Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley, a Democrat, has been elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, beating out former county supervisor turned state senator John Moorlach for District 2. This is a key flip for the seat previously held by Republican Michelle Steel and a continuation of the political earthquake shaking local governments in California.
The Orange County Registrar of Voters shows Foley with 44.2%, Moorlach with 30.98%, and Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Muldoon in third place with 11.24%.
Although the Board is officially nonpartisan, Republicans held a 4-1 majority before Steel’s departure. The addition of another Democrat will make for a more divided body, as it debates contentious issues like vaccines, homelessness, and balancing the county’s $7.5-billion budget.
“This victory is yet another indication that the Democratic Party of Orange County has the momentum and energy going into 2022,” said Democratic Party of Orange County Executive Director Ajay Mohan in a press release. “Many hundreds of people sent handwritten postcards, made phone calls, sent texts and knocked doors, thousands upon thousands of times. I’m incredibly proud of our Democratic community.”
OC Dems note the 2nd District seat has not been held by a Democrat since 1894 and say this is the first time a Democratic woman will serve on the Board.
Moorlach dominated the spending race but his campaign suffered an unusual blow for a Republican when the union representing sheriff’s deputies actively fought his candidacy to the tune of $240,000. The reason? His unsuccessful attempt to overturn deputy pension increases and his opposition to deputy raises as supervisor.
Foley was elected mayor of Costa Mesa in November of 2018. She also served as mayor from 2016-2017. She has served on the Council for 10 years and was previously a trustee for the Newport Mesa Unified School District.
Read more about Tuesday’s election at the LA Times.