City Council campaign sparring underway
Opening bell for what promises to be a hard-fought City Council election is five months away, but candidates, potential candidates and their camp followers already are sparring at the twice-monthly council meetings and on Web sites, blogs and a Facebook page.
Seats now held by John Anderson and Jan Horton—elected to first terms in 2006 from a field of 10 candidates—are at stake in the city’s 24th council election. A four-week filing period opens July 12 for placement on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Horton is promoting her re-election drive on a “Jan Horton - Yorba Linda City Council” Facebook page and posts announcements and political opinions at www.horton4yl.com.
Anderson told me he’s “made no decision” about another campaign, but his refurbished www.anderson4yl.com Web site reads as if he’ll be involved, even if not as a candidate.
Serious contenders need an early start, especially to line up financing and endorsements.
Horton already has paid $500 each to be listed on the COPS Voter Guide and California Vote by Mail endorsement slate mailers to help sway the city’s 42,859 registered voters.
On state-mandated disclosure forms filed by a Feb. 1 deadline, Horton reported $2,126 cash-on-hand and a self-made $5,950 loan debit left over from her campaign four years ago. Anderson has $6,633 cash and an outstanding $7,000 he loaned his ’06 campaign.
Generally, candidates loan rather than donate money to their own campaigns, so they can repay themselves from future contributions. But if enough money isn’t forthcoming from others, they must “forgive” part or all of their loans when they disband their committees.
For example, one-term Councilwoman Keri Wilson wrote off $9200 she and her husband loaned her campaign and eight-term Councilman Hank Wedaa wrote off $5697 he loaned his campaign when they terminated their committees in 2008.
Candidates have spent from $20,000 to $40,000 in the past decade to win a seat behind the dais.The 2008 winners—Nancy Rikel, Mark Schwing and Jim Winder—have listed loans they made to their committees—$19,500, $14,000 and $11,160—as debits.
Two-time candidate Ed Rakochy, who lost to Winder by one vote two years ago, hasn’t publicly announced whether he’s in or out of the race this time. However, he has filed a complaint against Horton with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission.
Rakochy, who supported Horton in 2006, alleges Horton failed to disclose a conflict of interest when she participated in discussions and votes about housing densities on city-owned sites within 500 feet of her Cedar Avenue home on Jan. 13 and April 21, 2009.
Horton told me she’s aware of the complaint and said, “My attorney is taking care of it.” At other meetings, Horton has cited her conflict of interest and excused herself from the dais during discussions and votes.
Seats now held by John Anderson and Jan Horton—elected to first terms in 2006 from a field of 10 candidates—are at stake in the city’s 24th council election. A four-week filing period opens July 12 for placement on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Horton is promoting her re-election drive on a “Jan Horton - Yorba Linda City Council” Facebook page and posts announcements and political opinions at www.horton4yl.com.
Anderson told me he’s “made no decision” about another campaign, but his refurbished www.anderson4yl.com Web site reads as if he’ll be involved, even if not as a candidate.
Serious contenders need an early start, especially to line up financing and endorsements.
Horton already has paid $500 each to be listed on the COPS Voter Guide and California Vote by Mail endorsement slate mailers to help sway the city’s 42,859 registered voters.
On state-mandated disclosure forms filed by a Feb. 1 deadline, Horton reported $2,126 cash-on-hand and a self-made $5,950 loan debit left over from her campaign four years ago. Anderson has $6,633 cash and an outstanding $7,000 he loaned his ’06 campaign.
Generally, candidates loan rather than donate money to their own campaigns, so they can repay themselves from future contributions. But if enough money isn’t forthcoming from others, they must “forgive” part or all of their loans when they disband their committees.
For example, one-term Councilwoman Keri Wilson wrote off $9200 she and her husband loaned her campaign and eight-term Councilman Hank Wedaa wrote off $5697 he loaned his campaign when they terminated their committees in 2008.
Candidates have spent from $20,000 to $40,000 in the past decade to win a seat behind the dais.The 2008 winners—Nancy Rikel, Mark Schwing and Jim Winder—have listed loans they made to their committees—$19,500, $14,000 and $11,160—as debits.
Two-time candidate Ed Rakochy, who lost to Winder by one vote two years ago, hasn’t publicly announced whether he’s in or out of the race this time. However, he has filed a complaint against Horton with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission.
Rakochy, who supported Horton in 2006, alleges Horton failed to disclose a conflict of interest when she participated in discussions and votes about housing densities on city-owned sites within 500 feet of her Cedar Avenue home on Jan. 13 and April 21, 2009.
Horton told me she’s aware of the complaint and said, “My attorney is taking care of it.” At other meetings, Horton has cited her conflict of interest and excused herself from the dais during discussions and votes.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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