The OC GOP’s Chairman, Fred Whitaker celebrated the Republican takeover of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) that took place this week when Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, a moderate Democrat, was replaced by Lake Forest Councilman Dwight Robinson, a Republican.
But Whitaker’s celebration might be very short lived. A well-placed source told me today that the Democrats in Sacramento are livid about the GOP’s shenanigans – which were engineered, allegedly, by none other than former Anaheim Mayor, turned lobbyist, Curt Pringle , on behalf of the oil industry.
You see the Democrats run most of California. The Republicans are inconsequential in most of the state save for their dwindling power base in Orange County and a few inland areas in the San Joaquin Valley and in the Inland Empire. There is no way the Democrats are going to allow the mostly powerless Republicans to put oil interests in charge of Southern California’s most important environmental protection agency.
So here is what is going to happen – the Democrats in Sacramento are going to increase the size of the S.C.A.Q.M.D.’s Board by three additional members – and they will all be Democrats. The Republicans currently have a 7-6 majority but after the changes are made the GOP will be looking at a 9-7 deficit and the S.C.A.Q.M.D.’s Board will once again be under Democratic control.
As for Pulido I am told he will be returned to the S.C.A.Q.M.D.’s Board by his friends in Sacramento. And there is absolutely nothing the Republicans will be able to do about this.
The sad thing is that this entire escapade was completely pointless – but it may have caused lasting damage to the OC GOP as the Republican majority on the Irvine City Council has now been completely sundered in the wake of Mayor Steven Choi‘s decision to oust Mayor Pro Tem from the City Selection Committee so that his replacement, Councilwoman Christina Shea, could vote for Robinson. A divided GOP majority will play right into the hands of the corrupt Larry Agran who will be more than happy to take power back in the next municipal election.
No doubt the Republicans are very excited at the prospect of making tons of money off fracking in Southern California, which is why they tried to take over the S.C.A.Q.M.D. But you can bet that the Democrats will shut that down in a couple of weeks when they take back control of this important environmental agency.
Pulido now knows that his old pal Pringle cannot be trusted. I am glad about that! Pringle has caused a lot of damage already – particularly with the disaster that is the ARTIC train station in Anaheim – a mess that will cost Anaheim’s taxpayers some four million a year for the next few decades.
I have to wonder what the GOP could be thinking? Most California residents want a clean environment. This fiasco is not going to garner the Republicans any more votes – just tons of embarrassment when the Democrats royally punk them in a few weeks.
