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Want your county cash? Better not request public records.
August 20th, 2008, 11:09 am · 16 Comments · posted by Jennifer Muir
Asking for public records is “antagonistic,” a sign of a bad relationship and should be grounds for temporarily withholding cash from a county-sponsored program, Supervisor John Moorlach told his Board of Supes colleagues on Tuesday.
Moorlach wanted to hold off deciding whether to grant some $54,000 in funding to the doctor’s group, the Orange County Medical Assn., because it filed a request under the California Public Records Act for financial information from CalOptima. Moorlach is a board member for CalOptima, a local version of MediCal.
“It’s bad cooperation,” Moorlach said. “I feel awkward that we’re paying an agency that’s being antagonistic with our agency.”
Supervisor Bill Campbell supported Moorlach’s proposal and Pat Bates seconded it until Supervisor Chris Norby pushed back.
“It seems like it would be even more antagonistic of us” to withhold the money, Norby said.
Norby and Janet Nguyen accurately noted that CalOptima has nothing to do with the issue that was up for consideration: Granting cash to various medical providers as part of a $70 million county program to fund medical care for the poor.
The doctor’s group was among the providers set to receive funding through the program, and Moorlach proposal was to single the group out, pass the rest of the package and reconsider funding to the Orange County Medical Assn. next month once he sorted out “all the facts.”
“I don’t want to make a statement that just because you request public records, we’re going to pull your funding,” Nguyen said. “The image out there is that we’re trying to retaliate because they tried to pull a record.”
The medical association requested records from CalOptima amid frustrations that the agency cut doctors fees while raising salaries for its staff members and maintaining a large reserve.
Moorlach said the doctor’s group could have just asked for the records. But Orange County Medical Assn. lobbyist Michele Revelle said CalOptima didn’t respond to several informal requests.
“It’s not coming out of nowhere,” Revelle told the board.
By the end of the discussion, the board unanimously agreed to pass the entire package.
Score one for free speech and open access to public records!
August 20th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
So, what your saying is, “everything is ok”. Good, great, glad I read this. Complete waste of time.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
moorlach is a BULLY!
August 20th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Please keep public records easily accessible to the public.
That a supervisor would suggest withholding funds to punish a request for public records is OUTRAGEOUS! This is America. How dare he.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Supervisor John Moorlach , This makes you the enemy of GOD…
August 20th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
No one could possible believe that this is anything more than political retaliation and petty “turf” wars played out by a wanna-be little Napoleon.
And worse is to insult our intellects by saying it’s no such thing.. single out 1 group that requested records from another group that Moorlach is a little king of.. give me a break.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Moorlach just keeps proving what a jerk he is. How much is his payoff CalOptima anyway?
August 20th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
What a bully. What is his message, “”You can’t fight city hall?” Ths is a tyrant in training and completely lacks logic or self control.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
What does “your comment is awaiting moderation” mean?
August 20th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Not only is he a bully and a shill for developers, I bet when he took his finger out of his nose, he put it in his mouth.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Orange: it means that you haven’t posted here before. The first comment you make needs to be read, and manually approved, by one of our bloggers. It’s an attempt to keep the discourse as civil and non-libelous as possible.
August 20th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
What a horrible example of governing. Mr. Moorlach preaches transparency when it comes to the Sheriffs Department yet he gets his feathers ruffled when his particular interests are being examined.
I’m sure he’s got nothing to hide, but this smacks of hubris. C’mon Mr. Moorlach, climb of your high horse and govern like a responsible man of the people, not a man above the people.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
…talk about a conflict of interest!!!!…this guy moorlach…is a public servant….he’ shouldn’t be withholding nothing….and he does it with inpunity…..in our face…
August 20th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
How sad! Elected officials have a duty to be transparent and ethical with OUR tax dollars. It’s not their money. We all paid taxes to contribute to Cal-Optima. Everyone has a right to know regardless. Shame, shame, shame on Moorlach!
August 21st, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Dear John,
Why is there such a vehement, ugly, and unprofessional attitude at Cal Optima towards the physicians of Orange County?
No where in the United States does a private corporation appoint public elected officials to a “board” and then siphon those funds to off-shore bank accounts in the Cayman and Bermuda Islands through hospital risk pools.
Is this supposed to be “transparency” or “retalliation” on the very professionals who are rendering life-saving care?
The hospitals get multimillion dollars per WEEK of tax payer money while commission of felony, perjury, and conspiracy continues to defraud the citizens.
If the Board of Supervisors wants to return to office this year, they should stop killing the doctors of the OC.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Moorlach the Great Said: “I don’t want to make a statement that just because you request public records, we’re going to pull your funding,” Nguyen said. “The image out there is that we’re trying to retaliate because they tried to pull a record.”
That’s exactly what you are saying! All one has to do is look at Moorlachs dealings with the county employees and especially appointed members of the Retirement Board who don’t see things exactly his way. He retaliated when he sued the sheriffs association and he retaliated when an appointed board member went against him. To Moorlach, it is not what the citizens of the county want. It’s what he wants. His way or the highway.
Thank God for term limits.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Teri Forza,
If you want to shed some light on the facts, can you please get a copy of the letter which caused Moorlach to get his ire up?
What is in the letter to Cal Optima from the OCMA/Revelle?
Publish the letter Teri!