Artwork courtesy of the O.C. Register
“This year’s theme is “Think Big,” so the marketing agency hired by the fair — The Ball Park — provided characters holding a giant ice cream cone and a giant guitar. Each character’s mouth was drawn wide-open, in a yawning fashion reminiscent of children’s author Shel Silverstein and his book, “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” according to the O.C. Register.
To make matters worse, the O.C. Fair Board paid the plagiarizers, Ballpark Advertising, $1.3 million for two years of marketing. Ballpark is located in El Segundo – in Los Angeles County. The O.C. Fair Board couldn’t even give the contract to a local firm. And they overpaid for plagiarism!
The hacks on the O.C. Fair Board are a bunch of Republicans, as one might expect, including:
- Julie Vandermost, Chair, Laguna Niguel
- Kristina Dodge, Vice Chair, Monarch Beach
- Dale Dykema, Orange
- Gary Hayakawa, Irvine
- David Padilla, Costa Mesa
- Joyce Tucker, Newport Beach
- David Ellis, Newport Coast
- Mary Young, Aliso Viejo
At least they finally dumped ex-O.C. Sheriff Mike Carona’s wife off the board!
The Chair, Vandermost, owns a government affairs consulting business and shouldn’t be on this board in the first place. Dykema is a longtime member of the O.C. Lincoln Club. Dodge gave $2,400 to the losing Mitt Romney presidential campaign. Padilla is a complete nut who has been trying to make money off his connections in the OC GOP for years. He does not speak a lick of Spanish – and in fact there are no other Latinos on this board. Ellis also gave $2,300 to Romney, and he works in public relations. Shame on Ellis for not spotting the plagiarism in the first place – and as a consultant he should also NOT be on this board. Tucker has given $2,300 to both John McCain and John Campbell. Big waste of money! And Young is the Secretary of the O.C. GOP.
The only guy who belongs on this board is Hayakawa, whose family has been involved in O.C. agriculture for years.
These people ought to resign in shame! We need an O.C. Fair Board that will represent the people of Orange County – not the red-faced O.C. GOP hacks.
The O.C. Fair Board has increased prices every year, for years – they now charge $10 per person. Parking is extra. God only knows what other ways this Board has found to waste public money – you may recall that they got busted by the state last year for giving away hundreds of concert tickets to their pals, and giving them expensive free dinners too! Bloggers from Red County and have also partaken the free tickets and grub. So have quite a few members of the DPOC, including their Chairman, Frank Barbaro. Shame on the lot of them!
Thank you, Art, for exposing people who don’t appear concerned about how they spend other people’s money. For the ones who act like big-time Republicans, they point fingers at others while stuffing their pockets and mouths. I will respect them when they refuse to accept any “free” tickets and meals.
I am failing to see what being Republican has to do with the OC Fair marketing campaign?
Also, there is no formal charge of plagiarism — there were two small similarities so the Fair and their marketing firm changed them (two mouths for crying out loud!). There is no lawsuit, and not even a request to change the campaign!
Art Pedroza, you write the most pointless blog posts.
Hey, Observer! Those tickets went away BEFORE last year’s Fair — wake up and smell the corndogs!
Also? The Fair spends their OWN money on advertising and the like, they don;t take money form the State. I would advise you to read up and become informed before you opine.
Deborah Carona resigned from the board months ago. $10 a person for tickets? Wow, have you taken your family to the movies lately? I hear they charge extra for popcore and soda.
We all know that Matt Cunningham had dinner with Janet Nguen and her husband at the Fair. You used to defend Janet but went after Jerbal. Is Janet now wrong for eating steak and lobster too? And which blogger from the Liberal OC took free tickets for concerts and dinners?
righeimer involved? He seems to be in everything
is anyone allowed to post a blog on this site?? based on the above story, i guess so. :-\
i don’t understand what being republican has to do with anything. let’s be honest, it’s not like democrats are any better. both parties (and i’m a registered democrat) are full of mongrels and weasels (myself excluded, of course, though, if given the choice, i lean toward the mongrel side). i would think most people are fools to defend politicians, in general.
but your blog is inane, asking the politicians to resign in shame. nonsense. better if you just post an informative article and leave the silliness and bias out of it. try to be mature about things. thanks.
#6,
“better if you just post an informative article and leave the silliness and bias out of it. try to be mature about things. thanks.”
That’s what newspapers are for. We’re a blog – and we like to have fun exposing the dirty bastards who run things here in Orange County.
I suppose if there were any Democrats on the OC Fair Board you might have a point, but the current corrupt bunch is pretty much all red.