Orange County Blog

Gustavo's pal Howard F. Ahmanson Jr. just missed the top spot on the Dishonor Roll published online by Californians Against Hate. The Knights of Columbus of New Haven, Conn., gave $1.425 million to the campaign for the same-sex-marriage-barring Prop. 8, while Howie only ponied up $1.395 million.

Hey, it was a tough year.

Other Orange County haters of note include former state Sen. Rob Hurtt, who owns Container Supply Co. in Garden Grove and gave $550,000, just edging out repellant James Dobson's Focus on the Family of Colorado Springs. John Dalton of Yorba Linda and J&L Consulting kicked in another quarter million.

At the $100,000 hate-funding level were: the Evangelical Christian Credit Union of Brea; Laguna Beach's Donald G. Laws, who is director of the North American Health Care nursing home company; and Steve Samuelian, who also lives in Laguna Beach, owns the Generations Health Care nursing home company and is a Mormon bishop.

Giving $75,000 was Armour Properties CV, LLC of Newport Beach, whose Jeffrey Armour gave $20,000 in 1996 to a marriage preservation group in Virginia, while another fellow from his beach town, Larry Smith of M I H Real Co., chipped in $67,000. Alejandro J. Martinez, a "self-employed consultant" from Capistrano Beach; Alphadon accountant Don R. Flora of Laguna Niguel; Corona del Mar's Peter Ochs of the home-building Fieldstone Corp. scared up $50,000 apiece of hate money.

Denying equal rights to all their fellow Californians at the $34,999 mark was Lee A. Whatcott of Rancho Santa Margarita, while Stephanie S. Sorensen of Laguna Niguel pulled $30,000 out from between her hater sofa cushions. Willis Hamilton, founder of the drywall finishing company Hamilton Materials of Orange, put up $25,000, as did Trabuco Canyon's Mark Hobbins, founder of FamilyIQ.com, which offers "e-learning courses for a variety of life improvement issues, including improving relationships with family, friends, partners/spouses and self-improvement."

Hey, Mark, by banning families headed by same-sex couples, aren't you cutting into your potential market? I'm just sayin' . . .       

Another $25,000 hate maintainer was Laguna Beach's Alan H. Anderson, who is an administrator at Bel Vista Convalescent Hospital in Long Beach. If you wondering if Anderson is a Mormon and Mormons are cornering the nursing home biz, here's a clue: He gave $1,000 to Mitt Romney for President. The message is clear: gay people can't get old!

Bradford Rowley of Costa Mesa's gay-sounding Bradford Renaissance Portraits Corp. gave $25,000, as did Barbara Lamprecht of Laguna Niguel; KBS Realty advisor Chuck Schreiber of Laguna Hills; National Purchasing Corp. vice president David G. Lindahl of San Clemente; Kay A. Goodman of Tustin; Robert E. Greene of Villa Park; SRS Insurance Services of Santa Ana; Ja Layne Pugmire of Yorba Linda; Laura Armstrong of Irvine; and Newport Beach lawyer Rowland W. Day.

John Sorensen, who has the same last name as Stephanie at the $30,000 level and works as an executive at the same North American Health Care as Donald G. Laws at 100 grand, gave $24,999.99 because he apparently could not find another penny. Sherie Samuelian of Laguna Niguel, who has the same last name as Bishop Steve at 100 grand, gave $24,999 because she apparently could not find another dollar.

Newport Beach consultant Richard E. Nicholson gave $23,500 in hate money; Whittier Family Foundation of Yorba Linda (?) contributed $21,500; Santa Ana's Dewitt Paul, whose Cotton Buds company makes manufacturing equipment for cotton swabs, cleaned $20,000 out of his financial ears. (And here's a fun fact: his father, Elder, addressed the student body at Brigham Young University on April 10, 1963.) Laguna Niguel's Jennie L. Olsen and Brent W. Koch, a financial consultant at Management Strategy, also gave $20,000.

Samuelian Alert! Here's another, Laguna Niguel lawyer Robert Samuelian, who gave $15,001 of hate cash. Coming up a buck short of that was Placentia's Jay Bradford, CFO of Majestic Realty and a Brigham Young U grad. Marina Landscape of Anaheim -- where there is neither a marina nor landscapping -- and the Fourels Investment Co. of Orange also gave $15,000 each.

Kelly C. Olds of Huntington Beach was at 10 grand on the Hate-O-Meter, as was Elisa Pulido of San Juan Capistrano; C.S. Concrete Solutions of Mission Viejo; Lifestyle Settlements owner Anthony Ridd of San Clemente; Danee L. Clyne of Rancho Santa Margarita; Timec Co. exec Gary D. Green of Fountain Valley; Hands On Billing LLC of Huntington Beach; Jennifer Jackson of Corona del Mar; attorney Kevin Monson of Fountain Valley; real estate economist and BYU grad Mark R. Boud of San Clemente; MCA auto broker Brandon Ogdon of Newport Coast; Deborah S. Stapley of San Juan Capistrano; and Kenneth Payton of Garden Grove.

At $9,999 was Michelle Robinson of Fountain Valley and at $9,500 was Los Jardines LLC of Yorba Linda. Bio Medics manager Ryan Crandall and Debbie Crandall, both of Orange, gave $9,000 apiece. Aliso Viejo's Kenneth L. Virgin, CEO of Payables, gave $7,000.

How's this for unfair? Costa Mesa welder Christopher Dailey gave $6,500, while Cota de Caza's Cisco Systems exec Charles Stucki and Sessions & Kimball attorney Don D. Sessions only kicked in $6,000 each.