Dear Loyal Friends, considering the number of comments received on the prior post , the majority of you have agreed that WTF’s idea for a contest to see which is the ugliest and cheapest looking piece of cardboard crap to come from Redevelopment is a good one. So, email images of your ugliest and cheapest looking piece of cardboard crap to come from Redevelopment to: fullertonsfuture@yahoo.com. I’ll post them, and our loyal Friends will select the winner.
The lights on the floor sealed the deal for me
The winner will receive an original Friends For Fullerton’s Future “TERM LIMITS” t-shirt.
Fullerton Friend Yoshii Kawamura Blogs Hard Before Milk Break
Four-and-a-half year old Yoshii Kawamura of Minamiechizen Village, Nanjo District, Fukui Prefecture, and penpal of Golden Hills Elementary’s March Citizen of the Month, Trevor McGrath, takes a break from precalculus class at the Nanjo Normal School to enjoy a riveting FFFF blog post by the Fullerton Shadow.
The proposed vast expansion of Fullerton’s Redevelopment Project Area is an issue with countywide implications. The County Board of Supervisors has established a policy of opposition to the expansion: practically because it will divert property tax from other governmental agenices; and, philosophically because it raises the specter of eminent domain, and potential impacts to businesses and residents, alike.
Since Mr. Daly is running for 4th District Supervisor to replace Chris Norby we wonder what kind of position he might take on this issue, if any, before the May hearing at our city council. Fullerton City Councilman Shawn Nelson, an oft-rumored opponent of Daly, has already staked out a position of opposition to this intrusive government expansion.
When Daly was mayor of Anaheim the that city pursued an active role of redevelopment sterilization and homogenization – just the sort of thing many Fullertonians are justifiably concerned about.
I'm From the Magic Kingdom and I'm Here to Help
Stand by Friends. If we hear anything we will let you know.
The trustees over at the North Orange County Community College District have seemingly done the impossible, conjuring up a new football stadium at the FJC campus out of thin air. Apparently the neighbors aren’t too crazy about this sleight-of-hand since it means noise, lights, traffic, etc. They decided to raise their own ruckus, and in a democracy that’s a damn fine thing.
What happened was that the locals discovered the District had been guilty of “mission creep” or bureaucratic metastasis, or whatever you want to call it. But rather than our going on, let’s let neighbor Ken Bane speak for himself (courtesy of another FFFF thread):
“the EIR only contemplated a “renovation” of the track field. but when no one was looking, they added lighing, a PA system, and seating 2000+. When we caught their hand in the cookie jar they agreed to be a “good neighbor” and do the required supplemental CEQA review, like someone following the law makes them worthy, when in fact they wouldn’t have unless we busted them. And frankly, we’re skeptical they’ll do it right from here anyway.”
We recall a Ken Bane who used to work for the Fullerton Planning Department many years ago and wonder if this is the same fellow. If it is, we have confidence that his narration of the environmental deficiencies of the project is pretty accurate.
Now it may come as a shock to some of you Loyal Friends, but it is the government itself that is often the biggest scofflaw when it comes to abiding by CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act). Even when they don’t get a categorical exemption public agencies often find ways of dodging the intent of CEQA that could land you or me in the slammer.
NOCCCD Tries an End Run
As our own Fullerton Harpoon pointed out in response to Mr. Bane, this enhanced plan will require an amendment to an approved EIR including new facts not previously in evidence. Traffic, Noise and Aesthetic EIR categories will have to be addressed, and the new document should also include alternatives to the project – in this case one alternative could be to rent somebody else’s facility as a congenial part of a “no build” alternative; maybe it could be the Fullerton High School stadium a mere quarter of a mile away.
CEQA also requires that if there are unmitigated impacts (such as in this case lighting and noise will undoubdtedly be) a statement of overidding considerations be made identifying some objective public need for building the project. In this case it’s pretty hard to see how anybody could justify the necessity of a game-day stadium, especially for the few hundred spectators that show up for a typical Hornet game.
This may be one of the rare cases where a citizen/neighborhood group can take on a government agency – and win. We will try to keep our devoted readers up to date on this issue.
Former Miss Fullerton and current hand model Brittney Anderson shows a lot of moxie commenting on an FFFF post while relaxing on an Aussie beach near Brisbane, not long after losing the lower half of her body in a great white shark attack.
Friend of Fullerton D’annika Washington, a sophmore Art major from CSUF currently studying male nudes abroad, enjoys an engaging FFFF blog post while waiting for an absinthe at a hip cybercafe located in a trendy reconverted warehouse in Montparnasse, Paris.
Marijuana is not a dangerous drug [”Proposed pot law ignites debate,” Opinion, Feb. 23]. Alcohol causes thousands of deaths each year from overdose (alcohol poisoning), while no one in recorded history has ever died from marijuana overdose. It’s physically impossible to smoke or ingest enough marijuana to come anywhere close to a harmful overdose. We have our legal drugs backward. Numerous scientific studies in Canada and Europe have proven that pot is safer than most FDA-approved prescription drugs. Habitual pot smoking doesn’t even significantly increase the risk of cancer. The worst side effect from chronic pot use is chronic laziness. And the studies that claim pot is a “gateway drug” are inherently flawed because the omit alcohol, tobacco and prescription drug abuse.
The argument that legalization will lead to an increase in traffic accidents is also flawed. Of the millions of pot smokers who are currently breaking the law, studies and statistics show that only a small percentage are stupid enough to drive while stoned.
Those like myself who would be inclined to smoke pot once it’s legal, but who currently refrain, are already respectful of the law, and, therefore, would not be likely to drive stoned once it’s legal.
Marijuana was made illegal for two purely political reasons. The first was a back-door agreement that ended alcohol prohibition. The prohibitionists wanted something in return for alcohol’s return to the market; marijuana was the trade off. Second, William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate, wanted to eliminate the hemp-based paper competition for his paper mills.
Is Fullerton ready for a John and Ken invasion? The Tax Revolt 2009 Facebook page has announced a huge protest to be held in Fullerton, as follows: Click here for details.
