OCGOP Central Committee - Allan Bartlett and Shawn Nelson

You may have read a rant or two regarding how I feel about the OCGOP and the lack of ethical leadership and the fact that we need to make some changes. The ONLY way to change a political party, at least on the local level, is to change it from within by electing quality leaders to the central committee. For the non-political types, central committees are the official representative bodies of political parties in a given county. The committee is made up of representatives from each of Orange County’s State Assembly Districts. For example, the 72nd Assembly District, which covers several north OC cities, has 6 representatives on the central committee. Each county may be different depending on how many assembly districts are in the county. Each member is elected by the voters who are registered members of recognized parties in their respective district. From what I have read, if you are registered as DECLINE-TO-STATE or DS, you cannot vote for any party’s central committee candidates. So, the first step to reformation of the Republican Party is to register as a Republican. The second step is to elect to the central committee only those candidates who demonstrate values similar to yours. With that understanding, let’s look at a couple of candidates who are running for the OCGOP (OC Republican Party) central committee. I have met each of these candidates and have seen the way they battle against the old regime which has fostered a culture of corruption.

Allan Bartlett is running for re-election to represent the 70th Assembly District on the central committee. The 70th AD is comprised of Irvine, Newport Beach, Tustin, Lake Forest, and Laguna Woods. You may have read some of Allan’s insightful and thoughtful articles on Red County Blog. The last I heard, Allan had been locked out of the blog by chief editor, Chip Hanlon because Hanlon couldn’t muzzle Allan’s criticism of the blog and OCGOP’s hypocrisy. Allan is respected by those who want lower taxes and smaller government. He is feared by those who are being fed from the government trough of consulting contracts. Allan is willing to stand up and say what we all want to say but are sometimes too concerned with what people might think. I have tremendous respect for Allan because I know he is often alone in his dissent for the old regime’s culture of corruption. Few committee members can hold a candle to Allan Bartlett’s determination to do the right thing even in the face of opposition. If you are registered as a Republican, live in the 70th AD, and you want to see the party return to its traditional platform, vote for Allan Bartlett.

Let’s now head north to my home district, the 72nd Assembly District. The 72nd AD represents Fullerton, Brea, Placentia, and parts of Anaheim and Orange. You may think it includes Irvine if your name is Ackerman. We have a newcomer to the central committee, Shawn Nelson. If you don’t know who Shawn Nelson is, go open your mail box. He is the officially endorsed Republican Party of California and OC Republican Party candidate for the 4th District County Board of Supervisors. According to the Orange County Employee’s Association, Nelson is criminal defense attorney who represents terrorists and child rapists. Of course, these are lies from the employees union who fears Nelson. For years he has been an outspoken critic of public employee unions and the outrageous pensions they demand. Nelson owns a law firm with as many as a dozen attorneys. So far as I have been able to tell, Shawn Nelson is a tort attorney. He is the guy I would call to go after a client who breaches a contract. I have asked around and NO ONE can give me a case number or criminal defendant’s name which had Shawn Nelson as the defense attorney. Then there is the Harish “Harry” Sidhu attack mailer regarding the Fox Fullerton, an old theater that is a local landmark. Sidhu seems to think that Fullerton voters would be shocked and angry that Nelson voted for the City to give the theater money. The problem is that most Fullerton residents were ok with his vote. In fact many thought the City should have done more by purchasing the Fox and rebuilding it rather than waiting for the current community group to obtain sufficient donations. The bottom line is that Shawn Nelson has pissed off a lot of people because he can’t be controlled by the public employee unions. Recently, Shawn debated various topics with Sidhu, his 4th District opponent. It was immediately clear that Nelson knew far more about County-wide issues than Sidhu. But is Nelson’s knowledge of the County sufficient reason to vote for him to be a county supervisor or even a central committee member? No.

A candidate must posses a philosophy on issues which you can identify with and I believe Shawn Nelson’s philosophy on many issues is similar to mine. I believe property rights are important and should not be unreasonably infringed upon without good cause. I believe that local government can create a business-friendly environment that attracts growth. I believe our local government is important but generally wasteful. I don’t know for a fact that Shawn Nelson would agree with me on these few issues but his voting record and the few brief conversations I have had with him indicate he at least tends to lean in the same direction as I do. Shawn Nelson most certainly will get my vote!

And, if for no other reason, I have yet to see Nelson throw a temper tantrum as a city council member like the majority of his elected peers on Fullerton’s council have done.

Remember, the central committee is the political body which endorses candidates on behalf of the party. They create policy and give the party its direction. There are other candidates running in other districts around Orange County, and probably throughout the state, but these two individuals have the right stuff to bring the OCGOP back to the basics. Try to email all of the candidates and find out what they stand for. Are they just a lot of talk?  Have they demonstrated through their political involvement and actions that they will continue to act in a manner that is consistent with their vocalized beliefs? The ONLY way to change the Republican Party is to elect like-minded conservatives to the central committee like Shawn Nelson and Allan Bartlett.

You can learn more about the OCGOP’s central committee at http://www.ocgop.org/about/committee/.