Have you noticed the ever present searchlight in the sky above downtown each night? Could you possibly miss it? Anyone curious enough to follow this beacon to its source will find it right outside of Joe’s restaurant in Soco:
Say, do you think Joe’s has some kind of permit for that thing? If they do, I’ll bet they didn’t tell anyone they were going to park it in the middle of a sidewalk, blocking access for everyone, including people in wheelchairs. I’m guessing they probably aren’t supposed to have it set up in front of a handicapped parking space either. And I’m pretty sure they aren’t supposed to cable it to a natural gas meter pipe!
And while you’re there be sure to turn around and wish Rosco’s a Happy New Year!
This corner is where it all got started in Fullerton almost 125 years ago.
Now that Tiger Yang’s safely down the road, the building at the northwest corner of Harbor and Commonwealth is being remodeled, or as is more likely, given Fullerton’s history of downtown Redevelopment and design foilbles, remuddled.
Still, it’s hard to imagine anything worse than the aesthetic horror that’s there now – pure 1970s schlock.
Worst Vote 2010. For sheer, wasteful incompetence you’ve really got to hand it to Chris Norby. The judges were horrified by the deed. Politicians get so few chances to do the right thing without fear of reprisal of some sort. And when confronted with the opportunity to tell Janet Nguyen to take her stupid memorial and shove it up her Midway City, Norby gave her a big, wet $350,000 kiss. Ugh.
You want a monument?
Best Image of 2010. Was there ever any doubt? The selection committee didn’t even pause for another bong rip. You knew, too, didn’t you. Here it is:
The assclownery was complete. The deal was done. The ink was dry.
Engaging Political Mailers. This one was tough and the committee labored long and hard. And by long and hard I mean, hello bankrupt Aaron Gregg; and good-bye to any chance of winning anything:
Well, there goes the campaign. Too many consonants in all the wrong places!
Best Campaign Sign. Another no-brainer for the selection committee who by now was totally fried. In a year of outstanding campaign sign outstandatude, one entry blew the others away. And you you knew it was coming, dintcha? Bad Chi. Bad, bad Chi!
Roland's cookie toss.
Wackiest Political Stooge of the Year. Yep, the dark horse took the bait and takes the brass ring. And by brass ring I mean a coveted Fringie. And by dark horse I mean the nominee originally set up just to round out the field. The humorless, brain-washed oddball 4sd Observer, re-emerged to remind us all of the hollow Sham that was Pam and the various cretins who actually bought into her scam and continue to defend it.
Is your weiner a Collabricorn?
Most Embarrassing Political Endorsement. Hopefully you caught on by the time you reached the end of the squalid list. And if u dint u r not 2 brite. All these miscreants, dingbats, and airheads endorsed the same bozo – Hairball Sidhu. And he in turn was only too eager to publicize their support. And that means they all deserved each other – a way down there at the bottom of the slimy well.
Well, there goes the wet dream!
Worst Political Candidate. Yes, Hairbag Sidhu is an inveterate office-seeking, perjuring assclown. Lorraine Galloway is a blithering idiot. But neither of them actually poisoned anybody. Neither had to give their DNA to the DA to dodge a stay at Theo Lacy; neither’s old man was busted, in flagrante delicto, stealing campaign signs. And so the winner must be obvious. It was to the committee. Cue Roland Chi theme song.
Spit and acquit. I did!
The Committee believed it would be remiss without recognizing special contributors to the North OC Scene, and so it deemed Special Fringies to be in order. here they are:
The 2010 Don’t Know Whether to Laugh or to Cry Special Fringie goes to this collection of crooks and scammers who seem to understand the bathos of the June 2010 election night situation. All except the buffoon in the middle, of course, who seems to find the whole thing humorous:
What went wrong?
The 2010 Do As I Say Not As I Do Special Fringie Hypocrisy Award goes to none other than Matthew J. Cunningham, who rails about big government and nanny states, as well as all the other repuglican moralistic bugaboos, but who actually makes his living, such as it is, on the government crumbs his ‘pug bosses brush off their table. In 2010 we busted this fine, upstanding “conservative” gentleman for being the publicist of the Rob Reiner tax-and-redistribute OC Children and Families Commission where he was making $200 an hour handing out toothbrushes, listening to the radio, having lunch with Steve Greenhut, writing op-ed pieces for Democrats, and even filing his obscene invoices in his garage (Suite C) file cabinet.
Suddenly all of his previous behavior made a lot more sense.
It really paid off. For a while.
Best New Phrase of Invective 2010. The judges weren’t even going to award this Special Fringie in 2010. And then just last week one of the Friends coined this sparkling gem: Fullertonions. Was it intentional? Was it just a typo? The judges didn’t give a damn. The term just seems so right to describe the dismal, vegetative state of an electorate that would elevate fellow vegetables Pat McPension and Don Blankhead. And onions make you cry.
Best Hope for Fullerton’s Future. This Special Fringie goes to Bruce Whitaker and Chris Thompson, two dudes who seem to get it. In two years you will have a chance to build on these 2010 success stories. Will you? Or will you let the onions have a free ride?
Well, Friends, them there’s your 2010 Fringies. It’s been one helluva a year for you Fullertonions down there, and all I can say is you got what you deserved. But what do I know? I’m just a deceased canine and just damn glad to be up here in Dog Heaven.
Inflamed, chartreuse mind-bubbling Jebus! The worst vote. Think of the horrible depths one has to plumb with one’s thumb to pull out this choice plum.
Here are your 2010 nominees:
A bad one for the road.
1. The Monument. On his way out the door, departing 4th District Supervisor Chris Norby paused long enough to cast a vote of approval for Janet Nguyen’s idiotic bequest of County slush funds to build some sort of Vietnam commemorative something in a Midway City pocket park. The price tag was $350,000, to be doled out to some sort of performing arts troupe. So when Norby finally got the chance to cast a freebie vote not to waste money, what does he do? He votes to waste it, big time.
It was big enough, but would it get off the ground?
2. The Megalopolis. The latest Downtown master plan (there’s a new one every five years just to keep the Redevelopment clowns busy) is a monstrously overbuilt plan that would essentially wipe out any lingering essence of authenticity in the place. Who voted to move this forward? The usual cast of zombies: Pam Keller, Don Bankhead and Heehaw Jones.
Man's gotta know his limitations...
3. The Coward. Newly sworn in ex-tough guy cop Pat McPension gets a nod here for what was only his second vote in office: to stick it to Sharon Quirk-Silva and vote for the geriatric pudding aficionado Don Blankhead as Mayor Pro Tem. Not only did he hand a giant F-U to a person whose endorsement helped get him elected, he showed his true mettle vis-a-vis the repuglican old guard, and stern stuff it was not. Poor McPension. He knows he can’t serve two masters, and he has made his choice. Too bad for the public.
4. Special Friend’s Choice. Feel free to nominate your favorite bad vote 2010, either in Fullerton or at the County. All offerings will be duly noted for Fringie consideration by the nominating committee!
Update 2: Colony Drivell is right. And so another Top Secret session of the nominating committee has been convened to authorize a post-post entry. See last, last image.
– JFD
Update: Savage is right. And so a Top Secret session of the Nomination Committee has been convened to authorize a post-post entry. See last image.
– JFD
Scanning backwards over the year the nominating judges have considered these pictures Fringie-worthy. I hope you agree.
When the money ran out, the laughing stopped.
1. The Assclown. What could possibly be better than this image of an ass and a clown co-joined for eternity. This picture of Hairball Sidhu shows the transmogrification of an ass into a clown. And now it belongs to the ages.
Don't you just hate it when a nail breaks while boxing canned goods for the po'?
2. The Limousine Liberals. This was a perfect of top-down do-gooderism photo op: Loretta Sanchez and Lorraine Galloway slummin’ it up in what appears to be some sort of food drive. Enjoy the couture, the pearls and the expensive manicures. Who knew operating a charity paid so well?
Take two aspirin and call the brain surgeon in the morning.
3. The Head Injury. Proprietor of the Liberal OC blog (channeling the right-wing noise machine” as one wag puts it) Chris Prevatt excelled himself this past year for doing what he does best – lookin’ creepy. And we had a little fun with that.
This was no time for play, there was work to be done!
4. Keller in the Hat. Poor Pam. Gone but not quite forgotten. This woman really likes to put on stupid hats and mug for the camera. And why not? Looking stupid is a perfect accompaniment to acting and talking stupid.
Rack 'em up, Hairball!
5. The Fake Abode #1. The beautiful Calabria Apartments beckoned to Hairbag Sidhu. A refrigerator was moved in, but not Sidhu. He registered to vote there, but never actually lived there. The pink stucco box behind the billiards sign was a perfect reflection of the greasy Sidhu hustle – cheap, fake, and ultimately comical.
Somebody call the Humane Society!
6. Poor Bella. Somebody should have called the SPCA. Any creature, human or otherwise that is subjected to the vapid stupidity of Lorraine Galloway, the 58 year old teenybopper, has been abused. Arf!
Small furry creatures were stirring underfoot. And it was getting cold.
7. Jurassic Park. This image of Fullerton’s ossified Mayor Pro Tem surfaced this year. No, Bankhead is the one wearing the necktie. The delicious irony of this picture is undeniable. And the site? Why, it’s at Hairbag Sidhu’s Elegant Yorba Estate, of course, far from the lowly 4th District he wanted to represent so badly.
Hold on tight...
8. The Cheap Cologne. Hide and Seek Sidhu met Pam Keller at the big Democrat Labor Day fest at the Santa Ana Zoo. It was love at first sight, a real meeting of the shallow and superficial. And proof that the best exhibits weren’t behind the bars.
In a year full of idiotic boondoggles, the nominating committee had a real challenge coming up with the best, or worst, depending on your point of view. The committee considered size, because it matters, but also pure, unfiltered nonsense, too.
I do not have a shoe fetish!
1. The Hall of Shame. County Clerk-Recorder paid a campaign supporter named Brett Barbre $48,000 to “study” an OC Sports Hall of Fame. Forget the fact that this has nothing to do with Daly’s job, or that Barbre was nothing other than a cash conduit. Just remember that the guy didn’t do anything. As Daly succinctly put it: Barbre was paid for ideas not long reports, and of course Daly got neither. Too bad it was our money. Oh, yeah -the media snoozed.
Maybe that copper is worth something...
2. The Money Pit. Chalk up another one for Tom Daly. He talked the County Supervisors into sinking $2.1 million into a tear-down derelict building in Santa Ana to house his archives and his defunct Sports Hall of Fame (see above). The Board was lied to and crucial information about the true cost of making the building habitable was withheld. To this day collective amnesia reigns, especially with John Moorlach who ordered an investigation and later went along with the cover-up. Yep, the media snoozed.
We had to destroy the village in order to save it...
3. The Megalopolis. Yet another plan for downtown Fullerton, Der Transporation Center Meisterplan anticipates the final destruction of any remaining authenticity in Fullerton and its replacement with every master planner’s wet-dream. Albert Speer would be proud. Fortunately it will never come to fruition. But millions will be wasted and lots of damage done trying. Be sure to thank Bankhead, Jones and Keller next time you see them.
Mistakes were made...
4. Pringle’s Folly. High Speed Rail – LA to Anaheim. Not needed and not wanted except by Anaheim’s ex-Mayor-for-Hire and recent tongue bath recipient Kurt Pringle; Pringle was recently busted by the Attorney General for holding incompatible offices, and Jerry B. now knows what Orange County has known all along: Pringle is in it for Pringle. Big Time. FFFF has shared the record of foreign junkets, cover-ups, faked ridership numbers, etc., etc. I don’t even have the energy to do the links. I get tired just thinking about it.
The damage done by this monster to the fabric of the cities it would pass through and to the public purse is incalculable. But hey, Kurt’s gotta pay his bills, too, right?
Well there you have it, Friends. Four embarrassing boondoggles of varying shapes and sizes. Who will the selection committee go with? Stay tuned…
According to an La Times story, here, by ace reporter Sam Quinones, a spate of smash and grab robberies has plagued the Southland recently, including the jewely mart richere in Fullerton’s Metrocenter. Lots of untraceable gold and freeway access are the likely causes. Some of the culprits have been identified as members of various LA County Crips affiliations branching out into the depths of suburbia.
Apparently the resourceful young men’s MO is to attack in numbers, smash cases with hammers, cause confusion, and make off in multiple getaway vehicles.
I certainly hope Fullerton PD is more successful solving this theft than they have been getting to the bottom of the Roland Chi sign theft ring.
And in passing, I note Fullerton’s own Sgt. Mike Chlebowski is quoted at the end of the article. Just knowing we have somebody named Mike Chlebowski on the force makes me feel a whole lot better about today.
We knew it was coming, of course. The last obsequious tribute of the ultimate repuglican lackey to the ultimate repuglican puppeteer. Still, it’s pretty gross even when you knew it was coming.
No mention of incompatible offices, or of directing hundreds of millions to pet projects, or of do-nothing contracts with opaque organizations like the Children and Families Commission and the Cemetery District; no mention of a financial interest Form 700 that’s over 60 pages long; and no mention of “freedom-friendly” up-zoning that cleared out huge swaths of light industrial employers and employees to make way for high-density condos built by buddies.
Back in September, the OC Board of Supervisors approved yet another feel-good layer of government – something called the End Homelessness by 2020 Commission. They even allocated $75,000 towards one (1) executive director; another $75,000 was supposed to come from the “private sector.” The thing was trumpeted as a “public/private partnership” and all the do-gooders were feeling pretty good. Lucy Dunn, head of something called the OC Business Council was there to make sure everybody knew that the business community was on board and meant business.
We were this close to raising a nickle!
Flash forward to December14. On their agenda, the BOS had a agreement with the Children and Families Commission to front the other $75,000, and not only that, but to “recruit, hire and house” the executive director.What was sold a s a public/private deal was now wholly public; and the supes were asked to let another agency recruit and hire a contractor who is supposed to report to them!
Of course Ms. Dunn was there again to shamelessly blather on about her “time and treasure” even though there was none of her treasure, or that of her members, in evidence.
Supervisor Shawn Nelson would have none of it. He had the strange idea that words in a staff report should actually mean something; “show me the money” was what he had to say, indicating his acknowledgment that in almost a year the private sector hadn’t coughed up so much as a nickle and everybody on the inside knew it.
Led by John Moorlach, the crew approved this arrangement 4-1, and provided yet another example of how supposed conservatives in OC can’t throw away your money fast enough. And the Children and Families Commission has new roles – employment agency and homelessness advocates.Wanna bet to whom the executive director will answer? That’s right, Mr. $327K a year Mike Ruane, who runs the OCC&FC “do tank” and who will probably ask for a raise.
And what will happen in 1n 2020 when homelessness is not ended and the Commission has a staff of 23? Well, Hell, that’s easy! Just rename the commission. 2030 will be right around the corner!
