Seems as if the mass exodus of LAPD cops gave McKinley the opportunity to take his pick of his former colleagues and put them on the streets of Fullerton.
Fullerton: a veritable jobs program for ex-LAPD cops. And it’s interesting to connect the dots in this Bilblical succession of miscreants: Armstrong hires McKinley; McKinly hires Cicinelli; the cop who never should have been on the street bashes in Kelly Thomas’ face like a piñata.
We’ve written about the control freak Armstrong before, perched as he was, atop an incompetent pyramid of his own construction. When Shakespeare said, “the evil that men do lives after them” he said a mouthful.
I was there. So was Ackerman, McClanahan, Catlin and Bankhead.
Here’s a copy of a letter to The Fullerton Observer by our State Assemblyman, Chris Norby, who puts the lie to the notion that Tony Bushala got some oct of subsidy in his lease deal with the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency. It’s funny how those who have routinely handed out millions in corporate welfare to their pals and cronies have chosen to attack Tony for actually paying to renovate the City-owned building!
Well, such are politics. The anti-recall crew are incapable of defending the Three Dessicated Dinosaurs so they have to attack the messenger of the Recall. Anyway, here’s Norby’s letter:
Santa Fe Depot Redevelopment Deal the Best We Could Get
I hesitate to get in the middle of your lively give-and-take with Tony Bushala (Mid-Sept Observer page 9 “Redevelopment Foe Also a Recipient,” and the Early October page 2 Rebuttal ).
However, since I was one of five Fullerton City Councilmembers (including Don Bankhead, Molly McClanahan, Buck Catlin, and Richard Ackerman) voting to approve the old Santa Fe Depot lease, allow me to defend our action.
That lease was the only way to save the historic structure from demolition and make an outdated building commercially viable.
In 1987, the Santa Fe Railroad sold the depot to a private developer who then sought a demolition permit. To avert its razing, the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency acquired the depot and sought bids for those who could preserve, restore and operate it. Agency staff recommended that the Bushala Brothers, Inc. (BBI) be awarded the project.
BBI was the only firm not requesting public subsidies. It offered a $41,000 up front payment to the agency plus $340,000 to restore the building to its original condition. As BBI had just completed an award-winning restoration of the old Ice House (just across the tracks from the depot) it was well qualified. When the depot restoration actually cost $540,000, the overruns were covered by BBI.
BBI also applied for and received the depot’s recognition on the National Registration of Historic Buildings and Places.
The monthly lease payment to the agency is $1,326, which is adjusted annually for inflation. While the Observer contends this is below market rate, it was the best offer we had at the time to restore this historic building. In addition, BBI pays $12,000 annually in building maintenance and for all property taxes and insurance.
The agency retained all rental income from Amtrak for the waiting room and ticketing areas. The rest of the depot was largely baggage storage rooms and an abandoned loading dock – areas difficult to lease out.
I have been critical of redevelopment agencies’ abuse of eminent domain, handouts to developers and diversion of property taxes from public schools. However, I have voted for agency-funded public projects (roads, parks, libraries) and for the preservation of historic buildings, such as the Santa Fe Depot.
One could argue that an old depot was not worth the public investment. However, given the council’s commitment to save the structure, I believe this was the best deal we had.
Chris Norby Fullerton Current California Assemblymember and former Fullerton City Council & Redevelopment Agency Member, 1984-2002
One of our Friends, “StormHarbor” wrote a comment yesterday that was so appropriate and well-written that I just had to give it a special post. Here it is:
Many of us find no gratification that police officers have been indicted and face serious consequences for heinous actions. Those emotions are most suitable for family members and loved ones of the victims. Perhaps what has fueled public outrage over this past summer’s revelations involving police misconduct is an inner patriotic desire to preserve our republic and a way of life that has been the envy of the world for so many decades. Unquestionably, we are becoming increasingly appalled by the utter contempt of those who govern towards those who are governed.
The Kelly Thomas killing was incredibly brazen. An American citizen was brutally tortured and beaten to death publicly in front of scores of witnesses. His unconscious, hogtied body was dragged out to the middle of the street for public viewing. Witnesses were understandably terrified and confused as to their personal responsibility to intervene. Afterwards, these six men calmly climbed back into their cruisers and sped away. They slept peacefully that night confident in a political machine and local press that would cover their misdeeds and perhaps even reward them with praise.
We understand that those who have created such a climate must see and acknowledge the error of their ways. Instead, these guys just deflect responsibility. Oh. Kelly was homeless. Is that why you’re upset? Yes, that must be the problem here. Well, we’ll just set up a commission to study the homeless problem. Problem solved.
They continue to flaunt an air of infallibility. No one has stepped up and accepted any responsibility for the climate that exists except for some of us citizens who realize we were asleep in our berths while the ship was being steered towards the rocks. Well, we’re not asleep anymore. We are calling out our city leaders, the district attorney and a compliant OC Register for propping up such a self-serving political machine in OC. Hopefully, a new attitude will start in Fullerton and spread across our land.
After several posts detailing the falsehoods and comically bizarre statements made by former Fullerton Police Department chief Pat McKinley, FFFF decided once again to call upon the good offices of Dr. Reinhold Ott, of the Institut fur Psychologie at the University of Tubingen. It appears to us that Mr. McKinley is desperately in need of professional help. And of course, we’re always here to help.
The penetrating gaze of Dr. Reinhold Ott; M.D., Ph.D
So, let’s hear from Dr. Ott.
I have reviewed the information you have provided me on the subject of your former police chief and city councillor, Mr. Pat McKinley, including the invaluable videos. I can say that the latter were particularly useful in developing a personality profile on this individual. While necessarily speculative without further in-depth analysis, I can assert that the available evidence leads me to some fairly confident conclusions.
Narcissism is a condition of excessive self-centeredness that entails the inability to critically assess one’s self and others from a rational perspective. When it attains a serious enough level it is manifested by an effective denial of reality, an inflated sense of entitlement, and an almost complete lack of empathy for others. The narcissist sees himself as perfectly formed and thus he must ascribe blame to others for his own failures and shortcomings.
I believe this description fits Mr. McKinley quite well, as evidenced by his refusal to even offer a token apology for all the serious problems in your police force, a force that he appears pleased to have assembled. I notice that lawless police officers that he hired and trained himself are deemed to be “aliens;” the concept of extra-terrestrials invading this man’s police department sounds ludicrous to us, but not to him. Since the idea that poor decisions on his part is not conceivable to him, the only explanation must be supernatural. And please note how he casually dismisses the victims of sexual assault by one of his policemen – a criminal act – by degrading the target of the crime. Thus the victims of his police force (those ladies…, etc.) are characterized as somehow to blame for events that are seen to be things that “just happen.”
In one interview I notice Mr. McKinley’s use of the first person plural pronoun. “When we came to Fullerton.” This is not merely casual misuse of language. It indicates the very real possibility of dual or perhaps even multiple personalities; at the least, the good cop/bad cop duality that is closely connected to the police psychology may here be in evidence. This possibility should not be dismissed lightly.
Furthermore, I must note a strong impulse to authoritarianism in our subject, the staunch defense of physical abuse of people who assert themselves at the expense of his authority, and, once again, a propensity to blame the targets of this impulse, such as the other worldly attributes he absurdly imputes to anti-abortion protesters.
People such as our subject are invariably drawn to the military, as well as crypto-militaristic organizations, and while they may be useful for limited tasks, such as full frontal battlefield assaults, crowd and traffic control, and the like, they must be constantly monitored by a competent civilian authority. The penchant to assert their control over others while evading responsibility for their own misdeeds can be disastrous. History is replete with this sort of megalomania with its attendant horrors: pogroms, wars, concentration camps, etc.
I should note that the narcissist may present himself in an attractive, even charming manner so long as he attains his desires. But in the face of resistance to his charm, and, more importantly, to his authority, the narcissist will likely drop any facade of congeniality and become belligerent; however the denial and dissimulation will persist.
The personality profile of Mr. McKinley cannot be considered complete without consideration of statements made by the subject for which he possesses no professional qualification, such as the nature of the head injuries suffered by Mr. Thomas; and by his attempt to psychoanalyze protesters and even criminals. Exercising what can only be deemed incompetent opinion under the guise of informed knowledge is typical behavior.
For the true megalomaniac it is insufficient to be merely an armed minion in service to the state. He craves an authority outside his rather narrow vocational limits; an authority that he can claim personally. This explains the production of a self-published book in which he presses his years of experience into service for the good of his fellow man. It matters not that his advice in this oeuvre is good or bad (it is likely to be highly dangerous or lethal to follow any advice the narcissist may proffer); what matters is that our subject is an author!
It is easy to smirk at the title and text of our subject’s literary endeavor, but some compassion should be exercised: the “She Bear” is obviously indicative of serious unresolved maternal issues, and very likely a distant or abusive father.
I’m starting to get a little annoyed about a system that coddles public employees, especially those who are supposed to be providing “public” safety, yet who seem to creating more public danger than safety, especially when budget time rolls around.
Let’s take our current police chief, Michael Sellers, who is on some sort of indefinite sick leave. Is he really sick? His doctor says so and like our idiot mayor, I am willing to believe he somehow got hold of a medical degree and a license to be a doctor.
So what’s ailing Sellers? Initial reports said high blood pressure and stress. Hell, I give my cat medicine for its high blood pressure, so that’s a load of bullshit right there. Stress?!! Jeez, some tax payers rightfully conclude that workplace stress is one of the reasons people like Sellers are paid huge salaries of almost $20,000 a month.
Maybe Sellers is just sick all of a sudden about being held accountable for something he was supposed to be in charge of.
And now that Sellers has disappeared to the friendly beach-side confines of San Clemente, he still pulls down that fabulous salary for doing nothing! At this point some cynical folks might assert that Sellers wasn’t doing anything anyway, so what’s the difference? Hard to argue against that. But Sellers has a boss – City Manager Joe Felz; and Joe Felz has five bosses – the city council. So who the Hell has been in charge of the Fullerton police the past two years? Nobody, apparently. It’s true that Pat McPension left Sellers a culture of corruption, but still, Sellers must have known what was going on.
Will he be back? The Three Mummified Miscreants don’t seem to think so, but their lawyer has told them they can’t talk about it.
Just give me a few more minutes and I'll come up with something even dumber...
Thus spake newly minted Fullerton police chief in an LA Times article, here, thoughtfully provided by a frequent commenter Jane H.
Pat McKinley was referring to the Rodney King beating at the hands of his colleagues in the LAPD that turned out to be the catalyst for the most destructive riots in American history.
Here’s the money quote from the egregious McKinley:
“Hey, we’ve got to do some training, we have to provide appropriate tools for officers on the streets and we need to go on.”
Uh, yeah, Pat. Good deduction. Let’s “go on.”
Speaking of training, McKinley style, flash forward to the fall of 2010 when McKinley-hire Kenton Hampton knocks the phone camera out of Veth Mam’s hands before throwing him to the pavement like a rag doll and dropping his 250 lbs of bulk on the helpless Mam. That’ll teach him to document the activities of McKinley’s downtown goon squad.
Then flash forward again to the sultry night of July 5th, 2011 when six McKinley hires (including Hampton, again) beat the mentally ill transient, Kelly Thomas, to death. In the aftermath of the killing we now know that digital and film records of the event were purloined by FPD cops at the scene.
If you ask me, what McKinley really learned from the Rodney King case, and what he meant by “training” was to make sure that witnesses who recorded the event were properly shaken down, intimidated and relieved of any incriminating visual evidence.
Oops! Too late. McKinley’s crew never dreamed that THEIR own camera would testify against them.
A couple of months a go we related a pathetic pro-cop piece written by the OC Register’s David Whiting, who is used to writing about wild flowers and bike trails and who, if the Register weren’t sinking, would probably be forced to stick to those bucolic endeavors.
Here is this toady’s latest effort. He has coughed up just about the lamest propaganda for the Three Desiccated Dinosaurs imaginable. It’s all about their quiet, dignified “leadership.” He helpfully supplies thumbnail biographies of his new heroes: Jones Bankhead and McKinley.
For Whiting everything has to do with how these three handled the murder of Kelly Thomas. But he conveniently omits some shocking truths; thruths like the abandonment of civilian oversight of the FPD as it descended into criminal chaos under McKinley’s reign of error; of a conga line of law suits, criminal and civil rights accusations, arrests and convictions of cops for one crime after another, about false police reports and perjury. Theft. Sexual battery. Fraud. Assault. False arrest. You name it.
Shallow observers like Whiting want to think the recall is about Kelly Thomas as an isolated, unavoidable incident; it isn’t. It’s about a Culture of Corruption created and fostered by Jones, Bankhead, and McKinley and they essentially turned over the police department to their union supporters – going so far as to permit one of the union bosses to act as an official city spokesman, a position this individual has used, and grossly abused in trying to help his union brethren escape responsibility for their criminal behavior.
Then there are the other troubling issues that Whiting knows and cares nothing about: the use of Redevelopment by The Three Myopic Miscreants to reward their political supporters and campaign contributors; the serial boondoggles and wasted millions in pursuit of one cockeyed master plan after another. It’s about the cesspool these individuals have created in downtown Fullerton; it’s about creating a criminal praetorian guard to patrol the downtown sidewalks – those that haven’t yet been given away to campaign contributors.
And then there is the disgraceful 10% tax on the water users of Fullerton, a $2.5 million annual ripoff that goes to pay the massive pensions and perks enjoyed by Jones, Bankhead and McKinley. It’s been illegal to impose such a tax for years, but Bankhead and Jones have been cheerfully ripping us off for decades.
Enough is enough. Time to break out the municipal broom and sweep these malefactors out of City Hall. Lackeys like Whiting will never permit themselves to comprehend the truth we know, and that thanks to Kelly Thomas many more people now realize: Bankhead, Jones, and McKinley are not leaders, dignified or otherwise. Real leaders take responsibility for their actions and their inactions. They are accountable. These three are detached, self-serving, arrogant clowns pretending to be something thy are not. If they won’t leave voluntarily we will help them to the door.
Here’s a damn funny letter sent into the Fullerton Observer by clever wordsmith Anthony “Big Tony” Florentine, a local “family friendly” bar owner and notorious rules-dodger. He has hundreds of thousands of reasons to support his corrupt pals on the City Council since they turned a blind eye to his illegal night club operation and then actually subsidized a fire sprinkler main so he could keep liquoring up the cast of Doc HeeHaw’s Wild West Show.
You may also recall how Big Tony even managed to swipe a public sidewalk with the help of his pals on the city council – probably the most blatant swindle in the history of Fullerton.
Florentine has been giving the Three Dyspeptic Dinosaurs campaign contributions for years and years, so these profitable quid pro quos shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. But it sure makes it hard to believe this cut rate Tony Soprano’s sincerity when he says anybody else on the planet is “full of shit.”
The best part of his letter is how this cheap bastard bamboozles The Observer into giving him a free ad for his place of business. Anyway, here is Florentine’s letter:
I was at Smart & Final several weeks ago where Tony Bushala was sitting at a card table soliciting signatures for the recall. I greeted him, shook his hand, and told him I thought he was full of s**t, and that what he was doing to our City was BS.
I offered that his only interest in this tragedy is to get control of the City Council so he can foist development projects that may be of questionable value. Whereupon he lost it and went berserk, which he is wont to do when one disagrees with him.
My expletives were not meant to insult him (I’m sure that would be hard to do), I used language I knew he could understand and that described his condition and the content of his actions.
There was no one outside Joe Florentine’s restaurant soliciting signatures, and no one who came outside and spit on anyone. If that had been the case why wouldn’t they have called the Fullerton P.D., identified the person and had them arrested for assault?
The whole story is another Bushala-inspired fabrication meant to discredit someone he doesn’t like.
By the way Florentines’ has a delicious new value added menu with large portions and a family friendly atmosphere. Try it. You’ll like it.
By the way, who are you and whom do you represent?
Last April I wrote this look back at what sure seemed like monkey business on the part of FPD spokesorifice Andrew Goodrich. Knowing what we know now about the lawless way that FPD operates when so inclined, the idea that they leaked potentially embarrasing information about someone they considered a political enemy is in no way surprising.
Many have wondered how Goodrich, after having failed to tell a single truth at any juncture of the Kelly Thomas murder epsiode, kept his job. The obvious answer is that the City Council, the City Manager, and the Acting Chief think he is doing a good job.
It could also be that because the estimable Goodrich is an officer in the police union they don’t have the guts to take this valuable piece of manpower and put him back on the street.
– Joe Sipowicz
The other day, our Travis Kiger engaged in a comical e-mail exchange with Fullerton PD’s $130,000 per year spokesperson, Sergeant Andrew Goodrich. Here it is:
Note that according to Goodrich, FPD policy is that the police log book may be perused at the station – but not copied. When unexpectedly queried as to how the Voice of OC(EA) managed to get a copy of a domestic dispute entry involving Assemblyman Chris Norby last September, the good Sergeant noted that it was due to the “constant” requests they had from the media. Hmm. Well, that makes so little sense that we may as well backtrack to review what happened. Something ain’t quite kosher. In fact a smell is emanating from this pile of Goodrich road apples.
Last fall, 72nd Assemblyman Chris Norby seems to have gotten into an argument with his wife. Some sort of delivery person, adventitiously arriving at the front door of Casa Norby, called the cops, who arrived, took a statement, and left. The date of the incident was September 2nd.
The Voice of OC(EA) finally got around to posting about the issue, here, on September 27 – almost four weeks after the fact.The Register followed up with a story a couple of days later. Other than that, general media silence. Wow, Andy, what a feeding frenzy!
Now that we know Goodrich’s excuse for violating FPD policy is nonsense, we are entitled to ask why Goodrich was so cavalier about passing out copies of the log – against policy; and further, we ought to ask how and why the Norby episode came to light at all.
Note that the report posted by the Voice of OC(EA) was time stamped September 20, seven days before it was published. This means that they either sat on the story for seven days, or they received the document several days after it was printed. Hmm. And remember, according to Goodrich, the log is regularly purged.
Although it is possible that the Voice took a week to getting around to publishing its story, is it at all likely that an intrepid Voice reporter came across an FPD log entry in the course of his typical day’s toil? Or is it a whole Hell of a lot more likely that an employee of the Fullerton Police Department, growing tired of waiting for some lucky journalist to discover what would surely be an embarrassment for Norby, leaked it to a pro-union news source?
Mr. Goodrich could help clear this up by sharing his records of media requests for this information, and explain the date on the printout.
Of course it is possible that some other party reading the log came across the item, recognized Norby’s address, and passed it on to the Voice; but that would be supported by pretty long odds.
In any case, there certainly is an object lesson here for all of us, Friends. Privacy seems to be selectively practiced by the Fullerton Police Department. And mostly it is not practiced to protect the public – but them.
