Only one candidate filed for the Democratic Central Committee, in the 69th A.D.

Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commissioner Tish Leon didn’t run for the DPOC Central Commitee this year

It is hard to believe, but no Latinos filed to run for the Democratic Party of Orange County’s (DPOC) Central Committee, in the 69th Assembly District, which includes Santa Ana and Anaheim, according to the Orange County Voter Registrar’s website.

None of the incumbents filed to run this year.  Several Latino incumbents walked away from the Central Committee, including Zeke Hernandez, Tish Leon, and Lynette Verino.  Other incumbents that did not pull papers included Stephen Bolinger, Eliah Gear, and Elaine Hoffman.

The only candidate who qualified to run this year was Art Hoffman.  He came in last place in 2008, when he ran previously for the DPOC Central Committee.

Several Latinos walked away from the DPOC Central Committee, in the 69th A.D., in 2008, after having won seats in 2006, including Ana de la Torre.

UPDATE: One more candidate qualified for the ballot, Erick Plascencia.  He and Hoffman are the only Democrats running for the DPOC Central Committee in the 69th Assembly District.

Lupe Moreno: The face of the OC Republican Party, in the 69th Assembly District

The Republican Party of Orange County fielded quite a few candidates for their Central Committee, in the 69th Assembly District.  But of the eleven that pulled papers, only four qualified for the ballot, according to the Orange County Voter Registrar’s website.

It may be that the Voter Registrar, which is struggling to cope amidst massive budget cuts, has not updated their website.  We will likely find out on Monday.  For now, these are the Republican candidates who qualified:

• Scott Carpenter, a legislative aide to Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine)
• Brett Franklin, a former member of the Santa Ana City Council
• Lupe Moreno, a member of the infamous Minutemen, and an avowed anti-immigrant activist
• and Tim Whitacre, who ran this year’s failed campaign to recall Republican Assemblyman Anthony Adams (R-San Bernardino)

Tim Whitacre: The face of the OC Republican Party, in the 69th Assembly District

The Republicans who did not qualify for the ballot include: Thomas Gordon, an asbestos inspector at L.A. Unified; Theresa
Contreras; Cuong Cao; Robert M. Hammond, who is also the OC GOP candidate for the 69th Assembly District; Cam Mangels, who lost to Jose Solorio in 2008, for the 69th Assembly District; Nam Pham, who came in last place in 2008, when he ran for the Rancho Santiago Community College District; and Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu, who is running for the 4th Supervisorial District.

UPDATE:  All of the above-referenced Republican candidates qualified for the ballot, except for Nam Pham.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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