The Inland Empire Republican state assemblyman who blamed “Orange County Republicans” and “Newport Beach activists” for an unsuccessful recall attempt against him will not win reelection this year.
That's because Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia) won't be on the ballot.
“The decision to leave the Legislature was a difficult one as I have
enjoyed and been honored to represent the people of San Bernardino and
Los Angeles Counties,” reads a statement Adams released through the Assembly Republican Caucas. “But, I'm at a time in my life where I'd like to move on to new challenges and new opportunities.”
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Corona del Mar attorneys Mike Schroeder and Lee Lowrey lost their bid to recall their fellow Republican last month after California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced not enough valid signatures had been gathered to qualify the measure for the ballot.
Adams had drawn the ire of Lowrey, of Orange
County-based Atlas PAC, and Schroeder, formerly the chairman of
the California Republican Party and power behind disgraced ex-Orange
County Sheriff Mike Carona's
throne, because the legislator was one of five Republicans who joined
Democrats in approving a
February 2009 budget update that included tax hikes. That, recall advocates
claimed, betrayed Adams' signed pledge not to support more taxes.
Adams countered that
the Orange Countians were selfishly trying
to protect their own slice of the financial pie at the expense of less
affluent residents of his 59th Assembly District.
He also called out the hypocrisy of supposed anti-tax crusaders being all for burning more than $1 million of
taxpayer money on a special recall election.
“Given the outpouring of support during the recall,” Adams said in today's statement, “I feel confident
that I would have won re-election in 2010, however, I'd rather spend
all my time focusing on jump starting a sluggish economy and dealing
with the state's budget problems than deal with another campaign.”
He added that the timing of his announcement will
give ample notice to potential candidates in the 59th as well as the voters who will sort out who will best represent them in 2011 and beyond.
“In making this announcement, I want to thank all who stood beside me
during the failed effort to recall me. I appreciate the words of
encouragement, endorsement and financial support and wish I had time to
thank everyone in person who voiced support.”
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.