OC primary heats up as outside cash, new supervisor loom on June 2

Orange County's June 2 primary is drawing millions in outside campaign spending and will guarantee a new county supervisor on the board for the first time in years, as the region's political landscape continues to shift toward purple, Voice of OC reported Friday.

The competitive primary slate reflects a broader realignment: Democrats have edged ahead of Republicans in OC voter registration for the first time in decades, turning a longtime GOP stronghold into a battleground that is attracting national attention and deep-pocketed outside groups ahead of key Assembly, supervisor and treasurer contests.

The most closely watched countywide contest is the Third District supervisor seat vacated by term-limited Doug Chaffee, where incumbent Supervisor Katrina Foley is running for reelection against Assemblywoman Diane Dixon. A separate race pits incumbent Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari Friedenrich against challenger Dana Schultz, according to Voice of OC.

Assembly races across the county have attracted millions in outside group spending. With Democrats now holding a slight edge in voter registration over Republicans, national political players have identified OC as territory worth the investment, pushing campaign spending to levels rarely seen in past local primaries.

In Santa Ana, city officials are weighing an ordinance that would bar police officers from moonlighting as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — a proposal that underscores rising tension over the extent to which local law enforcement should cooperate with federal immigration operations. The debate carries particular weight in a city where a substantial share of residents are immigrants.

Huntington Beach faces a $50,000-per-month fine until it adopts a state-approved housing element. Separately, city officials were penalized for failing to disclose Pacific Airshow tickets they received, and the city suspended its public relations and rebranding contract bidding process, Voice of OC reported.

Westminster approved a ban on the recreational sale of whippets — nitrous oxide canisters — while the city of Orange reopened Hart Park Pool on a year-round schedule after shifting operations to an outside contractor to reduce costs. At the county level, supervisors Janet Nguyen and Don Wagner have publicly questioned who had the authority to order a pause on herbicide applications on county-owned land.

A federally mandated homeless count showed OC's unhoused population has shrunk, though the full methodology of the count has not been publicly released, according to Voice of OC.

Early voting is already underway ahead of June 2. Results in the Assembly, supervisor and treasurer races could reshape the balance of power in one of California's most populous counties for years to come.