Then there were two.

Supervisor Campbell and I will be the only two supervisors carrying over through this coming year. Term limits and legislative aspirations have taken their toll on the other three seats.

Supervisor John Moorlach won the Second District seat vacated by now-Assemblyman Jim Silva. The December 5 th Supervisorial swearing-in was followed by a regular Board meeting in which Moorlach’s new voice set the tone for his high-profile term.

In the Fifth District, Supervisor Tom Wilson will serve out his term until it expires on January 8, 2006. The following day, Pat Bates will take the seat, after a hard fought race lasting over 9 months.

The 1 st Supervisorial seat will remain empty for another two months, since Lou Correa is now a State Senator. A February 6 th special election will determine his successor. Until then, the Board operates at 80% occupancy.

Moorlach Makes Waves: Moorlach’s first meeting marked a contrast in style and substance with his predecessor. Jumping right into the ongoing negotiations with the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS) union, he called for an audit of the union’s medical trust fund and changes to retiree medical benefits.

Calls to audit the trust fund are nothing new. Three years ago, Supervisor Chuck Smith and I called for an audit of the $14 million in annual public funds which are placed in the union-administered fund. The contract had required an annual report, but for 16 years no reports had ever been submitted. What is new is that the majority on the Board now appears tipping toward real accountability. For that, Moorlach has been blasted by AOCDS leaders, who accuse him of bullying. Bullying? Try accountability!

Bates Awaits: While Supervisor Moorlach hit the ground running, Pat Bates must wait another month to take office. On January 9 th, there will be a joint swearing-in of Pat Bates and myself (for my second term) at the Hall of Administration, 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd. in Santa Ana. The ceremony will be preceded by a reception at 8:30 a.m. All are welcome! (Note: The Hall of Administration has long been marked as 10 Civic Center Plaza. As part of the new signage effort, it has also been given the address 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., which makes it easier for the public to locate.)

Crowd for Correa Seat: Prospective candidates to fill the now-Senator Lou Correa’s seat have until December 26 th to file. There will be one special election on February 6 th. No runoff. Winner takes all. Even the smallest of pluralities takes the seat. Do the math. A candidate garnering as little as 20% of the votes could be the top vote getter. The winner could be elected with as few as 5,000 votes in a low turnout special election, a fraction of the 83,000 votes for Pat Bates in a 2-candidate general election.

Possible candidates include: Santa Ana City Council Members Carlos Bustamante and Claudia Alvarez; Garden Grove Council Members Mark Rosen and Janet Nguyen; Garden Grove Unified School District Trustee Trung Nguyen; former Santa Ana City Councilman Brett Franklin and former Assemblyman Tom Umberg. Some have announced formally, while others have feelers out to contributors and possible endorsements.

OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY: December 20 th (Wed.), 2:30-4:30, Hall of Administration / Fifth Floor 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana

NORBY-BATES RECEPTION and JOINT SWEARING IN: January 9 th (Tue.), Hall of Administration. Reception: 8:30 a.m. Swearing-in: 9:30 a.m. The new Chairman of the Board will be elected at that same meeting.

Steve Adamson of Placentia has been appointed to serve on the Orange County Historical Commission.

Douglas H. Bradley of La Habra has been reappointed to serve on the Orange County Veterans Advisory Council. Kymberli Kercher-Smith of Fullerton has been appointed to the OC Mental Health Board. Frank C. Brix of El Toro has been reappointed to the Cemetery District Board.

As an example of the acronyms used in County government, the following is a list of initials used in just one item (Item #31) on last Tuesday’s Board agenda. How many of them do you recognize?

OA, EMC, OCSD, DHS, OES, OCEMO, NIMS, EOC, EMPG, NPP, SONGS, ODP, BZPP, UASI, MMRS, CERT, MRC, MHz, UCLA, IED, RDD, WEB EOC, MIR3, IMAP, JRIC, JHAT, ICS, ICS/UC, TTX, FFE, PAR.

While acronyms are meant to streamline communication by initializing long phrases and agencies, they often do the opposite. Complicated acronyms may be recognized by a small group of insiders, but their overuse befuddles the public. Yes, both USA and OC are acronyms and OK has been around so long few know what it actually stands for (any theories?). But I prefer that the full title and name be used rather than acronymized before it is generally recognized. As a New Deal critic said in the 1930s, “this isn’t government—it’s alphabet soup!”