Harriett Wieder, first O.C. woman Supervisor, died today

One of our pajaritos is reporting that former O.C. Supervisor Harriett Wieder passed away today, from injuries incurred in a car accident she was involved in about a year ago. 

The O.C. Register just confirmed her passing as I was writing this post.  My source reported that she died at Hoag Hospital.

Wieder was in public office for thirty years.  She then founded a company called Linkage.  She claimed on her business website to have “over 35 years professional experience at management and strategic planning; proven ability in communications, consulting and consensus building skills. She has in-depth knowledge of all aspects of regional and local governments.”

Wieder served on the boards of a variety of local and state regulatory agencies, business and community organizations, and she was a recipient of awards and honors from numerous professional and community organizations.

She received an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from the Pepperdine University (1990) and earned a Certificate of Management from the Harvard University (1989) , John F. Kennedy School of Government (1989) and a Certificate in Graduate School of Business Administration in University of California, Los Angeles.

Harriett Wieder and husband Irving Wieder moved to California from Michigan. Her early years in Los Angeles involved her in community affairs; she was appointed as an executive assistant for Mayor Sam Yorty from 1963 through 1973.

Wieder’s political career began when she moved to Huntington Beach and won election to City Council, served as Mayor in 1976. She was than elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors: 1978 -1993. She served as the Chair of the Board of Supervisors 3 times and 3 terms as the Supervisor of the Second District in Orange County.

During that time she claimed to be the county’s most influential politician on the local level. Throughout her political career, she took on critical issues as health care, water quality and supply, hazardous waste, air pollution, transportation, gang prevention, domestic violence and child care.

Wieder got developers and environmentalists to agree on development and restoration of parts of Bolsa Chica Wetlands.  She established the eight-county Southern California Water Committee in 1984, to draw attention to the regions need for reliable fresh water sources.  She helped to develop one of the states first trauma care systems.  She also helped set the OC Health Care Task Force in 1990,whose work resulted in the establishment of a County organized health system for Medi-Cal recipients (OPTIMA).

Wieder unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1988. Than she formed Partnership 2010, a unique strategic planning group linking business, government, and academia to provide long-term economic leadership for OC. She was appointed by the Governor to AQMD,a Commission on Air Quality and the Economy, which recommended reforms to insure the safe air quality.

Wieder was an advocate for women in the ranks of politics, business and academia.

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