Johannes Meindert Willem Moorlach (born December 21, 1955) is an American politician who served as a member of the California State Senate representing 37th Senate district, which includes portions of

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, from 2015 to 2020. He was defeated for reelection by

Dave Min David Min (born March 5, 1976) is an American attorney, professor, and politician. He is the Democratic senator for California's 37th Senate district, which includes portions of Orange County. He is an attorney and was an assistant law prof ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

; he lost a 2021 special election to return to the Orange County Board of Supervisors; he withdrew from the 2022 election for Orange County Auditor-Controller; and he lost the 2022 election for Mayor of Costa Mesa. A Republican, he previously served on the

Orange County Board of Supervisors The Orange County Board of Supervisors is the five-member governing body of Orange County, California along with being the executive of the county. Membership The Board consists of five Supervisors elected by districts to four-year terms by the ...

from December 5, 2006 to January 5, 2015 and as Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector from March 17, 1995 to December 5, 2006.

Early life and education

Johannes Meindert Willem Moorlach was born in Groningen,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and came with his family to the United States when he was four years old. He grew up in Cypress, California and

Buena Park, California Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 mi ...

. He earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in business administration from the California State University, Long Beach in 1977. He is a certified public accountant and certified financial planner. Before entering public office, he was vice president of accounting firm Balser, Horowitz, Frank and Wakeling, and the administrative partner of its Costa Mesa office.

Political career

Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector (1995–2006)

Moorlach first came to public attention by predicting the largest municipal bond portfolio loss and bankruptcy in U.S. history while campaigning for the office of Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector against incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Robert Citron Robert Lafee Citron (April 14, 1925 – January 16, 2013) was a longtime Treasurer-Tax Collector of Orange County, California, when it declared Chapter 9 bankruptcy on December 6, 1994. The bankruptcy was brought on by Citron's investment strate ...

in 1994. Citron resigned later that year and was replaced on an interim basis by Tom Daxon. On March 17, 1995, Moorlach was appointed to fill the vacancy. In 1996 he was elected by the voters to complete the unexpired term, and re-elected in 1998 and 2002, serving nearly twelve years. He is recognized as a leading expert on municipal bankruptcies.

Orange County Supervisor (2006–2015)

In 2006, he opted not to run for re-election as Treasurer-Tax Collector and instead ran for

Supervisor, winning 70% of the vote. Moorlach was unopposed for re-election in 2010. While on the Board of Supervisors, he served on the

Orange County Transportation Authority The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for ...

, OC LAFCO, CalOptima, and Southern California Regional Airport Authority boards. He was succeeded on the board by Michelle Steel and ran in the 2021 special election to succeed her following her election to the

US House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

. He lost to Democrat Katrina Foley.

California State Senate (2015–2020)

In 2013, Moorlach announced his candidacy for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

seat being vacated by John Campbell, but dropped out shortly before the deadline to file candidacy. The Congressional seat was won by state Senator

Mimi Walters Marian Elaine "Mimi" Walters (née Krogius; born May 14, 1962) is an American businesswoman and politician. A Republican, she served from 2015 to 2019 as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district. Before running fo ...

. Moorlach won the special election to succeed her in the

state Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

with 50.3% of the vote, defeating state Assemblyman Donald P. Wagner, a fellow Republican who won 44.0% of the vote. In 2019, Moorlach introduced a bill to expand Interstate 5 and State Highway 99 with two additional lanes. The proposal also included the repeal of speed limits on those two roads. The bill mandated a report be delivered by January 1, 2021, which has not occurred. In the fall of 2020, Moorloch lost his bid for re-election to Democrat

. Moorlach later filed papers to run for his old seat on the

Failed bids to return to office

After losing his Senate re-election bid in 2020, Moorlach made several failed attempts to return to office: *Losing a March 2021 special election for his former seat on the

*Withdrawing from the March 2022 election for Orange County Auditor-Controller amid charges that he did not meet the legal qualifications to hold the office *Losing the November 2022 election for Mayor of Costa Mesa, California

Personal life

With his wife, Trina, he has three children.

Electoral history

References

External links

Official state websiteOfficial campaign websiteJoin California John M. W. Moorlach
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moorlach, John 1955 births Dutch emigrants to the United States Living people People from Cypress, California California State University, Long Beach alumni Orange County Supervisors Republican Party California state senators People from Buena Park, California People from Costa Mesa, California People with acquired American citizenship 21st-century American politicians