Dec
18
Los Al City Council Schedules 2 Meetings for Monday, 12/21
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(12/25/2009, Los Alamitos) The Los Alamitos City Council’s last Regular Meeting of the year has a heavy agenda of items, due in part to the cancelation of what would have been the first Regular Meeting of 2010. But before the Council can get to that heavy agenda at 7 p.m. Monday night, they have a special meeting called for 5:30 p.m. to Read more
Dec
4
“Snail paper update:” Lost in the fog?
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(12/4/2009, 7:54 A.M.) Forget my ship coming in–I’d just like my “morning” newspaper to arrive while it’s still morning. Preferably before I leave for my first appointment!
There still doesn’t seem to be much improvement in the late delivery in Los Alamitos of the three main daily print newspapers that we first mentioned here two weeks ago.
Reporting from the “south of Farquahr” front, after a couple of days of on-time delivery while a “supervisor” was apparently Read more
Oct
31
Zoning, city attorney, city manager, & public access on Los Al City Council’s Monday Agenda
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(10/31/09, Los Alamitos, by Dave Emerson) Once again we have an interesting agenda set for this coming Monday’s regular City Council meeting.
The meeting includes a closed session to discuss Read more
Oct
24
(Los Alamitos, 10/24/2009) The Los Alamitos Area Chamber of Commerce’s 8th Annual car & aircraft show runs this Sunday from 9 – 4 at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base.
Once again, both parking and admission are free.
The Chamber is again anticipating Read more
Sep
19
Agenda & your real time reporting & comments on Monday, 9/21 Los Al City Council Meeting
Filed Under Uncategorized | 46 Comments
Lake Oroville, February 2008. Reservoirs throughout California are running too low too often.
(Los Alamitos, 9/21/2009) Tonight’s Los Alamitos’ City Council will use two meetings to cover a wide variety of topics. (Agenda below)
At 6:30 p.m. the Council meets in Special Session to Read more
Jun
25
Blogger on strike?
Filed Under Uncategorized | 21 Comments
(by Dave Emerson) OK, friends and citizens. I am trying to get more of your content here. What do you want covered, what do you think most needs fixed with Los Al, what do you like? Read more
Jun
8
Banned on Lampson? 7,500 pound Ford 2001 F-250 4 x 4
(6/8/09) According to a Register online report earlier today, tonight the Seal Beach City Council will consider a proposal to ban all trucks heavier than 6,000 pounds from traveling down Lampson.
This is part of the ongoing angst of some College Park East residents about the Joint Forces Training Base’s pilot Green Waste Recycling Program. Specifically, some residents object to Base Commanding Officer General Combs’ plans for trucks carrying the greenwaste to access the Base via Lampson.
These CPE residents object to the planned 12 trucks a day traveling one Read more
May
19
8:10 this morning: No waiting on aisle 2!
(5/19, Los Alamitos, by Dave Emerson) Which is worse: a $23 billion deficit with 2 years of tax increases or a $15 billion deficit with 4 years of tax increases.
Those are the two options our duly elected rocket scientists in Sacramento came up with for we, the people, to choose between.
Today you and I get to decide which is the lesser evil: Runaway taxes or major budget cuts.
For the record, I voted no on 1 A-C and yes on 1 D-F, although D and E were a bit of a coin toss. If you want to know why, or to catch a mini-debate on school vouchers, Read more
Mar
13
Happy Friday the 13th!
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(3/13/09, Friday) Another sunny day. Forecast high of 69 degrees, “plentiful sunshine.” (Guess our weather forecaster is a frustrated writer?) 0% chance of precipitation. Just another gorgeous day here in Paradise. What’s unlucky about today?
Well, maybe it’s unlucky for our beleagured city staff–today’s not one of those biweekly “dark Fridays” where they get the day off. On the other hand, at least they get to spend their day in lovely Los Alamitos.
A friend of mine likes to say “Every day above ground is a good day.” (No, he’s not a miner.) That’s a good way to look at it. That would mean that if you’re reading this, then today is your lucky day!
The Biblical Psalmist expressed a positive approach to each day about 3,000 years ago in verse 24 of Psalm 118:
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Have a good day!
Mar
2
Dean Grose resigns from City Council
Filed Under Uncategorized | 16 Comments
(March 2nd, 2009, by Dave Emerson) In a letter to Los Alamitos City Manager Nita McKay and the Los Alamitos City Council dated today, Los Alamitos Mayor and City Council Member Dean Grose announced his resignation from the Los Alamitos City Council.
Here’s the complete text of the brief letter:
For the love of my community and the health and well being of my family, I am submitting my resignation as City Council Member.
Thank you, Mr. Grose.
The spotlight now turns to who will become mayor, how a replacement Council person will be selected, and if either of the two disappearing Council Members who nominated and seconded Mayor Grose over Mayor Pro Tem Mejia also need to go. Read more
Jan
20
Proud to be an American
Filed Under National Issues, Uncategorized | 7 Comments
A peaceful and amicable transfer of power
As someone who has met the ugly face of prejudice all too often, whether as a Realtor or back when I was teaching in the inner city schools of Los Angeles, or as a youth worker at Rev. E. V. Hill’s Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in South Central Los Angeles in the 1970s, I’m still amazed that this day has come.
I’m also proud of the way we transfer power in this country.
These are some of my thoughts on this historic day. Perhaps you’d like to share some of yours in the comments box below. Read more
Nov
11
(by Dave Emerson) “If you aim at nothing, you’re sure to hit it.”
We all know that setting goals and establishing priorities are critical to getting things done. Even more critical is staying focused on those goals, not letting the “tyranny of the urgent” or of mundane operations divert our focus.
I still believe that a first step towards uniting our community and truly moving our town forward is for the Council to find a few critical goals almost everyone agrees with, then to get everyone working towards the achievement of those goals. Working together towards goals we all “own” builds teamwork.
The Council regularly adopts goals, and regularly ignores them. Cat Driscoll recently mentioned that part of the problem may be adopting too many goals. Certainly when we attempt too much we accomplish too little. The question is, are there two or three key goals that almost everyone can agree should be a top priority for the council this year?
Many come to mind. Improve traffic flow. Improve resident and business service at city hall. Reduce wasteful spending. Reduce the utility tax. Increase sales tax revenue. Establish long term plans for where we want our city to be in 20, 30, and 50 years. Improve team spirit. Improve employee morale. Hire an outstanding City Administrator. Hire more police officers. Plant more trees. Work with our schools. Try to relocate one middle school to the south to reduce traffic and increase sales tax income.
You may have a few of your own.
I’ve got some thoughts about goals and priorities I want to share in a few days, but first I’d really like to hear from you.
What do you think? Just indicate your answer in the comment box below. (No box? Scroll up, click on the blue “Comment(s)” below the headline, & the box will appear.) Your “name” can be anything you want, but it becomes public. Your e-mail does not. Please try to maintain the respectful and polite tone we strive for.
Working together, we really can fix Los Al!
Nov
1
(by Dave Emerson) Guess I’m gonna be keeping my OC Register subscription a long time.
In an October 30 on line article, Jaimee Lynn Fletcher, the Register’s Los Alamitos reporter reviewed the most recent mandated campaign contribution and expenditure filings for the four remaining candidates in the Los Alamitos City Council race. Here’s what she had to say about me:
First-time candidate Dave Emerson, who has claimed an independent campaign from the beginning, has stayed true to his word, according to the most recent campaign filings.
Emerson took out a $2,000 loan during the first filing period, which covers July 1 to Sept. 30 for his campaign expenses. He has yet to accept any money from residents or businesses and had no financial activity from Oct. 1 to 18.
Actually, the $2,000 was a donation from my wife and I to my campaign, not a loan. I have loaned myself some additional money (and spent it!) since the 18th, and also received a total of $600 in contributions from individuals. But I’m spending a fraction of the projected $100,000 Mr. Briggeman seems to be putting into the campaign to defeat myself and Ken Parker. The sad thing is that a lot of that money is going into very expensive mailers filled with distortions, lies, and character assassination.
All of which ends up with me spending too much time decrying Mr. Briggeman’s abuses of our system, and not enough dealing with my key priorities and issues like traffic, resident service, and teamwork.
Well, in 3 more days we’ll find out if, with the help of the good people of Los Alamitos, this independent, underspending David will be able to defeat the giant Briggeman/Sylvia/Poe/Stephens machine. Right now I’m praying, working hard, and looking for a couple more small stones to load into my slingshot. . . .
Oct
30
Happy Halloween from the Emersons!
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Halloween never really was our favorite holiday. Back when I was teaching school, it meant two days of hyperactive kids leading up to the 31st, then a week of hyper-on-candy kids after.
Barb and I have never been big sugar fans, especially when the kids were young. We’re also not real big fans of witches, devils, & the like, so we looked for Halloween alternatives up until they figured out that their friends were getting bags of candy and they weren’t.
At that point, we gave in to trick or treating, but Barb came up with the clever idea ending Halloween with an “auction” of small toys she had picked up, with the girls bidding quantities of the candy their trick-or-treat candy. Eventually the girls conspired to keep the bids low: They outwitted us!
Still, it’s fun for the kids, and the Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department went all out again this year for their Halloween Carnival at Laurel Park.
Ready to race through the "pumpkin patch" at Los Al's Halloween Carnival Thursday evening
I stopped by to check it out, and was impressed by the turnout, the cute costumed kids, enthusiastic parents, and variety of free events put together by the good people at our Rec Department.
Racing through the maze to search for treats.
Of course, this was all just a preview for the big event taking place tomorrow on streets throughout the city. This is the first time I can remember Halloween coming before Daylight Savings Time ends. That means it there will be a little more daylight for the little ones who start out early. (The other good news is that we get to “fall back” early Sunday morning, so we get an extra hour of sleep Saturday night!)
The little ones were just too cute. The staff had nice photo shoot locations set up, too.
So, please remember to be extra careful driving home or driving around tomorrow. Stay close to the kids, keep an eye on the teens, and let’s all enjoy a safe and friendly Los Alamitos Halloween.
Then it’s time for the election. Now that’s scary!
Oct
29
(by Dave Emerson) News flash: Wednesday night, 10/29, at 7 on LosAlTV, Backstory featured on-the-street interviews with three of the candidates, myself included. It will repeat Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at noon and 7 p.m., and Monday afternoon at 4. It’s approximately 45 minutes.
I’m told due to “excessive heat” I’m “washed out” during parts of my interview. I didn’t think I got that hot, but at least he didn’t say I was “washed up!” Backstory airs on cable & FIOS channels 3.
I’m putting this page up for open comments after the show begins airing. If you’re new to this blog, you may want to scan through the section on comments on “How to use this website.”
The show was filmed in Rossmoor highlands this past Saturday. Three of the four candidates were able to make it.
