Troy Edgar and Dean Zarkos' illegal signs on fenced lot before their removal
(Los Alamitos, 9/29/2010) Just drove by the vacant lot on the corner, ironically enough, of Briggeman and Los Alamitos. (I’m not making this up. . . . I’m not that good!)
The lot’s as empty as the City’s cupboard once the current majority gets done with us.
In other words, Troy Edgar & Dean Zarkos’ three massive signs were removed today, as the bank that owns the lot told us they would be.
Troy’s signs, as we reported earlier in Troy Edgar ‘muddies the water?’, plagiarized his opponents’ slogan, “Truth, Trust, and Transparency.” Only he added, “Leading with.” How ironic is that, “leading” by copying?
About as ironic as claiming to be truthful, trustworthy, and transparent while stealing someone else’s motto, then putting it on someone else’s fenced private property.
Look like that flyer that landed on my porch last weekend quoting Troy saying that the use of eminent domain was among his top three priorities was right on the money.
Looks like my fellow Realtor, Dean Zarkos, never read our Realtor’s creed about private property rights either. No wonder he didn’t mind doubling local landlord’s and businesses’ trash bin collection fees as compared with the low bidder on the trash contract:
Monthly rate, standard commercial trash bin:
Consolidated bid: $117.23 per month
Athens Disposal bid: $57.45 per month
Our Council Majority (Edgar & Zarkos) charged Los Al landlords, renters, & businesses 104% more, just as they charged all Los Al trash collection ratepayers $6.5 million more to give the bid to the people that gave them thousands of dollars in campaign contributions & their associates.
At least Zarkos didn’t plagiarize the original “Truth, Trust, and Transparency” team’s logo.
In view of Troy’s commitment to “Leading with Truth, Trust, and Transparency,” I sent him an e-mail early this morning to get to the bottom of the sign issue:
from Dave Emerson
to ”Troy Edgar (Personal)” <troy@troyedgar.com>
tedgar@globalconductor.com,
tedgar@ci.los-alamitos.ca.usdate Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 6:15 AM
subject A couple quick questions
mailed-by gmail.com
6:15 AM (13 hours ago)
Troy,
There’s been some discussion on the blog of your large signs on the vacant between Serpentine and Briggeman/Sausalito on Los Alamitos Blvd.
In the interest of “Truth, Trust, and Transparency,” did you or your campaign people obtain permission from the property owner?
Expecting a speedy and honest answer,
Dave Emerson
Realtor, Broker-Associate since 1980
As you can see, I sent the e-mail to all three of Troy’s e-mail addresses that I had. (These are all public e-mails, so I don’t think there’s a problem sharing them. If there is, Troy knows my e-mail & my cell so he can let me know.)
As you can see, it’s been 13 hours since I sent the e-mail, & he hasn’t gotten back to me yet.
Just doesn’t sound like “Leading with Truth, Trust, and Transparency” to me. Sounds more like Bell.
It’s your city. To get involved:
- forward this link to anyone you know who lives or works in Los Al. The 2 “share this” options make it easy.
- Call 562-546-2052 and volunteer, donate, and/or ask for a sign, or
- Go to LosAl2010.com, the original Truth, Trust, & Transparency website, click on the “Support” tab at the top, and donate online, read up on the candidates, even make up a letter to e-mail your Los Al friends or pass out to your neighbors.
It’s time to take our city back, and people power means you!
That’s my opinion, but this is an open site, and all opinions are welcome, as long at they’re expressed honestly, diplomatically, with polite language, and with consistent use of names or “handles.”
What do you think?
The signs are down. . . wonder where they’ll appear next. My money’s on Briggeman’s buildings, including the one facing the Los Al Post Office where “Our most trusted voice” had her massive signs two years ago.
Related posts:
How in the world can council members Edgar and Zarkos lead with Truth, Trust and Transparency when they put signs up on a lot without permission from the owner. And these weren’t just little signs on the fence. How did they get in there to build these signs? Did they sneak over in the middle of the night?
This is a huge character flaw and exactly what I was talking about earlier. Honesty is something that you can not teach a grown man. You either have it or you don’t.
Zarkos and Edgar are carpetbaggers You can wear a nice suit and expensive watch and drive a big black Mercedes, but it’s all for show. There is nothing of substance on the inside.
You can get away with it for awhile, but the truth always comes out.
How sad for the community, you fooled them once. I hope they are paying attention and will take care of this problem on Nov 2.
BTW I am looking forward to the lie you will tell about your signs and how you thought permission was given. Spin a good one Mr Edgar and Mr. Zarkos.
Personally, I find it fun to see that Troy has his signs on either trespassed property, or property owned by Briggeman or his tenants.
I’ve been thinking about the use of the someone elses motto and the fact that Troy seems to like “T”s.
So here it is, just for you Troy.
Troy Edgar, Leading With Trespass, Theft and on the Take from the Trash hauler.
Got enough T’s for you? And it is actually the Truth and Transparent.
Lead with dignity
Lead by example
Lead with truth
Lead with honesty
Lead all your constituents
But don’t LEAD us on.
Fastest clean up of contamination EVER…thanks PPB
Ann,
You’re right about the carbetbagging of Zarkos and Edgar.
Both of them left “Number of years in city” blank on their official “City Council Candidate Information Sheet.”
Zarkos moved from Seal Beach into his mother’s condo in Los Al just months before being appointed to the Council by Edgar, Poe, & a slightly begrudging Stevens.
Edgar moved in from Rossmoor a year or two before running for Council. His 2006 candidate website boasted “7 years Los Alamitos/Rossmoor resident,” and in Council sessions he appears much more differential to Rossmoor and Garden Grove residents than Los Alamitos residents. His intentions to move up the political food chain are fairly transparent, whether he intends it or not.
Both Edgar & Zarkos were forced to move from Rossmoor and Seal Beach respectively due to divorces. In other words, Los Alamitos was not the first choice city for either of them.
Los Al citizens were robbed
Edgar, Zarkos and Stephens were not long term residents that cared about the city
They were hired by Briggeman
They haven’t achieved anything
They don’t answer to the citizens
They have large expensive signs built on private property because they believe they can get away with it
Why are the citizens of Los Al putting up with this?
I hope they see the light come November.
Edgars staff turn overs and at what cost to the city taxpayers.
I have come to the council meetings with my safety concerns on the coyotos long before Rossmoor started having public issues.
I spoken twice after much research about my own dog being killed and the impact of children being harmed as well. I also proposed actions the City could adopt without going into our City budget.
During the meeting it was as if Edgar, Zarkos stared right through me. Not even putting this on the agenda. I had to go and repeat my concern and still same response.
Geri Mejia was the only one that I got support from the get go. Councilwoman Mejia had ideas. Took the time to personally talk to me and help develop an action plan. These were idea’s that other reasonable City’s are utilizing including Huntington Beach. This was short lived and squashed by Edgar, Zarkos, and Poe. I realize I’m off the sign subject but needed to express the Truth.
Just remember, racism is not “black and white”. Dean also sent e-mails that took shots at people that were brown.
Dean has a problem with “the different”. Whether they be black, brown, the 13.2% of America that is secular, those that are of other faiths, or prefer same gender partners. These people are “the different” unlike him and those he knows and chooses to associate with. They are “the different” and are a threat to him and his perception of what is good and right in his world.
“The different” are all shades of gray. They don’t fit into nice cubbyholes where people like Dean live their orderly lives. Dealing with “the different” requires a person to think independently, to accept “the different” as just as normal as they themselves are. To understand that to “the different” from them, they are “the different” and that it is about embracing the differences between us that makes us stronger, not attacking them, not running away from them.
In a recent conversation I had with a dear friend they expressed unreasonable fears from “the different” (in this case Muslims) and I went point-by-point through acts of terrorism around the world, and specifically in this country until they could see that fundamentalism was the core commonality between them all. Fundamentalism abhors “the different”.
Dean is nothing more than a fundamentalist. Whether he be wrapping himself in the American flag at his right-wing patriot rallies, or professing his social dogma, he is a fundamentalist who fears “the different” and attacks what he fears. In doing so he does represent some segment of society, but let’s all hope that it is never enough to again claim leadership within this city for now we now what he is, and we should know better than to embrace it.
I tend to lean to #3, but agree that it generally has a religious connotation. For instance, in the teabaggers we see fundamentalism in their belief sets. No mater how many times you show them Obama’s birth certificate, they become more adamant that he is not a citizen. They develop intricate conspiracy theories to support their blind faith in the story that they have as a fundamental belief, becoming hardened even more to the belief when it is challenged by evidence that shows the belief to be incorrect.
You find it in politics when someone says that all tax cuts are good, even when they are shown the economic evidence that the numbers don’t support that belief.
You find it in social intercourse when people profess that immigrants are a drain on society, even when they are shown evidence that shows that immigrants provide a society MORE than they take.
Facts be damned, a belief is unshakable, even in light of mounting evidence that it is not correct. There is no global warming because the weather is cold. Fundies all.
Yes, there is a religious fundamentalism that is very destructive. It does not accept that all faiths are equal, but that “my faith is right” and therefore yours must be wrong. But that same mentality, taken to the same extremes within other areas, has the same progressive effect of an unwillingness to find middle ground where we can all agree to live together in peace and harmony.
Okay, I’m still a hippie deep down inside.:-) I do believe that there is a place where we can all find a common shared inner peace… okay maybe that’s a bit too zen for this blog.
JM–
Hold on a sec. . . trying to cue John Lennon’s “Imagine”. . . OK, there we go. . .
Too zen for this blog? C’mon. . . all diplomatically expressed, non-libelous viewpoints are welcome here, zen included. I’ve actually got a feng shui post lurking within me on the power of uncluttering your home & life. . . just gotta find it somewhere under this pile of papers. . . .
As for that inner hippy, I think you’re a tad too young for that. . . but you should see Barb’s & my wedding pictures!
I believe the real fundamentals of Christianity include God’s infinite love for humankind, and calls to love, mercy, peace, selflessness, and humility.
These principals are revolutionary, but not dangerous.
What is dangerous is thinking I have all the answers, that my interpretation of the Bible is the only correct one, and that you are a dangerous heretic if you disagree with me.
The problem isn’t in Christian fundamentals nor in the fundamentals of the Hebrew Scriptures. The problem is thinking you’re God.
I’m reminded of a poster in a friend’s office:
Dave, this digresses
Remember we are here to discuss things of less than lofty goals, like toothbrushes and…
My point is that any deeply held belief which only becomes firmer in the face of viable evidence that the faith is misplaced is just as reverent a fundamentalist view as those that use “the good book” (whichever good book they so choose) to be the iron will of fact.
Fundamentalists thought the Earth was flat (or as the saying goes, “Turtles all the way down”). Fundamentalists think Obama was born in Kenya. Fundamentalists believe… and they are so sure of their belief that they are willing to die, or kill, for it.
When a person believes that he can walk up to a Church and shoot the usher, because when not in church that usher is a doctor who performs abortions, that is fundamentalism taken to it’s extremes. That incident of terror by that fundamentalist Christian is not the doing of the Almighty’s work from any “good book” I know. But he, and his kind, will use that same book that says “love your brother like yourself” and “judge not lest ye be judged” to judge their brother and decide that they have not only the right, but the direction from he who is King, to take these actions of terror on as their badge of honor, as their task, to be his avenger here on Earth.
That same mentality that shows up in those caught up in the fever of fundamentalist religion can be found, and exploited, in politics and in life.
When you hear a person over 65 at some teaparty event screaming that they want the government out of their business, out of their health care, out of their finances, and then point out that they live on Medicare and Social Security, they don’t stop and consider that before FDR ushered these programs in, the elderly who were tossed out of work lived on handouts, in poorhouses, and if they were lucky, ate as good as a dog while they sickened and died in gutters and flophouses because they could get no health care without funds.
When these self-same people scream about the evils of immigration, they don’t understand that their fruits and vegetables would cost 5-10 times as much if those people were not there doing farm labour.
When they scream about the terror of raising taxes, they don’t see that the robber barons of the 1020′s didn’t have it as good as the top 1% of Americans today, that on average those people pay less than the middle class does in taxes, and that every penny that is passed on to the super-wealth class is one more that will not be put into roads we all use, education for our children, etc.
They hold on to the beliefs, with grips of steel, that America has the best health care in the world, when all the numbers show that we stand two above Cuba, and one behind Costa Rica (at #37). That the largest reason for bankruptcy in this country is health care costs. That even with insurance one major medical problem can take a person from the middle class to the poor house. The numbers don’t lie. Yes fundamentalist beliefs hold true, even when they fly in the face of facts.
(now back on topic). So, there will be some that will say that Mr. Edgar is a nice upstanding councilman, even though his 460 shows that he took over 90% of his campaign donations from those that had interests with Republic Disposal before granting them a contract, even though they were the second highest bidder. They will say that Mr. Zarkos is a fine man, even though he threatened the livelihood of a citizen for speaking out against the councils actions. They will believe that Mr. Grose is NOT a racist, even with a number of racist e-mails sent to City staff to show that he is.
They have an unshakable fundamentalist belief in the “good” of these people even though there is hard factual evidence to show that these people are no good. And the more evidence that is supplied to show that they are wrong in their beliefs will only harden those beliefs.
Dave, your quote was also partially used in the movie Rudy.
Who would want to run for an elected position in Los Alamitos? The intent of the postings on this blog are so demeaning and attacking any person, I can see why good people don’t step forward. Oh, forgot, you seem to endorse the three musketeers because they are transparent. Wan’t Mejia the one who took needless taxpayer trips with Parker to New Orleans and New Mexico? Wasn’t Sheridan the one who threatened the CITY, not council members, with a legal lawsuit? Come on, you should respect people who step up to serve instead of trying to rip them apart. Oh, and John, you are the king of negativity. You appreciate your opinions, no one else does.
@ Your Desire
You make it sound like the legal action mentioned by Mr. Sheridan was based on greed and hatred. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Mr. Sheridan, as a concerned resident of our city, was merely using this language to let them know that they have now stepped into an arena that has potential to invite a lawsuit. He put the council on notice that their actions were irresponsible and in violation of the first amendment. It was a wake up call. As a concerned resident he used this wording to warn them of these irresponsible actions. Imagine if Paul Revere had not made that famous midnight ride. Mr. Sheridan too, was merely sounding the horn.
As you can see, Mr. Sheridan never pursued legal action. He has shown more class by running for council as a way to resolve the stupidity, arrogance and censorship shown from the dias.
@ your Desire:
Mrs. Mejia went to New Orleans to learn about how we deal with disasters. Katrina, as we all know, was a soup sandwich in how the government responded to this incident. The good thing that came from it was that they looked at how our gov’t can do it better next time. This was a lessons learned trip and how FEMA, the States, Counties and local governments can integrate and work better together next time. I’m convinced that this trip solidified her abilities, as a local gov’t leader, to know how to communicate and how to work with the other levels of gov’t in a disaster.
This knowledge is huge in that we are on the doorstep of So. Cal’s largest disaster center. The base, in a disaster, may be in full lockdown and close it’s gate to our city during these incidents. This will leave us to fend for ourselves. This trip gave Gerri the tools to bridge that gap during these disasters. As we all know, in California, it’s not when a disaster will hit but, when. We will need her skills that she learned from that trip when “The Big One” hits.
I believe she went even further by volunteering, during her downtime, to help in the active incident and see it close up. She has been in those trenches. This wasn’t a trip to a tropical resort, it was a trip to a national disaster area. It was also taken in a time when the economy was stronger and the city had the money to send her. This also pulled her away from her family. Because of this trip, Gerri is a huge proponent of public safety. Her knowledge from this trip is invaluable and will help us in our time of need.
How anyone can say that Gerri is not looking out for the best interest of our city and our residents is just plain wrong.
JM Ivler says:
But not-so-good people step forward too.
Marilyn Poe
Alice Jempsa
Ron Bates
Chuckie Sylvia
Troy Edgar
Dean Grose
Dean Zarkos
If these are not-so-good people how did Poe get elected 4 times, Bates get elected 4 times, Jempsa get elected 5 times and Sylvia get elected 7 times, while your candidates only got elected once (Cat Driscoll, Art DeBolt, Fred Freeman) or never were able to get elected (Sheridan, Emerson, Austin).
You are so right. Let’s go over some of the accomplishments of that crew.
20 years of non-competitive overpriced trash contracts.
No revenue sharing agreements with Seal Beach over Target or Rossmoor Centers.
A lawsuit we lost against Seal Beach.
A mitigation agreement on the LART for $1/sq ft of development, but no revenue sharing.
A pool that was built with questionable accounting (ask Mr.Underwood about it, he was about to publish the stories when Bates resigned).
Come on, do you really want to open up this can of worms? You can’t even get all the facts right (like omitting Mr.Parker from the list since he doesn’t fit your story line). And just how much of Briggemen’s money did Sylvia spend to make sure Cat and Ken weren’t re-elected? And just who did start the whisper campaign against Freeman?
When you want to get into a coverage of all the selling out that has been done, or maybe the using the city resources to mount personal attacks against someone the majority didn’t like who owned property on Los Al Blvd, there is a great deal of dirt to be exposed. Which is why most of us are willing to let the old dogs lie there and not expose the bones for everyone to see. Do you really want to start exposing all those old bones, or just let us say that they weren’t the best people to step forward?