Anaheim Insider here.
As readers know, Mayor Tom Tait is trying to defeat his two Republican council colleagues and has recruited two candidates for that purpose: a guy who lives down the street from him, Doug Pettibone, and Anaheim City School District Trustee James Vanderbilt.
Since there are only two council seats are on the ballot, that would seem to leave Tait’s political ally Jose F. Moreno out in the cold. Two weeks ago, dyed-in-the-wool lefty Moreno changed his registration from NPP to Democrat, and then filed to run for Anaheim City Council.
However, Moreno is standing by his endorsement of Tom Tait for Mayor. He told the LiberalOC.com:
I gave my endorsement to Mayor Tait back in January and I gave money to his campaign because he has been fighting for things that matter to me. Mayor Tait fought harder than anyone on the council for district elections. My endorsement of the mayor will stay with him as long as he wants it.
Say this for Moreno: he sticks by a promise. He still has a Tait yard sign in front of his house:
A few months before the November 2012, Tait told Steve Chavez Lodge that unless Lodge changed his position on GardenWalk from support to oppose, he would pull his endorsement of Lodge’s council campaign. After Lodge declined to flip-flop for Tait, the mayor promised he would interfere with Lodge’s campaign or endorse anyone else for council. He broke both promises soon after when he made Lewis Consulting quit as Lodge’s and then campaigned hard for the OCEA’s council candidate, John Leos.
Some county Democrats have their own view of how genuine Moreno’s conversion to their party is. They note that Moreno stands by Tait even though there is a genuine progressive Democrat in good standing in the race, Lorri Galloway. “This is very fishy,” as one Democrat observer put it, wondering if Tait, Vanderbilt, Pettibone, and Moreno are colluding to dilute the Republican vote for Eastman and Murray so that Moreno can get elected to the council and help Tait put more independent charter schools on city property, “such as the GOALs charter school recently approved by the Anaheim City School District, without any consultation with the City of Anaheim regarding use of a city-owned property.”
Moreno’s staunch support of Tait for Mayor has both Republicans and Democrats suspicious. No mean feat.
So this is anonymous Republican quoting anonymous Democrat about supposed Democratic opposition to the Real Jose Moreno? That’s so charming — and convincing!
Moreno knows that the race is between Tait and Kring. He chose the one who doesn’t think that shooting Latino boys to avoid a trial is a good thing, — and doesn’t think that Latinos don’t deserve any more presence on City Council than they have right now. It’s hard for any Democrat who doesn’t secretly want Kring to beat Tait — as the more corruption-friendly ones do — to blame Moreno for that choice.
For those watching on the sidelines, this is the same Greg Diamond currently suing the city in an effort to stop tourism expansion. Tait is ideologically aligned with him and the comments here are a shallow attempt to diffuse the Tait camp’s growing concern that voters will see the clear linkage between liberal Moreno and “My Dad bought my conservative credentials” Tait.
This is hilarious. The only Democrats and Republicans rendered “suspicious” by Jose’s support of Tom are Democrats like Chmielewski and Republicans like Matt.
Wow that is a pretty nice house in a cush neighborhood…clearly Jose is a man of the people.
You’re right, what’s an uppity Mexican doing working his way into the middle class? Makes me mad too…
For what it’s worth (assuming this gets printed) my comments make more sense when there aren’t sentences cut out of them.
If you think you’re comments don’t make sense absent attacks on the character of others, then maybe your comments don’t make sense, period.
There’s obvious bad blood between Moreno and Galloway; but Moreno overstates how much Tait “fights” for things. Tait is incapable of compromise and his management style is it’s his way or no way which doesn’t lend itself well to good governance.
Given Diamond’s declaration that Galloway isn’t a viable candidate at the DPOC meeting last night is bull; she’s never lost an election for city office. But its hard to see that with Tait-colored glasses on. Then again, Tait is the only sure vote on the council to agree to pay Greg’s legal fees from the CATER suits. So perhaps its worth Greg’$ time to $troke Tait’$ ego.
This the same Greg Diamond that tried to ask central committee members to donate $5,000. to GOTV efforts in Missouri? While OCDEM are in the fight of it’s life in a couple of local elections here.
I predict by the end of this election season, he will have worn out his welcome completely. Watching the likes of Amezcua and Ken Arnold cringe when Greg speaks (or tries to) speaks volumes. Luckily he’s got his brother in law to hang with, who I predict will sell him out when push comes to shove.