OC District Attorney candidate Pete Hardin is catching criticism over a social media photo of him with former Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna, who was forced to resign in 2019 following a felony conviction for election fraud.
Hardin is a political progressive who has promised never prosecuting minors as adults “as another way to root out systemic racism” and to opposing the death penalty, applying sentence enhancements for gang membership or use of a gun; and holding criminals on cash bail.
In 2018, Reyna had falsified his residency in order to run for city council from Ward 4, when he actually lived in Ward 5. He won election from Ward 4 in November 2018. However, newly sworn-in District Attorney Todd Spitzer investigated a legal challenge to Reyna’s residency filed by his opponent, Phil Becerra, and ultimately prosecuted and convicted Reyna.
In addition to resigning his seat and agreeing never to run for office again, Reyna was also order reimburse the County of Orange for the half-a-million cost of conducting a special election to fill the council vacancy created by his resignation.
Reyna, who recently opened party supply business, has not yet paid the money back.
He was also ordered to pay Bacerra’s $38,213 in legal fees. According to Bacerra, Reyna has repaid only a fraction of that amount.
The photo has been making the rounds of Orange County political circles and raising eyebrows.
OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer pounced on the photo of evidence of Hardin being soft on crime.
“My opponent is campaigning with Roman Reyna, whom I convicted for residency fraud and who resigned from council in Santa Ana,” said Spitzer. “A special election cost Santa Ana taxpayers hundreds if thousands, which Roman never paid back to the city.”
“Hardin does stand with criminals,” said Spitzer.
OC Independent contacted the Hardin campaign for comment on the photo, and whether campaigning with a convicted felon squares with the progressive Democrat’s pledge to “restore accountability and integrity to the District Attorney’s Office.”
Hardin campaign spokesman max Szabo declined to comment. Szabo was spokesman LA County District Attorney George Gascon for six years while the latter was the DA in San Francisco. Gascon is currently the target of an active campaign to recall him over his refusal to prosecute of range of crimes.
The photo was posted by Santa Ana Councilman Johnathan Hernandez, who has made criticism of law enforcement a centerpiece of his council tenure.
Also in the photo is Santa Ana Mayor Vince Sarmiento, who generally charted a more middle course during his long council tenure before veering sharply left for his 2020 run for mayor. Sarmiento is running for the Orange County Board of Supervisors from District 2.
Earlier this year, Sarmiento sent an e-mail to Democratic Party of Orange County boasting he “shifted funds from Police Department strike force to youth investment, crime prevention, and improved training.”
The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs recently jumped into District 2 supervisor race on behalf of one of Sarmiento’s opponents, Garden Grove Councilmember Kim Bernice Nguyen, spending $24,590 on an independent expenditure on her behalf.
