Orange County Second District Supervisor John Moorlach is thinking about running for governor of California.
Orange County Second District Supervisor John Moorlach is thinking about running for governor of California.
Moorlach attended the California Republican Party Convention this past weekend to “gauge the potential” of the idea of running for governor. He said he had a lot fun talking to friends.
“I was looking for a red light—I didn’t see it,” Moorlach said.
He said he was going to make phone calls and talk to people for the next couple of weeks to further consider what he has called a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.”
Moorlach said he would probably make a decision in early in April.
“Somewhere in that time frame,” Moorlach said.
Moorlach’s supervisorial district includes the cities of Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, Cypress, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach (including the recently annexed Sunset Beach community), La Palma, Newport Beach and Stanton.
Locally, Moorlach is known for his efforts to move Orange County’s unincorporated “islands” into their nearest incorporated city neighbors. To date, the county’s efforts to move Rossmoor into Los Alamitos have met aggressive resistance. As a matter of California law, any attempt by Los Alamitos to annex Rossmoor would have to face a vote by residents. To date, Los Alamitos has made no effort to annex the entire Rossmoor community.
There has been discussion of annexing the so-called “fourth corner” of Los Alamitos Boulevard and Katella Avenue—Rossmoor’s only business district, which generates roughly a quarter million a year in sales tax revenues for the Rossmoor Community Services District.
Moorlach has supported the annexation of the business district, arguing that it is the county’s to give to Los Alamitos. Rossmoor officials argue that it would be illegal to annex Rossmoor piecemeal.
If Moorlach decides to make the run for governor, he will first have to secure the Republican Party nomination in 2014. Then he has to defeat the Democratic candidate, who will almost certainly be once and present Gov. Jerry Brown. Moorlach has already discussed his potential run with other news organizations and with his constituents in his latest e-mail “Update.”
Moorlach refers to the idea of running for governor as a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal,” a phrase he apparently took from books on successful management.
“It’s fun to ponder an idea that was never on my radar screen when my journey began,” Moorlach said in his Saturday e-mail to his constituents.
“After my wife and I had our first child thirty years ago, the question we would hear most often was ‘are you going to have another?’ With term limits, it’s déjà vu all over again, with the question now being, ‘what are you doing next?’ I just did not have an answer. Serving a third term made the most sense, but that was blocked by three of my colleagues,” Moorlach wrote.
“At the age of 57, I have accomplished a series of large goals,” he wrote.
“My political career started because I stepped into the forum to decry the irresponsible investing practices of Robert L. Citron with taxpayer dollars. The rest is history and is well documented in a long list of books and publications, including my ‘Look Backs,’” he wrote. The “Look Backs” are a feature of Moorlach’s e-mail “Update” that looks back on past occasions when Moorlach has been mentioned in various media.
“I love California, I love its history, and I would love to participate in turning its dismal financial condition around,” Moorlach wrote.
Moorlach has apparently not made a decision yet.
“I’m just laying things out for you as it relates to this very recent consideration of a ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal.’ I’m not campaigning or asking you to do anything at this time,” Moorlach told his constituents. “Just know that I am on a listening tour on what may be my Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, or Plan D. Proverbs 11:14 states that ‘in the multitude of counselors there is safety.’ Accordingly, I’m calling as many individuals as time permits to ask for their counsel. It is nice to have options. It is great to have friends. It is amazingly wonderful to have a supportive wife and three great adult children (and son-in-law). Having a new granddaughter certainly provides the necessary perspective on life in general. My family has allowed me to risk and sacrifice in the past and they continue to allow me to dream big dreams. And for that I will be eternally grateful. In the meantime, I am fully focused on my current position, which commands more than 100 percent of my attention.”
