SRA Decides on Direction

In addition to hosting Brad Dacus of Pacific Justice Institute as speaker for its June 16 meeting, Saddleback Republican Assembly attracted an unexpected visitor.

SRA’s board of directors met prior to the regular meeting, deciding to center on California Republican Assembly’s conservative values and 2012 presidential issues. Board members also agreed to disengage from endorsing city council candidates. The membership approved the board’s plans during the June 16 regular meeting.

SRA has traditionally endorsed city council candidates who appear to align with its beliefs. The unit’s June 16 decision was nearly unanimous to stop endorsing council candidates. Those favoring the change said the process had become so contentious it split the group. As other reasons, SRA members said some people had joined only to interfere with the process.

As an example of the latter, a group of newcomers attended an SRA endorsing meeting in 2004 when Frank Ury first ran for Mission Viejo City Council. Immediately prior to the deadline to vote, a flood of new members signed up, mostly residents of Lake Forest brought in by a Ury supporter. Some who tried to join weren’t Republicans and others didn’t know Ury, but they all knew Scott Voigts. Despite the effort, Ury didn’t get the required two-thirds vote for endorsement. However, newcomers blocked an incumbent from being endorsed to level the field for Ury.

While no challengers have announced they’ll run in the 2012 Mission Viejo city election, at least two Republicans are posturing. Wendy Bucknum made a big splash by campaigning for a Democrat in the 2010 city election, and she worked against the MacLean recall and Measure D (Mission Viejo Right To Vote). Greg Woodard aligned with the same side. It is likely that neither Bucknum nor Woodard would have SRA’s support.

Woodard was appointed to the OC Republican Central Committee in January, replacing Jack Anderson, who moved to Illinois. Woodard got the appointment because Voigts lobbied for him. Woodard was unknown to committee members, and he hadn’t worked in any Republican campaign in his own 71st Assembly District. According to Voigts, Woodard worked in Don Wagner’s campaign. In exchange for a short stint of campaigning, Woodard was chosen over longtime, dedicated GOP workers who wanted the position. Walter Myers of Tustin is just one example of a deserving volunteer.

The big surprise on June 16 was Voigts’ arrival midway through the SRA meeting. It was his first time to face SRA members since his lawsuit against the CRA. It is rumored that Scot Voights had been procuring CRA endorsements in exchange for other favors for years which explained why he was adamant about getting his delegates seated from phony units (clubs that exist only on paper).

Voigts arrived at the SRA meeting wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a Police Deputies Union baseball cap. It was one thing for him to attend a conservative Republican meeting wearing a union cap, but the union he was advertising spent $100,000 trying to defeat the MacLean recall, which SRA endorsed.

Why did Voigts attend the June 16 meeting? He probably got a phone call or text message, alerting him that council endorsements – including the one he intended to manipulate for Woodard – were evaporating.