All eyes were on the Capistrano Unified School District this week as the CUEA (teachers’ union) deployed armies of its members to protest a 10% pay cut. The union rented school buses to bring in over 1,000 protesters to the board meeting, which was halted at least once due to outbursts from the pro-union crowd.
But protests were escalated to new levels of intimidation as union members went so far as to march around the private home of trustee member Mike Winsten and his four children on Monday.
Teachers march on the home of CUSD Trustee Mike Winsten
A few days ago we announced that a similar pay cut proposal will be coming to Fullerton Unified School District.
Is this how the union will react in Fullerton? Busloads of unionized teachers sent to create an appearance of public support? FETA union demonstrators surrounding the homes of board members? Will children be used as metaphorical human shields to squeeze more money from taxpayers?
And most importantly, will the board have the guts to stand behind the cuts?
Fullerton teachers, it’s time to be frank with you because the school board and your union will not.
There will be no new parcel tax to save the FSD budget. Due to unsustainable concessions to the teachers union in previous years, the Fullerton School District will have to cut teacher pay next year. The budget hole is enormous and there are no foreseeable alternatives.
Yes, the educrats and union leadership are starting to fill your head with allusions of a new tax on Fullerton residents that will save the day. But the idea that 2/3rds of Fullerton voters would agree to a big tax increase in the middle of a deep recession is absolutely laughable.
FFFF’s appointed delegate to the FSD Budget Scapegoat Committee has provided us with this matrix of salary reductions to close the budget gap that could be as large as $11 million next year. The proposed salary cuts were put together by district administration.
Hey, it goes all the way to 20%
Nobody likes to see their neighbor take a pay cut, but there are probably other ways for the union to deal with this. For instance, teachers might be able to make larger concessions to their lavish retirement scheme or the high-class benefits package in order to preserve salary.
Either way, the school board is going to find their hands tied and the choice will be in the hands of the union – Take the cut or strike. Is it really all about the children? We’ll see…
Update 12/15 11:30 AM: ABC7 and KTLA are reporting that James Wernke’s body was found near a creek this morning, 100 yards from St. Jude in a wooded area. Reporting no signs of trauma. Think water swept him away.
Update 12/15 7:30 AM: KFI is reporting that joggers this morning found a dog wondering behind Brea Dam that matches the description of the missing dog.
Update 12/14 6:00 PM: The Office of Emergency Services has offered the use of their search and rescue team to do an all night grid search of undeveloped areas including and surrounding the Brea Dam area, and adjacent trails. They will be staging at the Sports Complex, and the lights will be on all night. In addition to the search the PD is pursuing additional leads which may have a bearing on the missing person case.
Fullerton Police are looking for James Wernke, who went missing on Saturday, December 12th in Fullerton. He was last seen with a yellow Labrador near Sunnywood Dr. and Hermosa Dr. around 1 p.m.
James Wernke is 6’4″ tall and weighs approximately 190 pounds. He has blue eyes and sandy blond hair.
James had no identification, jewelry, or money on him when he left, according to his family. He may have his cell phone with him because his family hasn’t been able to find it anywhere.
If you have any information about James Wernke’s whereabouts, please contact the Fullerton Police Department.
Blog reader Pam Keller sent FFFF an email yesterday to alert us of a blatant abuse of County resources to promote a political message against Tea Party activists.
In a video that is presented on the official Orange County government website, children are shown lecturing adults on the dangers of free speech as images of Tea Party activists flash across the screen. If you don’t believe us, see for yourself:
Who's running the show?
Clips of conservative activists are spliced in with displays of violence, including a fight scene from the Jerry Springer show and the infamous headbutt by soccer player Zidane.
Also appearing in the politically-charged video is a still of Republican congressman Joe Wilson in the now-famous incident where he yelled “You Lie!” to President Barack Obama during his health care address.
So how did this inciting video end up on the County website? Who paid for its production? Who approved the message and who decided that it was ok to use taxpayer-funded resources to promote a blatant political message?
Perhaps the felonious Mike Carona promised them that these letters would not be released to the public. Or maybe Greg Block and Bill Prentice owed Carona a huge favor. Whatever the reason, these two leaders of the OCCCWS PAC wrote fluffy letters in support of disgraced ex-sheriff Mike Carona when he was about to be sentenced for his crime earlier this year.
Already mentioned was the fact that these two are backing Anaheim cop Craig Hunter for OC Sheriff. We even supposed that they were instrumental in getting the candidate to run, given that they threw out rumors of his candidacy and announced his run before even Craig Hunter himself could put the word out.
This letter is off to a bad start
The Capistrano Dispatch published a long list of letters sent to the court in support of Carona before his sentencing. In Greg Block’s letter to Judge Guilford (Exhibit 11), he wrote gems like “Mike Corona (sp) is a good man with a big heart” and “Mike gave his time and heart to the County of Orange making it a better place”.
Sure he did. And then he earned himself 66 months in federal prison.
Greg Block's Letter (Click to read)
The founder of OCCCWS, Bill Prentice, also wrote his own sappy letter (Exhibit 46). It was slightly less embarrassing, but went down the same slimy path of asking Judge Guilford to let Carona off the hook.
So why did Block write this shameful letter? If you remember our last post on this subject, you know that Carona allowed Greg Block to have special access inside the OCSD and Greg used that access to promote his firearms training business and taunt CCW applicants. Block’s access to the department has been hindered since Carona’s departure, and he looks to be attempting to restore his insider access to the department through candidate Craig Hunter.
Bottom line: There is no question that Craig Hunter is backed by Carona insiders and apologists.
Shortly after Anaheim cop Craig Hunter announced his candidacy for OC Sheriff, a PAC called OCCCWS jumped to endorse him. Of course we found that interesting, since “Ordinary California Citizens Concerned With Safety” is primarily focused on issuance of concealed weapons permits to civilians, an issue on which candidate Bill Hunt has taken the most pro-2nd amendment stance possible.
So why wouldn’t this gun PAC get behind Bill Hunt instead of launching their own candidate?
According to our sources, OCCCWS is a front for a company called “Greg Block Firearms Training” in Huntington Beach. Those who have been following the improvements to the concealed weapons permit (CCW) process over the years know that Greg Block was a civilian who Mike Carona allowed to hold unusual influence within the OC Sheriff’s department.
Greg Block, OCCCWS
Back in Carona’s corrupt heyday, most Orange County CCW applicants gathered on an internet forum called californiaccw.org to seek advice on applying for a permit. Greg Block ran the forum, offering advice to gun permit applicants, selling his training classes and sharing details on Sheriff’s department internals with curious gun nuts.
It wasn’t long before the power of Block’s OCSD connections went to his head. Archived forum posts from the now-defunct website show that Greg Block held his insider influence in a threatening manner over the heads of potential gun permit applicants, going as far as reaching inside the department to sabotage the application of an individual who dared to question interim Sheriff Jack Anderson’s policy. Evidence of this appalling abuse will be revealed soon enough.
Greg Block with Carona's pal Jack Anderson
So back to Craig Hunter’s run for OC Sheriff: Is Greg Block seeking to restore his influence on the department via OCCCWS? A firearms instructor who used insider connections to shove applicants through Carona’s department procedures sure would have a strong interest in putting a friend back in office.
And why the animosity towards Bill Hunt, who ran against Carona and accused him of running an incompetent department? Are Block and OCCCWS harboring a grudge against the man who spoke out against his Caronian meal ticket?
Friend, author and staunch proponent of limited government Steven Greenhut will be hosting a 3 hour show on KFI AM 640 this Sunday from 7 – 10 PM. Tune in online at kfi640.com for a great show.
Steve’s message has been getting an enormous amount of traction lately, primarily because a floundering economy has substantiated the truth that challengers like Steve have been warning us about for years: that big government equals big failure.
Let’s keep this simple – today the Fullerton School Board is staring down the barrel of an unprecedented budget hole. To insulate themselves from the difficult decisions, the board is asking the “Budget Advisory Committee” to recommend a solution. This committee consists of unionized teachers, administrators and PTA parents.
At this point, the budget shortfall is at least $10,000,000. How will they bridge that 11% gap?
Of course we’ve seen plenty of threats to reduce special programs, administrative overhead and other gimmicks, but the elephant in the room is that 90% of the unrestricted funds go to employee pay and benefits.
Mathematically there is no possible way to revive this beast without one or more of the following:
Increased classroom sizes (layoff teachers)
Reduced teacher salaries and benefits
New property taxes
We already know that the teachers union won’t concede to meaningful salary or staff reductions unless confronted with the apocalypse. Taxpayers are severely financially strained in the middle of a massive recession, and are clearly ready to pitchfork any elected who suggests more taxes.
So what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
A few days ago a visitor named Greg made derogatory remarks on our blog about some Fullerton neighborhoods south of Commonwealth. Admin asked Greg to take a walk through the area with him, hoping that a closer look would challenge old stereotypes and misconceptions about the area.
Following the meeting, Greg sent us this:
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Ok, I admit it: I was wrong. As it turns out, the “bad part of town” is actually not as bad as I remembered it. A while back, I made some comments about the area south of the railroad tracks between Lemon and Harbor. Growing up it was known as the “Fullerton barrio”. It wasn’t a derogatory name; it’s just what it was. I had some personal experiences in the area back in the 80’s and 90’s that left a substantial impression on me. Since then, I avoided that part of town. After making my comments last week, Admin challenged me to walk the hood. I took him up on the challenge and we met last night near the train station.
On my way over to meet Admin, I drove down a few of the streets so that I could get a better idea of the area. I wanted to see the trash, graffiti, gang bangers, troublemakers, etc. while there was still some good light. I started out on Lemon and headed south to Valencia . I headed east and took it to the end and turned down what I thought was an ally but turns out it’s a street. Anyway, I looked high and low for what I knew would be there. As it turns out, Admin paid them all off to go hide while I was in the area. Ok, maybe not. The truth is, there was little graffiti. There were a few houses that needed some serious TLC but we have those everywhere. One liquor store had what I would categorize as a few gang bangers in front of it sipping there Budweiser on bikes. But by the time we walked by the store they were gone. Maybe Admin is their secret leader…? Maybe not. The reality is that the barrio has come a long way in the last 20+ years. I would even consider saying that it isn’t really the barrio anymore. Maybe it moved or just faded away, but there is very little of it like I remembered it.
It's never too late to be smart.
So I met Admin right at 5PM. We talked and walked and I got to see the good and the bad that were present. One thing I noticed quickly was that the sidewalks in the SOCO complex were not user friendly. There were fire gates all over that made the pedestrian have to limbo or walk around it through the landscaping. Poor design. The lighting was good and there were lots of kids on skateboards and bikes. The complex was free from the used condoms, trash, and tagging that I saw when the project was wrapping up. I suppose the new residents deter that sort of criminal mischief. We walked down Truslow and Valencia , eventually making a big loop. Veneer was spotted on some buildings. It wasn’t the cheap stuff that gets glued on but it was clearly a veneer cap. I thought it looked ok but until a couple of weeks ago, I would never have noticed nor cared. Now, at least I am a little more cognizant of its use and misuse. We saw some more tagging on the veneer and a window. Admin stopped to talk to a resident.
Ok, I have to back up a bit. Before meeting Admin, I thought I should do a little investigative work. Using top secret classified resources, I looked up properties held by people with Admin’s last name. There were several dozen such properties in Orange County with all but maybe two in Fullerton . The majority of the properties were in the SOCO area. A lot of different ideas crossed my mind as I reviewed the records. These holdings could mean that Admin was trying to monopolize the area. It could mean a lot of things. Not knowing what it all meant, I decided to go along for the ride and see what happened. As it turns out, Admin was very upfront with the properties he had; there were no secrets, no shades of grey. I had to conclude that his significant investment in the success of the area was directly related to how much the area had improved in the last 20 years. He had taken run down lots and built new homes. He had taken an area that actually had blight and turned it into a quiet and peaceful place. I credit Admin with the amazing transition of this area. And to top it off, NO TAX-PAYER DOLLARS WERE EVER USED. (ok one minor exception back in the 80’s but it didn’t make a difference in and of itself)
In the end, I must thank Admin for opening my eyes to what has been slowly taking shape for many years and giving me the opportunity to be proven wrong!
