Harper, Carchio file campaign papers
Huntington Beach Mayor Matthew Harper and Councilman Joe Carchio recently filed their campaign paperwork with the Orange County registrar of voters to run in the June 3 primary for higher office.
Harper is vying for a place in the Assembly, while Carchio wants a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Carchio hopes to succeed John Moorlach as the supervisor for District 2, which covers Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Cypress, La Palma, Los Alamitos and Stanton, and parts of Fountain Valley and Buena Park.
The Surf City councilman will challenge California Board of Equalization Vice Chairwoman Michelle Steel, Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa), Coast Community College District Trustee Jim Moreno, former Huntington Beach Mayor Don Hansen and resident Alan Schlar. Only Hansen and Schlar haven’t filed candidate statements.
“All I care about is the welfare of the [Huntington Beach] and the surrounding cities, and I liked to be involved,” Carchio said.
He was recently named chairman of the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission and serves on the Orange County Sanitation and Vector Control districts.
“I’m well-rounded, and I’m probably the most experienced guy for the job because I see what’s going on here,” Carchio said. “You really need to be connected with the community, whether it’s this community or Newport Beach, Corona del Mar or Costa Mesa.”
He added that Steel’s endorsements don’t faze him. She has received support from supervisors Janet Nguyen, Pat Bates and Shawn Nelson, as well as Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and the Orange County Young Republicans.
“Endorsements to me don’t seem to be that important,” Carchio said. “They’re nice to have, but they don’t mean everything.”
Assembly district race
Harper is also confident in his campaign to succeed Mansoor in the 74th Assembly District, which comprises Huntington, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine and Laguna Woods.
The Surf City mayor will go up against Newport Councilman Keith Curry, 2010 Laguna Beach City Council candidate Emanuel Patrascu, 2012 Santa Ana City Council candidate Karina Onofre and Irvine resident and middle school teacher Anila Ali. Patrascu and Onofre have yet to file their candidate statements.
The California Republican Assembly, which is known to be the most conservative organization of the Republican Party in the state, recently endorsed Harper.
He said he received 82% of the votes from the group, which is made up of various clubs throughout the district.
“It wasn’t like one side of the district was represented and the others weren’t,” Harper said. “That means that not only did activists in Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and south Orange County listen to the issues, but with that vote, even the folks that are in the Corona del Mar Republican Assembly were voting for me.”