The Red Light Skeletons of Harbor Boulevard
Several years ago this blog documented the shameful saga of Fullerton’s red light cameras, which were shut down after a judge declared that the city had been operating them illegally. That was an embarrassing moment for the mystified members of city council; even more so for the city attorney who lost in court and then stuck us with the bill.
The cameras were removed, but the poles and strobes still hang over Harbor Blvd today.
Should the city take them down?
Nope. Please leave them up forever as permanent monuments to magnificent and expensive failure, driven by a desperate quest for new revenue. Ah, wonderful new revenue streams… usually that means some gimmick conjured up to extract more money from the beleaguered public, promoted by tireless staff (and in this case, an eager red light camera salesman) and then executed by council with little regard for external consequences, all to avoid dealing with the real problem: excessive spending.
Any way, I see no sense in tearing down those poles. None at all.
Tear it down.
As a new City Planning Commissioner you know from a birds eye view it is an eyesore!
You know, it might not be a bad idea to also condemn that entire El Torito structure. My wife noticed that the 2nd “t” in Torito was out in BOTH lighted signs when we drove by the other night. Clearly blight. I say the Redevelopment Agency should buy that building for $6 million, give the land to a big developer and watch a new, gorgeous mixed use stucco obalisque to effective government be erected in its place. We need to get some bronze plaques up for Bruce and the Chief around town.
Someone should drop them off at the law offices of Jones & Mayer.
It used to be City workers left their jobs in persuit of a better paying job in the private sector. At some point they decided, why leave such an easy job, lets just raise taxes and fines and pay ourselves more. Excessive spending??? that is now the city government payroll.
The city staff will claim the poles are some sort of deterrent. Like this:
very provacative travis but neither this post or the one mentioned above tells the whole story. i would think you would present things with more completeness now that you have a responsible position on a commission. please do not embarrass bruce.
I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Did you read any of the three previous posts I wrote on this subject?
Why don’t you enlighten us with your version of the whole story?
just a request for completeness.. not accuracy. besides.. i just wanted to see if you post from your day job. i guess the answer is yes, you do.
what’s tang spelled backwards
great observation, nipsey. you win the prize.
I recall a recent post by Mathew Cuttheham who mentions gnats in the ointment or some such thingymicjig.
Actually, I was at Pei Wei. Now I’m at work, albeit in the parking lot.
thanks for the transparency, travis, i’m sure we’ll be learning a lot more about you. oh.. don’t forget to declare bushala’s payments to you on your 700 form.
gnat:
Travis received money from Bushala??? Prove it! Everyone knows Bushala is tight with his money and Travis doesn’t need it. Good luck with that theory…
The word is “provocative.” Dolt. Are you compton’s little brother?
thanks for the spelling lesson, babe.
Travis, you make a good point, leave them up as reminders. Maybe put some flowers on it.
Now we should go after Santa ana who has doubled their RL cameras. I have a case pending in regarding my spouse’s citation and expect to win the case. SA violated the CVC in not monitoring the citations — they sent me the violation when the photo clearly showed it was a female driver. They also violated the 15-day time limit to issue a citation. If i dont win this Trial by Declaration, i will get in new trial, and then Appeal it if i lose. But i wont.
Unfortunately, most “violators” dont know the law and pay the fines so it is a big money-maker for SA. Very sad.
I think they should leave it up there as well. A monument to government greed and incompetence.
Think? Either they should or not!
Tear down the eyesore!
If it costs money to take them down then leave them up.
Your tone is douchily familar. Have you met 4SD?
just messin with you flies. this is a funny site. it’s easy to get you miffed. douchily.. heh. you dont take yourselves seriously do you? nipsey?
that’s what this site is all about.. a bunch of anonymous idiots arguing with a bunch of other anonymous idiots. very entertaining.
you are all baited very easily.
Sweet Jebus, I do believe we have 4SD Observer. In drag.
Oh, sad little man that you are. FFFF was named Best Blog in OC by the Weekly last fall.
And nobody has ever named you Best Anything.
I’m still waiting for you to tell us the “whole story.”
Can we keep it on the subject?
I say keep them and paint then gold as a memorial to Bankhead! Well not a memorial yet but you soon.
Leave them up as a token to the red light god.
how bout some props for sidhu, pringle and anaheim creating a city charter banning red light cameras?
I’ll give Sidhu “props” when he removes his carpetbagging oily hide from Orange County politics forever – and takes his noisome crew with him.
P.S. Only semi-literates use the word “props.”
compton, get your nose out of Sidhu’s butt. Ban red light cameras 5 years ago and that shows leadership. Ban them AFTER the lawsuits and public records requests expose them as exploitation tools run for profit and they just look like desperate political hacks trying to make a headline a day late and several dollars short. Good to see you continuing to shill for an assclown though.
Hollis, i cant believe you put down positions for doing the right thing (Ban RLCs) and let Fullerton’s slide. We in Anaheim realize that RLCs lead to abuse (violations < .1 sec) AND is bad for tourism. Of course, Fullerton has none so they dont care. Even after losing their illegal RLC cases, they did not place a BAN on doing it again; to my knowledge, they just terminated their RLC contract. So much for "getting on the bandwagon". Instead of putting down our Anaheim politicians for "waiting" to ban the RLCs, why not get on yours for NOT banning them. Compton, dont let these ad hominum personal attacks deter you from saying the right thing.
Nice try Arnold but compton is the one out soliciting awards for people. No one is hyping up the Fullerton city council for anything on this site in case you hadn’t noticed. If Anaheim wanted to take a principled stand they could have done so before the negative press built. Taking a stand afterwards to ban cameras or just to get rid of them without an actual ban is a good thing but not one that deserves “props”.
“Props” are reserved for doing things when they will cost an individual something not after everyone has concluded it is righteous to do so.
ad hominum attacks have never stopped me before, especially when i know sidhu made the right call, and that it’ll piss these racist a-holes off more than anything else.
Sidhu has never done anything Pringle didn’t tell him to do.
He’s a zero, a total cipher, a complete loser.
BTW it’s “ad hominim.” Idiot.