admin, Author at Friends For Fullerton's Future

February 26, 2009April 19, 2009Fullerton's Design Standards

THE DISMAL DRIVE TO ARCHITECTURAL DREARINESS @ FJC

A couple of years ago I sent the following letter to the Fullerton Observer. It caused a bit of a stir among the knee-jerk educrat supporters. I hope you Friends enjoy it, too:

Dear Editor: There is an old adage that bad architecture costs just as much as good. This lesson seems to be lost on the educators over at the NCCCD. First they erect the god-awful monstrosity of the library with its overbearing size and fake historical details, right down to the false concrete formwork impressions on lath and plaster walls!

And now the Student Commons: another McSpanish dinosaur looming over innocent passersby on Chapman Avenue. With its fake “thick” walls, fake concrete columns, fake cornices, and oafish arches (see attached images) this edifice represents all that’s bad in trying to ape the design of the poured-in-place concrete structures on campus.

Had the college pursued a course of promoting original modern design they may well have succeeded in erecting buildings that would be recognized 70 years from now as historic. – buildings that were graceful, elegant, efficient, and that honestly expressed structure in form. My guess is that the WPA buildings on campus will end up outlasting these new ones.

The promotion of fake old architecture by our Board, on the other hand, is the result of confused thinking. The idea of emulating existing building’s themes so that the new ones “fit in” is meant to display aesthetic sensitivity with a nod to the ideas of tradition and preservation – concepts that they badly misunderstand. Fake old architecture honors nothing, least of all the past. The feeble attempts to copy historical detailing that present-day workers can’t do, or that the College won’t pay for, pays homage to nothing. Placing a fake old building next to an historic building will serve to make the original look better, but how much more of an honor would it be to hire a creative designer and let him or her pay tribute to the existing built environment through the exercise of creativity and talent! Isn’t that the lesson our public schools should be teaching their students?

February 25, 2009April 29, 2009Fullerton City Council

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IN FULLERTON?

by admin16 Comments

Dave Musante knows it takes a long time to bring about positive change in cities. Right now the first LEED-certified affordable housing development is being built in Northampton Massachusetts, where Dave was first elected Mayor for 12 years. What did they name the street that leads to the project?

Dave was advocating sustainable planning elements–greenbelts, energy conservation features, etc. way before he left office back in 1992. So 17 years later, when this project became a reality, the planners said its street sign had to say “Musante”.

Now that Sharon Quirk has reappointed him to the Planning Commission for the next four years, we can anticipate his outspoken advocacy for sustainability in public projects here in his new hometown? Will the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency’s planned $30 million government-subsidized Richman Ave. housing project adjacent to the historic Jones and Emmons neighborhood live up to the standards Dave pushed for in Northampton. Stay Tuned……

February 19, 2009January 9, 2010OC's Fourth District

Harry Sidhu is running for O.C. Supervisor — in the wrong district

by admin6 Comments

My sources tell me that Anaheim City Councilman Harry Sidhu is running for Orange County Supervisor in the Fourth District — even though he lives in theThird District. He is scouting a new residence in the Fourth. Beginning a week ago, on Feb. 6, I made several calls to Sidhu to confirm his position, but he has not returned the calls. So I’m going with this story anyway.His candidacy means Sidhu is moving out of the Third District, the location of his current residence, into the Fourth District.It’s called carpetbagging, and Americans frown on it. A politician is supposed to come from among the people he represents. (Click here to read the rest of this article by John Seiler). Photo courtesy of the Orange Juice Blog.

February 16, 2009March 30, 2009About Us

Bloggers Wanted

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Friends for Fullerton’s Future is the #1 Ranked Political Blog in Fullerton & North OC. We are currently seeking bloggers who would like to post on this site. You don’t have to be a Democrat or a Republican. If you believe in Fullerton’s future, in honest and open government, that principles are worth fighting for, and you have a passion to write what you believe, please send us an email us at: fullertonsfuture@yahoo.com We will protect your anonymity should you prefer to use a pseudonym.P.S. An ironic sense of humor is a huge asset!

February 16, 2009January 4, 2010Chris Norby

Uber right wing John Lewis endorses Democrat Tom Daly for the BOS

by admin6 Comments

Steven Greenhut confirmed the other day that uber right wing “Republican consultant John Lewis will be supporting (although not working for) Clerk/Recorder Tom Daly in his bid for the 4th district supervisorial seat once Chris Norby is termed out,” according to the Orange Punch Blog. Apparently Lewis “appreciates that Daly was one of the very few people who backed Norby when the entire establishment was behind Cynthia Coad.”Greenhut points out the fact that Daly, who is a prominent Democrat, willl not likely be a better advocate for limited-government than either of the two likely Republican contenders, Fullerton Councilman Sean Nelson (Republican elected official of the year), or Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu.(Click here to read the rest of this article by Art Pedroza)

February 12, 2009April 23, 2009About Us

JAN FLORY’S DOG IS DEAD!

by admin13 Comments

Last night I had my 60 day review at the Planning Commission to review the trumped up “public nuisance” charge brought against me by City staff at the behest of former council member and noted broomstick rider Jan Flory.

Still smarting from her defeat at the December meeting she showed up again and had to swallow the bitter pill yet again – a final 4-1 exoneration by the Commission.

Mrs. Flory held forth in a rambling ten-minute, diatribe the purpose of which was to attack me personally, one more time, as well as the Commission’s lack of proper diligence.

Her rant did include one bit of new information, if Mrs. Flory can be believed, and that’s the fact that she hasn’t had a dog in twenty-five years! That bit of information emerged as she challenged the accuracy of this humble blog!

Jan sure seemed annoyed at having been featured in an earlier post of mine (even though I thought the picture was pretty flattering – considering the subject. You can decide – I’m including it again, below).

Anyway the story has a happy ending. I have been vindicated and Jan Flory’s dog is in a much happier place – away from its owner.

Tony Bushala

January 26, 2009December 28, 2009Fullerton's Design Standards

GOVERNMENT AND GOOD DESIGN RARELY MIX

by admin16 Comments

And now, loyal Friends of Fullerton’s Future, we return to a theme a bit neglected of late, namely: our built environment, with an emphasis on both aesthetic and policy issues. In the past we have spent some time highlighting some really good examples of appalling public architecture and design paid for by the taxpayers.

Now let us cast our attention to an example of bad design foisted on a private commercial development by Fullerton’s own tasteless planning bureaucrats. Most of us have come to associate strip center developments with crappy design. Some folks blame the lack of aesthetic achievement on the tacky taste of commercial center’s owners, and there is no doubt that this is often a fair assessment. But what is not commonly appreciated is the role of government planners in the strip center development.

A case study is unfolding on Rosecrans and Euclid where an existing commercial center is undergoing a “facelift” (as Barbara Giasone would call it). In the coming weeks we will pictorially document progress on this site, although “progress” seems like such an inappropriate word!

Oh no! God-awful, tacked-on rooflets of various shapes and sizes – nothing more than useless vertical appendages enclosing wasted space and consuming perfectly good construction materials. The only redeeming thing about this work is that in twenty year’s time it too, will be torn away and replaced with something else.

We can see from the framing just what is being added – nothing of use. We may recall Louis Sullivan’s old saying: form ever follows function. Well, here Friends, is form with no function. “Ah, but what about beauty” some uninitiated readers may be inclined to cry. To which we can only reply that too many people are satisfied that a remodel of some kind is a guarantee of aesthetic improvement. We will document the emerging hodgepodge of roof add-ons and see if our readers agree with us!

Finally, we must relate the saddest part of this story. For some reason the owner of this project was required to undergo bureaucratic design review that apparently consisted of a low level planner foisting his own aesthetic preferences of design propriety for this site onto the owner. We believe what is emerging on Rosecrans and Euclid shows all the design traits of bureaucratic interference. We are not sure why this review was even necessary in the first place; its effectiveness will soon be very evident, indeed!

January 24, 2009April 29, 2009Dick Jones

4:1 Fullerton Council “Clueless” Ratio

by admin6 Comments

Below is a link to a video of the January 6^th Fullerton City Council meeting. Try this. Jump to item 14 and watch the various members discuss the proposal to RETROACTIVELY increase city employee pensions. Your challenge in responding to this post is to explain how any member other than Shawn Nelson does not appear to be clueless. In all fairness, Pam Keller may have escaped “clueless” status in this segmant as it was unclear as to when she figured out that the proposal was a bad idea. But for Quirk and Bankhead, it was as though somebody just let them know that the earth isn’t flat and they’re pissed. Heads are going to roll. By essentially implying to Nelson that opposing defined benefits to public employees is unconcionable, Bankhead is literally arguing that the math should be damned. It’s really worth the watch for the entertainment value alone if you know the players. Warning. If you were hoping that Sharon Quirk had a basic understanding of her responsibilities, have a martini first because you are about to be enlightened. http://fullerton.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=127

January 22, 2009January 5, 2010Fullerton School Board

Dinner Reservations Cancelled

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On January 20^th, the Fullerton Elementary School District voted on a consulting contract of up to $100,000 which would assess the “viability” of implementing a parcel tax on every property owner in Fullerton. This tax was ostensibly being considered in order to bridge the currently projected $17 million, 3 year FSD budget gap created by the state’s financial crisis.

For those who are blind to the perpetual folly, the ever-present elephant in the room that is the ridiculous manner in which public education is financed as a result the mafia-like tactics of our child-hating teacher’s unions, I will not attempt to educate here. Suffice it to say that we owe a debt of gratitude to current FSD Board Vice President, Beverly Berryman for her singular sage leadership in saving Fullerton citizens from an unbelievable attempt to raise our taxes…especially the taxes of parents struggling to save their homes for their children in these painful economic times.

Any manner of idiocy is pursued under the banner of FOR OUR CHILDREN which ultimately hurts children by destroying the future of public education with unsustainable financial foolishness. The Grand Dame of the Fullerton School District, Hilda “have you met my husband the doctor?” Sugarman actually argued that the board needed the “courage” to risk negative public reaction in order to continue to support her wasteful spending. Laptops for all is Hilda’s favorite cry. She is particularly fond of her unbelievably expensive International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program(me) which flushed thousands of dollars down a Geneva, Switzerland toilet.

In all fairness, I must give Lynn Thornley her due props on opposing this contract. Very surprised I was, but Lynn has surprised before on the side of reasonable decision making. And, finally, dear, sweet Minard Duncan. Once again too frightened, too kind, too very, very sweet to take a position which might hurt somebody’s feelings. Take heed my young liberal students of politics. Minard knows the path to garnering the many votes. Stand for children. What does that mean you ask? Weren’t you listening dummy? Stand for children. You need not know how to stand for them…just stand for them. Unbelievable.

January 17, 2009March 30, 2009Fullerton School Board

Fullerton School Board to Discuss New Parcel Tax

by admin12 Comments

This Tuesday evening at 5:30, the Fullerton School Board is expected to hire a consultant to do a feasibility study to determine the viability of a special school parcel tax in Fullerton. Any time I read “feasibility study” in a staff report, it’s code for “see even the consultant thinks we need to…”. When was the last time you looked on your property tax bill and noticed the long list of special tax’s to do this, that and the other thing? Isn’t it time that we learn how to survive in these tough economic times without a new tax.