We broke the news yesterday that Huntington Beach businessman Travis Allen, one of several Republican candidates for the 72nd Assembly District, apparently donated to various Democrats over the past few years, including this year. But it turns out he is not the only shaky Republican candidate in this race. Los Alamitos Councilman Troy Edgar, as it turns out, is a Republican now, but from 2002 to 2006 he was a registered Democrat, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Allen may have contributed to Democratic campaigns, but he has been a Republican since at least 2002. (The O.C. Voter Registrar does not post candidates’ registration records prior to 2002).
The other Republican candidate in the 72nd A.D., Long Pham, who is currently a member of the Orange County Board of Education, has also been a registered Republican since at least 2002. He resides in Fountain Valley.
There are also two Democrats vying for the 72nd A. D. The leading candidate is businessman Joe Dovinh, who also serves on the Garden Grove Planning Commission. Dovinh was registered as a Decline to state voter from at least 2002-2008, when he registered as a Democrat.
The other blue candidate is Albert Ayala, who has been registered as a Democrat since at least 2002. He is said to be a “tea party” Democrat, while Dovinh is a moderate. Dovinh is married to Garden Grove Council Member Dina Nguyen, who is a Republican.
Can Pham capitalize on his longtime registration in the GOP? Will that overcome the brewing scandal involving his doctorate degree? Or, in an open primary, will Allen’s and Egar’s shaky Republican foundations matter less, given that any registered voter in the district may vote for them in June?
Do as I say not as I do should be Edgar’s campaign slogan.
Troy Edar is the City of Los Alamitos rep on the executive committee of the financially bloated Orange County Sanitation District. In a secret illegal meeting, Edgar and his committee voted in favor of outrageous pay increases for “unidentified” staff. Confronted with the illegal vote the executive committee had to re-vote in an open public session.
How did Edgar vote when he knew his vote would be publicized? You guessed it … NO to the pay increase.
No matter, his DEM collegues still carried the day and the outreageous pay increases were awarded.
In secret he votes yes and in public he changes his vote to no.
Just what we need in Sacramento, “Another man of conviction”