“Matthew Harper, a top aide to Supervisor Janet Nguyen, was quietly transferred this month from Nguyen’s office to OC Waste & Recycling as a public affairs manager. The move raised a few eyebrows in the supervisors’ fifth-floor offices in the county Hall of Administration,” according to the Voice of OC.
Harper, a Republican, is also a candidate for the 72nd Assembly District, which includes part of Santa Ana. He is also a member of the Huntington Beach City Council.
We previously introduced our readers to Harper and his opponent, Westminster Mayor Pro Tem Tyler Diep. In that post we revealed that:
Harper embarrassed himself earlier this year when he voted to support a measure that would have resulted in the posting of DUI offenders labeled “habitual” by the City of Huntington Beach, on their Facebook page. The problem? Harper didn’t tell anyone that he was arrested for driving under the influence a few years ago, when he was a member of the Huntington Beach Union High School District’s Board of Education.
Harper says he is a fiscal conservative – but he works for the county government, in a job he didn’t deserve, no doubt pulling down six figures. Will he actually work for the OC Waste Agency – or was he put there by Supervisor Nguyen so he could pull down a nice salary while campaigning for the 72nd Assembly District?
What a joke.
In related news, Orange Juice blog editor Vern Nelson endorsed Harper today in a comment posted here at the NSA, as follows:
In the absence of any good or viable Democrat in that district (which is where I live) I think I’m gonna quietly root for Harper – mainly so we can get someone better to replace him on the HB City Council! (Exactly what that guy at Red-Face County is worried about.)
This whole thing is also gonna understandably piss off the Viets even more at the Republican Party. Maybe they’ll rethink both their loyalty to such a lily-white party and their competitiveness against Latinos!
The only Democrat who has shown an interest in running for the 72nd A.D. is Joe Dovinh, who is married to Republican Garden Grove Council Member Dina Nguyen. Local pundits are alleging that Dovinh will pull out if Diep’s allies buy ads in his virtually unknown local Viet newspaper.
Harper is not byh the way the only local political hack to land a hefty County public affairs job despite the County hiring freeze. Jordan Brandman was hired by O.C. Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly this year to be his “External Affairs Director.” That despite the fact that Daly had previously hired former reporter Jean Pasco. She supposedly runs the OC Archives, despite a total lack of curating experience. The reality, according to insiders at the County, is that Brandman and Pasco are Daly’s in-house campaign team. He, like Harper, is running for the State Assembly – in the 69th A.D.
You call that an endorsement? Whatever…
I thought of it as quiet musing. There’s nobody I like in the race so far.
Remember Dovinh? http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2010/04/meet-joe-dovinh-phus-democratic-challenger/
You hear how Jon Fleischman was at Michelle Steele’s office a couple months ago trying to get her to rescind her endorsement of Tyler? We thought at the time that was on behalf of Keith Carlson – but Keith’s going against Mansoor after all. It was on behalf of Harper – both a Jannie and Scott Baugh’s choice. Trannies are getting thrown under the bus left and right by the OC GOP insiders.
Tyler works for her.
Daly is campaigning at work. Who can I report this to?
Daly email a few of us last week to support him and donate to his campaign.
Even though he email me from his personal email to my personal email. I still feel afraid if I dont support or donate to him. He might have Renee Ramirez give me a hard time.
I heard Jordan and Jean Pasco talking about Daly campaign kick off this week. Why is it ok for them to campaign at work.
Supper talking head Vern Nelson,
In the first comment above he is using his own article as a reference in support of his political deception.
I the second comment he is totally lost.
So how valuable are these two comments by Vern Nelson to you?
Like Brandman, Matt Harper is a political opportunist with no real track record — just an insider in the slimy Orange County game of “you scratch mine and I’ll scratch yours”. He’s not done spit in Huntington Beach, and can make the excuse that the Dem majority on that Board thwarts the conservatives.
At least he opposed the trash bag ban, so there’s a big bullet for his resume. Since Huntington Beach is in Moorlach’s District, he might show us he’s got some cojones by publicly questioning how Harper got this job, what he’s making and why the trash people need a PR person anyway. Moorlach’s demonstrated no love for the Jannie in charge, so it would make for an interesting question from the dais. But, I wouldn’t count on it.
OK Admin,
OC Register: “Paul Walters to stay on as city manager indefinitely:
So I believe that there was a little wager when I told you that it is permanent and not as you try to presented it as a temporary position.
I hope that you do appreciate my wisdom.
I should add that Walters is bad decision for Santa Ana.
I think it is a cost issue. The city is broke. Walters is a cheaper option.
Stan, why you still talking sh*t about me over here, and then always wanting me to post your comments?
Art, you should put up the OJ RSS feed again. Stop being silly, we’re not your enemy.
And of course I know Tyler works for Michelle.
I hope you enjoy my latest Daly post. http://newsantaana.com/2011/10/18/never-mind-umberg-is-daly-the-new-jim-prince/
You may delete whatever you want on your blog but I decide what goes up on my blog.
I find it disgusting that you are now apparently an acolyte of both Brandman and Harper. Interesting that both of them got six figure jobs at the County this year despite a hiring freeze. Not the sort of lads i would expect you to back, but I guess you have changed – or I overestimated you.
And no, I won’t be linking to your blog anymore unless I refer to one of your posts. Fat chance of that happening anytime soon.
“Stan, why you still talking sh*t about me over here, and then always wanting me to post your comments?”…… Hmmmmm
Today you have deleted entire series of my highly politically intelligent comments so what do you expect?
I am an artist and just because you do not understand my political non-anonymous satire, it does mean that you should delete it.
FYI, “talking sh*t”….. is impossible in Art’s blog.
However, I can gave RSS feed to you in my blog…. just ask.
I am not surprised to see Vern backing Harper seeing that they both have things in common, isn’t that right Vern?
Thankfully for Vern and Matthew they don’t have to worry about their commonalities showing up on Facebook. I hear liquor flows pretty freely at those election night parties, concerned drivers should steer clear of the Harper festivities.