Dana L. Schultz (born 1982) is an Orange County public finance professional with more than 26 years of county government experience. She is currently serving as Chief Investment Officer for the County of Orange, overseeing the investment and reinvestment of approximately $15–18 billion in county, school district, and community college funds in the Orange County Treasury Pool. A third-generation county employee continuing a family tradition of public service spanning more than 80 years, she is running as a nonpartisan candidate for Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector in the June 2, 2026 primary against incumbent Shari Freidenrich.
Schultz earned her degree from California State University, Fullerton and holds the CSAC Executive Credential through the California State Association of Counties. She is active with the California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors. Before joining the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office, she held senior leadership roles in the County Executive Office’s Budget and Finance Office and the Health Care Agency, managing complex public budgets and strategic financial planning initiatives. She also served as Administrative and Fiscal Division Director for the Orange County Probation Department, overseeing a $205 million budget and supporting more than 1,000 employees, and managed complex county department budgets totaling $3.5 billion in the County Executive Office.
From 2023 to 2026, Schultz served as Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector under Shari Freidenrich, providing executive oversight of treasury operations, investments, tax collection, budgeting, contracts, information technology, and human resources for the $17 million department. She modernized key systems, upgrading outdated call center technology and replacing the county’s property tax payment processing platform. When the Orange County Board of Supervisors stripped Freidenrich of investment authority in late 2024, Schultz took over management of the county’s investment pool. Days after she filed papers to run for Treasurer-Tax Collector in January 2026, Freidenrich attempted to fire her — an action blocked by county HR and legal officials — and she was subsequently elevated to Chief Investment Officer within the County Executive Office.
Endorsements
Orange County Board of Supervisors member Don Wagner, California Teachers Association, Orange County Employees Association, Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36, Orange County Laborers’ Union Local 652, UA Local 250 Steamfitters and Refrigeration, Mesa Water Board District President Marice De Pasquale, Villa Park Mayor Pro Tem Robert Frackelton, and several school board trustees from Brea Olinda, Capistrano, and Fullerton districts. A full list is available on her endorsements page.
Reputation/Scandals/Successes
Core Strengths and Positive Reputation
- Direct, Hands-On Experience Running the Office: Schultz is the only candidate who has actually managed the day-to-day operations of the Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office, having served as its Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector from 2023 to 2026. She oversaw a $17 million department budget, managed all treasury operations, and administered nearly $10 billion in annual property tax collections — making her arguably the most operationally experienced candidate for the role in the office’s history.
- Currently Managing the Investment Pool: Since the Board of Supervisors transferred investment authority away from Freidenrich in late 2024, Schultz has been the person actually investing and safeguarding the county’s $15–18 billion Treasury Pool. She is the only candidate currently doing the core job of the office she is running for, and has done so without incident or controversy.
- Broad Institutional and Bipartisan Support: Her endorsers span the political spectrum, from Republican Supervisor Don Wagner to the California Teachers Association and multiple labor unions — a coalition that signals confidence from both conservative fiscal stewards and worker-oriented organizations. This bipartisan backing is notable in a nonpartisan race.
- Modernization Track Record: During her tenure as Assistant Treasurer, Schultz upgraded the office’s outdated call center infrastructure and replaced the county’s property tax payment processing platform — improvements that directly improved service reliability for the millions of Orange County taxpayers and agencies that interact with the office each year.
- Commitment to Restoring Full Treasurer Authority: Schultz has stated she would restore investment authority to the elected Treasurer-Tax Collector, making Orange County consistent with every other county in California. This is a meaningful structural reform that would end the current anomaly created by the supervisors’ intervention.
Criticisms and Vulnerabilities
- No Prior Elected Experience: Schultz has never run for or held elected office. The Treasurer-Tax Collector is an independently elected position requiring both technical expertise and the ability to maintain public accountability as an elected official — a different skillset than being an appointed administrator, even a highly capable one.
- Incumbent’s Framing of Her Role: Freidenrich and her supporters have characterized Schultz as a county bureaucrat doing the Board of Supervisors’ bidding rather than an independent taxpayer advocate — arguing that her elevation to Chief Investment Officer reflects political alignment with supervisors rather than independent qualifications. Voters may weigh whether an elected office should be held by someone selected by the very officials who stripped her predecessor of authority.
- Lower Public Profile: As a career public administrator rather than an elected official or political figure, Schultz is less well-known to the general public than Freidenrich, who has run countywide four times. Name recognition in a low-turnout primary for a down-ballot county race can be a significant factor.
Campaign Contributors
Has raised roughly $11K exclusively from “Cops Voter Guide” a for-profit corporation based in Pasadena, is owned and operated by Michael Shimpock, a political consultant, used to falsely pretend to represent law enforcement interests..
