2020 OC Filings #4 (as of 8/3) for Mission Viejo, Westminster, Newport, Buena Park

By
Greg Diamond
– August 3, 2020Posted in: "The OC", Fresh Juice

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As noted in our introduction to this year’s general election coverage, the filing period for all races is underway; it ends August 7 (or 8/6, for cities closed on 8/7, and with some extensions to 8/12) for all races that have made it this far.  Today, we’ll look at the ninth through twelfth most populous cities in the county — Westminster, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Buena Park — to see what’s going on.  This will be updated as need be and time allows.

 

Mission Viejo

2 seats open.  (i) designates “incumbent”

  • Patricia “Trish” Kelley (i) (pulled only)
  • Brian Goodell (i) (pulled only)
  • Jessica Gilbert (pulled only)
  • Steve Sipe (qualified)
  • Pauline Hale (pulled only)
  • Ryan Tworek (pulled only)
  • Justin Bass (pulled only)
  • Cathy Schlicht (pulled only)
  • Michael McConnell (pulled only)

Presuming that both incumbents do qualify, change seems unlikely, although I guess that Schlicht and maybe McConnell have a chance.  (I’ll research past election results later.)  No one not currently in the race should run — unless perhaps their surname is “El-Farra.”

Westminster

If you try hard enough on Westminster’s web site, you can find a list of nominees for City Offices.  Unfortunately, it’s the list for 2016.  Nothing for the race where filing ends this week.  This is disgusting.  Call the City Clerk for the information and then check back in with the info in a comment here.

Newport Beach

District 2

  • Brad Avery (i) (qualified)
  • Nancy Scarbrough (qualified)

District 5

  • Noah Blom (pulled only)
  • Jeff Herdman (i) (qualified)
  • Marshall Silberberg (pulled only)

District 7

  • Will O’Neill (i) (qualified)

Looks like more of the same in NB.  Someone should file against Mayor O’Neill, though, just in case of a disaster.  (No offense intended, Mayor, but: Covid + Beach City.)

vietnam bombing patterns

Fire pits in Newport Beach or very large coronaviruses?  Scientists say its the former — and since it’s not Huntington Beach, the population accepts their word.

Buena Park

Districts 3 and 4 are up this year; the incumbents are Mayor Fred Smith (in 3) and conservaDem Art Brown (in 4).  The city sets the filing deadline as Aug. 7, but elsewhere says that City Hall is closed that day — so interested candidates should check that out and maybe aim to file by 8/6.

There is no online list of which candidates have filed — the mark of a corrupt election process.  Contacting the Mayor to suggest that the City Clerk put up a link to such a list may be pointless, but maybe contact Vice-Mayor Conner Traut would be more useful.

On to the next set of cities!

About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)