Even if you’re not from California, you might find this amusing. A special election is being held Nov. 17 to fill a vacant seat for Assembly District 72.
The main candidates are Chris Norby, an Orange County supervisor, and Linda Ackerman, the wife of former Republican Senate leader and current lobbyist Dick Ackerman.
One hit piece being put out by the Ackerman campaign brings up a sexual harassment suit against Norby that was dismissed in court. According to one account, the accusing woman said Norby “made remarks about her legs.”
Isn’t the point of a woman showing her legs that men notice them?
Heh-heh. If it's not done in a backroom it's not a real deal!
Acting as an agent for a group of OC Fairboard members that wants to purchase the OC Fairgrounds, Dick Ackerman lobbied to pass legislation last summer that would enable the sale. At least that’s what is being asserted at the OC Progressive blog, here. Apart from the dubious gain to the citizens of the State and Orange County, there is another problem. State law prohibits former Legislators from lobbying in Sacto for a year after they leave office. And Ackerman had only been out of office for six months. Here’s the awkard bit:
87406. (a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the Milton Marks Postgovernment Employment Restrictions Act of 1990.
(b) No Member of the Legislature, for a period of one year afterleaving office, shall, for compensation, act as agent or attorney for, or otherwise represent, any other person by making any formal or informal appearance, or by making any oral or written communication, before the Legislature, any committee or subcommittee thereof, any present Member of the Legislature, or any officer or employee thereof, if the appearance or communication is made for the purpose of influencing legislative action.
Hmm. As a law and order Repuglican Dick ought to know better. But maybe this is another one of those pesky rules that the ‘Pugs just like to call “unenforceable” or anti-free speech, or some other nonsense. It’s also worth noting that Ackerman’s clients on the Fair board are now accused of violating open meeting laws in order to orchestrate the insider scam.
Over at the OJ blog the irrepressible Vern Nelson is publicizing a protest meeting in Costa Mesa, and actually gives props to Mike Duvall for opposing the sale. Odd, if true, because you can bet Dick lobbied his political godson hard. Coincidentally, Duvall is now gone, and Ackerman’s wife, Ackerwoman, is running to replace him on a strong ethics platform.
Well, that platform just got another couple of its legs kicked out from under it. And remember, Dick “speaks for his wife.”
Why did I (and many others) advocate the removal of the Silk Floss trees in downtown Fullerton? Damaged and dangerous sidewalks for one thing. And slimy-skinned, scrotum-shaped pod bombs, giant wafting cotton swabs, and naked spike armored monstrosities, depending on the season, for another. And let’s not forget the blocked architectural elevations, signage, etc.
About ten years ago the City started removing a few of the worst offending silk flossers and replacing them with some other brand of tree. Of course they plopped the new ones right back in the same holes as before – rather than plant them at property lines where they wouldn’t block architectural elevations and business signs so badly.
And of course it never occurred to the clever folks in Redevelopment that these trees, wedged into the narrow sidewalk space would never develop proper crowns and generally look like wretched half-trees.
Now that the big Harbor Boulevard redesign (you know the one that killed on-street parking, created a traffic tunnel, and doomed regularly functioning storefronts) is nearing its 30th birthday it seems like a good time to readdress the mess that Redevelopment has caused on Harbor and talk about a different model.
The Orange Line is comming to town, perhaps at the wrong time. Not only did the OCTA use eminent domain to grab 8 acres of property from my brother, but they also removed much-needed parking at the Transportation Center before the new parking structure was built. Talk about a bumbling construction schedule. Oh well that’s government for you.
Let’s be realistic. No matter how dire the situation gets, there’s no way our brain-dead state legislature will ever find their way out of California’s massive black hole of public employee pensions. Most of our representatives are too entrenched, too well-lobbied and too gutless to take effective action against the powerful public employee unions.
Thankfully someone is going to put real reform out for a vote to the people. Our Friends over at the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility have filed two pension reform initiatives with the state Attorney General’s office on Thursday, which will be put on the 2010 California ballot after the foundation gathers enough signatures to qualify.
Say, how did that happen?
The initiatives would apply a benefits cap to the benefit plans offered to all new state, local government, school district, university and special district employees beginning July 1, 2011. Savings to taxpayers are expected to reach over 500 billion dollars over the next 30 years if adopted.
The plan saves money by limiting guaranteed benefits for government works to 75% of pay and requiring employees to wait until they reach MediCare eligibility age before retiree health benefits kick in.
California will never escape the budget crisis and its massive unfunded pension liabilities without enacting legislation built on solid fiscal principles. CFFR spells out the new rules in “The 10 Commandments”
Honor all pension contracts
Death and disability benefits shall not be changed
Pension benefits must be fair and adequate
Pension benefits must be guaranteed
Pension spiking abuse must be discouraged
Future generations should not pay retirement costs for today’s workers
Retiree health funds must not be diverted to any other purpose
Retirement benefit costs must be sustainable
Local agency voters shall retain the right to change benefits
Bankruptcies must be avoided
Democrat Bill Lockyer has admitted that the state will go bankrupt without serious changes to the pension system. Will angry voters support reform in 2010? I think so.
The other day one of our Friends, an entrenched member of the Green Party, got a spam e-mail at his GP address from: drum roll…..Linda Ackerman.
Now there isn’t a chance in hell that this guy or any of his kindred spirits are going to vote for a Republican, let alone one that lives in Irvine; especially when they have a perfectly fine Greenie in Jane Rands.
We have already related how Mrs. Ackerman has tried to court non-Reeps by slithering out from under her own Repuglican rock; only to alienate local Republican stalwarts. She’s still trying to scrape the elephant dung off her shoes after that misstep.
We have also been told that Ackerwoman is advertising on cable TV during the day. Well there’s a no-brainer. And we mean that literally.
I gave Adam Probolsky fifteen grand and he told me I look good on TV
Friends, check out the Linda Ackerwoman campaign expense report at the California Secretary of State’s website.
We noticed this odd line item.
10/19/2009
ACKERMAN, DICK
OFFICE EXPENSES
$654.40
Ackerwoman’s campaign forked over $654 bucks to her husband under the crypric description of “office expenses.”
Heh heh. Never miss a trick.
Could Dick actually be charging his wife’s campaign for some sort of services rendered? Well, why not? She made a killing as a “consultant” on his campaigns, and what the Hell, turnabout is fair play, right? Too bad the campaign won’t turn a profit.
We do have to wonder what kind of total Dick will rack up by the time Ackerman, Inc. is done squeezing every drop out of lobbyists.
Remember this one? It seems that some enterprising Russians have been sharing this clip with their pals in Mockba. So we thought, what the heck! If it’s good enough for Ivan, it’s good enough for the voters of the 72nd District – to be reminded THAT ACKERMAN, INC. DOES NOT LIVE IN OUR DISTRICT! OH, NO. NOT EVEN CLOSE. THE WOMAN WHO WANTS TO REPRESENT NORTH ORANGE COUNTY IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY LIVES IN IRVINE, AND HAS DONE SO FOR TEN YEARS!
It’s time to bring an end to the carpetbagging campaign of Linda Ackerman. Please join Chris Norby in a precinct walk for his campaign for the 72nd Assembly District.
This race is an opportunity to send a reformer to Sacramento and to say “NO” to the business as usual politicians and special interest groups.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009
10am-1pm
Meet at:
CHRIS NORBY’S HOME
216 N. YALE
FULLERTON
Morning refreshments will be provided. For further questions or to confirm your attendance, please call 714-937-1005.
State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, a consumate Sacramento insider who for years was part of the legislative problem, seems to have seen the light. Here he is testifying on legislative reform. He takes his fellow Dems to the woodshed and it ain’t pretty. But it is entertaining.
The main candidates are Chris Norby, an Orange County supervisor, and Linda Ackerman, the wife of former Republican Senate leader and current lobbyist Dick Ackerman.
