Friends For Fullerton's Future

April 29, 2010April 29, 2010Boohooism

Pacific Strategies Critical Task #1 – “Daily Media Review”

fartboy — I never charge for reading the comics or the sports section.

One of the critical tasks assigned to Matthew Cunningham by the PR fixated and obviously rudderless OC Children and Families Commission is to “review” media, i.e. read newspapers and blogs, which is convenient for Cunningham because that’s what he does anyway – for free. Now he’s a pro at 200 bucks an hour.

Yes, Friends, you read rightly. He’s paid to read blogs.

meathead — This is exactly what I had in mind...only they were supposed to be Democrats!

January 25, 2010 was another banner day for Pacific Strategies. $700 for a few hours noodling around on the computer. Plus time for 18 holes in the afternoon after the siesta!

Oh, and look. A phone call to newly minted Assemblyman Chris Norby made from Suite C. Probably to assure Chris that Cunningham really wanted him to win all along and how much he really, really hates carpetbaggers and perjurers.

April 28, 2010Hidden Government Agencies

High-Speed Rail Circus Comes to Fullerton

by Travis6 Comments

The High-Speed Rail Authority is bringing the show to our own Fullerton Senior Center on Thursday evening.

Considered by many to be the greatest boondoggle in the history of California, high speed rail will waste billions of dollars, threaten homes and businesses throughout the state while claiming to solve an inter-state transit problem that doesn’t exist.

Be sure to get informed before you attend.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) will host a public open house in the City of Fullerton to provide the community with a project update, information about the proposed alternative alignments, design options, and station locations being considered, as well as details pertaining to the environmental process. Residents will be able to see which areas might be needed for right-of way acquisition.

Fullerton is being considered for a station, in competition with Norwalk for the only other station between Anaheim and Los Angeles.

CHSRA is planning high-speed train service for travel between major metropolitan areas of California. The high-speed train is proposed to connect Anaheim to San Francisco in less than three hours. The Los Angeles to Anaheim high-speed train section proposes to travel adjacent to the existing Los Angeles to San Diego Rail Corridor from LA Union Station to the future Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), although OCTA and Metro are now proposing a shared-track agreement.

Thursday, April 29, 2010, 5 to 8 p.m., presentation at 6 p.m.
Fullerton Senior Center, 340 W. Commonwealth Ave.
For more information, call (877) 724-5422

April 28, 2010Shawn Nelson

Nelson Picks Up California GOP Endorsement

by Travis8 Comments

The state GOP has just endorsed Shawn Nelson for Orange County Supervisor. Here is the press release:

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SACRAMENTO, CA – This morning the Board of Directors of the California Republican Party voted to convey the official endorsement of the California Republican Party to Orange County Supervisor candidate Shawn Nelson. Last week, Nelson was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party, and the state organization followed suit, at the request of Scott Baugh, Chairman of the Orange County GOP.

“Republican voters in North Orange County should know that Shawn Nelson is official candidate of the local and state Republican parties,” said California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring. “With the unions already spending big bucks, and the presence of a viable Democrat in the race, it is critical that Republicans rally behind Nelson’s candidacy.”

California Republican Party Vice Chairman — South Jon Fleischman, who made the motion to endorse Nelson, had this to say about the vote, “It is critical that we elect Republicans to local office who understand the challenges presented by the insidious influence of public employee unions, and their insatiable appetite for unsustainable taxpayer-funded benefits. Shawn Nelson is clearly the candidate who is prepared to deal aggressively to curb the influence of public employee unions.”

Former Supervisor Norby is endorsing Nelson, as is U.S. Representative Ed Royce and many other Republican leaders, including Senator Mimi Walters, Supervisor Pat Bates and Supervisor John Moorlach. Last week the Orange County Republican Party officially endorsed Nelson.

Councilmember Shawn Nelson is a fiscal conservative who was elected to the Fullerton City Council in November 2002. He served as Mayor in 2004-05 and 2006-07. Nelson is a California native who was raised in Fullerton. The Sunny Hills High School graduate holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from USC, and a Juris Doctorate from Western State University College of Law. He was named the “Local Elected Official for 2009” by the Orange County Republican Party. Active in the community, Councilmember Nelson is a member of the Fullerton Elks Lodge and the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce. He is actively involved as a member of Zion Lutheran Church, is a sponsor and “Soccer Dad” for the Fullerton Rangers youth soccer club, and is head coach and a parent sponsor for Fullerton Pop Warner Football’s Junior Peewee Team.

April 28, 2010April 29, 2010Behind Closed Doors

Pacific Strategies Jackpot – The $1680 Day

by Grover Cleveland37 Comments

UPDATE: as one of our commenters pointed out, you can click on the billing fragment, below to get the picture of what happened for the month of July 2009. Enjoy, but try not to retch.

August 17th, 2009 was a great day to be Matthew Cunningham. See, the Red County Blog editor and pretended conservative pulled down $1680 wordsmith pimping for the liberal welfare state via his lucrative deal with the OC Children and Families Commission.

Why this Commission, that was created to help little children, is dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars each year into opinion swaying of dubious value is exasperating. The fact that this money is going into the coffers of well-connected repuglicans also gives off quite an aroma – influence peddling-wise.

How and why these contracts are awarded is certainly a topic that should be addressed by the Commission and their Executive Director Michael Ruane, as well as by the Board of Supervisors, who appoint Commission members.

One thing is crystal clear. This Commission is more interested in PR and lobbying for their revenue than they are actually accomplishing anything.

Here is the billing statement for that day that put a happy face on all the Cunninghams in Suite C. Who knew that revising vanilla versions of op-eds could be so rewarding?

Maybe Cunningham really does believe in the good works of the Commission, although I’ve got to wonder what other tax and spend schemes he will be promoting next.

April 27, 2010Redevelopment

The Missing Conversation with the Redevelopment Department

by The Fullerton Savage4 Comments

Last Thursday marked the second in a five part series of presentations at the Fullerton Museum Center entitled “Conversations with your City”. Organized by Fullerton City Council member Sharon Quirk-Silva, each evening features managers and directors of some of our city’s most prominent departments, including Police Chief Michael Sellers and City Manager Chris Meyer. June 24 brings Parks and Recreation Director Joe Felz, followed by August 26 with Fire Chief Wolfgang Knabe, and ends with an October 28 double header with Engineering Director Don Hoppe and Maintenance Services Director Bob Savage. Just about everyone you’d want to talk to as an active member of your community, right?

Conspicuously missing are the Community Development and Redevelopment Department directors. As it happens, Community Development (aka Planning Dept.) Director John Godlewski will finish his contract with Fullerton very soon. Who knows when his successor will be hired, so perhaps it was just awkward to try to schedule someone to speak with the public about that department.

But Redevelopment is something of a puzzling omission. Why was Redevelopment Director Robert Zur Schmiede not included in this series of conversations with our city? After all, his department’s current fiscal year budget is over $ 13 million, about twice that of the Parks and Rec. Dept., and nearly twice the budget of Community Development (see them all here.) Redevelopment does big things. You’d think they would be proud to talk to us about their past accomplishments and how they can be more responsive to all of us (because you know that’s what everyone else will say is the goal of their departments).

Did no one invite Mr. Zur Schmiede to the party? Or does it go without saying that the Redevelopment Department simply isn’t thought of as being accountable to the people of Fullerton? Mr. Zur Schmiede answers directly to the Redevelopment Agency, better known as your city council. Wouldn’t you like to have an hour or to ask Robert Zur Schmiede a few questions about how his agency operates?

April 27, 2010Dead heads

Wake Up Dick!

by admin6 Comments

After second helpings of aloo tikki and tandoori baked nan, our own beloved blowhard Dick Jones seems to be having trouble staying awake during the Indian Independence day celebration held last summer at Harry Sidhu’s “elegant Yorba Estate.” You remember, his home in the 3rd District that he swore under penalty of perjury that he had abandoned for the Calabria Apartments on Lincoln Avenue.

April 27, 2010April 27, 2010OC Register

WHY DOES THE OCEA SUPPORT JOB COSTING, FREE-SPENDING, INCOMPETENT CAREER POLITICIAN CLERK-RECORDER TOM DALY?

by admin24 Comments

In December of 2008, Nick Berardino and more than 1000 union workers stormed the County’s Hall of Administration to protest the remodeling of the Board of Supervisor’s lobby. The OCEA leader and his supporters were protesting the $300,000 lobby remodeling project because it was the wrong thing to do because at the time, the County was laying off employees due to the budget crunch that hit the whole nation.

That day, Berardino used his bullhorn to make his point well known. He was also quoted by the lame duck O.C. Register as saying that “Labor knows that financial hardships are on the way and say they are willing to share in the pain. But before he has to look a person in the eye and tell them they are out of work in this economy he wants management (the County) to scratch every perk with the aim of saving jobs.”

Well, Nick it is time for you to break out your bullhorn again as you look every association member in the eye and tell them why the OCEA felt it necessary to contribute more than $4000 of their union dues to a free spending, incompetent career politician like Tom Daly. This guy’s spending has cost the County jobs!

According to records at the Registrar of Voters, the OCEA has contributed more than $4000 to Tom Daly’s campaigns since 2002. The most recent contribution was in late 2007 for $1600 – prior to Daly’s purchase of a $2.1 million money-sucking building. Why contribute to a politician who has no legislative duties or the ability to save any county jobs. The Clerk-Recorder is just that – a clerk and a recorder. It is an elected position with little political influence. Daly doesn’t know that or it hasn’t registered yet after 8 years of doing nothing but free-spending and taking care of his buddies like Bruce Matthias and Brett “The Brainstormer” Barbre.

Well, Nick where was that bullhorn when County Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly blew $2,100,000 of public money on a real estate venture that could cost another $7,600,000 to fix the problem? This happened in January 2008, months before the $300,000 remodeling project you vigorously protested.

Where was your bullhorn when Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly decided to give out a $48,000 to a political contributor to “brainstorm” an unnecessary sports hall of fame?

Where was that bullhorn when a $1700 a month retainer to a Sacramento government consulting business with no deliverables was discovered?

Why aren’t you using that bullhorn now? How many jobs does this money represent? Wake up OCEA members! It’s time for you to make Your Voices heard to tell Nick to go after every person who is wasting your association dues and tax-payer money that can be used to save your jobs.

Say, Nick. Where is that bullhorn, anyway?

UPDATED TITLE INFORMATION REGARDING THE TRANSACTIONS AT 433 W. Civic Center Drive deed 2008

April 27, 2010Don Bankhead

Jurassic Park

by The Desert Rat9 Comments

Further commentary would be superfluous.

April 26, 2010Fullerton City Council

The Budget Balancing Act: Shawn Nelson Looks Out For Fullerton

by admin13 Comments

At the budget workshop of March 9, 2010, each department presented its recommendation to the City Council to balance expenditures with ever shrinking revenues and was asked to come back at the next budget workshop with recommendations to balance the budget.

Back to work on March 23, 2010, a total of $5.5 million was still needed to balance the Fullerton city 2010-11 General Fund budget.

One of staff’s recommendations was to close City Hall every Friday. It never seems to amaze me, when government has to come up with solutions we the public always end up on the short end of the stick and staff gets a four day work week.

Then listen to another solution. Pay people you’re going to lay off anyway and count it a savings!

Well, it’s good to know we have at least one councilman who can see through the double talk and gobbledygook nonsense. Watch this clip and you will know exactly what I mean.

April 26, 2010January 13, 2011Behind Closed Doors

“Stop The Insanity!” Cries Anguished Red County Hypocrite

by Joe Sipowicz10 Comments

Over at the Red County blog Matthew J. Cunningham has gotten his lavender briefs into a self-righteous snarl over some guy named Tim Whitacre. Whitacre’s ostensible offense? Claiming that the Lewis Consulting Group is on Hide and Seek Sidhu’s payroll. In reality his offense was standing up at the GOP Central Committee meeting last week and reminding everybody that Harry Sidhu is an opportunistic carpetbagger.

You would think that somebody like Cunningham who pretends to be a political and social conservative, but who, in reality, has an annual contract with Rob “Meathead” Reiner’s Children and Families Commission of almost $200,000 a year would just clam up. But no. Silence is not in him. Instead he prefers to keep opining in his usual way: in a crab-wise crawl across the truth.

First you call your opponents insane (or tin-foil hat wearing, delusional, paranoid, etc.) Of course sane people don’t argue with the insane – but that never stopped Cunningham – who will keep jabbering away until the lights are shut off. Then you start carefully parsing out where your opponent is making stuff up, and has no proof, etc.

In this case the fake issue is whether Lewis is actually getting paid directly from Sidhu or not. Lewis must have informed The Jerb that he isn’t. So he then is safe in saying Whitacre has no proof that Lewis is. But Lewis is indeed working for Sidhu – one way or another. His payment may come later if he is working on spec – either in deferment or simply in access to Norby’s old office for the inevitable lobbying. As one of our commenters pointed out he may also be working on an IE against Shawn Nelson. In any of these scenarios some kind of disclosure by his partner Matt Holder should have been made at the Central Committee meeting.

So the gist of what Whitacre has to say is very much valid.

Cunningham finishes up by saying Whitacre has no proof that Nelson is the stronger candidate even though, ironically, he has no proof that Whitacre doesn’t. Of course you wouldn’t even need to have poll results to tell that Sidhu is a bumbling assclown who will be lucky to get 9% of the vote. Oh yeah, he’s also a perpetual office seeking carpetbagger. And a casual perjurer.

assclown — Coming soon to an elective office in your neighborhood...

Ah the faux outrage! Such a fun spectacle when it fails. And when you’re a hypocrite repuglican whose cover’s been blown, it’s only going to get tougher to pull off.