Dead heads Archives - Page 45 of 67 - Friends For Fullerton's Future

June 18, 2010May 6, 2011Behind Closed Doors

Did Fullerton Councilman Assault Female Cop At Christmas Party?

JUNE UPDATE: I’ve spoken with another police officer who wants to know why we haven’t posted any more information on this story, as there were many witnesses to the alleged act. Rest assured, we are not going to stop digging until we get to the bottom of this.

FEBRUARY UPDATE: I spoke yesterday with the officer in question who has stated unequivocally that an incident did in fact occur, and that Councilman Jones has mischaracterized his innocence. The officer has been instructed by City Human Resources Department to avoid further communication with us.

We all know that Christmas parties are notorious for bad behavior on the part of some of the participants. When you are an elected official maybe you believe you can get away with some extracurricular activity without reproach. And maybe you are a just a bigger target for nasty accusations that aren’t true.

Which is the case with Councilman F. Richard “Dick” Jones?

We have been informed by separate sources, both in the Fullerton PD and in City Hall, that Jones slapped a female Fullerton police detective on her buttocks at a police union Christmas Party on December 18th at the Summit House restaurant; and that the physical assault was followed up with a dismissive slur regarding Dick’s perception of the officer’s sexual orientation.

Yesterday we sent Dick Jones an e-mail asking him to respond to this allegations. Here is what he said:

I just learned of this allegation this weekend. This is completely untrue and I have no idea why or how this rumor was started. People who know me, know I would do no such thing to anyone. Thank you for asking me. Such an accusation is very upsetting as there is no truth to it!

So now we have an accusation and a denial, and as yet no response from the officer in question. So the real question is why anybody in the Fullerton PD would attempt what would evidently be a smear on Jones? That’s a good question and one we will be pursuing.

In any case, difficulties arise, including the possibility of a cover-up of this alleged incident within both City Hall, as well as in the ranks of the police union itself. Apart from the issue of a typical hush-up for a politician, there remains the subject of other parties who may have a stake in making sure that news of the alleged incident doesn’t get out. The City Manager is a close personal friend of Mr. Jones, and would certainly render any investigation problematic. Meanwhile, the police union is apparently in the process of bargaining a new agreement and may very well be in need of Jones’ vote.

If true, the incident would certainly center on the behavior of Jones, of course; and also the rights of the officer in question who may be feeling pressure from her bosses and also from her union brethren to let the matter go – at least for now.

Alternatively we are confronted with the possibility that someone within the Fullerton Police Department has concocted and sold a story in order to make Jones look bad. But what for? Who knows? In any case, the timing may be poor. Angering a potential vote during labor negotiations is probably not the best idea.

We’ll stay on top of this as best we can. Particularly to make sure that this situation doesn’t end up playing a part in a labor agreement negotiation.

June 18, 2010June 18, 2010Behind Closed Doors

The Scandal of Government Lobbying Government: The Children and Families Commission

by Grover Cleveland10 Comments

billcampbell-240x300 — If I cry will you believe me that it's well run?

A while back we posted a story about the OC Grand Jury callying for a lobbyist registry. They also attacked the practice of government agencies paying lobbyists to lobby other government agencies. Teri Sforza at the OC Watchdog did a post, here.

Yes, it certainly seems even more disturbing when practiced by opaque agencies like Water Districts and of course, by our old pals at the Children and Families Commission.

PringlePud — God bless America, land of opportunity!

As we have amply documented, this commission has paid Curt Pringle to lobby on its behalf and it has also employed the services of former State legistalor Phil Isenberg. Just yesterday we did a post about wordsmith Matthew J. Cunningham raking in some big bucks getting ready and attending a lunch for legislative staffers. Presumably the whole thing was a lobbying sales job.

The worst part of this of course, is that the OC commission is not lobbying for itself. No point in that – unless there’s a call to change the money distribution formula to benefit OC. No, all these hundreds of thousands of lobbying dollars are going to defend Prop 10 revenue in general. In other words, the OC Children and Families Commissions is spending all this dough lobbying for the other 57 counties’ First Five Commissions.

fartboy — Yeah, but those other counties don't have a wordsmith of my caliber!

Are these other counties lobbying themselves? Who knows. Not unlikely. But this just emphasizes the point that the whole thing is out of control – no matter how many times Cunningham ghost writes blather about how well run they are.

And while we’re at it, let’s remember The White House Writers Group and their six-figure contract to promote the commission outside around the country!

If you think about it the whole thing really stinks. Time to pick off the scab on the commission and see what’s supperating underneath.

June 17, 2010June 17, 2010Boohooism

Bill Campbell Weeps For Human Relations

by Mr. Peabody11 Comments

Self-styled conservative 3rd District Supervisor Bill Campbell, who supported Harry Sidhu and who sits atop the Children and Families Commission – where he directs public largess to his pals and cronies, supports the OC Human Relations Commission.

Does he ever.

Here’s a clip of Big Bill actually choking up over the possibility that the Board of Supervisors might actually do the right thing and pull the taxpayer plug on this nonsense.

Notice that his focus is not on “measuring” anything, but is anecdotal and really is just about “showing” that the County has concerns for everyone. Typical.

Oh, and way to be in touch with your feelings, big guy.

June 17, 2010June 17, 2010Dead heads

Voice of OCEA and LIB OC Cook Up More Crapola

by Grover Cleveland5 Comments

Well, they’re at it again. The Voice of OC which is funded by (drum roll) the OCEA and the OCEA PAC Treasurer Chris Prevatt have coughed up yet another load of happy horse shit about Shawn Nelson.

Here is Tracy Wood of the Voice of OCEA; and here is Prevatt, picking up the ball and running even farther out of bounds. Of course Matthew Cunningham passes along the story as a “top story”, too, just as if the Voice of OCEA were a real news source.

They are deliberately mischaracterizing Nelson’s statements about a possible new Coyote Hills meeting, trying to make it look like Nelson was trying to lobby for a new meeting so he could change his vote.

At the Council meeting last Tuesday at a “second reading” of the Council denial (BTW, that’s a new one on us!) discussion arose about additional information that the Council had not heard. Whether there was any real merit to that claim remains to be seen. Nelson was dubious, but basically volunteered to attend one last special meeting before swearing in as Supervisor if his colleagues felt inclined to do so.

Quirk and Keller declined, and on a vote of 3-2 the original denial was confirmed. Story over.

What’s funny is that Prevatt is spinning this as some sort of issue that Hairball Sidhu can use in the fall against Nelson. Did he let slip the official union position on the fall election? Hmm.

June 17, 2010June 17, 2010Dead heads

Too Fun To Pass Up

by Jan Florys Dog11 Comments

Okay, this isn’t about Fullerton – not directly, anyway, but Janet Nguyen is indeed the Chair of the County Board of Supervisors. And we’re in the County.

Our Fringe Friend Gustavo Arellano has passed along an invite to Ms. Nguyen’s August fundraiser at the OC Weekly with the usual mordant commentary. Depending on the amount you give to her you will be classified:

janetinvite — No level for rickshaw driver?

WTF? You can be a “bamboo?” Or two? Then comes the “Empress” and “Emperor” sponsor level. Sweet Baby Emanicipator! Okay, the comestibles are some sort of Asian fusion blah-blah-blah, but this is America fer chrissakes!

How about a Mandarin level for a hundred bucks? Or a coolie grade for 50 dollars or less?

June 17, 2010June 16, 2010Dead heads

Pacific Strategies – My Big Fat Staffer Lunch

by Grover Cleveland6 Comments

fartboy1 — If you take a doggie bag you can actually feed your whole family on the Commission's dime - and get paid, too!

Looks like about $2,540 billed for activities leading up to and including a Republican legislative “staffer lunch” back in March of 2009. Hope there were some crusts left over to help feed the children.

View the Full Invoice

All that dough to persuade GOP staff aides about how wonderful the Rob Reiner commissions are? You’ve gotta be kidding!

Note that third item about Riverside County making their “first Five” Commission a county agency. I wonder what that sort of scrutiny would mean for our Commission. No more Campbell crony contracts?

June 16, 2010August 15, 2011Boohooism

The End May Be Near for Rusty Kennedy’s Human Relations Commisssion

by The Desert Rat16 Comments

An evanescent smile?

Talk about a hold over from a different era. No, not Rusty Kennedy (above), but the OC Human Relations Commission that has given him employment for Lo these many years.

But the final curtain may be about to ring down upon a typical 1970s “feel good” venture – a government operation that has no specific metrics for performance and no objective criteria for success. In other words, a typical lefty government program.

At their preliminary budget hearing on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors broke 2-1-1 on whether to keep this dinosaur around any more. Nguyen and Campbell who seem to want to cater to the unquestioning liberal vote want to keep this dinosaur; Campbell, whose adherents describe as conservative, was actually moved to tears by the very though of it. John Moorlach voted no. Pat Bates abstained for reasons that only Bates could possible explain.

Which means that when he votes on June 29, Shawn Nelson’s first budget decision may well involve pulling the plug on the comatose patient. Well, we say do it. Do Not Resuscitate!

June 16, 2010June 16, 2010Boohooism

Pacific Strategies – Normally Loquacious Hugh Hewitt Needs, Gets Help Organizing Thoughts

by Grover Cleveland12 Comments

Happy Hewitt — I was just too doggone busy to be bothered with it.

UPDATE: Gustavo Arellano has weighed in over at the OC Weekly.

Here’s a compilation of invoiced time Matthew J. Cunningham spent ghost writing for the supposed conservative Hugh Hewitt,who is a proud member of Rob Reiner’s Children and Families Commission.

Hewitt is Cunningham’s blog mentor who encouraged him to start what is today called “Red County”.

As noted above Hewitt is also a commissioner on the CFCOC, and thus Cunningham’s boss.

It’s odd that the presumably literate Hewitt can’t write his own letters and “op-ed” pieces if he believes so strongly in the Commission. He needs his buddy Cunningham to do it at a cool $200 an hour; and he’ll do it too, dammit, no matter how many hours it takes.

Of course it’s also odd that Hewitt is on this ridiculous commission in the first place, unless one recognizes it as a platform to dispense patronage to old pals.

June 15, 2010June 15, 2010Dead heads

Matthew Cunningham, Big Government Leech, Lauds “Rising Star” of GOP

by Mr. Peabody8 Comments

I couldn’t help but notice that Red County’s resident hypocrite, Matthew J. Cunningham, who makes his living off of Rob Reiner’s massive income redistribution scheme called Prop 10 did a post today on Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio who delivered the big speech at last night’s GOP Flag Day party.

Sweet Lord. Did Rubio praise Republicans who make their living sucking at the teat of the Welfare State? Maybe he did. I wasn’t there.

Here’s a Cunningham tribute:

“I think Marco Rubio is a true heir to Reagan conservatism: a rock-ribbed dedication to a smaller, restrained federal government,”

Well that’s great for Rubio, but where does Mr. C. from Suite C. fit into this vision of a smaller, restained government?

It’s amazing that this creep who makes his living from a huge, liberal tax and income redistribution project that defines “whole village child rearing” would have the gall to even go to the diner, let alone opine about it. I heard his candidate Harry Sidhu was there, too, so maybe they let anyone in.

What a complete and utter disgrace.

June 14, 2010June 14, 2010Boohooism

Downtown Fullerton Redevelopment Failure

by The Desert Rat11 Comments

In 1974 the various Redevelopment project areas were created in Fullerton, including the area that includes the downtown.

This was at the very tail end of the urban renewal era of social engineering that gutted old neighborhoods and districts across the land only to see the creation of bureaucrat-planned ghost towns and vast housing projects that nobody wanted to live in.

Although the downtown area was pretty much left to its own devices in the 70s, the 80s saw a new and noxious interest in re-inventing the area according to the whims of the Redevelopment manager and whatever cookie-cutter standardization idiocy was emanating from central planning workshops. Anybody remember the embarrassing concrete trestles?

True, the old businesses were leaving, put out of business by a new Mall culture. But what was the cure? Specialty retail, standardized street furniture, stamped concrete paving, design guidelines, and a plethora of silliness whose only aim seemed to be to create a roofless mall (an obviously pointless goal) – and provide employment for the Redevelopment manager. Hideous trees were planted that destroyed the sidewalks and on-street parking was removed, spelling final doom for what was left of the downtown businesses, but it was all part of the Master Plan, see? And new Master Plans kept being spit out every five years or so.

And while the City professed an interest in historic preservation, and even took credit for it, historic buildings kept disappearing – either completely or under a wall of brick veneer.

Things weren’t working. A ban on churches and pawn shops and junk yards couldn’t alter the fact that the low rents were pulling in businesses that weren’t “specialty retail.” They were mom and pop second hand stores masquerading as “antique” this and “vintage” that.

Ah! Much had been accomplished, but more work needed to be done. Job security for life!

The FFFF pages are strewn with the ugly history of the late eighties and the nineties when an unaccountable city staff engaged in boondoggle after boondoggle with a complaisant council going along every step of the way, and always taking credit for “revitalizing” downtown Fullerton.

Much had been accomplished, but clearly more work needed to be done.

Huge apartment blocks were approved, giving away millions in profits to favored developers through entitlements and grants. City streets were handed out like Monopoly deeds. The hope was that a captive residential audience would have to patronize downtown business. Synergy was the watchword of the day!

Much had been accomplished, but clearly more work needed to be done.

A new phenomenon was beginning to emerge in the late 90s. The subsidized restaurant. And a new booze culture was coalescing. Was it policy or accident? Who can say now. But what is inescapable is that for more than a decade the City’s actions and lack of actions had demonstrable effects. And the effects weren’t salutory. The restaurants morphed into bars and the bars morphed into bootleg night clubs and dance halls. The latter weren’t shut down; they were permitted. And then they were subsidized by the taxpayers with free fire water lines.

Every night the downtown area was filling up with drunken out of towners; fights, rapes, a murder. The City Manager wrung his hands. The downtown area was costing over a million dollars a year more to manage than it was bringing in in revenue.

Much had been accomplished, but clearly more work needed to be done.

In the 2000s the merry chase for revitalization continued apace with lustful Redevelopment eyes alighting on a vast Fox Theater project, cynically calculated to leverage popular interest in the Fox Theater. Aha! The anchor project that would make all the other pieces fall into place: success was at hand! Sure, we could move the McDonald’s a couple hundred feet. Six million? No problem! Environmental impacts? No big deal.

Then there is the Amerige Court monster. Aha! The anchor project that would make all the other pieces fall into place: success was at hand! Environmental impacts? No big deal.

And now Redevelopment in downtown Fullerton is 36 years old. Let’s put this in perspective: Fullerton was founded in 1886. And that means for 30% of its life span downtown Fullerton has had Redevelopment. And in 2010 the very sort of business that redevelopment bureaucrats find abhorrent starts up in the very heart of Redevelopment territory. See the irony yet? I do. It’s not about sex, it’s about failure. Oh, well.

Much has been accomplished, but clearly more work needs to be done.