Posted onOC Register

The OC Register Editorial Board on the Fourth

by 6 Comments on The OC Register Editorial Board on the Fourth

Today the print edition of the OC Register contains two endorsements of Shawn Nelson. One is in their list of all ballot and candidate endorsements. The second is part of a piece called “Ten things that matter in this election.”

We agree with this statement from the Register: “The two most important issues, we believe, are public employee union pension reform and continuing a lawsuit that challenges a retroactive pension spike for sheriff’s deputies. If the lawsuit prevails, it will have implications in California and nationwide. Mr. Nelson is the only candidate to pledge to pursue both issues.”

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Posted onOrange County Government

Bill Hunt Supporters Rally for Constitutional Rights

by 1 Comment on Bill Hunt Supporters Rally for Constitutional Rights

Last week supporters of Bill Hunt organized a protest on the steps of the old county courthouse to counter a recent attack on his profession — an attack that is a clear distraction from the issues that are facing the office of Orange County Sheriff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30MKXsDhq3A

Hunt has been criticized by his opponents for his actions as a private investigator, which is essentially evidence gathering in accordance with the 5th and 6th amendments of the U.S. Constitution to counter the power of the state.

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Posted onHarry Sidhu

“Jobs, Jobs, Jobs,” Got Lost in Sidhu’s Bermuda Triangle

by 9 Comments on “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs,” Got Lost in Sidhu’s Bermuda Triangle

Harry Sidhu likes to blather on about jobs, jobs, jobs, but maybe he would be well-advised to remember that government shouldn’t be in the jobs business and that lots of things government does destroys jobs. Sidhu should know.

In Anaheim he’s been Curt Pringle’s right hand man in the (over development) of the much lauded, now ghost town like “Platinum Triangle.”

Pringle, Sidhu and Company changed the zoning to benefit the big developer who comes in and clears out lots of businesses who employ people in order to over build monster apartment and condo blocks. Where’s the outrage from Lucy Dunn and the OCBC when their golden boy Curt Pringle led this charge?  Who benefited from the loss of jobs, surely not the city of Anaheim.

The fact that Curt Pringle was employed as a lobbyist for Lennar while Lennar was buying up several industrial buildings in the Triangle while Curt and Sidhu were secretly planning to rezone the “Platinum Triangle” does not sit well now that the entire project is a flop, jobs are gone and the property is vacant, or a shit-load of condos are in default. Where’s the outrage Ms. Dunn? Can’t hear you.

If there ever was an example of what not to do in planning and business this is the model project for it.

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Posted onBehind Closed Doors

Judge Tells OCERS To Release Names and Pensions

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Those interested in Orange County government accountability and pension reform won a legal battle Wednesday.

In a ruling over a petition filed by the California Foundation For Fiscal Responsibility vs. the Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS), the Superior Court of Orange County ordered the OCERS to disclose “…gross amount paid to the payee member, the name of the payee, and the identification of the prior public employer of the named payee and no other information contained in the records OCRES.”


Read the ruling

The presiding judge, Hon. Luis Rodriguez, says in his ruling, “Individuals must have access to government files to hold governments accountable for their actions. Personal embarrassment is outweighed by the strong public policy supporting transparency in government and the strong public interest in knowing how it spends its money ‘to expose corruption, incompetence, inefficiency, prejudice and favoritism.’”

This ruling is consistent with the premise that government can only be held accountable when there is transparency. Without transparency, corruption, incompetence, inefficiency, prejudice and favoritism cannot be identified, much less routed out.

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Posted onDead heads

Here’s An Irony: OCEA Heavy Petting Pedo-Perv Kept On Payroll

by 36 Comments on Here’s An Irony: OCEA Heavy Petting Pedo-Perv Kept On Payroll

The OCEA seems to be fixated on sexual pervs and pedophiles these days. At least they are as it relates to Shawn Nelson’s law practice – that seems to be guilty of having the potential to defend one some day.

A Friend forwarded a rather disgusting story about a creep sicko named Kevin Duane Van Otterloo – an OCEA member and Health Care Agency co-worker of OCEA PAC Treasurer Chris Prevatt, pictured above. The tale was told by the OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano back in 2004.

It seems that Van Otterloo was busted for lewd acts perpetrated upon a disabled kid at the County’s Juvie Hall. He plead down the worst felonies but lost his nursing license. Did the County dump this perv? According to Arellano they gave him a $70,000 make-work job in the Animal Care Services Division.

But was there any outrage at OCEA HQ that an admitted pedophile was kept on by the County but was actually promoted? Maybe we will hear back from Nick “Bullhorn” Berardino about any role he and the union may have had in helping Van Otterloo stay on the public payroll. Or maybe Chris Prevatt will chime in on why Van Otterloo got the kid glove treatment instead of being canned.

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Posted onHarry Sidhu

Frank Mickadeit on Harry Sidhu

by 1 Comment on Frank Mickadeit on Harry Sidhu
Harry, what deal did you cut?
I promise to drop the lawsuit
I promise to drop the lawsuit

Today the Register’s Frank Mickadeit penned an interesting column about Harry Sidhu’s desire to drop the county’s pending lawsuit that would eliminate a retroactive union pension spike. The same pension scheme that’s breaking our government.

The lawsuit, by the way, has already been filed and is pending review by the court. And yet Sidhu says “it’s a waste of money to go further”.

A waste of money? Imagine filing a lawsuit, doing discovery and depositions to the point where all that’s left is for a judge to decide if your case has merit to go to trial… and then you decide to drop the lawsuit?

It makes no sense, but that’s what Sidhu wants. And that’s what the unions want, too.

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