My sources are telling me that a Political Action Committee run by an organization that calls itself SOAR (Support our Anaheim Resort) is the main driver behind Orange County Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly’s campaign for the 69th Assembly District.
Who is SOAR? According to their website:
SOAR is a broad coalition of local business owners, community leaders and Anaheim residents. Its mission is to educate area residents about the Resort District and the critical services it funds such as police, fire, and paramedics.
SOAR has an active and committed Advisory Board comprised of former elected officials, homeowner association members and business leaders representing all regions of Anaheim.
Through community events, the coalition seeks to educate and engage residents in future of the Resort District.
SOAR also has a political action committee, SOAR PAC, to support candidates that align with the business- and visitor-friendly district.
Here are SOAR’s members:
- Carrie Nocella, Disneyland Resort
- Todd Ament, Co-Chair, Anaheim Chamber Of Commerce and Member, Anaheim Planning Commission
- Gail Eastman, Co-Chair, Anaheim City Councilmember
- Larry Slagle, Co-Chair, Yellow Cab of Greater Orange County
- Harold Bastrup, Former Chief, Anaheim Police Department
- Mitchell Caldwell, President, Anaheim Neighborhood Association
- Sandy Day, Anaheim Hills Neighborhood Leader
- Craig Farrow, Retired Anaheim Police Sergeant
- Frank & Sally Feldhaus, West Anaheim Neighborhood Leaders
- Bill Gunderson, Anaheim Marriott
- Jimmie D. Kennedy, Former Chief, Anaheim Police Department
- Paul Kott, Paul Kott Realtors
- Gloria Ma’ae, Rancho Anaheim Neighborhood Leader
- Andrea Manes, The Fun Starts Here!
- Kris Murray, Anaheim City Councilmember,
- Frances Noteboom, South Anaheim Neighborhood Leader
- Bill O’Connell, Stovall Hotels of Anaheim
- Stan Pawlowski, Pacific Western Bank
- Pat Pepper, Chairman, Anaheim Budget Advisory Committee
- Harold Rapoza, Anaheim Hilton
- Shaun Robinson, Anaheim Hilton
- Reed Royalty, President, Orange County Taxpayers Association
- Bill Stone, Anaheim GardenWalk
Anaheim has quite a few Latino residents but you wouldn’t know it by looking at SOAR’s membership list.
So who really is SOAR? Well, if you look at their media page, you will find exactly ONE article, entitled “Disneyland Resort generates $4.7 billion annually to economy.” There you go. SOAR really is all about the mouse. And the mouse wants Daly to represent them in the State Legislature.
From what I hear, so does Jose Solorio, the legislator Daly is hoping to replace. Word has it that Solorio’s fellow Latino lawmakers are laughing behind his back as he scurries around Sacramento pimping for Daly.
Alas poor Solorio. He is termed out. He voted to take away almost fifty million in annual state funding, from the County of Orange. The Orange County Board of Supervisors ended up taking that money away from our schools – and that’s all on Solorio. He wants to run for State Senator Lou Correa’s seat, but that won’t come up for two years. By then Solorio will be a fading memory. But the money he voted to take away from the County will still be missed. Solorio? Not so much.
That Solorio is working to ensure that his legislative seat does not go to a Latino candidate is really rubbing the Assembly Latino Caucus the wrong way. Five of their members have already endorsed Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez, for the 69th Assembly District. The rest of them should be on board soon.
What about the other Democratic candidate, Labor consultant Julio Perez? Well, Disney took the wind out of his sails this month when they settled their longstanding feud with their unionized hotel workers. Now Perez has nothing to run on. Yes, that was done to pave the way for Daly.
Perez would be smart to pull out and back Martinez, but he won’t. It may not matter. Martinez is the only woman in the race. Perez is toast. Hopefully Daly will be too.
As for Disney, they really need to take a hard look at this race. It is a slap to the face of the Latino voters in the 69th for Disney to get behind Daly – who as Mayor of Anaheim, back when he had a full head of hair, was no friend to Latinos and he certainly was not a fan of the poor families in Anaheim. He is an elitist. And he is clearly Disney’s lackey.
Disney may be Orange County’s biggest employer, but trying to rig elections is not cool. And backing limo liberals like Daly is not going to win the Disney company any fans.
Martinez only has to put up a half-assed fight and Daly will fold like a deck of Vegas cards. He fooled the Orange County Dems into thinking that he would make a run for Supervisor and when the road got rocky (actually, just pebbly), he dropped out. He is not in for the long fight and has no business stepping outside of his cush, pension-rich job of clerk-recorder where it is always warm and comfy. Tom, you are a good guy, but you have no business going to Sacramento. Even the guppies will eat you there, much less the sharks.
Good reporting (on the first half up there, anyway), Artmin! Why would Disney go out of its way to alienate itself from future Assemblyman Perez? (Or, less likely, from future Assemblywoman Martinez?) It’s not like either of them are going to fail to support Disney’s legitimate interests. What do they expect Daly to support that a Latino representative from the Latino-est place on Earth (or at least in the California Lege) would not?
As for Disneyland settling its Labor dispute, somehow I suspect that Perez is actually quite happy with this, rather than mourning the loss of a campaign issue. Union members know who has long been standing with them on this issue. Everyone wins from the amicable settlement of dispute like this — including the labor leaders who help make it happen.
Are you really going to make us suffer through the sad tale of the decline of Solorio? Really? OK, then!
Well, I guess we are somewhat in agreement but rest assured that the settlement of the labor dispute does NOT help Perez one bit. It takes away the only campaign issue he had.
As for Solorio, in two years the voters will have long forgotten him. Perhaps Daly will hire him to work in the Clerk-Recorder’s office.
Perez does not have only one issue, Art. He has a long history, for example, of holding Solorio’s feet to the fire. You should check it out.
And I won’t have forgotten Solorio in two years. I’ll still probably wake up some mornings screaming from nightmarish memories of his efforts to scuttle AB-52’s attempt to let the Insurance Commissioner regulate extreme hikes in health insurance premiums.
Oh I know his issues – he has a job-killing, tax-increasing agenda that is simply unacceptable.
Ummm, does Michelle agree with you on that?
Daly probably does, unfortunately.
Admin Tom Daly gave a job to a lady( I will get you her name) who husband works for Disney. Daly is a punk who is never shows up to work.
He is campaigning during County time by not showing up to work. The Board of Supervisors need to investigate this idiot and ask him why is he wasting tax payers money.
Are you talking about Chris Lowe’s wife Jennifer Lowe. He was the manager of government relations for Disney. Daly hired his wife I’m sure as pay back for Disney support. But now she is where any good republican should have his wife… At home watching the kids. Good job Chris keep you wife away from that pervert Tom Daly.