We are live from the OC GOP Endorsements Committee, who will make recommendations to the full Central Committee for endorsements on August 31.
Endorsements Committee Members present are:
Chair TJ Fuentes
Thomas Gordon
Peggy Huang
Jeff Matthews
Baron Night
Mary Young
Endorsements Committee Member Jeff Lalloway is not present.
First up is Huntington Beach City Council.
Lyn Semeta grew up as the daughter of an Air Force Serviceman. She is a member of the RWF who graduated from UCLA and USD Law School. She worked with school districts without litigation to help her autistic daughter. She is Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. She wishes to advance conservative ideals. She wants to attract private sector jobs. She wants to outsource more. She notes she narrowly missed a seat in 2014, when she was endorsed by both OC GOP and CRA.
Joe Carchio speaks of his service on the City Council, Vector Control, and LAFCO. He wishes to streamline government and keep taxes low or eliminate them. He wants common sense Republican leadership to help the conservative Council majority.
Patrick Brenden became a Republican under Ronald Reagan. He states unbeknownst to him his registration was changed to DTS and when he learned of this, he changed it back to Republican. He lists numerous endorsements from Republican elected officials. He walked precincts for John Moorlach and Matthew Harper. He held fundraisers for Michelle Steel and Michael Gates. He helped the new Council majority get elected. He speaks of his family. He is involved in the Boy Scouts, Kiwanis Club, and various other service groups that he listed faster than I could type.
Endorsements Committee Member Baron Night asks Carchio why he filled out that he wanted to remove the pro-life plank of the Republican platform. Carchio says he accidentally marked the wrong box and is pro-life.
Endorsements Committee Chairman TJ Fuentes states a fourth candidate submitted their application yesterday afternoon.
All three candidates present says the fourth candidate is new and threw his hat in the ring at the last minute.
Endorsements Committee Member Jeff Matthews moves to continue this to the August 30th meeting when the fourth candidate is scheduled to appear.
The fourth candidate had asked for August 30th rather than August 24th because he had a Huntington Beach RWF meeting to speak at and also preferred to be interviewed separately from the other candidates. Semeta, Carchio, and Brenden all indicate they are going to the RWF meeting after this.
Endorsements Committee Members Mary Young and Thomas Gordon object to Mathews’s motion.
Gordon moves and Young second to recommend endorsements for Semeta, Carchio, and Brenden.
Fuentes expresses concern about not hearing from everyone.
Night states this fourth candidate doesn’t seem interested in the endorsement.
Huang is very concerned that the fourth candidate didn’t want to be interviewed with the other candidates.
The Gordon motion passes 4-2-1 (Fuentes and Matthews dissenting, Lalloway absent).
BRENDEN, CARCHIO, AND SEMETA RECOMMENDED for HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY COUNCIL
Next up is Newport Beach City Council, District 5
Mike Glenn was recently removed as an alternate for Central Committee after getting in a disagreement with another Republican. He is involved in the Republican Liberty Caucus, the RWF, and the CRA. He wants to bring change, or at least bring attention to key issues. He accuses Lowrey of spreading falsehoods about Glenn.
Lee Lowrey has been a Republican since he was 18 years old. He considers himself a movement conservative. He walked precincts for Chris Cox and Dana Rohrabacher in 1988. He speaks of his long service to the GOP. He is Rohrabacher’s alternate on Central Committee and was an alternate to the late Chairman Emeritus Tom Fuentes. He speaks of his work founding Atlas PAC. He was OC GOP Volunteer of the Year in 2002. He grew OCYR membership from 75 to 300 when he was President from 2002 to 2005. He speaks of raising money and precinct walking.
Night asks Glenn what falsehoods he was referring to. Glenn says a push poll falsely argued Glenn wants to defund the military. Glenn says Lowrey’s campaign manager accused Glenn of being involved in a criminal enterprise for using the same software as that enterprise.
Lowrey says he has proof at home from 2014 that Glenn opposes a standing military. Lowrey asks what is false about the email.
Glenn argues that the email speaks of Glenn’s use of bitcoin and about how bitcoin is used by criminals.
Night says the email seems to be he-said, he-said, and it is simply part of politics. Night says Glenn needs a tougher skin.
Matthews says the voters should decide who is correct in the he-said, he-said issue.
Gordon expresses concern about the Newport Beach Councilmembers (Duffy Duffield, Kevin Muldoon, and Scott Peotter) who have endorsed Lowrey since the city has tilted leftward despite having seven Republicans.
Fuentes notes that the three endorsing Lowrey are the three more conservative members and have pulled the Council to the right.
Gordon says there has only been a small correction and that the city needs to move further right.
Matthews moves for neutrality, with seconds from both Fuentes and Huang.
Young objects, pointing to Lowrey’s long history of volunteerism for the party for a quarter-century, listing a number of times where she’s called on Lowrey to help the OC GOP, and he has stepped up.
Young moves to recommend Lowrey but gets no second.
Fuentes says both are good conservatives.
Huang says both have had lengthy histories of GOP activism, Glenn in Newport Beach and Lowrey countywide.
NEUTRALITY RECOMMENDED 5-1-1 FOR NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 5 (Young dissenting, Lalloway absent)
Next up is Newport Beach City Council, District 7.
Will O’Neill speaks of his family’s long Republicanism. He speaks of his grandmother refusing to use Roosevelt dimes. O’Neill’s father was appointed to the bench by Governor Deukmejian and as a federal judge by President Reagan. O’Neill was a Stanford College Republican (Go Cardinal!). He wants to battle Newport Beach’s pension liability, for as a young man, his generation will be saddled with the debt.
Fred Ameri lived in Berkeley and found it full of Communists before moving to Orange County. He speaks of growing his business. He speaks of being business partners with the late OC GOP Chairman Tom Fuentes. He speaks of 35 years of contributions to Republican candidates, including 13 fundraisers in 2014 for Michelle Steel, Young Kim, Steven Choi, Diane Dixon, and others. He claims O’Neill’s campaign manager (Dave Ellis) is suing claiming that Ameri is using a false name.
Phil Greer speaks of working on George Deukmejian’s campaign and working for the California Senate Republican caucus. He says his first political lawsuit was defending Ed Royce against OC Democratic Party Chairman Frank Barbaro. As an attorney, he has defended, among others: Janet Nguyen, Patricia Bates, Ken Calvert, and the Capistrano Unified School District conservative majority.
Young asks who sued Ameri. Greer denies it, as does O’Neill.
Night asks why Greer did not sign the no-new-taxes pledge or the union-free pledge.
Greer notes that if marijuana is legalized, he would like to tax it. He says talking to unions is important to get things done in government. He says he is not a union stooge. Greer speaks of compromise in Sacramento in the 1980s because of having relationships without compromising principles, and he points to the examples of Ed Royce and John Lewis. He says he doesn’t have Ameri’s money or O’Neill’s campaign staff. He points to the Jesse Unruh adage that people should be able to take money from people and vote against them to be in politics.
Fuentes asks the other two candidates to respond to Greer’s comments.
O’Neill says he has a fine relationship of communication with union leaders without taking union money.
Ameri speaks of being a Lincoln Club member and pushing the union-free pledge.
Young complains about people not doing anything for the OC GOP and wanting its endorsement.
All three say they have done much for the party and will continue to do so even if they don’t get the endorsement.
Night asks a follow-up about volunteering for the party beyond being paid for it.
Greer says some of his legal work was paid, some discounted, and some free.
Huang asks about Team Newport and what circumstances they would walk away from the team.
O’Neill states most votes have been 7-0 while split votes among Team Newport are common. He notes he is the only candidate who has served on city committees, pointing to Duffield appointing him to the Finance Committee with unanimous consent by the Council.
Ameri says the Central Committee endorsed Team Newport in 2014 because the team “played games.” Ameri attacks Dave Ellis.
Greer says he would not join any organization that would have him as a member, other than the Republican Party.
Gordon says he received an email attacking one of the candidates. Matthews received it, but none of the other members of the Endorsements Committee received it. He says an OCGOP-endorsed Councilman sent an email that “smacked of racism” against one of the candidates with an image of the Twin Towers.
Ameri asks O’Neill what if his name is Will or William and if he is a puppet of Ellis.
The committee quickly rules Ameri out of order.
Gordon blasts the email for its content.
O’Neill asks why Gordon is looking at him.
Gordon says Scott Peotter sent the email and signed O’Neill’s endorsement paperwork.
O’Neill condemns racist emails.
Fuentes says both O’Neill and Ameri are good men but he doesn’t know Greer well.
Gordon moves and Young seconds recommending an endorsement for Ameri.
Matthews urges neutrality because all three would make great Councilmen.
Night expresses concern about Greer’s union stance and O’Neill’s inexperience with the OC GOP. He says he is looking for the best Republican Party representative.
Matthews moves and Fuentes second for neutrality.
Gordon says he would have supported neutrality if it weren’t for Peotter’s email. Gordon says he is disgusted by the email.
Huang says she did not see the email. She says it is better addressed by Central Committee Chairman Fred Whitaker rather than at Endorsements Committee. Huang says she herself signs everyone’s paperwork for endorsement. She says she personally supports Ameri but is voting for neutrality because they’re all good Republicans. She says Ameri has done much work for the OC GOP but says Greer has done much work for the CA GOP while O’Neill is a young candidate who is trying to get his foot in the door.
Young says she feels bad for O’Neill because she doesn’t think he is at fault for the email. She is voting for Ameri due to his long record though.
NEUTRALITY FAILS 3-3-1 (Gordon, Night, and Young against; Lalloway absent)
AMERI RECOMMENDED 4-2-1 FOR NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 7 (Fuentes and Matthews dissenting, Lalloway absent)
After an intermission, next up is Anaheim City Council, District 1.
Denise Barnes speaks of being a lifelong Anaheim resident with experience volunteering for community groups and nonprofits. She speaks of various West Anaheim community events she has helped in. She is a small business owner with an accounting background. She says she will advocate for sound fiscal policy to help residents not special interests. She wants to tackle Anaheim’s pension liability. She wants to improve streets and parks while increasing community policing. She is endorsed by Mayor Tom Tait and Councilman James Vanderbilt. She speaks of benefitting from Ronald Reagan’s trickle-down economics.
Orlando Perez says he is the son of Cuban immigrants. His grandfather was a Cuban mayor. He was born and raised in Bell and moved to Anaheim at the age of 21, living in Anaheim for the last 30 years. He says he is a realtor who has been a Republican since the age of 18. He says he is endorsed by Grow Elect. He says he has a notary license and an accounting background. His top priority is public safety. He wants to keep the Angels in Anaheim and wants to attract an NFL or NBA team.
Steve Chavez Lodge warns that Anaheim is in dangerous times. He warns that people just deciding to run now are not who should be on the Council. He says it should be experienced people, pointing to his service on the Anaheim Budget Commission. He warns of the chance of a liberal Democrat capturing the seat. He is endorsed by Councilwomen Kris Murray and Lucille King and former Councilmembers Gail Eastman and Harry Sidhu. He calls for logic and pragmatism by the Endorsements Committee.
Night asks Perez about his not answering a question on the questionnaire.
Neither Night or Perez is audible.
Gordon asks about their precinct walking efforts and hearing from the community.
Barnes says she wants to be the voice of her neighbors. She says as a property manager, she sees first-hand the squalor of West Anaheim.
Perez says he works in real estate and is recognizable and walks door to door.
Chavez Lodge says he has 15 precinct walkers who are experienced organizers. He speaks of his policy background helping with the homeless and with infrastructure.
Gordon asks about the Transient Occupancy Tax.
Chavez Lodge says he differs with Tom Tait, as he doesn’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. He notes Tait spoke at his campaign kick-off in 2012. Chavez Lodge would like to compromise on incentives, which he feels are necessary.
Perez says he spoke with Tait and wants to compromise.
Barnes questions when using TOT for corporations would help the people.
Young asks about homelessness in Anaheim parks and having more parks.
Barnes says Anaheim is financially sound. She says West Anaheim has 52,000 people with just 5 parks due to the density of apartments and motels.
Mary Young says she never sees children in the 22 parks in her own city. She asks Barnes if parks are a waste.
Barnes defends parks and says community parks will bring children and after-school programs.
Huang asks Chavez Lodge about his law enforcement background and being a leader of the police union.
Chavez Lodge says he was on the Board of Directors and the Political Action Committee of his police union. He says he wasn’t let on to the PAC for years because the union thought he was too conservative. He said he was the conservative voice urging the police union to reflect the 90% of police who are Republicans. He says liberals have adopted dangerous policies like AB 109.
Huang asks if Chavez Lodge was ever on the negotiating team.
Chavez Lodge said he was not.
Huang asks all three candidates about Anaheim’s debt and specifically about ARTIC.
Perez gives a long rambling answer about needing productivity and people’s use of ARTIC. He says if it is ineffective, something different should be built.
Barnes says a lot of people are disappointed with ARTIC. She says it is a piece of art that won’t be truly used until at least 2029. She says the Council has rammed things down people’s throats without having a voice of the people.
Chavez Lodge notes this is a moot issue because ARTIC is already built and will last 100 years, during which time density will soar. He says the schedule is not customer-friendly. He says there needs to be better coordination with Metrolink. He says Metrolink was a mess until Shawn Nelson started improving it.
Huang asks about the bond for ARTIC.
Barnes says the city has given away too much money.
Fuentes asks the three candidates about whether they would have voted with the Council on TOT.
Barnes and Perez say no while Chavez Lodge says yes.
Fuentes asks about the Angel Stadium parking lease.
Barnes attacks Arte Moreno for renaming the Angels. She says the parking agreement was done out of panic.
Perez says there needs to be a future use and plan examined.
Chavez Lodge says the negotiations are ongoing. He notes $75-$100 million in renovation costs for Angel Stadium. He says the City cannot pay for the repairs, so it may be time to get the city out of the stadium business.
Fuentes asks all three candidates if they would have voted to support ARTIC.
Barnes and Perez say no while Chavez Lodge says yes because mass transportation, density, and technology are the future.
Fuentes asks about Chavez Lodge being on the union board.
Chavez Lodge says he pushed the board rightward and urged support of conservative candidates.
Fuentes asks Chavez Lodge if he supported Jordan Brandman or any Democrats.
Chavez Lodge says he gave Loretta Sanchez money 10 years ago as a personal friend.
Matthews moves and Night seconds for neutrality.
Night says they are all good Republicans. He says TOT and ARTIC are issues that should be decided by Anaheim voters.
Fuentes says these issues are important. He notes Tom Tait was the OC GOP Local Elected Official of the Year and points to ARTIC, hotel subsidies, and Angel Stadium.
NEUTRALITY RECOMMENDED 5-0-1-1 FOR ANAHEIM CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 1 (Gordon abstaing, Lalloway absent)
