Suspicious wires run into a window at OCFA station 6, Irvine, CA.
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.
Well, what did you expect?
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.
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!
It’s that time of year again. The Fullerton police officers are having their annual get together tonight at the Summit House restaurant. You may remember the controversy surrounding last year’s Christmas party, here. I wonder if anybody ever got to the bottom of that.
The OC Register’s Tony Saavedra penned a nice little piece today exposing the Orange County Children and Families Commission Executive Director’s fabulous salary. Mike Ruane, the guy in question, pulls down a nifty $327K by the time everything is said and done. He has a grand total of 23 employees.
In the past we have explored the huge sums of money this tax-and-redistribute operation has paid out to political PR operations like Kurt Pringle; and we have detailed the idiotic $200 an hour payments to one Matthew J. Cunningham for doing thngs like listen to the radio and publicize toothbrush handouts.
It turns out that Ruane and his well-connected repuglican pals are not the only folks doing well by doing good. According to Saavedra over half of Ruane’s small posse pulls in over a hundred Gs per annum!
So who’s in charge? Well, nobody, of course. This is the worst kind of unaccountable government. The Board members are all appointed, but don’t answer to anybody. They can basically do any damn thing they want so long as the word “child” is mentioned somewhere. Atop the pyramid of power sits Supervisor Bill Campbell. You remember him. The one who actually wept here on the dais contemplating the good works of the Human Relations Commission. The Kids Commission is his pet project and damned if he isn’t going to do his God-ordained good works with your tax dollars.
Campbell’s respone to Saavedra is just comical and suggests that this idiot is probably just as profligate with County resources as he is handing out tobacco tax dough to kiducrats.
Another Big Fringie Award. Most Engaging Political Flier. It’s a sad fact that most positive, puff political pieces are mind numbingly boring and or stupid. They are almost uniformly awful. Maybe it’s just human nature (I don’t know I’m just a dead dog), but the hit pieces are always a lot more fun. And the more your attention gets grabbed, the better they are.
So here’s your nominees:
1. The Food Poisoner. ‘Tamnation, this ones right in yer face. Banner header, gross pictures of code violations, international barfer, nice, clean Helvetica text for the “informed voter,” concluding banner footer. Message loud and clear: this pustule is a scum suck!
2. The Mug Shot. Nothing says municipal rip-off artist like a side-by-side with City of Bell crook Robert Rizzo. What makes this more fun is that the hard-stool-passing tough guy look by Fullerton’s Pat McPension was actually harvested from one of his own puff pieces!
3. The Hot Air Balloon. from last spring comes this gem, an image of a giant Sidhu head floating over a nearly dwarfed map of OC, brilliantly symbolizing a massive ego and the throw-weight of a lighter than air balloon. Well done!
3. The Bankrupt. More brilliant graphic design. There’s lotsa information here but it draws you in and tells you all you need to know about a first class sumbitch. A wonderful quote from a victim seals the deal. And the images are classic.
4. The Evil Hippy Elder Abuser. This one is actually pretty lame. The title alone hints that something stupid is on the way. But the nominating committee was captivated by the image of a dude who seems to be wearing beads!
The La Habra teachers’ union ended its strike early on Wednesday morning, just a few hours before some Fullerton Friends were set to launch an all out counter-attack on behalf of all La Habran children who have been victimized by union members for nearly a week.
Yes, it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to strut our stuff for the crowd. But we did end up with a great Christmas card for our loyal FFFF readers! Enjoy:
And Friends, hang on to those signs. They may come in handy sooner than you think.
Word from the OC ROV is that recent council election show horse Doug Chaffee has given up the ghost in his recount against place horse Pat McPension.
It was a forlorn hope to begin with but Chaffee wanted to give it that one last shot. He’ll be trying out for the Dodgers in the spring.
Of course OCs RINO elite is pleased as punch and God bless ’em. It’s been a tough 14 months.
Holy Unadulterated Avatar of Octogenarian Jebus! Just check out these wonderful political signs! 2010 was a fun year for creative signage and if you don’t believe that, here are our nominees:
1. Bad Chi. Was there a better way to convey the sheer barfiness of food-poisoner Roland Chi? Nuh, uh. This sign symbolized the very essence de Chi. And in the international symbol that not even a non-English speaker could mistake.
2. Huh? This baby homemade sign with stick-on letters might have been engaging if anybody could read it and if they could figure out what in the hell it meant!
3. The Classic. Nothing succeeds like success, and the classic “NO “fill in the blank” Carpetbagger has become a standard – just like a Sinatra ballad. Doo-be-doo-be-doo.
4. The Riff. Union puppet. Effective but ultimately not even necessary.
5. Murder She Wrote! It might have been effective if not for the fact that the creator of these was the biggest job killer in Orange County!
6. The She Bear. Just play dead and maybe it will go away. The sign that launched a thousand thefts.
Well there you have it.