Freidenrich seeks reelection as OC treasurer-tax collector

Shari L. Freidenrich, Orange County's treasurer-tax collector since 2011, is running for reelection on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. The race is nonpartisan.

Candidate information

Name: Shari L. Freidenrich
Office sought: Orange County Treasurer/Tax Collector
Party: Nonpartisan
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting, Washington State University, summa cum laude, according to the OC Treasurer-Tax Collector biography page. Freidenrich graduated in 1982, according to BallotReady.
Professional certifications: Certified Public Accountant, Certified California Municipal Treasurer, Certified Public Finance Administrator, Certified Public Finance Investment Manager and Advanced Certified Public Finance Investment Manager

Experience and public service

Freidenrich has held the Orange County treasurer-tax collector seat since 2011, according to BallotReady. Before that, she served as Huntington Beach city treasurer from 1996 to 2010.

In the private sector, she worked as an audit manager at Deloitte & Touche from 1982 to 1988 and as a division controller at Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) from 1988 to 1996, according to BallotReady.

Her professional association leadership includes serving as president of the California Association of County Treasurer-Tax Collectors in 2022, past president of the Association of Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada, and past president of the California Municipal Treasurer's Association, according to the OC Treasurer-Tax Collector biography page.

She has served as an ex-officio trustee of the Orange County Employees Retirement System since 2011. She also serves as a governor on the Board of Governors and as audit committee chair at the Washington State University Foundation, according to the OC Treasurer-Tax Collector biography page and BallotReady.

Freidenrich's volunteer roles include past president of the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach, past president of Soroptimist International of Huntington Beach and past president of the Washington State University Alumni Association, according to her campaign website.

Awards and recognition

Under Freidenrich's leadership, Orange County received a 2018 National Association of Counties Achievement Award for being the first government agency nationally to implement a Medallion Signature Stamp program for official county business, according to the OC Treasurer-Tax Collector biography page.

In 2018, the California Society of CPAs gave her the Trailblazer award and selected her as one of three "Experienced Women to Watch," according to the OC Treasurer-Tax Collector biography page. Freidenrich said on her campaign website that she received the Washington State University Alumni Achievement Award for service to the university and contributions to her community and profession.

Freidenrich said on her campaign website that she won the 2016 Public Sector Local Leadership Award from the Orange County Business Council. She said she was selected for the Orange County Business Journal's inaugural OC 500 list in 2016 and reselected in 2018.