OC Political

We’re live from OC GOP Central Committee for the second round of endorsements to decide on the recommendations of the Endorsements Committee, which we covered here and here. Please recall that the OC GOP Central Committee already made official early endorsements in August.

As is usual for an endorsements meeting, several new alternates are sworn in.

There are too many candidates and elected officials here to list them all.

The party is honoring Scott Loenhorst, who flew down from Silicon Valley tonight for the Central Committee meeting. Loenhorst left his position as OC GOP Executive Director three weeks ago to join Google.

On the docket tonight are:

Recommended for Endorsement
Angie Cano – Santa Ana Unified School District
Tim Surridge – Orange Unified School District, Trustee Area 5
Jim Cunneen – Fountain Valley School District
Sandra Crandall – Fountain Valley School District
Rick Ledesma – Orange Unified School District, Trustee Area 7   
John Briscoe – Ocean View School District
Andrew Hamilton – Lake Forest City Council
Elaine Gennawey – Laguna Niguel City Council
John Jennings – Laguna Niguel City Council
Shawn Dewane – Orange County Water District, Division 7
Chuck Perry – Costa Mesa Sanitary District
Ron Amburgey – Mesa Water District, Division 4
Duffy Duffield – Newport Beach City Council, District 3
Scott Peotter – Newport Beach City Council, District 6
Kevin Muldoon – Newport Beach City Council, District 4
MJ Noor – Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Tracy Pellman – Ocean View School District
Ed Sachs – Mission Viejo City Council
Rhonda Reardon – Mission Viejo City Council
Wendy Bucknum – Mission Viejo City Council
Kerry Ferguson – San Juan Capistrano City Council
Greg Sebourn – Fullerton City Council
Steve Vargas – Brea City Council
Cecilia Hupp – Brea City Council
John Tomlinson – Dana Point City Council
David Yang – Tustin Unified School District
Baron Night – Buena Park City Council

Recommended Endorsement Against
Measure I – Fullerton Joint Union High School District Bond
Measure H – Anaheim Union High School District Bond
Measure J – North Orange County Community College District Bond
Measure K – Orange Unified School District Bond

Recommended Neutral/Not Endorsed
Measure Z – Rancho Santa Margarita
Brad McGirr – Rancho Santa Margarita City Council
Michael Vaughn – Rancho Santa Margarita City Council
Jesse Petrilla – Rancho Santa Margarita City Council
Laurie Biehl – Rancho Santa Margarita City Council
Don Chadd – Rancho Santa Margarita City Council
Jerry Holloway – Rancho Santa Margarita City Council
Sean Paden – Fullerton City Council
Larry Bennett – Fullerton City Council
Michael Vo – Fountain Valley City Council
Barbara Delgleize – Huntington Beach City Council

No Vote
Tony Capitelli – Costa Mesa City Council
Leslie Daigle – Orange County Water District, Division 5

Additions
Tim Brown – San Clemente City Council

No Longer Being Considered
Doug Pettibone – Anaheim City Council
James Vanderbilt – Anaheim City Council
Kris Murray – Anaheim City Council
Gail Eastman – Anaheim City Council

Fred Whitaker moves and Brett Barbre seconds the above list in their entirety.

Newport Beach City Council is pulled for further discussion.

Tim Brown will be considered for San Clemente City Council on the floor of Central Committee.

Tracy Pellman and John Briscoe in Ocean View School District are pulled for discussion.

Tim Surridge and Rick Ledesma in Orange Unified School District are pulled for discussion.

Sean Paden running for Fullerton City Council is pulled for discussion.

Michael Vo running for Fountain Valley City Council is pulled for discussion.

Fred Whitaker moves and Denis Bilodeau seconds to endorse Tim Surridge and Rick Ledesma for Orange Unified School District.

Whitaker says that Surridge and Ledesma are both good Republicans. He speaks about their conservative voting records. Whitaker warns that Surridge’s opponent is Florice Hoffman, a liberal union lawyer who ran against Ed Royce. Ledesma’s opponent is also a liberal Democrat, Tim Perez.

Deborah Pauly speaks about Surridge and Ledesma voting for the bond. She said they both promised her they would not vote for a bond.

The vote sounds like 50/50, thereby falling short of the 2/3 vote needed.

NO ENDORSEMENT FOR ORANGE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

Kermit Marsh moves to endorse both Tracy Pellman and John Briscoe for Ocean View School District. Scott Voigts seconds.

Marsh states that the two have slung mud at each other, and he is moving them together to force them to be considered together. Marsh lives in the district and his children attend Ocean View schools. He says the teachers union supported Pellman and opposed Briscoe in 2010. He says the teachers unions now oppose Pellman and quietly support Briscoe in 2014; he has had five teachers confirm this.

BRISCOE AND PELLMAN ENDORSED FOR OCEAN VIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT.

Steve Baric moves and Brett Barbre seconds the endorsement of Duffy Duffield.

Baric says these three candidates took the time to apply. He calls them reformers who oppose the dock tax. He says their principles are consistent with Republican Party principles.

Mary Young wants all candidates considered, including Duffield’s opponent, Rush Hill.

DUFFIELD ENDORSED FOR NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL

Brett Barbre moves and John Warner seconds the endorsement of Scott Peotter.

PEOTTER ENDORSED FOR NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL

Lee Lowery moves and Zonya Townsend seconds the endorsement of Kevin Muldoon.

MULDOON ENDORSED FOR NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL

Brett Barbre moves and Mary Young seconds the endorsement of Wendy Bucknum.

Barbre speaks of Bucknum’s volunteerism on behalf of Republicans and her conservative principles.

Steve Sarkis asks about the he-said-she-said emails in Mission Viejo. Sarkis asks Bucher if the Endorsements Committee reviewed the issues raised. Bucher confirms they did.

BUCKNUM ENDORSED FOR MISSION VIEJO CITY COUNCIL.

Mary Young moves and Steve Nagel seconds the endorsement of Rhonda Reardon.

REARDON ENDORSED FOR MISSION VIEJO CITY COUNCIL.

Mark McCurdy speaks about Sean Paden’s city service and conservative principles.

Fred Whitaker states that the Endorsements Committee made a decision to not recommend Sean Paden or Larry Bennett since there are more Republicans than seats.

Thomas Gordon says the Republican team of Bruce Whitaker and Greg Sebourn have endorsed Sean Paden and that the Republican Party needs to send Whitaker and Sebourn a teammate in Paden.

Shawn Nelson says he agrees with Fred Whitaker. He says he has not endorsed either candidate. He says neither have been in the trenches.

TJ Fuentes moves and John W. Briscoe seconds to endorse no one (other than Greg Sebourn who was endorsed on the consent calendar).

NO SECOND ENDORSEMENT FOR FULLERTON CITY COUNCIL.

Steve Nagel moves and Peggy Huang seconds the endorsement of Michael Vo for Fountain Valley City Council. He notes that the OC GOP endorsed McCurdy, Vo, and John Collins four years ago.

Scott Peotter notes that Vo supported evergreen contracts and likes various Democrats on his Facebook page.

NO SECOND ENDORSEMENT FOR FOUNTAIN VALLEY CITY COUNCIL.

Amazingly, endorsements completed less than one hour after it began.

Scott Baugh speaks about the various Republican headquarters.

Meeting Adjourned.