Political Landscape: H.B. aerospace exec announces run for county supervisor seat

A Huntington Beach aerospace executive has thrown his hat in the ring for a spot on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Brendon Perkins, 52, a Democrat, announced Tuesday that he is running for the District 2 seat currently held by Republican Michelle Steel.

District 2 includes Costa Mesa, Cypress, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Stanton, Buena Park, Fountain Valley and the unincorporated area of Rossmoor.

Perkins spent 15 years managing technical staff and long-term projects for NASA before transitioning to a private aerospace corporation, according to a campaign news release.

He also co-founded Huntington Beach Huddle, which recruits candidates to run for office in Orange County, and the 48th District Action Council, a coalition of organizations supporting candidates considered progressive.

“My campaign is focused on finding solutions to three key issues that affect all of us who live here: homelessness, our quality of life and transparency, something which we’ve seen little of from the current board,” Perkins said in a statement.

Steel, a 62-year-old Surfside resident, is running for re-election. Michael Mahony, 53, a Republican from Cypress, also is vying for the seat.

Assemblyman Travis Allen urges officials to oppose ‘sanctuary state’ law

Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach), a candidate for governor, said Friday that he plans to mail more than 35,000 letters from constituents across the state to city and county officials to urge them to take a stand against a California “sanctuary state” law.

Senate Bill 54, which in many cases prohibits local law enforcement from alerting federal immigration agents when detainees who may be subject to deportation are released from custody, triggered resistance in Orange County, where several local governments have opposed it.

A pending U.S. Justice Department lawsuit challenging the state’s sanctuary policies contends they obstruct federal immigration law and thus violate the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which gives federal law precedence over state law.