(Just 588 days until Janet’s next election, when a Democrat will take back the (non-partisan) seat.- Brian

OK, here’s what everyone else is saying… Ryan Gene has a lot so say about Janet and her new job at Orange Juice. And Total Buzz has more on Janet and the GOPers who may want to be her friends again. Stay tuned for more! : ) – promoted by atdleft)

Today, something happened. What we’ve all been waiting for finally happened. Janet Nguyen was FINALLY sworn in as County Supervisor. THANK GAWD I FINALLY HAVE A SUPERVISOR!! But how long will this last? Will she really be able to follow through on her promise to “unite the district” and “represent everyone”?

Follow me after the flip for more…

After all the counting and recounting…
After all the legal battles…
And after all the campaigning, before AND after the election…
It finally came down to this.

Or, as Janet Nguyen said herself:

“It has been a short election, but a very, very, very long Election Day.”

Bill Steiner, the former County Supervisor who is a longtime mentor of Janet, swore her in today. He praised her as a great student when she first took his political science class, and he commented on her track record as a political staffer, and then as a Garden Grove Councilmember. Oh yes, and he responded to an earlier tirade about Janet “not representing everyone” by talking about how she will work hard to represent everyone in the district.

After the swearing-in, Janet addressed the crowd. She thanked her family, her consultants, and her supporters. She still seemed amazed that “only in America can a 30 year-old Vietnamese-American woman be elected” as an Orange County Supervisor. And yes, she pledged to unite the district and represent everyone in the community.

Lou Correa, the man who once sat where Janet sits now, then addressed the crowd, and talked about the reality of representing such a diverse swing district that is OC’s First Supervisorial District.

“Central Orange County is a marketplace of ideas… Every race has been tight. Every race has been debated. I think that’s a good thing. Neither the Democratic Party or the Republican Party can anoint someone.”

After the ceremony ended, I stepped outside to talk with some friends. And just before he left to return to Sacramento, I spoke with Lou… And with Tammy Tran, the political AND policy genius who now works in his district office. While I was speaking with them, I remembered how they have done such a great job at reaching out to the Vietnamese-American community here, as well as everyone else in the district. I guess this strong outreach and these strong ties to the community here in OC are the true strengths of Lou Correa and his political team. But anyways, as I was thinking about this, it dawned on me… That may be what Janet Nguyen might try to repeat.

One of Janet’s GOP supporters suggested that she hire one of Lou’s old aides to help her with her new job. He also said that he expects Janet to hire additional Latino staffers, and to aggressively win some goodwill in Latino-heavy Santa Ana…
So can this be the key to Janet’s success?

She’s now “part of the county family”, but how much of a mark will she make in this hall? I guess we will have to wait and see.

(Hooray, more video from yesterday! Jubal/Matt Cunningham now has VIDEO of the Judge’s decision, along with VIDEO of Janet Nguyen’s press conference, over at OC Blog. : ) – promoted by atdleft)

Ah, finally! No need to revise the agenda…
Janet Nguyen really will be sworn in today as the newest OC Supervisor. The wait is over… It’s just too bad that the drama may not be over quite yet. (From OC Register)

Janet Nguyen will be sworn in tomorrow at the weekly Board of Supervisors meeting. Trung Nguyen ducked the many reporters at the courthouse, but his lawyer, Michael Schroeder, said he expected to file an appeal of the judge’s decision.

“The judge’s ruling was not a surprise,” Schroeder said. “We have to take a look at the judge’s ruling but I anticipate we will file an appeal.”

Janet Nguyen, 30, now becomes the first Asian-American and the youngest ever to sit on the board. She told reporters she was excited, honored and relieved.

“I’m ready – I’ve been ready – to represent the people of the First District,” she said.

Trung Nguyen refused to concede the election and didn’t congratulate Janet Nguyen, who left the courthouse and promptly walked over to the county Hall of Administration. There, she was congratulated by Supervisors John Moorlach, Chris Norby and Pat Bates.

“She’ll be voting tomorrow,” Norby said.

Ah, if only Darth Schroeder, Lord Van Tran, and their loyal lackey Trung can just GIVE IT UP, and LET JANET SERVE FOR GAWD SAKE!! But whatever, they’ll likely lose again with the appeal. I’m just relieved that this whole damn thing is coming to a close, whether they like it or not.

This just in from the OC Republican Party:

Republican Councilwoman Janet Nguyen of Garden Grove won the February 6th – Special Election for the 1st Supervisorial District Vacancy. The seat was previously held by Democrat Lou Correa.

Nguyen will join Republicans John Moorlach, Bill Campbell, Chris Norby and Pat Bates on the Board of Supervisors thus creating an all-Republican governing board not seen in Orange County since 2004. Nguyen also becomes the first elected Vietnamese-American Supervisor in Orange County history.

“On behalf of the Republican Party of Orange County, I would like to congratulate Supervisor-Elect Nguyen in her hard-fought victory,” said County GOP Chairman Scott Baugh. “I commend the hard work of all Republican candidates that worked night and day to increase Republican registration and turnout.”

“Our member communication efforts during this special election played a critical role in the effort to elect a Republican Supervisor. This Supervisorial win will help continue our positive trend in Central Orange County,” said Chairman Baugh.

OK, so I guess now that Trung’s done, the GOPers are getting back into good terms with Janet. I guess we’ll see if all those nasty wounds will begin to heal.

(Thanks to Peggy Lowe at Total Buzz for the video. For more on this developing story, please visit ALL MY FRIENDS at OC Blog, Orange Juice, The Liberal OC, and OC Register’s Total Buzz! : )
– promoted by atdleft)

“There was a full and legal recount,” Brenner said minutes ago. “There was no evidence of gaming the system.”

This just in from Total Buzz:

Judge Michael Brenner just ruled in favor of Janet Nguyen, and denied Trung Nguyen’s claim that the recount was done incorrectly. […]

He also said that he was impressed with how the election was run and there was no sign of malfeasance.

Follow me after the flip for more on this developing story…

Here’s more from Total Buzz:

Chris Norby, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, was on hand for Brenner’s ruling and said Janet Nguyen will be sworn in as supervisor at tomorrow’s board meeting. The meeting will be preceded at 8:30 a.m. with a reception for Janet.

Mike Schroeder, an attorney for Trung Nguyen, said Team Trung will stand clear, legally speaking, and let Janet be sworn in. He said Team Trung hasn’t yet decided whether to appeal today’s ruling, although he favors such action. But even so, that wouldn’t stop Janet from being sworn in and there will be no request for a temporary restraining order.

Well, we know that Norby has been antsy about this… Now, I just hope that the other Supervisors feel the same way, especially since Trung’s legal team is giving the green light for Janet to be sworn in.

And yes, I AM SO RELIEVED THAT I FINALLY HAVE A SUPERVISOR AGAIN!! Yes, Janet wasn’t exactly the one that I was originally rooting for. However, it could have been MUCH, MUCH WORSE. At least Janet has been willing to talk to other people, and to reach reasonable policy conclusions. Trung, on the other hand, would have been a complete GOP machine lackey. After all, remember who supported him…

So would I have been happier with Tom Umberg on the Board of Supes? Perhaps. But still, I’m glad that we won’t have a complete GOP machine hack (NOT) representing our community. And yes, it’s nice to see a hard-working young Vietnamese-American woman win such a high office… It’s just too bad that she resorted to underhanded race-baiting tactics to win.

So I guess this is a bittersweet moment for me. Yes, I am still a little disappointed by these results. But you know what? It could have been worse. Oh yeah, and at least WE FINALLY HAVE A SUPERVISOR REPRESENTING US AGAIN. I guess we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

This just in from Peggy Lowe at OC Register’s Total Buzz news blog:

Could be a big day here at All-Recount-All-The-Time HQ….As Norberto reported on Friday, Team Janet’s lead has slipped to just three votes as Team Trung persuaded Judge Michael Brenner to overrule ROV Neal Kelley on four ballots. Brenner has also promised a decision today. That means, of course, that we might have a swearing-in ceremony at the Board of Supes meeting tomorrow.

OK, so Crybaby Trung begged and groveled enough for the judge to reverse one of the Registrar’s rulings. So now, Janet Nguyen only leads by THREE VOTES…
So will this paper-thin lead be enough to survive today’s legal action…
And will the other four supervisors FINALLY ACT, and seat the Nguyen who won?

Stay tuned for more as the Great OC Political Psychodrama (hopefully) FINALLY COMES TO A CLOSE…

Here are some wild and wonderful stories from behind The Orange Curtain that you just have to see to believe:

– Irvine protesters hold out hope for peace. There may have been only 80 antiwar activists holding their candles for peace last night, but they certainly made an impact. Martin Wisckol has more in today’s Register.

– Gilchrist makes peace with former foe to fight new foes. Apparently, Mr. Minuteman has now hired a former GOP candidate in the 2005 Special Election as his attorney as he battles his former allies in court to retake control of Minuteman Project, Inc. Martin Wisckol also has more on this story in today’s Register.

– How have the Vietnamese-Americans assimilated… Or have they? That’s been a question that all of us behind The Orange Curtain have asked since the special election debacle began to unfold last month. Guest bloggers Ralph E. Shaffer and Walter P. Coombs have some interesting answers at The Liberal OC. And finally…

– Crazy Dana caught on video! He spoke out against the imprisonment of the two Border Patrol agents on Saturday… And he did it just before going surfing. Joe Shaw has the full video at Orange Juice.

This just in from Total Buzz:

A win for Registrar of Voters today…just got back from court, where Judge Michael Brenner denied a motion from Team Trung to see 178,385 documents from the First District election.

Brenner said it appeared that the subpoenas covered “everything having to do with this election,” that the suit sought “another recount,” and he didn’t want to start over. “I have difficulty with the idea that that would be appropriate,” he said. Brenner sided with Deputy County Counsel Leon Page’s argument that Team Trung had already seen those documents twice — during the recount and during ballot challenge periods.

Today’s action is also, of course, a win for Janet Nguyen’s team, as the decision certainly limits what Team Trung can do during the trial.

So at least, the judge is not buying into Team Trung’s flimsy case…
Let’s just hope that this just hastens the end of this increasingly ridiculously long special election.

Here are today’s wild and wonderful Orange County stories that you just have to see to believe:

– Confessions of a Westside Improver. Claudio Gallegos gets down to the bottom of neo-Nazi Martin Millard and his looming influence over Costa Mesa politics at Orange Juice.

– Anaheim’s Disney Dilemma… Now in Court! The Plaintiff: Disney, who insists that housing in the resort district would not fit in with the hotels and tourist venues planned for the area. The Defendant: The City of Anaheim, who insists that the city has the right to determine what fits in the resort district… And now, residential developer SunCal wants to help pay Anaheim’s legal fees. Stay tuned as the Disney Dilemma erupts in court!

– No Longer Lost in Translation. The City of Santa Ana is finally giving its 45% of primarily Spanish-speaking residents a chance to better participate in city council meetings by offering simultaneous translation of its City Council meetings in Spanish. Es muy bien, porque mas personas en Santa Ana pueden participar en los negocios de su ciudad. : )

And finally…

– Curt. It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words… So I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that Mike Lawson’s one picture at The Liberal OC says more about the wild and crazy special election fallout than all of my updates combined. Way to go, Mike, you artistic genius. ; )

This just in from Total Buzz:

The declaration of a winner in the Feb. 6 supervisor’s race was indeed postponed once again by the Board of Supervisors… Chairman Chris Norby assured those in attendance that Supervisor Nguyen would be sworn in once and for all on March 27.

So as expected, the Board of Supervisors decides to keep Central County’s Supe seat vacant. Now while I usually do not agree with hard-right Supervisor Chris Norby, I do agree with his statement that “Three months is a long, long time for one-fifth of the county to be without representation.”

Here are some wild and crazy stories, direct from behind the Orange Curtain:

– Will the World Keep Turning If I Have No Supe? Jubal/Matt Cunningham says “Yes” at OC Blog, but I’m not so sure. After all, there’s no one currently on the board to speak up for Central County. As long as the certified winner is denied her seat, we in Central OC will probably remain forgotten.

– CUSD to Cease Paying for Ex-Superintendent’s Legal Bills… So why would they continue to pay the legal bills for this guy, when he has caused so much grief for all the parents, students, and staff at the school district?

– “We Met, But Not for Sex.” Defendant Jeff Nielsen took the stand in his own defense in his child molestation trial, testifying that he never had sex with a 14 year-old Westminster boy. He tried to explain away an email asking the boy to meet him for “something quick” as a quick lunch date, even thought the email never mentioned food. Hmmm… This sounds fishy to me…

And finally…

– Mike Lawson Is Famous!! OK, maybe not beyond the county line… But still, I am thrilled to see him featured in this month’s “BLADE” magazine for making Drinking Liberally-OC happen every Thursday. Now go ahead, and give Mike some love at The Liberal OC for all the hard work that he does!