2011 - Page 49 of 50 - Friends For Fullerton's Future

January 13, 2011January 13, 2011Arts & Architecture

The Great ARTIC Melt Down

ARTIC transit center — Pringle's Pipe-n-glass Dream

According to an article in today’s LA Times here, the cloudy jewel in Anaheim’s ex-mayor-for hire, Kurt Pringle’s tarnished crown, ARTIC, may not be eligible for $99 million in special Measure M funding. The money had strings attached. However those strings seem to have come loose. And by loose I mean really loose. You see, “Project T” Measure M funds can only be used to “expand” existing stations to accommodate high-speed rail, not build new ones that don’t.

So far the OCTA has pitched over $40,000,000 bucks into this glorified bus station and at this point nobody can show that the high-speed rail choo-choos can even get to it; or that high-speed rail will ever even come to Anaheim. Of course the City of Anaheim (that isn’t paying for any of this) is now saying ARTIC is a “stand alone” facility, which is great, but it ain’t what the voters approved back in 2006: a stand alone facility doesn’t qualify for the $100,000,000 (yes, you read that right) Project T funding.

The hot light of public scrutiny is bound to have interesting environmental effects. The great ARTIC melt-down begins this morning at an OCTA Transit Committee meeting, where newly re-elected Supervisor Shawn Nelson is going to ask members to start reflecting upon their complete lack of responsibility in funding this Pringledoggle.

January 13, 2011January 13, 2011Orange County Central Committee

Calling It Like You See it

by admin16 Comments

Friends, here’s a fun look back at a defining moment in the Shawn Nelson-Hairbag Sidhu dust-up, Round 1. It was at OCGOP Central and the worst ‘pugs were trying to dodge a Central Committee endorsement of Nelson. These ‘swipes were actually pitching “the two good republicans” bullshit that Sidhu hoped would deflect attention to his incompetent carpetbagging assclownery.

Well, while every ‘pug and every “journalist” in OC was turning a blind eye to Sidhu’s district hopping, one guy really stood tall, and that’s current OCGOP Chair candidate, Tim Whitacre. Check it out:

Hmm. A guy who would oppose his own brother’s carpetbagging. Principle over payday? Hoo-boy, the repuglicans ain’t gonna like that!

January 12, 2011January 12, 2011Fullerton 2010

Looking Back on His First Campaign

by Travis18 Comments

Local art gallery owner Jesse La Tour just blogged an honest retrospect on his grassroots campaign effort for the 2010 Fullerton city council race:

http://jesselatour4citycouncil.com/2011/01/why-i-ran-for-city-council/

Whether you agree with him or not, it’s hard to ignore a refreshingly forthcoming guy who jumps in as an unfunded but creative underdog, gets licked by the moneyed interests, but then dusts himself off and vows to return again.

And five thousand votes for a $1,000 ain’t bad at all. See you in 2012, Jesse.

January 11, 2011January 11, 2011About Us

People You’d Like To Hit Up Along Side the Head With a 350 lbs. Frozen Tuna

by Jan Florys Dog27 Comments

The other day, we posted about some pea-brained, freeze-dried idiot who tried to link our alleged hate-speak on the type of violence perpetrated by some loonatic in Arizona.

Well, shit-howdy, that didn’t seem quite fair. We here at FFFF don’t advocate violence. But if we did, we might advocate slappin’ yer favorite Fullerton official up along side the head with a 350 pound, frozen albacore. But don’t count on using pointed objects, fire arms, slingshots, or any other dangerous objects. No, it’s gotta be a 350 pound tuna. And it’s gotta be frozen.

January 10, 2011January 10, 2011About Us

Subpoena Squashed

by Travis8 Comments

The Friends won a minor victory in the courtroom today as our motion to (s)quash a subpoena was granted by an Orange County Superior Court judge. The subpoena would have compelled us to reveal identifying information of a blog commenter to an Anaheim city employee, who is suing an anonymous John Doe for defamation.

burger-squashed — Quash. Such a cool word.

A series of arguments filed just before the hearing centered on the inherent nature of Friends for Fullerton’s Future itself. Is it a business, an unincorporated association, a global shadow conspiracy, or just an Internet domain? The judge didn’t want to go there. And really, who can blame him?

So we won on a technicality and the plaintiff vowed to serve the subpoena again. Outside the courtroom we implored her to focus on the nasty stuff left on other websites and drop the case against FFFF’s comparatively mild missive, leaving it to whither away into Internet nothingness where is just may well belong.

Will she listen? Doubtful. She seems as hardheaded as we are.

January 9, 2011About Us

Hey! Wait A Minute!

by Joe Sipowicz48 Comments

Yesterday, we received this anonymous e-mail from somebody who obviously reads our humble blog regularly:

I’m sure you heard about the vicious political attack against Congresswoman Giffords in Arizona. It was clearly driven by all of the anger and hate spewed from places like this very blog. This is the kind of event that might happen in Fullerton if you keep up your mean rhetoric and hateful talk. If it does, I hope you go to jail for a very long time.

Yes, this “kind of event” might happen in Fullerton. Or Anaheim, or Azusa, or Cucamonga. Or Timbuktu.

Confused thinking is not uncommon among some of our critics, but this is just ridiculous. Blaming “people like us” for a mass murder perpetrated by a wing-nut with an agenda is absurd. But it is also insidious because this type of argument is clearly used to provide cover for incompetent, irresponsible and unethical local politicians.

Mean rhetoric and hateful talk. Hmm. Mean? Dunno. How about honest? Hateful? Well, anonymous, you got us there. We do hate unaccountable government; and maybe even politicians who say one thing and do another, who waste public funds on junkets and who turn over our city to out of town developers.

And to deal with them we have elections.

January 8, 2011January 8, 2011Chris Norby

The Sudden Relevance of Chris Norby?

by The Desert Rat23 Comments

Norby-gets-roasted-195x110 — Mr. Speaker! Let's kill Redevelopment once and for all!

Way out here at the end of Screech Owl Road the silence is almost absolute – only occasionally ruptured by the stray thump of Marine helicopters in the distance. It gives a man time to think in peace and quiet, and I’ve been thinking about Chris Norby ever since his post the other day about the possibility of a stake in the heart of Redevelopment.

I started watching Norby’s political career in Fullerton back in the early 80s. During his days on the City Council he was effectively marginalized by the various majorities who saw Norby as an annoyance and an irritant. His 18 years saw almost no accomplishment at all; ditto his seven years as a County Supervisor, years in which his colleagues saddled you Orange Countians with a massive unfunded pension liability.

The gods were certainly kind to Norby when they presented him with an unforseen chance to extend his professional political career in the form of an open mike and an open Mike’s mouth. Still, what the gods giveth with one hand… 2010 saw a big Democratic majority and an opportunity to pass a budget with a mere 50%+1 of the Legislature. Total irrelevance for an OC Republican, right?

Well, maybe not. For those sly gods also finally presented Norby with an opportunity to be a Capitol player via a monstrous budget deficit and a Democratic governor who actually seems sincere in willing to dismantle Redevelopment – as well as to divert special taxes away from make-work, feel-good programs like the First Five scam.

Governor Brown will have to fight the entrenched Redevelopment lobby that has tentacles wrapped around members of both parties, and a budget proposal that goes after it may well need to be supported by Republicans, too. And when it comes to pulling the plug on Redevelopment nobody has a better record than Norby. A Brown-Norby alliance? Relevance at last? Who knows?

Better late than never.

January 7, 2011January 7, 2011About Us

The Subpoena: Will It Quash?

by Travis22 Comments

Let’s hope so. FFFF filed an emergency motion to quash a subpoena this morning in the case of Cheryl Sanders vs. John Doe, a defamation suit filed by an Anaheim city employee against an anonymous commenter in which the Friends were compelled by court order to release private records. Our little hearing is scheduled for Monday at 1:30 pm at the Central Justice Center.

View the motion to quash subpoena

Journalists have a right to protect sources who allege corruption within government offices, and we believe that right extends to bloggers, too. Lucky for FFFF, the courts in California seem to agree. Given that, we’d rather punch our own groins than divulge the identity of a potential whistleblower who partakes in the raging digital discussion that happens here.

Here’s the bottom line: Friends for Fullerton’s Future won’t surrender any of our anonymous commenters’ private data to anybody (especially a public employee) without a fight.

January 7, 2011Fullerton School Board

Chris Thompson and Martha Montelongo on the Radio

by Travis7 Comments

Beginning tomorrow, Fullerton School Board member Chris Thompson will be co-hosting a radio show with Martha Montelongo every Saturday night on KRLA 870AM.

You can listen in on AM 870 or at krla870.com on Saturday night from 11:00 pm to 1:00 am. Montelongo and Thompson will be discussing all things political, including education, unions, taxes, limited government and freedom.

Chris Thompson is a newly elected trustee for the Fullerton School Board, a longtime advocate for education reform as well as a member in good standing of both Friends for Fullerton’s Future and the Fullerton Association of Concerned Taxpayers.

Martha Montelongo is a long-time broadcast and internet radio host, writer, blogger and stay-at-home mom. She describes herself as a former Democrat who has seen the light, and now supports limited government and free enterprise.

The show should be a real kick in the pants, so don’t forget to tune in for the premiere.

January 6, 2011January 6, 2011Chris Norby

Redevelopment on the Chopping Block?

by Chris Norby11 Comments

Dear Friends, I just returned for my first full legislative term here in Sacramento, having gained valuable experience serving for the past 10 months since the special election. One announced reform I can embrace is the new governor’s goal of abolishing redevelopment agencies and restoring their funds to counties and schools. As a longtime critic of these agencies, I’ve been called by numerous media outlets and colleagues on issues related to this little understood level of government.

Redevelopment agencies capture 12% of all property taxes statewide-that’s $6 billion annually diverted from school districts, counties and municipal police and fire protection. The funds are largely spent subsidizing private development projects whose promoters acquire land under threat of eminent domain, while 20% pays for low income housing projects.

The government should not be in the business of subsidizing private developers, nor of building housing projects. That’s the job of the private sector. This money needs to be restored to pay for infrastructure and services. Public money should build classrooms, not Costcos.

The agencies cannot be closed, however, until their nearly $100 billion indebtedness is paid off, but a phase-out over time could start, and long-evaded sunset clauses enforced.

While the legislature requires me to be in Sacramento on a weekly basis through June, I’ll keep regular district office hours every Friday. Visit or call 714-672-4734. I’m there for you.