The Liberal OC’s Chris Prevatt finally weighed in on the ongoing Janet Nguyen restaurant rating scandal – but he did so at the Bolsavik blog instead of discussing this on his own blog.
Here is Prevatt’s comment:
You have a conflict of interest with regard to a particular government decision if it is sufficiently likely that the outcome of the decision will have an important impact on your economic interests, and a significant portion of your jurisdiction does not also feel the important impact on their economic interests.
In short, Pedroza’s analysis is full of holes. There is no conflict of interest that barred Supervisor Nguyen from voting on this matter. No conflict in her receiving campaign contributions from restaurant owners either.
Apparently consumer safety doesn’t matter to Prevatt and Nguyen.
Let’s review why Nguyen’s vote against the proposed restaurant rating system WAS rife with conflicts of interest:
- Nguyen’s husband and her Chief of Staff co-own a Lees Sandwiches franchise in Stanton that has recieved numerous County health violations, including major violations.
- Nguyen’s husband works for Sodexho, which provides food at Fullerton College. That service is subject to inspection by the County health department! And part of his income does show up on Nguyen’s finance statements.
- Nguyen received over $12,000 from over 20 restaurants and food stores – and many of them have a long history of receiving major County health violations!
Clearly Nguyen’s husband, Chief of Staff and contributors stood to benefit by her vote against restaurant ratings. Many of them would be sporting “B” and “C” ratings if such a system existed in Orange County.
But Prevatt can’t see the truth – perhaps because he is such a Jannie. What an embarrassment he has become to the Democratic Party of Orange County! Perhaps he should change the name of his blog to the “Used to be Liberal OC.”
The reason Chris won’t disparage Janet is because Nick B. is scared of offending Janet. That is why the OCEA supported Janet’s Chief of Staff Andrew Do for Garden Grove City Council. Chris is good at listening to his masters.
#1,
That sounds plausible. But Prevatt could always ask someone else on his team to write the article.
I am told that his partner, Dan C., just doesn’t want to give me credit for breaking this story in the first place…
As posted (at 2:27 am today) on TheLiberalOC.com in response to a comment you made Art:
Okay Art,
Who the heck do you think you are calling my posts silly. You’re the one trying to pump a non-story about a conflict of interest that doesn’t even exist.
From the FPPC on Conflict of Interest:
You have a conflict of interest with regard to a particular government decision if it is sufficiently likely that the outcome of the decision will have an important impact on your economic interests, and
a significant portion of your jurisdiction does not also feel the important impact on their economic interests.
In short Pedroza, your analysis is full of holes.
There is no conflict of interest that barred Supervisor Nguyen from voting on the matter. No conflict in her receiving campaign contributions from restaurant owners either. Art, there IS NO STORY HERE! Period.
There you go Art, I’ve weighed in on your non-story. Anything else?
The proposed rating system did not change any law or regulation. Consumer safety would not be changed in any way by the proposed changes.
But more to the point Art, you obviously did not read the FPPC rules, but here is the final clarifying part of the regulations that makes it clear that there was no requirement for Nguyen, or any other Supervisor (all of them have taken money from restarant owners), to not vote on the rating system change.
Not all conflicts of interest prevent you from lawfully taking part in the government decision at hand. Even if you otherwise have a conflict of interest, you are not disqualified from the decision if the “public generally” exception applies.
This exception exists because you are less likely to be biased by a financial impact when a significant part of the community has economic interests that are substantially likely to feel essentially the same impact from a governmental decision that your economic interests are likely to feel. If you can show that a significant segment of your jurisdiction has an economic interest that feels a financial impact which is substantially similar to the impact on your economic interest, then the exception applies.
The regulations outlining the steps to apply the “public generally” exception can be found on the FPPC website at http://www.fppc.ca.gov under regulations 18707-18707.9.
Chris,
Although Art isnt saying it outright, it is not the fiscal mpact that constitutes a conflict of inetrest here. It is the fact that Janet voted on an issue that directly affects her income, her husbands business and her chief of staffs business by forcing them to post information about the sanitary conditions of their food service establishment.
And although you will not admit it; You are the biggest janny (enabler of Janet Nguyen) in the Democratic Party. Your continued denial of Janets transgressions, and cheerleading by default of the waht is shaping up to be the next Van Tran in OC, is simply disgusting.
You are the biggest poser, Janny, and traitor in the Democratic Party of Ornage County. You, Melahat, Alicia Behow, Marc Sussman, Phil Becerra, and Frank Barbaro should be censured and removed from the Democratic Party.
You are a janny. You should just admiot it. Save yourslef face and embarrassment from this contnued deflecting and denial that you are a Janny. You have been infected and turned out by that guy Phil Becerra to be Janets cheerleader in the Democratic Party. You should do the honorable thing and just leave.
Why do we tolerate people like this in our ranks? (Melahat, Berhow, Prevatt, Phil Becerra the unemployed Planner (AKA Count Chocula)?
Art,
I am going to suggest you draft an open letter to the DPOC Central Committee, asking them to demand concrete evidence of Melahats effectiveness in the recent two years in relation to the leaps and bounds of Democratic Registrations.
Melahat took credit for all the success in democratic prevue of late but in my estimation this was a natural effect of Republicans shooting themselves in the foot. Rather that Melahat doing the necessary work to make all this happen.
It is my understanding that Melahat gets paid over 5000 dollars a month for her job. But where are the benefits? What has she done? She gets paid by us to work for Planned Parenthood? To place people at odds with each other and create conflict and chaos amongst members of the DPOC?
She did this with the help and aid of Phil Becerra, Chris Prevatt, Alicia Berhow, and Marc Sussman.
Why are we paying this woman to cause chaos and calamity in the DPOC? Can we get rid of her and the rest of her Janny army; Prevatt, Berhow, Phil Becerra and Marc Sussman?
Has Prevatt ever called out janet on her district welfare office? I mean its costing a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year and there are several hundred layoffs in the county. has Prevatt called on janet in a meaningful and direct way to close that office in order to save jobs? i dont think he has.
Prevatt is a Janny through and through.
Has Preavtt called n Janet to stop the office redecorating onb the fifth floor in order to save jobs athe county? I dont think he has.
Preavtt is a Janenny through and Through.
Has Preavtt called out janet with the same ferocity to fix her campaign disclosure filings that he did with Hoa Van Tran? I dont thhink so.
Prevatt is a janny through and through.
P the J,
You’re seriously misinformed on many levels. Your bitterness is getting in the way of your ability to see what is going on in the party.
Melahat helped dozens of candidates with their races while everyone else was busy in Nevada helping Obama.
She turned dozens of volunteers into field campaigners to help lots of first time candidates who wouldn’t have had any support from the party otherwise. Obviously, you haven’t taken the time to talk to these candidates or been in the DPOC office to know what you’re talking about.
Those of us working on local campaigns really appreciated her efforts.
Were you walking or phoning? Did you give money to help them get their mailers, did you help with their overall strategies? If you didn’t get involved, then you don’t know how much help was given and how much time was spent by the DPOC staff to turn the county blue.
I can see by the lack of rebuttal that Prevatt is conceding to his being a Janny to the end.
Labor
You are highly overstating Melahats activities. Im sure she did some actions but only to give the impression that she was doing something.
Why dont you list some of the things she has done that justifies her salary?
WOW, it sounds like its not all love and kisses among the DPOC and its members. This is why my activities this weekend were a refreshing change.
Some of us in the OC Barack Obama contingent (who worked through my Barack Obama dot com) got together and in the “ask and you shall receive” – “many hands make light work” style from the website and campaign, conducted a small food drive over here in HB and collected over 360 boxes of food for the OC Food Bank to try to help offset the disappearance of corporate contributions along with the increase in needy families this year.
Everyone was happy and friendly, almost everyone was where they said they would be when they said they would be there, and we did some good. I can’t imagine anything better than that.
Happy Holidays everyone! Thanks for all the good you do all year long. I can’t wait for the next project. Universal Health Care anyone?
PTJ:
Check your facts.
I have spoken out about the Board of Supervisors fifth floor lobby remodel on TheLiberalOC.
I have called on Supervisor Nguyen to cut her political office in Westminster, when it opened and recently.
I did plenty for democratic candidates in Garden Grove specifically during the most recent election cycle.
Since we really have no idea who you are, I guess it is reasonable to assume that you didn’t do a damn thing.
When you have the courage to stand by your false statements I’ll consider further conversation if I happen to stop by.
Chris,
Your help with Andrew do do’s campaign doesnt count.
Additionally, your soft ball faux criticism of janet Nguyens antics does not count as criticism. You basically give janet a free pass on all her transgressions. And no one actually called out garden Grove specifically. Im not sure where that came from. But I digress.
You and your handler Phil Becerra did nothing but help janet Nguyen and thus foisted upon OC the biggets threat to Loretta Sanchez and Lou Correa that we will ever see. I hope youre happy.
I cant wait to see you and your fellow Janny’s Berhow, Melahat, et all get scared silly when Janet lauches a million dollar campaign against Correa or Sanchez. Nice work chuckles.