Finally Final(ish)! OJ Blog’s Comprehensive 2016 General Election Endorsements!

.

.

.

 

vern sign

Short Version! (which, believe it or not, this is!)

  • This post mostly just lists the results of Orange Juice’s awesome deliberative process.  Most of it comes from Greg (who actually read all of the ballot statements in undetermined races), some from Vern, and it will end up being supplemented with comments from Cynthia, Ryan, Ricardo, and perhaps a few others.  We disagree on a lot of things; before Election Day, we’ll try to tell you why.
  • Longer posts, each focusing on a smaller portion of the races, will appear between now and Election Eve and expand on  all our thinking behind each recommendation.
  • Greg is a member of the Democratic Party of Orange County Central Committee, which prevents him from actively opposing party recommendations.  (His choices are support the nominee or take no public position.  Republicans do this too.)  When you see a post marked with a “◊” it means that Greg is sitting out this race and it is solely Vern’s endorsement (or in some cases the endorsement of one of our other contributors.)
  • This is not intended to be “the end of the discussion,” especially in races from the small southern provinces where OJB has limited involvement.  It’s meant to stimulate discussion.  So please do weigh in — ideally (to have more impact) under your real name.  Our endorsements have been known to be revised when confronted with a good argument!

NOTE: AS OF 6:30 AM ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 31, five days after initial publication, this is pretty much done — we still have to do the ritual review and purge from the endorsement list of anyone who hired “Despicable Dave” Ellis.  (We like this part the most!)

1.  THE BASICS!

STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES:

(It’s really easy: GREG: NO on 60, 65, and 66, and YES on everything else! VERN: ALSO NO on 51 & 56)

  • (51)  School Bonds – Greg YES, Vern NO.
  • (52)  Medi-Cal Hospital Fee – YES
  • (53)  Revenue Bonds to Voters – YES (though this will need fixing)
  • (54)  Legislative Transparency – YES
  • (55)  Extend Tax on Rich – YES
  • (56)  Raise Cigarette Tax –  Greg YES, Vern NO
  • (57)  Sentencing Reform – YES
  • (58)  Dual-Language Ed. OK – YES
  • (59)  Lobby to End Citizens United – YES
  • (60)  Require Condoms in Porn – NO
  • (61)  Lower Prescription Drug Prices – YES
  • (62)  Repeals Death Penalty – YES
  • (63)  Ammunition Background Checks – Greg YES, Ryan NO, Vern unsure.
  • (64)  Cannabis Legalization – YES
  • (65)  Mandate Sale of Carry-out Bags – NO
  • (66)  Speed Up Death Penalty – NO
  • (67)  Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags – YES

Ryan, who will expand upon his thoughts in a later larger piece on these propositions, offers the following summary minority report:  NO on 51, 53, 54, 55, and 56; NO THIS IS STUPID on 59; and HELL NO followed by some indecipherable slightly threatening muttering on 63.

Cynthia disagrees on 57, and would probably disagree with others if she thought more about them.

PRESIDENT:

  • Not Trump.  Beyond that, whatever.  Hillary will win California no matter what you do, so don’t sweat it too much.  (N.b.: We have among our ranks voters for Clinton, Johnson, Stein, and Other/Skip/Stop.)

U.S. SENATE:

  • Split decision: VERN says Loretta, GREG says Kamala.  RYAN says “neither, but in any event don’t vote for crazy” — so that’s one more for Kamala.

OC SUPERVISORS:

  • 1st district – Michele Martinez (although thanks for the homeless shelter, Andrew Do!)

CONGRESS:

  • 38 – Linda Sanchez
  • 39 – Murdock
  • 45 – Varasteh
  • 46 – Bao◊
  • 47 – Lowenthal
  • 48 – Savary
  • 49 – APPLEGATE!

STATE SENATE:

  • 29 – Hello, NEWMAN!  (Ryan explains why he’ll vote for this Democrat with a devastating final blow of “criticizing Josh Newman for supporting a needle exchange program in San Francisco during the height of the AIDS epidemic is not only stupid, it’s morally repugnant.”
  • 37 – Grayson (despite Vern’s fondness for Moorlach)

ASSEMBLY (mostly Democrats):

  • 55 – Fritchle
  • 65 – QUIRK-SILVA!  (Ryan supports Kim and will explain why later, after the flogging.)
  • 68 – Panahi
  • 69 – Velarde-Garcia◊
  • 72 – (yer on yer own)◊
  • 73 – M. Islam
  • 74 – Onofre (Vern: “flake”)

2. SCHOOL BOARDS!

  • COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARDS

North Orange County Community College District

  • District 2:  ED LOPEZ!
  • District 7:  Wishart

Coastline Community College District

  • District 2:  Patterson
  • District 3:  No recommendation
  • District 4:  No recommendation

Rancho Santiago Community College District

  • District 1:  No recommendation
  • District 3:  Mendoza Yanez
  • District 5:  No recommendation
  • District 7:  Diaz

South Orange County Community College District

  • Area 3:  Espinosa
  • Area 4:  Alpay
  • Area 6:  Dalati (note to Dalati: stop running for everything, it is unseemly)
  • UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARDS

Brea-Olinda

  • Hobby, Lyons, Todd
  • Measure K School Bond:  Yes.  This is a responsibly crafted bond with support across the spectrum.  The “No” campaign is led by greedhead subsidy-hoovering commercial landlord Dwight Manley, the city’s would-be political boss who cadged a free parking structure from a terrified City Council.  Even those generally opposed to school bonds should favor this one.

Capistrano

  • Area 1:  Hanacek
  • Area 2:  Workman
  • Area 3:  Holloway
  • Area 5:  Pritchard
  • Measure M School Bond:  We lean yes.  Again, local property taxes are appropriate to use here.

Garden Grove

  • Area 1:  Teri Rocco
  • Area 5:  Paulsen-Reed
  • Measure P School Bond:   Yes.  This School Board seems pretty trustworthy.

Irvine

  • Hamid, Bokota, Brooks

Laguna Beach

  • Vickers, Woolf

Los Alamitos

  • Russell, Cutuli, Larson

Newport-Mesa

  • Area 1: Schwarzmann
  • Area 3: Peters
  • Area 6: Bubb

Orange

  • Area 2: Correa
  • Area 6: Wayland
  • Measure S School Bond:  Neutral for now.  We are concerned by Kris Murray’s support for higher taxes in Anaheim Hills.  There must be a catch somewhere.  (Note that Greg is supposed to endorse it, but here can only use his limited influence to achieve neutrality.)

Placentia-Yorba Linda

  • Carmona, Padget, Downey

Saddleback Valley

  • Wong, Johnson, Swartz

Santa Ana

  • NOT Iglesias and Cano
  • Unfortunately, five Democrats are splitting the vote for the three open seats five ways.  DPOC endorsed Rodriguez, McLoughlin, and Alvarez.  Lefties most seem to like Mendoza and Rodriguez.  Bauer seems congenial, but had some unfortunate “party regular” endorsers that give one pause.  DPOC policy prevents Greg from recommending anyone from among these five but their slate, so he’ll sit this one out.  Vern will weigh in on this soon.

Tustin

  • Singer, Teferi, Twaddell 
  • JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Fullerton

  • Area 2 – Fawley
  • Area 3 – Montoya

Huntington Beach

  • Trung Ta, Henry, Lankster
  • ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Anaheim

  • Area 1 – Filbeck◊
  • Measure J School Bond:  We lean yes.  Property taxes are appropriate to fund this needed construction.

Buena Park

  • Area 3 – Michel
  • Area 4 – Castaneda

Centralia

  • no OJB recommendation, but Cynthia would like it to be known that she’s very pro-Trinkle.
  • Measure N School Bond:  Neutral for now.  Candidates and Board Members, you’re welcome to try to convince us, as are opponents.

Cypress

  • McDougall

Fountain Valley

  • Collins, Weimer
  • Measure O School Bond:   Neutral for now.  Candidates and Board Members, you’re welcome to try to convince us, as are opponents. 

Fullerton

  • Area 5 – Jeanette Vasquez  (Ryan dissents because of her union affiliation.  But she’s non-deplorable!)

Huntington Beach

  • Sullivan, Burroughs
  • Measure Q School Bond:  Neutral for now.  Candidates and Board Members, you’re welcome to try to convince us, as are opponents.

La Habra

  • Dobson, Baltes

Ocean View

  • CLAYTON-TARVIN and SINGER
  • Measure R School Bond:  YES.  If Gina’s for it, we trust that it is good policy.

Savannah

  • Brown

Westminster

  • Power, Truong
  • Measure T School Bond:  Neutral for now.  Candidates and Board Members, you’re welcome to try to convince us, as are opponents.

3. CITY COUNCILS & OFFICERS

ALISO VIEJO:  Chun, Rios

ANAHEIM:

  • District 1:
    • VERN: Daniels!  (update – Daniels has thrown his support to Barnes so as to prevent Lodge or Lahtinen.)
    • CYNTHIA: Barnes (though she has a motherly crush on Van Stark)
    • GREG: not Lodge
    • (Read Thy Vo’s VOC story on the district’s candidates — including the comments!)
  • District 3:
    • VERN & GREG: Dr. Moreno!
    • CYNTHIA: R. Nelson, or else Moreno
  • District 4:  ALL EXCEPT CYNTHIA say Ferreras,  Cynthia is constrained by the OCGOP version of the rules that constrain Greg in other races and she takes no position on the race.  The Anaheim Republican Assembly sure did, though, specifically endorsing against Kring due to her, essentially, ruining their brand.
  • District 5:  ACEVEDO-NELSON  (Greg will not post a 2nd choice, because, you know….)
  • MEASURE U (2/3 Council vote needed for tax increase):  NOOOOOO!!!  (They’re bankrupting the city, don’t make fixing that impossible outside of a bankruptcy court!)

BREA:

  • Council: Marick
  • Treasurer: Ullrich (the one who didn’t just get the DUI/hit-and-run)
  • Measure K (school bond) — YES (we’ll explain why elsewhere)
  • Measure L (reduce size of school board) — NO (it’s more Manley trickery)

BUENA PARK:

  • District 3: Sonne 
  • District 4: No contest

COSTA MESA:

  • Council: Sandy Genis, Jay Humphrey, and John Stephens!
  • CANNABIS MEASURES:
    • MEASURE V (Allow up to 8 Medical Marijuana Business): YES
    • MEASURE W (Allow up to 4 Medical Marijuana Business): LEAN YES (competes with measure V, but if people don’t vote for both then neither passes)
    • MEASURE X (Creates a “green light” district for dispensaries):  LEAN NO  (Ballot statement says that it also voids V and W, which make the sponsor of V’s joining Righeimer as a “Yes on X” writer puzzling.  We suspect dirty dealing here!)
  • CITY PLANNING GENERALLY
    • MEASURE Y (Citizen approval of development bonds):  Humphrey and Genis vs. Righeimer?  Easy call!  YES!
    • MEASURE Z (“Sensible Development,” ratifying Council actions) Righeimer and Ramos  vs. Genis, Humphrey, and Leece?  Easy call!  NO!
  • FAIRVIEW PARK SPECIFICALLY
    • MEASURE AA (Voter approval for changes to Fairview Park)  Foley and Genis vs. Righeimer?  Sign us up!  YES!
    • MEASURE BB (Disgusting fraud upon the voting public to neuter Measure AA)  Seriously, read how this fraud is set up in the ballot argument against it.  Trust Genis, Foley, Leece, Humphrey, not Righeimer and Monaghan.  NO!!!
  • DISTRICTING LINES
    • MEASURE EE (Approving Council’s lines for new voting districts)  Our buddy at A Bubbling Cauldron says he’s voting no, and no one worth spit signed the “pro-” ballot statement.  We’ll trust Geoff on this one.  NO, TRY AGAIN WITH A NEW COUNCIL THAT HAS RIGHEIMER IN THE MINORITY.

CYPRESS:

  • Council: Schoppman and Blanco
  • MEASURE GG:  J. G. Ivler tells us to recommend a NO vote.  Well, OK then!  See his convincing comment, with which Ryan agrees, below.  (If this is true about the tax-exempt church campaigning from the pulpit, someone needs a “come to Jesus” meeting….)

DANA POINT: Lewis, Wyatt

FOUNTAIN VALLEY:

  • Council: Brothers and Tucker
  • MEASURE HH: We’re not entirely convinced, but the proponents do a much better job in the ballot statement than the opponents, who point out that our state has high sales taxes without mentioning that we have low property taxes.  Doesn’t look like a Stanton problem.  LEAN YES!

FULLERTON:

  • VERN: Rands, Whitaker, and Silva
  • GREG: Silva, Rands, and Mansoori
  • RYAN: Whitaker, Rands, Gapinski
  • MEASURE II (ii): NOOOOOOO on the Terrible Gerrymander!

GARDEN GROVE:

  • Mayor: Write in Bao Nguyen!  Why not?
  • District 2: John O’Neill (who is unopposed)
  • District 3: Thu-Ha Nguyen
  • District 5: Demian Garcia-Monroy (he is not a marketing consultant!)
  • District 6: Rickk Montoya

HUNTINGTON BEACH:

  • Council: Jill Hardy!  VERN adds: Lyn Semata, Ron Sterud!
  • City Clerk:  no recommendation until further notice

IRVINE:

  • Mayor: Democrats, vote for Gaido; those Republicans and independents who don’t like Gaido, vote for Daigle.  No Wagner, No Chen.  If you don’t like Gaido or Daigle, vote for David Chey — and we know nothing about Chey beyond his ballot statement.  (Ryan dissents again, favoring Wagner over Daigle, because Daigle supported Trump from the outset.  Doesn’t Wagner support him now, though?)
  • Council: Farrah Khan + Melissa Fox (<== NEW!!!)

LAGUNA BEACH:

  • Council: Mancuso and Rollinger
  • Clerk: No contest
  • Treasurer: Parisi
  • MEASURE KK (Rescind Medical Marijuana Ban):  YES!  (Any “reefer madness” problems suggested by the hysterical opposition can be fixed in 2018.  Get it onto the map first!)
  • MEASURE LL (Emergency Services Measure):  When even the local Chamber of Commerce wants to hike the Transient Occupancy Tax by 2% (from 10% to 12%), it’s probably not going to kill the local tourist business.  LEAN YES

LAGUNA HILLS: Mark Jones

LAGUNA NIGUEL:  Randall Aaron Morton, because he did not turn in a ballot statement; this decision was made right after reading the ballot statements that were turned in!

LA HABRA: You can actually vote for three Latinos in this heavily Latino city!

  • Re-elect Rose Espinoza;
  • Elect School Board member Ida MacMurray;
  • Vote for their ticket-mate Jess Badillo!
  • (Don’t worry — Huff Puppy Tim Shaw will land on his feet.)

LAKE FOREST:

  • The other City Council members HATE pot-stirrer Adam Nick.  He is indeed an odd duck.  But he also takes on the city’s political establishment — and that’s a positive for us!
  • Farh Semnani and Leah Basile seem like the best candidates.  People of Lake Forest, please tell us which of them can win.  If both have a better shot than Nick, vote for both; if not, then Nick plus the most viable of them.

LA PALMA:  Three people running, three positions; I guess this is on the ballot only because it has to be.

  • A-J, vote for Marshall Goodman
  • K-X, vote for Gerard Goedhart
  • Y-Z, vote for Peter Kim (alphabetic penalty imposed on him for his running against Roger Yoh for OCWD! VOTE FOR YOH!
  • This will save the county money by allowing the Registrar of Voters to count fewer votes.
  • MEASURE JJ (One-Cent Sales Tax)  We are so sick of this sort of argument.  Neutral

LOS ALAMITOS:

  • OJB happily endorses Richard D. Murphy for re-election to the City Council
  • OJB happily endorses business owner Josh Wilson for election to the City Council
  • Why these two? Because neither one is the racist, dumb-ass embarrassment-to-the-city imbecile Dean Grose

MISSION VIEJO:

  • Vote for Shelley Blair.
  • Cathy Schlicht is the conservatives’ consensus choice and she seems honest.  So there’s that.  Sure, so long as you also vote for Blair.

NEWPORT BEACH:

  • District 2:  Shelley Henderson
  • District 5: Jeff Herdman
  • District 7: Will O’Neill
  • MEASURE MM (Require 5/7 Notes for New Taxes):  NO

ORANGE:

  • No Council Election

PLACENTIA:

  • Council: NOT Jeremy Yamaguchi.  Instead, Fabian Fragiao and Robert McKinnell have the most compelling ballot statements.  Chris Bunker trails behind because he emphasizes his opposition to “pot shops,” but he sounds like a reasonable third vote.
  • Treasurer: Councilman Scott Nelson was squeezed out by the new majority.  Having him balance them as Treasurer sounds good.  And … he’s a Nelson!
  • MEASURE NN (Set Up District Voting for 2018):  OK!

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA:

  • Shawn Gordon and Carol Gamble — and not simply so that we can use a “Beall and End All” headline.  (Although that too.)

SAN CLEMENTE:

  • Swartz and Hamm.  Beware Dan Bane, the guy whose ballot designation is “Environmental Quality Lawyer”; he is a new partner at a very corporate law firm and is endorsed by the most conservative interests around.  We suspect that he’s not on our side of environmental cases!
  • MEASURE OO (Increase Hotel Guest Tax):  SEEMS OK

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO:

  • District 1: Nathan Banda
  • District 5: Tentatively — tentatively — Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, based upon Mike Laux’s say-so.  (But give us some time here!  Six people running for one seat?  We need to figure out who didn’t hire Despicable Dave Ellis!)

SANTA ANA:

  • Mayor:  Benjamin Vasquez!  Did you hear us?  ¡BENJAMIN VASQUEZ!  It marks the Vasquez on its ballot or else it gets the Solorio again!
  • Ward 1: We’ll go with Vince Sarmiento again.  (Melahat, you owe us one.  Owe Vern, of course.)  We sure do hope that he actually lives in the district.
  • Ward 3: This is a tough one for Greg. The DPOC commands that Greg endorse the unctuous grifter Jose Solorio of the “Solorio for Solorio” Party, if he endorses anyone at all, so he can’t tell you not to vote for him.  He can, however, emphasize Solorio’s good traits: backstabbing, self-serving, carpetbagging, and regularly landing himself in Pulido-level ethical cesspits.  (Note: these are his traits, and DPOC members endorsed him, so Greg presumes that these are considered to be positives in the dog-eat-dog world of politics.  And anyway, who else is there?  Democrats and lefty activists outside of the Council seem to be coalescing towards activist Ana Urzua Alcaraz, but we’ve also seen a lot of support for good guy David DeLeon, and teacher and Patrick D. “Mr. Patrick” Yrarrazaval-Correa, who earns respect not only for challenging Solorio in court but for having the presence of mind not to run as a write-in candidate.  In the end, though, Greg must dutifully support Solorio on the theory that, if Ben Vasquez loses, he might edge out the far preferable Sarmiento for Mayor in 2018, get elected, and — if a competent new District Attorney is elected at the same time — get investigated for the behavior he would surely engage in while in officed, be disgraced, and fail to serve out his term, hopefully being removed from office too late for him to run for State Senate again and suck up all of the California Democratic Party money needed elsewhere. VERN WILL WEIGH IN HERE.  (Ryan is giving me grief for even the above rococo endorsement of Solorio, in a very funny way that we shall not reveal.)
  • Ward 5: This is the last time that we’ll support Roman Reyna unless he wises up on Poseidon.  And we shouldn’t even give him this chance, but we hope that with the election past him he will have the cojones to do his homework and represent the people, rather than corrupt big donors.  Be all that you can be, Roman!  Don’t go down in infamy!
  • MEASURE PP (Council Compensation Reform):  Actually seems pretty reasonable.  Proof: Mike Tardif is on the ballot argument saying no.  We say YES!

SEAL BEACH:

  • District 2:  Ronde Winkler.  Read the ballot statements.  It’s not even close.
  • District 4:  Schelly Sustarsic.  Her ballot statement says that she was appointed by former Mayor Gary Miller to push his stance on freeway issue,  Her opponent doesn’t mention that issue.  Sold!

STANTON:

  • Council: Kevin Carr only.    Republican Carol Warren re-registered as a Democrat and came to talk to DPOC “as a Democrat” to persuade us to vote against the ballot measure that Carr supports.  So, if you want to cast a second vote, don’t make it her.
  • MEASURE QQ (Roll Back One-Cent Sales Tax Increase):  Kevin Carr makes a good case that Stanton has options to retaining its police and fire that are superior to squeezing the juice out of its poorest — such as not speculating in its own real estate.  We buy it!  YES!
  • MEASURE RR (Term Limits):  It’s rare that we support term limits, but sometimes — egads!  YES!

TUSTIN: Letitia Clark.  And no one else!

VILLA PARK:  Kirschner — “he’s semi-retired!”

WESTMINSTER:

  • Mayor: Margie Rice
  • CouncilDiana Carey and Sergio Contreras.  Vote for them in that order so that if you suddenly fall asleep in the middle of voting, you’re more likely to have voted the the best (maybe tied for best) City Councilmember in Orange County!
  • MEASURE SS (Emergency Services):  Diana Lee Carey versus Carolyn Cavecche?!  NOT EVEN CLOSE!  Prior councils made a mess, Carey leads an effort to clean it up.  It’s called “responsible governance.” Support the Brave Lady Di!  YES!

YORBA LINDA:  Smith, Haney, and Parker.  Entirely by process of elimination.

4. SPECIAL DISTRICTS!

COMMUNITY SERVICES / REC & PARKS

Rossmoor —  No candidate statements.  No recommendation.

Surfside Colony — If Linda Garofalo is related to and supportive of Dave Garofalo, then vote for Rudy La Londe.  If not supportive, then vote for her.  (Anyone know?)

Silverado/Modjeska — Every time we write about Silverado/Modjeska Recreation and Parks Board, Linda May suddenly comes here and kicks our teeth in.  Linda?  You go first this time.

SANITARY DISTRICTS

Costa Mesa:  Incumbents Art Perry and James Ferryman undoubtedly deserve reelection!  AND NO ON MEASURE TT!  THE FISLER WANTS THEIR TOILET WATER!!

Midway City:  Al Krippner and Anita Rice (Margie’s daughter).

WATER BOARDS

El Toro: Goldman and Monin; third choice (between two decent candidates) is on you

Irvine Ranch:  Margaret Brown, whose run for OC Board of Education spoiled the chance to remove a repugnant incumbent, is the only one to mention opposing Poseidon.  We’ll endorse her and John Withers, although Matheis is also qualified.

Moulton-Niguel:

  • District 1: They both sound good.  Anyone have a preference?

Santa Margarita:  no recommendation.  Stanislaw Dzielcielski, purchase a ballot statement next time, ok?

Mesa Consolidated:

  • Board Member: ALEX REICH!!!!  MUST SUPPORT ALEX REICH!!!!!
  • MEASURE TT:  NOOOOOO!!!  Keep Jim Fisler’s hand out of your toilet water!  (Note: this is good advice not only for election time!)

Orange County Water District (highlighted due to extreme importance):

  • Division 3: Roger Yoh!
  • Division 4: Philip Anthony!!
  • Division 6: Clem Dominguez!!!

South Coast Water District: (1) Oakley, (2) Erdman (3) Simer.  Erkeneff is better than the other two not endorsed here, who are, as they say in the wastewater biz, execrable.

Yorba Linda:  Note: Yorba Linda politics are capable of taking over the entire comments section.  We will have a separate post dedicated to the Yorba Linda Water Board situation — which is complicated (oh, yes it is!  Don’t argue.)  Comments made here will be moved to that item, if allowed to remain at all.  Do not pollute our commenting environment!  We’re just going to note who is on which “team” here and will hash our our endorsements on that separate item.

  • Full term seats: Collett and Hall are the incumbent aligned candidates; Parker and Miller are the Yorba Linda Taxpayer Association aligned candidates.
  • Recall of Richard Kiley: Of the potential replacements, Barme is aligned with the incumbents and Jones with the YLTA.
  • Recall of Gary Melton: Of the potential replacements, Wren seems to be more aligned with the incumbents and Nederhood with the YLTA.

Municipal Water District of Orange County:

  • Seat 4:  Kelly Rowe is the alternate appointment of Fullerton’s OCWD representative Jan Flory to its Citizens Advisory Committee on Desalination — and that’s a great sign of worthiness.  Incumbent Joan Finnegan is puro Poseidon.  We endorse Kelly Rowe.
  • Seat 6:  Incumbent Jeff Thomas is more conservative than we’d like, but this is a South County district, after all, and the taint of an Ed Royce endorsement is alleviated by a John Moorlach endorsement.  Thomas’s greatest asset is that he’s running against demagogue Frank Ury, whose endorsers are worse and whose qualifications are questionable.  We recommend Thomas.
  • Seat 7:  This is an open seat being vacated by Susan Hinman.  Based on the candidate statements, award-winning Water Engineer Megan Yoo Schneider is the clear standout,  Richard Gardner and Ray Miller are next-most qualified.  Evan Chaffee is the least-qualified, with his “water-related” experience being … a City Planning Commissioner.  Where professionals are available alternatives, this is not the place for an a mere politician.

Are we done yet?  We think that we’re done!  Happy voting, if you haven’t!  Remember, early in-person voting is now available in several different places within the county — bring your own completed ballot or start one from scratch! — including on Saturday and Sunday!


About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)