30 Comments
User's avatar
Chris Quilter's avatar

No problem with the list, but am deeply offended by the slur you cast on Costco shirts.

janeybird's avatar

Depressing list, but colorful descriptions! I'm pretty sure the four Lincoln Club backed candidates running against four Orange Unified School District incumbents are endorsed by some of those people. 🤔

Craig Attanasio's avatar

Yikes, that's a lot of work, Jeff, I'll have to set aside time later this morning to read through this.

Thanks for all the diligent effort in keeping us better informed. Take a mental health break today, you deserve it after this.

Paula Jean's avatar

I am offended that you bypassed former HB City Attorney Michael Gates—-the no-good flunky candidate for CA Attorney General; the fired lackey from the DOJ; and as of late, the smear candidate from propaganda hell.

He left our city with 13 lawsuits and HB is still in ‘appeal’ twilight zone.

I’m shocked!

Erika Hennon Rule's avatar

You're missing a couple of candidates in the Laguna Beach Unified School District race: Dee Perry and Elizabeth Bates (though I totally understand that there are only so many slots!).

Dee has actually sued her fellow board members and the superintendent in federal court; her complaint was ultimately dismissed (around 2019). She's also voted with the current board majority 99% of the time and ended Superintendent Jason Glass's tenure less than a year after he was hired, amid significant staff and community criticism.

Elizabeth led the campaign urging the School Board to take control of the graduation venue and told people the Board had "FULL authority" to make the decision. She is now arguing that board members must know "where governance ends, and management begins," even though the district had treated the graduation venue as a site-level decision and many staff and teachers criticized the Board's intervention as overreach.

CoralSparkle's avatar

Didn't follow or know about Dee. From a quick read, her lawsuit concerned bylaw wording expecting rotation into the President spot. She lost the lawsuit and the bylaws were rewritten to eliminate the rotation wording.

Erika Hennon Rule's avatar

Dee believed she should have been entitled to be president, but on election night, she didn't nominate herself. If she really wanted to be president, why didn't she do that?

Also, the bylaw was definitely vague, but it was never black and white that she was guaranteed the presidency.

It's still strange to sue the school district for your own personal gain. And it isn't the only time she did so.

John's avatar

How can there be so many scumbags in one county?

Nancy's avatar

I could not love this more. Maybe next year’s list might include San Clemente city councilman Steve Knoblock. All the crazy and ego rolled into one. Be sure to check back several years ago when he attempted to make San Clemente a “no Planned Parenthood” city.

Laura Camp's avatar

Jeff, thank you, this was both informative and highly entertaining. But what a lineup of misfits with real power in our community. There is no doubt a similar list for every community in America, and the rot, corruption and sheer malignant cruelty led by Donald Trump is a stain on our nation.

Eileen's avatar

Wow. It is so depressing to see these all at one sitting. These zealots actually believe in callous disregard for others. Apparently, Hegseth's pastor teaches that the bible never says government should educate OR take care of the sick and poor. So, that is how some of this craziness rolls.

Ethel Rogers's avatar

OMG! Somebody save the O.C. I can't, because I don't live/vote there! Go sane people!!!

Michael T. Taylor's avatar

When it comes to politics, Orange County has long been the Floriduh of California, but you've added a rather astonishing depth and dimension to this repository of right-wing lunacy.

And a few miles south of OC, there's Darryl Issa, serial congressman, convicted car thief, suspected arsonist, and inventor of incredibly intrusive/irritating car alarms.

Does the warm weather and sunshine somehow concentrate the bile, racism, hatred, and stupidity among politicians down there, or what?

CoralSparkle's avatar

I looked and could not find any evidence of Darryl Issa being a convicted car thief. I did see two indictments that were dismissed (1972 and approximately 1980) and one allegation with no charges filed. (1971).

The fire seemed like arson most likely based on the analysis at the time (1982). His partner was the previous owner who lost the business to Issa in a foreclosure, took some material immediately after the fire, and started a competing business.

The car alarm with the "Protected by Viper. Stand back!"

Michael T. Taylor's avatar

Ah … I stand corrected. I looked into Issa many years ago — well before he left congress, then came back — and the information I came across at the time indicated that he’d been convicted.

Thanks for clearing that up.

CoralSparkle's avatar

It's all good. I admit it's a curious list - just found it interesting so I took a look.

PrincesspPicklePunch's avatar

I thought we were done talking about She Who Shall Not Be Named aka #6. 😂😂😂😂

CoralSparkle's avatar

Esther Kim Varet is continuing the effort she has consistently said is her goal: helping flip the House from Red to Blue.

She lost her bid for CA-40, but she subsequently created a new PAC intended to provide support, recommendations, and endorsements for select candidates around the country—particularly in districts that are currently Red but, based on the electoral data, may have a realistic opportunity to go Blue.

I haven’t noted comparable public activity from the other Democratic candidates, notably Lisa Ramirez and Joe Kerr, at this point. That may change, of course, and there is certainly no obligation for them to pursue that path.

Ronna Sarvas Weltman's avatar

Lisa Ramirez helps immigrants in her day job. It is hard and these days often sad work. She is making the community safer for immigrants, better for all of us.

Barb Casserly's avatar

Jeff can you do 26 to 50 next? We need to know!!

Moms on the Ground's avatar

Hey Jeff! Don’t appreciate the references to my death or inaccurate information about our organization of volunteer moms and the hundreds of documents we’ve discovered in public record that prove the Democrat party and their organizations profit heavily from recruiting kids into child patient mills at school. I hope if you have any sane/curious readers that they will check out the #Trans_student_hustle. You obviously have not, as our work is about protecting kids from predatory adults and organizations that use and abuse tax payer money, rob children of their health and futures, while enriching politicians, hospitals and NGOs. We want parents of trans kids informed, not lied to like Sacramento Democrats wanted- AB1955. We want Trans kids informed about how they are being recruited and victimized by a system who profits from their pain. We want them to know they are loved and there are people who have no conflicts of interest who simply did research because we are moms and protect our young is what we do. If doing that puts me on your list, it begs the question- are you being paid by the Teachers Union and others for this article? That’s ok, based upon all of the lies in your article, I suspect you wouldn’t answer honestly and you will delete my comment like you have previously. We will check public records to find your affiliations. The public records on trans topic are clear and we want transparency for kids at school and parents that send them there. They deserve to have eyes wide open, and know who is profiting and how. Your words about trans parents and kids feeling ostracized and attacked are your words of fiction, not reality. We are respectful. You are not, as evidenced in this article, it is your desire to ostracize and attack people who disagree with you or those you work for. In fact, I’d always invite conversation and transparency, never call anyone “freaks” “the worst” “a gaggle of loons” and a “junk box mixture” as you have for this article. And I’d never put together a list as you have because I’m not a bully. Obviously, you are. Also, I’m not “in politics” as you falsely report. Pretty sad that the title of your article is calling people “freaks” and “worst” and then you call others hypocrites citing President Trump name calling. I hope people are smarter than you think they are. I believe they are. Please know that I filed a police report against you because I feel very threatened by your focus on my dying, even though you attempt to veil threats. I don’t know how words about my death even tie into this article, so clearly it is a veiled threat and has been reported as such. You are a man and you threaten a woman, a founder of a moms organization that is simply showing public records to parents and kids with truth about who is profiting off of them. I hope (and I pray because I am a Christian as you accurately report) that readers will check out the public records and understand the billions of dollars that NGO’s, teachers unions, hospitals, and politicians stand to lose once parents know why there is an inorganic increase in young patients for trans medicalization. I am a private citizen and I believe there are a number of civil violations you’ve committed against me, so, I’ve also contacted my attorney #trans_student_hustle

CoralSparkle's avatar

Not sure if you saw the invite, but there's another article where Pearlman invites you to an interview. Looking forward to reading about the discourse should you accept the invitation.

Mai Nguyen Do • Đỗ Nguyên Mai's avatar

Amy Phan West supported the Charlie Kirk Way sign, but I believe it was Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen who proposed it.

CoralSparkle's avatar

Young Kim is indeed likely to lose to Ken Calvert for CA-40. Calvert has a seeming lock on Riverside County, and in Orange County Young Kim has been losing endorsements she had previously (Rancho Santa Margarita politicians, with a war room setup there). Young Kim has pivoted away from the "100% voting record with Trump" mailers but there's no change of policies proposed that might be geared toward more centrist Democrats. It's unclear if Democrat/Independent voters will strongly support Kim, canvass and volunteer, or even vote for her in order to oppose Calvert vs. just leave that position blank on the ballot or not vote at all.