Special interests pour millions into the OC Supervisor race. With Election Day on Nov. 3, the contest for two county supervisor seats has become one of the most expensive in county history, Voice of OC reports. Most of the money is focused on the Fifth District, where incumbent Democrat Katrina Foley faces Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon. The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs' PAC alone has spent more than $1.2 million, mostly on ads supporting Foley and the rest attacking Dixon — even as deputies await a labor contract after passing on the county's one-year, 3% raise offer. Firefighter, county employee and domestic-worker union committees have added more than $1 million, bringing outside spending for Foley to roughly $2.5 million on top of her own campaign's spending.
Big tech, oil and labor money floods the 68th Assembly District. Two Santa Ana City Council members — Jessie Lopez and David Penaloza, both Democrats — are vying to succeed Assemblyman Avelino Valencia in a district covering parts of Orange, Anaheim and Santa Ana. Committees funded in part by Google and Meta have spent more than $8.2 million supporting Penaloza, while labor-backed groups spent nearly $2.3 million for Lopez. An SEIU-backed committee spent over $1.3 million opposing Penaloza, and groups tied to oil, tech and real estate interests spent more than $4 million against Lopez. Penaloza is endorsed by public-safety unions, the OC Register and the California Democratic Party; Lopez by SEIU, progressive groups and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Irvine passes on extra audits despite a looming budget gap. Facing a structural deficit projected to reach about $37 million a year by July 2028 — and possibly $47 million by decade's end — the Irvine City Council voted unanimously this week not to pursue formal audits of its federal COVID-19 relief spending (estimated at $25,000–$90,000) or the proposed Great Park gondola project known as Swyft Cities/Whoosh ($50,000–$140,000). Council members said they would rather not spend more money reviewing the past, and the city is instead pursuing roughly $27 million in spending cuts and $10 million in new revenue by 2028.
A Halloween weekend storm rolls into Orange County. The National Weather Service forecast a chance of afternoon rain on Halloween Saturday with about a 50% chance of showers by nightfall, with the bulk of the precipitation expected Sunday — roughly a tenth to a quarter inch depending on the storm's track. The wet weather follows a week of El Niño-boosted high tides that flooded parts of Pacific Coast Highway near Sunset Beach, where Huntington Beach declared a state of emergency and warned residents to use caution along the coast.
OC 수퍼바이저 선거에 특수이익단체 수백만 달러 투입. 11월 3일 선거를 앞두고 오렌지카운티 수퍼바이저 두 석을 둘러싼 선거가 카운티 역사상 가장 비싼 선거 중 하나가 됐습니다. 특히 민주당 현직 캐트리나 폴리와 공화당 다이앤 딕슨 주하원의원이 맞붙은 제5지구에 자금이 집중됐습니다. 셰리프 부보안관협회 PAC 한 곳만 120만 달러 이상을 썼으며, 각종 노조 위원회 지출까지 합하면 폴리 지지 외부 자금은 약 250만 달러에 이릅니다.
제68 주하원 선거구에 빅테크·석유·노조 자금 몰려. 산타아나 시의원 제시 로페즈와 데이비드 페날로자(둘 다 민주당)가 아벨리노 발렌시아 의원의 후임 자리를 놓고 경쟁 중입니다. 구글·메타 등이 자금을 댄 위원회들이 페날로자 지지에 820만 달러 이상을, 노조 계열 단체들이 로페즈 지지에 약 230만 달러를 썼습니다. 반대 광고에도 각각 130만 달러, 400만 달러 이상이 투입됐습니다.
어바인, 예산 적자 우려에도 추가 감사 포기. 2028년 7월까지 연간 약 3,700만 달러의 구조적 적자가 예상되는 가운데, 어바인 시의회는 코로나19 연방 지원금 사용과 그레이트파크 곤돌라(Swyft Cities/Whoosh) 사업에 대한 공식 감사를 진행하지 않기로 만장일치 결정했습니다. 시는 대신 2028년까지 지출 2,700만 달러 삭감과 세입 1,000만 달러 증대를 추진합니다.
할로윈 주말 오렌지카운티에 비 소식. 국립기상청은 할로윈인 토요일 오후부터 비 가능성이 있고 밤에는 소나기 확률이 50%라고 예보했습니다. 본격적인 비는 일요일에 내려 0.1~0.25인치가 예상됩니다. 앞서 엘니뇨로 높아진 조수로 선셋비치 인근 PCH 일부가 침수돼 헌팅턴비치시가 비상사태를 선포했습니다.
Sources: Voice of OC (Oct. 26–29, 2026: supervisor race spending, 68th Assembly District spending, Irvine audits, Huntington Beach king tides); Patch Orange County / National Weather Service San Diego (Oct. 29, 2026).
