Last-Minute Candidates Rush to Enter County Assessor’s Race

The unexpected decision by Assessor Bradley L. Jacobs not to seek reelection has triggered a stream of last-minute candidates.

By Wednesday’s deadline, seven people had filed candidacy papers for the office, which manages the assessment of billions of dollars of Orange County property.

Five candidates emerged after Jacobs declined to file reelection papers Friday, including Assistant Assessor Webster Guillory, Jacobs’ second-in-command who ran in 1984 for Los Angeles County assessor.

Other candidates for the $100,000-a-year job are veteran county appraiser Larry L. Bales, certified public accountant James Bone of Mission Viejo, deputy county assessor Steven D. Grimm of Fountain Valley, Irvine finance commissioner Bruce Peotte, real-estate broker Jeff Scott Reid of Lake Forest and county finance manager Thomas J. Sacco of Santa Ana.

Guillory said he decided to run to provide continuity in management. He said Jacobs, who encouraged him to run, was weary of an almost two-year struggle with the Board of Supervisors over its insistence that he apply for a state loan to help weed through a backlog of property tax assessment appeals. Wednesday also was the deadline for candidates to file for four other county offices, which the incumbents are leaving.

Anaheim Councilman Bob Zemel, who was considering running for the 4th District supervisorial seat being vacated at year’s end by William G. Steiner, decided against it at the last minute Wednesday. His son had collected voter signatures in the district for him, just in case. “I just couldn’t put it together,” Zemel said, referring to the entire process, just minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline. “I’ll be running for mayor [in June] or City Council.”

Last month, Zemel dropped out of the Republican primary to challenge Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) and said he would run for Anaheim mayor instead. But his decision was upended last week when Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly, a presumptive candidate to replace Steiner, announced that he wouldn’t run for supervisor and would seek reelection.

In the race for auditor-controller to replace retiring incumbent Steve E. Lewis are economist Wayne Clark of Irvine, auditor and fraud investigator Snow Hume of Fullerton and David Sundstrom, the county’s internal auditor.

The races for sheriff and district attorney remained two-candidate contests. Orange County Marshal Michael S. Carona and Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters are running for sheriff; Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Rackauckas Jr. and Assistant Dist. Atty. Wallace J. Wade are the candidates for district attorney.

Longtime Sheriff Brad Gates plans to retire at the end of the year. Dist. Atty. Mike Capizzi is seeking the Republican nomination for state attorney general.