Monkey Business At Daly’s Clerk/Recorder Office?

A source inside the County government has directed our attention to a contractual relationship between the County Clerk’s department and a “consultant” that bears closer scrutiny. Our source has indicated that monies were paid out for questionable or dubious “services.”

This contract involves Barbre & Associates; Brett Barbre is a former County employee, a Water District official, and now a self-styled political public relations guy. It appears that Mr. Barbre received at least $36,000 through last summer to do something (see vendor report, above). What did he do? Our source tells us it was supposed to have something to do with organizing an Orange County Hall of Fame memorabilia display. We’re not buying into that just yet since such an inconceivably profligate waste of money, especially in a recession, is hard to ascribe to anybody – even a big spender like Daly.

Nevertheless,  Barbre’s name immediately piqued our curiosity since he claims to be in PR, a function that Daly supposedly hired former reporter Jean Pasco to perform. Furthermore, Barbre, a nominal Republican, was an early and public supporter of Democrat Clerk/Recorder Tom Daly in his quest to be our County Supervisor. Check out the “host committee” to Daly’s 2009 fundraiser. Yes, Brett, we see you right there, #6 in the first column. Later in 2009 Barbre also took on the job of introducing Daly’s hand-picked successor and Clerk Department employee, Renee Ramirez, to the OC GOP Central Committee. Coincidences?

Since Daly and Ramirez run the Clerk/Recorder’s office, we immediately started to wonder just what Barbre did, to pick up that 36K. We have such suspicious minds, you see.

And so we have made a public records request with the County to find out the scope of services that were supposed to be rendered by Barbre and just what was accomplished for all that money.

And when we do find out we will certainly share the information with you.

15 Replies to “Monkey Business At Daly’s Clerk/Recorder Office?”

  1. I’ve heard a boatload of rumors coming out of that department lately. If 10% of them are true, Daly and Company are in serious trouble.

  2. All the idoits like John Lewis trying to sell the “Tom Daly is really a conservative democrat” bullshit are stright faced liars. Daly is right out of the big government playbook. Hiring friends to do phantom jobs, beefing up his budget during down times and big staff while everyone else is forced to shrink.

    Where is the DA on this? This crap seems criminal to me.

    1. Hollis, “seems criminal”, it is criminal, but when’s the last time any politician was held accountable for under the table deals with friends?

  3. I’ll tell you criminal, Daly spent $2,300,000 tax dollars on a run down building on Civic Center Drive that he wants to house the OC sports hall of fame memorabilia in. And it’s going to cost several more million $ to make the building habitable. Now that’s criminal.

  4. “Our source tells us it was supposed to have something to do with organizing an Orange County Hall of Fame memorabilia display. ”

    That could be true. Barbre is a Hard Core sports nut/collector lobbyist. This would be right up his alley.

  5. Barbe besides being a Daly cronnie is also attached to Renee Ramirez a candidate for Clerk-Recorder, on her campaign disclosure paperwork it shows a payment to Barbre for 2500.00, interesting!!! Maybe Renee and Tom are using taxpayer money to pay for their consultant….HELLO D.A. OFFICE…TIME TO INVESTIGATE!!!

  6. Brett Barbre is a consultant to both Tom and Renee. He works indirectly for John Lewis on lots of things.

    I really hope you find out what the $36,000 of TAX PAYERS paid to Brett Barbre money went to.

  7. Tom Daly is a crook and career politician. He has tons of his friends working at the
    Clerk-Recorder’s office.

    There is a lady there that doesn’t even speak english and Tom Daly gave her a job. What a damm joke. Someone needs to investigate the hiring practice at the Clerk-Recorder’s office.

    Chris Hall has told us many times at happy hours that he has purchased stuff using county taxpayer money to buy Renee Ramirez things for her office and her house.

  8. There is quite a bit of information on Daly and his years as Clerk/Recorder. The man has left a trail of slime that can be followed with some minor research. The power of public record act requests is a chilling reminder to someone like Daly, that his actions and decisions are public record and can’t be simply discounted by Lewis & Co.

    Stay tuned for more.

    Daly, it really is going to be a bad year for you, politicaly.

  9. No! But a public record request will work. Any transactions done by Chris Hall for purchasing.

    Renee will do anything for Chris Hall because she is afraid of him. If she pisses him off he will tell on her.

  10. C-R employee, so you throw out an attack, then asked for specifics and you come up with none…how well…I guess I would question your motives

  11. The data is there, waiting to tell its story of fiscal irresponsibility. Its coming. You can’t stop it now, no one can.

  12. how do you know that the employees at the office simply dont like renee and are out to undermine her and blow up any story to destroy her?maybe there is a negative agenda in that office

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