Venezia: It looks like a sparring match between Moorlach and Wagner

Things are heating up in the March 17 special election for the 37th state Senate District.

Vying for this seat are former Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach, Assemblyman Don Wagner (R-Irvine), a district representative for U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) named Naz Namazi, and write-in candidate Louise Stewardson, a nurse.

I read in my absentee ballot the statements of Moorlach and Wagner. Namazi didn’t have one.

What I found odd was that Namazi’s boss, Rohrabacher, endorsed Wagner. When the guy you work for doesn’t think you’re the right person for senator, that speaks volumes.

Looking at Namazi’s website didn’t convince me she was a contender either. And Stewardson, as a write-in candidate, is a long shot.

In my mind, this race is really between Moorlach and Wagner.

Each is personable, knowledgeable and passionate about wanting to serve the 960,000 people in this Senate district.

Moorlach is a certified public accountant residing in Costa Mesa.

Wagner is a lawyer from Irvine.

Both are conservative Republican voices.

I asked why they felt people should vote for them.

“I have 18 years of private-sector experience and 20 years of county experience,” Moorlach said. “The biggest issue in Sacramento is financial, and I want to try to address the budget as efficiently as I did when I was a county supervisor.”

Wagner said, “I’ve been up in Sacramento for the last four years carrying the conservative Republican banner.”

He added that he’s promoted Republican values and policies by contributing to party candidates statewide. Moorlach hasn’t, he asserted.

“I have had to work in Sacramento with people who differ with me, but I still have gotten my bills through,” Wagner said, pointing out that Moorlach’s only had to work with fellow his Republican supervisors.

Moorlach takes exception, saying he worked with the Democratic leadership in the Senate to get funding from Proposition 63 so that the county could become the first to adopt the mental health-focused Laura’s Law. That funding source enabled other counties around the state to also adopt it.

As expected, both candidates have a list of politicos and organizations endorsing them.

But some of Moorlach’s past supporters have jumped ship to Wagner’s team, including lobbyist Christie McDaniel. Her name appears on Wagner’s host committee for an upcoming fundraiser at Bob “Stop the Dock Tax” McCaffrey’s Newport home.

“I committed to supporting Wagner last November, months before Moorlach got in the race,” McDaniel said.

Wagner’s “genuinely grateful” for the support of McCaffrey and political consultant Dave Ellis in Newport Beach, where he admits Moorlach has more name recognition.

Moorlach says seeing friends’ names like McDaniel’s on the invitation is a bit disheartening, but it’s politics.

“Lobbyists didn’t like the way I ran my shop, I guess,” he says. “I had to represent the taxpayers, and if I have to pay the price for it, so be it.”

McDaniel says it’s not about that. Though she likes Moorlach personally, she feels Wagner is more familiar with the political landscape in Sacramento and can get more done.

Former Newport Mayor Rush Hill is supporting Moorlach. Seeing that McCaffrey and Ellis were behind Wagner was a deal-breaker for him.

In McCaffrey’s email invitation to the Wagner fundraiser at his home, he wrote, “John Moorlach is a fine man, but he’s lost his way with the endorsement of our defeated mayor Rush Hill.”

Clearly McCaffrey and Hill have not moved past last year’s nasty election cycle in which Hill lost his seat to electric-boat pioneer Marshall “Duffy” Duffield.

But Hill said voters shouldn’t forget that the new John Wayne Airport Settlement Agreement and extension of the flight curfew wouldn’t have happened if not for Moorlach. That’s why he feels Moorlach should be our next state senator.

Wagner’s fundraising goal is $500,000, and he plans on about 14 mailings. Out of the gate, he’s gone negative with hit pieces that accuse Moorlach of raising taxes.

“I’m complimented by this false attack,” Moorlach said in an email to supporters. “It implies that I am ahead and in need of nasty mail pieces to help give my main opponent a reasonable chance. But stooping to the misuse of terms in slick mail pieces is disingenuous, desperate and dishonest.”

Moorlach said he’s never raised taxes and couldn’t because 92% of county revenue comes from property taxes, which the board can’t raise.

He admitted to raising fees when specific services were below the actual cost of providing those services. “Otherwise, all taxpayers are subsidizing those who come to government for specific and unique services,” he says.

Moorlach criticized Wagner for taking union money from police officers and firefighters.

Wagner said the money is going to go somewhere, so it might as well go to someone like him because, “I will vote with my values. I am happy to take money that is buying into my agenda. “

It’s going to be an interesting race.

Who’ll get your vote?

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at [email protected].