Two Candidates in Orange Council Race Disqualified

Two Orange City Council candidates were disqualified from the ballot this week and Mayor Joanne Coontz took one of her opponents into court over a ballot statement, signaling the start of a potentially volatile race.

Coontz alleged the statement submitted by one of her challengers, Councilman Michael Alvarez, violated the law by attacking her.

In his statement, Alvarez said he was running for the mayor’s seat because of a campaign contribution and vote Coontz took involving a trash company that is being investigated for allegations of embezzlement.

Mark Rosen, the Santa Ana attorney representing Coontz, said appeals courts have ruled recently that the 200-word ballot statements must be limited to the candidate’s qualifications and cannot attack opponents.

Alvarez said he stands by what he wrote but he would be willing to delete that part of the statement.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert E. Thomas is expected to decide the question at 2:30 p.m. Friday in his branch courtroom at 909 N. Main St., Santa Ana.

Also this week, candidates Steven D. Boelts and Aaid Jurjis were disqualified from the ballot because they failed to provide signatures from 20 registered voters on their nomination papers, according to the city clerk’s office.

Potential candidate Laura J. Thomas did not submit her papers, so the final lineup for the City Council race includes incumbents Dan Slater and Mark A. Murphy and challengers Richard W. Siebert and Jim Wronski.

Environmentalist Juan Pablo Serrano-Nieblas qualified to run for the mayor’s seat, which is independently elected, with Coontz and Alvarez, the clerk’s office said.