A win for working families in District 2

OCEA Board members Patty Hernandez and John Sincock campaigning and Supervisor-elect Katrina Foley.

Dear OCEA member,

Costa Mesa Mayor and OCEA-endorsed candidate Katrina Foley has won the special election for Orange County’s Second Supervisorial District! Her main opponent, former Supervisor John Moorlach, conceded his defeat to Supervisor-elect Foley last night as ballots were counted.

Katrina defeated a field of four candidates in a hotly contested race to see who would fill the seat vacated when Michelle Steel was elected to Congress last November.

It's a sweet victory for OCEA members and for all working families in Orange County. The defeat of an anti-worker candidate like John Moorlach shows once again the importance of standing together in our union to defend our workplace rights at the ballot box as well as the bargaining table.

OCEA was joined by a coalition of Labor and community groups adding funding and a strong ground game that included OCEA Board members, Stewards, scores of OCEA members, retirees, and staff. Activities included campaigning, phone banking, and canvassing. We did it!

But this wasn't just about defeating Moorlach. Katrina Foley is highly qualified and has stood with working families for more than a decade as a City Council member and Mayor of Costa Mesa. Last night was a win for good government and a huge victory for the County workers she will help lead.

On what must have been a busy morning, the supervisor-elect’s first call was to OCEA to thank the union and its members for their support in the special election. Katrina then went to work requesting information on our MOUs, the union’s priority projects, and she requested monthly meetings with OCEA leadership. It was a great conversation with an elected official where a respectful and long-standing relationship has been built.

We can't wait to work together with Supervisor-elect Foley, our long-time friend, to make County government better for its residents and dedicated public servants like you.

In Solidarity,

Charles Barfield

OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: March 10, 2021