Jack Guerrero for California treasurer
It’s a troubling sign of California’s one-party dominated politics that the race for state treasurer is unlikely to be much of a contest even though the incumbent has shown herself unusually prone to scandal. That raises concern given that, as the state’s top asset manager and financier, the treasurer should operate beyond reproach.
The November general election pits Democrat Fiona Ma against Republican Jack Guerrero. Ma is the current treasurer and Guerrero is a City Council member in the tiny Los Angeles County burg of Cudahy. In the June 7 open primary, Ma lined up the usual Democratic establishment backing, raised more than $1 million and ended up with 57 percent of the vote.
Despite raising less than $10,000 — pocket change in a statewide election — Guerrero solidly won the secondplace slot. He bested Orange County GOP Supervisor Andrew Do by five percentage points even though Do spent serious cash. We took the rare step of not endorsing any primary candidate.
Ma, we noted, sponsored legislation that tried to help a controversial police union president dramatically boost his income by turning his union work into pensionable pay. It showed terrible judgment to use her position to benefit one influential person.
Separately, Ma denies sexual-harassment
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and wrongful-termination allegations leveled by a former employee, but she has attracted too many controversies.
Do has the reputation as the “Darth Vader of Government Transparency” given his preference for secrecy as OC supervisor — a deal killer in a position that manages a $3.2-trillion portfolio. He may have been better than the Peace and Freedom Party’s Meghann Adams — a school-bus driver and selfdescribed socialist — but not by much.
We didn’t back Guerrero in the primary because he was an unfunded longshot in a crowded field. But there’s no question he has the financial background and fiscal knowhow to professionally run the treasurer’s office. His resume is impressive. He is a CPA, Stanford economics graduate and corporate adviser who has audited municipal governments. He helped expose a financial scandal in his city.
Guerrero has a marketbased philosophy, is a strong advocate for pension reform and understands the state’s long-term financial challenges. He obviously remains a longshot. Recent reports show Ma with a $2 million war chest and Guerrero with less pocket change than before. But in a twoperson race where one ought not to hold that post, he gets our nod.
We endorse Jack Guerrero for state treasurer.
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