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Orange County Needs a Watchdog as Auditor-Controller

Posted by Newsletter Reprint on April 23, 2014

This just came across the wire:

ORANGE COUNTY NEEDS A WATCHDOG AS AUDITOR-CONTROLLER

Why the Orange County Taxpayers Association Endorses Eric Woolery

By Carolyn Cavecche, CEO and President, Orange County Taxpayers Association

Election after election, “wanna-be” politicians have targeted specific elected offices at the County of Orange as their opportunity for an entrance into political life. Although these offices seem to be low profile and of little importance to many voters, they are actually positions of great importance with significant responsibilities. Sometimes, the unqualified manage to get elected, sometimes resulting in bad governance. Remember the county’s bankruptcy? Recently, the OC Board of Supervisors took the unusual step of consolidating one of these offices, the County Public Administrator, with the District Attorney’s office. This measure was taken to recover the high level of integrity such an important position should preserve, which was ignored by an unqualified elected official. The elected position of Orange County Auditor-Controller is one of those offices of great importance to the taxpayers, as it oversees all of our taxpayer monies at the County of Orange.

The Orange County Taxpayers Association has endorsed Eric Woolery in the Orange County Auditor-Controller’s race because he has the right set of skills and expertise to best serve as the watchdog over Orange County’s taxpayer funds. He is a CPA, a former small business owner, a former county school board member, and currently serves as Orange Treasurer. He understands the importance of vigilance and has a track record that demonstrates that he knows how to monitor how the county spends precious taxpayer resources in order to find and fight fraud and waste. He is a professional who is actually qualified for the position of Auditor-Controller.

As a taxpayer watchdog, Woolery will prepare both elected decision makers and the public to make the policy decisions that will protect Orange County taxpayers. Eric Woolery has created priorities based on his knowledge, and his proactive budgeting approach will not only get Orange County through these next few years, but will also protect us for years to come. His priorities include:

  • Exposing and fighting Sacramento’s raids on our local coffers. This year, he reclaimed $18 million for his county department.
  • Enhancing county productivity and performance through new processes and accountabilities. Through the recession, he cut costs in his agency by 25% while maintaining operational effectiveness.
  • Helping solve the current pension crisis while implementing safeguards to guarantee future sustainability.

Every year, the Auditor-Controller’s office issues the “OC Citizens Report.” Eric Woolery’s version of this report will include an analysis of the fiscal strengths and challenges for the county and its $5.4 billion budget. On day one, he plans to dig into fiscal matters and immediately start answering the following questions and finding solutions to them; if elected, next year’s report will include solutions to the biggest issues facing Orange County:

  • What is our pension liability? How does Orange County’s liability compare to other counties?
  • What policies has the Auditor-Controller offered to the Board of Supervisors as solutions?
  • How stable are the county’s revenue sources?
  • Is the state planning to raid our coffers again, and if so, what will the impact be? Can we prepare?
  • Are there plans afoot to find new sources of revenue without raising taxes?
  • Does the Auditor-Controller have plans to streamline, consolidate, or cut costs to improve efficiencies?

Please join the Orange County Taxpayers Association in voting for Eric Woolery and his proactive leadership to improve our quality of life and keep Orange County one of the most sought after regions to live.

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Posted in Orange County, Orange County Auditor-Controller | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Eric Woolery Fundraiser In Laguna Beach on April 26th

Posted by Newsletter Reprint on April 2, 2014

This just came across the wire from the Woolery for Auditor-Controller Campaign:

WOL_InviteV2

Posted in Orange County Auditor-Controller | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Auditor-Controller Race: Frank Davies Loses “Deputy Auditor-Controller” Ballot Designation, Will Use “Property Tax Director” Instead

Posted by Chris Nguyen on March 31, 2014

There have been five lawsuits related to the June Primary election ballot for Orange County. The meat of this article is after the bullet list. The bullet list just recaps the prior cases.

  • In the Second Supervisorial District, Allan Mansoor successfully sued the Registrar of Voters to change Michelle Steel‘s ballot designation of “Taxpayer Advocate/Businesswoman” and she is now required to use “Board of Equalization Member” instead. This case was covered here on OC Political, in an article in the OC Register, and in an article in the Daily Pilot.
  • In the Clerk-Recorder’s race, Troy Edgar‘s lawsuit against the Registrar of Voters to get on the ballot was rejected by the Orange County Superior Court. Edgar’s lawsuit against the Registrar of Voters also sought to toss Assessor Webster Guillory and Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares from the ballot, and this effort was also rejected by the Superior Court. Consequently, Edgar fails to make the ballot while Guillory and Mijares stay on the ballot. Here’s OC Political’s coverage, including the only online copy of the full text of the judge’s ruling. The judge’s sweeping ruling used “failed” or “fails” six times in reference to Edgar and even uses “without merit” in reference to one of Edgar’s arguments.
  • In the 73rd Assembly District, Mission Viejo resident Dale Tyler sued the Secretary of State to challenge a sentence in AD-73 Candidate Anna Bryson‘s ballot statement, “On the school board, I returned $59 million to taxpayers.” Tyler sought to have the sentence struck entirely, but the Sacramento County Superior Court judge issued a compromise, so it now reads, “On the school board, I voted to save taxpayers approximately $59 million.” Here’s OC Political’s coverage, and here’s the text of the judge’s ruling.
  • In the Auditor-Controller’s race, candidate John Wayne Willard sued the Registrar of Voters in an unsuccessful effort to challenge Eric Woolery‘s “Orange Treasurer/CPA” ballot designation. Consequently, Woolery remains “Orange Treasurer/CPA” on the ballot. Here’s OC Political’s coverage, including the only online copy of the full text of the judge’s ruling. When the judge includes strong language along the lines of “The evidence is undisputed that Woolery was appointed to the position of Treasurer…” you know it’s a sweeping ruling.
  • Oddly, the fifth lawsuit has yet to have any coverage anywhere despite being the first case to be completed, having been resolved way back on Tuesday, and it’s also likely the most significant case in terms of impact on a race. That case will be the focus of this article.
Auditor-Controller Candidates Eric Woolery, John Wayne Willard, Frank Davies, and Mike "Mike" Dalati. OC Political was unable to find a photo of James T. Benuzzi.

Auditor-Controller Candidates Eric Woolery, John Wayne Willard, Frank Davies, and Mike “Mike” Dalati.
OC Political was unable to find a photo of James T. Benuzzi.

Laguna Niguel resident Todd Nugent challenged the ballot designation of Auditor-Controller candidate Frank Davies. Davies requested the ballot designation of “Deputy Auditor-Controller” for his bid for Auditor-Controller.

Nugent challenged it on the grounds that this was an effort by Davies to game the system by playing working title musical chairs, as he was not the Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller. Denise Steckler held both the job classification and working title of “Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller” before the candidate filing period. Frank Davies held the job classification of “Administrative Manager III” and the working title of “Director, Property Tax” during that time. Then in the middle of candidate filing, after Davies had pulled papers for Auditor-Controller and shortly before he filed them, all four Directors at the Administrative Manager III level in the Auditor-Controller’s office had their working titles switched from “Director” to “Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller” instead (while still remaining in the job classification of “Administrative Manager III”). Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller Denise Steckler then switched to the working title of “Chief of Staff” (while still remaining in the job classification of “Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller”).

Nugent filed suit in Superior Court and succeeded in having “Deputy Auditor-Controller” dumped as Davies’s ballot designation. Consequently, Davies is now “Property Tax Director” on the ballot.

In an obscure down-ticket race like Auditor-Controller, having a ballot designation of “Deputy Auditor-Controller” would have made Davies the frontrunner. Nugent’s challenge was critical in putting Orange Treasurer/CPA Eric Woolery back in the driver’s seat for the Auditor-Controller’s seat. Defeating Willard’s challenge was also critical for Woolery’s frontrunner position.

Here’s how the candidates will appear on the ballot:

(No, that’s not a mistake. Mike “Mike” Dalati is how he requested to be on the ballot. His fiancée, Karina “Karina” Onofre, is a Democratic candidate for AD-74. I have no idea why this couple decided to double-state their first names on the ballot.)

The three strongest ballot designations belong to Woolery, Benuzzi, and Dalati while the two weakest ballot designations belong to Willard and Davies. However, Benuzzi and Dalati failed to obtain ballot statements. Woolery is the only one of the five to wield both a ballot statement and a good ballot designation.

Woolery also bought up most of the slate mailers and wields the most aggressive online presence. He also has the highest name ID having been a former member of the Orange County Board of Education and the current Orange Treasurer. Additionally, he has residual name ID from his wife, Lisa Woolery, a former member of the Rancho Santiago Community College District Board. Eric Woolery also dominates the endorsement arena, wielding the endorsements of the Orange County Taxpayers Association, the California Republican Assembly, and numerous elected officials.

With tens of thousands of dollars, Woolery also has a larger warchest than all of his opponents combined with $50,200. He spent $38,701, on a combination of the ballot statement, candidate filing fee, slate mailers, campaign literature, and consulting fees.

Davies spent his entire $16,476 on the ballot statement and candidate filing fee.

Willard has $16,438, which was presumably spent on the ballot statement and candidate filing fee (he filed a Form 497, but not a Form 460); presumably the other $38 was wiped out by signatures-in-lieu.

Benuzzi raised $2,400 from Anthony Benuzzi and Ronald Benuzzi but had to refund $200 to Anthony Benuzzi when they discovered they had exceeded the campaign contribution limit; with his remaining $2,200, he paid the candidate filing fee and $280 of campaign literature.

Dalati did not file a campaign finance report for the January 1-March 17 reporting period.

In the interest of full disclosure, Woolery is a client of Custom Campaigns, the consulting firm that owns this blog.

Posted in 2nd Supervisorial District, 73rd Assembly District, Orange County Auditor-Controller, Orange County Clerk-Recorder | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Breaking News: Auditor-Controller Candidate John Willard’s Ballot Designation Challenge Rejected By Judge

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on March 28, 2014

When it rains it pours. OC Political has broken the story of Troy Edgar being rejected from the ballot today and broken the story of Anna Bryson having part of her ballot statement being declared false and misleading by a judge. These two posts are now part of a trifecta with the latest ballot designation case results being announced. We now can report that Orange County Auditor-Controller candidate John Willard, who challenged the ballot designation of opponent Eric Woolery has had his claim denied by a judge. Willard opposed Woolery using Orange Treasurer/CPA as his designation and was rejected on the grounds that Woolery is in fact the Orange Treasurer and does in fact have a CPA license. On an interesting side note the Willard case was heard by the same judge that heard the Edgar case.

330px-Seal_of_Orange_County,_California_svg

Woolery is the likely front-runner in this election and with his ballot designation being approved by a judge continues his momentum towards June.

Here is the judge’s opinion on the case:

HEARING ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDATE

Hearing held. The Court hears oral argument and denies John Wayne Willard’s petition for writ of mandate. The Court informs counsel that the Court will issue a minute order that more fully sets forth the reasoning behind the Court’s ruling.

Later same date, the Court issues the following.

Petitioner John Willard’s Petition for a Peremptory Writ of Mandate ordering Respondent Registrar of Voters not to print ballots with Real Party in Interest Eric Woolery’s designation as “Orange Treasurer/CPA” is denied. Petitioner contends that the “Orange Treasurer” portion of the foregoing designation is misleading and contrary to law (Election Code § 13107 and 2 Cal. Code Regs. (CCR) § 20710 et seq.) on the theory that Woolery’s “principal” occupation is Deputy Director of Administration for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

The evidence is undisputed that Woolery was appointed to the position of Treasurer of the City of Orange in 2013 and that he is still serving in that position. (Woolery Decl. ¶ 2) It also is undisputed that Woolery spends approximately 10-15 hours per week fulfilling the duties of that office. (Id.) Because this amount of weekly work is more than “nominal” as that term is used in 2 CCR § 20714(b), it is an “activity [which] is one of the primary, main or leading professional, vocational or occupational endeavors of the candidate.” 2 CCR § 20714(b) Thus, Woolery’s position of Orange Treasurer qualifies as a principal occupation under Election Code § 13107(a)(1). The fact that Woolery may have another job that also is a primary occupation and requires him to work longer hours per week and/or is his main source of income does not preclude the Orange Treasurer designation under the applicable statute and regulations. Andal v. Miller (1994) 28 Cal. App. 4th 358, 366; 2 CCR § 20714(e)(1) (“A candidate may engage in multiple principal professions, vocations or occupations.”). Accordingly, because Petitioner has not established by clear and convincing proof that the designation of “Orange Treasurer/CPA” is misleading, the request for a writ is denied.

Court orders clerk to give notice.

Willard is not in good position to finish in the top two on June 3rd and this definitely does not help his case. It will be interesting to see what the impact of this is on his campaign, he is one of three candidates to purchase the ballot statement. However, he does have the ballot designation of Assistant Director HR, which is probably one of the bottom two designations out of the field of five candidates.

This has been quite a news day in Orange County politics and I am definitely looking forward to catching my breath a bit this weekend.

Full Disclosure: Custom Campaigns is doing the consulting on the Woolery for Auditor-Controller race.

Posted in Orange County Auditor-Controller | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

State, County, Schools: Who’s on the Ballot

Posted by Chris Nguyen on March 8, 2014

Here’s the comprehensive run-down on all non-federal and non-judicial races on Orange County’s ballots for the 2014 primary election.  With regard to State races, I’m only posting Board of Equalization and legislative because statewide races require that I check 58 Registrars, which is a task too onerous for this blogger; going through five Registrars for BOE was annoying enough.

Extensions

Three races have had their filing deadline extended to Wednesday, as an eligible incumbent did not run for re-election:

  • 45th Congressional District (Incumbent John Campbell decided not to run for re-election)
  • 74th Assembly District (Incumbent Allan Mansoor filed for Supervisor)
  • Auditor-Controller (Appointed Incumbent Jan Grimes decided not to run for an elected term)

Unopposed

36th Senate District: Supervisor Pat Bates (R) is unopposed.  Ken Lopez Maddox (R) pulled signatures-in-lieu but did not file those papers nor pull any others.  No one pulled papers, let alone filed papers, in San Diego County.

Sheriff-Coroner: Sandra Hutchens (R) is unopposed for re-election.

Superintendent of Schools: Appointed Incumbent Al Mijares (R) is unopposed in his bid for his first elected term.

Treasurer-Tax Collector: Shari Friedenrich (R) is unopposed for re-election.

Complicated

Board of Equalization: Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R), former Assemblyman Van Tran (R), Accountant/Realtor Lewis Da Silva (R), Store Owner/Businessman John F. Kelley (R), and Government Auditor Nader Shahatitt (D) are all running.

Assessor: Incumbent Webster Guillory (NPP) pulled papers and filed them on the last day.  His opponents are Consultant/Appraiser/Businessman Jorge O. Lopez (D) and former Board of Equalization Member Claude Parrish (R).

Clerk-Recorder: Incumbent Hugh Nguyen (R) faces a trio of opponents: former Orange Unified School District Trustee Steve Rocco (NPP), Capistrano Unified School District Trustee Gary Pritchard (D), and Businesswoman Monica Maddox (R), who is married to former Assemblyman/former Capistrano Unified School District Trustee/former Garden Grove Councilman Ken Maddox (R).  See this post from OC Political on the bizarre story of Los Alamitos Councilman Troy Edgar’s (R) failure to qualify that required the Registrar of Voters to examine surveillance camera footage.

Minor developments

69th Assembly District: As expected, Assemblyman Tom Daly (D) is being challenged by Santa Ana Unified School District Trustee Cecilia “Ceci” Iglesias (R).  Inexplicably, Sherry Walker (R) who only registered to vote in AD-69 recently, filed to run.

5th Supervisorial District: As expected, Orange County Businessman/Councilmember Robert Ming (R), Councilmember/Businessman/Engineer Frank Ury (R), and Mayor/Businesswoman Lisa Bartlett all filed.  Unexpectedly, Deputy District Attorney Joe Williams (R) filed.

As expected

34th Senate District: Supervisor Janet Nguyen (R), RSCCD Trustee Jose Solorio (D), and former OCBE Trustee Long Pham (R) are running.

55th Assembly District: Councilwoman/Educator/Executive Ling-Ling Chang (R), Small Business Onwer Phillip Chen (R), Councilmember Steve Tye (R), and Social Worker Gregg D. Fritchle (D) filed.

65th Assembly District: Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) and Small Businesswoman Young Kim (R) are the sole candidates.

68th Assembly District: Assemblyman Don Wagner (R)is being challenged by Psycotherapist Anne Cameron (D).

72nd Assembly District: Assemblyman Travis Allen (R) is being challenged by Retired Police Commander Albert Ayala (D) and Joel Block (D).

73rd Assembly District: The five expected candidates all qualified.  Here’s a list of them with their party affiliation and ballot designation:

  • Bill Brough (R), Businessman/Dana Point Councilman
  • Anna Bryson (R), Capistrano Unified School District Trustee
  • Jesse Petrilla (R), Councilman/Military Officer
  • Paul Glaab (R), Small Business Owner
  • Wendy Gabriella (D), Teacher/Constitutional Attorney

2nd Supervisorial District: The four expected candidates filed.  Here’s a list of them with their party affiliation and ballot designation:

  • Michelle Steel (R), Taxpayer Advocate/Businesswoman
  • Allan Mansoor (R), California Assemblyman
  • Joe Carchio (R), Councilman/Retired Businessowner (this ballot designation won’t last long, as you cannot legally have both a retired occupation and a current occupation in a race)
  • Jim Moreno (D), Governing Board Member, Coast Community College District

4th Supervisorial District: Supervisor Shawn Nelson (R) is being challenged by Small Business Owner Rudy Gaona (D).  Gaona has made two unsuccessful bids for Anaheim City Council, and in both instances came in close to finishing last.

District Attorney-Public Administrator: DA Tony Rackauckas (R) is being challenged by Attorney Greg Diamond (D).

County Board of Education, Trustee Area 2: Incumbent David Boyd (NPP) is being challenged by Orange County Small Businessman Tom Pollitt (R).

County Board of Education, Trustee Area 5: Incumbent Elizabeth Parker (R) is being challenged by Orange County Businesswoman/Mayor Linda Lindholm (R).

Irvine Unified School District Special Election: Ira Glasky (R) seeks a return to his former seat on the Irvine School Board.  He is being challenged by Bob Vu (R) and Carolyn Inmon (D).

Congress

I will be back to update the Congressional races.  There’s something screwy in the log from one of the other counties on one of the multi-county Congressional races that include parts of Orange County; I’d like to confirm if it’s a clerical error, I’m misreading something, or it’s something more serious.  I will post later on the Congressional races.

Posted in 2nd Supervisorial District, 34th Senate District, 36th Senate District, 4th Supervisorial District, 55th Assembly District, 5th Supervisorial District, 65th Assembly District, 68th Assembly District, 69th Assembly District, 72nd Assembly District, 73rd Assembly District, 74th Assembly District, Board of Equalization, Irvine Unified School District, Orange County, Orange County Auditor-Controller, Orange County Board of Education, Orange County Clerk-Recorder, Orange County District Attorney's Office, Orange County Public Administrator, Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector | 1 Comment »

Eric Woolery to Dominate Mail in Auditor-Controller Election with 1.5 Million Pieces

Posted by Newsletter Reprint on March 5, 2014

This came over the wire this morning from Orange Treasurer Eric Woolery‘s campaign for Auditor-Controller.  Woolery managed to snag rare unity from Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait and Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray:

Eric Woolery for Orange County Auditor-Controller

Eric Woolery to Dominate Mail in Auditor-Controller Election
with 1.5 Million Pieces

Maintains Frontrunner Momentum with Additional Endorsements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2014
Contact: Chris Emami
chrisemami@custom-campaigns.com

ORANGE COUNTY, CA – Orange Treasurer Eric Woolery announced today that he has locked up the major county election mail slates in his campaign for Auditor-Controller, which will carry his message to voters on 1.5 million pieces of mail.  Based on prior election results for Auditor-Controller and current voter turnout models, nearly 350,000 voters are expected to cast their ballots in this election for Auditor-Controller.  Securing the slates will ensure that Woolery’s message will be heard by every high propensity voter several times before the June 3 election.

“Becoming Auditor-Controller is my goal, and I aim to win. I have been planning my campaign for many months when I strategically began securing slates and endorsements while implementing other key tactics,” Woolery said. “Using my technical skills honed over 20 years as a CPA in both the public and private sectors leaves me ready to competently lead our county. Currently, the Auditor-Controller’s office is missing opportunities to ensure proactive and efficient uses of taxpayer dollars.”

Several key endorsers have also jumped on board the campaign, giving him additional momentum as the filing deadline nears.  Over the past several days, five major Orange County leaders have endorsed Woolery for the Auditor-Controller position:

  • Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff
  • Assemblywoman Diane Harkey
  • Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait
  • Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Kris Murray
  • La Habra Councilman Tim Shaw

These distinguished local officials join a lengthy bipartisan list of elected officials providing their full support to Woolery, as he continues to hone his strategic plan for victory in this countywide race:

  • Supervisor Patricia C. Bates, Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors
  • Supervisor William G. Steiner (Ret.)
  • Assemblyman Donald P. Wagner
  • Laguna Niguel Mayor Linda Lindholm
  • Tustin Mayor Al Murray
  • Tustin Mayor Jerry Amante (Ret.)
  • Orange Mayor Pro Tem Mark Murphy
  • Tustin Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Puckett
  • Aliso Viejo Councilman Mike Munzing
  • Fullerton Councilwoman Jennifer Fitzgerald
  • Lake Forest Councilman Scott Voigts
  • Mission Viejo Councilman Frank Ury
  • Orange Councilman Fred Whitaker
  • San Clemente City Councilwoman Lori Donchak
  • Tustin Councilman Allan Bernstein
  • Tustin Councilman John Nielsen
  • Orange County Board of Education Trustee Ken Williams
  • Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Arianna Barrios
  • Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee John Hanna
  • Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Phil Yarbrough
  • Irvine Unified School District Trustee Paul Bokota
  • Irvine Unified School District Trustee Lauren Brooks
  • Orange Unified School District Vice President Alexia Deligianni
  • Orange Unified School District Trustee Tim Surridge
  • Orange Unified School District Trustee Mark Wayland
  • East Orange County Water District Director Doug Davert
  • Orange County Transportation Authority Director Michael Hennessey

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Paid for by Woolery for Auditor-Controller 2014. ID# 1362822.

Posted in Orange County Auditor-Controller | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Orange Treasurer Eric Woolery Enters Auditor‑Controller’s Race

Posted by Newsletter Reprint on February 19, 2014

This came over the wire this morning from Orange Treasurer Eric Woolery‘s campaign for Auditor-Controller.  Of the three people who have pulled papers for Auditor-Controller so far, Woolery is the only one without a foreclosure, a short-sale, or a bankruptcy:

Eric Woolery for Orange County Auditor-Controller

Orange Treasurer Eric Woolery Enters Auditor‑Controller’s Race

(ORANGE COUNTY, CA) – Orange Treasurer Eric Woolery has announced his candidacy for Orange County Auditor‑Controller. He enters the race as the clear frontrunner, with $50,000 cash on hand and a lengthy list of bipartisan endorsements from across Orange County.

“Serving as Auditor‑Controller would be an incredible opportunity to use my years of experience in both business and government finance to give back to the county I’ve called home since high school,” Woolery said. “I am honored and humbled by the number of people who are endorsing my candidacy for Orange County Auditor‑Controller.”

In addition to his current elected office of Orange Treasurer, Woolery’s public service began with his election to the Orange County Board of Education and continued on the Orange Audit Committee and as Deputy Director of Administration in the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. He spent the majority of his career in the private sector, having served as the owner of a multi-location private accounting firm, a corporate CFO, a corporate controller, and an accountant.

“With his experience in both the public and private sectors, Eric is one of Orange County’s foremost financial leaders,” said Patricia C. Bates, Vice Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. “I am proud to endorse Eric Woolery for Auditor‑Controller because we need his expertise leading the Orange County Auditor‑Controller’s office.”

Supervisor Bates leads a long list of Orange County leaders who have endorsed Woolery for Auditor‑Controller, including:

  • Supervisor Patricia C. Bates
  • Supervisor William G. Steiner (Ret.)
  • Assemblyman Donald P. Wagner
  • Laguna Niguel Mayor Linda Lindholm
  • Tustin Mayor Al Murray
  • Tustin Mayor Jerry Amante (Ret.)
  • Orange Mayor Pro Tem Mark Murphy
  • Tustin Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Puckett
  • Aliso Viejo Councilman Mike Munzing
  • Fullerton Councilwoman Jennifer Fitzgerald
  • Lake Forest Councilman Scott Voigts
  • Mission Viejo Councilman Frank Ury
  • Orange Councilman Fred Whitaker
  • San Clemente City Councilwoman Lori Donchak
  • Tustin Councilman Allan Bernstein
  • Tustin Councilman John Nielsen
  • Orange County Board of Education Trustee Ken Williams
  • Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Arianna Barrios
  • Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee John Hanna
  • Rancho Santiago Community College District Trustee Phil Yarbrough
  • Irvine Unified School District Trustee Paul Bokota
  • Irvine Unified School District Trustee Lauren Brooks
  • Orange Unified School District Vice President Alexia Deligianni
  • Orange Unified School District Trustee Tim Surridge
  • Orange Unified School District Trustee Mark Wayland
  • East Orange County Water District Director Doug Davert
  • Orange County Transportation Authority Director Michael Hennessey

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Woolery earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Accounting from Cal State Fullerton. He resides in Orange with his wife, Lisa, and their two young children.

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Paid for by Woolery for Auditor-Controller 2014. ID# 1362822

Posted in Orange, Orange County Auditor-Controller | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Interview With Supervisor Shawn Nelson

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 17, 2013

As promised yesterday, I am finally getting around to posting the interview I was lucky to get with Supervisor Shaw Nelson about the Orange County Auditor-Controller appointment. In the next hour our readers are in for another treat with a debate that was recorded earlier this morning discussing the OC GOP and Lincoln Club union money pledge with Mark Bucher of the OC GOP and Newport Beach Councilman Keith Curry.

Posted in 4th Supervisorial District, Orange County Auditor-Controller | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Jan Grimes Appointed OC Auditor-Controller: We Have Vote Totals

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 16, 2013

My iPad died earlier, right after the final update and I did not get the chance to do an official post announcing that Jan Grimes was appointed Auditor-Controller. It was fairly easy to track the vote totals since only four candidates even made it to the interview process. Following up from earlier I am posting a list of votes that each Supervisor cast yesterday for Auditor-Controller. Later tonight stay tuned for an interview with Supervisor Shawn Nelson that we will be posting in its entirety. Now onto the vote recap:

Round 1

In this opening round, each Supervisor could vote for up to two applicants to advance to the second round with an applicant needing to finish in the top two in order to advance. Here’s the breakdown:

Janet Nguyen

Eric Woolery

John Moorlach

Jan Grimes

Todd Spitzer

Jan Grimes

Shawn Nelson

George Beck
Jan Grimes

Pat Bates

Eric Woolery
Jan Grimes

Here are the results from this round:

Making The Cut

Jan Grimes (4 votes)
Eric Woolery (2 votes)

Missing The Cut

George Beck (1 vote)
James Benuzzi (0 Votes)

Round 2

In this second round, each Supervisor could vote for up to one applicant in order to give an idea of who would be the top choice. Here’s the breakdown:

Janet Nguyen

Eric Woolery

John Moorlach

Jan Grimes

Todd Spitzer

Jan Grimes

Shawn Nelson

Jan Grimes

Pat Bates

Eric Woolery

Here are the results from this round:

Jan Grimes (3 votes)
Eric Woolery (2 votes)

Final Motion

With the top vote getter being Jan Grimes, John Moorlach made a motion to appoint Jan Grimes. Todd Spitzer seconded the motion and the vote which was more of a formality at this point was as follows

Janet Nguyen- Aye
John Moorlach- Aye
Todd Spitzer- Aye
Shawn Nelson- Aye
Pat Bates- Aye

This made it a 5-0 vote on the actual appointment.

Posted in Orange County Auditor-Controller | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Auditor-Controller Interviews: Time To Vote

Posted by Former Blogger Chris Emami on April 16, 2013

4:55 PM- We are now voting on the top two choices for the office among the four applicants.

4:57 PM- Jan Grimes and Eric Woolery appear to have advanced to the final round but it is not looking good for Eric Woolery.

4:58 PM- We are now voting for the top candidate with the previous total being Beck with 1 vote, Woolery with 2 votes, and Grimes with 4 votes.

5:00 PM- Janet Nguyen is advocating for Woolery but states that she will work with Jan Grimes if necessary.

5:02 PM- Spitzer is talking about his vote as one that is to create an open seat since he is certain that Grimes will not run for re-election.

5:05 PM- Pat Bates feels that Woolery is the best choice for the job based on his experience and wants to back somebody that will run for it.

5:07 PM- Jan Grimes is appointed by a vote of 3-2.

5:10 PM- Check that. The paper ballots were 3-2. The appointment of Jan Grimes was a 5-0 vote.

5:24 PM- We are now adjourned and I am calling it a day. Now interview will be available because all of the applicants are gone and are not accessible for any interviews.

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