Some of Orange County’s most competitive elections this year are on the ballot in a few weeks, with voters picking new county supervisors, state assembly members, treasurer and even a new congress member in tight races.
This year, millions of dollars are flowing into Orange County races at the state and local level to influence who voters get to choose from in the general election this November.
Control of the Board of Supervisors Up for Grabs
Residents throughout Orange County are voting for three of the five seats on the county board of supervisors, which controls a nearly $11 billion budget and oversees major agencies including the OC Sheriff’s Department and Health Care Agency.
In all three elections, the top two vote getters will proceed to a runoff in November unless someone garners over 50% in the primary election and wins the seat outright.
Supervisor Katrina Foley is running for reelection to represent District Five, which covers most of south Orange County, against Assemblywoman Diane Dixon and Lucy Vellema.
Credit: Photo of Supervisor Katrina Foley and Assemblywoman Diane Dixon by Julie Leopo, Voice of OC. Photo of Lucy Vellema, campaign site.
Most of Foley’s financial support comes from county employee unions including the OC Professional Firefighters Association Local 3631, OC Employees Association and Association of OC Deputy Sheriffs, which have collectively spent over $565,000 advertising her candidacy.
She’s also endorsed by the county Democratic Party, which has spent over $40,000 advertising her.
Dixon is endorsed by the county Republican Party, and her biggest support has come from the Lincoln Club, a conservative donor group that disclosed spending over $38,000 in support of Dixon and over $163,000 opposing Foley.
The Lincoln Club also spent over $18,000 advertising Vellema, who hasn’t disclosed any fundraising of her own.
Read: Campaign Spending Heats Up in OC Board of Supervisors Races
Supervisor Doug Chaffee is terming out at the end of this year, opening up the Fourth District that includes cities like Anaheim, Fullerton, Buena Park, Placentia and La Habra for a new supervisor.
Candidates include Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut, Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung, OC Board of Education Trustee Tim Shaw and La Habra Councilwoman Rose Espinoza.
Traut has the endorsement of the county Democratic Party, which has spent around $76,000 advertising him in addition to his own fundraising.
Shaw has the endorsement of the county Republican Party and has raised the least of the four candidates, but the National Association of Realtors also spent over $125,000 advertising his campaign through online videos and polling.
Jung has the endorsement of the Lincoln Club, which hasn’t spent any money advertising him yet, but he has the largest campaign warchest of any of the candidates.
Espinoza is running an almost entirely self-funded campaign, using her own money by loaning it to the campaign and using her nonprofit to save on printing fees according to disclosures.
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento is also running for reelection in the Second District against a slate of other candidates that haven’t disclosed any fundraising.
Special Interests Spend Big in Open Assembly Races
Two of Orange County’s state Assembly races are seeing millions of dollars in special interest spending pour in, with Democrats expected to win in both races.
Most of that focus has fallen on the race for the 67th Assembly District, which will receive a new representative after Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva terms out at the end of the year.
The district stretches from Cerritos to Disneyland, covering Orange County cities including Buena Park, Cypress, Anaheim, La Palma and parts of Fullerton along with Artesia and Hawaiian Gardens in LA County.
The two candidates with the most money in the race are Cerritos City Councilman Mark Pulido and Ada Briceño, co-president of the union Unite Here Local 11, who secured the endorsement of the state and county Democratic Parties.
In addition to their own fundraising, the race has seen millions of special interest dollars pour in from tech companies, fast food chains, unions, hotel and apartment industry groups, a casino and more, with most of the money going against Briceño and in favor of Pulido.
Read: Special Interests Spend Heavily to Replace Outgoing OC Assemblywoman
Some of those same groups are also spending next door in the 68th District, which covers part of Anaheim and stretches down into the heart of the county through cities like Orange and Santa Ana.
Assemblyman Avelino Valencia is currently running for state senate, leaving the seat open for new representation.
The two candidates with the most funding are Santa Ana City Councilmembers David Penaloza and Jessie Lopez.
Penaloza has the backing of the Democratic Party and received his largest support from tech companies and executives.
Over $1 million in advertising came from a committee funded by Google and Meta, along with an extra $400,000 of ads from a committee largely funded by Christian Larsen, executive chairman of tech company Ripple, and Timothy Draper, founding and managing partner of venture capital firm Draper Associates.
Those are the same two committees that disclosed spending nearly $3 million supporting Pulido.
Lopez is not endorsed by any major party and was targeted with over $400,000 in negative ads from Larsen and Draper’s committee, but she’s also received over $118,000 in support through advertising from a committee backed by Service Employees International Union.
The union’s committee also spent over $184,000 opposing Penaloza according to disclosures.
Orange County Treasurer Under Fire From Former Deputy
OC Treasurer Shari Freidenrich is running for reelection after a tough term that saw supervisors take away her power over the county’s $16 billion investment fund and hand it to her former deputy Dana Schultz.
Freidenrich has been county treasurer since 2010, and ran unopposed in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 elections.
But last year, county supervisors voted to strip away Freidenrich’s control of the funds, and also dismantled the committee overseeing the funds to set up a new one where they choose who sits on the board instead of Freidenrich.
Read: OC Supervisors Break Silence; Publicly Blast Treasurer’s Alleged Workplace Hostility
Freidenrich also tried to fire Schultz after she pulled papers to run against her for treasurer, a move that was blocked by County CEO Michelle Aguirre, who Schultz now reports to as she manages the funds. .
Read: OC Treasurer Tries to Fire Deputy After She Pulls Papers to Run For Her Seat
Schultz, who’s endorsed by the county Employees Association, says the county needs a more diversified investment strategy with the chance of greater returns.
Since taking over management of the portfolio, Schultz has overseen a slight diversification of investments, leaning a bit more into market investments.
Public reports also indicate the county is now purchasing longer term investments, something Schultz said is better given the volatile interest rate situation.
Freidenrich has prioritized short, simple investments like treasury bonds that keep the county largely liquid with nearly guaranteed returns on investments.
Republicans Face Off Over New Congressional Seat
The biggest congressional race in Orange County this year is in the 40th district, which is set to get a new congressmember after California leaders redrew congressional districts under Proposition 50.
Read: Here’s How Prop. 50 Could Reshape Orange County’s Political Landscape
Those new lines put Republican Congressman Ken Calvert up against Republican Congresswoman Young Kim in a new district that covers large chunks of Riverside County including Corona, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta and some parts of Orange County like Anaheim Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo.
While the state and Orange County Republican Parties haven’t endorsed either of them, they’ve spent a combined $5.3 million advertising their campaigns, with both candidates arguing they’re the most pro-Trump in the race.
Kim has received some support in the race from outside funders, including over $180,000 spent on ads by Americans for Prosperity Inc, which is primarily funded by Koch Industries and another $56,000 in support from the National Association of Realtors.
Kim also faces a slate of outside spending aimed at her campaign, including over $2.3 million from a committee dubbed Americans 4 Security and another $1 million spent against her by the California Conservatives Political Action Committee.
Americans 4 Security has faced complaints over its lack of disclosure in the past, and California Conservatives was created so recently it hasn’t filed disclosures over who funds it with the FEC.
There are also a host of Democrats running for the seat who could face off against Kim or Calvert in the general election in November.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.