A tale of two appointments…

By
Admin
– June 20, 2007Posted in: Classic Juice 2

I got a call from the O.C. Register’s Martin Wisckol, regarding my apparent appointment to the O.C. Public Facilities Corp. It was nice to hear from Wisckol. We used to talk all the time – I was one of the first political activists to welcome him to the O.C.

I am reproducing the result of our conversation below, as seen in the Total Buzz Blog:

June 19, 2007

Janet Nguyen likes Art

Art Pedroza, a Santa Ana activist I’ve known since arriving in Orange County in 1998, started a pioneering political e-newsletter that looked like a political blog — before anybody had ever heard of blogs. He now leads the charge of the bi-partisan Orange Juice blog, which has the distinction of being the only significant OC political blog not to call for Janet Nguyen to abide by campaign finance law and disclose three major donors who had not been properly revealed until 50 days after the deadline. In fact, Art criticized this blog and others for pressing the matter.

Today, Art is getting appointed by Supervisor Nguyen to the Orange County Public Facilities Corp.

— Martin Wisckol

Red County posted the job description — and got a boatload of comments on the appointment here.

Here’s Art’s response to the Red County posting.

I just talked to Art as he was leaving his son Joey’s graduation from Mendez Middle School. In the supervisors race, endorsed both Janet (who came in first) and Benny Diaz (who came in tenth and last). Art’s long been critical of Republican favorite Carlos Bustamante’s votes on the Santa Ana City Council, so it was no surprise he steered clear of endorsing Carlos. As for Trung Nguyen:

“Trung was allied with Van Tran, and I’ve been suspicious of that whole cabal,” he said.

— Martin Wisckol

For comparison’s sake, here is what Peggy Lowe, of the Total Buzz, wrote about Red County/OC Blog editor Jubal/Matt Cunningham when he was appointed to the Harbors, Beaches and Parks Commission, by O.C. Supervisor Bill Campbell, who presumably “likes” Cunningham.

Commissioner Jubal?

The supes just approved the appointment of a certain Matthew Cunningham to the Harbors, Beaches and Parks Commission. You know that guy — otherwise known by the not-so-secret nom de grrrrrr “Jubal” at O.C. Blog/Red County.

I called up the soon-to-be commissioner yesterday and hit him up with a couple hard-hitting questions, like: Are you going to put Ronald Reagan statues in all the parks? Jubal just laughed but admitted that he’s a government commission virgin.

“I have a lot to learn about all the lands the county holds,” he said.

Other than that, he feels all the park lands should be available for the public to use. Amen, brother.

So who we gonna get to lobby the new Commish Jubal for beer stands at the beaches?

— Peggy Lowe

A final word on Supervisor’s Nguyen’s late report comes our way from O.C. Register columnist Steven Greenhut:

Janet Nguyen’s real ‘crime’

From Steven Greenhut:

The Register’s Martin Wisckol has a good column today on the despicable tactics of some local Republican leaders against Janet Nguyen, the county supervisor who had the audacity to actually win the seat without kissing anyone’s pinky ring. Operative Mike Schroeder, a supporter of Trung Nguyen, who lost by only three votes, continues his legal campaign to hobble Janet’s reelection chances. Even Shirley Gringle, who wrote the county campaign-finance law that Janet Nguyen is accused of violating, has called the lawsuit against her “frivolous.”

We know Janet’s real crime. She defied Assemblyman Van Tran’s political machine and ran for office without his blessing. She won the election. She is independent of them. Janet’s politics aren’t noticeably different from those of Trung Nguyen, Van Tran or even Mike Schroeder. But the political establishment would rather drive her out of office than have in office a Republican who doesn’t owe them any allegiance. At least that’s my theory.

These attacks will only make it more likely that a union-backed candidate will win next year. But it doesn’t appear that the anti-Janet forces are concerned about governing and issues and principle. They are about personalities and the joy of politics for politics sake.

I like Van Tran and think he should run against Loretta Sanchez, but here’s a chance for him to step to the plate and offer an olive branch to Janet Nguyen. It’s time for statesmanship rather than pettiness.

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About Admin

"Admin" is just editors Vern Nelson, Greg Diamond, or Ryan Cantor sharing something that they mostly didn't write themselves, but think you should see. Before December 2010, "Admin" may have been former blog owner Art Pedroza.