The candidate filing deadline for most positions on the June 8 election was this past Friday. However, if the incumbent does not file for re-election, the deadline is extended a few days. That is the situation for the Orange County Treasurer position. No candidates, including Chriss Street, the incumbent, filed for the OC Treasurer job by the initial deadline of last Friday. Thus, the deadline was extended to yesterday at 5:00 pm. Now, it seems several people want the job.

According to various published reports, incumbent Street did not run for re-election due to some legal problems relating to a trust he managed before he became OC Treasurer. In a March 13, 2010 article, the Los Angeles Times reported that Street was ordered by a judge to repay the trust $7 million in damages. Street’s decision not to run must have been pretty last minute because he paid the candidate filing fee on March 5, 2010.

The first to qualify for the Treasurer/Tax Collector job was Patrick Desmond, who listed his occupation as “Auditor/College Professor”. He did not file a candidate statement, which is optional.
Three other candidates qualified before yesterday’s deadline. They are Shari Freidenrich, Keith Rodenhuis, and David Lang.

Freidenrich listed her occupation as Treasurer of Huntington Beach. According to her candidate statement, she is a CPA. Her statement reports “Shari is the only candidate who has been elected as a Treasurer. She’s been honored with re-election 3 times due to her spotless record as a taxpayer advocate and guardian of public funds.”

David Lang’s candidate statement includes “As a Certified Public Accountant, founding shareholder of HBLA, and a 14-year elected Trustee of South Orange County Community College District, I have worked as a fiscal conservative to assure the rock solid financial condition of our district.”

The candidate statement for Rodenhuis includes “It is my privilege to serve as your Deputy Treasurer for the County of Orange. I was proud when your Treasurer Tax Collector’s Office received the National Achievement Award from the National Association of County’s for our success in modernizing government.”

Regardless of how many or few votes they get, one of the four candidates listed above, will get a guaranteed job for four years (until the next election) at an annual salary of $173,098. This lucky person will also receive a County car, or an auto allowance, plus medical benefits.

Update on District Attorney Race
In our previous article on the June election, we reported Kenneth Bush was challenging incumbent DA Tony Rackauckas for the job. Bush did not complete his candidate filing paperwork, so he will not be on the June 8 ballot. No matter how many votes he gets, Rackauckas, running unopposed, will continue for four more years as Orange County District Attorney at an annual salary of $207,979.