November 18, 2016A Step in the Right Direction

We Get Mail

FFFF has always been a drop box for mail from sources that prefer not to be identified. Some are obviously credible; others perhaps less so – sort of like like Sgt. Andrew Goodrich the FPD spokeshole who claimed that the cops who killed Kelly Thomas suffered broken bones, etc.

Yesterday, we received an e-mail from one of our readers identifying himself as “DTF” who passed along what was presented as information sent out by a disgusted cop who was hired, and departed the FPD for a different agency during former POChief Danny Hughes reign:

cop-letter

And there’s more, relating to the Joe Felz incident:

I have excellent sources at FPD who hate the Hughes clan because of the lies and double standards.

Get a hold of those videos before they are erased, hopefully that hasnt already happen. Admin is trying to make the officers sign a new policy to prevent them from talking about the incident.

When the first two officers arived on scene, Felz was still in his car trying to free it from the sidewalk and tree. The officers pull up behind Felz just as he dislodges his car and drives away. The officers purse him and actually perform a semi pit maneuver to stop his vehicle. (There is minor damage to one of the police cars if not both)

This next part is sketchy. One version he was pulled out of his car at gunpoint and Felz identifies his self and immediately says to call Hughes. The other version is he flees his car when it has been immobilized and there is a short foot pursuit.

But one thing I know is that the officers on scene said Felz was HAMMERED there was no doubt he was drunk.

There is definitely video of the whole incident from the point the officers arrive on scene.

FYI no breathalyzer is necessary on scene. You can’t make a person take one at the scene. But the accident it self, coupled with his obvious impairment is plenty to have arrested him.

Put pressure on the PD to release the video. This is another huge cover-up by Hughes and his boys.

DTF

Friends, feel free to lend credence to this information in any degree that makes you feel comfortable.

November 16, 2016Behind Closed Doors

The Culture of Cover Up?

by Joe Sipowicz37 Comments

You, know some people have the remarkable habit of speaking a whole bunch of words without saying anything. Fullerton City Attorney Richard Jones has been doing it for years and years as compliant councils sit there silently during his mind-numbing droning.

In the clip below, from last night’s Council meeting, he explains why the public need be told nothing about the City Manager, Joe Felz, driving home after a party, running off the road, trying to leave the scene of an accident, smelling of liquor, and most likely flashing his Get Out of Jail card.

jail-card

First listen:

There’s five minutes of stuff that could have been said in about 40 seconds but Jones needs to make sure he has touched all the bases of possible objection, added some mumble-words in the service of phony legal propriety, and his accomplice, Mayor Jennifer Fitzgerald is on hand to make sure some of the points are reiterated – twice.

Yes, the bases are touched.

The matter is subject to an “ongoing criminal investigation” by FPD, possibly to be turned over to the do-nothing DA, so mum’s the word! But what’s this? Who has committed a crime? No one was arrested no one was even cited. If not then, when, and how? Sure seems like a bogus smoke-screen.
The issue is a “personnel” matter. But wait. Felz was not acting as an employee at the time of the crash. He was undoubtedly a private citizen. So how on God’s green earth is this a personnel matter? Another dodge to avoid response to legitimate PRA requests?
The issue of the body cameras is noted as governed by some statute that is not elaborated, merely cited. The incurious Council let that one sail by. In the end, Jones informs us that Mr. Felz has privacy rights, too, which is awful sweet, but begs the question – if any of us were detained in similar circumstance can there be any doubt at all that the video would be turned over to the media by Andrew Goodrich before the first rays of morning sun had warmed the walls of the police station tower?

In the end some word nuggets tumble out that do lead into the direction of actual meaning, if only unintentionally freed from the bondage of this pettifogger’s mental jail.

One bit of this statement is very interesting. At 4:08 Jonsey mentions the investigation of the poli…the City Manager. Maybe I’m too cynical, but could this be the real source of investigation – how the cops deliberately violated their own policies and ignored violation of the Vehicle Code? That would sure make sense if a cover-up of the whole embarrassing mess was being orchestrated. After all, they could try “miscommunication in the chain of command” or some such nonsense, Gennaco-style, and if all else failed, toss the rat on conveniently departed Chief Dan Hughes who is now over the wall and making tracks southward.

November 11, 2016November 13, 2016Bruce Whitaker

Taco Tuesday. No, Wait, That’s Not Right…

by Mr. Peabody8 Comments

Here’s a tidbit from Tuesday’s upcoming Fullerton City Council Closed Session Agenda. The Closed Session is where the council secretes itself away from public scrutiny to discuss lawsuits and personnel and real estate deals.

felzonagenda

#2 deals with the replacement of of our recently departed PoChief, Danny Hughes, who was last seen applying his fingerprints all over a case involving helping out a pal in serious trouble.

#4 deals with the “performance evaluation” of the very person Hughes helped out – his boss, City Manager, Joe Felz, who was seen early Wednesday morning swerving down Glenwood Ave on his rims, after ploughing over a tree in the parkway, unable to negotiate the intersection at Highland Avenue in a, um, er, ahem, competent manner.

I’ve got it on pretty good authority that item 4 was agendized by the City Attorney; but at whose behest? Will the topic of Mr. Felz’s Wild Ride come up? How about the apparent cover up that is now being investigated not only by us, but by numerous mainstream media outlets?

Could there be action taken? If there were we would never know, because this is “personnel matter” not a criminal one – as the very same City Attorney has informed the media.

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.

November 10, 2016November 16, 2016Chronic Failure

“Personnel Matter” is Bureaucrat for “Misdemeanor”

by Joshua47 Comments

Both The OC Weekly and The OC Register have picked up the Uber-Failus story of Joe Felz.

According to The Register the City Attorney, Greg Palmer, said “the incident is a personnel matter but declined to elaborate”.

Let us look at that “Personnel Matter” shall we? First we’ll reference our fallen Sappy McTree.

According to Chief Hughes’ memo to City Council “the city manager was involved in a minor single vehicle collision”. Okay. That explains the tree but not what happened.

For context Sappy McTree is knocked down facing West which means that he left this mortal coil after being struck from an Easterly direction. The following is a photo of a skid mark which starts near Sappy’s remains and continues west.

It continues for 176ft. How do we know? Because we measured it.

“So what?” some of you will comment. The “So What” is California Vehicle Code 20002 (emphasis mine):

(more…)

February 17, 2013February 17, 2013Boohooism

Prepare to be “Educated”

by Disillusioned Ex-Hippy106 Comments

shawn-nelson

The other day a sharp-eyed commenter noticed that OC Supervisor Shawn Nelson is rolling into town on Tuesday to make a “presentation” about his homeless shelter proposal over on State College to the City Council. The County wants to buy a run-down commercial building and put north OC’s homeless in it. They are already in escrow.

As a former liberal myself I am very well-aware of the idea among my former soul-mates that everything is about education, as in: if only these dummies in Fullerton knew the real story there is no way they could possibly oppose our grandiose plan.

All I can say is beware of politicians with big ideas and lots of our money.

February 3, 2013February 3, 2013Chronic Failure

Fullerton Liability Insurance Cash Drawer Empty

by Joe Sipowicz170 Comments

Hughes2 — The Culture of Complaisance is about to get a lot more expensive.

If you notice item 12 on the Fullerton City Council agenda for Tuesday, good for you. It means you have pondered other idiocies – from the moronic CSUF “College Town” boondoggle through the closed session legal embarrassments involving Chief Danny Hughes and his goons in blue.

Which is a nice segue back to item 12. According to staff the City’s insurance well is dry due to a couple of big payouts in 2012. That’s bad news because now the City will have to issue a big chunk of debt so that the FPD payouts can proceed apace and Garo Mardirossian can get that 2014 Ferrari.

Of course the cash, raised by the sale of bonds will cost the General Fund a nifty $500,000 a year for the next couple of decades. City Manager Joe Felz will be enjoying his massive pension by then, so who the Hell cares, right?

Ironically, the cases of Veth Mam, Trevor Clarke, Edward Quinonez and Ron Thomas will drain the coffers yet again, requiring even more debt for fiscal year 14-15. The staff report says we need to protect Fullerton’s credit rating by issuing new debt. That’s a creative argument. I think we could protect Fullerton’s credit rating by eliminating the Culture of Corruption.

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 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 13, 2013Downtown Fullerton

We Get Mail: Not In Their Backyard

by Disillusioned Ex-Hippy172 Comments

Dear Friends, we received the following e-mail from an unhappy resident of the neighborhood around Chapman Park, across the street from the location the County is proposing to buy for $3.15 million to transform into a permanent homeless shelter.

It always interests me to see that those politicians and bureaucrats who support obnoxious land uses of one kind or another always seem suitably removed, geographically, from any undesirable effects of their decisions.

Take the case of the permanent homeless shelter proposed by the County (and possibly our own City Council – nobody really knows what has been agreed to behind closed doors – with zero input from us) on State College. It would be located across the street from the Chapman Park neighborhood where we live. To the north are two story apartments and an elementary school; right next door and to the rear are other commercial properties. But it is a long, long way from any residence of the decision makers. Surprised? Not me.

We will be told that such facilities need to be built where public transportation exists. Okay. But in the next breath we learn that getting the homeless out of downtown Fullerton is required. How come? That is the very heart of the transportation network in north Orange County. La Palma Park in Anaheim is ground zero for the homeless population of north orange County and is located astride not one but THREE bus lines.

Since the County’s only requirements are that their shelter be on a bus route and away from downtown Fullerton, here’s a thought. Let’s build the shelter next to Hillcrest Park, or near the Brea Dam – near two bus lines – on City owned property that won’t cost anybody a dime. Of course it would be pretty near where Jan Flory and Doug Chaffee live. Or maybe it could be built on some open space in Coyote Hills – near the Euclid bus line and not far from Jennifer Fitzgerald and Shawn Nelson’s homes.