Officials may delay vote to strip treasurer of power

Orange County Supervisors may not vote today on whether to strip county Treasurer Chriss Street of his control over county investments, because Supervisor John Moorlach wants to postpone a decision, he said Monday.

Orange County prosecutors are investigating Street for his role in granting allegedly improper construction contracts. Street has denied wrongdoing. He is also reportedly the subject of investigations by federal officials.

“We decided to ask the D.A. if he needed more time to conclude his investigation and they said yes, so we thought, why not go ahead and do that,” Moorlach said.

In September, supervisors opted not to strip Street’s investment powers but to bring the item back at today’s meeting for further consideration. It’s not clear when the county investigation will wrap up, but the board must vote each year in December to give the treasurer investment authority.

“It will come up, one way or the other, before the end of the year,” Moorlach said.

— Alicia Robinson