OC Politics Blog | Tag Archives: Gavin Newsom

OC BOS Chair Steel responds to Gov. Newsom’s latest COVID-19 order

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Editor Posted in Orange County 3 Comments

Today’s unilateral move by Governor Newsom is troubling and harmful to Orange County families who need to put food on the table, to small business struggling to stay open, and to the mental health of our community. These actions continue to erode trust in government.

While rates of depression and other mental health issues continue to rise due to these shutdowns, Orange County’s hospital capacity is solid, and our positivity rate is still in the Orange Tier.

I have strongly advocated for a regional approach with greater local control to allow our dedicated local health agencies to work together with the local medical community and develop plans to fight the virus.

Instead of combatting COVID-19 in a thoughtful manner, this one-size fits-all approach threatens the livelihoods of our residents.

First elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2014, Michelle Steel represents the residents of the Second District, which includes, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Stanton, the unincorporated area of Rossmoor, and portions of Buena Park and Fountain Valley. Steel, a successful businesswoman and renowned taxpayer advocate, previously served as Vice Chair of the State Board of Equalization where she represented more than eight million people in Southern California, including all of Orange County, as one of the state’s 12 constitutional officers.

California Court ruling declares Newsom violated constitutional power

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Editor Posted in Gavin Newsom, Orange County, Republican Party Leave a comment

SACRAMENTO – Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) released the following statement after a California Superior Court Judge issued a tentative ruling declaring Governor Newsom has violated the Constitution. The ruling is in response to a lawsuit filed by Republican lawmakers Kevin Kiley and James Gallagher which challenged Governor Newsom’s ‘one-man rule’ and abuse of power. The ruling states that there is good cause for a permanent injunction restraining the Governor from issuing any more unconstitutional orders. Click here to read the ruling.

“Today’s ruling is a monumental victory for ‘We the People.’ The governor seems to have forgotten who he works for and this ruling should jog his memory. I am extremely proud of my Republican colleagues who continued our fight against the Governor’s unilateral abuse of power all the way to the court. Democrats can try to undermine or assault our freedoms as Americans, but Republicans remain committed to upholding the freedoms that so many have fought and sacrificed for us to enjoy,” said Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove.

Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove represents California’s 16th Senate District which encompasses large portions of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino counties and including the cities of Bakersfield, Barstow, California City, Exeter, Frazier Mountain, Joshua Tree, Mojave, Needles, Ridgecrest, Rosamond, Taft, Tehachapi, Twentynine Palms, Tulare, Visalia, Yucca Valley and portions of the Kern River Valley. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Sen. Moorlach responds to Gov. Newsom’s lackluster May budget revision

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Editor Posted in Budget Crisis, California, Gavin Newsom, John Moorlach Leave a comment

SACRAMENTO – Sen. John M. W. Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa, released the following statement in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “May Revision” of the California Budget 2020-21:

There’s a lot missing from Governor Newsom’s May Revision.
It is missing real program and staffing cuts for contraction, except for “trigger cuts” pending a hope of additional federal funding (to subsidize state misspending).
Also missing is the elimination of High-Speed Rail funding, thus continuing this boondoggle, which is a sign of budget reduction insincerity.
There is no pension reform. No reform to address unfunded retiree medical liabilities.
One-fifth of the funding comes from borrowings and deferrals. And the new tax revenues penalize businesses who have incurred substantial business losses.
Opening the economy is the real answer. Keeping it closed has caused this malaise. Businesses generate tax revenues. Opening California is the right direction to go in addressing this budget crisis. The sooner the better.
Moorlach has served on the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review since he was elected to serve in the Senate in 2015.

State Senator John M. W. Moorlach represents the 37th district of California which encompasses Costa Mesa, Irvine, Lake Forest, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, Tustin, Villa Park, and portions of Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and Orange. Senator Moorlach is a trained Certified Financial Planner and the only trained CPA in the California Senate.

The City of Huntington Beach will challenge Gov. Newsom’s beach closure order in court

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Editor Posted in Orange County Leave a comment

In response to Governor Newsom’s announcement earlier today directing the hard closure of all beaches in Orange County, the Huntington Beach City Council voted tonight to pursue a legal challenge against the State’s beach closure order.

“Governor Newsom’s mandate to close all beaches in Orange County today was a jarring decision that significantly impacts us here in Huntington Beach,” said Mayor Lyn Semeta. “Given that Orange County has among the lowest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in California, the action by the State prioritizes politics over data, in direct contradiction of the Governor’s stated goal to allow science and facts to guide our response to this horrible global pandemic.”

In response to the Governor’s Orange County beach closure order (see attached letter), the Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-2 (with Council Member Kim Carr and Council Member Barbara Delgleize dissenting) to direct the City Attorney to pursue any and all legal actions necessary to challenge the State’s beach closure directive.

Out of concern for being the only Orange County city with beaches still open, Huntington Beach will be closing all beaches starting May 1, including the City’s bike paths, boat ramps, restrooms, parking lots, and associated recreational amenities. In addition, activities such as sunbathing, walking, running, and watersports will be prohibited.

Prior to the issuance of the Governor’s directive, the City had been following the State’s Stay-at-Home Order guidelines, and had invested considerable effort and expense in order to discourage overcrowding while facilitating effective social distancing at our beaches. In this way, the City was attempting to provide the community with the ability to safely experience the physical and mental health benefits associated with accessing the Pacific Ocean. Our experience locally had been that most people were being responsible and complying with social distancing requirements.

For more information about City updates and services during the COVID-19 pandemic, please call our City Service Call Center at (714) 536-5511, or visit our HB Ready website at www.HBready.com. A comprehensive resource list to support our community during this time is available, along with other tips and tools to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A look at the results of the 2018 O.C. Primary Election

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Editor Posted in Orange County Leave a comment

The 2018 Orange County Primary Election is over! The statewide turnout was awfully low. Only 21% of the state’s voters turned out, according to the CA Secretary of State. The turnout here in Orange County was slightly better at 24%.

The big news in Orange County was the successful recall of State Senator Josh Newman. In total almost 60% of the electorate in his district voted yes on the Recall. He paid the price for voting to raise our gas taxes! His recall means the Democrats no longer have a super majority in California’s State Senate. Newman will be replaced by former Republican Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang. Continue reading→

2018 O.C. June Primary Election Voter Guide

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Editor Posted in 2018 Elections, California, Democratic Party, Libertarian Party, Orange County, Republican Party 3 Comments

The 2018 June Primary Election is coming up on June 5. We have examined all of the candidates in Orange County. If you support the CA Gas Tax you will not like this Voter Guide. We are generally not supporting candidates who want to raise our taxes or who support the High Speed Rail boondoggle. Here are our thoughts about the candidates for local offices here in Orange County:

Orange County Assessor – the incumbent is Claude Parrish. From what we hear he is a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Nevertheless the OC GOP has endorsed him. The Democrats have endorsed Nathaniel Fernandez Epstein, a lawyer who did not bother to buy a candidate’s statement. We like Richard B. Ramirez, a Deputy Assessor. He has our endorsement.

Continue reading→