Janet Keo Conklin's campaign for Orange County Assessor is in serious trouble. According to an investigation published May 8 by LAist reporter Yusra Farzan, the La Palma City Council member and licensed real estate broker has lost the endorsements of U.S. Rep. Derek Tran and OC Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, been dropped by the Orange County Democratic Party, and faces allegations from former staff of sexual harassment and misuse of campaign funds — all before a single primary vote has been cast.

Conklin is challenging Republican incumbent Claude Parrish in the June 2026 primary. The assessor oversees property appraisals across Orange County. She is now running that race with almost no institutional support left on her side.

The campaign finance allegations

The LAist report found the OC Democratic Party pulled its endorsement after complaints from former campaign staff. At the center of those complaints: allegations that Conklin sought to use campaign contributions to cover personal expenses, including rent and household bills.

Former campaign treasurer Cine Ivery told LAist she was terminated in January after requesting receipts for roughly $1,100 in unreceipted charges on a maxed-out $2,500 campaign credit card, and after resisting requests to use campaign funds for personal expenses. Conklin's Form 460 filings show payments to her daughter Natalie Khay and a friend, Shauna Harris, both listed as consultants.

OC Democratic Party chair Florice Hoffman's response to Conklin, per LAist, was direct: "You need to get a lawyer, a criminal lawyer." Conklin's reported reply: "Lawyers get spooked easily."

The harassment allegations

Four former staffers reported sexually inappropriate workplace behavior to LAist. Two of them alleged Conklin grabbed their hands and placed them on her breasts during a meeting in Newport Beach. A third reported Conklin made inappropriate comments about nude photographs while handling cell phones.

Conklin denied wrongdoing. "I have not done anything wrong," she told LAist. Her current campaign consultant, Michael Trujillo, also denied the allegations on the campaign's behalf.

The endorsement fallout

Derek Tran's name has been removed from Conklin's campaign website. Tran represents California's 45th Congressional District, which covers much of the same North Orange County territory where Conklin is trying to build a voter base. His quiet exit is notable: Tran has not exactly been eager to wade into local controversies since taking office, but pulling an endorsement mid-campaign is a deliberate choice.

Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento rescinded his endorsement citing misconduct concerns, according to LAist. Combined with the Democratic Party pullout, Conklin's support structure has essentially collapsed in the span of one news cycle.

The incumbent she's trying to beat

None of this makes Claude Parrish look great by comparison either. The Republican incumbent faced his own workplace misconduct investigation in 2023, which found violations of gender discrimination and harassment policies. Orange County voters in June are being asked to pick between a Republican with a documented misconduct finding and a Democrat whose endorsers are fleeing ahead of the primary.

The LAist investigation — full reporting by Yusra Farzan — is at laist.com. Watch whether additional endorsers move, whether FPPC takes any interest in the Form 460 disclosures, and whether the OC Democratic Party takes any further action before June.