It looks like Irvine Republicans may have finally developed their own alternative to the Hometown Voter Guide.
The Irvine City, School and Neighborhood Leaders Committee (ICSNLC) has paid for $28,011 worth of independent expenditures opposing Beth Krom, $7,612 to oppose Mary-Anne Gaido, another $7,612 to oppose Sukhee Kang, and $17,465 in support of Christina Shea. Krom is Irvine's Mayor, Kang is a Councilmember, and Gaido is Planning Commissioner; the three are campaigning together as “The Great Park Team“.
Christina Shea, Bill Mavity and John Duong oppose the Great Park Team, and are running together as “Team Irvine“. Shea is running for re-election to the Irvine City Council, Duong wants to oust Krom as mayor, and Mavity would replace Gaido as PC.
In addition to their IE's benefitting Team Irvine, ICSNLC also gave money to the Yes on 90 Campaign and The Official Non-Partisan Voter Guide of California, a product of Gilliard Blanning Wysocki that is self-described as “your first choice in reaching conservative and independent voters.” It is in no way official, it is in no way non-partisan, and it isn't much of a guide, but other than that the name is accurate.
Something worth noticing: There are no expenditures supporting John Duong, though there are tens of thousands of dollars spent opposing his opponent (Krom) and supporting his ally (Shea). Duong works as Executive Vice President at Bridgecreek Development. The CEO, founder and president of Bridgecreek is Frank Jao, a member of the Lincoln Club's Board of Directors. ICSNLC's list of contributors is almost entirely composed of Lincoln Club leaders as well as various holdings and associates of Frank Jao.
- Mel W. Trudell – President, Custom Comfort Mattresses – $500 – Board Member
- Robert W. Loewen – Gibson, Dunn N Crutcher – $1000 – Vice President
- Henley Properties – Doy B. Henley – $5000 – PAC Chair
- Richard K. Wagner – RKW Development – $2500 – President
- Charles P. “Chip” Hanlon – Delta Global – $5000 – Board Member
- Spach Capaldi Waggaman – Michael D. Capaldi – $1000 – Board of Counselors
- TD Service Company – Dale L. Dykema – $1000 – Board of Counselors
- Hensel Phelps Construction – Wayne S. Lindholm – $1000 – Secretary
- David Kramer – Kramer Lawson – $2000 – Nominating Committee Chair
- Bridgecreek Realty – Frank Jao – $5000 – Board Member
JAO-RELATED CONTRIBUTIONS
- Felicia Jao – Bridgecreek Development – $5000
- Dover II Ltd – Agent for Service of Process = Jao – $5000
- Liberty Square – Agent for Service of Process = Jao – $5000
- Asian Village I – Agent for Service of Process = Jao – $5000
- Huntington Partners LLC – Agent for Service of Process = Jao – $5000
- US Millennium LP – Agent for Service of Process = Jao – $5000
- Chieu Le – Lee's Sandwiches – $5000
- Trung Dung – Bush appointee to Vietnam Education Foundation – $5000
In January, Le and Jao donated $1 Million for a building at Coastline Community College: the Le-Jao Building. They're close. Dung and Jao are both Bush-appointed members of the Vietnam Education Foundation, of which Jao is chairman.
Another contributor, Ngai X. Nguyen, is Chairman of the Viet Heritage Foundation. Jao's VEF and Nguyen's VHF are involved in similar issues, but this connection seems to be more Duong-related; Duong is listed as a co-founder of the VHF's Vietnamese-American National Gala 2005.
When asked about the ICSNLC and Jao's contributions, John Duong replied, “I found out about it last week as well. I have not had a follow-up conversation. I'm just trying to concentrate on my [precinct] walks. I'm walking at least eight hours a day, and I'll let any other business take care of itself.”
