I got a lot of comments on my OC Power Broker Series published yesterday. So I am continuing with it today. I want to make a few things clear.
1) These people are listed in no particular order.
2) You can be important, elected and or rich but that does not make you an OC Power Broker. To be one, you have to possess extra-ordinary ability to navigate the political and more specifically the government scene.
So below is the list continued without numbers…
Brett Barbre. Elected member of the Municipal Water District of Orange County and chief-deputy to OC Treasurer John Moorlach. Barbre is a leader in the effort to build a tunnel between Orange and Riverside counties. With Moorlach running up-opposed for OC Board of Supervisor, watch for soon to be COS Barbre to gain influence.
Gary Hunt. The former Irvine Company executive went out on his own to form California Strategies several years ago. A close advisor to every GOP governor since he has been out of diapers, Hunt is a fund raising and deal making powerhouse. He is the Henry Kissinger of not just OC but CA.
John Withers. A partner of Hunt’s at California Strategies, Withers is an elected member of the Irvine Ranch Water District and a member LAFCO (the commission you go to for annexation and sphere of influence issues). He was an executive with an engineering firm then with Lewis Homes before they were sold. Withers’ client list includes lots of public agencies, private sector clients and is known to be a major deal maker.
Tom Tucker. My favorite founding member of the New Majority (sorry Mark). He has had a huge impact on Republican politics state-wide since the New Majority has come on the scene. Tucker is a man big on ideas and willing to put his money and credibility where his mouth is. He doesn’t have to name drop because when political elites are in town, they ring his door bell.
Larry Smith. Founder of the major dollar conservative Family Action PAC, Smith can take credit for electing several key GOP legislators, not the least of which is Chuck DeVore (70th A. D.). He is a shy ultra-successful businessman. His Family Action PAC has picked up where pro-business PACs leave off and counters the work of other more liberal PACs. With a socially conservative agenda, the Family Action PAC fights for the values they believe in and have a pretty good record of success.
Christine Iger. Everyone knows Christine. She headed the OC Building Industry Assoc. for years after a stint in the Wilson Admin. as Dep. Sec. for Business, Transportation & Housing. She spent some time practicing law at the OC office of Manatt Phelps before hanging her own shingle with Iger & Associates with attorney husband Bob where they focus on public affairs and government relations.
Larry Agran. The all-powerful councilmember/mayor/emperor of Irvine he is reviled by some but still holds power nonetheless. He is the most intelligent elected official in the county in terms of pure brain power. He is an attorney and has a reputation of being sue-happy with opponents. This Democrat consistently gets re-elected in a Republican city. He, with a lot of help from others, killed the proposed airport at El Toro. There are always accusations about his practices and political gamesmanship and how he hands out government contracts. But you have to recognize that life is good in Irvine and until that changes, it is unlikely that some misstep or political subversiveness will tank him.
Dan Young. The most important man at the Irvine Company besides Don Bren (the Billionaire owner himself). Young is in charge of everything that touches government and politics in any way. For those that don’t know, the Irvine Company is a major political force not just in OC. Their HQ is on the top 3 places you have to visit if you are running for anything statewide. Republican, Democrat, whatever, you have to kiss the ring and Dan is the guy you’ll meet IF you are luck enough to rank high enough to get past his deputies. Young is former mayor of Santa Ana.
Jon Fleischman. I have received the most calls and emails about my having left Jon the publisher of this site off my first list. It was not an oversight–he belongs on it and here he is. As former executive director of the CA GOP, former CA chairman of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and former CA chairman of California Republican Assembly (CRA) Jon has amassed huge credibility among all conservatives. Also he has developed impressive relationships that have lead to his appointment to the CA Boating and Waterways Commission (appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger). He is presently the spokesperson for OC Sheriff Mike Carona. Thousands of political insiders throughout the state and nationally rely on Jon’s FlashReport site every day for their news about CA politics.
Buck Johns. You just get the urge say that name over and over real quick mocking his slight Arkansas twang. He is one the original god-fathers of OC Republican politics, a leader in the heyday of the Lincoln Club. Buck more than anyone else is who you want to go to with a hair-brained idea that requires government approval. He has hosted governors, presidents and even foreign heads of state at his Newport Beach office and Back Bay ranch. He is a successful developer/power plant owner/telcom investor/GOP fund raiser and friend to all who can handle his quick whit.
Ok, that is all for now. Stay tuned tomorrow for the OC Power Broker Series to continue with the top OC Power Broker Attorneys.