FFFF supports causes that promote intelligent, responsible and accountable government in Fullerton and Orange County
Category: About Us
Intelligent, Responsible, and Accountable. These are the general qualities we seek in our elected representatives – plus the independence and integrity required to be effective leaders.We intend to support candidates in Fullerton who possess the willingness and ability to use their independent intelligence in weighing public matters; who will be responsible to his or her constituents; and who will insist on accountability for all the actions that he or she takes. We will actively oppose incumbents who have failed to demonstrate the qualities described above; who fail to remember that they are servants of the public; who believe that being a “team player” is more important than principle; who don’t have the courage to stand on principle when it means standing alone; who are not humble enough to admit error and are incapable of learning from their mistakes; and those who fail to treat constituents with the respect and dignity they deserve. And we will oppose candidates who through their words or actions indicate that they would not provide intelligent and responsible leadership, accountable to citizens of Fullerton. If you agree with our philosophy, you are a friend of Fullerton’s future.
Termed-out OC 4th District Supervisor Republican Chris Norby has announced his intention to run for the possibly soon-to-be vacant County Clerk job currently held by Democrat Tom Daly. But the road could be rocky as Norby now has two credible candidates challenging him: Hugh Nguyen of the Board Clerk’s office, and Buena Park’s own grandfather figure, Art Brown. Rumors on the street suggest that Daly and fellow Democrat Brown have decided to swap endorsements since Daly has previously announced that he is running for Norby’s job.
Tom Daly is mining for Buena Park votes while Art Brown has staked his claim to the County Clerk job...
It is also rumored that Norby is becoming anxious about his future employment prospects. So much so, in fact, that he was recently seen handing out his business cards to prospective employers in his office. While we can’t verify this, we have discovered this photo on his own website:
Professor Frink speaks: with the insinuating and the smearing, and the hey, hey, hey!
Our dear pals at the Fullerton Observer are at it again. In their latest (August) edition someone named Kevin Frink used the “Council Shorts” feature to take a shot at one of Fullerton’s Friends – Jack Dean check out page 4. The topic was the hearing on the Redevelopment expansion scam, and here’s what Mr. Frink had to say:
Several residents spoke in opposition
of the proposed action before the council/
redevelopment agency including Mr.
Kiker, Mr. DeWitt and Mr. Dean, the
later representing the Fullerton
Association of Concerned Taxpayers
(FACT), (a group responsible for
extremely dirty and misleading campaign
tactics in past city council and school board campaigns).
We suspect that Frink had coaching from his editor to insinuate a completely gratuitous and unsubstantiated claim about FACT’s political activities. The fact that this parenthetical attack had absolutely nothing to do with the issue at hand and is based on on the Observer’s notion that to oppose any statist, pro-government union candidate is tantamount to a crime, just backs up our previous criticisms of the Observer as a hack-run shill for City Hall. Those who have defended the Observer as some sort of journalistic paragon take heed. This is the type of stoogery you are defending.
Meanwhile the Yellowing Sub sinks deeper.
Down periscope! Dive! Dive!
P.S. Could Mr. “Kiker” have been our very own Travis Kiger? If so we have a celebrity in our midst. Travis was that you?
Friends, we receive thought-provoking e-mails from time to time, and like the good Friends that we are, we like to share them with you.
We recently received an e-mail from Jeff Oderman, an attorney with the firm of Rutan & Tucker. Mr. Oderman happens to be the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency’s lawyer, and we’ve been pretty diligent about ripping the bandage off this suppurating wound; and one of our more assertive Harpoons even took a poke at him here. We’re not sure if Oderman is complaining about that particular post, or about our whole effort here at FFFF. Clarity of expression doesn’t appear to be a prerequisite for employment at R & T. In either case, Jeff seems none too happy.
Your Honor, I'd like to make one of those legal thingies..
Anyway, from Mr. Oderman:
—– Forwarded Message —- From:“Oderman, Jeff” <joderman@rutan.com> To:Fullertons Future <info@friendsforfullertonsfuture.org> Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 5:41:27 AM Subject:RE: [Friends For Fullerton’s Future] Jeff Oderman: The High Price of Bad Advice
You should check your facts before you publish. You’re entitled to your own opinions, of course, but there is almost not a single truthful factual statement in the entire blog.
Jeffrey M. Oderman
Rutan & Tucker, LLP
611 Anton Boulevard, 14th Floor
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-641-3441 Direct
714-546-9035 Fax joderman@rutan.com www.rutan.com
We’re entitled to our own opinions? Well, Hell, Jeff, that’s mighty big of you. And we thank the boys at the Constitutional Convention, too.
But: “Almost not a single truthful factual statement in the entire blog.” Really? Almost everything is either a lie or wrong? Or both? Hoo Boy! Them’s fightin’ words.
As a firmly attached barnacle on the bottom of the SS Fullerton Redevelopment Agency, Oderman has a pretty sweet gig going, with zero accountability, and we’re pretty sure he wants to keep it that way. Good revenue for the firm and not much real work. But c’mon Jeff, you’re not going to protect your little sinecure by riling up the Friends.
Anyway, in the spirit of self-improvement and public information we have invited Mr. Oderman to favor us with “truthful and factual” corrections to any of our posts to which he objects. We promise to publish anything he sends our way. See, unlike the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency and its minions, we want open and unfettered dialogue – a discussion where the truth will out, and the political flacks and self-interested bureaucrats don’t always have the last, incompetent, and irresponsible word.
We also figure that the more they say the more holes they punch into the bottom of their leaky tub.
Back not long ago from Savannah, and now off to grab some work in NYC. Next month it’s another airport, another city, another hope that the little TV in the seat in front of me works. I hope the flight attendants don’t get snarky, and I wish one would give me the whole damned bottle of water rather than offering a little cup. I also hope the TSA doesn’t rifle through my bags and take things. So before I make friends with the seat tray table on Jet Blue, I wanted to mention my thoughts on Councilwoman Keller’s suggestion of a city blog.
If the city wants to blog, fine. There’s always room for more blogs in the blogosphere and there’s nothing anyone can do to prevent it. Doesn’t matter to me what format they take, but a blog without comments really isn’t a blog at all. What she describes is a Q&A page tacked onto their existing website.
After all, what makes blogging relevant and exciting is the participation of commenters who can add to a given topic.
For a very long time, it seems there was one primary means of public communication in this town. Whether or not you agreed with The Fullerton Observer, it was pretty much the only deal out there. There wasn’t a regular outlet for the mass dispersal of a differing viewpoint, so then it seems the slogan of Fullerton becomes, “More, more of the same!” But one day, along comes the blogosphere. Suddenly there’s a free and easy way to express oneself. So the Admin starts it. He’s just a basic blogger, not a techie, but it doesn’t matter. He has about 3 decades worth of stuff to say. More writers join. The sucker takes off. FFFF is horse with wings. It’s linking to other blogs and soon more and more people know about it and people can’t stop clicking on it because it’s saying so many things that people have felt for a long time.
It’s like someone said, “Okay, you can talk now,” and a torrent came pouring forth. At times it’s articulate, other times it veers into the lunacy of The Three Stooges. It’s not always a happy, jolly place where the birds sing and everyone holds hands in a permanent Stepford trance. No, there are rants, pouts, and the occasional barfing onto the screen. In other words: welcome to the blogosphere. Once you start, there’s no way of stopping.
The lessons for everyone to remember, but most especially those who detract from the blogosphere, are that it’s incorrect to think blogs have less importance and impact than publications in print. It’s also faulty to believe that blogs exist separate from the rest of the world. In fact, they are a reflection of it. All blogs, including FFFF are a vital part of the community. Their voice is as valid as any other.
A few days ago a guy named “Alan” left a nasty-gram on our blog accusing me of being a hypocrite because I fought the amplified music being performed illegally at Roscoe’s Famous Deli while outdoor amplified music was being performed at the Santa Fe Depot.
Well, I really don’t mind being called a hypocrite since I’ve been a called a lot worse things, especially since I started this blog; but I do want Fullerton Friends to know what’s going on.
My brother George and I have a long-term lease on the historic Santa Fe Depot which we restored in 1993. We sublet the old baggage room to our sister Salma who runs the cafe there with her daughter. Salma rents the outdoor patio area (where the music is being played) from the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency. She also has a permit from the Fullerton Police Department for entertainment, although this is not relevant to our lease with her. Any pertinent violations of city code at this site should be cause for revocation of that permit – no argument from me or the Friends. If anyone is aware of such violations please report them to the landlord – the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency.
And Alan – thanks for stopping by. We appreciate all points of view. Keep ’em coming!
Fullerton Electric Co. is giving away free energy efficient light bulbs. The Fullerton Electric Co. is committed to the future of clean and efficient electricity in Fullerton and Orange County.
“We simplify green electricity. Small companies like mine can help make a difference right here in Fullerton. We believe in being proactive.” Owner Don Holly.
So we did it. Friends for Fullerton’s Future has appealed the appalling decision by the Fullerton Planning Commission to grant a bogus “special event” permit to Jack Franklyn’s “Roscoe’s” in order to legitimize his ongoing violation of the City ordinance regarding outdoor amplified music in the C-3 District.
Yeah, baby! Mixed use!
We’ve been over this already so there’s no need to rehash all the details except to say that for some reason the City has been complicit in this ongoing permit-dodging scandal: no permits, no code enforcement, a cooked-up noise study, a phony special event permit. The list goes on and on. Now the City Council will be able to weigh in on the subject. We expect lots of chit-chat but the real issue is so simple: the law says you can’t do it! If you want to change the law, then do it. But not before all the necessary CEQA responsibilities are met. And that means an EIR!
We paid for it. Will it say what we want it to say?
FSD Trustee Hilda Sugarman, one of the masterminds of the district’s $1500 laptop flop actually reads our blog, as evidenced by the following e-mail string. The funny thing is she thought she was sending an e-mail to somebody else (the Superintendant?) when she was actually sending it right back to us!
Our own Travis Kiger, author of the laptop post, politely notified Mrs. Sugaman of this fact, courteously invited her to correct any errors in his post, and promised to publish them. Hilda is right: Travis is a lovely person!
Sugarman has yet to respond but we’ll give her some time to get a response written for her by district staff. If and when she does get back to us, Travis will be sure to post these “corrections” – whatever they may be.
You see, unlike public agencies we always welcome correction and are not afraid to admit it if we get something wrong!
Here are the e-mails:
From: Fullertons Future <info@friendsforfullertonsfuture.org> To: Hilda Sugarman <hilda_sugarman@fsd.k12.ca.us> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 Subject: Re: [Friends For Fullerton’s Future] School District Still Forcing Parents to Buy $1,500 Apple Laptops
Hilda, I believe you meant to forward this email to someone else, but instead you replied back to us.
I am the author of this story. If there are errors in the story please send them to me and I will add a postscript – or feel free to reply in the comments.
Travis Kiger
From: Hilda Sugarman <hilda_sugarman@fsd.k12.ca.us> To: Fullertons Future <info@friendsforfullertonsfuture.org> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 Subject: Re: [Friends For Fullerton’s Future] School District Still Forcing Parents to Buy $1,500 Apple Laptops
REad the article. Do you know who this lovely person is? Do you think it is worth correcting the errors?
Hilda
On Jun 3, 2009, Fullertons Future wrote:
Hello,You may be interested in this article:
School District Still Forcing Parents to Buy $1,500 Apple Laptops
Posted On June 3, 2009
As another school year comes to an end, the Fullerton School District is telling parents that it’s time to pay $1,500 for a brand new laptop for each of their children. Included in the presentation is a reminder that if they don’t get a laptop, the school district will ship…
![Distracted-Chris-Norby[1]](http://www.fullertonsfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Distracted-Chris-Norby1.gif "Distracted-Chris-Norby[1]")
