Friends For Fullerton's Future

November 19, 2009January 5, 2010Fullerton School Board

Fullerton School District’s Budget is Really Screwed Up

Let’s keep this simple – today the Fullerton School Board is staring down the barrel of an unprecedented budget hole. To insulate themselves from the difficult decisions, the board is asking the “Budget Advisory Committee” to recommend a solution. This committee consists of unionized teachers, administrators and PTA parents.

At this point, the budget shortfall is at least $10,000,000. How will they bridge that 11% gap?

Of course we’ve seen plenty of threats to reduce special programs, administrative overhead and other gimmicks, but the elephant in the room is that 90% of the unrestricted funds go to employee pay and benefits.

unrestricted-funds

Mathematically there is no possible way to revive this beast without one or more of the following:

Increased classroom sizes (layoff teachers)
Reduced teacher salaries and benefits
New property taxes

We already know that the teachers union won’t concede to meaningful salary or staff reductions unless confronted with the apocalypse. Taxpayers are severely financially strained in the middle of a massive recession, and are clearly ready to pitchfork any elected who suggests more taxes.

So what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

November 18, 2009January 9, 201072nd Election

What Do Ackerwoman, Galloway and Perez All Have In Common?

by admin7 Comments

We don't live here. We're just pecking our way through...

With the announcement by a woman named Sue Perez (who is connected to the wackos at Trinity Broadcasting and seems to be a friend of Lorri Galloway), that she intends to run for 34th State Senate District, we have the spectacle of yet another candidate who doesn’t live in the district they want to represent. The announcement by this woman who wants Senator Lou Correa’s job, got us to thinking about some of our recent aspirants for State and County office, including the Ackerwoman and Lorri Galloway, herself.

We all know by now that Ackerwoman lives in Irvine, but wants to represent North OC in the State Assembly; Galloway lives in Anaheim Hills – in the 3rd Supervisorial District – but claims to be running for the 4th District.

Other than that they are all females, a common denominator is that any one could soon be using the yard next door as their phony residence. Of course we have left out Harry Sidhu who, like Galloway, lives in the 3rd District.

The Trouble With Harry? He doesn't live in the 4th District, either.

What is it with these birds? Can’t they just stay in their own yards?

November 18, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

72nd Election Recap: Validation & Valediction

by Grover Cleveland17 Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKm65xLpwIM

Over at the otherwise dreadfully tedious Red County blog, our Friend Allan Bartlett opines on last night’s impressive Norby victory over Ackerwoman in the 72nd Special Election Primary. He almost gets it completely right.

He correctly points out that Norby’s 17% margin of victory over the Ackerman, Inc slime-peddlers is a bad sign for all of the establishment Repuglicans who happily climbed onto the carpetbagging, truth challenged bandwagon, believing (erroneously) that money would trump experience and actual political accomplishment.

But tucked into Allan’s post is this admonition to Ackerman, Inc.:

We’ll give you a few days to lick your wounds and get over the bitterness that you and Dick are probably feeling towards Chris right now, but it’s time to finally end this ugly chapter in OC political history and endorse Chris for the runoff. It’s the right thing to do.

Nice sentiment, perhaps, but a not at all necessaryof gesture of Republican solidarity. In the first place, if they believed half of the trash they peddled against Norby to the voters the Ackermans (if they had any integrity, oops!) would want Norby locked up “e-mmediately” as their flunky Dick Jones would say. But, neither Norby nor the people of the 72nd need anything from the OC Repuglican apparatchicks. On the contrary, Norby’s victory proves that one can win, and win convincingly (although being outspent 2-1) over forces that have treated OC government like their own little plantation.

At the end of his post Allan rightfully chastises all of the Republican elected drones who circled their wagons of self-interest around the Ackermans after hearing Dick’s do-re-mi siren song (with the emphasis on “dough” and “me”). Good for Allan. His was the the only voice on that blog that wasn’t making a full-time job of avoiding Ackerwoman’s deceitful residency and her contemptible smears.

Ah well, victory, as Allan trenchantly observes, is the best admonition to those who are more interested in money and power than they are doing what’s right. If all those folks who endorsed Linda Ackerman because of her “inevitability” (despite the fact that she didn’t live in the district, and completely misrepresented her business experience) think that this craven behavior will be soon forgotton, they may be in for a rude surprise.

And now, the task of this Grover Cleveland, having been completed, and satisfactorily so, we pass on the name to a new (and no doubt improved) Grover. Adios Amigos! And lets hope the times are really are a-changin.’

November 17, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Ackerman Defended, FFFF Attacked (Again) By Ackerman Spokeshole

by Grover Cleveland7 Comments

Dick Ackerman would never lie to me. He has lots of honor. Just like me. — The search for Eternal Truth may have just been steamrollered by Ackerman, Inc.

Yesterday our old playmate Matthew J. Cunningham of the irrepressible boot lick Red County Blog took us to task for passing along the “false” information about his hero Dick Ackerman illegally lobbying for the OC Fair sale. You can read it here, but be forewarned about a likely gag-reflex response. It seems that Cunningham is on a noble mission to promote the Truth, the Whole truth, and Nothing But The Truth. How does he know that Dick’s behavior wasn’t lobbying? Because Dick said so! Quod erat demonstrandum!

Yeah sure, anything you say, J.

Ackerman has already admitted to “helping” draft the legislation, legislation that somehow managed to jump into AB 22 all by itself? Did Dick go to Sacto? Did Dick make calls to his former colleagues? Naw. That would be illegal lobbying.

Interestingly, our Friend Vern Nelson over at the Orange Juice blog has reported a conversation he had with Assemblyman Jim Silva who opposed the sale. Silva affably relates that there was lots of pressure on him to vote in favor of the sale legislation. Any guesses as to who one of the pressure-appliers was? Not Ackerman, surely – that would be illegal lobbying!

Well, maybe we’ll find out soon all about what Ackerman did or didn’t do; and Cunningham’s lofty life-long goal of pursuing the Truth will bear fruit – although no thanks to him. See, the County Counsel has asked the State AG to look into the whole issue of open meeting law violation, public procurement (Ackerman’s “services”) violation, and manifest conflict-of-interest charges against Ackerman’s employers. Who knows, maybe Dick will be able to explain what he did, or didn’t do under oath.

We also note in passing, that according to Scott Moxley at the OC Weekly, Ackerman’s law firm has passed the OC Fair “Foundation” hot potato on to Jones Day, the same scumsuckers Ackerman used to try (unsuccessfully) to intimidate us.

Your Honor, can I borrow that wooden hammer thingy?

November 16, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

The Ethical Ackermans of Irvine

by Grover Cleveland1 Comment

Heh heh. A backroom deal? You came to the right place!

Our pals over at the OC Weekly have finally got on board the OC Fair story. Scott Moxley has described a letter from County Counsel Nick Chrisos to a State AG rep about the obvious conspiracy by Fair Board members to create their own insider cabal to push for the sale of the Fair – to themselves.

The lawyer hired to shepherd this little back room deal through the legislature was none other than the husband of the Ethically Exuberant Ackerwoman – Dick Ackerman. In his article Moxley forgets to mention that good ol’ Dick hadn’t even been out of the Legislature for more than a few months himself and so seems to have violated state law by lobbying the Legislature, a characterization of which Ackerman is already trying to slime away from.

Like husband, like wife. Linda, Dick’s supposed better half, is running as a candidate in an Assembly district that she doesn’t live in, pushing a resume that is patently fraudulent. And worse yet, Dick claims to “speak for his wife.” What a team. And they want us to think that she is the ethical choice!

You want ethics? We got lots of ethics all over the place...

But back to the OC Fair deal. Now that at least one government entity has finally gotten involved, it’s going to be really hard for Ackerman, Inc. to wriggle off this hook. And consider this: since the County Counsel has got involved, its a real good bet that at least one County Supervisor other than Chris Norby has Ackerman in his/her sights.

November 16, 2009November 16, 200972nd Election

Ackerwoman Pictorial Album – A Fond Farewell

by admin1 Comment

November 16, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Martin Wisckol Passes Along Final Valentine To Ackerwoman

by The Fullerton Harpoon12 Comments

The other day the Register’s number two press agent for the Repug Machine, Martin Wisckol wrote what he no doubt hoped would pass as a species of objective reporting, here. Yet somehow it fails the smell test, as might have been predicted.

Notice how Wisckol equates Norby’s pointing out that Ackerwoman is a carpetbagger (true!) with her campaign’s libelous misuse of court transcripts in a case that was dismissed by an appellate court! Martin unhelpfully points out how Ackerwoman did live in the 72nd District for a long time – a long time ago; as if anybody thought that was germane to the fact that SHE LIVES IN IRVINE NOW!

Notice too, how Wisckol passes directly along, without a shred of skepticism that Ackerwoman is some sort of “well versed” authority on water issues (of course he diligently omits reference to her MWD vote last spring to raise commodity costs to local water retailers by 20%). Typical. We remember how he swallowed whole her lie about being a businesswoman, here, and then actually tried to explain away his apparent credulity as some sort of reporter’s strategy.

Wisckol permits a delicious quote from Ackerwoman about all the hordes of ethically upstanding Repuglican electeds who have endorsed her (including her own husband – say, Dick, how’s that Fair thing working out?) without any mention of Norby’s endorsements – by Tom McClintock, for instance – a real conservative who’s worth all of the Ackerwoman’s RINOs put together – and then some.

We could go on and on, but why bother.

Fortunately, we’ve only got one day to go. And hopefully after tomorrow Martin and Frank can go have their Friday drinkies with the head ‘Pugs at Gulfstream without having to worry about writing any more press releases.

Of course if there’s a crashing defeat for Ackerwoman they may not even be invited anymore.

November 16, 2009November 16, 2009Behind Closed Doors

On the Agenda: November 17th, 2009

by Christian13 Comments

The Fullerton City Council has just released their agenda for November 17, 2009.

Let’s start off with agenda item #8. At a glance it looks like a little book keeping business. Upon closer inspection it appears that the Feds gave the County a grant for the City to purchase 35 tasers. The proposed cost is shown as “None.” I guess training is free?? According to the Chief, each and every patrol officer should have one. I have never seen 35 patrol officers in Fullerton at one time. I think the most patrol officers I have ever seen at one time in Fullerton numbered 7. How about one in each car/bike/motorcycle and a few in the station. Do they need to take the tasers home? And back on the training… According to taser.com, training runs about $395 per person. That doesn’t sound too bad until we remember that we will be paying the patrol officer to sit in a classroom for 6 hours or more rather than patrol the City. Unless there is grant funding to cover the overtime for training, I think the Chief might be mistaken about the proposed costs being “None.” And what about the liability of injury or death which may be less than striking someone with a baton or shooting them with beanbags?

Item #9 is over 100 pages long! From my brief reading it appears to allow the City to take over residential properties to avert abandonment and blight. That sounds a lot like federally subsidized redevelopment without having to declare blight. It’s like a preemptive condemnation. Are we really feeding the machine? This is on the consent calendar as “routine” and is to be lumped together with the tasers and some traffic-related items. The most interesting part is that this agreement will lock us in with Costa Mesa , La Habra , and MHC NSP LLC. Who is MHC NSP LLC? The program cost is shown as $1,369,854. Chump change?

Council is supposed to discuss the appointment process for commissioner. See item #10.

Item #11 is a pay cut for certain personnel. It also pushes the current 2% @ 55 to 2% @ 60. Sounds like a good idea.

Item #12 is the shocker! The City Council is proposing a program whereby they “…may contribute back to the City a portion of their salary.” There is a little more to it than a pay cut. It seems to be voluntary. The Attorney General wrote an opinion on this and noted that State law requires that pay increases begin when an official takes office. The same appears to be true with decreases in pay. So, in an effort to give back a portion of their pay, ±7.5%, they need to pass this resolution. Ok, it gets my vote.

I hope you will take a minute to read the supporting documents which are linked from the posted agenda. If I missed anything, please let us know so we can discuss.

Keep your eyes open for the December 1st meeting. Tentatively scheduled are a few hot-button issues. They include everyone’s favorite, West Coyote Hills, the North Orange County Transportation Partnership MOU, and a public hearing on the landscape ordinance.

November 15, 2009December 28, 2009Dead heads

OC Fair Follies: The Deafening Sound of Silence

by admin25 Comments

An e-mail from our long-time Friend Joe Sipowicz was discovered in this afternoon’s mailbag. Seems Joe is a little put out at being called “gutless” by blogger Matthew J. Cunningham for criticizing the latter “off topic.” Here’s Joe’s letter. I added the graphics!

Colonic extraction was deemed necessary... — Colonic extraction was deemed necessary to save the patient

Several OC blogs (including this one) have raised this issue of the role played by former State Senator Dick Ackerman in the possible sale of the OC Fairgrounds. Last summer he was hired by a group of Fair Board members meeting on the sly to get the necessary language into the State budget bill that would enable the sale to go through.

That activity was illegal. State law prohibits ex-legislators from lobbying for a full year before they can start their lucrative lobbying revenue stream; and Ackerman only checked out of the legislature last November. And the Board members in question seem to have put this deal together secretly – an intentional violation of the Brown Act.

Now to the point of this little essay. Let’s review how many references to the Ackerman activity and the possible Fair Board violation of open meeting laws have been made on the Red County blog. In round numbers. The roundest of all: 0. That’s right. None. Zero.

Why is this interesting? Because the editor at that site, Matt Cunningham loves to visit this site to call people “gutless” and “cowardly,” and has repeatedly criticized this blog for not holding Norby to the same standards it uses to attack the comical Linda Ackerman, and meanwhile basks in his own self-assigned integrity, courage, and honor. He has at least twice accused the FFFF administrator Tony Bushala of breaking the law, without a shred of evidence; just the sort of thing he loves to attack his opponents for doing, and would in fact, ban them from his blog if they pulled the same stunt.

And yet when Dick Ackerman himself has already admitted to a newspaper that he worked on the Fair deal, Red County’s own Cunningham remains silent, even as he advertises the motives of a current concessionaire who is questioning the whole slimy insider deal in a lengthy post.

If he knows what's good for him, he'll keep his mouth shut... — If he knows what's good for him, he'll keep his mouth shut. And next time he'd better get the tires...

Okay, fine. You don’t attack the head of your gang if you want to stay in it, and clearly he does. And Cunningham has made looking the other way into a full time profession, whether it be defending the Pedo-priest protectors, ex-Sheriff Mike Carona, or any of the other ethically challenged institutional shot-callers he looks up to.

But is it asking too much for this individual to just keep his self-righteousness to himself?

November 14, 2009January 12, 2010Fullerton School Board

Local Church Services State For Free

by admin22 Comments

Here’s an e-mail we just received from a Friend that raises all sorts of questions, enjoy!

Eastside Church in Fullerton is conducting a large scale service day today. Not all, but most of the projects were at public school campuses. I am very appreciative of the service to the needy which is taking place with this initiative. Sending out hundreds of people to clean, make repairs and generally assist public schools in doing what they are paid to do already is further propagating what I believe to be that most tragic of notions, that PUBLIC EDUCATION IS UNDERFUNDED…HARDLY. Before reading on, understand that many Fullerton teachers have already expressed concern that this endeavor is “taking jobs.” Believe me, that’s the only part of this that makes me smile.

I understand that Eastside’s mission is to be ‘out in the community’ and not locked behind the confines of their church. I applaud that. However, I count on (increasingly foolishly it seems) traditional community church’s like Eastside to be populated by wiser-than-typical parishioners who understand many of the most obvious problems in our state and country.

As I write this as one who works to remain informed of local school government, I know that several of the current Fullerton School District Trustees are hopeful that a new parcel tax can be passed so that we can pay an even larger percentage of our incomes to an educational system which has allowed unions to lobby any possibility for significant fiscal or moral change for that matter, out of existence.

As public education has become a jobs program and reward for liberal public employees and voters, we cannot:

Volunteer teach without union approval.
Terminate incompetent teachers within a timeframe that does not waste tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. My daughter and her classmates are currently enduring this teacher union supported injustice and waste of taxpayer dollars.
Break the back of the cancerous philosophy of compensation within a matrix of TIME SERVED and EDUCATION ACHIEVED which utterly ignores competence or performance.
Liberally outsource functions which could drastically reduce cost and improve performance.

Those are just a small sampling of the changes which could literally solve the problems of public education but for the insane axiom dejour that teachers are heroes simply because they are teachers. Today, Eastside unwittingly (well…not so unwittingly) bolsters the notion that teachers are underpaid even though the turnover is nil for a job that thousands apply for and few ever leave before retirement. Public teaching is a job which offers a fixed pension, summers off and nearly ironclad job security for the tenured.

The votes and common sense rationale of Christian church communities in America is one of our only remaining hopes for a continuing America which is of, by and for the people. If they too drink from the Kool-Aid of mistaking subordinating taxes with our labor as being a form of service and not a form of foolishness, then our problems were greater than I previously thought.

Most depressing have been the arguments which I have heard defending Eastside’s service to government.

This will somehow lead to a diminishing of today’s false understanding of the separation of church and state (which I certainly agree that this has become a misguided tirade of the left).I believe the reverse to be true. This foolish service will give fuel to the fire of those who ridiculously opine that any mention of God in a Public venue is a violation of the First Amendment.
That end times are near anyway, so what difference does it make?I’m not sure how to respond to this. I guess then that we should just ignore any fight to preserve our constitutional government and just go pick flowers?
Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s…Ironically, this is the best argument of all to think this stuff through. From the Christian perspective, I would certainly think that America and her accompanying freedom would be considered to be an amazing gift from God. I have news for Christians who use this as an excuse to remain blind (frequently mistaking this for politeness) to political issues. You are squandering what is one of the greatest gifts from God in our time. A free America.

I believe Eastside Church to be a great place both run by and attended by terrific people. However, it would be unsupportive to stand by silently as they contribute to the very problems which most threaten government’s subordinate position to the people and in so doing, weakening the very principles which protect freedom of religion in our country.

Lest anybody think that I am over the top, understand that I am a believer in local change. There is little hope for wisdom on a grand scale if there is none on a local scale.