Treasurer Tax

Flash! Members of the Board of Supervisors are about to make a big mistake in appointing John M.W. Moorlach as Orange County treasurer-tax collector. Moorlach admitted that somebody, whose name he won't divulge, actually did the analysis about the risky derivatives that Moorlach used as political sound bites against Mr. Citron. Moorlach did not inform the supervisors personally in political comments during their regular meetings because Mr. Moorlach didn't understand it either. The board has an obligation to us taxpayers.

Wrapping up a two-day planning session for the coming year's budget, Orange County supervisors on Wednesday decided to kill funding for the county film commission but let the tourism council live. The two agencies have been on the chopping block for years, as the county has increasingly moved away from funding activities that promote Orange County.

Re "Go Slow on Merrill Lynch Ties," Editorial, July 7: It was my dear friend Steve de Graaf who drove from Los Angeles County immediately after I lost the election to former Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron and gave me this advice: "Be better, not bitter." The Orange County bankruptcy occurred as the result of a large group of well-meaning people that failed to see the red flags because their eyes were closed. Many have moved on to such jobs as executive director of the Orange County Business Council and the head of the Peace Corps.

First off, there's the explosive race for sheriff, in which the incumbent has been asked to resign by two of his challengers. Then there's the combative --and expensive -- battle for a supervisor's seat in normally staid South County. Two other supervisor posts are also at stake. Even the treasurer/tax collector race has turned nasty, with several county leaders withdrawing their support of the presumed favorite. Welcome to the Orange County primary.

The Orange County Business Council on Thursday urged the Board of Supervisors to conduct a full and open search before appointing a new county treasurer-tax collector and described as an "intolerable management situation" Auditor-Controller Steve E. Lewis' decision to remain in office after Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy called on him to resign. In a letter to Board Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez, the business council suggested that Popejoy establish a screening committee to evaluate candidates for the treasurer job. Whoever wins the appointment would probably serve out the remaining 3 1/2 years of former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron's term of office.

Re "Moorlach's Office Alerted on Edison Before It Invested," Jan. 24: When John M.W. Moorlach took office after the Orange County bankruptcy, he was highly critical of the investment policies and management controls of his predecessor. Now he claims that he was not aware of the Sept. 7 warning report. Really? Why not? What evaluation process did take place before the $40-million investment? Brings to mind the comment of the late Tom Riley, then chairman of the Board of Supervisors, who claimed that the supervisors just didn't understand investment strategy well enough when authorizing investments that led to the county's bankruptcy.

Facing his first opponent in 20 years in a race that focused on his handling of Orange County's vast investment portfolio, Robert L. Citron appeared headed back to his job Tuesday as treasurer-tax collector. Citron held a nearly 2-1 edge over his challenger, John M.W. Moorlach, a Costa Mesa accountant heavily supported by the Orange County Republican Party, who waged a fierce attack on Citron's investment policy. "They tried their darndest and they did damage, but it all backfired," Citron said.

A $273,000 mistake has become the talk of the town in Leisure World Seal Beach. The retirement community of about 9,000 is abuzz after the complex's management company, Golden Rain Foundation, failed to pay the majority of a total of $3.5 million in property taxes on time, resulting in a penalty of $272,948.32. "It's a disgusting, huge blunder," said David Lyon, a resident for 11 years. "It's not just a simple mistake. " Members of the foundation met with the Orange County treasurer-tax collector to try to get the penalty waived and was denied.

The logic behind Assessor Bradley Jacobs' refusal to accept state aid to clear up the backlog of assessment appeals is beyond anyone's imagination ("Board Acts on Tax Appeal Logjam," Aug. 20). If the only reason for Jacobs' refusal to seek help is his inability to meet the state's efficiency goals, perhaps it is time for the voters to throw this rascal out come the next election. The efficiency oxymoron likewise applies to Treasurer John Moorlach's office. After I got a property tax refund for overpayment on the first half of my property tax, I was told by Moorlach's office that I must pay the second half in April at the higher amount and then wait for a refund on the overpayment.

The Oxnard Rotary Club is holding a political forum today with Larry Matheney and Mike Markey, the candidates running for Ventura County treasurer-tax collector in the March 5 election. Matheney, the assistant treasurer-tax collector, and Markey, a loan officer and former Thousand Oaks mayor, are vying for the seat held by Harold S. Pittman, who is stepping down after 14 years as administrator of the county's $1-billion investment portfolio. Today's forum will begin about 12:50 p.m.

Orange County Dist. Atty Tony Rackauckas on Thursday withdrew his endorsement of Chriss Street's candidacy for county treasurer-tax collector, having opened an investigation into Street's previous role as trustee in a Fruehauf Trailer Corp. bankruptcy case. The district attorney said in a prepared statement that he could not discuss "the nature or scope of an open investigation" of Street, a Newport Beach financial manager until he was appointed by outgoing Treasurer-Tax Collector John M.W.

Re "Go Slow on Merrill Lynch Ties," Editorial, July 7: It was my dear friend Steve de Graaf who drove from Los Angeles County immediately after I lost the election to former Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron and gave me this advice: "Be better, not bitter." The Orange County bankruptcy occurred as the result of a large group of well-meaning people that failed to see the red flags because their eyes were closed. Many have moved on to such jobs as executive director of the Orange County Business Council and the head of the Peace Corps.

The Oxnard Rotary Club is holding a political forum today with Larry Matheney and Mike Markey, the candidates running for Ventura County treasurer-tax collector in the March 5 election. Matheney, the assistant treasurer-tax collector, and Markey, a loan officer and former Thousand Oaks mayor, are vying for the seat held by Harold S. Pittman, who is stepping down after 14 years as administrator of the county's $1-billion investment portfolio. Today's forum will begin about 12:50 p.m.

Races to fill open seats for Ventura County's clerk-recorder and treasurer-tax collector positions will be contested, thanks to a last-minute flurry of candidate filings Wednesday. Six candidates will compete to replace Clerk-Recorder Richard Dean, who announced last week he will step down next year after 20 years. They are county Assistant Recorder Philip J.

Re "Moorlach's Office Alerted on Edison Before It Invested," Jan. 24: When John M.W. Moorlach took office after the Orange County bankruptcy, he was highly critical of the investment policies and management controls of his predecessor. Now he claims that he was not aware of the Sept. 7 warning report. Really? Why not? What evaluation process did take place before the $40-million investment? Brings to mind the comment of the late Tom Riley, then chairman of the Board of Supervisors, who claimed that the supervisors just didn't understand investment strategy well enough when authorizing investments that led to the county's bankruptcy.

The Board of Supervisors, meeting behind closed doors, voted 4 to 1 to name attorney Mark Saladino the county's treasurer and tax collector, replacing Larry Monteilh, who is retiring after 30 years of county service. The 40-year-old Saladino, now principal deputy county counsel, will head a sprawling financial bureaucracy that manages not only the county's treasury, but also its investments.

Sandra R. Tracey, 37, became the highest-ranking woman in Los Angeles County government Tuesday when the Board of Supervisors named her treasurer-tax collector to succeed her former boss, Chief Administrative Officer Richard Dixon. Tracey was selected for the $77,000-a-year post over more than 200 candidates vying for the job, which has been vacant since Dixon replaced James Hankla as chief administrative officer March 1.

Races to fill open seats for Ventura County's clerk-recorder and treasurer-tax collector positions will be contested, thanks to a last-minute flurry of candidate filings Wednesday. Six candidates will compete to replace Clerk-Recorder Richard Dean, who announced last week he will step down next year after 20 years. They are county Assistant Recorder Philip J.

The logic behind Assessor Bradley Jacobs' refusal to accept state aid to clear up the backlog of assessment appeals is beyond anyone's imagination ("Board Acts on Tax Appeal Logjam," Aug. 20). If the only reason for Jacobs' refusal to seek help is his inability to meet the state's efficiency goals, perhaps it is time for the voters to throw this rascal out come the next election. The efficiency oxymoron likewise applies to Treasurer John Moorlach's office. After I got a property tax refund for overpayment on the first half of my property tax, I was told by Moorlach's office that I must pay the second half in April at the higher amount and then wait for a refund on the overpayment.

Flash! Members of the Board of Supervisors are about to make a big mistake in appointing John M.W. Moorlach as Orange County treasurer-tax collector. Moorlach admitted that somebody, whose name he won't divulge, actually did the analysis about the risky derivatives that Moorlach used as political sound bites against Mr. Citron. Moorlach did not inform the supervisors personally in political comments during their regular meetings because Mr. Moorlach didn't understand it either. The board has an obligation to us taxpayers.