Hide and Seek Sidhu Gone; Not Forgotten

The beautiful Calabria beckons. Over there. Behind the pool hall.

Although we now know that Harry Sidhu never lived at the Calabria Apartments on Lincoln Avenue, that hasn’t altered the fact that some of his would-be neighbors still want a piece of him – on the pool table, that is.

Will arm wrestle you for soggy nachos...

Here is a re-issued billiard challenge to Sidhu on the donpalabraz website. Well, good luck trying to pin down the elusive Sidhu!

Pathetic Red County Attack on Capo Kid

I play dodgeball with big words...

You’d think an individual like Matthew J. Cunningham, who makes his hypocritical livelihood leeching off of big government programs for kids, would show some  decency toward one.

But no. Here is the irrepressible Jerbal denigrating eighteen year old Saam Alikhani, who has the effrontery to run for the Capistrano Unified School District school board against some typically useless repuglicans.

Here’s the money quote from our rodentine friend:

Generally speaking, the thing about 18 year olds – especially those who are abnormally politically aware – is they believing they have all the answers while possessing limited awareness of how little they know. That’s an asset in the context of putting troops into the political trenches – but a liability in an elected official.

Of course The Jerb is describing himself as a Young Republican at 18; and, come to think of it, as a middle-age repuglican at 40-something  – sucking off the ample teat of the welfare state Children and Families Commission.

And then there’s this unintentionally hilarious observation:

Yes, one can point to Placentia Councilman Jeremy Yamaguchi, who was just 19 year old when elected in 2008. I have talked to Jeremy, and he is an impressive young man who, by all accounts, has been a fine councilman. But I’d maintain Yamaguchi is the exception to the rule.

Newsflash, readers: the Jerb’s  pal Jeremy Yamaguchi endorsed both hollow carpetbaggers Linda Ackerwoman and Hairball Sidhu; but of course to Cunningham that constitutes a paragon of virtue.

The Arab-phobic neocons at Red County may actually be more alarmed that this guy is an Arab-American than for any other reason. Why else attack an eighteen year-old young man? So get ready for the typical Arab bashing that has become the hallmark of the repugs.

And of course William Pitt was Prime Minister of Britain at 24.

An All-consuming Thirst For Education

The meeting had a hefty agenda...

Apparently at the July 27, 2010 meeting of the NOCCCD Board of Trustees there were some pretty serious issues being discussed. Not only did the taxpayers dodge a costly administrative bullet when it was announced that the district wouldn’t be filling the position for Vice Chancellor of Education (see the article in the O.C. Register by Teri Sforza for the details on that boondoggle; be sure to check out the job description in the fourth paragraph), but trustee Molly McClanahan informed the Board that the Fullerton Museum’s new exhibit, “10,000 Years of Beer Making,” will soon be on display. That’s quite a chaser!

Unser Gott! Haben Sie das job description fur die Chancellor gesehen?!

The Dingos Took My Baby!

And now, because you deserve it, we present another slow, mental unwinding by everybody’s Southern fried favorite, F. Richard Jones. Here he holds forth on the subject of coyote miscegenation, apparently an area of special expertise. Of course I couldn’t imagine mating with a wolf, at least not without a step ladder.

Remember Friends: when the coyotes attack your home, be sure to obey their commands and avoid eye contact!

On The Agenda – August 3rd, 2010

Get this!  The Fullerton City Council’s ONLY Regular Business for Tuesday’s meeting is…drum role please…to designate a voting representative and alternates for the League of Cities annual conference!! View the agenda.

That’s it, right?  No.  That is the only “Regular Business” item but I didn’t mention the Consent Calendar.

Item 4 of the Consent Calendar is a $2,705,000 bond for irrigation at the Fullerton Municipal Golf Course. You read that correctly; $2.7 million for golf course sprinklers! Apparently “staff” has identified this as the most “shovel-ready” infrastructure project.

The background on this item is interesting for those following President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).  The Act includes provisions for bonds issued by agencies in designated “Recovery Zones” and Fullerton has been designated as one of those Recovery Zones or RZ.

The eligible uses for RZ Economic Development Bond proceeds according to the staff report include: 1) capital expenditures for the acquisition or development of property within a Recovery Zone by a public entity; 2) expenditures for public infrastructure and construction of public facilities; and 3) expenditures for job training and education programs.

This is when the veins on my neck begin to pulse and I run the risk of bursting a blood vessel!  Our Congress has given local agencies certain bonding authority to raise money to fix their infrastructure and our beloved City Hall staff decides to use this authority to grow our indebtedness and fix golf course sprinklers!

I may not be much of a golfer but I do know they charge as much as $35 per person to play.  If that isn’t enough to cover the cost, I suggest they charge more or get out of the golfing business altogether.

I hope our council has the wherewithal to vote NO on this but I doubt it.  It is spending like this that makes me want to run for city council.  But the race is already full of rich would-be spenders chomping at taxpayers’ checkbook with pen in hand.  How will Bankhead vote?  How would McKinley or Burbank vote?  Tomorrow we will get to see how Bankhead, with 22 years of experience on the council, will vote.  I am quite certain he will vote YES and waist $2.7 million watering the grass while ignoring our roads, sewers, water system, and sidewalks.

Oh but the grass will be green and a council member will get to go to the League of Cities Conference in September all on our dime.  Not a bad gig if you can get it.

C-Span Features Fullerton’s Friend & Fighter Jack Dean in Washington

Click on Jack and watch him go!

Dear Friends: The issue of Pension Abuse continues to dominate the National, State and local scene. If you haven’t already heard Jack Dean with Pension Tsunami speak on this important topic, hopefully today is a great relaxing day to do just that.  Happy August 1st, 2010!

Fullerton Observer Takes Dump On Self. Again.

On a clear day you can see forever...

In its page one retelling of events at the last Fullerton School Board meeting, Yellowing Observer Jan Youngman spun out this yarn about the District’s unconscionable arrangement with The Fullerton Collaborative for the services of FSD employee and soon to be ex Fullerton Councilwoman Pam Keller:

Five spoke in opposition to
continuing the relationship,
including the president of FACT
(Fullerton Association of
Concerned Taxpayers), a group
responsible for vicious hit mailers
in past school board and council
campaigns. (The group’s major
funding comes from Bushala
Brothers Inc. Tony Bushala heads
the group FFFF (Friends for
Fullerton’s Future) which has
made both Pam Keller and the
Fullerton Collaborative frequent
targets. FFFF is currently suing
the City of Fullerton.).

Hoo boy! Now there’s a mouthful of tripe, even for one of the Observer crew who can’t discern the difference between editorial and news reporting. We haven’t made Keller or her illicit arrangement with the Collaborative a “target.” Oh, no. That was all her doing – by a multiplicity of conflicts of interest as a councilmember, by skipping out without having to account to anybody for her time, and by remaining an FSD employee with the attendant benefits without having to set foot in a classroom. We only shed some light on the whole rancid deal.

Bad girl. Bad, bad girl.

But back to the egregious Youngman. Important fact, hon. FFFF  sued the Redevelopment Agency, not the City. I know it’s next to impossible for you people, but next time do please try to get your facts right. By the way, why is that even relevant to your story?

“Public Art” on the Lemon Street Overpass; Are The Inmates Running The Asylum?

No, that’s not just crazy talk.

I was just sent the next Public Art Commission’s agenda in which City Staff is proposing that over $100,000 be spent “restoring” those dubious murals that adorn the Lemon Street pedestrian overpass. Here’s the text of the staff report:

ATTACHMENT A
Staff Recommendation for Public Art

After reviewing reports and treatment proposals from contracted professional art historians and conservators, staff has a recommendation for how to proceed with the Lemon Park Murals.  The goal of this recommendation is to make progress on the restoration of these important historical pieces of public art in a way that is fiscally responsible and takes into account the directive of the Public Art Committee to continually produce new works while maintaining the City’s rich existing collection.  We therefore propose that restoration take place over 5 years.  The proposed preliminary plan is as follows:

Year One:

Fall, 2010

Work with the Public Art Committee to revise the list of potential locations for new/restored work to be produced over the next 5 years.

Spring, 2011

Restore “Zoot Suit Riots.” using the services of a professional mural restoration team.  The cleaning, consolidation of paint and coating layers, graffiti removal, reintegration (touch-ups) and protection is estimated to total $18,000.  “Zoot Suit Riots” is an ideal starting place for mural restoration because the historical significance of the subject matter and its strong aesthetic appeal, and key location.

NOTE: Lemon Park and Maple Community Center renovation project will be under construction in the period beginning between summer – fall 2011.  The construction period is estimated at 9 months.  The start date for construction will be pending Lemon Park Committee review/recommendation, although it is likely to start in the fall of 2011, to avoid disrupting summer youth programs at the park.

Spring – Summer (production), 2011

Neighborhood youth will be recruited (coordinated with City summer youth programs at Maple Center) to design and execute a new mural that expresses the themes of cultural pride and community solidarity originally intended by the mural entitled “Fullerton.”  The existing mural, which is much degraded and heavily vandalized, will be thoroughly documented and covered with a protective varnish, then painted over.  The new mural will be processed through the standard application and review procedure by the Public Art Committee. It will be produced by neighborhood teens under the supervision of a professional artist and with input from the Lemon Park Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, and will take its place thematically and visually in the suite of paintings that makes up the entire park.

Fall, 2011
The Public Art Committee will oversee the production of a new, permanent public art piece at the main stage in the downtown plaza.

Year Two:

2012

Restoration of “The Virgin of Guadalupe” and “Girl with Car. Estimated cost (combined) of $32,000.

Based on progress on the Transportation Center Master Plan, we will install a new piece of public art in the pedestrian corridor between Spadra restaurant and the bus depot.  Suggestions for this area include three-dimensional awning type installations that invite access to the transportation center and visually expand the downtown and event area south of Commonwealth.

Year Three:

2013

Restore “Calle Elm” and “Come Back Again” by a professional mural restoration team. Combined cost of $24,640

Produce a new piece based on Public Art Committee recommendations

Year  Four:

2014
Restore “La Adelita” and “Cross with Crown of Thorns.” Estimate (combined) cost of $26,000

Produce a new piece based on Public Art Committee recommendations.

Year Five:

2015

After four years of restoration we will have some idea how the Lemon/Maple murals are faring and how the new mural produced in year one has been received by the community.  With this experience the Committee can develop recommendations for “Brown Car.”  This mural has been vandalized numerous times and sustained considerable additional damage since the November, 2008 preliminary report.  Based on the current rate of destructive activity, staff does not believe that the estimated $21,000 required for a thorough restoration would be fiscally responsible.  Two possibilities present themselves:  we could invest in moderate restoration and additional anti graffiti coating to keep the mural intact for as long as possible despite what seems to be relentless vandalism.  Or we could document the piece, cover it, and create a new mural under the direction of a professional artist and with the input of community groups such as the Lemon Park Ad Hoc Advisory Committee.  Both options present obstacles and opportunities and it is hoped that our experience restoring the other pieces of the original suite over the preceding 4 years will equip us to make a wise choice in 2015.

Note:  The murals “The Town I Live In”  “Niños del Mundo” and “La Mujer Latina” are in relatively good condition at this time and are not included in this 5-year restoration plan.  They will be maintained as needed (graffiti removed, coatings restored, etc.)

Public Art Committee Agenda
July 26, 2010

These paintings have been the source of some controversy for quite some time. Critics question the gang references as well as the deterioration and gang graffiti they seem to invite. Others doubt the artistic value.

Although some folks in the community have suddenly taken a proprietary interest in the murals, this interest doesn’t seem to extend to actually paying to clean them up.

In 1995 the restoration of the Kassler Mural on the side of the Plummer Auditorium only cost about $25,000 – of which half was made up of a matching Redevelopment grant. Hundreds upon hundreds of volunteer hours were spent stripping and cleaning that work of art. That participation proved the value to the community.

So the question is: who really wants to “restore” the Lemon Bridge murals, and what are they willing to pay for it?

Hairball Sidhu Says “Money is No Object.”

I am rich.

POST UPDATE.

OC Register (now OCEA) heart throb Jennifer Muir posted this piece today after having talked to Hide and Seek Harry Sidhu. Sidhu, who still does not live in our district claims “money is no object” in his fight to dethrone last night’s winner Shawn Nelson in a November run-off for the 4th District seat.

Aw, c’mon Harry. Are you really that dumb? You have nothing to pitch. The more money you spend to promote yourself, the more people will see what a clown, er assclown, you are.

You raised not one substantive issue during this last campaign. Not one. The pathetic “jobs, jobs, jobs” bullshit wasn’t swallowed by anybody. Go ahead. Spend a million. Spend two, or three. It won’t help. Like I said earlier today you can’t sell a car that has no wheels and no engine, no matter how slick you are. And Hairball, you ain’t even slick.

By the way Jen, did you bother to ask Hide and Seek Sidhu how the fortune already wasted on his slimy self accomplished so little? Or how this cipher thinks he’s going to beat a sitting supervisor who already kicked his ass by 12%?  Thought not.