UPDATE, 2/4 — District Attorney Tony Rackauckas takes out papers to file for re-election (which could be a feint), Jesse Petrilla takes out papers for AD-73 (which could be a farce.)
If you missed the first installment of this series, as we move towards the March 7 (or where an eligible incumbent declines to run, March 12) deadline to set the field for the June primary, you may want to check that one. While some things have changed, most haven’t, and the previous analysis still holds. So, with a PDF warning for the link, what’s happened in the past week and a day?
State Executive Office: Another person from OC has filed, but it isn’t Neel Kashkari, so it doesn’t matter.
39th Congressional District: Incumbent Ed Royce still hasn’t filed here. That’s not so surprising, as he doesn’t really need signatures-in-lieu, but it does fit with the rumored possibility that he does see expectant father Jay Chen’s footsteps ahead of him in 2016 (or thereafter as the district gets more and more minority-based) and so might move to John Campbell’s CA-45, where he could serve out the rest of his natural days in Congress. If that happened, my bet is that he’d have told no one except for Bob Huff, to whom he’d possibly pass the baton.
45th Congressional District: According to our conservative “OCPolitic_” competitors, John Moorlach has the lead but Mimi Walters has the money. But Mimi has less money than Royce does!
47th Congressional District: Rumors are that the Republicans may run someone less obviously doomed than the first candidate to run, but still not someone likely to beat Al Lowenthal.
34th State Senate District: The first really interesting development is that Long Pham has taken out papers, suggesting that Janet Nguyen is not a shoo-in to make the runoff. I have lost track of who’s in what faction, or even if there are still major factions in the Vietnamese community or whether by now everything has degenerated into fiefdoms.
36th State Senate District: This still looks like a Diane Harkey vs. Martin Garrick faceoff, but a Ken Lopez has joined the fray. No idea offhand whether this is actually Ken Maddox-Lopez. Won’t likely matter.
72nd Assembly District: Perennial candidate Albert Ayala has filed. Travis Allen hasn’t yet filed. Joe DoVinh hasn’t yet filed. And the rumor at the Tet festival was that DoVinh won’t file after all — instead planning to run for the Garden Grove City Council position of his termed-out wife, Dina Nguyen. Haven’t confirmed it with him.
73rd Assembly District: Still no papers taken by Jesse Petrilla, who had a really bad week. For now it’s just Wendy Gabriella, Bill Brough, and Anna Bryson.
74th Assembly District: Now joining Matt Harper, Keith Curry, and Karina Onofre is Democrat Anila Ali. No papers yet for Travis Allen aide Emanuel Patrascu.
County Auditor-Controller: Appointed incumbent Jan Grimes hasn’t yet taken out papers. James Benuzzi and Eric Woolery have.
See update: T-Rack is in for AG; no-longer-convicted-felon Petrilla in for AD-73.
*Why does “uninspiring” come to mind. It has been a while since the likes of Chuck DeVore and others with integrity come to mind. Who is the Irvine Company backing
again in the 45th?
Long Pham is another perennial candidate that you shouldn’t be worrying about; no he does NOT have a faction or a fiefdom, he just likes to run for things, like Joe Dovinh.
And seriously, Ken is just LOPEZ now? That’s pretty funny, he had (but won) lawsuits against him in 2010 for not being able to settle on exactly what to call himself.
Long Pham did win a County School Board seat and ran roughly equal to Dovinh in the 2012 “Edgar Allen Poll” primary. So he’s not just a perennial candidate. And Dovinh’s about to win one when he runs for GG City Council. (Which reminds me: Dems need someone for that seat now, if it’s not to be Albert Ayala.)
I presume, but don’t know, that this Ken Lopez the same as Ken Maddox. His wife is running as “Maddox-Lopez,” so that’s odd if it is.
Is Stanley Fiala running for the 34 senate?
Greg, in the 36th Senate Race, I think you mean Pat Bates, not Harkey and I do not believe that Garrick is going to be running. That DUI race to the Capital Garage with the CHP might have hurt his chances.
You’re correct about it being Bates. Sorry. I’ll fix that.
Where do you get the info that Garrick isn’t running? Hadn’t heard about the DUI. If he’s not going to run, I wonder if it opens the door for one of the current AD-73 candidates to switch races.
Garrick does have the DUI. However, Bates is weak and getting weaker. And her baggage is getting heavier and will soon be even more burdensome.
Sounds like Garrick was the guy Dianne Harman described in her book “Tea Party Teddy” which we reviewed here http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2013/06/dianne-harmans-explosive-tea-party-teddy-1/
Pretty much everyone I have spoken with has said that Martin is not running, but David could be right. Martin, or anyone, watching this whole OCEA campaign could decide she is vulnerable. I do not believe that anyone running in the 73rd will switch over. Really, there isn’t anyone in that race even qualified to run for assembly.
What might be interesting if Harkey decided she could take Bates on and win.
Wouldn’t surprise me if she did. Who would you bet on in a Harkey vs. Bates race?
What about the WASTELAND that is the California AD 69th (Santa Ana, Anacrime and Garden Grove? Will NO ONE challenge Tom Daly?
What is the conventional wisdom on this district? I believe Daly, with all his baggage, faults and other negatives is far better suited to represent the district than some upstart. Then again, I am not a public employee, nor a union member, Latino or otherwise interested in much else than governance when it comes to assembly races.
Is the DPOC content with Daly?meanwhile labor is willing to give up the “battle” to win the “war” later? That certainly seems to be the case. But, I am not privy to this thought process.
I do know, We have been repeatedly hosed byt he parties support of the Tom Umberg’s of the world and that is scary.
No one has taken out papers as of yet (Daly included.) Running against a guy who had a million dollars behind him last time is expensive.
*What about Bill Campbell? Joe Dunn? What about those that know how dirty and corrupt the entire system has become? Pat Bates does great newsletter……she may have baggaosh…..but then what about Diane and her significant other? When do you think Moorlach will actually step into the ring? What chances does Keith Curry have?
A lot of rhetorical questions …eh? Guess, we will just stay home and wait for the stuff from Kenny the Printer to arrive before we make our final, final decisions.
Tom Daly is doing an excellent job. How about focusing on important races like the Orange County district attorney’s race? Tony Rackauckas is the most corrupt official in the state. If the Democrats or some of the honest Republicans don’t run against him, both parties should hang their head in shame.
I think it says a lot about the legal profession that none of the attorney in the OC has the INTEGRITY to run against Rackauckas.
Sounds like a DARE, Greg.
I prefer dares of that sort if they come with many non-zero positive digits before the check’s decimal point. (I have no idea what the contribution limits are for races for DA or other County offices, so scale down “many” to fit the max, if there is one.) Otherwise, it’s less a dare than a wish.
I think that he’ll have opposition — I’m just not sure who it will be. (Why is Spitzer being coy?)
Forgive the repetition of my opinion, but I’m compelled to voice myself regardless of the decent of others.
TRUTH. The whole truth and nothing but the truth is what we need to look closely at when considering re-electing Mr. Tony Rackauckas. He has a history of good and not so good (as do we all), but lately I suggest his competency for good judgment is in question. Perhaps for the sake of Mr. Rackauckas we should NOT re-elect him.
There is a time for all good men to step aside and let another attorney that has shown himself capable to take over. I think that time has come. I have a fondness for sports but even I would consider it cruel to put an old horse that was once a grand champion on a race track. I’m not calling Mr. Rackauckas an old hag just that there are better choices to be had (ie. Mr. Greg Diamond).
I submit a possible reason Tony had no opponents in the past is because of the respect his colleagues have for the man (not a bad thing). In sports time demands retirement like that of Michael Jorden to whom many hated to see leave the basketball COURT. I’m sure that can also be true of the OCDA that has held his position for so long. Think about it…even our county supervisors have to leave their seats after a couple of terms. Tony’s had a good long run.
Now about competency and sound judgment. Tony went after violating the constitutional rights of citizens that have been through the grinder of probation and parole from going into parks, beaches and harbors. This was a massive waist of both staff time and money. He could make a better impact by supporting educational measures than punitive ones. Either his knowledge of the law is lacking or the understanding of it’s real purpose and function. Either way as a DA he should know better.
Another example: Why would the DA. take a murder case recently to which he flopped? Although he is an attorney and can do such but as DA isn’t his position more that of a leader and administrator? It would be like having our sheriff standing on the corner giving out parking tickets. Can she do it? Yes, would she be as proficient as her staff that does it every day? Probably not. Again we need a DA that exercises good judgment. TRUTH