Background
On November 9th, 2006, after Jan Horton and John Anderson won two City Council seats, YLRRR board member Ed Rakochy wrote:
“The positive publicity from community involvement in this process will benefit any candidate this organization endorses to City Council. Can you say three person majority?”
Rakochy and others in the new YLRRR inner circle wanted newly elected Councilwoman Jan Horton to appoint Hank Wedaa to fill the vacated City Council seat. When she refused to be told how to vote, she immediately became persona non grata and her removal from the City Council became YLRRR’s top priority. Click here for more. Rakochy’s desire for a three person majority would have to be put on hold until the 2008 election.
YLRRR endorsed candidate Hank Wedaa went on to win the 2007 special election. A year later YLRRR dropped their support for him when he did not vote their way. Hank became their first priority for removal from the City Council since he was up for re-election the next year in 2008.
The 2008 campaign.
In 2008 there were three City Council seats up for grabs. Incumbents Hank Wedaa and Jim Winder were running for re-election. Alan Castellano decided not to run again.
Nancy Rikel and Ed Rakochy, both YLRRR board members, and long time YLRRR supporter Mark Schwing, decided to run as a three candidate block for the Yorba Linda City Council. The plan was to join Councilman John Anderson and form a four person super majority on City Council.
During the campaign, Mark Schwing, Nancy Rikel, and Ed Rakochy were supported by both YLRRR and Councilman John Anderson. All three candidates campaigns were coordinated with Anderson’s positive campaign and YLRRR’s negative campaign against their opponents. This came in the form of negative newspaper ads, a mailer, and phone calls maligning the two incumbents character and records.
Below I have listed the contributions, expenses and debt incurred by each candidate and YLRRR.
| 2008 Campaign |
Mark Schwing | Nancy Rikel | Ed Rakochy | YLRRR | Totals |
| Contributions Received |
2,756 | 11,197 | 8,923 | 2,875 | 25,811 |
| Campaign Expenses |
16,707 | 32,186 | 24,035 | 9,364 | 82,293 |
| Campaign Debt |
14,000 | 19,500 | 13,883 | 2,496 | 49,879 |
Yes, you read it correctly. YLRRR and their candidates spent $82,293 to win two council seats. Ed Rakochy lost by one vote. They collectively incurred $49,879 in debt.
What did they gain?
Even though Ed Rakochy lost to Jim Winder by one vote, his goal of achieving a three seat council majority was realized. John Anderson, Mark Schwing and Nancy Rikel, all closely associated with YLRRR board members took control of the City Council. Ed Rakochy returned to his position of running YLRRR so he could continue influencing council decisions and council policy.
Fast forward to the 2010 campaign.
For the 2010 City Council election, YLRRR is supporting John Anderson and Tom Lindsey. YLRRR board members are closely intertwined in both John Anderson, Tom Lindsey and YLRRR campaigns. YLRRR board member Matt Guptil is John Anderson’s campaign manager and others in the YLRRR inner circle are actively campaigning for both candidates.
While Anderson and Lindsey are running a joint positive campaign, YLRRR is conducting the negative campaign against Councilwoman Jan Horton. They know if they can discredit and defeat Councilwoman Jan Horton they can continue their three person majority and possibly gain a four person council super majority. Click here for more
Below are the contributions, expenses and debt incurred by all three campaign committees through 10/21/2010.
| 2010 Campaign |
John Anderson | Tom Lindsey | YLRRR | Totals |
| Contributions and Income |
21,255 | 23,093 | 7,666 | 52,014 |
| Campaign Expenses |
21,641 | 19,851 | 12,346 | 53,838 |
| Campaign Debt |
7,000 | 0 | 3,800 | 10,800 |
Even though there was two weeks left until the election when these numbers were reported, the per candidate cost is exceeding that of YLRRR’s 2008 three candidate campaign.
The total spent to date to achieve YLRRR board member Ed Rakochy’s goal of maintaining a three person majority on the City Council will exceed $136,131.
Why should you be concerned?
- Too much control, power and influence will be placed in the hands of a small, anonymous group of people who lack transparency and accountability. Think City of Bell. Click here more more
- John Anderson’s Measure Y does not place limitations on political action committees like YLRRR. They can essentially launder donations to a council candidate or council member to avoid detailed reporting and accountability. Click here for more
- No political action committee or their members should have this kind of control and influence over our city government.
What can you do?
Elect candidates who represent all Yorba Linda Residents on the City Council.