John,
More details just emerged about Michelle Steel’s role in a shady land deal in Newport’s Back Bay.
Quick recap: Buck Johns -- a wealthy Republican donor -- tried buying a huge parcel of
public parkland in the Back Bay to extend his estate. It was suspected that Steel helped facilitate this sale while serving on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Alarm bells went off when folks saw the land being sold for pennies on the dollar, and that Johns was a
major financial supporter of Steel’s campaign. Yesterday, investigators at the
Los Angeles Times brought more details to light:
It turns out Steel and her staff spent more than a year guiding Johns in the land purchase process.
They even helped him find the appraiser who set the below-market value. During that time, Steel was running for Congress and Johns
donated the maximum amount allowed to her campaign.
In an uncovered email, Johns thanks Steel and her staff for their help with the buy:
The sale failed, but the now infamous (and hideous) “Steel Fence” is still around the parcel despite public outcry.
The worst part is that Steel is completely unrepentant. In fact, as protesters gathered at her fence, she was literally being showered with cash at a fundraiser hosted by none other than… Buck Johns!
For us, this is a reminder of exactly what’s wrong with politics today. Steel prioritizes her donors over the voters, and now we’re paying the price.
This November, we have a shot at payback. If you’re ready to send the message that we won’t stand for Steel’s corruption, chip in $3 to help Navy vet Jay Chen flip this seat.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Thanks for your support,
– Jay Chen HQ
P.S.
Here’s the latest reporting on the “Steel Fence,” and
here’s Jay’s video directly from Newport Bay.
