Former State Senator Runs for Costa Mesa Mayor

The County of Orange was successful turmoil successful 1994, aft having filed bankruptcy that December. It was retired $1.67 cardinal successful concern losses—becoming the largest municipal bankruptcy successful history.

John Moorlach, a CPA and fiscal planner was appointed region treasurer-tax collector pursuing the bankruptcy and wrong 18 months helium assisted the county’s exit of Chapter 9 bankruptcy. He present is moving for politician of Costa Mesa successful the Nov. 8 election. His sole hostile is incumbent John Stephens.

Before the bankruptcy, Moorlach said helium tried to pass the region of a imaginable fiscal situation and criticized the county’s treasurer astatine the clip for leveraging wealth connected involvement rates. He said helium knew if rates went up, the signifier would rapidly fail.

(Courtesy of John Moorlach)

No 1 listened, Moorlach said. Rates went up and the county’s excavation of wealth vanished.

“A fewer weeks aft the bankruptcy, I was returning telephone calls to the dozens of reporters who were calling for comment,” Moorlach told The Epoch Times.

In 1 instance, helium remembered a speech with 1 newsman who weeks anterior had small involvement successful proceeding what Moorlach had to say.

Moorlach precocious recalled the newsman said: “John, you’re right. I missed the story.”

To which helium replied: “Not lone did you miss it, you missed the Pulitzer Prize and I tried to assistance you.”

Costa Mesa’s existent debt, helium said, is cardinal to wherefore he’s successful the race.

“What I’m uncovering personally is that from an aboriginal age, astir 25, I’ve ever been acrophobic astir debt,” helium said. “It’s astir apt been 1 of the cardinal reasons wherefore I decided to run.”

After 12 years arsenic region treasurer, Moorlach served 2 presumption arsenic an Orange County supervisor and 5 years arsenic a California State Senator representing District 37 which encompasses overmuch of southbound Orange County.

He said helium decided to tally present successful the mayoral contention due to the fact that of what helium says is the city’s fiscal failings.

A 2021 fiscal report produced by the metropolis showed Costa Mesa with an unrestricted nett shortage of $243 million, owed to budgeting issues and ample liabilities the metropolis owes.

According to Moorlach, this shortage ranks Costa Mesa past retired of the 34 cities successful the county.

“The residents and voters of Costa Mesa merit a choice, are they blessed with being successful past place?” helium said. “They request idiosyncratic who has acquisition successful the nationalist assemblage and that tin bring his backstage CPA acquisition to the table.”

Besides fiscal responsibility, different issues helium seeks to address, if elected, are homelessness and idiosyncratic spot crimes.

In his ain neighborhood, helium said, determination has been an contented with message theft.

“We conscionable precocious had to regenerate our mailboxes due to the fact that they were getting opened. On the full thoroughfare each the mailboxes would beryllium opened,” helium said. “If you didn’t prime up your message that day, idiosyncratic other came by and picked it up for you.”

When helium was president of the Orange County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, Moorloch worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, sheriff, main of probation, and wellness attraction bureau manager to instrumentality Laura’s Law, which allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient attraction for those with superior intelligence illness.

The effort began, Moorlach said, successful 2011 aft a stateless schizophrenic idiosyncratic was changeable and killed by 4 constabulary officers. Some complained astatine the clip saying if the instrumentality had been successful spot astatine the time, the idiosyncratic could person been successful attraction alternatively of homeless.

According to Moorlach, aft 4 years of lobbying, helium successfully helped Orange County go the archetypal successful the authorities to follow the law.

Of the 58 counties successful California, 30 person since followed suit and successful 2020 Moorlach co-authored a California Assembly Bill making the instrumentality imperishable successful those counties.

As an Orange County Supervisor, helium besides served arsenic president of the Commission to End Homelessness. During his time, helium helped propulsion done much bills, astatine the authorities level, to combat homelessness.

One specified measurement helium enactment distant successful 2018 was a $2 cardinal enslaved ballot initiative, which was approved by voters, to supply lodging for mentally sick stateless individuals.

The aforesaid twelvemonth helium besides co-authored different measure with California Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) to supply much intelligence wellness aboriginal involution and prevention resources for youth.

When he’s not working, Moorlach said helium enjoys spending clip with his grandkids, of which helium has 7—and speechmaking from his postulation of 4,000 books.

He and his woman Trina person lived successful Costa Mesa since 1984, and helium said they person visited astir each of the implicit 1,000 humanities landmarks successful the state.

City run filings amusement helium has raised implicit $25,000 since his archetypal filing connected Sept. 9 done his latest connected Sept. 20.