An elected Orange County CEO could become one of the most powerful politicians in California, overseeing an annual budget of $10 billion and offering local elected leaders an instant springboard to higher office, a chance to be mentioned as a future governor or U.S. In recent years, county supervisors have consistently moved to strengthen the county CEO by consolidating powers around auditing, procurement, investments and human resources into the CEO’s office. As I’ve written before, that means you get a county CEO in theory only – with Orange County Supervisors running the show from behind their fancy offices, hovering floors above downtown Santa Ana. The CEO VoidCounty of Orange’s Interim County Executive Officer Michelle Aguirre during the May 20, 2025 Orange County Board of Supervisor meeting. In Orange County, the county CEO essentially oversees a host of public safety, health and social services budgets – now hovering just over $10 billion annually.