Jane Barnett, Former L.A. County GOP Chair, Passes Away

The Northridge-Chatsworth Patch reported today that Jane Barnett, former chairperson of the Los Angeles County Republican Party passed away this morning.

They wrote:

Former Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, Jane Barnett, passed away this morning at approximately 8:00am. 

Jane Barnett had an extensive political career.  She was, most recently, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County from 2009 - 2011.   

Prior to that she was a candidate for the 43rd Assembly District in Los Angeles County and she was chair of the 43rd Assembly District Republican Central Committee. 

She also served as the First Vice President of the Glendale-Burbank Republican Club and was a member of several Republican Women Federated clubs.

I knew Jane back in the 1970s when I was chairman of the Young Republicans of El Camino College and first V.P. of the Los Angeles County Young Republicans. I got along fine with Jane, but we (those of us of the conservative faction of the California Young Republicans) had some political differences with her husband Lou back in those days, especially when former Gov. Ronald Reagan challenged President Gerald Ford for the 1976 GOP presidential nomination (in which he did all he could to prevent a Reagan endorsement from the California Young Republicans and disruptions at L.A. County YR meetings) and when he led a splinter group in the Los Angeles County Young Republicans. That rift lasted years.

According to my sources, the cause of death was cancer. Condolences go out to the Barnett family.

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