Tim Shaw’s campaign for the Orange County Board of Supervisors gains momentum with endorsements from Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung, one of his opponents in the June primary, and OCTax PAC, the political arm of the Orange County Taxpayers Association.
The endorsements come as Shaw heads into a November runoff with Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut for the open 4th District seat. The district covers much of North Orange County, including Fullerton, Brea, Buena Park, La Habra, Placentia and parts of Anaheim.
Jung’s support could give Shaw a boost with a sizable bloc of voters. In the June 2 primary, Jung finished last in the four-candidate field with 17.6% of the vote, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters’ final Statement of Vote. Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut finished first with 33.3%, followed by Shaw with 31.3% and Rose Espinoza with 17.9%. Traut and Shaw advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
“I have endorsed Tim Shaw for Orange County Supervisor, because I believe he can be a strong advocate for Fullerton residents at the County level,” Jung said.
Shaw thanked Jung for his support and for his service to Fullerton.
“Fred cares deeply about his community, and I appreciate his willingness to work together on the issues that matter to North Orange County families,” Shaw said. “As Supervisor, I will work with leaders throughout the district to strengthen public safety, address homelessness, improve our roads and infrastructure, support local businesses, and ensure county government is accountable to the taxpayers it serves.”
Jung ran in the primary with notable support from the business and public-safety communities. The Orange County Lincoln Club, the Fullerton Firefighters Association, and the police officers associations of Fullerton, La Habra and Placentia endorsed Jung. Jung switched his registration from Democrat to No Party Preference before the race.
The OCTax PAC endorsement burnishes to Shaw’s fiscal conservative credentials at a time of tightening local government budgets.
The two endorsements add to a list of supporters Shaw has built since launching his campaign. Those include U.S. Rep. Young Kim, state Sens. Steven Choi and Tony Strickland, and Assembly members Phillip Chen, Tri Ta, Laurie Davies, Diane Dixon and Kate Sanchez, along with the Republican Party of Orange County and the California Republican Assembly. His campaign website also lists an endorsement from Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.
Traut, a Democrat, is endorsed by Supervisors Doug Chaffee, Katrina Foley and Vicente Sarmiento, the Orange County Democratic Party and the Buena Park Police Association.
The race could decide who controls the board. It is one of two runoffs that will determine whether Democrats keep their majority on the Board of Supervisors or Republicans retake it. Incumbent Doug Chaffee is term-limited.
This is Shaw’s second run for the seat. He lost to Chaffee in 2018, 50.4% to 49.6%.
Shaw is president of the Orange County Board of Education and has previously served as mayor of La Habra and chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority. He lives in La Habra with his wife, Shannon, and their six sons.
