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First things first – All Garden Grove residents should show up to the council meeting this Tuesday night (tomorrow) at 6:30 pm – at 11222 Acacia Parkway, by the High School and the library – and ask the four council members to appoint the best possible candidate to Andrew Do’s new vacancy – the tireless Garden Grove community activist and the 2008 runner-up after Do, Robin Marcario.
Now you’ll want to know what I’ve found out about why Mr. Do left so abruptly with one year left in his term. Well, nothing dramatic, no juicy scandals we know of. I think the insightful commenter “GG Voter” had it about right that “his plans for higher office were never to be realized.”
The Bolsavik tells me that Andrew has been bitching on Viet radio about how little respect Orange County’s GOP “kingmakers” have for Viet pols in general, and I’ll take Andrew’s word for that. Add to that the two facts of his being cut loose by the fading and disloyal Janet Nguyen and his obviously being “damaged goods” with the Van Tran crowd, and you can see that this ambitious lawyer wasn’t going anywhere in politics.
Surely this must have SORELY tested his great love and loyalty for Garden Grove. *snark* But now he can give up his rented room there and move back in full-time to his lovely, huge, well-appointed home in Santa Ana. Always a silver lining!
Well, okay, that was a lot more fun than being positive! But it’s hard to be anything but positive when talking about Robin Marcario, the community activist and bilingual (fluently Spanish-speaking) Garden Grove teacher and mosaic artist who came in 1% behind – only a thousand votes behind – Mr. Do in 2008. (And with her grass-roots support her votes cost an average of less than a dollar per voter versus the over ten dollars per voters spent, largely by development interests, on the two candidates who beat her.) By all rights this great Garden Grove citizen should be Do’s replacement, and what a contrast she will be!
The bus benches that you see to the left and right are a project she has donated to the city over the last few years – mostly on Magnolia Street. Not only do they add beauty and personality to the city, they are also 100% Graffiti proof – as Robin had noted during her campaign, graffiti was the number one complaint of Garden Grove voters.
Robin has also spent the last few years volunteering for various city commissions and civic organizations in town, including the Neighborhood Improvement Commission. One issue she’s been involved in lately is the Pacific Electric Right of Way which bisects the town, and once served as the Red Car Train connection between Los Angeles, through Garden Grove and terminating in Santa Ana. She tells me the new electric light rail train systems are a quiet, cost-effective means of public transportation, and that she supports the light rail and bike and pedestrian paths along the Pacific Electric Right of Way in the future.
Robin’s also been an outspoken advocate for the competitive bid process for city and redevelopment properties, which caused her to be an outspoken critic of the Century Triangle project recently. As she wrote to me,
“The use of the competitive bid process ensures the taxpayers receive the best price for public properties. Both the west parking lot for the downtown Main Street and the Century Triangle next to Costco on Century and Garden Grove Blvd are prime examples of the lack of the use of the competitive bid process. The Century Triangle was assessed at a reduced commercial real estate value and sold to the developer at that rate. The developer, Brandywine, immediately rezoned the property to residential and benefited from the increase in value. The city council, serving as the redevelopment agency, should have rezoned and assessed the Century Triangle for the intended residential use and saved the taxpayers millions of dollars. If other developers were given the opportunity to compete for these properties the taxpayers would benefit.
When property is in redevelopment it does not require the request for proposal which is the competitive bid process. Therefore, public property lands in the hands of private developers which then give campaign contributions to city council members. Sadly, the Council assessed the Century Triangle at the original commercial value and sold it to Brandywine at that rate. Immediately afterward he changed the zoning to the more expensive residential zoning. It would have been better for the public if the city council had changed the zoning from commercial to residential so the public would benefit from the increase in value rather than the developer.”
Given that councilman Steve Jones is one of the owners of Brandywine (and so recused himself on the matter), and that the other councilmembers are recipients of their campaign largesse and voted in favor of this project, it might be counterintuitive to think the council incumbents would pick this occasional gadfly. But they would be doing the right thing for the city, respecting the democratic results of 2008, and bucking the trend of councils like La Habra and Costa Mesa who are systematically and ruthlessly sidelining and eliminating any dissenting voices on their daises (plural?)
The tendency, the temptation, for councils in this situation, is to appoint a dependable yes-man to a vacancy, which gives them an advantage when they run for re-election later. But democracy – representative democracy – needs healthy debate. So go ahead, Garden Grovers, ask Steve Jones, Bruce Broadwater, Dina Nguyen and Mayor Dalton to do the right thing and appoint Robin Tuesday – who knows, they just might listen to you!
The infamous Robin Marcario – the state passed The Robin Marcario Law to prevent this type of vote tampering.
On November 13, 2008 Garden Grove Council candidate Robin Marcario violated a voter’s right to a secret ballot by grabbing a provisional ballot over the objections of a registrar of Voters worker, opening the ballot envelope and looking at how that voter cast his/her vote.
Unfortunately, Bill dalton and bruce Broadwater will not support appointing Robin Marcario and they will lean on Steve Jones to support their chosen candidate and that will be a majority on the council. I like her work on the benches they look wonderful. Remind me because I cannot recall…did Robin come next in votes behind Andrew Do? I believe that alone shold get her an appointment if the council were to respect the willof the pople. I just cant recall who came in where in the number of votes.
Junior aka Cunningham. You and your type are the scum that make the rest of the world get so fricken pissed at us. Do this country a favor and vanish. You slimy coward. You set a real nice example for your children, right? Keep looking in that ole mirror, at a slime who apparently has nothing better to do than attack others. Get a life…somewhere far away..you are stinking it up around here.
lotta,
yeah – when you don’t have a salient point, just start name-calling ..
Is Junior Mat Cunningham? Do you have proof?
I will attest that junior is NOT Matt “Jerbal” Cunningham. Jerbal’s too busy making money off of the taxpayer because unlike blogging “(it) pays the bills.”
Paul,
junior and Matt are not one in the same – although, I believe that we are brothers from different mothers.
Matt has “retired” from blogging according to his post here:
http://reason.com/blog/2011/04/07/stivic-stymied-in-finale-of-fi
Plus, I think he’s found himself in some hot water of his own, following his partner Chip Hanlon’s FRAUD suit by the government.
I believe Junior is another avowed racist, only content when we wipe ISLAM off the map.
.. and Sean Mill is the resident xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx of the blogosphere.
Junior. Clean up your act. Make your point without profanity
.. and Sean Mill is the resident effing a-hole of the blogosphere.
Is that better Vern?
Junior.
Don’t be so quick to pull the trigger. I changed your offensive wording, not Vern. Larry Gilbert
Larry,
You should let folks see what type of angry bitter person xxxx xxxx really is. While I understand why you had to clean up his foul mouthed language, I think it is important for folks to see his true character. The expletives and the hate is who he is.
Any mirrors in you house Sean? Angry, bitter, hater…that’s a perfect description of you. And I left out blog troll.
Delusions,
You gotta love your brave anonymous comments. You believe in them so much you aren’t even willing to put your name to them. That about says it all.
I am not angry or bitter and I hate no one. I rarely comment on blogs anymore because there are so many gutless folks like you unwilling to put your name to what you write. I’d say troll describes you and your pal “junior” quite well.
Take care and say hi to Dan and Chris for me.
Sean. I’m confused. Your comment “Delusions,” is in response to my name?
You are not replying to anything I have stated.
Larry G
Larry,
No I was replying to the anonymous blogger who bravely snipes behind the nom de plume “DelusionsofGrandeur”. Clearly it is one of the LibOC fellas or one of the sycophants in their small group of haters.
They are so bold and so confident in the jibberish they post that they won’t put their own name to it. Speaks volumes.
“Junior. Clean up your act. Make your point without profanity”…… Hmmmm
You are an absolute idiot and so is your TEACRAT PARTY if it tolerates moron mongoloids like you.
Vern, if you want this blog to be progressive you must control Gilbert’s religious moralistic outbursts!
Usually people like Gilbert have filth all over their computer.
Comrade Stanislav.
Who ever told you that the Juice was a “Progressive” blog?
We even accept comments and criticism from people like yourself.
When you can’t win an argument you resort to name calling which demonstrates for every reader how much class you have NOT
I am true progressive not PINO!
I am perfectly balanced person who is not embarrassed by human sexuality, profanity and free expression like you.
You are somewhere in dark, religious and primitive ages; in other worlds disgrace to human progress.
For you, everything is a prohibition!
To quote junior:
“yeah – when you don’t have a salient point, just start name-calling ..”
SM – I learned a long time ago that salient points have no effect on such a despicable blob as yourself.
Junior.
You and I go back a long time on the Juice.
Win or lose take the high road. My jumping in is not to defend either Sean or yourself. However we are not the only people reading these posts and comments.
junior,
The next time you make a salient point will be the first. Let the bitterness and hatred go pal. I could care less what someone such as yourself thinks, why let it consume you.
Does spending your days as a blog troll really bring you happiness?
Still waiting for Sean to remind readers about homophobic comments made by junior ( while omitting homophobic comments made by himself )
Delusions,
I had no intention on bringing up the fact that xxxx xxxx compares gay marriage to beastiality.
“However we are not the only people reading these posts and comments.”….. Hmmm
You are correct LG!
So why don’t you delete Sin Mill’s offensive, idiotic language?
meanwhile back to Robin Marcario….i hope she gets appointed to the dias. Im gonna try and make it tonite to let them know that.
Gilbert you moron!
How does your puritanism bring economy in order?……. Huh?
If all you are concern only about is the profanity how is the world gone be better?
I do not understand this sick obsession of yours!
Folks, it is the Gilberts who bring the hell to this world inquisition, crucifixion and burning at stake.
The paradox of this blog is that Nelson is giving Gilbert the power to destroy what Nelson promotes so Nelson is pissing in his bad to stay warm…… Interesting behavior of losers.
did Robin get appointed to the councilo last night? Was anyone appointed?
I heard Robin Marcario speak last night at the city council meeting. She briefly and clearly highlighted her contributions since the 2008 election and clarified the fact that she was the next highest vote getter in that election. By all measures she should be appointed to fill the city council vacancy. The city council is accepting applications and will place the matter on the agenda at their next scheduled city council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 10th.
The city council ignored the advisory Measure B which recommends the runner up for the election be appointed. They appointed someone who has never run for city council and sat on the male dominated Planning Commission. The current Planning Commission consists of six men and one women.
The word on the street is that Mayor Dalton plans to run for City Council as he will be termed out as mayor. Therefore, he was not interested in appointing a popular and well known person to serve on city council because they would pose as a competitor in the next election. Pathetic!
Robin will kick ass anyway next year!