The powerful Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS) is weighing in on the hotly contested 2nd Supervisor District race on behalf of Garden Grove Councilmember Kim Bernice Nguyen, the 30-year old Garden Grove Councilmember.
Earlier today, the AOCDS filed a Form 497 notification it had spent $24,590 on a mailer urging 2nd District voters to support the 30-year old councilmember:
Santa Ana Mayor Vince Sarmiento has been widely considered the front-runner in the race given he is the mayor of the largest city in the district, and has won several citywide electoral contests. More than 50% of District 2 voters live in Santa Ana.
Sarmiento charted a mostly center-left course during most of his long career on the Santa Ana City Council. He made a hard left turn in 2020, however, when the nationwide urban protests and riots following the George Floyd murder seemed to presage pre-eminence for the social justice Left in politics. During his 2020 mayoral campaign, Sarmiento allied himself with a slate of young progressive Left councilmembers who were markedly hostile to law enforcement – and who narrowly won election.
Sarmiento’s sister Vickie is co-representing the family of Brandon Lopez in their $20 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Anaheim Police Department in Lopez shooting death following an vehicle pursuit and hours-long stand-off. Vince Sarmiento has an ownership interest in his sister’s law practice and stands to benefit financially from any settlement.
The political tide has shifted since then and public attitudes toward criminal justice have hardened with the rapid rise in crime.
The deep-pocketed union’s decision to intervene in the race has prompted intense speculation in Orange County political circles as to its reasoning in backing Nguyen. Some have expressed surprise since one of the other candidates is former Santa Ana Councilman Juan Villegas, as 30-year law enforcement veteran and former special officer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Furthermore, Nguyen is firmly planted on the Left of the political spectrum.
Among insiders with whom OC Independent spoke, the initial consensus is AOCDS doesn’t want Sarmiento elected, polled the race to assess which candidate had the best shot of both keeping him from winning in June and beating him in November, and acted accordingly.
OC Independent has since learned a poll was recently conducted in which only two questions were asked. Both were head-to-head choices matching Nguyen and Villegas against Sarmiento. The common assumption is the poll was paid for by the AOCDS.
The question of the moment is whether the AOCDS will confine its efforts to boosting Nguyen, or employ them in trying to damage Sarmiento with voters.
