Recall committee proposed

Orange County Employees Assn. head Nick Berardino proposed a bipartisan effort Tuesday to recall county Treasurer Chriss Street, who is under investigation by county and federal officials for alleged improprieties.

Berardino asked the county Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties as well, as elected officials and political fundraising groups to form a recall committee, but so far it’s not clear who will agree to participate.

“Our effort will only be successful if we have a nonpartisan approach,” said Berardino, who as a union leader has sometimes been at odds with Republican elected officials.

Street has been accused, in separate incidents, of mismanaging a corporate bankruptcy trust and using a false document to circumvent the county’s bidding process for an architectural contract, and he is involved in private lawsuits over the bankruptcy case. In a news conference Monday he denied any wrongdoing, refused to resign and told the media he has saved money and improved efficiency and investment returns since taking office this year.

Although Street has not been officially charged with anything, Berardino said public confidence in the treasurer has been “irreparably damaged.”

“This is not a question of guilt or innocence,” he said. “Relying on the possibility that Mr. Street is innocent is an investment that the taxpayers of Orange County can’t afford.”

Berardino specifically called on the Orange County GOP, Democrats and Libertarians, and Republican fundraising groups the New Majority and the Lincoln Club to join the recall effort. A petition would need at least 150,000 voters’ signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Republican support will be key to success, but the immediate response from GOP groups was minimal. The treasurer’s office is nonpartisan, but Street is a Republican.

“At this point in time I’m deferring to the all-Republican elected board of supervisors, and I’m going to wait and see the outcome of the hearing that intends to strip him of his investment authority,” Orange County GOP Chairman Scott Baugh said. Supervisors are expected to vote Sept. 11 on whether Street should retain control of the county’s $7-billion investment portfolio.

Lincoln Club spokeswoman Clare Venegas said the group had not yet heard from Berardino, and New Majority Orange County Political Director Tom Ross said his organization rarely gets involved in local issues. Attempts to reach Libertarian party officials were unsuccessful.

But Democrats may be on board. Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Barbaro said he’ll bring up the issue to party leaders at their meeting.

“We’re getting calls at the Democratic party where people are worried about the state of the county’s treasury, so it just seems like Chriss Street should take a lesson from Alberto Gonzales and get out of dodge,” Barbaro said. “People are concerned that he is so up to his eyeballs in legal difficulty that he is not adequately going to be able to perform his job.”

When questioned by reporters about the motivation behind the recall proposal, Berardino said he wasn’t making political hay. It’s not an attempt to block changes to county employee pensions, he said, because “that’s not going away whether Mr. Street’s in office or not in office.”

Moorlach, who helped Street get elected as his successor but last week asked him to resign, said Tuesday he’s still hoping Street, whom he considers a friend, will step down on his own. Moorlach was the one to propose Street be stripped of his investing power.

“He has every right to stay [in office],” Moorlach said. “I don’t know if I want to get involved in a recall. That’s a lot of work.”