Leos and Berardino

OCEA’s John Leos at the union’s celebration of Jerry Brown’s inaugural, with OCEA Prez Robert Gibson and OCEA GM Nick Berardino

In a repeat of 2010, government employee unions ae pulling out the stops for John Leos’ campaign for Anaheim City Council.

The OCEA-sponsored “Committee to Support John Leos for Anaheim City Councl 2102” reported $138,000 in contributions from the United Employee Organizations of Orange County Independent Expenditure Committee (UEOOC). The UEOOC is an IE committee through which the OCEA, the Orange County Attorneys Association, the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs Association and other government employee associations funnel campaign contributions. It doesn’t sound so union-ish on the political mailer disclaimers.

That $138,000 is on top of the original $50,000 OCEA put into this committee — and it was donated between October 11 and October 16.

That puts the government employee union IE effort for Leos at $188,000 — closing in on the quarter-million OCEA blew on Leos in 2010. Two pro-Leos mailers paid for by this money hit yesterday; Chris Emami has posted them on OC Political.

Now, compare that $188,000 (and climbing) with the $19,418.75 that John Leos has raised on his own during the last 10 months. Government union IE spending for Leos outpaces the candidate’s own fundraising by a factor of 10.

Remind me again what reforms the government employee unions are spending this money to support?