Sometimes otherwise lazy MSM reporters will pull the mandatory, periodic Form 700 conflict of interest disclosures of state legislators right after they are filed, as part of their journalistic routines, and do a story comparing relative finances or gifts received of our Assembly and State Senate representatives. I didn’t see much news coverage of these filings after the most recent round of disclosures, so I figured there probably just wasn’t much to report. But I decided to take a look at all the filings anyway, just for legislators in my home county of Orange, and compare them, and here is what I found according to the reports. Please keep in mind the reports are general and use wide ranges, so they are not entirely accurate, and they don’t have to be, as the idea is not be exactly precise, but to disclose potential conflicts. Here we go: of The O.C.’s four state senators, MIMI WALTERS looks like the financial leader in stocks and business ownership, but Lou Correa appears to own a lot of real estate. Walters discloses ownership of between $660,000 to $6.6 million in stocks, appears to own all or a good piece of an apartment building in Encinitas, and didn’t accept hardly any reportable gifts. Good for her! LOU CORREA owns hardly any stock, but discloses real property valued at between $600,000 to $6 million, which includes five parcels in Orange County and one in San Diego County. He accepted a gift of $1,876 from the CA Biotechnology Foundation in the reporting period to go to China, and another $902 from the Council of State Governments to go to Mexico. TOM HARMAN owns two real estate parcels in Sacramento worth between $200,000 and $2 million, and his range of stock ownership is somewhere between $32,000 and $310,000. His gifts totaled $1,200 during the reporting period and was for a little golf, lodging, and some parking at John Wayne Airport (which understandably is quite expensive!). BOB HUFF’S report is unremarkable except for the $11,241 that Pacific Gas and Electric Company spent to send him on a fact finding mission to Spain, and little other, much smaller gifts he accepted from others to offset costs for trips to Chile and Argentina. Of Orange County’s seven Assembly members, both freshmen ALAN MANSOOR and DON WAGNER don’t have much to report at all, they haven’t been in office long enough. JOE SOLORIO doesn’t have much outside income or holdings, and accepted some minor gifts and sports tickets worth about $4,500. JIM SILVA has some assets, and reports between $42,000 and $260,000 in stock, between $200,000 and $2 million for two real estate parcels he rents, one in O.O. and one in Palm Springs, and less than $2,000 in miscellaneous gifts. JEFF MILLER discloses outside income from his insurance business (you don’t have to give up your business just because you get elected to the Legislature!) in a range of $100,000 to $1 million. Jeff accepted about the same amount and types of gifts as Jim Silva. DIANE HARKEY disclosed stocks in the $20,000 to $200,0000 range, real property in the $4.4 million to $8 million range, and outside income in the $12,000 to $110,000 range. The most remarkable thing on her filing was a disclosure that the Harkey’s had let a million dollar property they owned through their business, Point Center Financial, in San Bernardino County, go into foreclosure with all asset value lost. Diane accepted just $263 in free meals but I am getting a private investigator to track down all the details, anyway. (I bet some readers think I might actually do that. For you guys, this is a joke.). Finally, CURT HAGMAN looks like the richest Assembly member, and reports between $10,000 and $100,000 in stock, looks to be the biggest real property owner in the Assembly delegation from O.C., with between $4.6 million and $9 million in reported holdings, had between $20,000 an $200,000 in outside income, and accepted about $2,700 in small gifts from some bail bond firms, and accepted $700 in travel for a trip to China.
