This voter guide addresses the Orange County local and legislative races as well as the State and Local ballot measures.
Open Primary Election, June, 2014:
State Elections
Attorney General:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Jonathan Jaech
Other candidates include: Phil Wyman, Kamala Harris
Editor’s Note: There is no way anyone should vote to re-elect Kamala Harris, the Democratic incumbent. She is far too cozy with the police establishment and the police unions. Our endorsed candidate, Jonathan Jaech, is a Libertarian who says that he “will strive to eliminate the exercise of police power against any person charged with a crime that cannot harm another.”
Insurance Commissioner:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Ted Gaines
Other candidates include: Dave Jones
Editor’s Note: All you need to know about Ted Gaines is that he is opposed to ObamaCare. Dave Jones, the incumbent Democrat, loves ObamaCare.
Lieutenant Governor:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Alan Reynolds
Editor’s Note: We can’t stomach the Republican candidate, Ron Nehring, or the Democratic incumbent, Gavin Newsom, so we are endorsing an independent candidate, Alan Reynolds.
Governor:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Neel Kashkari
Other candidates include: Jerry Brown, Tim Donnelly, Luis Rodriguez
Editor’s Note: Jerry Brown has done a good job in some respects but we cannot support his crazy High Speed Rail plan. Tim Donnelly is a total embarrassment for the GOP. The knock on Neel Kashkari is that he administered the TARP program. We like where he stands on the issues and are impressed that he has invested a half million of his own dollars in his campaign.
Secretary of State:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Dan Schnur
Other candidates include: Alex Padilla
Editor’s Note: Why do we like independent Dan Schnur? Here is his plan :Ban all political fundraising while the state legislature is in session and all contributions from government contractors. Require 24-hour disclosure of all campaign contributions. Close loopholes that allow politicians to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond legal limits and transfer money to other candidates.” We approve!
State Board of Equalization, District 4:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Van Tran
Other candidates include: Shirley Horton, Diane Harkey, Lewis Da Silva, John F. Kelley, Nader Shahatitt
Editor’s Note: There is NO WAY we can get behind Diane Harkey. Van Tran is a smart guy who will reliably stand up for taxpayers and oppose the Democrats. He is the candidate the Republicans ought to be rallying behind, not Harkey.
State Controller:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Ashley Swearengin
Other candidates include: David Evans, Betty Yee, John Perez, Laura Wells
Editor’s Note: Swearingin says that “Taxpayers deserve to know if their tax dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively in these funds.” We agree!
State Treasurer:
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Greg Conlon
Other candidates include: John Chiang, Ellen Brown
Editor’s Note: No way we can support John Chiang, a partisan Democrat. And Ellen Brown is a Green Party member who wants to open a state bank. So we are backing Greg Conlon, a Republican candidate.
Statewide Ballot Measures
Prop. 41 – Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Vote no on Prop. 41
Editor’s Note: We never support bond measures and we won’t be supporting this one either. Bond measures rip off the taxpayers. The interest on these bonds ends up being equal to the principal. We don’t want Veterans to be homeless but that is a Federal issue. President Obama needs to take care of our Veterans and if he doesn’t then Hillary Clinton will pay the price for that in 2016.
Prop. 42 – Public Records. Open Meetings. State Reimbursement to Local Agencies
State of California
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Vote yes on Prop. 42
Editor’s Note: Of course local governments should fit the bill for public records requests.
Orange County Elections
Orange County Ballot Measures
Measure A: County Elected Officials Should Pay for their Own Pensions
OC Politics Blog Endorsement: Yes
Editor’s Note: Of course our County elected officials should be paying for their own pensions. That should be the case for all public employees!
46th Congressional District:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Carlos Vazquez
Other candidates include: Ehab Atalla, Loretta Sanchez, John Cullum
Editor’s Note: While the OC GOP can’t get its act in order and hasn’t endorsed in this race, we like what Carlos Vazquez brings to the table. He is a reliable conservative and by far preferable to the Democratic incumbent, Loretta Sanchez.
69th Assembly District:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Cecilia Iglesias
Other candidates include: Tom Daly
Editor’s Note: We are thrilled that Cecilia Iglesias is running against the career politician Tom Daly. It is time to retire Daly, who supports the giveaway of millions of tax dollars to a wealthy hotel developer and who wants to use more tax dollars to pay for a Streetcar that will only benefit Disneyland. Daly is a total hack for special interests!
72nd Assembly District:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Travis Allen
Other candidates include: Joel Block, Albert Ayala
Editor’s Note: We are huge fans of the incumbent, Travis Allen. He has done a great job and is reliably conservative but able to work with Democrats when he has to.
34th State Senate District:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Long Pham
Other candidates include: Jose Solorio, Janet Nguyen
Editor’s Note: The worst Republican candidate on the June ballot is the endlessly corrupt Janet Nguyen. We urge voters to support Long Pham, a Republican with a respectable record as a former OC Board of Education Trustee.
Orange County Auditor-Controller Election:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Mike Dalati
Other candidates include: Eric Woolery, John Wayne Willard, Frank Davies, James T. Benuzzi
Editor’s Note: Why would you vote for an OC GOP insider like Woolery and expect him to actually audit what the Republicans in the Orange County administration are up to? We like Frank Davies but are endorsing Dalati because he is not beholden to the Republicans, as a Democrat. He is not a liberal either, which we appreciate.
Orange County Assessor Election:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Webster Guillory
Other candidates include: Claude Parrish and Jorge Lopez
Editor’s Note: We have always supported independent Webster Guillory. He does a fine job and we hope he prevails over career politician Claude Parrish.
Orange County Board of Education, Area 2 Election:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: David Boyd
Other candidates include: Tom Pollitt
Editor’s Note: Why are rightwing Tea Party Republicans trying to take over the OC Board of Education? This can’t bode well! We continue to support David Boyd, a great Trustee with many years of experience in education as the head of a law school.
Orange County Superior Court, Office 20 Election:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Helen Hayden
Other candidates include: Derek Johnson
Editor’s Note: The O.C. Register says the incumbent, Johnson, is “unfit for office”
Orange County Superior Court, Office 35 Election:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Jeff Ferguson
Other candidates include: Carmen Luege
Orange County Clerk-Recorder Election:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: Hugh Nguyen
Other candidates include: Steve Rocco, Monica Maddox, Gary Pritchard
Editor’s Note: Hugh Nguyen has taken the politics out of the OC Clerk-Recorder’s office and he has undone much of the damage done by his Democratic predecessor, the odious Tom Daly. The other candidates for OC Clerk-Recorder aren’t even qualified to work at this agency!
Orange County District Attorney/Public Administrator Election:
OC Politics Blog Endorsements: No endorsement
Other candidates include: Greg Diamond, Tony Rackauckas
Editor’s Note: We are not fans of the liberal blogger Greg Diamond but we just can’t bring ourselves to endorse the incumbent, Tony Rackauckas, either. We are sitting this one out.
Voter Resources:
Smart Voter, by the League of Women Voters
Orange County Register Voter Guide
voting season has arrived, time for the mud to sling.
Why is there nothing mentioned about the guy in 3rd place for governor Glenn Champ? Is it because he’s a registered sex offender and is doing so well? He’s a Believer of Bible principles, support the NRA and the right to bare arms and is a Constitutionalist and believes in small government and building businesses within California. He thinks with our long coastline we need more desalination plants for fresh water.