In her filing for Congress in CA-47, Joanna Weiss revealed a new home address — a pricey two-bedroom, two-bath 1,400 square foot apartment on the water in Corona Del Mar that has a lofty monthly rent that’s about twice the price of a similar apartment in Irvine…but hey, it’s on the water and those sailboats look nice. I have a copy of the filing but won’t publish it because she doesn’t need to be doxxed over this.
The Weiss family still appears to retain the family home in San Juan Capistrano.
Weiss is using the Mimi Walters playbook; back in 2012, ther former Congresswoman was a candidate for State Senate and was residing in a ginormous mansion in Laguna Niguel. She rented a 575-square foot studio apartment in Irvine and claimed it as her primary domicile. Then Democratic candidate Steve Young pulled a brilliant maneuver — he sent a flower arrangement to the residence and took a photo daily until the vase was filled with wilting blooms. It proved that Walters wasn’t residing there and Young tried to have Walters removed from the ballot over her residence fraud. It didn’t work and Walters wound up winning that election.
Former Assembly Representative Steven Choi did the same thing in 2010; he rented a one bedroom home in Woodbridge, inside the Assembly district and had his family of four all registered to vote from the apartment while his spacious Woodbury home was a few miles away. Choi’s opponent in the primary, former Tustin Mayor Jerry Amante, used our post to challenge Choi’s residency. Both lost to now supervisor Don Wagner. The difference with Choi’s run is that he was one street away from the assembly border line and was running to represent a majority of voters he already represented on the city council. His mistake — registering his family of four in a one bedroom apartment.
But rules for Congress are different than state office and you don’t have to live in the district to represent it. The move allows Weiss to belatedly say she kept her promise to move into the district, but it was supposed to be last Summer, followed by September, then October. How many nights she spends there is another question.
Just in time to have a front seat at the Christmas boat parade!
It changes nothing for this voter. I am a pro-labor, pro-teacher, pro-public schools, pro-choice, pro-climate, pro-gun control and pro-democracy voter.
Dave Min is the only Dem candidate who has run successfully run for office. And he has brought back tax $$$$ for this district while in the State Senate and delivered legislatively on all of the issues I care about.
And I’m not sure the label is totally shed. Carpetbagger also means political opportunist. If she’s such a strong candidate, why not run for office in the district where she really lives? If she’s such a strong candidate, why has she been universally rejected by labor? If she’s such a strong candidate, why did she lose the Party endorsement?
The GOP has been focusing their attacks on Min because Weiss is the opponent they want.