Friends For Fullerton's Future
FFFF supports causes that promote intelligent, responsible and accountable government in Fullerton and Orange County
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California Watch released a report last week suggesting that DUI checkpoints in many California cities are focused on revenue generation via vehicle impounds rather than stopping drunk drivers. OC Register data shows that checkpoints in some OC cities stop relatively few drunk drivers, but do cash in on massive impound fees through revenue-sharing agreements with local impound yards. Most of the impounds come from unlicensed drivers, not DUI arrests.
We couldn’t help but notice that Fullerton PD is ready to pitch the creation of it’s own impound yard to the city council in the coming weeks. Revenue generation is the motive.
Coincidentally, the city has planned six DUI checkpoints in Fullerton through the end of summer.
So what’s the problem?
First, the report states that many cities are ignoring case law that would prevent them from making many of the current non-DUI related impounds. The article quotes Fullerton attorney Martin J. Mayer of the law firm Jones & Mayer, who has warned law enforcement agencies statewide that this could become a big legal problem.
Second, many contend that DUI checkpoints are a violation of the fourth amendment – the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. Checkpoints stop dozens of innocent drivers in order to catch a single DUI offender. Unfortunately courts have ruled that protecting citizens from drunk drivers gives the state a compelling interest to ignore the 4th amendment.
But what happens when the courts find out that DUI checkpoints aren’t really about stopping drunk drivers, but rather impounding vehicles for cash?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out in Fullerton. The curious timing of the California Watch story, Fullerton PD’s impound lot proposal and the ramped-up DUI checkpoints does make one wonder if there is more to this story.
Please join Congressman Ed Royce, Assemblyman Chris Norby, and the host committee for hors d’oeuvres at the Matador Cantina in Historic downtown Fullerton.
Matador Cantina
111 N. Harbor Blvd
Fullerton, CA
Reception 5:30-8:00 PM
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Business Attire
TO RSVP PLEASE CONTACT:
J. Allen Pitkin (949) 232-8882
More information at www.nelsonforsupervisor.com/events
State Assemblyman Chris Norby just told me that he is endorsing Bill Hunt for Orange County Sheriff.
Apparently Norby was impressed with Hunt’s no-nonsense position on the failed “War on Drugs”. Earlier we noted an interview with Bill Hunt in which he acknowledged that it is wrong for local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with the federal government in arresting lawful users of medical marijuana. Clearly Hunt respects California voters’ assertion that medical marijuana is a state’s rights issue.
Norby also pointed out that Hunt is the only candidate who has ever received more than 3 votes. “That’s all Hutchens ever got, and 2 of those surely regret it now” he said, referring to the current Sheriff’s appointment to the position after Mike Carona was forced to resign in 2008.
Chris also gives Hunt credit for challenging Carona in ’06, back when most of the political establishment (including Norby) still endorsed Sheriff Mike.
Chris decided to make the endorsement after he and his wife met with Bill and Debbie Hunt recently at the Twisted Vine and Continental Room in Downtown Fullerton. “They are such nice people,” he said.
A recent internal investigation at Anaheim PD concludes that several officers wrongfully arrested an activist who frequently speaks out against OC Sheriff candidate Craig Hunter.
James Robert Reade is a civil rights activist from Anaheim with a long history of publicly speaking out against abusive Anaheim police officers. For years, Reade has been making accusations specifically against Deputy Chief Craig Hunter, who is now a candidate for OC Sheriff.
Back in October, weeks before Craig Hunter was to announce his candidacy, James Robert Reade claims that he was assaulted by Anaheim PD and arrested on based on false accusations of drug use. Before the arrest, Reade says that the officers specifically brought up Craig Hunter and asked if Reade was going to be speaking out at any more city council meetings.
The letter above shows that an internal investigation determined the drug accusations to be completely false and that the offending officers would be disciplined and re-trained after being “discourteous” to the victim.
James Robert Reade has relentlessly documented the entire saga on his website at whiteroseanaheim.com
After the results of this investigation, it’s difficult to believe that the arrest of an innocent activist was just a coincidence. Why would these officers unlawfully harass and detain the most vocal anti-Hunter civil rights activist only weeks before Craig Hunter would announce his candidacy?
The actions of the Anaheim PD reek of political intimidation under the authority law enforcement. Did Hunter himself order the officers to harass Reade? Or were the officers merely acting out a culture of cronyism that has infected other police agencies in Orange County?
We may never know the truth, although Mr. Reade’s website is threatening a federal lawsuit against the department. If he follows through, perhaps some light will be shed on the disturbing activity inside the Anaheim police department.
Helen Logan of Fullerton sent us the following note regarding a “community opinion” printed in the latest edition of the Fullerton Observer:
Is S.K. of Fullerton actually Sharon Kennedy, who lives with her mother in Fullerton, the author of this letter? If so, then why would she write a letter to herself?
The Fullerton Observer’s letters to the editor policy allows the editor to only identify the author with his or her initials and the city he or she lives in, if there is a good reason for requesting anonymity from the editor, Sharon Kennedy. Why the need for anonymity for the above innocuous letter? Who in Fullerton fears retribution from angered Haitian shop owners or militias?
I sought the answers to my questions in a separate Observer article titled “Haiti Supplies to Survivors & a Brief History”. Only one sentence, replete with syntax and spelling errors, mentioned distribution problems arose and survivors had to wait a few days to get these supplies.
The poor research and writing of the Fullerton Observer’s articles and its lack of journalistic ethics reveals this newspaper to be nothing more than a collection of opinions. This newspaper and its editor lack credibility.
The Fullerton Observer touts itself as Fullerton’s only independent newspaper. I thank those other newspapers that are dependent on investigative reporting from real journalists and their valid editors for giving me insight into the facts.
For the first time on record, public employee union membership now outnumbers private sector union membership. The impact of this ascendancy is glaringly evident in California, creating a destructive and unsustainable drain that threatens the financial future of our state.
Tune in to the Martha Montelongo show on Saturday from 10-11 am as Mark Bucher joins Martha to discuss California’s Economic Crisis, the causes, and a Citizen Power Initiative to shift power back to the citizens, away from the Public Employee Unions that dominate the State Government at every level.
As a salaried teacher, Pam Keller is required to turn in a form to her boss whenever she is absent from work at the Fullerton School District. But unlike every other teacher, Pam has no boss and doesn’t answer to anybody, even the Superintendent.
Since we know that Pam was out for a dozen-or-so days over the last few years attending various civic events relating to her councilperson duties, we decided to ask the school district to produce those absence forms that Pam turned in.
The response from Assistant Superintendent Mark Douglas was nothing but a big pile of mush. He claims that the district looked for the forms, although he never acknowledges that he couldn’t find them. But he didn’t send them to us, so it’s reasonable to assume that Pam never turned them in.
Notice how Douglas tries to pass the buck along to the Fullerton Collaborative, as if a private organization is responsible for enforcing the school district’s rules on it’s own teachers. He never bothers to explain how Pam’s 60% employment is relevant or why Pam’s relationship with the Collaborative would give her a special exemption from the rules.
So now we know that Pam did not use her sick/personal days while she was out. She got paid even though she wasn’t at work and her sick time continues to accrue indefinitely. Teachers have been known to build up an entire year of sick time before they quit, leaving taxpayers on the hook for salary, pension and benefits for days never worked.
Some day, long after the Collaborative’s relationship with the school district is gone, Pam Keller will retire as a teacher. She will cash out all of those unused sick days at the expense of the taxpayer. We end up paying twice for all of her silly junkets, and the celebration of unaccountability continues.
Last month we warned you that CalSTRS (California teachers’ pension fund) was in a bad spot and they were hoping that nobody would notice.
Yesterday CalSTRS announced that investment losses have left the fund with a $42.6 billion dollar shortfall.
Even more worrisome: the fund will be completely wiped out shortly after today’s young teachers enter retirement. To counteract that problem, the fund will need to start sucking in major contribution increases almost immediately.
Naturally the pension system wants to resolve the situation by sending more Sacramento lobbyists to persuade legislators to “take action”. And by “take action” they mean increase contributions to the fund. Since a majority of teachers’ pension contributions come from taxpayers… Well you know what that means.
Last week I published a blog post on Pam Keller’s pending participation in a Roe vs. Wade “celebration”. Several commenters responded with angry challenges to the post, asking why Keller’s stance on abortion is relevant to Fullerton and her upcoming attempt at re-election.
First off, the post itself was not about her stance on abortion; rather, it discussed her participation in a political event… a highly-politicized event that boasted an attendee list of political figures at various levels of political importance – certainly nothing beyond the scope of a political blog. Regardless of how you feel about abortion, participation in a “celebration” of such a contentious nature is certainly news.
Second, who can say that a national issue will never become local? Almost every federal matter eventually makes it’s way to the local level in some inane form or another. War memorials, gun laws, medical marijuana come to mind. It was only a few months ago that abortion became an issue at the county level. Americans live under at least four basic levels of government, all of which have ever-expanding jurisdictional tendencies. It would be naive to pretend that we know about every issue that will come before an elected over the course of four years.
And finally, there are plenty of voters who consider abortion to be a simple issue of respect for basic human rights, a concept that transcends all levels of government. For those individuals, the post may serve as simple news of Pam Keller’s stance on the issue. If Pam didn’t want voters to consider her position on abortion then she would not have included her name in the press release.