OC Supervisor Bates Announces Bid for State Senate

­Orange County 5th District Supervisor Pat Bates announced Thursday she's joining the 2014 State Senate race in the newly-formed 36th district.

Bates spoke Thursday at a meeting of the San Clemente Exchange Club, a service organization that gathers twice a month at the San Clemente Municipal Golf Course, to make the official announcement and to tout her record as supervisor.

Bates, a Republican, won't be racing against fellow party-member Mark Wyland who now represents the 38th district—he's termed out after this year.

The 38th now runs south through Encinitas; San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano are its only Orange County cities and form the northernmost end of the district, according to state electoral maps.

After 2014, however, redistricting goes into effect, and the 38th will become the 36th senatorial district, adding Dana Point, Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Coto de Caza and Las Flores into the fold, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

Bates said she felt she needed to run for state office to combat legislation like the California's recent takeback of redevelopment agency money. She said state actions like that leave cities with unfunded mandates, like affordable housing quotas.

Bates talked about her achievements at the county level including reforming the human resources division, negotiating with unions to save money, and helping to institute the Orange County Sheriff's Department overtime policies that saved the county $25 million.

In other Board of Supervisors news, Bates said the Board is in negotiations with a new county CEO candidate and hopes to hire the candidate within a month.

The last CEO submitted his resignation after a compensation and sexual harassment scandal involving the county human resources department.

In addition to her time as county supervisor, Bates served as mayor of Laguna Niguel in the ‘90s and in the California State Assembly.