Congressman’s ex-campaign treasurer resigns from county board

A Newport Beach accountant and once-active member of the Orange County political arena, who was recently accused of embezzling campaign funds, has stepped down from his seat on a county board.

An email from Jack Wu detailing his resignation from the Assessment Appeals Board arrived at county offices the Saturday before the Board of Supervisors was set to terminate his appointment.

The supervisors’ agenda, which was published Friday, stated that Supervisor Michelle Steel planned to propose rescinding Wu’s appointment to the Assessment Appeals Board during their meeting Tuesday. The item was removed from the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.

In May, Steel nominated Wu, a former newspaper columnist, to fill a hearing-officer position on the appeals board, which is made up of 25 members tasked with hearing property value disputes between residents and the county assessor.

“It is requested that this board find that public acknowledgment by Mr. Wu of embezzlement of campaign funds is sufficient cause for removal from the assessment appeals board, and that this board rescind his appointment and remove him from office,” the county staff report states.

When he heard the board was considering removing him, Wu said, he decided to step down.

He also stepped down from his position on the Newport Beach finance committee in July after Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) circulated a news release on June 22 contending that Wu had admitted stealing about $173,500 from the official’s reelection campaign fund.

“It’s the guilty-until-proven-innocent mentality,” Wu said in an interview Tuesday. “I don’t want them debating [about] me. It’s ridiculous. I’m not interested in creating any further controversy.”

Wu declined to discuss the validity of the claims lodged against him by the congressman.

Rohrabacher’s team, which is conducting an audit of the account, reported its initial findings to the California attorney general’s office and the Orange County district attorney’s office. Criminal charges have not been filed.

Wu has faced several financial challenges over the past two decades. The accountant filed for personal bankruptcy in 1996, according to court documents.

Wu’s business license for his tax and accounting firm, WuBell Services, has been suspended by two government agencies for a decade. The secretary of state’s office suspended his company’s license in 2004 because an updated business statement hadn’t been filed, as required annually. The state Franchise Tax Board suspended it a year later for unpaid taxes.

WuBell currently owes the state tax board $3,955, according to Tami Grimes, public information officer for the board.

Wu came under fire again this week after an investigation published by the Orange County Register alleged that the Newport Beach resident shouldn’t have been using the title of accountant to describe his occupation since he does not have a certified public accountant license.

According to Paul Fisher, supervising investigative CPA with the California Board of Accountancy, individuals without CPA licenses are allowed to call themselves accountants. However, business cards or the company website should explain that the person does not have a state license to avoid confusion.

Wu said he hadn’t heard of that rule previously. He noted that he has never referred to himself as a CPA and has corrected those who wrongfully assume.

“I’m not trying to trick people,” he said.

Republican Sen. John Moorlach, who in December 2014 nominated Wu for the county Housing and Community Development Commission — a position he held until June — addressed the allegations against the columnist in a recent online update, saying, “CPAs are the only ones permitted to do financial audits. But the title of accountant or bookkeeper is a common one.”

Moorlach has been a licensed CPA since 1980. He famously predicted the county’s bankruptcy in the 1990s before becoming its treasurer-tax collector.

WuBell Services is listed online as a tax and accounting firm, specializing in business services, bookkeeping, tax planning and filing.

Wu is also a former political candidate, having run unsuccessfully for various public offices over the past two decades. He entered the race for Irvine City Council in 1998, the Irvine Ranch Water District board in 2002 and the Newport Beach City Council in 2006, when he was defeated by Mike Henn by about 3,000 votes, county documents show.

The well-known Newport Beach businessman said he has long abandoned dreams of seeking elected office. Instead, he vied for positions on local and county boards as a way to volunteer and still remain involved in politics, which he calls a hobby.

Wu has written columns about local politics for the Daily Pilot, the Voice of O.C., the Newport Beach Independent and, most recently, the Orange County Register.

He also was a panelist for Feet to the Fire forums, which feature candidates running for local political office.

“Obviously, I’m not welcome in politics anymore,” he said.