Posted onFullerton City Council Candidates

California Land Surveyors Association Endorses Sebourn

by 21 Comments on California Land Surveyors Association Endorses Sebourn

This just came over the transom:

Fullerton, CA – The Board of Directors of the California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA), a statewide organization with 2200 members, voted unanimously to endorse Greg Sebourn for Fullerton City Council.

CLSA was established in 1966 advances the interests of the profession of Land Surveying, to maintain the highest possible standards of professional ethics and practice, to encourage uniformity of practices and procedures, and foster public faith in and understanding of Land Surveyors and their work.

CLSA represents Land Surveyors, in public or private practice, whether they are employees or proprietors.

“I have observed Greg as an effective Board member and team player with sound judgment when working through difficult issues that involve our profession,” says Aaron Smith, CLSA President. “Greg has been an active member of the Orange County Chapter, CLSA and currently serves as co-chair of the State CLSA Trig Star Program, which is an annual high school mathematics competition that acquaints high school students, career guidance counselors and high school math teachers with the use and application of trigonometry in the real world.”

Mr. Smith stresses, “Greg’s involvement has demonstrated his dedication to carrying out duties assigned to him in a professional manner.”

“I am humbled by the endorsement from the CLSA,” says Fullerton Council Candidate Greg Sebourn, “The CLSA serves with distinction of dedicated professional land surveyors that shapes our local communities by making our neighborhoods a better place to live.”

Mr. Sebourn says, “I have been tested in my profession as a Land Surveyor, who is ready to serve the people as the next Councilmember for the City of Fullerton with dignity and dedication, because the voters demand nothing less.”

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Posted onBehind Closed Doors

Rackaukas Fires Spitzer

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Oscar Wilde once described an English fox hunt thus:  the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible.

While you ponder that pithiness, consider the firing the other day of junior grade deputy DA Todd Spitzer by his boss, District Attorney Tony Rackaukas. The Register reports, here.

Laugh now, cry later...

Supposedly Spitzer was trying to get some info out of the bad toupe wearing Public Admintrator/Guardian, John Williams. The latter thought it was improper, ratted out Spitzer to Rackuakas, who for the first time in his career actually punished a politician.

T-Rack & Williams. Is one of these men wearing a wig?

A politician? Yes. For Spitzer is a former County Supervisor, Assemblyman, and had put his DA-seeking career on hold, waiting for T-Rack to end his miserable legal misrule. And Spitzer has $1,000,000 in the bank.

Anyhoo, the plot thickens when we contemplate DA spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder, wife of OC political impresario Michael Schroeder, the guy who brought us Mike Carona. Ms. K-S has been rumored to be a challenger to Spitzer of the DA heir apparent title.

Just writing all this crap has made me exhausted and in need of a cleansing shower.

Ta ta, for now…

Say what?

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Posted onOC's Fourth District

Sheriff Hutchens and District Attorney Rackauckas Endorse Shawn Nelson

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This just came over the transom:

FULLERTON, CA – – Supervisor Shawn Nelson has garnered the support of Orange County’s top law enforcement leaders – Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.

“Supervisor Nelson understands the vital public safety issues facing Orange County,” said Sheriff Hutchens. “He is working diligently to make sure safe homes, schools and neighborhoods are a priority of Orange County government.”

Shawn Nelson was elected in June to finish the term of former Supervisor Chris Norby. He is on the November ballot for a four year term. His opponent is the second place finisher from the June ballot.

Nelson easily won in June in spite of a record-breaking $1.4 million campaign from public employee unions promoting his opponents. He is a former Fullerton City Councilman and a youth sports coach. Shawn and his family reside in Fullerton.

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Posted onFullerton School Board

Another Republican Cuddles Up to the Union Machine

by 38 Comments on Another Republican Cuddles Up to the Union Machine

The other day Fullerton school board candidate and self-described “fiscal conservative” Janny Meyer joyfully announced her acceptance of the Fullerton teachers’ union endorsement.

Well, it's kind of a gray area.

This registered Republican must not be interested in GOP support, since that party has forbidden candidates from taking any union money.

But more importantly, Janny’s campaign is now backed by the very same teachers’ union that has repeatedly sacrificed your child’s education at the alter of paycheck protection. The result? Furlough days and increased class sizes, not good education.

It’s also the same union leadership that fights to protect bad teachers at all costs while refusing to allow schools to reward good teachers. They will boycott anyone who attempts to help parents evaluate teacher performance. They’ve instituted a system which puts young, energetic teachers up on the chopping block while coddling tenured teachers without any regard for job performance.

It makes my head hurt.

Of course, the union would love to pass a new property tax in Fullerton next year so they can keep shoveling money into this flawed system. Any idea how that conflict would churn in the head of a self-styled conservative who is also beholden to the union?

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Posted onMSM Falls on Face

Little Hoover Sucks Up County Pension Reform BS

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Does it blow or suck?

California’s “Little Hoover Commission,” a sort of State-wide Grand Jury, showed up at the County HQ on Friday to learn all about the wonderful work the County has done creating its scintillating 1.62 @ 65 pension option. Naturally, all the OCEA spokeholes started to sing out hosannas to the hard work of the union in developing this alternative – an option that promises to reward aging executives, and that so far very few people have signed up for. Wonder why not.

Supervisors Bill Campbell and Janet Nguyen actually had someone write an editorial rebuttal for them that appeared in the Register on Sunday and that discounted the idea of a mandatory defined contribution plan that would include everybody – even Supervisors like themselves.

Just keep saying the same thing, over and over again. Maybe you'll get another $140,000 this year.

Here is our old friend Norberto Santana of the Voice of OC(EA) in a typical report. Notice the snotty observation that Supervisor Shawn Nelson wasn’t in attendance at the commission meeting. Following Santana’s predictable lead, Kimberly Edds, a new writer with the equally worthless “Total Buzz” perpetrated by the OC Register, also notes Nelson’s “conspicuous absence,” here.

Hey geniuses: the meeting was attended by Supervisors Bill Campbell and John Moorlach. Nelson’s attendance would have constituted a violation of the Brown Act. But of course what’s the point of attending a dog and pony show that touts an option that’s really hardly more than feel-good window dressing?

And speaking of brown acts, the jerkoffs at the Liberal OC naturally followed along in praise of supposed innovation, and even included this image of Janet Nguyen pulling the wings off insects.


Well, let’s hope that real pension reform is on the way before the State of California breaks off and falls into a sea of red ink.

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Posted onFullerton 2010

The $215,000 Man Blurts Out “Pension Reform”

by 24 Comments on The $215,000 Man Blurts Out “Pension Reform”

The other day we had a look at Pat McKinley’s ballot statement and something surprising popped up. Well, not really. Squeezed into the middle of his I-riddled statement was the curt phrase “I will work to reform public employee pensions.”

That's what they told me to say.

That’s a vague assertion, and frankly it’s hard to believe when it’s coming out of the mouth of one of the pension system’s most noted abusers – a double-dipping  bureaucrat who pulls down well over two hundred grand per year in retirement thanks to a ridiculous 3-at-50 pension system that’s now bringing the city to its’ knees.

So what does McKinley mean by “pension reform” anyway?

It’s hard to tell at this point. That’s good for Pat; bad for the rest of us. You see, as long as he can keep all this pension reform talk clouded in empty platitudes, he can pretend to be a reformer and maybe nobody will notice that he hasn’t promised to really change anything.

So Pat, here’s the gauntlet: You need to commit 100% to serious pension reform. That means two things:

  1. A mandatory 401(k)-style plan to replace the defined benefit for all new hires
  2. Current safety employees must pay the full 9% towards their own retirement, as required by state law.

Take a look at our city’s unfunded pension liability and do the math. Any lesser reform will amount to nothing more than a laughable gesture to taxpayers, ensuring that even more pain awaits us down the road.

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Posted onBehind Closed Doors

A Colorfully Gesticulating Norby Loses The Skirmish, But Wins The Battle

by 3 Comments on A Colorfully Gesticulating Norby Loses The Skirmish, But Wins The Battle

Who will win the war? Follow the money.

The GOP Initiatives Endorsement Committee met this past Saturday to debate whether it should recommend to the State GOP to endorse Proposition 22.

Watch and see what happened during the questions and answer period. The proponents for Yes on 22 focused their argument on misdirected “local control,” and the fear that if it doesn’t pass Arnold Schwarzenegger will raid the cities’ Redevelopment funds and give them away to the schools. Hooray! The only problem is that by the time this is voted on Arnold will about as lame a duck as Daffy, and probably already reading the script for Terminator 5.

Did the most vocal Yes on 22 proponent, Jon Fleischman (hot dog alert @ 3:18), really think the voting members  in the room would be dumb enough to buy that “Arnold will cook up a bad budget” line? Well, they did – the vote was 9 Ayes and 8 Noes.  However, good news came on Sunday when the recommendation of the Initiatives Committee was tossed out by the GOP party who gave a thumbs down to the Prop 22 proponents.

Check out Chuck Devore, one of the few non-repuglicans in office. He gets it.

And yes, I really do have to wonder if Fleischman was on the Yes on 22 payroll. The Howard Jarvis group was no doubt bought off by the purchase of a slate mailer.

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Posted onRedevelopment

California GOP Initiatives Endorsement Committee Hashes Out Prop 22

by 6 Comments on California GOP Initiatives Endorsement Committee Hashes Out Prop 22

Proposition 22 here, is an initiative supported by the California League of Cities and Redevelopment agencies and their lobbyists.

Voting yes on 22 would prohibit the State from restricting the use of tax revenues dedicated by law to fund local government services, community redevelopment projects, or transportation projects and services. It would prohibit the State from delaying the distribution of tax revenues for these purposes even when the Governor deems it necessary due to a severe state fiscal hardship.

The question boils down to whether the State should have the authority to redistribute redevelopment property tax increment funds and use it for schools, and fire departments.

The clip below was taken at the GOP  state convention held this past weekend in San Diego and features the Yes on 22 proponents debating State Assemblyman Chris Norby at the Endorsement Committee meeting. Each party was given 3 minutes to make their pitch, the Yes on 22 proponents spoke for 3-1/2 minutes, however when Assemblyman Norby was only 2-1/2 minutes into his speech (6:58) one of the 22 proponents rudely interrupted Norby and yelled “TIME” even though Norby still had 30 seconds left of his 3 minutes.

My next post will feature video footage of questions and answers by both Norby (No on 22) and the Yes on 22 proponents. There’s also a little treat at the very end of the clip, enjoy!

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