Category: Setting The Bar Low

Posted onDead heads

Orange County Fair Morass Gets Morassier; And Ackerman Questions Linger

by 23 Comments on Orange County Fair Morass Gets Morassier; And Ackerman Questions Linger

Last week a judge stepped in to slow down the sale of the OC Fairgounds to a private developer as reported by the Voice of OC(EA). Seems hizzoner wants some time to look into all the allegations of hanky-panky that have been swirling around for the past year.

I have no evidence that that guy over there lied to me, and I don't intend to look for any.

More allegations of monkey business at the fair that creates a pattern of obfuscation, disingenuousness, and misfeasance that goes back well over a year.

But wait, hasn’t Tony Rackaukas already blessed the doings with his benediction? Yep, but despite our do-nothing DA’s whitewash of the entire 2009 Summer of Fair Love, lots of people have lingering questions about the role of some of OCs leading repuglicans in this whole mess.

Those doubts are fueled by a guy named David Padilla, a Fair trustee who apparently didn’t go along with his colleagues who were busted trying to create their own entity to acquire the property. As reported in the Daily Pilot, here, and the Voice, here, Padilla, who was recently removed from the Board by outgoing Governor Schwarzenegger, still has lots of unanswered questions himself. And even a few assertions.

One of the most intriguing parts of the story was this:

Among the things the board does not know are details of the activities of the law firm of Nossaman LLP through former State Sen. Dick Ackerman as well as the activities of the county’s lobbyist, Platinum Advisors, which has close ties to county GOP Chairman Scott Baugh.

Padilla was the only board member to respond to public inquiries and records requests for information on the role of both individuals. Padilla said earlier this year that he was told Ackerman was only paid $19,000 for his work.

“I have recently determined, after months of inquiry, they were paid over $150,000 for services I have not been able to get answers for,” Padilla said. “It was my intention to continue to press for the details on both these issues.”

A repuglican warrior does battle on the steps of the Capitol...

We know that the DA has found nothing untoward in Ackerman’s behavior, despite Ackerman’s own morphing tale, but $150,000 grand would pay for a helluva lot of schmoozing with the Guv, and it’s about time the public found out exactly what Dickie Boy was up to in Sacramento during those long hot summer days of 2009, including billings, invoices, and diaries.

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Posted onFullerton City Council

Kaboom. One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Million Dollars

by 22 Comments on Kaboom. One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Million Dollars

Fullerton’s public safety pension debt just exploded.  Numbers from a new report just released by CalPERS pin the unfunded pension liability for Fullerton’s police and fire at $126,843,150.

Hey little guy. Cash or credit?

The new figures represent a first look at Fullerton’s pension crisis after the market crash of 2007 (yes, CalPERS is that slow.)

Of course these dismal digits are probably optimistic, given that CalPERS is still using the ridiculous rate of return that the unions used to cook up these obscene benefits in the first place. We did, however, take the liberty of removing the absurd “smoothing” calculation that adds a magical $73,000,000 to the fund, even though that money does not exist anywhere.

Warning: 76 pages of boring

$126,843,150.00. Let’s put that number in perspective: it’s enough to fund the entire Parks and Rec department for the next 27 years, re-pave six million square/ft of deteriorating roadway or completely staff Fullerton’s libraries until the year 2058.

Paying that debt (assuming it doesn’t get worse) will require an additional $3,000 from each Fullerton household, above and beyond our current taxes. That’s just for unfunded public safety retirement debt, which allows these public employees to receive 90% of their highest pay at age 50 for the rest of their lives.

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Posted onOrange County Government

Der Pringle Gets Swift Kick In Ass On Way Out Door

by 35 Comments on Der Pringle Gets Swift Kick In Ass On Way Out Door

You just can’t beat candor at the public podium.

Here is Anaheim community leader Amin David at Kurt Pringle’s public going away party letting Der Pringle know that not all of the Anaheim Volk are happy Volk.  Specifically he slams Pringle for his latest Platinum Triangle do-over and deficient EIR.

Did you enjoy the shot at Sidhu as Pringle’s puppet-monkey and Hernandez as a dim-wit? I did.

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Posted onBoohooism

Chaffee’s Choke Cost Him The Election

by 12 Comments on Chaffee’s Choke Cost Him The Election

A lot of people in Fullerton are wondering why council candidate Doug Chaffee permited himself to be a GOP establishment punching bag.  Did his natural inclinations lead him to avoid attacking the out-of-control public employee pension mess as embodied in his two GOP and union backed adversaries? Probably.

If so, it cost him the election.

When he finally reached down and grabbed hold of his huevos he produced this devastating comparison piece between himself and his “public safety” union-backed opponents.

Although effective, it was too little, too late. By the time it came out absentee voting was well underway. The oblique admonition to “bullet vote” was already an effort in vain.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

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Posted onBehind Closed Doors

Pringle Ethics Probe. Break Out The Scanning Electron Microscope!

by 8 Comments on Pringle Ethics Probe. Break Out The Scanning Electron Microscope!

Uh, oh. More bad news for Anaheim’s outgoing Mayor-for-Hire, Curt Pringle. An FPPC investigation into foreign junkets by the California High Speed Rail crew.

Pringle declared all the gifties large and small from Europe’s socialist governments that are hoping to sell the CHSR good jobs that Americans are too stupid to do.

But the rest of Pringle’s gang at CHSR may not have been so diligent, especially the Golden horde of consultants, yes men, and PR tools Pringle & Co. have brought on board their choo-choo.”Record keeping lapses” unintentional? More hilarity to follow.

From the Register, yesterday.

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Posted onDead heads

How Low Can You Go?

by 4 Comments on How Low Can You Go?
A is for Honest.

If you’re Anaheim’s outgoing Mayor-for-Hire, Curt Pringle, the answer is: very. We got hold of this flier that advertises a big tribute to Pringle that will undoubtedly tout his Integrity, Leadership, and Vision.

Wow, a Tribute

We already know more than we need to about those alleged Pringle attributes as we have vividly and abundantly documented in our pages how Der Pringle has managed to insert his grubby little fingers into just about every pie in OC, most prominently the Platinum Triangle Tragedy, The Great ARTIC Ripoff, the HSR Boondoggle, and even how he’s swung peculiar gigs shilling for Rob Reiner’s Children and Families Commission and even the OC Cemetery District.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Bryan Lang <Bryan@curtpringle.com>
Date: Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 4:24 PM
Subject: Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle Tribute Event
To:****@*****.***

What’s really funny about the upcoming tribute to Pringle is that it is being organized by…Pringle himself! And if you respond to one of Pringle’s flunkies you can join in the party celebrating the Integrity, Leadership, and Vision that Pringle has embodied in his eight year Reign of Profit.

Most of us would feel a little bit awkward celebrating our own Leadership, Integrity, and Vision; apparently the flier left off Pringle’s Humility. Well, we’ll take care of that. And the experience will be humbling.

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Posted onAbout Us

Chi’s Gang Accosts Admin at Vietnamese Restaurant

by 57 Comments on Chi’s Gang Accosts Admin at Vietnamese Restaurant

Here’s a fun video of something that occurred a couple weeks ago. The entertainment value is pretty good.

I was minding my own business while having a bowl of delicious Pho at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant – just like I have been doing for 25 years. I was approached by a man inside the restaurant claiming that I was not allowed to park in his parking lot.

I finished my Pho quickly paid my bill and went outside only to be surrounded by a gaggle of Roland Chi supporters. It turns out that this restaurant is in the same center as Roland Chi’s scampaign headquarters! Those guys sure were interested in what I had in my truck!

Once outside I was again approached my the same man who claimed to own the shopping center telling me that I could not park there because it was his parking lot.  The man in the video did actually push me, but being the sweet and gentle guy you all know and love I got in my truck and motored off.

Oh, and by the way, guess what I saw parked in front of Chi Headquarters? You guessed it. The white sign theft van!

QED.

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Posted onLocal Media

Cal State Fullerton Reporter Slammed for Speaking Truth

by 20 Comments on Cal State Fullerton Reporter Slammed for Speaking Truth

A California State University of Fullerton student reporter has come under attack for quoting me in the Daily Titan.

Ally Bordas wrote a brief article for the Daily Titan on the financial mess at CSUF and pointed out the irresponsibility, waste, and hypocrisy within the university’s management. In her article, she quotes my blog post Cal State Fullerton President – Lifestyles of Our Rich Public Employees at the El Dorado Ranch.

CSUF Daily Titan scared by the truth

The CSU media specialist didn’t like the fact that Ms. Bordas used my post and even less that it was pulled from the 4F blog. Unfortunately, the story was pulled from the Daily Titan and Ms. Bordas has had to endure a lot of questions on her fact checking.

The fact remains that the words she quoted from me are based on the official legal agreement between the State of California and the Chapman family who donated the El Dorado Ranch. You can find the document at the Orange County Recorder’s Office by asking for Instrument No. 1989-334761 of Official Records. You can also email me at GregSebourn@yahoo.com and I will email the 28-page PDF to you.

Here are a few facts to consider about the El Dorado Ranch that the agreement spells out:

(more…)

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Posted onFullerton 2010

Cops Offer $10,000 Reward for Capture of Sign Thief

by 22 Comments on Cops Offer $10,000 Reward for Capture of Sign Thief

Well, not our cops. But up in San Jose they take political sign theft seriously. That’s why the police and fire unions have offered up ten grand for information leading to the capture and prosecution of some local sign stealers. You can read all about it on CNBC. Those guys up in San Jose sure do value free speech.

But back to Fullerton and the case(s) of the missing Bad Chi and No McKinley signs…

They have sentimental value.

Our friends at the Fullerton PD have been provided with plenty of clear photographic evidence of criminal activity, free of charge. We even did all of the legwork for them: following the getaway van back to headquarters, ID’ing one of the suspects, and making contact with all of the eye-witnesses. As far as I can tell, all that’s left is a little bit of paper work and a call to the District Attorney’s office to make sure that the perps aren’t already on parole.

So three weeks have gone by and the election is now behind us. And what do we have to show for our crime-fighting efforts?

An “out of office” email from the detective working on our case.

Ouch, that hurts! Oh well, take your time officer. Any job worth doing is worth doing right.

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