Longtime Huntington Beach treasurer wins contentious bid to be O.C. treasurer-tax collector

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In a hard-fought race for Orange County treasurer-tax collector, Shari Freidenrich, longtime treasurer of Huntington Beach, won 54.6% of the vote to beat Deputy County Treasurer Keith Rodenhuis. Freidenrich will replace Chriss Street, who withdrew from the race after he became embroiled in a legal battle.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors stripped Street of his powers and back wages shortly after a federal judge ruled in March that he had breached his duty in a private deal he cut before he went to work for the county. After the board’s action, the county’s money was invested by the chief financial officer.

The race remained contentious after Street’s exit. Claiming that Rodenhuis was unqualified to run because of a lack of experience, Freidenrich took the county’s registrar of voters to court before the June primary.

An Orange County Superior Court judge sided with Rodenhuis, who went on to become the top-vote getter in the primary, with Freidenrich coming in second to set up a runoff in the general election Tuesday.

Former Treasurer John Moorlach, now serving on the Board of Supervisors, backed Freidenrich’s lawsuit and said that if Rodenhuis won, he would not vote to transfer the county’s investment powers to him.

[Updated at 5:16 p.m.: “The voters have chosen the only CPA candidate who has a proven track record as a treasurer and a long history of safely protecting taxpayers’ funds,” Freidenrich said Wednesday.

“I do consider this election a mandate from voters that want a change in the treasurer’s office,” she said, promising, “I will bring accountability and integrity to the office.”]

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske