OC Blog

7% Makes Romney a Contender?

When are we going to stop calling Mitt Romney a front runner in the GOP Presidential race?

Despite having likely raised and spent more money than the other candidiates thus far, Mitt Romney languishes at just 7% in California (see Jubal's post from yesterday).

At least that's better than he's doing in Nevada (4%), Florida (6%) and nationwide (3%), which is probably due at least in part to certain advantages he holds here in O.C.

Seriously, shouldn't a candidate to at least have come within shouting distance of double-digits to be called a "front runner?"  In all these polls the guy consistently trails not one, but two people who aren't even in the race!  Save your money, O.C. donors.

In its inaugural issue, Red County's print magazine called Romney the "real deal."  As a Presidential contender, he quite clearly is not.

Red County/OC Blog News Roundup -- March 29, 2007

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

Nguyen Fights The Power And Prevails -- OCR
Janet Nguyen saw key Republican leaders line up against her in the supervisors race, but the one-time boat person dug in to beat the odds.

Water Shortage Called Serious -- OCR, DP and LAT
With strong winds and warm weather predicted, officials plead with users to cut back, especially on yard irrigation.

State To Review Santa Ana Unified Enrollment Data -- OCR and LAT
Teachers say their class sizes are larger than what the district is reporting

With Land Sky High, Burials Go Upward -- OCR and LAT
Catholic Diocese of Orange dedicates its first mausoleum since its formation.

Foster Care Can Lead To Success -- OCR
After 12 years in the foster care system, Anaheim's Tonya Hightower is a success story, one she shares with lawmakers in the nation's Capitol.

Santa Ana Heights Scores Windfall -- OCR
Neighborhood near John Wayne Airport wins conceptual approval from county supervisors for millions in public improvements.

OC Deputy Investigated For Sexual Misconduct -- LAT
Prostitute says she was taken to a secluded area, photographed. Deputy is on paid leave during the investigation.

UCI Severing Ties With Orthopedics Office -- LAT
School says it has lost $1 million. The ex-office manager says she and her husband, who founded the practice, are scapegoats.

Villa Park Group Launches Recall -- OCR
Villa Park Citizens for Honest Government said it will attempt to recall Councilwoman Deborah Pauly.

Another Village Coming Along In North Irvine -- OCR
Stonegate will join northern Irvine's Woodbury, Portola Springs and Orchard Hills.

School Sites get Technology Windfall -- OCR
A one-time grant that state lawmakers gave directly to schools has allowed south-county schools to spend millions of dollars on computers and other technology this year.

New PPIC Survey: Californians Like Redistricting Reform, Oppose Monkeying With Term Limits

A new statewide survey by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has some interesting findings:

Bad News For Incumbent Self-Perpetuation...
68% of likely voters think terms limits have been good for California, and 64% "oppose a term limits reform initiative that proponents hope to put on the February 2008 primary ballot."

The opposition is non-partisan: 70% of Republicans, 61% of Democrats and 68% of independents say they oppose the initiative.

...Plus More Bad News For Incumbent Self-Perpetuation
The presumed strategy for disemboweling term limits is to wrap it in redistricting reform and hope voters will swap one for the other. The PPIC poll shows public support for redistricting reform:

• 66% of likely voters think the current redistricting system needs at least minor changes.

• 39% of likely voters think it needs major changes

• 66% of likely voters favor putting an independent citizen commission in change of drawing districts.

Responsive MNWD

Kudos to Moulton Niguel Water District for modifying the signs they have along the streets informing about the current water shortage due to repair of a major supply line.  As I mentioned earlier in the week, the signs were not very informative since they didn't include any details regarding context (IE agency, time frame, why).  However, in the past few days the signs have been modified to include a specific time line for the water shortage as well as identifying MNWD as the agency asking for the conservation.  My ego wants me to believe I am the reason for this change, however I suppose there might be others out there who urged MNWD to use a little commonsense.  I commend MNWD on their responsiveness.

IRWD: Conservation is Good, but no Emergency Here

Don't Panic.  At least not if you get your water from the Irvine Ranch Water District.

You may have seen signs throughout OC declaring that there is a "Water Emergency" in Orange County.

It is true that some parts of the county are literally on the verge of running out of water, but that is not the case for most of us. 

If you live in a well prepared district like the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) which serves Irvine and parts of Tustin, Lake Forest, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Orange as well as some unincorporated areas, all is well.  IRWD has invested over time in numerous projects that allow it to serve customers even when the flow of imported water is cut off, like now.

IRWD still says you should conserve, but not because there isn't enough water for their rate payers--but rather because they want to have as much water as possible available to send to the rest of the county--the agencies who didn't prepare for this pipeline maintenance closure.

Metropolitan Water District sells imported water from the Colorado River to southern California agencies that bring it to your house and business.  It turns out they shut down a big supply line to make some improvements for about a week.  This is the fourth year in row that have done this.  So it should not have been a surprise to anyone.

The old story about the average rate payer not caring about water until they turn on the faucet and nothing comes out, is always in the mind of smart water district directors and managers.

In fact it's agencies like IRWD (see their latest release) that prepare for the worst case scenario that are helping the other agencies through this crisis.

Also in the category of smart, forward thinking and innovative water districts along with IRWD are Santa Margarita Water District and El Toro Water District.  They each put big investments into a local reservoir that  insures they have water available in the case of limited or no imported water supply.

So if you live in IRWD territory feel free to drink all you can, but maybe wait until next week to wash your car or fill your swimming pool--it's the neighborly thing to do.

Sup. Janet Nguyen's New Chief of Staff: Andrew Do

Janet Nguyen is the new Supervisor for the 1st District, and one of her most immediate tasks is hiring staff to run her office and serve as liaisons between herself and the various tentacles of county government.

Andrew Do, who served as her attorney during the recount saga alongside lead counsel Phil Greer, is the first hire  -- as her chief of staff. I think that's a smart move on Janet's part. You can always find staff who are from and can navigate county bureaucracy, but it's wise to have at least a couple of staff -- especially the top spot -- filled by loyalists with at least some political instincts who can help negotiate the political, as well as bureaucratic, landscape.

Anyone interested in joining Janet's staff should fax a resume and letter of interest to her office fax: 714.834.5754. Of course, her campaign consultant Dave Gilliard and pollster Adam Probolsky are close to Janet, so having them out in a good word on behalf of interested parties probably wouldn't hurt.

DeVore/Dymally Prison Drug Treatment Reform Bill Moves Forward

This came over the transom yesterday from Assemblyman Chuck DeVore:

DeVore and Dymally One Step Closer To Alleviating Overcrowded Prisons And Reducing Recidivism Rates

Bi-Partisan Bill To Address Failure Of Current Drug Treatment Programs in State Prisons Makes it Out of Assembly Public Safety Committee

SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) and joint-author Assemblyman Mervyn M. Dymally (D-Compton) cleared the first hurdle facing Assembly Bill 716 today by having it pass out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee on a unanimous bi-partisan vote.

A Little OC GOP Chest Beating

This came over the transom on Monday from the Republican Party of Orange County:

Republicans  Re-Claim ALL Orange County Supervisorial Seats Councilwoman Janet Nguyen Elected as Orange County’s First Vietnamese-American Supervisor

ORANGE, CA – Republican Councilwoman Janet Nguyen of Garden Grove won the February 6th - Special Election for the 1st Supervisorial District Vacancy. The seat was previously held by Democrat Lou Correa.

Nguyen will join Republicans John Moorlach, Bill Campbell, Chris Norby and Pat Bates on the Board of Supervisors thus creating an all-Republican governing board not seen in Orange County since 2004. Nguyen also becomes the first elected Vietnamese-American Supervisor in Orange County history.

Ken Khachigian's New Shingle

This just came over the transom regarding my old friend and mentor Ken Khachigian:

FORMER SENIOR PRESIDENTIAL AIDE KEN KHACHIGIAN JOINS HATCH & PARENT

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. --  Kenneth L. Khachigian, White House aide to three U.S. Presidents, Special Consultant to the President under Ronald Reagan and Senior Adviser to California Governors George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson, has joined the California law firm of Hatch & Parent as Senior Partner.

Khachigian began practicing public, government and administrative law in 1979 representing state, national and multinational businesses--including more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies--in diverse industries including energy exploration and development, paint manufacturing, telecommunications, public utilities, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food sales and packaging, data processing, insulation manufacturing and gaming.

Khachigian is widely regarded throughout California and nationally for providing counseling in government affairs, crisis management and strategic problem-solving--navigating clients across the terrain where legal, governmental and public issues intersect. In this role, Khachigian has led successful negotiations of major litigations and disputes for private and public agency clients.

Steve Forbes Endorses Rudy

Sorry, Sam Brownback fans, folks who fantasize about the nonsensical idea of a Fred Thompson run (wasn't Newt the "dream" candidate last week) and all others who think Rudy's going to be derailed by some lack of conservative credentials... the Giuliani freight train is just getting started.

Today's news?  Steve Forbes endorsed Rudy, no small news since his conservative fiscal resume is unquestionable.

What is a question: which Orange County groups or leaders will join the list of Rudy supporters?  It will be a Rudy tidal wave here, the only question is when.