There are four things you need to know about Shari Freidenrich, our Treasurer-Tax Collector
None of them are good. Seriously, vote for Dana Schultz.
Because .000001 percent of local residents follow these things, I am using this space to let you know that Orange County’s Treasurer-Tax Collector is a woman named Shari (The Key Tosser) Freidenrich.
The Key Tosser has been on the job since 2010. She is responsible for overseeing our county’s $15 billion investment pool. She is one of three trustees handling the county’s near-$25 billion employment retirement system. She is a CPA who graduated from Washington State and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach. She loves scarves, pearls and berating underlings.
With the primary a couple of days away, there are four things you need to know about The Key Tosser:
• 1. Voting to re-elect Shari Freidenrich is a huge mistake.
• 2. The Key Tosser recently bragged about appearing with these losers (Tony Strickland? Really?) at this Loser-a-Thon (Four words: HOT. RODS. AND. HANDGUNS.) …
• 3. Earlier this year, according to multiple reports, The Key Tosser attempted to fire her top deputy, Dana Schultz, mere days after Schultz filed papers to run against her in our ongoing elections. Which is either (a) Horribly unethical. (b) Illegal or ( c) Both. Wrote Noah Biesiada of the Voice OC: “While Freidenrich is one of the few independently elected department heads at the county, the county HR department and legal team ultimately intervened to stop Schultz’s firing, despite the fact that Freidenrich said Schultz is an at-will employee.”
• 4. The Key Tosser so damn good at her job that—due to ineptitude and/or lack of trust—the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to transfer the investment division’s personnel and functions from the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office to the County Executive Office [aka: Freidenrich was stripped of her primary responsibility]. This, from an April 14, 2026 OC Register piece: “According to a 2022 independent investigation, Freidenrich threw office keys at one employee, which violated workplace violence policies, and threateningly pointed her finger at another’s face. County officials also said Freidenrich’s management of the treasurer’s office led to delays in issuing refunds to schools, filing tax liens and cashing property tax checks, which resulted in incorrect late fees and penalties for taxpayers. Former administrators of Freidenrich’s office have said that her investments were too conservative and failed to generate adequate returns.” [You can read more about her at this handy dandy website]
• 5. (Bonus)—Politics be damned, she’s profoundly bad at her job.
•••
Again, I am aware the Treasurer-Tax Collector race is probably the 800th thing you’re thinking about right now, well after this, this, this, this and this. And this and this. And, oh, this. But it’s a profoundly impactful gif, and if you have yet to vote, make sure Shari Freidenrich is a hard no and Dana Schultz is an easy, easy, easy yes.
If nothing else, it’ll save the keys from future damage.
I worked with Shari at city of huntington beach. She was the worst manager of people I ever saw. Every one of her employees couldn't stand her. I could list all kinds of horror stories. While she was honest, which is no small thing, when someone is universally disliked, there is obviously an issue
When I voted this last week I checked this one out before I chose who I was going to black the box for. I had heard about Freidenrich before regarding her very clear ineptitude at her job. I voted for Schulz.
Folks, we always need to vote down ballot and this is one of the great examples of why. Hopefully more people look into this race before they color in the box or skip it. Otherwise, we end up with keeping poorly performing people in their jobs in elected office. That HAS to stop.