Our old pal Sharon Kennedy just couldn’t help taking a shot at the Friends in her latest edition of the Observer. In a story [it’s on page 8] about the City’s settlement with the County over the bogus Redevelopment expansion she takes her swing: “Chris Norby and his supporters in the FACT and FFF (sic) groups (both groups widely discredited by shameful campaign ads and tactics in past elections)…”
Shameful? Well, hell, we don’t feel the least bit of shame – let alone any sort of discredit, except perhaps from people whose opinion means almost nothing to us. Excuse us, Ms. Kennedy, for pointing out what a loud-mouthed, ignorant blowhard Dick Jones really is – and using his own words to do it!
Much more shameful was the Observer’s slavish endorsement of Jones, an undeniable corn pone numbskull, simply because he is a reliable City staff stooge. That endorsement may have cost Karen Haluza the election. Nice work for a “progressive” operation.
If you go down far enough you might reach China...
And speaking of shameful, will the Observer continue to support council members who have voted to approve massive corporate subsidized housing projects with deficient CEQA findings? Just asking.
Being called shameful by Sharon Kennedy and her yellowing Observer is like being called ugly by a toad.
Yes I am extremely unattractive, but you are even more so...
Our own Travis Kiger met with the Chairman and Treasurer of the Fullerton Collaborative yesterday to review donations to that group from people who might have had business before the City of Fullerton where the Collaborative’s Executive Director, Pam Keller, sits on the city council. He also looked into whether or not the Collaborative had received contributions from developers – people from whom Pam Keller had specifically refused to take campaign contributions.
From the records made available to him, Travis discovered two prominent names: Pelican-Ontario, an affiliate of the Amerige Court project developers, and the egregious Steve Sheldon, pitchman for the massive Jefferson Commons project. Pelican and Sheldon gave $300 and $1000 to the Collaborative, respectively. Bushala Brothers, Inc., local property owners and developers in Fullerton gave $1000 as well.
The issue of the St. Jude Medical Center participation in the Collaborative, and Keller’s December 2007 votes in favor of their large project on the west side of Harbor Boulevard was also discussed at length.
The officers of the Collaborative have claimed that the Executive Director is paid from funds separate from those gathered from donations that support Collaborative activities. That may or may not be accurate, but it is true that the typical budget for “Faces of Fullerton,” for instance, includes $5000 for staff salary, and the Collaborative only has one employee – Keller. The larger issue is that contributions made to the Collaborative could, and may have gone to pay for the contract with FSD for Keller’s services. Is it really necessary to parse out different accounts?
The Collaborative leaders also related that in the future they will scrutinize and pre-approve all donations; but that is not any of our business. Our business throughout this affair has been to find out if Pam Keller has been voting on projects applied for by members and contributors to the Collaborative (she has), and whether she has solicited donations from the very developers who she refused to take money from for her campaign (she has).
In conclusion, we make no accusations of illegal behavior on anyone’s part; but is it ethical of Pam Keller to refuse developer campaign contributions only to turn around and solicit them for the Collaborative – an entity she is paid to run? We don’t think so. When she ran for council in 2006 Keller made a big deal about letting the development process be driven by public participation – rather than by outside developers. Her votes to approve the gigantic Jefferson Commons and Amerige Court projects were baffling to many who no doubt took her campaign promises at face value.
One of our Friends sent of the tidbit from the Capitol Morning Briefing:
(Linda) Ackerman for Assembly 2009 (72nd AD), reception, donation levels $3900, $2000, 5:30 p.m., Spataro, 1415 L St. Contact: 714 731 2233.
It seems that the carpetbagging object of our disaffection is having a fundraiser tonight at Spataro. Never heard of the place? That’s because it’s in Sacramento – right across from the Capitol building. What a place for the squadron of capital lobbyists to descend, en mass, and start their, er, investment in Mrs. Ackerman.
Okay, if you want milk, you go find a cow (we’ll let you figure out which is which), but really, wouldn’t it have been nice if Mrs. Ackerman held an event in her own district, at least to show the flag?
$3900 buys you a lot of good government!
Oh, that’s right. She doesn’t live in our district, and it looks like she intends to finance her way to Sacramento – from Sacramento; where Dick Ackerman met a lot of monied interests in his tenure up there.
From here you can get a great view of the lobbyists at Spataro!
But, Mrs. Ackerman, sooner or later you will actually have to show up in the 72nd!
We have all heard about multiple families living in a single dwelling – a problem that is increasingly plaguing Orange County. Well, apparently the problem is encroaching “up on the hill” where folks like Doc Jones are doin’ all right.
Who gets to sleep up top?
It seems that the Ackerman clan has finally found itself a suitable address in Fullerton, on Lindendale, that will qualify the Missus to run for the State Assembly in a district where they don’t live. Only problem is that somebody else already lives there! We checked out the address and the abode already has inhabitants. Now, that’s not very good, is it? Bad for property values!
The sham candidate from Irvine who is dodging the clear intent of California’s Constitution is supposedly shacking up with another family. Eeeew! A phony candidacy decorated with a phony residence. That’s consistent, at least. What’s the matter? Didn’t Dick want to spring for a first and last month’s rent?
What's the big deal? it's not like we plan on spending any time there!
One of OCs most prominent political lackeys, John Lewis gofer Matt Cunningham, tried to insult us yesterday by referring to us as the “Fringe For Fullerton’s Future.” Of course he has good reason to dislike us since we were the ones to stick the Fart Boy tag on him – in reference to his general toadying to establishment power structures – wherever they may be found. And we’re happy he is following our blog.
To an individual like Cunningham we appear fringe. And you know what? He’s right!
We avoid the dead political center where everybody peddles his or her ass as hard as they can for some putrid little favor or advancement. We avoid the amorphous mass that always seems to create moist pockets of rank air where the consultant/lobbyist types can burrow in and find a home; where carpetbaggers that you happen to like, or fear, can get a wink and a free pass; where being conservative only means what is typed on a party membership card; where drones like the above mentioned Cunningham are held in anything except contempt for the shills they are; where right and left are just different labels for alternating groups of organized crime rings who treat government like their own private plantation and who are perfectly happy to rob their constituents with the stroke of a pen.
It wasn’t us fringers that brought forth Mike Duvall. Or who protected Mike Carona all those years.
It's nice and well-upholstered here in the center!
We are fringe! And we feel pretty damn good about it. It means we are free from the servility and stoogery that keeps a loud-mouthed imbecile like Dick Jones in office year after year; free from the petty self-interest that supports brain-dead ideas foisted on the populace by an incompetent Redevelopment bureaucracy; free from the fear that governs the other 50% of lackeydom.
Well, hell, there's no profit on the edge!
It’s sort of like swimming in the deep end of the pool. While the Cunninghams of the world dogpaddle around the shallow end in their waterwings and pretend to be fighting big naval battles at sea, we’re actually taking on a real power structure even though it may only be from out here on the fringe. We do it because that’s where the real fun is. And maybe even the best future.
I'm a big boy now!
Yes we are the Fringe For Fullerton’s Future. Bring it on, ring-kissers and lackeys!
We received an e-mail the other day from a Friend calling herself “Lady Artist.” It was a good letter and it made some excellent points so we agreed to publish it.
Didn't they put a moustache on the Mona Lisa?
The City of Fullerton has proven to be a faithless custodian of a modern architectural gem. I have come to the conclusion that the best fate of the building that has come to be known as the Hunt Branch Library is to give it back to the Norton Simon Foundation or, at least to someone who will appreciate it.
William Pereira designed this building in concert with a larger, integrated development; a site plan that included the Hunt Administration Building and coordinated landscape that included a reflecting pool and “floating” concrete slabs and steps. Over the years the property has been partitioned by a fence, the reflecting pool filled in by its new owners, with new and comically bad architecture burdening the site. Perhaps most insulting of all, the City has put a “bark park” on the grounds next to the library.
A bark park. Great for dogs, insulting for a work of art. Unless by art you mean a group of dogs playing poker.
Fullertonians may not know art, but they know what they like.
I believe that almost anybody would be a more reliable guardian of this building than the City has shown itself to be. The homeless people who camp out under the extended roof seem to appreciate it more than the City does.
I also believe the present location for a branch library couldn’t be worse. It is not well known, and frankly, I question the number of users claimed by the Library itself in its annual counts. Why continue to fund a branch library at this near-hidden location when neither north nor east Fullerton have branch libraries at all; not to mention that the existence of the Hunt Branch would probably come as a complete surprise to most west Fullerton denizens? But these are separate issues in themselves, and I digress.
For years I’ve heard all this weeping and wailing about how Fullerton could have had the Norton Simon Museum. Why mourn that? Fullerton doesn’t deserve it. Never did. The inescapable evidence is on display at the Hunt Branch every day of the year.
Let’s give it back to Norton Simon, with our thanks; and our apologies for not recognizing the architectural legacy that he gave us.
Thank you, Lady Artist, for a thought-provoking piece.
Our old Friend Allan Bartlett has posted a provocative piece over at the otherwise dreary Red County blog here. The thrust of it is that Linda Ackerman doesn’t appear to be qualified to serve in the State Legislature for the 72nd District. How come? Allan cites this problematic language in the State Constitution, in Article 4, Section 2(c), to wit:
(c) A person is ineligible to be a member of the Legislature
unless the person is an elector and has been a resident of the
legislative district for one year, and a citizen of the United States
and a resident of California for 3 years, immediately preceding the
election.
Well, Linda Ackerman has been living in a secret gated community in the 70th Assembly District for almost a decade. Hmm…
But Fullerton has never been out of my thoughts...
We’ll have to see what the election lawyers have to say about this.
An ethics award? Me? Okay now whatever you do don't laugh out loud!
We came across this amusing tidbit the other day. According to a State Assembly website with background info on slime ball Mike Duvall, he was presented with an Ethics in America award by Chapman University back in 2000 here’s the link. Check out this gem at the bottom of the bio: Chapman University awarded Duvall the Ethics in America Award for his “demonstration of the highest standards of ethical integrity” while a member of the Chamber team (italics ours).
Now we have always got a kick out of the way Chapman and its president, Jim Doti. likes to hobnob with the rich and sycophanticize the powerful as he promotes his mission to destroy the City of Orange, er build Chapman, but this one is a bit much. At the time Duvall was merely the boss of the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce.
This town ain't big enough for the two of us...
Today we found another website that beat us to posting the information here and, apparently, a Chapman University spokeshole is trying to slide out from under the association with this award – whatever the hell it is, but not altogether successfully. Read the comments.
Note also how Chapman seems to have a mania for tracking down on-line references to itself – pretty creepy as well as insecure – so we may be getting a comment!
Anyhoo, the whole thing is sort of funny so we pass it along to the Friends for whatever entertainment value it contains.
For years our Congressman Ed Royce has been screwing the people of Fullerton by supporting and promoting a crew of utterly lame-ass Republicans for City Council gigs. Judging by appearances, this biblical succession of intellectual and philosophical dwarfs was meant to thwart Democrat victories, and at the same time none of these zeros had any potential for challenging Royce in the future.
How else can one explain the likes of Dick Jones, Julie Sa, Mike Clesceri, or Leland Wilson on Fullerton’s City Council – all promoted at one time or another by Ed Royce? We won’t even bother to address the issue of the pro-educrat RINO zombies on the Fullerton School Board that Royce has supported.
But now he’s really gone too far. Although the news has been oddly hushed up, he has apparently endorsed Linda Ackerman to succeed the scum-suck Mike Duvall – whom he also endorsed. It was reported here by the OC GOPs other uber slime-blob, Adam Probolsky (he got a gun from Carona, too). Does it bother Royce that Mrs. Ackerman has no experience, no record, and no residence in the district? Maybe that explains the fact that this endorsement has gotten little air play – Ed doesn’t really want us to know about it. Especially when a real small government Republican, Chris Norby, is in the race.
Adam Probolsky and Mrs. Ackerman share the joy of Republicanism for Fun & Profit
We are sick to death of Royce trying, and succeeding, to stick us with this series of ciphers under the pretext that anything is better than a Democrat. The constant interference in local politics is annoying enough; but to do so with an eye for his own self-interest is selfish and irresponsible, even for a politician and, frankly, more that just a little cowardly. Come on Ed. Time to start stepping up and doing the right thing by your constituents.
Lest anyone believes the special election to replace scummer Mike Duvall in the 72nd Assembly seat will be a model of decorum, we will disabuse them of that misconception right now.
Chris Norby can run on his political record – because at least he has one. His principal opponent in the GOP primary, Linda Ackerman, has no record other than being married to the once-powerful, and still venomous Dick Ackerman, and she doesn’t even live in our district. But the Ackermans have an ally.
That ally is named Ed Roski. Never heard of him? Roski is a hyper-wealthy LA real estate guy (Majestic Realty) and virtually controls the City of Industry as his personal fiefdom. The City of Industry is the single biggest Redevelopment scam in the history of California, and Roski’s latest big idea is to steal a professional football team – the San Diego Chargers were a likely target for a move northward – to a new stadium at the confluence of the 57 an 60 freeways. Since Norby has openly attacked the phony City of Industry and the NFL theft, he has incurred the wrath of Roski, so the story goes, who is supposedly as vindictive as he is rich. In other words a perfect playmate for Dick Ackerman.
According to local political theorists, the plan is laid. The Ackermans keep their South County hands clean vis-a-vis Norby, and continue to show up at Central Committee meetings with smirks and innocent shrugs; and Roski does the dirty work on Norby. Nice folks, huh?
Well, get ready, Friends. Absentee ballots are mailed out in a couple weeks. A tidal wave of slime is on its way.
