Anaheim Insider here.
The buzz around insider circles is the possibility that state Sen. Lou Correa might run for Mayor of Anaheim next year, when current Mayor Tom Tait seeks a second four-year term.
Correa is forced out of the state Senate by term limits in 2014. What are his plans? He has a Lou Correa for Attorney General 2018 office holder account. It has about $140K in it but isn’t very active (I believe this is the account at was looted by Kinde Durkee). Correa also has a Board of Equalization account into which he has raised $55,000 so far this year, bringing that up to $133K.
The conventional wisdom is Correa would term out and then run for Board of Supervisors in 2016 when Janet Ngyuen terms out of this seat; or he could run in 2015 if Nguyen beats former Assemblyman Jose Solorio for Correa’s Senate seat and there’s a special election for the 1st Supervisor District.
Correa has been heard to talk about returning to the private sector, as well running for Mayor of Anaheim. There would be a historic dimension to it: Anaheim’s first Latino Mayor.
There are some obstacles to a Correa mayoral run. He would have to move, which is a pretty big one. Moving to run for Anaheim Mayor would take him out of 1st Supervisor District contention, since Anaheim isn’t in the 1st.
Correa’s isn’t the only name being heard. Councilwoman Lucille Kring has been encouraged to run for Mayor, and the buzz is that she’s seriously considering doing it, if she hasn’t made up her mind already. That would be a battle royale, with Kring attracting/inheriting most of the support base that got behind Tait in 2010, plus her own formidable base of supporters.
Then there’s Lorri Galloway. Anaheim watchers take it for granted she’s going to run for Council as part of a Tait Ticket, but there are persistent reports she’s thinking about throwing her hat in the ring. Word was she called Tait over the weekend in mid-June to let him know. All those OCCORD, UNITE-HERE and Hispanic activists who’ve been singing the Mayor’s praises would desert him for Galloway, their true heroine and a real leftist like them.
Tait won’t be a push-over. Taking out and incumbent mayor is very difficult. Most Anaheim voters like the mayor and aren’t tuned in to the drama and the infighting like insiders are.
But the Mayor is vulnerable; if he weren’t, he wouldn’t have a state Senator and a Council colleague looking at challenging him. He’s never been a very good fundraiser, which showed in the most recent campaign reports; although, if push came to shove, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a couple hundred grand from the family fortune make its way into the campaign. But alienating your donor base (many, if not most of them, long-time supporters) is about more than campaign donations; it’s a loss of energy and momentum.
Tait v. Correa? Tait v. Kring? Tait v. Galloway v. Kring? Tait v. Kring v. Correa (v. Galloway)? A brawl is almost guaranteed, no matter who the participants end up being.
Any of the above would give the City the biggest knock-down, drag out fight its seen in years. Not one of these names is a light weight campaigner…my guess is it would be U-G-L-Y.
Its been a tough year for Tait whether you agree with him or not…would he really want to go through a vicious campaign as the cherry on top?
Would his family?
Senator Correa is a legitimate son of Anaheim who has honorobly represented the city at various levels of government for years. I hope he is seriously considering it. We need someone who will lead the city and not denegrate it for personal gain. Tait wasn’t a leader as a member of the Council and has been a disaster as Mayor. Please Lou – just say yes!
I just started checking out this site and like it. This is interesting, let’s hope Tom Tait chooses to go back to his family’s business rather than run a race with this type of field of candidates. Governing is not his forte. I support Lucille Kring and hope she goes for it – she puts the city first. Galloway is actually worse than Tait but my bet is that she won’t run for Mayor if Correa gets in the race.
That sounds you hear is Tait, his assistant and the crew of bloggers they employ all starting to panic.
Some of that sound might also be Lorri Galloway opening her purse.
I think she likes be to on Council in order to raise more money for her “family” business. Funny how when she is on City Council, you see all these business people donate to her “non-profit”
She and her husband draw salaries from a non-profit she set- up called Eli Home. She is the Executive Director and her husband gets a salary for doing “maintenance” work.
She and her family get between $150,000 – $200,000 a year.
Can someone post the Eli Home IRS filing on this site so everyone can judge for themselves?
Lou Correa? Now Tait cannot complain that there is no latino on the council. If he is so righteous and not selfish, he would allow that. Then he can crawl back up to his gated community in a posh development in Anaheim Hills. What a hypocrite! Correa for Mayor 2014!!!!
I see it a little differently. Not sure it will be a brawl because the Mayor is so weak (hence everyone and their brother is looking at he seat). He only won because there wasn’t a better candidate last time. He is toast.