A Step in the Right Direction Archives - Page 12 of 16

July 22, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Release The Phone Call!

At last Tuesday’s council meeting, freshly minted councilman Travis Kiger let it be known that he had received a request from the public to hear the phone call made from the Slidebar that summoned the cops that eventually beat Kelly Thomas to death.

The nature of the call has been the topic of much speculation about what was said by the caller, whether the caller knowingly made a false report to the police, and even more sinister, whether the call was orchestrated by Slidebar personnel and members of the FPD to get rid of Kelly Thomas – allegedly an nuisance to Slidebar’s upscale clientele.

At this point there appears to be no reason not to let the public hear the audio of the call, if it exists. Since the DA obviously has no interest in pursuing the matter from a criminal perspective there can be no reason for officaldom not to let the public hear it. Not even the hollow pretext that “it is evidence” exists.

July 21, 2012July 21, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Adios, Cicinelli!

by Mr. Peabody176 Comments

The OC Register is reporting that Jay Cicinelli, the man we watched smash Kelly Thomas’s head with the butt of his taser is no longer employed by the people of Fullerton.

According to his dear old stepdad, John Huelsman, he was fired for policy violations and excessive force, a charge Cicinelli will be fighting.

Of course for those who watched the snuff video, and later heard Cicinelli’s admission that he smashed Kelly’s face “to Hell,” this action was a no-brainer. Even though the DA charged this creep nine months ago with manslaughter, the Fullerton Police Department and the Three Bald Tires permitted the investigation sham drag out for over a year before cutting Cicinelli loose.

July 18, 2012July 18, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Council Pulls Plug on Crappy Subsidized Project

by The Fullerton Harpoon95 Comments

Dr. Richard Jones — Hey y’all, we gotta do it. Its dun been man-dated!!!

Last night our new council majority voted to end a monstrously dense “affordable” housing project on Commonwealth Avenue.

I put the word affordable in quotation marks because these 100% subsidized projects somehow end up costing two or three times the amount to build the regular kind of multi-family housing that is built without government subsidy.

This project, targeted for the 300 block of East Commonwealth, was planned for about 361 stories and was approved on the nod by the old recalled council – Bankhead, Jones, McPension plus, of course Sharon Quirk.

But the times they are a changin.’

New councilmen Kiger and Sebourn, along with Bruce Whitaker said no to a continuance, and then, despite the attempts of Doug Chaffee and Sharon Quirk to keep the monster alive, killed it outright.

And to this I say God bless! No more nonsense from cretins like Dr. Dick and his coterie of self-interested hacks about how we are “mandated” to litter our city with this crap.

July 17, 2012July 17, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Fireworks For Fullerton?

by Mr. Peabody162 Comments

Tonight you can share your opinion with the Fullerton City Council on whether the Council should schedule a November 2012 referendum on legalizing “safe and sane” fireworks.

Of course we are not talking about cherry bombs, M-80s, skyrockets, or any of the other illegal stuff that may be acquired over the border, so please, let’s nobody have a cow, right off the bat.

Back in the late 80s the people of Fullerton said no to all fireworks after heavy lobbying by the Fire Department and other members of the crowd control clique.

The result is lost revenue that many non-profits would have received, and of course, the lost freedom of being able to enjoy a good old-fashioned 4th in you own backyard.

So let’s hear your views.

July 11, 2012July 11, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Tonight: Citizen Committee Seeks Civilian Oversight of Fullerton Police Department

by admin239 Comments

Citizen Committee Seeks Civilian Oversight of Fullerton Police Department in the Wake of Beating Death of Kelly Thomas, Reports of Abuse by Officers, Recent and Impending Lawsuits against FPD.

by Alex Stoffer

The Police Oversight Proposal Committee (POPC) will host a public presentation on methods of police oversight (tonight) Wednesday, July 11, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Fullerton Public Library Conference Center. The public are invited to attend. There is no admission charge.

Citizen Oversight committees are composed of community members who review complaints, look into claims of misconduct and harassment, and investigate instances of excessive force.

Read the rest of this article…

July 9, 2012July 9, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

NEW: L.A. Sheriffs set the standard for dealing with the homeless

by admin237 Comments

Cal Watchdog Editor’s note: This is the second part of a three-part series on how the homeless and mentally ill are treated in California. Part One was about the Kelly Thomas beating and death.

By Tori Richards

Welcome to 450 Bauchet St., a 10-acre compound in the heart of downtown Los Angeles that is the world’s biggest jail. Known as Twin Towers, it has a population greater than many small towns, with 3,911 inmates, 900 staff, and even its own hospital. But it also has another distinction: the world’s largest mental institution.

Housed in one wing and encompassing four floors, the mental health ward tends to approximately 1,200 inmates with psychiatric problems. Several hundred more of the most severe cases are located in the hospital.

California is now a state where the police — not doctors or counselors — are the front lines to millions of mentally ill who have no other recourse than to end up in the jails.

“Sheriff Baca has frequently commented that the mentally ill belong in a mental institution,” said Capt. Mike Parker. “In law enforcement we deal with things because other aspects of society have failed. You have a system not addressing the need. “In the end, law enforcement is the last stop. We’re not looking for that responsibility; it was given to us.”

A breakdown in the system has led to a large population of the mentally ill who turn to crime or simply wander the streets homeless, a recipe for disaster.

Just look at the case of Kelly Thomas, a 37-year-old schizophrenic homeless man who belonged in a mental care facility rather than on the streets.

Click here to read more.

July 4, 2012July 4, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

New Council Kills Illegal Water Tax

by admin172 Comments

They did it.

Last night the new city council killed the “in-lieu” franchise fee that illegally tacked on an additional 10% to our water bills. Redeeming their campaign pledges, Travis Kiger and Greg Sebourn led the charge, along with Bruce Whitaker. Doug Chaffee followed their lead, as did Sharon Quirk-Silva.

So after a year’s dilatory foot-dragging by city staff and a clueless council majority, the deal is done, effective July 1st, 2012. Future rate increases necessary for infrastructure maintenance will be treated, rightly, as a separate issue, as will any legitimate indirect and overhead costs from the City.

And Bruce Whitaker succinctly summed up the what happens to the money – $2.5 million a year – that is tacked on and skimmed off. 70% went to pay for non-water related salaries, benefits, and pension costs. The scam lasted for over forty years.

I offer my profound thanks to the council for doing the right thing.

Also invigorating was the minor tsunami of requests from councilmen for future agenda items:

Kiger: a study of nepotism in the police department; a fireworks referendum.

Sebourn: an independent audit of City Hall; a report on police disciplinary statistics.

Whitaker: discussion of disclosure to council of public records requests.

Doug Chaffee: discussion of direct council hiring (and presumably oversight) of the police chief.

It was refreshing and exciting to finally see a Fullerton city council take charge, direct policy issues, and deliver on campaign promises.

Well done, and thank you!

July 4, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Freedom Ain’t Free

by Grover Cleveland54 Comments

In a democracy the elected representatives work for the people. When they forget that, and when they come to affiliate themselves with the governing class, the results can be consequential. Sometimes it takes a while, but sooner or later their dereliction catches up to them.

The image above symbolizes freedom from tyranny – the tyranny of incompetent, entrenched, befuddled decrepitude.

Happy 4th of July, Fullerton. Have a cold one and congratulate yourselves!

July 3, 2012July 3, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Read All About It! A New Blog in Town

by Mr. Peabody28 Comments

A guy named Matt Leslie has started a new blog in Fullerton, and it looks like a pretty good read. It’s called the Fullerton Rag and appears thoughtful and well-written. I am informed Mr. Leslie is the lesser half of recent council candidate, Jane Rands.

This blog will likely appeal to the less febrile and more intellectual Fullerton political aesthetic preference; and I say bravo! The more people who dial into what’s happening in Fullerton, the better.

Be sure to read the post about Leslie playing Monopoly with Don Bankhead. It’s pretty good.

July 1, 2012July 1, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

The Three Empty Pez Dispensers

by Joe Sipowicz41 Comments

pedz woz — Looking for brains, courage, a heart.

You know, Larry Bennett really could have just left it alone. After dodging a final, humiliating meeting to certify the recall election that drove them out of office, at least one of the Three Bald Tires finally deigned to show up at Fullerton City Hall tomorrow morning to do the deed. It could have been done quietly with as little fanfare as possible. Actually only one of them even needed to show up.

But no.

Bennett seems to think the Three Dead Batteries need a sendoff appropriate to all the wonderful things these men have done for Fullerton. Friday he notified supporters of the Three Tree Stumps that there was to be a special council meeting, and that he hoped everybody would show up to let them know what terrific public servants they have been.

Bennett has likely spent the week-end making phone calls to drum up some folks willing to say kind thing about the Three Pea-less Pods. No doubt some will show up. And others are likely to show up now, too. People who recognize the disastrous misrule of these three characters:

Don Bankhead: dumb-bell, and self-annointed king of Fullerton, whose somnolent councilmanic career was punctuated with one Redevelopment boondoggle and union give away after another.

JonesMouthOpenFor Business — Crazy? Check. Rude? Check. Gone? Check.

Dick Jones, the southern fried lunatic and loud-mouthed bully who never came to understand that the authority to give orders doesn’t confer wisdom – or even relevance.

Pat-McKinley-Cops-300x206 — To all appearances it looked a lot like a street gang.

Pat McKinley: protector and apologist for the undeniable Culture of Corruption in the Fullerton Police Department that he himself had created. Those ladies weren’t like you. Aliens. Don’t rush to judgement.

Well, good bye and good riddance.

bennettturtle — The sun had been warm and life was good. But all that changed.

And please take Larry Bennett with you. The tide is rising.