Democrats lead OC supervisor races as budget and CEO decisions await

Democrats were on track to retain their Orange County Board of Supervisors majority as ballot counting continued Thursday, according to Voice of OC. The next board faces an unresolved long-term CEO appointment and a growing structural budget imbalance.

The unresolved long-term CEO appointment follows two years of repeated deadlocks among supervisors. Former county CEO Michelle Aguirre warned that the structural budget imbalance was increasing by tens of millions of dollars annually, while a majority of supervisors have called for a more transparent budget process.

Incumbent Supervisor Katrina Foley held nearly 52% of the vote in the Fifth District race as of 5 p.m. Thursday, Voice of OC reported. She led Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon by more than 7,600 votes.

In the Fourth District, Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut had nearly 51% of the vote and a lead of just over 2,000 votes against Tim Shaw, a Republican Board of Education trustee. The registrar was still counting ballots, and neither race was final.

Those leads put Democrats on course to keep control of the board for the next two years, according to Voice of OC. The board's long-term CEO selection remained unresolved after supervisors repeatedly failed to agree on an appointment.

Aguirre, the former county CEO, warned that the county's structural budget imbalance was growing by tens of millions of dollars each year. A majority of supervisors also publicly criticized the budget process as lacking transparency and sought changes, Voice of OC reported.

County budget staff had not answered the publication's questions about those calls for change. The next board also faces unresolved questions about increased daily trash deliveries to a landfill near south Orange County homes, chemical herbicide use in creeks and the future of corruption investigations.

With votes still being counted, Democratic control remained a likely outcome rather than a settled result. Decisions on county leadership, budget transparency and the other unresolved issues await the next board.