Irvine Council member Melissa Fox has been a Democratic Party of Orange County Central Committee member longer than she’s been a city council member; she was the top vote getter among incumbents for AD-68 in the 2016 DPOC Central Committee election prior to her election to Council. And presumably, she knows party rules when it comes to endorsements of Party-backed candidates.
Prior to the State Party Convention in San Diego, Fox endorsed Katie Porter for Congress in CD-45; Fox cast a vote for Porter in the formal CD-45 caucus won narrowly by Min and upheld after a challenge. As a Central Committee member and a CDP delegate, Fox was then obligated to withdraw her endorsement of Porter.
She didn’t.
At the April DPOC meeting, Region 18 director Deborah Sturnik reviewed the endorsement rules and responsibilities required of each Central Committee member. Ignore Greg Diamond’s description of said events on OJ Blopg because Sturnik siply reminded those in the room of their obligations on Central Committee to endorsed party candidates because that’s her job as Region 18 Leader. Fox, in the room to usher Party support for a Yes on Measure B resolution (which is fully funded by a grant to OCVMP Foundation through Heritage Fields aka FivePoint), heard every word Sturnik uttered. For most Central Committee members, a review on the endorsement rules wasn’t an issue. It doesn’t impact who you vote for when you mark your ballot, but public endorsements must follow party rules.
Fox had not rescinded her endorsement of Porter in CD-45 after the convention or after the April party meeting. Porter announced the Fox endorsement at a weekend event attended by Fox who offered no correction to Porter’s claims. Sources tell TheLiberalOC Fox was asked to rescind the Porter endorsement after the convention and did not.
And now the DPOC has a pickle to deal with because there are party rules and party bylaws that were violated.
DPOC – Article II. Membership; Section 5. Associates. Section 6. Removal
A. The office of any member, alternate or associate, may be declared vacant by resolution of the County Committee if any member, alternate or associate, affiliates with or registers as a member of another party, publicly advocates that voters not vote for an endorsed nominee of the Democratic Party, gives support or avows a preference for a candidate of another party or a candidate who is opposed to a candidate nominated and endorsed by this party.
Fox is in Alaska this weekend with her son and will, according to sources, formally rescind her endorsement of Porter, presumably without penalty. Even if the delay/recision hurt party-endorsed candidate Dave Min as vote-by-mail ballots arrive.
There are several Central Committee Members upset that the rules everyone else is following won’t be enforced which creates a two-tier standard for Party rules. Everyone is supposed to follow them. But some members can skirt the rules without consequence. This is wrong.
Readers will recall the Fox/Min saga began earlier this year with North County Vice Chair Jeff Letourneau contacting Min to bully him into endorsing Fox’s policies in Irvine. By doing so, Min would garner Fox’s endorsement or else his name would be “dragged through the mud.” Sources within the Min campaign said Min didn’t flinch, he stood up to Fox and Letourneau, and he got the formal party endorsement anyway. But Fox never rescinded her endorsement of Porter in the same race, and by not doing so, places the party in the awkward position of enforcing its rules to remove a member over a clear violation of party rules.
Or is Fox above party rules? Let’s see how this plays out.