Friends For Fullerton's Future

December 8, 2009December 28, 200972nd Election

Marty Burbank Hopes Norby Has Short Memory

Well, you’ve gotta give Marty Burbank credit for unmitigated gall; or as my friend Jeffrey Goldfarb’s Nana used to say in Yiddish: chutzpah.

This Chamber of Commerce/Repuglican/Rotarian/Redevelopment cheerleader-type zero (think Dick Jones and you have the model) who wants to be on the Fullerton City Council, recently sent this supplicating letter to 4th District Supervisor Chris Norby. One of our fearless white van investigators got a hold of it.

Marty the One Man Party — Marty The One Man Party...

Marty wants Norby’s endorsement, and tries to grease up Chris a little bit about how much Norby loves his town and ergo should consider giving Burbank his endorsement.

But wait! Only two weeks before he sent his letter to Norby, Burbank was supporting Linda Ackerwoman in the 72ndSpecial Election primary; he made a contribution to her carpetbagging, lying, smear-filled campaign against Norby on October 9th. Burbank’s contribution went to fund the slime Ackerwoman threw at Norby.Oy vey!

It’s pretty clear that Burbank was following along with of many other Fullerton drones who were swayed by Dick Ackerman’s promises of easy victory lubricated by a big ol’ sack o’ Sacto lobbyist cash. Too bad Marty chose to participate personally in contributing to the defamation of Norby, as well as being a willing participant in the Ackerman, Inc scampaign, of course.

Now, we know Chris, and we know him to be a very forgiving kind of guy. But really, you’d think ol’ Marty could have waited more than a couple of weeks to come a knockin’ at Norby’s door.

Hopefully Norby won’t forget. We won’t. And that’s a promise.

December 8, 2009January 4, 2010OC Register

Book Signing with Steven Greenhut on Thursday

by Travis1 Comment

Steven Greenhut, author of “PLUNDER! How Public Employee Unions are Raiding Treasuries Controlling our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation ” has written an excellent article for the Wall Street Journal describing the financial horrors created by public employee unions across the nation.

Steven will be at a book signing event on Thursday at Barnes and Noble in Orange. All FFFFers are invited to attend.

Thursday, December 10, 2009 – 6:00 PM
Barnes and Noble
791 S. Main Street
Orange, CA 92821
714-871-7148

The event will be filmed by CSPAN

December 8, 2009January 21, 2010Arts & Architecture

The Questionable Promise of Technology

by Mr. Peabody11 Comments

Using computers to arrange and sort data is useful for all sorts of things – especially when in comes to creating three dimensional imagery. Nobody can deny the impact of presenting scanned data for medical diagnostic purposes; or the use of scaled multi-disciplinary construction models that can simulate a 3D environment: very useful for ascertaining “clashes” between different trades as well as presenting the architect and client with views of his proposed effort.

But despite the technology drum beater’s boosterism (think laptops for kids, FSD style) there reaches a point in every computer application where the information is either too dense or voluminous to be assimilated or analyzed by those looking at it; or is just plain non-effective compared to traditional approaches; or worst, lends itself to misinterpretation or deliberate misrepresentation. This point of diminishing returns is reached quickest when the recipients of data just don’t know what to do with it. When that occurs they’re bound to do something bad with it.

Such may very well be the case with a City of Fullerton program that promises to create a three dimensional model of downtown Fullerton. We received an e-mail the other day from Al Zelinka, who works for the Planning Department. We point out that Mr. Zelinka is very careful to explain that the pilot program is being paid for by SCAG, not the City (where SCAG got the money is obviously not a point of interest for Mr. Zelinka, or, presumably, us).

First, we are inevitably forced to ask why. Who will benefit from the necessary resources plowed into such a program? It’s hard to answer. And who will be able to use the information? We can envisage all sorts of staff (and consultant) time going into creating maintaining and manipulating such data; and then the inevitable jargon and rhetoric tossed back to the public to foist staff driven projects onto the public. The Council: aha! See? The 3D model supports (fill in the name of the Redevelopment Agency’s favored project).

Perhaps the most important question is whether, once the model is done, it needs to be tended and updated by the City. If not, the effort going into seems to be something of a waste.

In any case the public are invited to a meeting on December 16th @ 6 PM in the Council Chambers to see the wonders of 3D modeling. No doubt all of our questions will be answered with sparkling clarity.

At the bottom of his e-mail Mr. Zelinka (AICP) includes a quotation that ought to give pause to even the biggest Planning Department cheerleader:

“Dedicated to Making a Difference.”

“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir [women’s and] men’s blood….” – Daniel Burnham

Ay, ay, ay!

December 7, 2009January 9, 2010Boohooism

BooHooing Job Assigned to Vince Buck

by The Fullerton Shadow12 Comments

We knew the first post-mayoral vote edition of the Yellowing Fullerton Observer was going to have a Page One sob story recounting how Pam Keller was robbed of her birthright. The only question was who was going to write the tale of woe. That duty fell upon Liberosaur Vince Buck, who’s been an uncompromising shill for the idiotic council lefties for years and years.

not known for agility — Not known for agility

Mr. Buck is not given to hysteria, so the tenor of the article is pretty calm. Still, the assertions therein were, as usual, appalling pea-brained: the woman was rejected by the boys; and it was her turn; Bankhead and Nelson voted they way they did for political reasons (Oh no, the horror!).

Of course Buck didn’t bother to correct the previous erroneous assertions of his editoress that other localities have a “rotation” – implying some mechanism for school yard-type “sharing” of the mayor-ship. He also didn’t share the choice irony that The Observer has endorsed the chowderheads Bankhead and Jones time and time and time again.

Vince Buck awaits the jello salad — Vince Buck awaits the salad

What was really funny was Buck’s claim that Nelson voted for Bankhead to get the latter’s endorsement for his upcoming Supervisorial campaign, while in the next breath he (accurately) reminds us of how little the Bankhead endorsement did for the Ackerwoman. Of course, we already knew that, and Nelson must, too! Bankhead’s endorsement is as worthless as Zimbabwean currency.

It just doesn’t seem to have occurred to poor, cliche-riddled Vince that maybe Nelson just really dislikes Pam Keller. And by dislike we mean a don’t-walk-ahead-of-him-down-a-dark-alley sort of dislike.

December 7, 2009December 7, 2009Behind Closed Doors

Just A Quick Question to The Fringe

by Jan Florys Dog10 Comments

Has anyone other than me wondered why neither of the two main partisan blogs in OC – the Liberal OC and Red County have even mentioned the OC Fair scandal a-brewin’?

Red seems intent to chatter about all sorts of Fair topics – but not the crooked Foundation itself. Blue doesn’t seem to have posted a comment about the Fair at all.

Are these two paragons of “reasoned debate” both so involved in reasoned debate that they have missed one of the biggest stories of the year?

Just asking.

December 7, 2009December 30, 2009Arts & Architecture

An Architectural Tale of Two JCs

by admin15 Comments

Oops. “Community Colleges.” Oops. I mean “Colleges.”

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

A while back we spent some time looking at the architectural monstrosities being foisted on students and bond underwriters (us) at Fullerton Junior College. We noted the crappy fake historical detailing, the blocky bulk of the overbearing McSpanish dinosaurs, and of course we regretted the intellectual confusion that equates fake old with real old and believes building crappy architecture enhances historical buildings.

Here’s a reminder of what we were talking about.

We were right. They did put a cupola on it.

Ye gods! A series of out-of-scale, fake-arched, hollow-walled, Styrofoam-corniced, bulk-squatting godzillas dumped across the campus.

We also lamented the fact that in lower-middlebrow land nobody seemed capable of conceiving the deployment of inventive and engaging contemporary architecture.

In response to a follow up post this fall, a Friend forwarded images of some recent buildings that have gone up at Santa Monica (Junior) College. We share them below.

Illustration of Student Services Building

Hmm. Food for thought. Okay, the west side of LA, SM, and Culver City are chock-full of talented architects and designers of the SCI-Arc variety, and north Orange County is chock full of…well, let’s let that one go for now.

What’s baffling is that there doesn’t seem to be anybody on the NOCCCD staff or board with a clue. Instead of doing new buildings that actually stimulate aesthetic interest, they prefer to cough up the dreary, banal, and embarrassing visual tripe of McSpanish. And then threy dredge up support for their travesties from equally clueless citizenry.

Time for a change?

December 7, 2009December 28, 2009Behind Closed Doors

More Fair Follies. Dick Ackergate Body Appendage Firmly Trapped in Wringer

by Joe Sipowicz2 Comments

A painful extraction was attempted... — A painful extraction is being attempted...

Over the week-end we read some interesting things about the surreptitious “Fair Foundation” and their publicly paid lobb….er, consultant, Dick Ackerman. It transpires that the State AG, Jerry Brown has pulled the plug on legal support for the Fair Board, arguing quite reasonably that the Board majority are members of the clandestine Foundation, and that the taxpayers ain’t gonna pick up the tab to defend their misfeasance. Now they’ll have to pay for their own lawyers, thankfully, and we won’t.

We also learn that Ackerman’s law firm was paid over $19,000 in public funds to do something (not lobbying of course – that would be illegal). We would dearly love to see the billing statement with dates and activities.

Honorary Fringer Vern Nelson has an excellent post this AM over at the OJ blog.

The helpful folks over at the OC Progressive have posted a fun run down here, passing along info gleaned by the Daily Pilot via a public records request.

Despite all the obfuscation and dust kicking up by Foundation apologists, it seems like the truth will emerge.

December 7, 2009December 28, 2009Big Brother

Carona Love Letters Protrude from Craig Hunter’s Stakeholders

by Travis55 Comments

Perhaps the felonious Mike Carona promised them that these letters would not be released to the public. Or maybe Greg Block and Bill Prentice owed Carona a huge favor. Whatever the reason, these two leaders of the OCCCWS PAC wrote fluffy letters in support of disgraced ex-sheriff Mike Carona when he was about to be sentenced for his crime earlier this year.

Already mentioned was the fact that these two are backing Anaheim cop Craig Hunter for OC Sheriff. We even supposed that they were instrumental in getting the candidate to run, given that they threw out rumors of his candidacy and announced his run before even Craig Hunter himself could put the word out.

Not A Good Resume Cover — This letter is off to a bad start

The Capistrano Dispatch published a long list of letters sent to the court in support of Carona before his sentencing. In Greg Block’s letter to Judge Guilford (Exhibit 11), he wrote gems like “Mike Corona (sp) is a good man with a big heart” and “Mike gave his time and heart to the County of Orange making it a better place”.

Sure he did. And then he earned himself 66 months in federal prison.

The founder of OCCCWS, Bill Prentice, also wrote his own sappy letter (Exhibit 46). It was slightly less embarrassing, but went down the same slimy path of asking Judge Guilford to let Carona off the hook.

So why did Block write this shameful letter? If you remember our last post on this subject, you know that Carona allowed Greg Block to have special access inside the OCSD and Greg used that access to promote his firearms training business and taunt CCW applicants. Block’s access to the department has been hindered since Carona’s departure, and he looks to be attempting to restore his insider access to the department through candidate Craig Hunter.

Bottom line: There is no question that Craig Hunter is backed by Carona insiders and apologists.

December 6, 2009January 16, 2010Dead heads

And So It Begins. We Called It

by Joe Sipowicz17 Comments

Well, we called it all right. Matthew J. Cunningham had just invited one Cynthia Ward, AKA “Colony Rabble” to blog on the quickly purpling Red County Blog. He caught a lot of flack from us and one of his own bloggers, Allan Bartlett, for bringing in an obvious RINO into his herd.

It was clear to everybody that Ms. Ward’s sole function was to promote the Supervisorial campaign of Democrat Tom Daly. To his own bloggers he claimed that Ward was there to provide Anaheim coverage. Mr. Cunningham actually had the nerve to show up on our blog to claim that we couldn’t prove anything, and that he was a model of toleration and open mindedness, and, that in any case he could only think of one thing he disagreed with Ward about – the Suncal project.

He obviously wasn’t thinking about it very hard, and fortunately Colony herself immediately provided the example of Proposition 8 that she opposed, as a point of disagreement – a real watershed issue if ever there was one. Now there’s a shot to the shorts in the credibility department.

But we digress. Sorry about that. The following sparkling comment made by Ms. Ward on her new blog was just forwarded to us by a observant Friend:

Sidhu and Galloway will both be shocked that they cannot buy their way into this seat. But I am as appalled as you that they both just begged to be put back into Council seats they clearly do not respect or value. A recall could be interesting, but there are bigger fish to fry in the coming months. Not the hill I want to die on. At least not right this minute. I might be pursuaded later. For now, go find a good candidate (like Daly) to back and give that your energy. Defeating them with a good Supe would be the ultimate revenge. Go get ’em.

A good candidate like Daly?Hmm. Well we did call it: dish dirt on Sidhu and Galloway to help clear the Anaheim field for John Lewises Democratic candidate Tom Daly. Yup. Pretty transparent.

December 5, 2009December 12, 2016Downtown Fullerton

High Culture At Last Comes to Downtown Fullerton

by Jan Florys Dog6 Comments

Brains and ambition... — Brains and ambition. The current events quiz approaches.

As the interim FFFF Life and Times Editor, I have been remiss. I guess I missed the event yesterday, but apparently a KROQ radio show turned up at the Slidebar in DTF to put on their regular Miss Double D-cember program, an uplifting show that gives its participants an opportunity to display their manifest talent(s), and the spectators (seemingly of both sexes) a chance to inspect those talents. The program also featured a Gene Simmons look-alike, a dwarf, and a bunch of Marines in dress uniform. I’m pretty sure this event was not subsidized by the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency.

Here’s a link to the thought provoking (OC Weekly, naturally) photo montage.

For me, one question remains. Why are Marines so short?