On Election Day, Former Supervisor Michelle Steel Reflects on Role

The Orange County Registrar of Voters in Santa Ana, Calif., on March 5, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

As voters cast ballots for a vacant Orange County Board of Supervisors (BOS) seat, its former holder is sharing hopes for her replacement.

It’s been about two months since U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Steel left her District 2 seat for higher office. During an interview with The Epoch Times, she said she would like the incoming supervisor to carry forward her legacy of reducing homelessness, fighting for lower taxes, and ensuring fiscal responsibility.

“I hope that the new supervisor coming in works hard,” Steel said March 9. “And if you have to fight, you really have to fight against anybody who hurts our constituents.”

During Steel’s time on the board, she said “homeless issue was the biggest problem in Orange County.”

While chair of the BOS, Steel helped launch Be Well OC, a 60,000-square-foot mental health facility in Orange.

“We removed homeless people from the Santa Ana river bed … [and] built the mental health facility that now they can stay up to 90 days in there, “Steel said.

She said the incoming supervisor must be ready for the work ahead.

“It’s a lot of work,” Steel said. “Whatever you do, you really work with your constituents.”

District 2 is comprised of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Cypress, Stanton, Fountain Valley, Buena Park, Seal Beach, La Palma and Los Alamitos.

Candidates for the position include former state senator John Moorlach, Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley, Fountain Valley Mayor Michael Vo, Newport Beach Councilmember Kevin Muldoon, and tax attorney Janet Rappaport.

Steel said she hopes one of the three Republicans—Moorlach, Vo, or Muldoon—running will win the seat.

“All three Republicans are great candidates,” she said. “Hopefully one of them wins.”

Endorsed by the Orange County Democratic Party, Foley could be the likely candidate to win the district’s Democratic vote.

However, Steel has her reservations.

“The mayor of Costa Mesa, I’ve been working with her, because Costa Mesa was my district—and is in my district right now—and it’s very tough to work with her,” Steel said.