Yorba Linda politics past and present
Politics present and politics past are worthy of attention this week:
First, the Tea Party movement and anti-incumbent sentiment played a major role in three individuals new to the political arena choosing to challenge Yorba Linda’s Congressman, Gary Miller, in his bid for a seventh GOP House nomination in the June 8 primary.
Contending on the Republican ballot in the 42nd Congressional District, which includes all of Yorba Linda’s currently registered 42,888 voters, are Miller, Phil Liberatore, Lee McGroarty and David Su—with all three challengers running to Miller’s political right.
Interestingly, previous Miller critics came from the left: the liberal Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named him one of the “20 most corrupt members in Congress” in 2006 and the LA Times ran negative editorials in 2007.
The criticism concerned Miller’s reporting of capital gains taxes from property sales to Fontana and Monrovia, alleged misuse of staff and questions about campaign expenses.
Miller beat Jay Kim for the GOP nomination in 1998, after Kim plead guilty to accepting $230,000 in illegal campaign contributions. They served on Diamond Bar’s City Council together, before Kim’s House win in 1992. Kim was mayor in 1991 and Miller in 1992.
Challenger Su, a sales rep, also hails from Diamond Bar, while Liberatore, a CPA, is from Whittier and McGroarty, a businessman, is from Chino. Sole candidates for the Democrat and Libertarian nominations are Michael Williamson and Mark Lambert.
Yorba Linda’s two Republican state Assembly members drew no primary challengers. Chris Norby, who replaced Mike Duvall, is bidding for westside GOP votes for a full term, and Curt Hagman wants eastside Republican ballots for a second.
Other lone candidates for party nominations include Democrat Gregg Fritchle on the eastside and Democrat Esiquio Uballe and Green Jane Rands on the westside. Yorba Linda voters are nearly evenly split between the east 60th District and the west’s 72nd.
City Councilman Mark Schwing also will be on eastside ballots, seeking a seventh term on the county Republican Central Committee as one of nine candidates for six positions.
Second, 45-year resident and 30-year City Council veteran Hank Wedaa is reluctantly moving to Anaheim, where he’ll live at the Canyon Hills Club retirement facility. He told me his worsening Parkinson’s disease is forcing a move from his East Lake home.
“Otherwise,” he said, “I wouldn’t move. I spent many years helping build the great city we have.” He’s taking 7,000 of an 11,000-book collection with him but disposing of the rest, including donating 700 rare aviation volumes to the San Diego Aerospace Museum.
Wedaa was elected to the second council in 1970, when Yorba Linda’s population was 6,500, and he finished his last of three stints in 2008, with the count exceeding 65,000.
First, the Tea Party movement and anti-incumbent sentiment played a major role in three individuals new to the political arena choosing to challenge Yorba Linda’s Congressman, Gary Miller, in his bid for a seventh GOP House nomination in the June 8 primary.
Contending on the Republican ballot in the 42nd Congressional District, which includes all of Yorba Linda’s currently registered 42,888 voters, are Miller, Phil Liberatore, Lee McGroarty and David Su—with all three challengers running to Miller’s political right.
Interestingly, previous Miller critics came from the left: the liberal Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named him one of the “20 most corrupt members in Congress” in 2006 and the LA Times ran negative editorials in 2007.
The criticism concerned Miller’s reporting of capital gains taxes from property sales to Fontana and Monrovia, alleged misuse of staff and questions about campaign expenses.
Miller beat Jay Kim for the GOP nomination in 1998, after Kim plead guilty to accepting $230,000 in illegal campaign contributions. They served on Diamond Bar’s City Council together, before Kim’s House win in 1992. Kim was mayor in 1991 and Miller in 1992.
Challenger Su, a sales rep, also hails from Diamond Bar, while Liberatore, a CPA, is from Whittier and McGroarty, a businessman, is from Chino. Sole candidates for the Democrat and Libertarian nominations are Michael Williamson and Mark Lambert.
Yorba Linda’s two Republican state Assembly members drew no primary challengers. Chris Norby, who replaced Mike Duvall, is bidding for westside GOP votes for a full term, and Curt Hagman wants eastside Republican ballots for a second.
Other lone candidates for party nominations include Democrat Gregg Fritchle on the eastside and Democrat Esiquio Uballe and Green Jane Rands on the westside. Yorba Linda voters are nearly evenly split between the east 60th District and the west’s 72nd.
City Councilman Mark Schwing also will be on eastside ballots, seeking a seventh term on the county Republican Central Committee as one of nine candidates for six positions.
Second, 45-year resident and 30-year City Council veteran Hank Wedaa is reluctantly moving to Anaheim, where he’ll live at the Canyon Hills Club retirement facility. He told me his worsening Parkinson’s disease is forcing a move from his East Lake home.
“Otherwise,” he said, “I wouldn’t move. I spent many years helping build the great city we have.” He’s taking 7,000 of an 11,000-book collection with him but disposing of the rest, including donating 700 rare aviation volumes to the San Diego Aerospace Museum.
Wedaa was elected to the second council in 1970, when Yorba Linda’s population was 6,500, and he finished his last of three stints in 2008, with the count exceeding 65,000.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 AM
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