The Epoch Times and the Los Angeles Times gave kind and appropriate articles on the sudden retirement of Jim Palmer, president and chief executive officer of the Orange County Rescue Mission in Southern California.

The Orange County Register, not so much.

The Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) could have issued a better press release to inform the media of Mr. Palmer’s abruptly leaving his post. But the Register’s reporter and editing staff could have done more to avoid making it appear sensationalized and suspicious.

I was very confused when I read my June 13th newspaper stating, “Rescue Mission leader resigns – Jim Palmer has led Orange County nonprofit since 1992.” The online headline reads, “Jim Palmer out at Orange County Rescue Mission: Palmer, a former federal appointee and local politician, led the homeless outreach group since 1992. Agency offers no reason for his departure.”

Jim Palmer is the former president of the Orange County Rescue Mission. (Courtesy of Jim Palmer)

It made many of Mr. Palmer’s friends, including myself, unnecessarily wonder and speculate about what the true facts were. This was not fair to him or to us.

There was no real rush to get something out. Perhaps the reporter could have waited a day or two to find the real reason? Or provide a follow-up article to explain that severe health reasons were the cause.

Wouldn’t providing a more extensive report on the numerous accomplishments Mr. Palmer enjoyed over his incredible career has been the right thing to do? One would think an editorial page apology for this slight was in order. But none of this happened and an apology was never provided.

I have been acquainted with the OCRM since 1976 and have been personally involved with every one of its CEOs since that time.

In 2007, as an Orange County Supervisor, I became the inaugural chair of the Orange County Commission to End Homelessness. As Mr. Palmer was a member, the Commission would meet monthly at the OCRM’s Village of Hope, and he was an incredible asset during the seven years I served with him in this capacity.

I was sworn in as a State Senator in 2015 in the Village of Hope’s Chapel. And in 2016, I recognized OCRM as the 37th Senate District’s nonprofit organization of the year.

Orange County Rescue Mission campus in Tustin, Calif. (Courtesy of California Board of State and Community Corrections)

I have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with Mr. Palmer for more than 30 years. I have always been impressed with his focus. He is a nationally recognized expert in addressing homelessness. It has been his calling and purpose since an early age. He knows his industry and will always give you a calm and direct answer to your inquiries.

Mr. Palmer has not only made dramatic improvements to the OCRM, but he has also built incredible relationships with his community, his city, his industry, and his counterparts around the nation. Taking time to serve a term on the Tustin City Council demonstrated his sacrificial drive, displaying a mindset of service above self.

I wish to thank Mr. Palmer for his exemplary service to the least, the last, and the lost. He has been a spiritual giant in our community. He has consistently reminded OCRM’s donors that “God loves every homeless person, no matter how hardened and hopeless they might be—and He asks us to love them too.”

Mr. Palmer deserved a better send-off from the Register. Before the journalism profession was downsized by the internet, the Register had ombudsmen, like Pat Riley and Dennis Foley, who would respond to reader complaints about sloppy work and right the wrongs. No longer.

I’m a little sensitive when a headline or article falls short of the mark, as it has happened to me. A most memorable one was “O.C.’S SKY DIDN’T FALL – Government: Critics of the tactics of Treasurer Robert L. Citron had predicted financial doom” (Orange County Register, Business Section, page 1, September 9, 1994).

John Moorlach at his office in Newport Beach, California, on March 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

I had unsuccessfully tried to unseat Citron a few months prior in the 1994 June Primary election. Here were two paragraphs at the top-of-the-fold describing my effort and the status at that moment in time:

“Costa Mesa accountant John Moorlach, whose campaign against Citron fueled stories in the financial press, declared, ‘Regardless of who is elected June 7, Orange County has a bleak future for its fiscal assets.’

“Well, the campaign is over, interest rates are leveling out, and to tweak a line from Mark Twain, reports of Bob Citron’s death spiral appear to have been greatly exaggerated.”

Although I requested one from the publisher, I didn’t receive an apology.

Less than three months later, the County of Orange would file for the largest Chapter 9 bankruptcy in United States history, after losing nearly $1.7 billion liquidating Citron’s investment pool to meet collateral (margin) calls.

To salve my wound, I later obtained a personal license plate that reads “SKY FELL.”

Jim, know that we love you, are thankful for your years of service, we’re praying for a speedy recovery to good health, and that sometimes reporters miss the mark. I’m sure the staff at the Register feels the same and that it regrets the confusion it may have caused.