OC GOP Central Committee Roundup

This is a report from humble servant, the Powder Blue Report on what went on at the OC Central Committee meeting tonight. This is the first meeting I've been to in a long time. If tonight was any indication, I will be making many trips back there for all the intrigue going on. I saw a lot of familiar faces as we arrived. Jon Fleischman was kind enough to introduce Lynn and I to the Sheriff, Mike Carona. It was great to finally meet the top law enforcement officer of the county. I wished him well in his race even though I am supporting another candidate. It's nothing personal against the Sheriff. As I've said before, I think we need a fresh face for the office.

As the meeting wore on, it became apparent that the battle lines were drawn for the question of who gets the party's endorsement for Sheriff. Both Sheriff Carona's people(Fleischman & Schroeder) and Lt. Hunt's people(Tim Whitacre & others) were working the room vigorously to line up last minute support and hand out literature on their guy. Tim Whitacre gave the best speech of the night. He hit all the points that needed hitting. I'm proud to associate myself with a man of such integrity. Erin Runnion spoke for few minutes on behalf of Mike Carona and the Sheriff finished off his time by listing his accomplishments(or lack thereof) in office. Points were made about the Sheriff's endorsement of Nativo Lopez. This doesn't sit well with all the 69th district central members. I liked the line that one of Hunt's speakers said..."would Ronald Reagan have endorsed Nativo Lopez?" Ouch! Allan Mansoor also spoke and he endorsed Bill Hunt. I'm liking the Mayor of Costa Mesa more and more. The best speaker for the Sheriff was actually Jon "Flash" Fleischman. In the end, drumroll please....the Sheriff did not get the 2/3s majority needed for an endorsement. The vote was 31-17. They needed four more votes. I should say that there was also a contested vote on a motion by Tim Whitacre to have the vote on a secret paper ballot. That vote needed a simple majority and failed on a 28-24 vote. In the end, I'm proud that the Sheriff did not receive the coveted endorsement of the county party. I was proud to see a plurality of central committee members stick up for integrity.

Lastly, I'm going to crackback on the Hyatt Irvine for not having a wireless signal at the hotel. I wanted to liveblog the meeting, but there was no wireless signal. Memo to Hyatt management: you might want to join us in the new millennium and have a wireless hookup for your hotel guests. How does a major hotel not have a wireless signal hookup for business people that stay at the hotel? I'm out