Tom Daly
Tom Daly is a career Orange County politician. He is currently the Orange County Clerk-Recorder and former Mayor of Anaheim, California. He doesn’t seem to be employable in the private sector.
Register Picks Up On Daly’s $50K Hall of Shame
Posted by Grover Cleveland in Behind Closed Doors, Dead heads, Orange County Government, Setting The Bar Low, Tom Daly on March 8, 2010
UPDATE: ALTHOUGH THIS STORY BY MS. MUIR APPEARED ON-LINE, APPARENTLY IT DID NOT APPEAR IN ANY PRINT EDITION – CAUSING SOME OF OUR FRIENDS TO WONDER WHAT SORT OF THRESHOLD OF PUBLIC MISFEASANCE/MALFEASANCE NEEDS TO BE SURMOUNTED IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY BE PRINTED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.
THE ANSWER: WE DON’T KNOW. BUT MUST IT MUST BE PRETTY HIGH.
WELL, I’VE GOT MORE GOOD STUFF ON DALY AND WE’LL SEE IF THAT’S OF ANY INTEREST TO THEM.
- Grover Cleveland
Jennifer Muir of the OC Register picked up on the Brett Barbre hall of fame brainstormin’ fiasco that cost the taxpayers $48,000 – courtesy of County Clerk Tom Daly’s reckless largess with our money. Interestingly, Muir cites a County rule that any expenditure more than $50,000 has to be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Hmm.
I am a fiscal conservative. I am a fiscal conservative. I am... aw the hell with it.
The funniest quote in Muir’s piece was Daly claiming that the whole deal was within his purview and that he paid Barbre for ideas, not “long reports.” Of course he got neither.
Worked my synapes to the bone, I tells ya...
Hilariously, Barbre claims to have worked 40 hours a month on the project. That would be an average of 2 hours a day. Every working day. For 18 months. That’s 720 hours – with nothing to show for it. Is there a single person in OC stupid enough to believe any of that?
He seemed to be soliciting sympathy with the big revelation to Muir that a trip he made to Boston was paid for out of his own pocket! What self sacrifice!
Barbre also seemed indignant that somebody (us) might imply a nexus between his windfall and the $1000 he gave to Daly’s supervisorial campaign. His self-exoneration? He didn’t even give Daly the maximum amount of $1700! What a guy.
Additionally, we have received an e-mail that really sheds light onto just how feeble Barbre’s and Daly’s “research” efforts really were. Here it is:
Subject: Orange County Sports Hall of Fame
I am a founder of the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame. We began in 1980 with a huge banquet at the Anaheim Convention Center. Over the years, we inducted more than 70 athletes, coaches and contributors from Walter Johnson and Mickey Flynn to Jack Youngblood and Jim Fregosi. We eventually had a museum at Anaheim Stadium that has since been replaced by Angel offices (our artifacts are in storage). Nobody contacted me or other founders (including Cal State Fullerton Sports Information Director Mel Franks and long-time OC business and political leader Buck Johns) regarding research into a Hall of Fame — that existed 30 years ago. If someone was paid nearly $50,000 to do research they did an amazingly poor job. Sincerely, Pete Donovan
Thanks for the e-mail, Mr. Donovan. Just as we expected.
He Went to Boston But Couldn’t Make a Local Phone Call; Original Hall of Fame Founder Calls BS on Daly/Barbre
Posted by Grover Cleveland in About Us, Behind Closed Doors, Dead heads, Orange County Government, Repuglicanism, Setting The Bar Low, Tom Daly on March 8, 2010
The Tom Daly Experience. The closer you look, the worse it gets...
It’s looking like County Clerk Tom Daly figures he can peddle any old bullshit to a Register reporter and get away with it. And he probably figures on an easy re-election this spring. That’s the arrogance of a career politician for you.
When questioned by the Reg’s Jennifer Muir about his sports hall of fame fiasco in which he paid “consultant” and campaign contributor Brett Barbre $48,000 to “study” the notion, Daly said he paid Barbre for “ideas, not long reports.” Not quite right, Mr. Daly. See, we read your contract with Barbre even if you didn’t. He was supposed to be doing research on the feasiblity of the scheme – a scheme, by the way, that falls way outside the County Clerk’s job description. That specifically included contacting similar entities.
Hey, those guys weren't in the phone book!
And here’s the kicker: we already had a hall of fame in the County – which apparently was located in Angel’s Stadium in the 80s and subsequently mothballed. And we got an e-mail from a gent who says he was one of the founders: Pete Donovan. Mr. Donovan asserts that nobody ever contacted him or fellow founders about this idea. Here’s Donovan’s e-mail:
Subject: Orange County Sports Hall of Fame
I am a founder of the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame. We began in 1980 with a huge banquet at the Anaheim Convention Center. Over the years, we inducted more than 70 athletes, coaches and contributors from Walter Johnson and Mickey Flynn to Jack Youngblood and Jim Fregosi. We eventually had a museum at Anaheim Stadium that has since been replaced by Angel offices (our artifacts are in storage). Nobody contacted me or other founders (including Cal State Fullerton Sports Information Director Mel Franks and long-time OC business and political leader Buck Johns) regarding research into a Hall of Fame — that existed 30 years ago. If someone was paid nearly $50,000 to do research they did an amazingly poor job. Sincerely, Pete Donovan
Gee. Barbre had time to go to Boston to “study” the issue at Fenway Park, but not not enough time to make a couple of local calls to people who had already given it a go. Come to think of it, maybe those were exactly the people Barbre and Daly didn’t want to talk to!
Well, that pretty well sums up the incompetence and/or corruption of the whole stinking pile.
Want your $48,000 back?
Tom Daly’s $50K Hall of Shame
Posted by Grover Cleveland in Behind Closed Doors, Dead heads, Orange County Government, Repuglicanism, Tom Daly on March 2, 2010
Will it have a football wing?
As we reported last week, here, County Clerk/Recorder Tom Daly paid almost $50,00 in 2008 and 2009 to a campaign contributor to “study” the feasibility of developing an Orange County athletic “hall of fame.” We opined upon the irresponsible expenditure and questioned why the County Clerk would even embark on such a lame idea in the first place.
At the time of the post, our request for public records had resulted in scant documentation that this “consultant” Brett Barbre, had actually done anything at all to justify his $3000 per month bill. We were informed by the County that we didn’t have all their “work product” documents.
Now we do.
I don't remember and you can't make me.
The sum and substance of Mr. Barbre’s efforts for Daly is reflected in brief periodic memorandums sent to Daly’s office informing them of what he had been up to in the previous month. Even these cursory, written updates ceased after September 1, 2008, although Barbre continued to be paid by Daly through June, 2009.
The lack of accomplishment was clear; but the invoices kept coming in.
Curiously, in the summer of 2008 Barbre and Daly had gotten it into their noggins to create something called a prep sports honor roll dinner, some sort of tie-in to the original concept, presumably. They had even picked a date for the inaugural event. Amazingly no one seems to have even questioned why the County Clerk would be organizing such a blatanly non-public function that had absolutely nothing to do with his job responsibilities.
The other scant fruits of Barbre’s labor were a photo montage of the New England Hall of Fame and a facsimile of a brochure from the Newport Sports Museum. Material collected and scanned and submitted as somehow substantive.
We will probably never know what was actually discussed verbally between the parties involved – including why they thought this hare-brained idea was in any way justified; or how they could ever defend the $50,000 paid to Barbre to do almost nothing. One thing is evident from the documents: by the summer of 2009 Barbre was no longer at the public trough, although by then he had already collected regular monthly payments of $3000, totaling $48,000 with nothing to show for it.
Almost fifty thousand dollars. Squandered. Wasted. Flushed down a rathole and into the pocket of a Daly campaign contributor.
Does anyone in the County government even care about this total dereliction of responsibility and breach of the public trust? Do the folks at the Orange County Register care? Do you?
The Tom Daly Experience. The Longer You Look, The Worse It Gets
Posted by Grover Cleveland in Behind Closed Doors, Dead heads, Orange County Government, Setting The Bar Low, Tom Daly on February 27, 2010
Just keep saying "fiscal conservative."
UPDATE: FYI, our document request only extended back to 2005. Any retainer payments to GFR in 2004 are not included in the spreadsheet, below.
- GC
Yesterday we reported on the dubious contract between Tom Daly’s County Clerk office and a Republican PR man and campaign agent, Brett Barbre, that put a cool $48,000 in Barbre’s pocket, and produced no evident accomplishment. We also learned that Mr. B was not only a political supporter of Daly, but a big contributor, too – to the tune of one thousand bucks.
Today’s revelation is just as startling. Starting in the summer 2004 Daly made an agreement with an operation called Government Finance Research from Rocklin, CA, and it’s principle consultant, Peter A. Lauwerys, for a retainer deal that would cost the County $1695 per month, each and every month with special projects billed separately. Consider the implications: over twenty grand a year to some sort of research firm in order to do….well, nothing.
In the documents provided to us through our request for “all activity status reports” and “lists of work completed,” we have identified two principal GRS project proposals: one was to do a “push” survey to support Daly’s desire to expand his empire by opening satellite offices. The survey project as outlined in a September 2004 proposal would cost $16,200. Apparently that project was not finished per the original contract because in January 2005 Mr. Lauwerys proposed a nine-week extension that would cost the County another $14,000 – a whopping 86% increase. The survey was finally produced in April 2005 – a meager twenty-two page double-spaced report, including tables, plus photos and appendices.
One year and twelve more retainer payments later, in June, 2006 Lauwerys submitted a second proposal: $15,800 to “prepare and complete” the California County Recorder Association’s Statistical Report for 2006, a job that Daly apparently decided to take over from the County of Riverside. Why the County of Orange and not the Association paid for this “report” is unknown.
Finally in November, 2007 and another year and a half of retainer payments later, GFR did some sort of analysis of the benefits of “outsourcing” data entry clerks and found a savings. We do not know if Daly implemented the recommendation contained therein.
Since then two more years of monthly retainer payments have been made by the taxpayers of Orange County to the lucky boys at GFR.
The County’s invoice and billing records pertaining to GFR appear to be incomplete and somewhat confused. But one thing is perfectly clear: GFR has been receiving a monthly retainer of $1700 a month for over five years, and counting. The latest check was cut on January 15, 2010, so presumably the GFR spigot has not been turned off. Not yet, anyway.
The total payout to this operation to date has been $113,810, including the 2006 California Recorders Association project. But the billing for the original satellite office survey contract and its extension in 2004 and early 2005 seems not to have been included in the material that we received; that total was $30,200, as proposed.
Of course we question the utility of these projects as even necessary; Daly’s die-hard devotees would probably disagree. However what appears to be incontrovertible is the evidence of a complete and frivolous waste of public funds in the retainer payout to a Sacramento area firm to essentially do nothing – for over five years.
As with the Barbre contract we ask: what was the consultant selection process? Was this a no-bid arrangement? What are GFR’s unique qualifications that justify a retainer agreement, and for that matter, what are the Clerk/Recorder’s needs that justify it?
Maybe one of Daly’s supporters who have been pitching his fiscal conservatism can help us out here.
Daly To Drop Out of Supervisor Race; Art Brown To Jump In
Posted by admin in OC's Fourth District, Orange County Government, Tom Daly on February 19, 2010
A little while ago we received the following e-mail from Art Brown, the avuncular councilmember from Buena Park:
Subject: 4th District Supervisor
I just got off the phone with Tom Daly. He is pulling out of the race for supervisor today and filing to run for his current position of Clerk-recorder.
As it had been my intent to run for supervisor in the past but stood aside for Tom I am filing for the supervisors race on Monday. I feel with my experience in local government over the past 24 years and my record OCTA representing the 4th district that I am the best candidate for the job.
You what??!!
We have not yet verified this information, but it sure has the ring of truth. Daly’s desire for the job may have been tempered by the reality of abandoning a great paying job with no requirements, no performance standards, and no term limits. The idea of a rough and tumble campaign may not have been too appealing, either; but if Tom think he’s out of the woods, he’s may have another think coming: he has well-endorsed opponent in the Clerk’s race and eight years of office baggage to haul around with him.
But we will say this for Daly in parting the Supe race: AT LEAST HE LIVED IN THE DISTRICT.
And to Art Brown: thanks for the heads up and welcome to the party. Supes on!
Shawn Nelson on Tea Parties and the Paycheck Protection Initiative
Posted by admin in Harry Sidhu, Lorri Galloway, OC's Fourth District, Shawn Nelson, Tom Daly on February 12, 2010
Shawn, please explain to our readers how you got involved in the Tea Party movement?
Shawn: To begin with, there was no Tea Party movement that I was aware of at this time last year. Last March people across the country and certainly in Southern California were reeling from the constant beat down of small business people and this unending talk of raising taxes, bailouts, and the government taking over everything from the auto industry to banking.
As a small business man myself I began to sense there were a number of my peers that had not been typically politically active but had suffered through all they were going to take. KFI’s John & Ken were focused on the same issues that were troubling me and so many others and the talk began to be that they should have some kind of rally to protest. I thought this was the perfect time to do exactly that and that people that had never participated in such things might be ready to scream they wanted the nonsense to end.
I got together with a fellow business owner in Fullerton and we sent an e-mail with photos of other events that had been held in the Fullerton transit center to the producer for John & Ken. It took a few days but they finally responded and were psyched up about the idea and the location. 12,000 people later on a beautiful Saturday in Fullerton I realized we were on to something. The people that attended last spring’s Tax Revolt 2009 in Fullerton were folks that in most cases had never protested anything before. They were people that run businesses and raise families and are usually willing to leave the protest stuff to the activists. They were ready to engage and I was thrilled to see them in action. These were my kind of people.
It wasn’t until last summer that I remember folks beginning to use the word Tea Party to describe the anger of the people and the new activism but I was thrilled to see the movement was not just a one day thing.
Prior to last springs’ Tax Revolt, I hit the radar screen of the Tea Party folks because I stood up against and stopped an attempted retroactive pension spike in the city of Fullerton 18 months ago. Since then I have been seen as one of the few people that will actually take political risk when it comes to all things union run.
What are thoughts about the paycheck protection initiative?
Shawn Nelson: I believe unions have a right to participate and should. My family’s business, Daily Saw Service (yes I am a Daily) has been union since just after World War II. Paycheck protection will end the strong arm tactics of the union presidents who can at a moments notice raise millions of dollars whether their members are in favor of an issue or not. Right now, unions can literally control the election process in many cities. counties and state wide by their sheer ability to take their members money and throw their weight around. If members had to actually cut an after tax check before a union boss could use their money, I for one do not believe the faucet would be stuck in the “on” position like it is now.
Are you going to the rally this weekend?
Nelson:I will be at the event on Saturday, 10:00 a.m. in the Fullerton Transportation Center. Please say hello to me if you stop by.
What are people looking for in a candidate?
Nelson: Fullerton is the same as the nation. Folks are tired of people who make their living in politics. A career spent in government affairs is exactly the type of background that has Tea Party types furious with their election choices.
I think people are looking for someone straight forward and honest. Some one who as actually run a business and who is about results not measuring intentions and effort. I think people are tired of voting for a person just because he/she is moving to another office in politics. They want to vote for someone that will get things done, not accommodate those that make their living in the system.
It is too much to ask a guy that has spent his career stroking his political friends to break ranks and disappoint by cutting programs that are not needed, reducing staff when it is feasible etc? This is the reason I am willing to give up my law practice and run and the reason I think I will win. I will say no to the cronies at the county and particularly any union boss who places protecting salaries and benefits above the taxpayers need for service.
There are a lot of candidates moving or claiming to move their residence to run for office lately. Would you be willing to move to run for office?
Nelson: No.
Why not?
Nelson: I live right near where I grew up in a home one of my best friends was raised in. I chose where I wanted to live based on the community, my children’s well being, proximity to friends and family trails, parks etc. Where I chose to live had nothing to do with politics or running for office. I cant imagine being so self absorbed as to move my family specifically to run for an office in a district outside of where my home is. Maybe worse than that would be to pretend I moved but not actually do so. Anyway, gimmicks are not what I am about.
Why do you think you will win?
Nelson: It really is time for some bold changes in who runs, who we elect and what the people we elect have the guts to do. For too long we have elected supposedly conservative people and what we get is constant cow-towing to unions and interest groups that are close to bankrupting government at every level. We need people who are giving up more than they get from public service, not folks that win elections and get a raise.
Can we consider you a friend?
Nelson: Sure, I am a Friend of Fullerton’s Future.
The Hypocrisy Deepens at Mauve County
Posted by admin in Dead heads, OC's Fourth District, Repuglicanism, Setting The Bar Low, Tom Daly on February 10, 2010
Over in the purpling swamp of what used to be the “Red County” blog, Matthew J. Cunningham just topped himself, hypocrisy-wise.
Oops! I did it again.
Cunningham has been throwing out backhanded support for Tom Daly, a Democrat, in the campaign for 4th District Supervisor for a year now. Lately he has employed a pro-Daly blogger to actually promote Daly outright. That struck some people as odd for an allegedly “right of center” blog. Of course we know that Cunningham is just a gofer for John Lewis, the political impresario and lobbyist who is the mastermind of the Daly effort. That explains a lot. Including the lame post the other day by some fat-headed goon called Thomas Anthony Gordon attacking the race’s only real conservative – Shawn Nelson. And of course Daly’s campaign manager also chimed in, again using different aliases, to try to reinforce the theme.
Cunningham has been spinning the whole Daly thing by proclaiming that his is not a Republican blog, just a right of center one. When (and if) you get past the obvious discordance of a right of center blog supporting a union-backed Democrat and attacking a real conservative, you’re likely to find some real hypocritical treasures - as an alert Friend did today.
Opining in a comment in post thread about the Mission Viejo recall of RINO Lance MacLean, Cunningham has the nerve to criticize the recallers for causing the replacement of a Republican with a Democrat!
Say what?
Isn’t that exactly what John Lewis & Co. are promoting in the 4th Supervisor campaign? Replacing Republican Chris Norby with a County employee union backed Democrat – Tom Daly. For fun, check out last year’s Daly’s fundraiser host committee.
The union bosses and lobbyists arm wrestled for front row seats...
Lest you think a Democrat can be a real conservative just take a look who’s backing Daly – County union bosses Nick Berardino (OCEA), Wayne Quint (AOSD), and Joe Kerr, head of the County OC Firefighters. Of course they could be backing Daly because of his fiscal conservatism, huh?
Oh well. It’s not as if this were something we didn’t already know. Still, the hypocrisy is quite remarkable.
Cunningham Just Can’t Get Enough of FFFF!
Posted by admin in Dead heads, Repuglicanism, Setting The Bar Low, Tom Daly on February 1, 2010
Just in time for Groundhog Day...
Our old pal Matthew J. Cunningham, the editor of the Mauve County blog and noted Tom Daly fan just can’t get enough of our humble blog. Our mole, deep inside the guts of the John Lewis political machine has informed us that Cunningham has been posting comments at FFFF under a whole slew of fake names. We even have the list.
Last night he chimed in on the Daly campaign finance post calling himself “Grover gets an F” to try his old trick of changing the subject. Of course that didn’t work.
But he has also popped up here recently under the aliases “Peabody the Nobody,” a fake “Lou Correa,” “No Tax Hikes,” and “Strider.”
Naughty, naughty boy, Matthew. Report to the principal’s office immediately! Now that you’ve joined the ranks of the Sidhu and Daly campaign workers blogging anonymously (and frequently for your boys), your much bragged about credibility just took a hit wherever it still exists. Of course we were on to you all along so there’s no harm done here at FFFF. Wonder if you’ll keep criticizing all those mean anonymous bloggers.
Why not just stick to those boring posts you do over at that ghost town of yours and quit cluttering our threads? And try getting a real job while you’re at it.
Daly Stumbles Over County Campaign Finance Rules
Posted by Grover Cleveland in OC's Fourth District, Tom Daly on January 31, 2010
Just keep quiet, stupid. It'll blow over.
The Tom Daly for 4th District Supervisor campaign is not getting off to a great start. You’d think the County’s number one bureaucrat would be able to follow the County’s campaign finance law. Well, you’d have another think coming.
Daly ran afoul of those regulations when he accepted a $200 contribution in December from the Sharon Quirk For Fullerton (#1263645) campaign committee. The law, Sec. 1-6-9 of the County’s Municipal Code clearly states that one campaign can’t contribute to another. Here is the code:
Sec. 1-6-9. - Prohibition on transfers.
(Ord. No. 3862, § 9, 6-23-92; Ord. No. 02-012, § 4, 12-17-02)
Now this doesn’t look very good, does it? The County’s Chief Paper Pusher seems to have gotten his ream in wringer.
Good Grief! What’s next for the Daly Cavalcade of Campaign Comedy?
Tom Daly: Career Politician Who Wears the Union Label
Posted by admin in OC's Fourth District, Tom Daly on January 27, 2010
Well you heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Tom Daly has and will be beholden to the public employee unions. He tries to put a fig leaf over this ugly fact by describing the unions as his neighbors with a stake in the “quality of life” of his community. Notice how Daly conveniently confuses the individual with the collective? What a hoot!
Well I hate to break the news to you Mr. Daly, but it’s the public unions and their never ending fiscal demands that have pushed our cities, our county, and our state to near-insolvency and dismal credit ratings. And the citizenry has finally gotten wise.
Say good night, Tom.
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