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Dave Gilliard‘s political money-laundering operation successfully opposed or supported 22 of 31 candidates this year.
Before the election we discussed the California Homeowner’s Association (CA HOA), one of the fronts Dave Gilliard uses to move corporate money into local races. Now that the election has passed, I have compiled a score card of where the money went and the outcome. Green means that CA HOA got its desire outcome. For example, CA HOA spent to oppose both Gail Eastman and Kris Murray in Anaheim. Eastman lost, and so is marked Green. Murray won, despite the CA HOA expenditure to oppose, so she is marked in red.
| Race | support | oppose | |
| Anaheim, Council | Gail Eastman | $47,800 | |
| Anaheim, Council | Kris Murray | $30,200 | |
| Anaheim, Council | Tom Tait | $4,600 | |
| Anaheim, Council | James Vanderbilt | $5,890 | |
| Brea, City Council | Cecilia Hupp | $7,900 | |
| Brea, City Council | Marc Harris | $2,100 | |
| Brea, City Council | Steve Vargas | $9,800 | |
| Brea, Mayor | Brett Murdock | $22,900 | |
| Irvine City Council | Ann Gaido | $35,534 | |
| Irvine City Council | Melissa Fox | $54,084 | |
| Irvine City Council | Larry Agran | $47,209 | |
| Irvine, City Council | Steven Choi | $63,955 | |
| Irvine, City Council | Jeff Lalloway | $82,455 | |
| Irvine, City Council | Lynn Schott | $51,000 | |
| Irvine, School Board | Sharon Wallin | $5,212 | |
| Irvine, School Board | Ira Glasky | $17,200 | |
| Santa Ana City Counci ward 2 | Michele Martinez | $12,200 | |
| Santa Ana City Counci ward 4 | David Benavides | $5,000 | |
| OC Water District | Stephen Sheldon | $3,000 | |
| OC Water District | Dina Nguyen | $11,000 | |
| OC Water District | Shawn Dewayne | $21,000 | |
| State Assembly District 21 | Adam Gray | $49,800 | |
| State Assembly District 32 | Pedros Rios | $7,600 | |
| State Assembly District 44 | Jacqui Irwin | $47,500 | |
| State Assembly District 44 | Mario De La Peidra | $12,100 | |
| State Assembly District 44 | Rob McCoy | $14,200 | |
| State Senate District 14 | James Vidak | $8,000 | |
| Los Angeles County Assessor | Jeffrey Prang | $29,000 | |
| Anaheim Single District prop. | Measure L | $1,600 | |
| State Budget Prop 2 | Measure 2 | $4,000 | |
| Indian Gaming Prop. | Measure 48 | $3,080 |
The largest expenditures were in Irvine, where Gilliard was completely successful, although not quite as successful as the chart suggest. The expenditure to support Sharon Wallin was nothing of sort; that money went for yard signs that put Sharon’s name on the same same placard as Choi, Lalloway, and Schott.
The next biggest expenditure was in Anaheim, where Tom Tait and his ally James Vanderbilt beat Gail Eastman but not Kris Murray. CA HOA was also three-for-four in Brea, albeit with much smaller expenditures. Gilliard was also three-for-three on the OC Water Board. Poseidon must be happy with his work.
CA HOA was much less successful in Santa Ana, where modest expenditures failed to affect the outcome of two city council races, and the State Assembly races where almost one hundred thousand dollars of expenditure accomplished nothing other than pushing Mario De La Piedra out of the race.
I find this encouraging. Money may matter, but it doesn’t always get its way.
No, it doesn’t. What matters more is how well that money is spent. You can raise boatloads of cash for your campaign. But if you p–s it all away on stupid mailers and lame TV ads, you’ll have nothing to show for it come Election Day.