November 14, 2016July 29, 2017About Us

Don’t Kneel to Fullerton College’s Football Stadium Demands

So who’s up for a proposed construction project that could “substantially degrade the existing visual character or quality of the site and its surroundings” and could “create a new source of substantial light or glare would adversely affect day or nighttime views in the area” according to the Environmental Impact Report?

Doesn’t sound appealing? Well, you may want to attend the scoping session on Thursday, November 17, 2016, at 6 pm, at the Fullerton College Student Center, Rooms 224, 226 and 228 (don’t ask – I’ll be wandering around campus myself) and let them know.

I should note that this little boondoggle is not the City’s doing, for once. For this we can thank the North Orange County Community College District and their Board of Trustees. The Master Plan Initial Study, which discussed the Environmental Impacts on Section 6.3, can be found here: )

fc-map

Pictured: Sherbeck Field. Not pictured: Rooms 224-228. Also not pictured: The football stadium that already exists across the street.

Some time ago, the NOCCCD Board of Trustees were considering the idea of building a football stadium on campus, thus sparing their football team the humiliation of playing football at <gasp> a high school stadium – and one that’s less than 100 yards away from the campus proper, to boot. Residents of the Princeton Circle neighborhood objected, and the plans for a football stadium appeared, to the residents at least, to be scrapped. Now the trustees are looking to add 4,500 stadium seats and field lighting that could remain on until 10 pm. In addition, while I have not independently verified this, nearby residents contend that the proposed lighting would consist of six 100 foot tall LED towers, which if true would cause a significant amount of light pollution.

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November 11, 2016November 13, 2016I Aint a Swallerin That

Drum Roll, Please

by Joe Sipowicz43 Comments

Since we’ve been gone things seem hardly to have changed at all in Fullerton.

As a public service announcement I forthwith present the compensation of Fullerton employees – the people that keep our streets safe from drunk drivers and make sure development is intelligent and appropriate, and that Laguna Lake stays full of Grade A MWD water – among other important responsibilities. It is up to you, Friends, to determine if we are getting our money’s worth, and to reflect upon four straight unbalanced budget years of tapping into the City’s reserve funds to pay for all this valuable peoplepower.

Numbers 1 and 4 have been in the news a bit, lately.

Courtesy of FullertonWatch and Transparent California:

2015 salaries for City of Fullerton

Name	Job title	Regular pay	Overtime pay	Other pay	Total benefits	Total pay & benefits
Danny E Hughes	CHIEF OF POLICE Fullerton, 2015	$206,779.04	$0.00	$19,819.43	$131,805.35	$358,403.82
Wolfgang Knabe	FIRE CHIEF Fullerton, 2015	$203,999.64	$0.00	$4,643.28	$112,745.11	$321,388.03
Julie A Kunze	FIRE MARSHAL/DEP CHIEF Fullerton, 2015	$172,217.81	$9,935.65	$4,547.08	$114,060.22	$300,760.76
Joseph B. Felz	CITY MANAGER Fullerton, 2015	$212,000.82	$0.00	$17,449.64	$67,789.57	$297,240.03
Adam R. Loeser	BATTALION CHIEF(DEP CHF-OPER) Fullerton, 2015	$156,943.52	$15,818.12	$720.20	$105,774.06	$279,255.90
Pedram Gharah	POLICE SERGEANT Fullerton, 2015	$103,224.05	$58,931.61	$16,348.16	$85,104.82	$263,608.64
John D Siko	POLICE CAPTAIN Fullerton, 2015	$139,739.36	$0.00	$18,017.60	$101,853.43	$259,610.39
Rodger Jeffrey Corbett	POLICE SERGEANT Fullerton, 2015	$109,359.74	$29,001.64	$29,080.34	$90,144.86	$257,586.58
Andrew S. Goodrich	POLICE LIEUTENANT Fullerton, 2015	$131,622.40	$1,280.71	$21,982.90	$102,304.08	$257,190.09
Name Redacted	POLICE SERGEANT Fullerton, 2015	$109,359.68	$29,780.18	$29,255.12	$88,606.65	$257,001.63
Kenneth D. Edgar	POLICE CORPORAL Fullerton, 2015	$90,995.45	$76,626.67	$10,885.90	$74,944.85	$253,452.87
Scott A Rudisil	POLICE CAPTAIN Fullerton, 2015	$139,739.37	$0.00	$22,127.76	$91,508.62	$253,375.75
John R. Stokes	BATTALION CHIEF Fullerton, 2015	$121,373.86	$35,725.81	$9,910.43	$85,885.82	$252,895.92
Michael A Chocek	POLICE LIEUTENANT Fullerton, 2015	$119,385.46	$16,304.14	$21,062.41	$95,254.80	$252,006.81
Jonathan S. Radus	POLICE SERGEANT Fullerton, 2015	$99,191.35	$49,367.37	$20,047.12	$82,715.78	$251,321.62
Michael J. Chlebowski	POLICE LIEUTENANT Fullerton, 2015	$131,622.40	$4,757.50	$12,714.05	$100,924.01	$250,017.96
John Richard Zillgitt	FIRE CAPTAIN Fullerton, 2015	$91,823.87	$52,971.51	$20,343.80	$84,384.03	$249,523.21
Javier Avelar	FIRE CAPTAIN Fullerton, 2015	$91,871.14	$58,855.64	$17,249.44	$81,413.43	$249,389.65
Timothy J. Hartinger	FIRE CAPTAIN Fullerton, 2015	$91,823.88	$62,408.63	$15,068.59	$79,874.37	$249,175.47
Karen A. Haluza	DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOP Fullerton, 2015	$177,580.31	$0.00	$5,824.00	$65,768.42	$249,172.73

More. 653 more.

February 24, 2013December 16, 2016Boohooism

A Streetcar Named Desire

by Mr. Peabody101 Comments

Last week the ever helpful Fullerton City Hall scribe Lou Ponsi scribbled a story about how Fullerton needs a transit dedicated line from the CSUF area to the Fullerton “metro center.”

No, I am not kidding. “Senior” Planner Jay Eastman believes Fullerton has a metro center.

A cynic might conclude that the sole purpose of this venture is to more efficiently direct college kids into the open air saloon that downtown Fullerton has become.

Trolley? Bus? Light rail(!)? The world is Jay Eastman’s oyster, just so long as somebody else is picking up the tab. In this case the OCTA is going to pay 90% of the cost of a “study” to determine just what Fullerton needs: $270,000 worth, with us paying the other $30,000.

All of which goes to show that OCTA has an awful lot more money than they know what to do with.

February 16, 2013Chronic Failure

Will We Get a Refund?

by The Fullerton Harpoon27 Comments

Item 7 on Tuesday’s City Council Agenda brings back a sore subject: paying back the water users who’ve been ripped off by years of an illegal 10% tax on their water bill.

Thanks to the previous council the plug was finally pulled on this scam last year. But that was then, and liberals Chaffee and Flory won’t want to give back anything that was pilfered from the taxpayers. So what a bout Jennifer Fitzgerald? She’s supposed to be a Republican, but in Fullerton that hasn’t meant much and she was a die-hard supporter of the Three Bald Tires.

7. WATER UTILITY OPERATIONS
Over the past two years, the City has conducted a review of its Water Utility operations in order to have a comprehensive overview of water utility infrastructure needs, rates and rate structures and define General Fund costs related to operations of the Water Fund.
Recommendation by the Engineering Department:
1. Determine the cost for services provided by the City to the Water Utility.
2. Establish the total amount of refund to be issued (following a cost for service determination).
3. Determine the timing of refunds (one-time or multi-year payments).
4. Establish an Appeals Board to address refund complaints and any other billing conflicts.
5. Authorize the mailing of the required Proposition 218 notice which begins the 45-day comment period related to the proposed “pass-through’ of water supply cost water rate increase.
6. Authorize the update of the July 2011 “Comprehensive Water Rate Study Report” which outlines the recommended infrastructure needs and funding plans.
7. Direct staff to make any necessary City financing processes to implement Council direction.

Here’s my prediction: just as in 2011, the “cost study” will be rigged to jack up the value of City services to the Water Fund to get as close to 10% as possible. Then there will be no need for a refund and no need for an apology for illegally swiping $27,000,000 to pay for their own perks and pensions.

Nice, huh?

January 31, 2013January 31, 2013Boohooism

We Get Mail: A Most Unhappy Neighbor

by Disillusioned Ex-Hippy109 Comments

Friends, here is a letter sent to Mayor Bruce Whitaker and thoughtfully provided to us from a citizen who live in the Chapman Park neighborhood across the street from the proposed site of a County homeless shelter.

I omit this individual’s name and number to spare them annoying calls from the bureaucrats but it was included in the letter to Whitaker:

Subject: proposed homeless shelter

Mr Mayor,

This is in regards to the proposed homeless shelter to be opened in the old Linder’s Furniture building on State College in Fullerton. I am a long time Fullerton home owner (almost 30 years) and live in the Chapman Park tract directly across State College from the proposed site. I would like to voice my adamant opposition to this project! If the shelter goes in at this site you are opening us up to security and safety issues, property value drops & outright living in fear. We have a park in our tract that will potentially become the hangout for the people of the shelter, all they have to do is walk across State College Blvd and they are at the pedestrian entrance to our housing tract. This park is a little league park full of kids on the weekends, and homeowners including myself walk the park frequently in the mornings and evenings. A great many of the homeowners in this tract are older single women like myself who live alone and the thought of our community/tract being opened up to this kind of influx of homeless and mentally ills is frightening. I have already had my house broken into and robbed in the recent past and what is being proposed will bery likely increase the chance of this happening again. It’s bad enough that our neightborhood has been turned into a parking lot by the students from Cal State Fullerton and the city won’t help us with that issue, now we are going to be asked to have the residents of this shelter desend on us also. I know this seems like the old “not in my backyard” standard but truthfully this is a very disconcerting and potentially dangerous situation for us. It seems like there must be an available building in a more industrial location rather than this one so close to homes, little league fields and schools. And what happens when the over/under pass project reaches State College?

I know my voice probably doesn’t matter and nothing will change as it appears deals have already been made and this is being railroaded through but I hope at the very least that the pedestrian entrance at the corner of State College and Fender will be completely sealed up. And when our houses get broken into or tagged and the mentally ill and homeless accost us at the park I hope you will personally come visit us to see what you have allowed.

Sign me

A very unhappy Fullerton resident

Hopefully this tax-payer’s voice will matter, although the odds seem against it.

January 30, 2013Boohooism

Two Kinds of Deflection

by Mr. Peabody62 Comments

In the wake of the Kelly Thomas murder at the hands of the FPD, two different yet eerily similar tactics emerged for deflecting responsibility away from the cops.

Fullerton’s antique liberal crowd quickly banded together so that society itself could be blamed, not the FPD: the problem was not murderous, corrupt or even incompetent cops. Oh, no. The problem was one of homelessness and the solution was to provide a homeless shelter! Why Kelly would probably even be alive today!

On the other hand, the anonymous cop-protectors keep insisting that the problem lay with poor parenting for Kelly’s death, as if a schizophrenic, 35 year-old man was somehow the responsibility of his parents, and as if that somehow exculpates the six cops who beat him to death and stood around laughing as he died in a pool of his own blood.

Of course both groups relied heavily upon a completely comical whitewash of the FPD Culture of Corruption by paid-for opinion of Michael Gennaco.

Two different cliques, two very similar tactics.

January 23, 2013Bruce Whitaker

SHELTER FALLOUT

by Disillusioned Ex-Hippy193 Comments

The County of Orange’s attempt to cram a permanent homeless shelter in east Fullerton across the street from single-family homes and an elementary school have taught us four things, so far.

First, it is very clear that no Fullerton elected representatives were told anything about this high-handed plan. Second, the County can do it with or without the City’s agreement. Third, nobody at the County gives a damn that they will be paying $3.15 million for a broken down old building that nobody knows the cost to make habitable. Four, the media will never report any of this.

As to the first point, here is a report about a meet and greet event by Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker, who asked the County for a few weeks’ delay so that the City Council could learn just what the County has in store for us. Request denied.

And here is an e-mail we received from some local resident who says he has just started a petition to seek redress:

Subject: Homeless shelter

Hello!I’ve started the petition “Fullerton city council: Stop the County from opening a 24/7 homeless shelter at 301 S St College Bl” and need your help to get it off the ground.Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here’s the link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/fullerton-city-council-stop-the-county-from-opening-a-24-7-homeless-shelter-at-301-s-st-college-bl

Here’s why it’s important:

This is a 29,000 square foot building that is located near an elementary school, park and houses. This homeless shelter will make Fullerton the dumping ground for homeless. Crime will increase and spread to the whole area. This deal is being done without much awareness from the public. A life long friend of County Supervisor Nelson stands to make nearly 100k from the deal. This is bad for North OC. This shelter will end up looking like skid row in downtown LA where crime and drug use is rampant. Fullerton is not LA.

You can sign my petition by clicking here.

Thanks!

Well, good luck with that! Apparently the County can do whatever it likes and your County Supervisor isn’t interested in your opinion.

January 10, 2013Behind Closed Doors

County Wants To Build Homeless Shelter On State College

by Disillusioned Ex-Hippy138 Comments

Fullertonstories is reporting here, that the County of Orange wants to build a homeless shelter on south State College in Fullerton. They may be soon buying the Linder Furniture store for $3,000,000.

This may not be good news to the folks who live in the single family neighborhood across the street and who take their kids to the Commonwealth Elementary School which is virtually adjacent to this site. The folks I know over in the Chapman Park area have heard nothing about this venture, which makes me wonder whose big idea this was and why the neighbors have not even been informed.

Amazingly, it would appear from the article that the County’s “search criteria” only included that the shelter be on a bus line and moved away from Downtown Fullerton. Nice.

How much of this “plan” has already been secretly approved by our own City Council goes unmentioned. Has a deal already been work out with the City? It’s hard to believe the County would buy real estate without the approval of the City Council, or at least the City staff.

Apparently the County Board of Supervisors is voting on this purchase Tuesday. I wonder when the government plans on telling anybody about this.

January 3, 2013January 3, 2013I Aint a Swallerin That

Out of Control Government. No Sex in the Cornfields

by The Fullerton Harpoon30 Comments

Unhappy

I just couldn’t resist posting about this. It’s about some Kansan dude who coughed up his jism to a lesbian couple so they could give birth to a daughter.

Everything was going pretty okay, from conception (let’s be courtly and not inquire about the details) through birth, and early First Five nurturing. But, alas, the lesbians fell upon hard financial times and apparently have put in for taxpayer subsidy for their toddler.

And now Kansas wants DNA Dad to cough up even more – child support!!

Apparently those damn patriarchal Kansas laws require that in the case of welfare there be a daddy. Even the lesbian lobby is mad.

Honestly you couldn’t make this stuff up.

November 2, 2012November 2, 2012Chronic Failure

It’s A Boring Job, But Somebody’s Gotta Do It!

by Grover Cleveland51 Comments

We’ve all seen Fullerton cops texting on the job – on motorcyles, in patrol cars, and at Starbucks, when in fact they are supposed to be protecting us from evil, hippy dope-smokers.

But wait a sec! What’s this? Chief Danny texting during a Fullerton Council meeting?!

Well, I guess FPD “Detective” Ron Bair will soon be making another “Brown Act” record request!