path, and in my life that path continues to be one of public service. Costa Mesa is a diverse city facing intricate challenges, and we need new leadership to carry us forward.
Costa Mesa is in many ways a microcosm of our nation. Civic Leaders of the past have lead us down the path of fiscal irresponsibility to the extent that this city could not even perform one of its most essential and basic functions, maintenance of its roads and streets. Although I may not always agree with their approach or on some of the details, the current council majority has been willing to address this issue, and thanks to them, our city is moving slowly toward fiscal sanity. While progress has been made, it will be up to the next council to continue this battle and push the message of responsible government. Costa Mesa is a wonderful family-friendly community that is home to world class arts, shopping and entertainment, but if our infrastructure is not properly maintained and improved, then we fail to meet our potential. Projects such as the revitalization of downtown, and improving the safety of our streets while making them both pedestrian and bike friendly will strengthen our communities. This path has not and will not come without sacrifice, but it is vital to Costa Mesa’s future.
This city also has the opportunity to demonstrate enhanced ways of serving the least fortunate in our community, those experiencing homelessness or those at-risk. Government is not the only answer to this problem, but we need a council that is supportive. Our faith based communities have shown that community development, along with charitable giving and private organization, can create opportunity for all Costa Mesa residents to succeed. Unfortunately, our current transitional housing facilities have created an environment that has become more of a burden, and we should work toward more innovative and productive solutions. City government, community organizations, and the Police Department, working collaboratively, can ensure that we achieve these goals while keeping our families safe.
The unique makeup of Costa Mesa, the recent influx of young families, and the residents who’ve called this city home for decades are all looking for new leadership. I seek the opportunity to accommodate that request with the utmost humility, and in doing so, I ask for your help. Whether it is through monetary donation, walking precincts, or most importantly, prayer, your support is vital to our success and is much appreciated. If you would like to help, please click the link below.
Thank you, and God Bless!
Tony Capitelli
Posted in Costa Mesa | Tagged: costa mesa, Costa Mesa City Council, Jim Righeimer, Tony Capitelli, Wendy Leece | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Chris Nguyen on August 15, 2013
SD-34 Candidates:
Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove) and former State Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana)
SD-34 is one of the more complex races to calculate campaign finances for, due to the fact that Supervisor Janet Nguyen (R-Garden Grove) and former Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) wield massive warchests, scattered across multiple campaign accounts. Furthermore, independent expenditures will likely dominate the final weeks of the general election.
Nguyen wields campaign accounts for both Senate and Supervisor while Solorio has Senate, College Board, and ballot measure accounts. Nguyen just opened her Senate account during this reporting period but already managed to obtain $105,750 for her Senate account. She also raised $65,345 into her Supervisorial account during 2013. Solorio raised $64,420 into his Senate account in 2013, $3,200 into his College Board account, and $2,500 into his ballot measure account.
It’s clear Solorio is depending on money from his Sacramento days, as he simply didn’t raise as much as Nguyen did during this reporting period – the first reporting period in which Solorio was no longer an Assemblyman.
The campaign contribution limit for Supervisor is $1,900 per election while the contribution limit for Senate is $4,100. Consequently, it is quite likely that the vast majority of Nguyen’s supervisorial account ($331,704) can be transferred to her Senate account ($102,965).
Solorio has $104,339 in his ballot measure committee, which has no contribution limits, but that means he can only transfer $4,100 per donor per election into his Senate account; a chunk of that is not transferable since he has donors who gave $10,000 to the ballot measure committee, and a total transfer would violate Senate contribution limits. Since there’s only $292 in Solorio’s College Board account, he’ll have no problem transferring all of it, but then again, it’s only $292 (I’ll note College Board has no contribution limits, though).
Refreshingly, neither candidate in SD-34 had any loans to their campaigns.
For visual learners:
| Candidate | 12/31/12 Cash Balance |
Contributions | Unpaid Bills |
Expenditures | Cash on Hand (COH) |
COH Minus Unpaid Bills |
|||||
| Nguyen for Senate | $0 | $105,750 | $1,278 | $6,507 | $104,243 | $102,965 | |||||
| Nguyen for Supervisor | $408,496 | $65,345 | $15,220 | $126,966 | $346,924 | $331,704 | |||||
| Solorio for Senate | $304,802 | $64,420 | $1,810 | $16,185 | $353,042 | $351,232 | |||||
| Solorio for College Board | $10,068 | $3,200 | $0 | $13,969 | $292 | $292 | |||||
| Solorio Ballot Measure | $105,636 | $2,500 | $229 | $3,507 | $104,628 | $104,339 | |||||
| Notes: Figures may be off by one dollar due to rounding. | |||||||||||
SD-34 is 38.4% Democrats, 35.8% Republicans, 21.0% No Party Preference voters, and 4.8% third party voters. 87.8% of SD-34 voters are from Orange County while 12.2% are from Los Angeles County. With lower voter turnout in November 2014 due to a lack of the presidential race, this should favor the Republican (Nguyen) against the Democrat (Solorio), as Republicans tend to have higher voter turnout than Democrats do.
It appears Nguyen and Solorio sit in relatively even positions with over $400,000 cash-on-hand each, but fundraising momentum rests with Nguyen. Furthermore, her office as a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors is a better perch from which to raise money than Solorio’s perch on the Rancho Santiago Community College Board.
(For the record, I am not related to Supervisor Janet Nguyen. The last name Nguyen is held by 36% of Vietnamese people.)
Posted in 34th Senate District | Tagged: Janet Nguyen, Jose Solorio | 10 Comments »
Posted by Allen Wilson on August 14, 2013
OC Political has received information that Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has a serious contender for his job, which Baca is up for re-election in 2014.
Olmsted Campaign for Sheriff released this Press Release:
Los Angeles, August 14th – Today former commander Bob Olmsted, 62, has announced his run for Los Angeles County Sheriff against Lee Baca.
Bob Olmsted is a proven reformer. As a commander, he was unafraid to call attention to the corruption in the men’s central jail system. After his retirement, he was willing to talk openly about the widespread dysfunction and corruption that has resulted in multiple federal investigations and a long string of departmental scandals.
Now Olmsted wants to take his over 32 years of experience as a highly-regarded supervisor, as a teacher of criminal justice and, most importantly, as a law officer with the courage to stand up for what’s right, and use it to bring back honor and good policing to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department.
The Olmsted campaign has launched a web video highlighting Lee Baca’s record of mismanagement and corruption while introducing candidate Bob Olmsted.
Click below to view the ad:
Bob Olmstead states, “Sheriff Lee Baca’s mismanagement is to blame for numerous corruption scandals and federal investigations. Change has to come from the top.”
“Voters deserve a sheriff’s department they can be proud of. I’m running for Sheriff to restore integrity into the department and get back to the basics – serving the community, stopping crime, and helping keep kids out of crime in the first place.
Please visit Olmsted’s campaign website at http://www.OlmstedInstead.com for more information and campaign updates.
Bob Olmsted worked his way through the ranks in the Sheriff’s department from Deputy to Commander, excelling as a training officer, investigator and executive. Bob taught Criminal Justice at El Camino College, and earned his BA and MPA degrees from Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Bob Olmsted, Lee Baca, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department | 2 Comments »
OC Political 