![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Taylor_ShariFriedenrich_Feb2025_4.jpg\")
Shari Freidenrich, Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector, stands outside of the Treasurer-Tax Collector service window at the OC CIvic Center on Fed. 27, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\nOrange County Treasurer and Tax Collector Shari Freidenrich tried to fire her top deputy Dana Schultz last week just days after Schultz pulled papers to run against her in the June 2026 election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While Freidenrich is one of the few independently elected department heads at the county, the county HR department and legal team ultimately intervened to stop Schultz\u2019s firing, despite the fact that Freidenrich said Schultz is an at-will employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe position is at will,\u201d Freidenrich said in a Tuesday night interview. \u201cAnything beyond that is a personnel matter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Schultz declined to comment on Tuesday night in a statement to Voice of OC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs this is a personnel matter, I would prefer not to publicly comment at this time,\u201d Schultz wrote.\u00a0 \u201cI trust the appropriate internal County processes will address the matter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Monday Jan. 12, Schultz officially pulled papers from the county registrar of voter\u2019s office, the first step to get on the ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By Thursday afternoon, Freidenrich sent out an email at around 2 p.m. saying Schultz was \u201cno longer employed with the TTC (Treasurer-Tax Collector) as my Executive Manager.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shari Freidenrich, Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector, stands outside of the Treasurer-Tax Collector service window at the OC CIvic Center on Fed. 27, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
\u201cI am blessed to have great staff, and I look forward to serving taxpayers with our great team in 2026 and implementing policies that benefit the taxpayers,\u201d Freidenrich wrote. \u201cI appreciate your patience during this transition and know that you will continue to carry out your day-to-day duties in an outstanding manner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, county CEO Michelle Aguirre sent out a message to treasurer staff confirming that Schultz \u201cis still employed with the County of Orange.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand that the unnecessary events that occurred yesterday in your workplace may have been unsettling,\u201d Aguirre wrote. \u201cWe also want to be very clear about what matters most: your wellbeing, safety, and ability to do your job in a work environment free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Schultz was set to remain in her position according to Aguirre\u2019s letter, which encouraged staff to \u201cfollow the usual chain of command in your day-to-day work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/OCBoardofSupervisors_May20_2025_Taylor-30.jpg\")
County of Orange County Executive Officer Michelle Aguirre during the May 20, 2025 Orange County Board of Supervisor meeting. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear who specifically made the decision to block Schultz\u2019s firing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOn advice of counsel, HRS ensured that Ms. Schultz remains on the County payroll and suffered no adverse employment action,\u201d wrote county spokesperson Molly Nichelson in a Tuesday statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a Tuesday statement, Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said the \u201crecent instability at the Treasurer Tax Collector\u2019s office causes concerns and runs counter to a well-functioning and stable environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe County has procedures in place to protect employees from capricious actions or abuse, and we will continue working with our executive staff and our employee groups to make sure all processes are followed and our employees are supported,\u201d Sarmiento wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supervisor Katrina Foley declined to comment beyond confirming Schultz was still employed, while Supervisors Doug Chaffee and Janet Nguyen declined to comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supervisor Don Wagner\u2019s staff did not return requests for comment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Schultz does run against Freidenrich, it would be the first time she\u2019s faced a challenger since 2010, according to county registrar records.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The attempted firing comes after Freidenrich had many of her powers stripped away by county supervisors last year when they tried to quietly wrest control of the county\u2019s $17 billion investment fund before ultimately admitting they took over the fund out of concerns for how she ran her office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[Read: OC Supervisors Break Silence; Publicly Blast Treasurer\u2019s Alleged Workplace Hostility<\/a>]<\/p>\n At the time, county supervisors pointed to multiple problems in her office, including an independent investigation<\/a> that found Freidenrich violated the county\u2019s workplace violence policy multiple times, including one instance where investigators say she likely threw keys at one of her employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n There was also a 2021 performance audit of Freidenrich<\/a> that found unusually high staff turnover in the department.\u00a0<\/p>\n