Go, Moorlach!

Even if you’re not from Orange County, you might have heard of John Moorlach. He’s the accountant who pointed out, back in 1994, that Orange County’s government was headed for bankruptcy. Nobody listened. Then the bankruptcy occurred. He then was appointed treasurer/tax collector, later winning election to the job.

Now he’s an O.C. Supervisor and is warning that, unless the Lucullan pensions of the county’s government workers are cut, the county faces another bankruptcy. The Register reports today:

Supervisor John Moorlach is expected to announce today that he will seek a pension overhaul that will slice public-safety employees’ benefits by one-third, a move applauded by some top Republicans but one that will be deepen Moorlach’s divisions with the unions.

Actually, knowing that something just like this reform was coming, the unions ran a big campaign against him last year, yet he still won 70% of the vote. As the Oakland Tribune noted just after the June 2006 election:

Moorlach was close to being a single-issue candidate, and his issue was pensions. Orange County’s pension system for its government workers is generous — and underfunded.

The situation is simple, really: pensions or bankruptcy. What about tax increases? This is Orange County, so forgetaboutit.

By the way, it’s too bad Orange County is in California. In any other, less socialist state, Moorlach would be a shoo-in for governor or senator. Instead we get these budgetary bozos like Wilson, Davis, and Arnold who would flunk a 2nd-grade math class.

(The add below is from Moorlach’s 2006 campaign.)