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Turmoil: Painting by Michael Lang.
Some of it has already started, but the next month or so will see turmoil within and about county government accelerate.
Currently the race for the vacant First District Supervisor seat is boiling in what some are presenting as a battle between the Vietnamese and Hispanic Communities. According to a story in The Voice of OC, the battle over the seat that developed when Supervisor Janet Nguyen was elected to the California Senate has seen her telling the Vietnamese Community that it needs to rally around a community candidate and that the county service center office she was able to establish in Westminster to provide access to welfare programs is at risk of being closed if the wrong candidate wins the election.
The special election to fill the seat is to be held on January 27. In this politically and culturally charged environment we can expect a significant portion of ballots cast to be in the form absentee ballots, possibly setting the stage for charges of election fraud before it is all over.
At the same time, County Supervisor John Moolach left the Board of Supervisors as he hit the wall of term limits. Often touting that as a CPA he could make more money in the private sector, he has instead cast about over the last few years exploring other public offices for which he could run. Now he has announced he will run for the 37th District State Senate Seat that became vacant when Mimi Walters was elected to Congress last November. Moorlach seems to be known for three major things – having taken credit for spotting the bad investment practices of the County Treasurer in the early 90’s that led to the 1994 county filing for bankruptcy; opposing most anything the county employee unions have sought, including calling the leaders of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs union thugs; and a persistent inability to muster support to run for other elected offices he has shown interest in pursuing – including at one time Governor.
That special election will be held on March 17. Moorlach’s opponent in the race is another Republican, Assemblyman Don Wagner of Irvine. According to press accounts, he has raised over $200,000 he can use to campaign for the seat and some coveted endorsements, such as Janet Nguyen, Pat Bates and Sheriff Sandra Hutchins, whereas Moorlach has very little campaign funds available and has not announced any prominent endorsements. If Moorlach loses this one, or simply drops out of the race, will he disappear or will he pop up in some other political setting? Those who know him and his penchant for being available to the press to be quoted on most any topic government suspect he would not be good at disappearing.
The press has reported that County CEO Mike Giancola will be going out on medical leave for a while, and that Giancola planned to name his chief deputy Mark Denny as acting CEO during his absence. However, that created controversy because Denny was involved in a Republican Party political maneuver that led him to plead guilty to voter fraud in the 90’s and if made the Acting CEO he would be in charge of all county departments that have an appointed department head, including Voters Registration. Given the January 27 First District special election that would be cannon fodder for all kinds of allegations related to the vote counting process.
In addition, there is an allegation involving possible violation of county contracting regulations whe
n Denny was OC Parks Director prior to his Chief Deputy CEO job. Last year Board of Supervisors Chairman Shawn Nelson ordered the CEO to have that allegation investigated and to recommend appropriate disciplinary action if warranted. Fast forward to January, 2015 and that investigation, contracted out to a law firm, is not finished. Incoming Board Chairman Todd Spitzer according to press reports has expressed frustration with the delay and stated that while the investigation is pending it would be inappropriate to have Denny serve as Acting CEO. So it is likely some other poor sap will be given that temporary assignment.
With the new year and the departure from the Board of Supervisors of John Moorlach (termed out) and Patricia Bates (elected to the state Senate) two newly elected Supervisors – Lisa Bartlett and Michelle Steel – are now on the Board. As mentioned, Todd Spitzer is the new Chairman of the Board which sets the stage for some interesting times as he is no shrinking violet when it comes to expressing his views of what ought to be and bulldozing things to make it happen. A sign of the newness (and some would say inexperience) on the Board is that Bartlett has been named as Vice-Chair even though she has been a Supervisor for just a couple of months.
Reportedly Nguyen and Bates are not being warmly received in their new legislative jobs in Sacramento by Democrats who control most everything, including the allocation of office space. It could be understood if these two Orange County Republicans have a bit of buyer’s remorse as they seek a place to physically hang out. (When Todd Spitzer arrived in Sacramento as a newly elected OC Republican Assemblyman a few years back there were reports that the Democrats assigned him a broom closet as office space.) Come to think of it, new Supervisors Bartlett and Steel could also understandably have some of the same kind of remorse now that they have seen all these (and probably more) issues.
Other issues are bubbling up. At least one County agency/department head has (or soon will) announced he is going to retire, leaving a critical position to be filled. And two new elected officials, Auditor-Controller Eric Woolery and Assessor Claude Parrish, have just assumed their office. Woolery, a CPA like Moorlach, who until he was elected to this job worked for the Riverside County District Attorney, began by threatening to sue the Board of Supervisors and made some personnel changes that smack of the cronyism and rule breaking for which former Public Administrator-Public Guardian John Williams was known.
So, there is plenty to watch in and around county government as 2015 unfolds. And, some would argue that this article only touched the tip of that iceberg.
So is Bartlett becoming Vice-chair just a coincidence? Or has the one-time Diane Harkey ally in Dana Point now just joined Todd Spitzer’s team at 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd.?
Good question. Guess we will just have to watch to see if some kind of collaboratoin pattern develops. On th eother hand, other than naming outgoing Chair Nelson to be the Vice-Chair, a rather awkward alternative, Bartlett is the most senior of the other seated Board members, by a few weeks. So, turning to her may have just been the natural thing to do.
The County is in turmoil because the Supervisors keep doing whatever they please without regard to law, policy or accountability. And the executive staff appear to be perfectly happy collaborators.
I’m not sure I’d describe the first district race as a battle between communities. There’s only one community with any real hope of being represented.
Remember the scathing audit Of County Hr that Danley did before he promoted himself Czar and re centralized HR so he could be King? The HR staff said “they were our bosses (BOS and Executive managers), we didn’t want to get fired” so they went along with all the illegal hiring a and promotions, which still continue. Same staff still there – only now making more money for keeping quite. BOS will just continue to turn a blind eye – as long as all their friends and campaign donors get all those Cush county jobs.
It speaks volumes of the BOS, who catapulted the heads of Public Works (the dept where Carlos Bustamante worked), one becoming the CEO and the other becoming the HR Director. They then promote their good buddy, who was convicted of FRAUD to the County COO job! The Feds should be swooping in and putting the whole bunch in a chain gang but don’t hold your breath.
I had high hopes for Spitzer, who was himself the victim of wrongful termination. What did he do to make matters any better? Not a damn thing (except spend some of his political war chest money to buy back a better job with the County.)
Look what happened to the John Williams fiasco. Peggi Buff-Rackakus got illegally transferred to a clerical job but still making $100,000.00. The HR director at PAPG got demoted but then almost immediately promoted right back where all the other worthless flunkies go – that’s right, Public Works. Oh and the BOS then illegally place the PUblic Administrator with the DA’s office (I wonder if his wife got her job back) after the public overwhelmingly voted to keep it an elected position.
Again, what has Todd Spitzer done about any of this corruption? Not a darn thing.
*Hey guys, it is only January 17th and the new folks didn’t take over officially until January 5th, when they were sworn in. We should probably allow them at least
10 minutes for that 2nd cup of coffee before jumping their bones……eh?
Oh, is this where we pretend to have been born yesterday and know nothing about this band du jour of scoundrels and sycophants?
*They haven’t even had time to rehearse their lines Nipper…their staffs have hardly had time to order donuts…… Unless of course, they have done something so egregious that you just can’t stand it……well, then…….write your heart out.
An update to this story is that Frank Kim, the County’s Chief Financial Officer, a top budget/finance position in the County CEO’s office, has been named Acting CEO while CEO Giancola is out on medical leave. This would appear that the view of Board Chairman Todd Spitzer, and perhaps other Supervisors also, that Mark Denny should not serve in the CEO role at this time has prevailed. Unlike many at high levels in the County Hall of Administration, Kim does not seem to have any political baggage and is seen as a competent technical wonk.
In the meantime, Moorlach and Wagmer are demonstrating that competitive Republicans can take shots at each other leading some to wonder if we might see a Nixonian dirty trick or two before their race is over. Now for the January 27 First Districct special election and the counting of ballots!