OC Assessors Office Assessment: Time for Claude Parrish to Retire! (Unless You Want to Lose More Elections in the OC)

 2026 Elections, Claude Parrish, OC GOP  3 Responses »
Apr 032025
 

I remember Claude Parrish from 25 years ago in my early days of CRA. I remember the CRA’s dinosaurs Gil Ferguson and Dick Mountjoy bemoaning what a bizarre puzzle Parrish was at the time. I wonder what the elder statesman (both long since passed) would say if they were alive today.

I remember Claude Parrish myself, several times. Most all were seeing him in Hospitality suites glassy eyed, both before and after I quit drinking. Even when I spoke to him around the middle of the day he still sounded like he was slurring, I just brushed that off as his normal voice and cadence.

“On several occasions during meetings with Mr. Parrish, he would hold his hands high up in the air and state that they were bringing too many issues up at the same time. He would state that he could only handle one issue at a time. During these meetings, he would also brag about how he was hiding alcohol in his water bottles. After a while, it became apparent to BALES and LOPEZ that either because of age, mental faculty issues, or drinking issues, Mr. Parrish was not fit to run the Assessor’s Office.”

This is why when I read through some of the public documents and found stuff like the above, it set off alarm bells.

You see the problem is that even though the Lopez / Bales suit appears to have been resolved out of court… the quotes from the filings and the news stories that are easy to find will make lethal quotes for campaign mail. When those are coupled by who people know Parrish to be, the charges are credible. Also note that any documents related to the disposition of this lawsuit that appears to have headed to a Jury Trial are not public. How much did Claude cost the County of Orange? I am sure his opponent next year is going to ask the same question.

This legal issue is one of several related to Claude Parrish…

This particular issue is basically that Mr. Parrish promised the two plaintiffs permanent jobs after getting elected Assessor. He hired them and they performed work for about a year, largely around auditing the assessor’s office itself.  When they came back to Parrish with a number of substantial issues/problems they had identified, he said it was too much to deal with and terminated them.

This rings true. In my years of dealing with Orange County CRA types, all I heard about Claude was how he was always compromising and was never really doing anything. In this case, it appears to be Claude’s guiding principle in how he has run the assessor’s office…

… when he is not pushing to raise taxes in Orange County!

While Claude’s war over Middle Class Housing in Orange County is outside the scope of the legal issues I am writing about, it should be noted that Claude changing the rules on all of these developments and his sending the complex owners bills, has bred a lawsuit of its’ own. So, literally, Claude Parrish has drug the County of Orange into another lawsuit because he is demanding the right to tax stuff that was already built under a different set of rules and a program.

Wait, a “Conservative Republican” going to war to TAX something?

After a while, it became apparent to BALES and LOPEZ that either because of age, mental faculty issues, or drinking issues, Mr. Parrish was not fit to run the Assessor’s Office.

To be continued…

OCGOP Update: Humiliation, After Scuttling Endorsements in CA-49 and SD-37 (with a side of AD-01)

 2024 Elections, OC GOP  12 Responses »
Mar 232024
 

In SD-37, Uber dumped a bunch of money into Josh Newman and Stephen Choi. The Leadership of the OC GOP wanted Crystal Miles whose consultant is Dave Gilliard. Many of the rank and file wanted Anthony Kuo. The story about how the endorsement of Kuo got scuttled is a classic expose’ in backroom politics.

Would an OCGOP Endorsement have mattered? That county endorsement does indeed move the needle and has in years past. Perhaps had the insiders not thwarted the OCGOP from making a choice, Uber would not have been able to buy Choi into the fall.

Gilliard also had a candidate, Kate Monroe in CA-49:

The same leadership of the OCGOP scuttled and thwarted an endorsement of Matt Gunderson on behalf of Kate Monroe. It should also be noted that Margarita Wilkinson spent a ton of money and appears to have hurt herself with her strategic choices in her campaign.

Kate Monroe – similar to Crystal Miles is a client of Dave Gilliard.

The point of this post is simple. It is not about Dave Gilliard who is one of the better GOP Consultants in California. He lists people like Doug LaMalfa, Bethypoo, Jim Nielsen, Gallagher, Joe Patterson and Tenessa Audette as clients. Heck, his golden girl Janet Nguyen (who I blasted more than once) stomped the field.

This is about Central Committee endorsements and the corruptible process behind them. When Tenessa Audette was endorsed by Placer County, one of the votes to do so was someone on her payroll (check her campaign finance reports you will see who). In Orange County, there are more than one person with a long standing relationship with Dave Gilliard. If I was Gilliard, I would most certainly leverage those in order to benefit my clients. This is part of the game. The issue is that Gilliard’s allies did it under cover of subterfuge.

The brutal reality is the endorsement process of a county party is corruptible and is not transparent. This is and has been a theme of Right on Daily for years, ripping the covers off of the backroom deals, politics of personal rage and the moral corruption of the political process. Welcome back to the 2024 edition.

P.S. About Tenessa?

Whoops… the ENDORSED candidate got beat pretty badly. (P.S. 98%+ of the ballots in the district have been tabulated)

Orange County Update (!) Did Janet Nguyen Just Announce She Intends to Break the Law???

 2024 Elections, Janet Nguyen, OC GOP  No Responses »
Aug 072023
 

Not everyone likes Janet Nguyen

So, your intrepid blogger gets emails. Sometimes we get a lot of emails. Your intrepid blogger also has a love-hate relationship with the OC GOP Mafia. I say this because I got an email from Janet Nguyen’s latest campaign for office (I think she has held 5 different offices over 20+ years) that set off alarm bells.

The following is an excerpt from a campaign announcement.

Senator Janet Nguyen finishes first half of 2023 with $686,370 Cash on Hand

Huntington Beach, CA – – Senator Janet Nguyen is beginning her campaign for Orange County Supervisor with $686,370 in her campaign accounts, giving her an immense lead over challengers and putting her in strong position to win the First Supervisorial District in the March Primary Election.

“Janet Nguyen is a fundraising dynamo, hard worker and relentless campaigner with the proven ability to win tough races,” said Dave Gilliard, Gilliard Blanning & Associates. “With her long record serving the district for 20 years and her high name ID, she is the undisputed best and only candidate to win and hold this seat.”

The First Supervisorial District has a +2.5% Republican registration edge. In her 2022 Senate campaign, Janet won inside the First District by a margin of 56% to 41%. Janet Nguyen was overwhelmingly elected to the State Senate in 2022 which includes the entire First Supervisorial district.  She won her previous Supervisor which had over +12% Dem district in 2008 with 54% in the primary and in 2012 by 74% in the primary, winning both elections outright in the primary.

So, I looked and found out Janet has three open accounts and all have money in them. This means that $686K number was a combination of three accounts. Since there is a $2500 per donor total limit per election cycle in Orange County – did she just announce she intends to circumvent campaign finance law?

It is not unreasonable given that Nguyen has been lit up several times in the past for breaking the law with regards to campaign finance.

FPPC: Evidence of money laundering by Janet Nguyen’s 2012 donors

Nguyen Campaign Donors Face Money Laundering Investigation

Are you seeing a pattern? And can you understand why your intrepid blogger is concerned?

The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating nearly a dozen people for political money laundering in connection to campaign contributions to county Supervisor and state Senate candidate Janet Nguyen.

The FPPC has issued 11 subpoenas to donors who made contributions to the political committee Friends of Supervisor Janet Nguyen between 2011 and 2012, as part of an investigation involving political contributions made in the name of persons other than the true contributor, according to court records.

James Crawford, a defense attorney hired to represent all 11 donors, including Tony Lam, a former Westminster city councilman who became the first Vietnamese-American elected to public office, appeared before Judge David Hoffer Friday morning seeking a motion to quash the subpoenas for email, text message, phone and bank records between the donors and the political committee.

So – anyone seeking to dismiss the above two stories should also note this:

Fountain Valley Man Pleads Guilty To Laundering Campaign Funds

A Fountain Valley man was fined $25,000 after pleading guilty Friday to illegally funneling money into the 2012 supervisorial campaign of Janet Nguyen, who is now a state senator.

“We found insufficient evidence to prove Janet Nguyen knew of or was aware of the laundered funds,” said Jay Wierenga, spokesman for the state Fair Political Practices Commission. The FPPC conducted the investigation with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Janet Nguyen’s campaign consultant said she had no knowledge of the illegal contributions.

Son Truong Nguyen, 39, made 10 reimbursements to donors totaling $13,300 in Janet Nguyen’s successful reelection bid. The two are not related, and Janet Nguyen’s campaign has said the convicted man was unaffiliated with the politician’s campaign and elected offices.

The campaign contribution limit in the race was $1,800.

Son Truong Nguyen was sentenced in Orange County Superior Court to three years’ probation, and must pay $20,000 to the state general fund and $5,000 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund. He must also perform 40 hours of community service in lieu of jail time.

Dave Gilliard, Janet Nguyen’s campaign consultant, said his client “does not recall any specific meetings with (Son Truong Nguyen), but it is possible they could have met at a public event sometime in the past.”

Gilliard said she was unaware that Son Truong Nguyen was reimbursing contributors and was not contacted by investigators in the case.

Where there is smoke around Janet Nguyen there has to be fire. If you a skeptical of that – there is this as well:

Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen may have violated state campaign finance laws when she voted at CalOptima, the county’s managed health care plan, for $300,000 worth of contracts with an outside attorney, including one vote just days after the lawyer contributed $1,800 to her re-election campaign, according to a Voice of OC review of campaign finance records and meeting minutes.

See the article here.

Yet for Nguyen, her appointment to the CalOptima board of directors seems to have created a fundraising boom from the medical industry,  just as the onset of Obamacare is set to prime an influx of cash into the county insurance plan for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Since coming onto the board and reshaping its structure in favor of hospitals, medical providers and county agencies, Nguyen’s contributions from the health industry spiked from around $15,000 to more than $95,000.

… and she is running for another office. Your intrepid blogger is on the case.

#CA50 #CA49 Diane Harkey Update: About that 2018 Campaign… Just What Happened With Darrell Issa???

 2022 Elections, Diane Harkey, OC GOP  No Responses »
Mar 012021
 

In doing research on Diane Harkey, one of the top things that came up was her run for congress and some serious bad blood with Darrell Issa.

I’ve had copies of a vicious letter she penned / signed attacking Darrell Issa when he ran for CA-50 in 2020. I did some work burying Carl DeMaio in that race on Issa’s behalf. I have a soft spot for Issa because without his millions Gray Davis would have never been recalled. I know Issa is a squish and has been a huge booster of the CAGOP establishment.

However, one of the reasons I will never run for office is that it has freed me to torch bad actors in politics. You can’t do both. This is why I found it rather odd that Harkey lambasted Issa, and did so on behalf of one of the most left-wing Republicans I have ever seen. Carl DeMaio used to be so far left that I believed he barely tolerates Conservative Christians because of our views on sexuality, marriage and life. (Read a ton of stuff about how far out Carl DeMaio is here)

Interesting political alliances considering that Harkey had Eric Trump campaign for her in 2018…

Why did Diane Harkey unload on Darrell Issa on behalf of such a flawed candidate for Congress?

I found the following from the Nooner – the Nooner is written by a democrat operative named Scott Lay. The Nooner is surprisingly accurate and balanced considering the leanings of Mr. Lay. I added emphasis to the clip:

CA49 (S. Orange Cty/N.San Diego Cnty Coast): In the Union-Tribune, Michael Smolens looks at how the reliably Republican southern Orange County/northern San Diego county coastal district went from reliably Republican district to one considered very likely to flip to the Democrats in November. “Diane Harkey made a remarkable statement last week, just one month before Election Day. National Republican leaders, she said, are giving up on her.”

It is true that the national GOP money is not flowing in the same amounts to CA49, the Congressional Leadership Fund is on cable for Harkey. That said, Democrat Mike Levin has an overwhelming cash advantage, and likely an insurmountable lead in the polls.

Last month, the LAT/Berkeley IGS poll found:

  • Diane Harkey (R): 41%
  • Mike Levin (D): 55%
  • Undecided: 4%

The NYT/Siena College poll had a smaller margin, but the two are within margin of error of each other.

  • Diane Harkey (R): 41%
  • Mike Levin (D): 51%
  • Undecided: 8%

That’s by far the largest lead of the “flips” from Democrat to Republican that are on the radar of independent election-watchers.

On the surface, Harkey looked like a good candidate when Darrell Issa (R) read the writing on the wall and did not run for re-election, instead accepting an appointment from President Trump as director of the United States Trade and Development Agency. While Democrats didn’t know if Levin or Sara Jacobs would advance, the GOP knew that its best chance was with a female in a year that was shaping up with a significant double-x factor. Democrats actually feared Harkey’s competition Assemblymember Rocky Chávez and thus went negative on him in the primary.

It is clear that Diane Harkey felt abandoned and was upset over how her Congressional Campaign went. Was it Darrell Issa’s fault?

I do know that Issa was involved in recruiting Diane Harkey. I also know that Diane Harkey was viewed by a lot of scum-sucking consultants and operatives as a cash cow. In several future posts, we are going to break down her finances and financial maladies.

I looked at the Congressional Reports – Harkey only dropped in $103K of her own money, recovering $67,100 of it before finally closing out her campaign account. I will get in to more detail on this aspect as I break down the financial stuff… But $103K is a far cry from the Millions she used to self-fund her races with.

Levin has raised $4,914,241.11 this cycle to $1,317,602.15 by Harkey. Unlike his fellow Democratic challengers in CA39 and CA48, Levin hasn’t used any of his own money for the campaign. Harkey has lent her campaign $100,000. As reflected above, Levin began October with ten times the cash of Harkey.

How did this happen? Harkey had been in office from 2004-2018 at the time of that run for congress? You’d think she’d have a rolodex of donors. She also has a ton of friends in the OCGOP Establishment.

In Part two, we are going to lay out an amalgamation of several interviews of people on the ground in CA49 and insider info about what happened.

I leave you with this quote from Harkey’s base attack letter against Darrell Issa:

Early polling showed a generic Republican, especially female, would have an easier time winning the 49th District than the incumbent, Issa, who had ignored his district for years. He was encouraged to call me because I had a history of winning elections, was the highest ranking state Republican elected official, and could hit the ground running. Recall in the crowded top two primary I placed #1, winning 26% of the vote due to years of working for the District and Southern California.

While Issa publicly claimed to be helping me, behind-the-scenes with key donors and national groups he was stonewalling and hurting fundraising by telling all that the seat was not winnable. The $1.6 million we raised in a short 9 month period came almost entirely from local donors who truly worked to save the district.

The Fallout From Fred Whitaker’s Ego-Feuled Rampage on Behalf of Moorlach is Swift. Andrew Do Endorses Muldoon and Whitaker Gets Torched by Vo

 2021 Elections, Kevin Muldoon, OC GOP  No Responses »
Jan 272021
 

Blogger’s Note: The supervisor race in Orange County to replace Michelle Steel includes the Crazed Katrina Foley (the communist from lockdown city Costa Mesa), Newport Beach Councilman Kevin Muldoon, Fountain Valley Mayor Michael Vo and of course career politician retread John Moorlach.

I still have not figured out the psychotic grasp John Moorlach seems to have over the OCGOP. Some of those guys seem like the Prophets of Baal from old testament lore. Kevin Muldoon who was attacked by Fred Whitaker just made a huge announcement. Andrew Do is one of my favorite politicians, when I met him I got an understanding for what kind of man he is and I’ve always tracked his political races. I know there are a lot of political undercurrents in Orange County, but Do is a good dude. He just went up another notch in my book with this move, too.

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do

Endorses Kevin Muldoon

Newport Beach, CA – Today, Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Muldoon announced that Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has endorsed his campaign to replace Congresswoman Michelle Steel on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

A former prosecutor, educator, businessman and judge pro tem, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is fighting for Orange County taxpayers and working families in the First District.

“Orange County needs a leader like Kevin Muldoon on the Board of Supervisors.  He is a dedicated and trusted public servant with a proven track record of bringing people together to get things done.  I look forward to working with him,” said Supervisor Andrew Do.

“Andrew Do’s life story and his dedication to serving others is truly inspiring.  I am humbled to have received his support in this race,” commented Mayor Pro Tem Muldoon.

Muldoon is the leading fundraiser in the race and was recently endorsed by numerous courageous women leaders including former Laguna Niguel Mayor and Retired Orange County Board of Education Trustee Linda Lindholm, Former Capistrano Unified School District Trustee Anna Bryson, Former Secretary of the California Republican Party Patricia Welch, and Greater Irvine Republicans Executive Board member Suzanne Flores.  They are joined by the conservative free-market oriented Atlas PAC and Hispanic 100.

The second district winner-take-all special election to replace Congresswoman Michelle Steel will occur on March 9th.

The Second District encompasses the cities of 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.

ABOUT KEVIN MULDOON

Muldoon was elected to the City Council in 2014, and re-elected in 2018 with 68% of the vote- the largest victory by a candidate in a Newport Beach city election. While in office Muldoon voted to cut taxes and fees, refunded money to ratepayers, fought against bond debt, and introduced a Charter Amendment that required a popular vote to approve city issued debt. A lifelong resident of Orange County, Kevin received his Juris Doctor from Chapman University School of Law and served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Orange County District Attorney’s office. Currently, he is an executive for a local technology company. He lives in Newport Beach with his wife and son.

— while I don’t think Michael Vo has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning, his release today was priceless and dead bang right on about the OCGOP —

January 26, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAYOR MICHAEL VO RESPONDS TO OC GOP STATEMENT

Fountain Valley, CA – “I reject the statement released by the Orange County Republican Party condemning my campaign – a campaign focused on limited but purposeful government, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, support for law enforcement, robust public safety, and addressing the issues of homelessness, COVID-19 vaccination, mental health, and food insecurity.

While I am a registered republican, I am not owned by any party. I do not owe any favors, and I do not answer to the establishment. When my family and I fled communist Vietnam, I made a promise to a U.S. Immigration Officer that if he saved us, I would do all that I can to give back and serve the American people. The American people are who I answer to. The OC GOP should be ashamed for calling me selfish and condemning my campaign – for I am nothing more than a refugee turned public servant.

Let me be clear – no candidate is owed this seat, but the OC GOP is under the impression that a certain candidate is owed this seat, evidenced by their behind-closed-doors approach to endorsing candidates. Republicans in the 2nd District will decide which candidate is the strongest defender of personal freedom and free enterprise, and the most principled candidate in this race – and it is not the OC GOP’s hand-picked candidate.

If Republicans want to keep this seat in conservative hands, they should reject the candidacy of a recycled career politician who has done little to nothing during his 25-year career in politics. The 2nd District deserves better than a candidate who just months ago lost a winnable race, handing a State Senate seat to the liberal left. The 2nd District deserves better than a candidate with no path to victory because of his lack of real-world experience and real-life struggles. The 2nd District deserves better than a candidate who offers nothing but embarrassing headlines due to his covering up of sexual abuse.

The OC GOP is fractured, it is disorganized, and divisive. They have the incessant ability to lose more winnable races than achieve victories. Under the current OC GOP leadership, you are seeing this across the County. If the OC GOP endorses a candidate, it is often best to look the other way because there is likely a more qualified Republican on the ballot.”

Blogger’s Note: Michael Vo – I have NOTHING to add to your statement. The next time I am in Orange County, I will buy you a drink. You sound like the kind of guy I’d like to meet. I wish you’d have run for OCGOP and could have replaced Fred Whitaker. All that said, Kevin Muldoon has way more campaign money, structure, endorsements and the like than you do. I am glad you are here in America and are still grateful to this country.

Fred Whitaker: Resign now.

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