Former Republican state assemblyman and recalled Capistrano Unified School District trustee Ken Lopez-Maddox announced today he wants to return to public office, this time as the Orange County public administrator.
The county has been without a public administrator since February, when John Williams retired amid accusations of mismanagement. The public administrator handles the estates of people who die without a will or trust.
With a master’s in management and a 17-year career in law enforcement, Lopez-Maddox spent six years in the state Assembly after being elected in 1998.
He won election to the Capo school board in 2008 as part of a recall campaign, but was recalled himself in November 2010.
He is also a blogger at the Aliso Viejo Patch.
Orange County voters had a chance to make the public administrator’s job an appointed position but voted to keep it an elected post by defeating Measure A. The next election for the position will be in 2014.
The Grand Jury in 2009 excoriated Williams' management of the administrator office, according to the Voice of OC. The office once employed OC District Attorney Tony Rackauckas' fiancee, an issue that came up in the DA's firing of his political acolyte-cum-rival Todd Spitzer.
News agencies, including the Voice, have reported that the firing decision came after Spitzer's inquiries into the alleged dysfunction of the administrator's office, which exposed the OC government to massive liability, an outside attorney for the county said.
Finally, after legal posturing, getting locked out of his own office and private negotiations with supervisors, Williams officially resigned in February, leaving technocrats to man the office.
“I have decided to enter the race for public administrator because our county needs an official with a proven track record as a trusted public servant,” said Lopez- Maddox in a press release.
“As the public administrator, I will effectively manage the staff of technical experts charged with handling the complex financial and legal issues involved to protect the interests of Orange County citizens.”
During his tenure in the State Legislature, Lopez- Maddox was the Republican lead on the investigation of malfeasance at the Department of Insurance that led to the removal of Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, according to his press release. He also served on the Assembly Speaker’s Commission on Police Conduct, authored the California Safe Surrender Law and received the Order of California from the Governor for his efforts on behalf of military veterans.
Please confirm or deny. From where did your name "Lopez" originate? Thank you in advance for your reply.
(Note: I've never met Mr. Lopez-Maddox or had any correspondence with him. But I have a brain and have seen what has happened to this district because of kowtowing to union demands at the expense of kids' education (laying off teachers, unconscionable class sizes, cutting of academic and extracurricular programs) all to maintain unsustainable teacher salaries.
Class sizes went up when Lopez-Maddox was on the board and teachers were laid off and programs cut. Mr. Lopez-Maddox voted to award his campaign supporters district money instead recusing himself like 3 other trustees did. He should have recused himself because of the conflict of interest whatever the vote should or should not have been.
For the umpteenth time, Mr. L-M did not have legal standing to claim a conflict of interest. The suit was filed in 2008, before he was seated. Yes, he tried to avoid having to vote on the settlement, but the CUSD attorneys said he had to vote one way or another. You keep repeating the same half-truth over and over. You are starting to sound like Chris Korpi's parrot.
Then why was Sue Palazzo who was elected at the same time as Maddox able to recuse herself?
"Capistrano trustees authorized that agreement Sept. 15 in a 4-0 vote, with trustees Ellen Addonizio, Larry Christensen and Sue Palazzo abstaining from the vote." Tuesday, September 29, 2009, Capo Unified pays $653,350 to settle 'enemies list' lawsuits, By SCOTT MARTINDALE,The Orange County Register
Regardless of the legal standing, do you really feel that the settlement was a political payback to his contributors? Would you have rather seen him and the others vote “no” and then have it go to trial? A $10M judgment was just levied against CUSD for a wrongful death action. Juries love to hand out other people’s money, if they feel the plaintiffs have been wronged. Couldn’t something like that have happened in this situation? What would you have said then, Shelly? Why wasn’t Jack Brick attacked after he voted for the settlement? This was nothing but a political witch hunt against LM and Winsten.
I do not feel that Trustee Bryson or Brick should have voted either. They were supported by these families and they voted to award them money. This is a fact. Three trustees abstained because of conflict of interest which they should have. They all had a conflict of interest. I am not involved in any decisions made by any organization. I check things out for myself. I am a parent of children who attend CUSD schools. I volunteer, try to attend board meetings, talk to other parents, read, and stay involved in my children's education.
Shelly Classes sizes go up every year because that is used to pay for everything the CUSD budget cannot. We have the highest class sizes in the nation.
When our state (we the people) spends less per child then most other states and keep cutting the education budget every year then that is what happens. And, Dawn, it is not the employees fault or the unions fault that the budget keeps getting cut.