Oct
31
Los Al Council Agenda for Monday, 11/1
Filed Under City Council Meetings, Planning & Zoning | 2 Comments
Update on trash lawsuit: Click here (LosAlFacts.com) for the complete text of the filing. Makes a lot of sense to me!
I hope to get up a post with highlights of the filing some time Monday.
For our initial article on the lawsuit, see “Top OC attorney files suit alleging payback & lawbreaking in trash contract”
(10/31/2010)If it’s anything like 2008′s election-eve City Council meeting, Monday night’s 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall should be quite interesting (click here for my 11/4/2008 post, “CPLA Crew goes down swinging wildly”)
The public comments near the beginning promise to be the most interesting. Apart from expressing concerns about how this year’s campaign was conducted, it’s an excellent chance to express the need to take more time & hold town hall meetings on the two massive projects currently moving full speed ahead:
- Tenets 25 year plan that locks in their rights & traffic mitigation priorities ahead of everyone else.
- A massive redesign of Los Al Blvd. north of Katella, narrowing the street and emphasizing pedestrian, bicycles, and public transit for your next trip to get lumber at Ganahl.
The following Monday’s Planning Commission Hearing, 11/8, is the last scheduled public hearing on the Tenet Hospital expansion’s E.I.R., and the period for public comment on the E.I.R., in writing or orally, ends 11/15.
Surprisingly, some doctors at the Los Al Medical Center complex have been sending letters to their patients who live in Los Al telling them, “First and foremost, please VOTE on Tuesday” for “Team DDT” (Dean Zarkos, Dean Grose, and Troy Edgar) because they “are in support of the Los Al Medical Center project.” The letter I saw even included a letter for the patient to send to the City Manager supporting the project, along with an addressed, stamped envelope! Just sign, lick, & seal!
Of course, the letter doesn’t mention the fact that Read more
Oct
31
(Los Alamitos, 10/31/2010) These “Sunday Sermons” are an effort to turn our attention from the mundanities and insanities of life in Los Alamitos to things of a more eternal perspective.
They’re as much “sermons” to myself that you get to listen in to as anything.
They are written from my own Judeo-Christian perspective. You have been warned.
It’s taken from the Lord’s answer to King Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the magnificant Temple Solomon built to honor his and his father’s God:
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. . . .” (II Chronicles 7: 12 – 14)
There is an amazing promise, which I’ve put in bold, embedded in those verses.
It’s contingent upon God’s “people” doing 4 Read more
Oct
30
(October 30,2010, Los Alamitos) When I got today’s seemingly libelous hit piece from Chuck Sylvia’s “Los Alamitos Taxpayers Association,” several thoughts popped into my head:
- Another total lie! (“Warren Kusumoto. . . was forced to resign [from the Traffic Commission] after being exposed for serious ethical lapses.”) I’ve worked with Warren Kusumoto in our local Boy Scout Troop, observed him in action, and spent hours discussing local issues with him. He’s a great guy with a high sense of ethics. He 1) was never forced to resign 2) was never” exposed for ethical lapses,” and 3) probably couldn’t commit a “serious ethical violation” even if he wanted to! (More on this charge in a letter from Warren below)
- Their polling must be showing them the race is tightening–they’ve never attacked Kusumoto before, & they’ve never sent flyers 2 days in a row before.
- Two old lies repeated: Can’t they come up with anything new? I just finished exposing the charges against Mejia yesterday (see “Still more lies from Chuck Sylvia’s LATA“) and the lies against Sheridan last Monday (see “Chuck Sylvia’s worst smear piece yet?“), and Sylvia & his professional hit man is simply repeating the same old lies.
- Wait a minute, who was it that said “If you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it?” That’s what Sylvia’s hired gun is doing! So I did a little research on the quote, and it tended to keep coming back to either Hitler or Read more
Oct
30
(10/30/10, Los Alamitos)I’m off to a soccer game, but before I left, I thought I should get a post up for community discussion of the various flyers, door hangers, & mailers that will certainly arrive at our homes over the weekend.
In fact, they’ve have already been arriving:
Yesterday I got a door hanger from Dean Grose before I’d even gotten up.
Today I met an employee of “Walking Man” who was putting out Troy Edgar door hangers.
A packet of three flyers against Troy, Dean, & Dean was also being passed out, this time by a local volunteer.
And that’s justthe beginning, no doubt, especially with the big lawsuit that just broke late yesterday.
So, without further editorial comment, this is YOUR opportunity to let us know who’s knocking, mailing, or passing out in your Los Alamitos neighborhood, and what you Read more
Oct
29
Top OC attorney files suit alleging payback, lawbreaking in trash contract
Filed Under 2010 Issues, 2010 election, George Briggeman | 26 Comments
Update: Click here for the actual filing by Citizens for a Fair Trash Contract: LosAlFacts.com. 37 very interesting pages.
(10/29/2010, Los Alamitos, CA) According to an OC Register story posted online this afternoon, it looks like Warren Kusumoto, Gerri Graham-Mejia and Brad Sheridan were right after all.
Last summer City Council incumbents Constantine “Dean” Zarkos and Troy Edgar booted 6 year Traffic Commissioner Brad Sheridan when he warned the Council that awarding the trash contract to the second highest bidder could subject the city to expensive litigation.
Fellow Traffic Commissioner Warren went into the great detail we’d expect from an engineer as to exactly how the Council maj0rity was breaking the law.
And Council Member Gerri Mejia, the only member to vote against the bid that was projected to cost ratepayers an extra six and a half million dollars over the next ten years, stated from the dias that the process was “corrupted.”
Wednesday, 10/27, “Citizens for a Fair Trash Contract” proved Kusumoto & Sheridan, & Mejia’s points when they Read more
Oct
29
Still more lies from Chuck Sylvia’s Los Al Taxpayers Ass.!
Filed Under 2010 Issues, 2010 election, C.P.L.A. & L.A.T.A. | 6 Comments
11/16/10 update: Surprisingly, in his Council Comments at last night’s City Council meeting, Council Member Troy Edgar, who was endorsed by Sylvia’s LATA, said he “supported” the exact same “tax incrase” that Sylvia slammed Mejia for in three different flyers prior to this year’s election, as reported in a comment posted last night!! (Los Alamitos 10/29/2010)Another day’s mail, another deceptive flyer against the people’s Trust, Truth, and Transparency team of Warren Kusumoto, Gerri Graham-Mejia, & Brad Sheridan.
If you’re having trouble deciding which team is funded by the special interests who are destroying our precious little town, and which is supported by the citizens, just compare the number of expensive, professional, full color card stock fliers mailed by the DDT team of Dean, Dean, & Troy & their supporters and the number from Warren, Gerri, & Brad & their supporters!
So here’s today’s blatant lies, & the truth, direct from the agenda for that 2/4/08 City Council Meeting referred to in the hit piece:
LIE: “Gerri Graham-Mejia has supported Read more
Oct
29
(10/29/10, Los Alamitos) We’ve got a lot going on over the weekend & through next week:
Tonight: Showers likely, beginning around midnight and lasting into Saturday morning.
Saturday, 10/30 (expect showers until 10 – noon):
Absentee voters: A good idea to get your ballot into the mail today before the last pick up, although Monday will probably work, or you can drop it at any OC polling place. . . but things get busy. It’s not by postmark but by when it arrives at the Registrar’s.
Los Al’s free Halloween Carnival, Laurel Park, 5 -7, with games, crafts, a Halloween movie and more. Looks to me like Revolution Church isn’t involved this year from what I can tell
Don’t set your clocks back! Congress moved that back to the Sunday morning AFTER Halloween a couple years ago.
Sunday, 10/31
Halloween
Monday, 11/1:
7 p.m., City Council Regular meeting : At first glance, not a real heavy agenda, click here to check it out.
Monday, 11/8: 7 p.m. Planning Commission meeting with last public hearing on Los Al Medical Center
That’s what I’ve got so far. . . but I’ll bet you may be aware of some other activities coming up that our neighbors would like to know about. Just click the here: Read more
Oct
29
Good questions to decide how to vote!
Filed Under 2010 election | 2 Comments
(10/29/2010, Los Alamitos)Dave here: I got this yesterday from our weekly “Highlands Guy” contributor, but I was so busy I forgot to get it up.
My, bad, because in this week’s post he adapts questions used for evaluation at one of the world’s largest and most successful companies to evaluating candidates on our ballots.
And this is very timely, because absentee ballots returned by mail must be RECEIVED by the Registrar of Voters by 8 this Tuesday night. POSTMARKS DON’T COUNT!
So, if you don’t want to have to hand your absentee ballot in at any OC polling place, you’d better get it in the mail today or Saturday. After the last pickup Saturday may be too late.
“”Highlands Guy” really has some excellent questions, regardless of which side of the political fence you may be on.
In fact, this post may be one thing we can all agree on. Check it out:
Evaluate Your Choice
by “Highlands Guy:”
The moment of truth is here. Within a few days you will have the opportunity to make a choice that will affect our city for some time to come.
Over the years in my business environment we have had to make choices that have had far-reaching impacts on Read more
Oct
28
Update on this morning’s collision on Los Al Blvd. by St. Hedwig’s
Filed Under Community News, Crime & Police, Traffic | 3 Comments
(10/28/2010, Los Alamitos)from Los Al P.D. reports:
A pedestrian crossing the street at Orangewood Avenue and Los Alamitos Boulevard sustained serious injuries after being struck by a maroon Honda Civic early this morning at approximately 6:51 A.M.
The driver of the Honda Civic was making a left turn from Orangewood Avenue onto Los Alamitos Boulevard when she collided with an adult pedestrian attempting to cross the street in the crosswalk at the time of the collision.
The pedestrian was treated by members of the Orange County Fire Authority and was subsequently transported to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Alcohol Read more
Oct
28
(10/28/2010, Los Alamitos) Only 2 local political flyers in my mail today, but I think that included the 4th or 5th big, glossy, professionally prepared mailer for Dean Zarkos, and the third this week!
Zarkos must have some backers with deep pockets, since the best estimates I’ve received for writing, printing, and mailing pieces like Zarkos’ is $5,000 each.
Somebody must be worried!
2 years ago Ken Stevens got elected with only 2 of these, as I recall, and it was the same flyer mailed twice.
Stevens still ran up enough campaign debt that he needed Zarkos’ Apartment Owners’ Association to help him pay it off.
Shortly before Stevens voted to make Zarkos our new Council Member to replace that other Grose Dean who had resigned.
That was shortly after Zarkos moved into Los Alamitos from Read more
Oct
28
Why? The hand behind Los Al’s puppets, carpetbaggers, mud & chaos?
Filed Under 2010 Issues, 2010 election, City Council, Decency | 2 Comments
(Los Alamitos, 10/28/10) The deeper we get into the mud, lies, and big bucks going into the City Council election for the second smallest town in Orange County, the more I find myself asking, “Why?”
Why would a couple that have lived here so long and care so much about Los Al and our local non-profits allow their name to be put on the most hateful, expensive, and deceitful professionally prepared hit pieces our town has ever seen?
Why would our Council majority want to fast track Tenet’s plan to build our largest Medical Office Building and double the beds in their hospital with two additional buildings twice as high as the current one with almost the bare minimum of public meetings and no “town hall” style meetings on the biggest development project in Los Al’s history?
Why would our Chamber of Commerce endorse two carpetbagging Councilmen with out-of-town businesses and out-of-town residences until shortly before they ran for office? Carpetbaggers who voted for a Consolidated/Republic/Briggeman trash contract that charges our local businesses twice the bin rate of the lowest qualified bidder?
Why would the Orange County Republican Party endorse our disgraced former Mayor and one of those carpetbaggers over4 long term Los Al residents who have all served as City Commissioners or on the Council themselves?
Why is our Council majority also fast-tracking the narrowing of Los Al Blvd., again with no community “Town Hall” style meetings, to adopt an outside agency’s vision for our second busiest street, while shelving that agency’s recommendations for the far busier Katella?
Why would our Mayor, who also cares deeply about our town & our many worthy charities, spend thousands of dollars on a first class letter filled with lies and distortions?
Why would our City Manager choose to discontinue the long standing practice of sending weekly news updates to Council Members rather than comply with the law and make them available to you and me?
Why would the Council majority vote to defund the long standing 4th of July Celebration promised to our residents decades ago, while funding a for-profit fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce?
Why did former Mayor Ron Bates suddenly resign and disappear from local politics, at least publicly?
Why do so many seemingly nice people in our town do so many harmful, mean, & often obviously stupid things?
An epiphany?
I think I finally put the pieces together and figured it out.
But I need your input to see if I got it right.
Last night, Read more
Oct
27
Irwindale Council Arrests: More proof Los Al Taxpayers Ass. is lying!
Filed Under 2010 election, C.P.L.A. & L.A.T.A. | 2 Comments
(10/27/10, Los Alamitos) As reported today by the Associated Press, “Four current and former officials of this small Southern California city were charged Wednesday with spending $14,000 of taxpayers’ money on baseball games and Broadway shows when they were supposed to be working to improve Irwindale’s bond rating.”
Just one more piece of evidence that all the flyers put out over the past two years trashing Gerri Graham-Mejia and Ken Parker were every bit as deceptive as we told you.
Why? Because charges never were filed. And, believe me, if there’s one thing Carol Sylvia believes in, Read more
Oct
27
Your reporting and responses to this week’s News Enterprise and Sun & today’s political mail (10/27/2010)
Filed Under 2010 Issues, 2010 election | 13 Comments
(10/27/2010)Once again it’s time for our weekly post that allows you to report and comment on letters & articles in our local weekly papers.
Since the local political flyers have been arriving so hot and heavy, you’re also encouraged to use this column to report on & discuss any new hit pieces or other flyers you get today, Wednesday, 10/27
Being the last paper before election day, this week’s N-E should be a doozy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see massive advertising for team DDT, as well as Guest Views from Troy and Zarkos or maybe Poe & Stevens.
The letters should Read more
Oct
26
A revealing letter from Lyn Sheridan
Filed Under 2010 Issues, 2010 election, C.P.L.A. & L.A.T.A., Decency | 6 Comments
(Los Alamitos, 10/26/2010) Yesterday, another expensive, horrible hit piece came in our mail courtesy of Chuck Sylvia’s Los Alamitos Taxpayers’ Association, which was primarily funded by George Briggeman in the 2008 election cycle.
This time he was smearing not an incumbent Council Member but a long time resident, family man, and community volunteer who had served for six years on our Traffic Commission with no compensation.
This is the 4th long-time Los Al resident that Chuck Sylvia & company have seen fit to smear. This is the 4th family with children in our schools that Sylvia, Briggeman & their cronies on the Council decided to drag through the mud.
This time, the victim’s spouse e-mailed everyone she knew to protest what was going on.
When I received a copy of Lynn’s e-mail tonight, I asked the Sheridans’ permission to post Lynn’s letter here, along with a family photo from LosAl2010.com.
I think it helps put a human face on what is being done in our small little town.
It’s lengthy, but it’s Read more
Oct
26
Your comments on Tuesday’s Los Al political mail
Filed Under 2010 Issues, 2010 election, Dean Zarkos | 6 Comments
Today's expensive & deceptive Los Al Council election mail
(Los Alamitos, 10/26/2010)Today’s mail brought two more expensive “Team DDT” lies and distortions.
And, once again, no mail from the people’s Truth, Trust, & Transparency team.
Guess which team is getting all the big money from special interests.
Looks like I may have to make this a daily post for the next few days.
Too bad, because I just got up my post summarizing 4 more of Dean Grose’s gross e-mails.
Don’t know if I’ll ever have the time to get up my judges and propositions posts, but the Council race is the one that’s closest to home.
Two years ago Chuck Sylvia explained he and Briggeman had to go to extreme measures because they were trying to unseat incumbents.
Now they’re resorting to extreme measures to protect their incumbents. And, it would appear, spending even more money than they did last year.
Marilyn Poe’s letter
Marilyn’s letter slams Gerri because she for “consistently voted against our actions. . . has verbally attacked Read more