Transportation Boondoggles Belie Sidhu’s Self-applied Stick-on Labels

It's all about #1, baby!

“Tough-minded advocate for streamlined efficient government.”

That’s how 4th District Supervisor candidate Harry Sidhu describes himself in that dopey Fullerton News Tribune ad he bought last week. We also read that Sidhu claims to have “fought to eliminate excessive and wasteful government spending.”

No examples, of course, to support the statements; evidently we are expected to accept Harry’s word for it.

But let’s make a quick visit to Sidhu’s campaign webiste. Under the “Transportation” issue heading we discover stuff all dressed up to look like an accomplishment that in reality gives the lie to Harry’s claim to be anything but an irresponsible public spendthrift.

Turns out Sidhu is a big cheerleader for the California High Speed Rail scam, a boondoggle on which hundreds of millions have already been squandered in “studies,” and with a gargantuan $50 billion price tag that ridership will never pay for. And of course he beats the drum for the jaw-droppingly expensive ARTIC plan in Anaheim, presumably hoping that if you build the southern terminus of the HSR a choo choo will have to show up sooner or later. A trip to the ARTIC website “benefits” page makes things crystal clear: $180,000,000 (yes, Friends you read that right) for a make-work government jobs program – mostly paid for with Measure M funds that everybody in the County has to pay through sales tax. Hardly the behavior of a fiscal conservative, is it?

Our Friends in Anaheim tell us that Sidhu is all gung-ho for this titanic fiasco to grease his relationship with outgoing Mayor Curt Pringle, who is neck deep in the HSR rip-off and who is looking for a soft place to land.

Pringle on his knees again...

Pringle, not coincidentally, is supporting Sidhu’s carpetbagging run for Supervisor (he supported Ackerwoman, too) and has been raising money for him. Symbiosis. And we get stuck holding the empty sack. Typical.

Sidhu is “tough-minded” about one thing: perpetually running for political office. On matters involving our tax dollars he’s about as tough as a mildewed marshmallow.

Santa Ana Goon Enlisted to Attack Shawn Nelson

The Tom Daly For Supervisor campaign being operated out of the back of the Mauve County blog offices enlisted an unlikely stooge today in an attack on Fullerton’s Shawn Nelson.

The individual’s name is Thomas Anthony Gordon (pictured, below), a participant in the byzantine and highly bitter world of Santa Ana politics. We had to do some digging to find out who this individual even was, and why he has all of a sudden taken an interest in the 4th Supervisorial District election.

When you get beyond the personal appearance issues things really start to get unattractive...

The gist of Gordo’s post is that Nelson is a defense attorney, and because Nelson works to get his clients acquitted he is “soft on crime”  and hence unfit to be a Supervisor. Some logic, huh?

This attack really isn’t too surprising. Daly’s campaign manager Chris Jones kept popping up here recently (until we busted him) using aliases trying to say the same thing. And it’s been obvious for a long time that Mauve County was just a vehicle for political promoter and Repuglican John Lewis who has been setting up the Democrat Daly as a lobbying target for years. But who orchestrated this little Valentine? It’s not very likely that Lewis, or Jones even know this Gordon character.

Aha! I think I’ve got it.  The Mauve editor Matthew J. Cunningham is a prize pupil of Lewis and, of course a backroom Daly supporter. He’s been over here a lot lately commenting anonymously, too. It seems quite plausible that Cunningham stirred up Gordon, probably with the fact that their mutual enemy Art Pedroza has an ad for Nelson on his blog. What an idea! The stooge can do the dirty work and Cunningham can (try to) keep his hands clean.

Just call me up and I won't explain everything.

Sound sort of weird. Of course it is. But the mission of Mauve County is now clear. Promote the career politician Daly, and attack Nelson.

For a blog that keeps pretending to be right-of-center it’s pretty sad that they evidently will be working against the only true conservative in the race. And all so that John Lewis can make money lobbying his boy Tom Daly in the County Hall of Administration. Repuglicanism at its worst.

Hide and Seek Harry On The Move Again. Claims New Address

Adios, Harry. We hardly knew ye.

Not to be outdone by fellow 4th District Supervisor campaign carpetbagger and multiple address occupier Lorri Galloway, Harry Sidhu has pulled up stakes again and abandoned his address at the beautiful Calabria Apartments, #106. The Registrar of Voters verbally confirmed the switcheroo this morning.

Let's hope Harry got the Manager's Move-in Special

Was it the proximity to the bowling alley or the pool hall? Was it the complete lack of landscaping? Or was it just the sheer impossibility as the residence for a rich man like Sidhu, whose carpetbagging was getting a lot of attention anyway. It sure was a great image and just the sort of thing to burst a political bubble.

Some of Harry’s campaign blog monkeys have been hinting recently that Harry was now living in a house he owns in the 4th District – a lot more plausible than the Calabria, to be sure, but in no way mitigating the fact that  HARRY SIDHU IS A CARPETBAGGER! Whether or not Harry will even pretend to live in his new home for the next four months is an excellent question, the answer to which we will no doubt be pursuing diligently.

So far I have moved this many times in 2010!

Ah, well. Thus endeth Harry’s flirtation with the common man. Wonder if he ever even got to meet his neighbors.

Sidhu’s Wacky News Tribune Ad

But he doesn't even live in our district, does he?

I came across this sort of  goofy Harry Sidhu political ad in the News Tribune the other day, repeating the mantra of his paid blog monkeys that Sidhu has “represented” 40% of the 4th County Supervisorial District by being on the Anaheim City Council.

Harry and his “team” must be really concerned that the carpetbagger label is sticking. It is, and it will, because that’s what he is. But that’s only part of the problem. The other issue is whether Sidhu even lives in the District at all.

Please also note that the ad uses the simple title of “Mayor Pro Tem.” Why no mention of Anaheim? Harry can’t be dumb enough to think people in our city are ignorant enough to believe he’s Mayor Pro Tem of Fullerton, can he? Or is it just more sloppy work by his “team.” We already know that he holds Fullerton residents in such low regard that he dodged the Supervisor candidate forum held by NUFF a couple weeks ago. Sad.

The text of the Sidhu ad is even more pathetic. Experience? Harry doesn’t identify a single thing he’s done to make Anaheim government more “streamlined” or “efficient.” He says he fought to eliminate “excessive and wasteful government spending” but doesn’t give a single example of his fiscal conservatism. Wonder why?

Apparently Sidhu and his handlers also hope that voters are ignorant of the fact that the County government has almost no involvement in any sort of job creation schemes; and owning fast food franchises seems to be Harry’s only job creating calling card. More sadness.

Too bad for Harry that constantly running in political campaigns isn’t a job skill that voters hold in high regard.

When you really get to know me is when the fun starts...

Nothing to talk about and seemingly unaware of real County issues – that’s the campaign. And that’s a bad combination.

Oops. Sidhu Did It Too.

A few days ago I did a post about how Tom Daly’s campaign for 4th District Supervisor received a contribution from Sharon Quirk’s campaign account and how the County Code prohibits that.

Turns out Harry Sidhu was the similar recipient of a fellow politico’s largess. On August 16, 2009 he received $250 from “Marty for Brea City Council.”

That would be Brea City Councilman Marty Simonoff.

Daly Stumbles Over County Campaign Finance Rules

Just keep quiet, stupid. It'll blow over.

The Tom Daly for 4th District Supervisor campaign is not getting off to a great start. You’d think the County’s number one bureaucrat would be able to follow the County’s campaign finance law. Well, you’d have another think coming.

Daly ran afoul of those regulations when he accepted a $200 contribution in December from the Sharon Quirk For Fullerton (#1263645) campaign committee. The law,  Sec. 1-6-9 of the County’s Municipal Code clearly states that one campaign can’t contribute to another. Here is the code:

Sec. 1-6-9. – Prohibition on transfers.

(a)   No funds may be transferred into any County candidate or elective County officer’s campaign committee from any other campaign committee controlled by a candidate. No contributions shall be accepted by any County candidate or elective County officer or their controlled committees, from any other committee controlled by another federal, state, or local candidate or officeholder.

(b)   No County candidate or elective County officer and no committee controlled by a County candidate or elective County officer shall make any contribution to any other County candidate or elective County officer or to any committee supporting or opposing a County candidate for office. This section shall not prohibit a County candidate or elective County officer from making a contribution from his or her own personal funds to his or her own candidacy or to the candidacy of any other candidate for elective County office.

(Ord. No. 3862, § 9, 6-23-92; Ord. No. 02-012, § 4, 12-17-02)

Now this doesn’t look very good, does it? The County’s Chief Paper Pusher seems to have gotten his ream in wringer.

Good Grief! What’s next for the Daly Cavalcade of Campaign Comedy?

As The Colony Turns: Galloway On The Move Again

You will soon be moving. Again.

Well I guess technically you have to have moved a first time to be able to move again, by why get all semantical ‘n stuff?

According to “Colony Rabble” at the Red County blog, Lorri Galloway is moving. Again. That makes three times if you are one of the tiny, gullible subset of 4th District citizens who ever thought she moved out of her 3rd District house in the hills to begin with.

Apparently she has selected yet another address – out of the Colony District and into to a place called “Five Points” that is farther west along Lincoln Avenue and is, in fact, halfway to Harry Sidhu’s phoney address at the beautiful Calabria Apartments behind the Linbrook Bowl. The property? Another Bill Taormina special. Gotta assume this one is actually zoned residential.  Could it be that the City Planning Department actually did its job?

Anyhoo, Lorri can be serenaded to sleep by the white noise hum of Interstate 5 that passes nearby; and now Harry and Lorri can both ride the number 42 bus in the same direction from City Hall to get “home”! Which of course suggests a money saving strategy for both campaigns: co-habitation at the Calabria!

The Calabria beckons...

They’re Baaaack!

Those boys need to learn about cash for clunkers...

Yup. Those bad boys in the white van were spotted in the  Linbrook Bowl Lanes parking lot yesterday. The mescaline and the revolving bowling pin may have provoked some transcendental moments, but apparently the fellas got down to work because they forwarded an audio file. There is a lot of interference on it that sounds like the crashing of bowling pins, so we have had to deploy our expert audio forensic team create a transcript. And here it is:

(sound of phone ringing)

Scott Taylor: Hello?

Harry Sidhu: Uh, Scott. This is Harry.

ST: Where the hell are you?

HS: Well, I am here at the Calabria. I think I was being followed so I came over here. Just to be safe, you know.

ST: Followed? Aw, Hell. Tim Clark is with me. I’ll put you on speaker.

HS: Oh! Hello Tim! How are things going in my campaign.

Tim Clark: Well, we’re trying. I’ll be honest Harry. There’s still a lot of stink on you from that ass-kicking Mimi laid down on you in 08. Geez she won every precinct in Anaheim. Then running so soon after your re-election to the Council – our polls say that people think you’re just desperate for a higher political job.

HS: Yes, jobs.

TC: Huh?

HS: I am a job creator.

TC:  Ah, gee Harry. People in our poll weren’t impressed by minimum wage job creation. They didn’t seem impressed no matter how hard we pushed.

HS: Jobs.

ST: Um, focus, Harry.

HS: Jobs. Enterprise zone. Small business.

ST: Yeah. Okay. Okay. This carpetbagging thing is tough. Carol Rudat took it on the chops over this and it just killed Linda Ackerman and they’re gonna keep hammering that one. No way around it. For chrissakes just don’t get caught going home at night, Harry. Jesus, we’ll end up with Dave Lopez at the gate!

HS: Well, you know, those peacocks don’t feed themselves. Somebody has to do it.

TC: Okay focus, guys.

ST: What are we gonna pitch? Harry do you know anything about the County government?

HS: Jobs? I went to Norby’s office all the time. I will tell them I am just like Norby, only richer.

ST: Um, better not do that. We need something, you know, specific. Anything, really.

(prolonged silence)

Well, don’t worry, I guess we can cook up something.

HS: Well my friends that is why I have hired you. Oh! Now look at that would you. What a filthy disgrace! A dirty white van behind the wall spewing fumes.

Ah! And look at the time! I must be going, um, well, you know – home.

(at this point the telecommunication was terminated)

On the road again...

Tom Daly: Career Politician Who Wears the Union Label

Well you heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Tom Daly has and will be beholden to the public employee unions. He tries to put a fig leaf over this ugly fact by describing the unions as his neighbors with a stake in the “quality of life” of his community. Notice how Daly conveniently confuses the individual with the collective? What a hoot!

Well I hate to break the news to you Mr. Daly, but it’s the public unions and their never ending fiscal demands that have pushed our cities, our county, and our state to near-insolvency and dismal credit ratings. And the citizenry has finally gotten wise.

Say good night, Tom.

NUFF Forum Comes, Goes. A Little Learned, But Not Much

If avoiding specifics, dodging straight answers, and putting ignorance on public display were virtues, then the crop of 4th District supervisorial candidates at the NUFF forum were virtuous in the extreme.

An hour and half of questioning produced almost nothing in the way of inspired leadership and mostly cliched responses to pretty specific questions directed by the Register’s Jennifer Muir. They all agreed that north County was getting screwed on park funds (or lack of same), that yacht owners should pay something toward patrolling Newport Harbor, and that there was going to have to be a multi-tiered pension system in the future. Well, that’s just stating the obvious.

Here’s a brief and summation of the candidates and how they comported themselves.

He may be slow getting warmed up...

1. Richard Faher. Incapable of constructing a concise, intelligent answer. If someone really wanted an excuse to get drunk they could do a Richard Faher Drinking Game and take a shot every time he starts a sentence with the word “okay.” Faher did provide the amusing highlight of the evening when he thanked “Friends for Fullerton” for putting on the event. Gee, you’re welcome, Richard!

Wait, let me go collaborate with my city manager...

2. Rose Espinosa. Despite the attempts by the Local Left to paint her as some sort of credible politician, she came across as, well, just plain dumb. And by dumb I mean a sack of door knobs kind of dumb. And ignorant. She appeared perfectly clueless about County issues and kept deferring to what others had said. She spoke in the lamest sort of generalities about every single question put to her. She repeatedly referred to getting her information from her city manager, and that’s bad. She talked about “collaboration” several times. Ouch.

Speak with confidence and they'll follow you anywhere...

3. Shawn Nelson. Came across as pretty articulate and knowledgeable about the ongoing harbor patrol budget scandal. His statements about getting County government smaller and less intrusive was cliched stuff right out of the GOP playbook, but his comments about why the Clerk/Recorder performs marriage ceremonies was right on. He also may have surprised some by his observation that the County’s current lawsuit against the Deputy Sheriff’s retroactive pension spike was a sure loser, and that he would share information on-line about all meetings with lobbyists. But he dodged answering the specific question about supporting regulating those lobbyists.

Nelson also took credit for courage in supporting Sharon Quirk to be mayor of Fullerton. That elicited snickers from many of the NUFFsters and maybe even from Pam Keller who was sitting toward the back of the room.

Knowing the County ropes can get you tangled up in blue...

4. Tom Daly. He appeared to have popped too many quaaludes before the program, but maybe that’s just his style. He talked a lot about all that he got done as mayor of Anaheim, perhaps hoping that the NUFFsters were unaware that the Anaheim mayor is simply one of five votes. He appeared to be the the most knowledgeable about the way the County government is actually constituted, but that sort of familiarity comes with a price tag: career politician; and it did not produce any inspired ideas of reform, restructuring or right-sizing. 

Daly took some oblique shots at Chris Norby for failing to deliver park funds which was fun because Norby was hovering in the back of the room like the amiable chorus in an Aristophanes comedy. Whether Norby was even paying attention is unknown, though unlikely.

At the end Daly rolled out his big guns. 1) He was opening his satellite office in Fullerton on Sunday, Feb. 14 to perform bureaucrat weddings (no mention about paying employees overtime to do it); 2) he had worked out a deal with the Lincoln Library to host a road show of Old Abe memorabilia. This produced some chuckles later in the FFFF editorial room as we recalled our post on Daly and another dead Republican.

Harry and Lorri ponder the perplexing crossing of the 91 Freeway

5 & 6. Harry Sidhu and Lorri Galloway both took a powder. They were not missed. Their presence would no doubt have simply added another half an hour to an already pretty depressing evening. Still, credit to the NUFFsters for putting the event together, and shame on Sidhu and Galloway for blowing it off. Were they afraid of having to deal with the carpetbagging issue, or just their inability to talk cogently about bedeviling County problems? They needn’t have worried.