Yesterday, former Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach qualified to run for the Board of Supervisors from the county’s Second District. As of today Moorlach is the only candidate to qualify for the ballot.
“Orange County is our home,” Moorlach said. “The COVID-19 virus has hit us hard. The next supervisor from the Second District must be ready on day one.”
Campaign donors have rallied to Moorlach’s side. Disclosure Statements filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission show that Moorlach raised nearly $173,000 in December – more than his opponents who have been in the race for nearly a year.
Former Supervisor Moorlach is one of the most trusted officeholders in Orange County. Moorlach served with distinction as County Treasurer for eleven years and guided the county through bankruptcy to emerge financially sound. Moorlach went on to serve eight years as County Supervisor and helped build some of the best County healthcare services in the State of Califo
Newsom and his wife attended a birthday party for his political advisor Jason Kinney at the French Laundry in Yountville on Nov. 6.
Kinney’s firm, Axiom Advisors, has lobbied on behalf of several companies seeking to sway decision-making in Newsom’s office, including Netflix and unsecured creditors of Pacific Gas & Electric, records reviewed by The Times show. According to the firm, Kinney has built a firewall between his work for Newsom and Axiom’s clients, makes money only on work for his individual clients and does not profit from the firm’s overall earnings.
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California law doesn’t expressly prohibit lobbying the administration while also advising the governor, and some of Newsom’s predecessors sought the input of Sacramento lobbyists.
SACRAMENTO
On the website of one of Sacramento’s most influential lobbying firms, partner Jason Kinney boasted of his close connection to Gavin Newsom, noting he has advised the governor for “nearly 14 years.”
The plug suddenly disappeared last month, days after Newsom drew national criticism for attending Kinney’s 50th birthday dinner at the famed Napa Valley restaurant the French Laundry.
The event turned into a political disaster for Newsom, drawing charges of hypocrisy at the very time the governor urged residents to avoid gatherings and stay home as much as possible amid an unprecedented surge in the coronavirus.
But the episode also exposed something that has long been the subject of quiet discussion in Sacramento: Newsom’s decision to maintain a tight relationship with Kinney, who is director of a lobbying firm with business before the governor.
Cathy Hirolawa, pharmacy director, shows off the box containing 195 vials of coronavirus vaccine delivered Thursday, Dec. 17, to Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center before putting it into a super freezer at -79 degrees. Facilities director Lani Kono, left, and facilities manager Joe Garibai assist.