Stealing Campaign Signs Not A Rarity In OC

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Campaign sign stealing has become prolific in parts of Orange County, authorities say. Recently in Laguna Beach, Fullerton and Buena Park candidates have been found with pilfered campaign yard signs in their possession. Offenders were either cited for petty theft or reports were taken and sent to the District Attorney's office for review. Such was the case recently in Laguna Beach, according to police.

On Friday in Laguna, "Measure P" signs were removed from around the city, an email from a political watchdog alleged to Patch and other media organizations. Measure P is a controversial 1% citywide tax increase to underground power lines, and is up for residents to vote on in the Nov. 6 election.

After routine questioning the suspect told officers that the signs found in his Bentley were merely 'being relocated,'" LBPD Sgt. Jim Cota told Patch. LBPD officers took a report on the incident that will be sent to the OCDA's office for review, he said.

Sign stealing has proliferated around the county this voting season. Earlier this month, in the city of Fullerton, one city council candidate decided to drop from the race after removing signs that defamed her as a "carpetbagger."

Those signs, placed by Fullerton resident Tony Bushala at his admission to FoxLA, labeled city council candidate Paulette Chaffee as "carpetbagging" or someone who does not live in this district but "bought a house" to run for office.

Chaffee was found to have pulled those signs from in front of her campaign posters, and a police report against her was filed, according to a statement by the Fullerton Police Department.

"The individual who reported the crimes has also alleged that the potential suspect may have ties to Fullerton political contests and as such, the Fullerton Police Department has referred this case to the Orange County District Attorney's Office for follow up and further investigation to avoid any potential conflicts of interest."

The same style of "carpetbagging" signs also appeared in Buena Park.

There, City Council candidate Youngsun "Sunny" Park was caught removing an opponent's campaign signs over the weekend, police said. She was cited and released, according to officials.

Officers responded to the area of Malvern Avenue and Dale Street where neighbors complained that a man and woman were removing campaign signs in the area, Buena Park police said on Facebook.

The signs read: "No Sunny Park. Carpetbagger" and were placed in front of numerous Sunny Park campaign signs across the city.

A video of the candidate and another man with a carload of those signs surfaced over facebook. The man who took the footage called in the authorities.

Park received a citation for unlawfully removing campaign signs, the Buena Park Police Department said.

Park responded on Facebook later that day, contending that the man who recorded her on video was the husband of her opponent, Buena Park's mayor Virginia Vaughn.

"Since day one our campaign signs have gone missing or stolen," Park said. "(Mayor) Virginia Vaughn mass produced and placed negative signs with lies about me, and furthermore, these signs did not disclose who paid for them," Park said.

She was collecting "a few of these signs as evidence of their dirty tricks." Park also posted her video of a man she claimed was Kenny Vaughn, the husband of her opponent, Buena Park Mayor Virginia Vaughn.

In the video, he told Park "You do not touch property we paid for" while Sunny Park adamantly replied, "No," her act of taking the signs weren't illegal.

In a statement released by Park's campaign, it was Vaughn's campaign which placed the inflammatory "carpetbagger" signs and broke FPPC political reform laws by not disclosing the committee which authorized or paid for the yard signs.

Park concluded: "This type of dirty politics has no place in our city and Mayor Vaughn should be ashamed of herself and the type of ugly campaign that she's running."

City News Service contributed to this report.

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