OC Register's Top 10 Political Stories

Van Tran vs. Loretta Sanchez
Tan Nguyen faces prison time
Delecia Holt spends another Christmas in jail
Nativo Lopez jailed
Orly Taitz continues 'birther' battle
Tony Rackauckas vs. Todd Spitzer
Candidate loses son, wins Assembly seat
GOP secretary of state race
The Scott Baugh manifesto*
Anti-union saber rattling**

* The "Baugh Manifesto" is an interesting story in its own right. OC Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh announced in January 2010 that the Party would not support or endorse any candidate who took public employee union money or support. It seemed to be gaining traction but after the November 2nd election it was discovered that several OC candidates received support from both the OCGOP as well as public employee unions. Among them is Fullerton's newly sworn council member, Pat McKinley. McKinley was one of 3 officially endorsed GOP candidates who is also the retired chief of police from Fullerton. He benefited from playing both sides of the aisle.

Fullerton's own congressman, Ed Royce, plaid a significant role in the Fullerton city council election. He opened what was dubbed as the "North OC Republican Party HQ" with help from the California Republican Assembly and Republican Womens Federated. He opened the retail office space to ALL candidates who were registered Republicans, thereby nullifying any possible advantage that the endorsed candidates may have had over the non-endorsed candidates.

Marty Burbank, Barry Levinson, Roland Chi, Aaron Gregg, and Don Bankhead were all given ample room for their signs and literature at the North OC HQ. Part of the trouble may have come from Royce's decision to endorse his old pal Don Bankhead, a non-GOP endorsed incumbent. How could Royce open his little shop of horrors to Bankhead without inviting ALL of the republican candidates? Royce's decision helped one Democrat, Doug Chaffee, nearly win a seat on the council.

In the future, the OCGOP should pull their endorsement for candidates who receive public employee union support if the candidates do not make a public rejection of the union support. Congressman Ed Royce should either get on board with the OCGOP and support ONLY their endorsed candidates or he should stop calling himself an OC Republican.

** The anti-union saber rattling was a real problem for good and bad candidates alike. In the 2010 Primary Election we saw retired OC Sheriff's lieutenant and chief of San Clemente police services go toe-to-toe with a deputy chief of police from Anaheim and the appointed sheriff, Sandra Hutchens. Hunt solicited and received public employee union support while as did deputy chief Craig Hunter- both Republicans. Sandra Hutchens, a former Democrat, received considerable support from Los Angeles County area Democrats as well as L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca, also a Democrat.

2010 also brought the public employee unions home to roost. The California Republican Party's Spring 2010 Convention was paid for in large part by public employee unions. Needless to say, the OCGOP was well represented at the convention.

Fullerton Republicans must come together with their money and actions to bring quality leadership to the community. We don't need more retired public employees and we do not need crisis managers. We need conservative leaders who will keep Fullerton out of the troubled waters that lie ahead.

The Fullerton Sentinel