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(That’s a half-mile west of Brookhurst BTW)
Fullerton voters! Come tonight, Monday night at 7, to the Church Where Vern Plays Piano – that’s the Orangethorpe United Methodist Church, 2351 Orangethorpe Blvd., Fullerton, CA, between Magnolia and Brookhurst. Park in the big back lot, it’s in a classroom off toward the west side of the lot.
WHY? Here’s why: We are holding the Fullerton Candidate Meet-and-Greet to End All Fullerton Candidate Meet-and-Greets. Attending will be Council candidates Jan Flory, Barry Levinson, Rick Alvarez, Jane Rands, and Kitty Jaramillo. Bring all your questions and concerns. I promise to just sit quietly in the corner since I’m not lucky enough to live in your great town. But I might write about it!
What happened: I just happened to overhear that the nice lady who pretty much runs things at the church was having a “Candidate Meet and Greet.” I was all, “Oh yeah? Which candidates are coming?” And when I heard “Flory, Alvarez, and Kitty,” I was all, “Excuse me, those are not the best.” I don’t blame anyone for thinking so, since apparently they’re the choice of beloved Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva who will also be there (and will probably be irritated with me.)
But just to start with, Flory os a staunch supporter Measure W, which allows Chevron to have their way developing Fullerton’s last remaining open spaces up in Coyote Hills. You can find her name listed on the “Yes on W” literature, and, possibly not coincidentally, her campaign is partly funded by Chevron. Alvarez has thus far avoided making any statement about this controversial measure, but his talk of backing “property rights” is generally understood as a wink and nod to letting corporations like Chevron do whatever they want with their property.
On top of that, as the biggest recipients of police union money, FLory and Alvarez have and will fight against desperately needed reform of the Fullerton Police Department, particularly the citizens’ oversight committee most residents agree is necessary. Alvarez and Jaramillo were silent and invisible during the firestorm over the Kelly Thomas murder, and Flory was actually out there sticking up for the cops. (And don’t forget, the Kelly murder was only the most outrageous example of MANY known and unpunished police abuses in Fullerton in recent years.)
Wow. Totally on the wrong side of possibly the TWO biggest issues facing Fullerton this year. In my opinion at least. So I asked, “Can I invite a couple of candidates that I think are a lot better?” And permission was granted. So my friends Jane Rands and Barry Levinson will be there, to mix things up.
I’ve known Jane for seven years, from back when we fought together for universal single-payer health care in California. Barry Levinson I just met and had breakfast with at Salt and Pepper yesterday morning, and I was real impressed with him. He scares people sometimes because he’s so big and enthusiastic. But he is totally not the caricature of the anti-government libertarian that Fullerton’s reactionaries have painted.
In fact Jane and Barry seem to be the most intelligent and honest candidates Fullertonians could choose for their Council, and they both have a long record of involvement in the community, UNLIKE most of their opponents. But you’ll see, and make your choice. At least NOW that Jane and Barry will be there, you’ll get to hear the OTHER side of what Chveron is trying to do to your town.
You know what, I’ll finish this later, with a little more about my meeting with Barry, but I want to publish this now so that you all know about tonight’s event. Meanwhile, don’t miss a couple of great new timely pieces about Chvron and Fullerton:
- Our own Ryan Cantor’s “Fullerton’s Coyote Hills” Chevron Thinks You’re Really Stupid!” and…
- The Fullertonista’s “Chevron Versus Fullerton.”
See you at 7!
Rands, coyote, Levinson. They all say, Vote NO on W!
Just a quick record check, I’m not sure that Alvarez supports measure “W”. This would be a good opportunity to have him clarify a stance and explain what he means by “property rights” on his webpage. That seems to be the code that every candidate uses to indicate they’ve spoken with Chevron’s Land and Development manager. Absolute bologna.
In either case, I haven’t seen any evidence supporting he’s accepted any funding from anyone connected with Chevron. I’ll let you know if that changes.
Oh – I’ll fix that! Thanks … Yeah, it will be good to see him take a stand on that. What I hear about Alvarez and some of the others is they say different things to different crowds, kind of like Romney,.
That should be an interesting forum. It would be nice if those were the only five running. Alas.
Rick Alvarez stated at the Chamber of Commerce candidate forum on October 11 that he supported Measure W. He said “On Measure W, I am a yes on W.” I found this stance very interesting since he seemed to be saying he was against Chevron’s development plans a month before on September 15. You can read about that day here:
http://fullertonrag.com/2012/09/18/encounter-with-a-candidate/
I’ll take that as definitive. Thanks, Matt.
Just back from the … event. Loets to digest, but on this particular note…
Kitty, Barry and Jane all brought up their opposition to Measure W unsolicited in their opening statements as well they should have, it being a burning issue in town right now. Jan and Rick skipped it, talked about other things which I’ll get into elsewhere….
So later when we had question time, I resolved to ask Rick and Jan about it. I had the sense that they both had the sense they might be losing some votes by standing with Chevron. So I wanted to pin them to that, but also to have some educational debate about the issue for the folks in the audience.
And Rick bristled! He stood up first, it really looked like he was angry for me for asking such a question. He protested that it didn’t MATTER what his position was, that he SHOULDN’T SAY what his position is, because it’s up to the People, and whichever way it’s decided he’ll respect that and work with it as a Councilman. I asked, but don’t you think, if you feel strongly one way or the other, your voice as a candidate can be influential? And also, don’t you think that a candidate’s position on this shows how they think about city interest vs. property owners, environmental concerns, etc etc, that any voter would like to know? And he said no, it’s nobody’s business what he thinks about W, but he does NOT want to see 760 homes.
And then Jane stood up to call bullshit, telling the audience that Rick DID clearly state in front of the Chamber that he supports W.
This really pissed him off, and he said sure he is a yes on W, but he does NOT want 760 homes on Coyote Hills.
Jane pointed out that Measure W IS 760 homes on Coyote Hills. Rick was furious. It was funny. He’s a real piece of work.
At least Jan Flory was honest about supporting W (doesn’t have much choice, with her name all over Chevron’s literature.) She went on at length about the history and the reasons, but you could tell she wished she didn’t have to. An enlightening back and forth was had. People learned a lot about W … and the counterintuitive fact that EVERYONE needs to know, that the supposed liberal FLory backs Chvron’s measure while the supposed conservative Barry strongly OPPOSES it.
Much more… BANKHEAD INVITED HIMSELF???
“Much more… BANKHEAD INVITED HIMSELF???”
what?!?! what did he do? Thanks Vern, leaving us hanging…
He invited himself. Lousy speech, too.
Mr. Diamond: Did you go too? wonder if Bankhead was invited or crashed it… in any case, that is interesting.
Sorry for the highjacking but not many on any site have mentioned anything about it which is understandable(not a big deal) but about measure X. Do any of you guys know the ins and outs of this for a yes or no? Everybody seems to be for it even though it is used to criticize the council.
Living in Fullerton, my kids are involved in various sports leagues, so on that standpoint, it would be a good venue for fundraising..
There are statistics out there about how often these sorts of fireworks cause fires. I don’t think that there’s anything about Fullerton that means that it would not be subject to the same odds as other cities. So, the question is how many house fires of what severity — or, worse, brush fires — each with its own accompanying likelihood of death or injury, is worth approving the sale of fireworks (and the sale of illicit fireworks on the side that sometimes accompanies it?)
My view is: Fullerton’s municipal fireworks displays on July 4 and January 1 are wonderful. My family and I go every chance we get. I’d vote no, and I think that a decade or two from now people will wish that they had done so, but I understand why people would vote otherwise.
X is kind of an odd duck. We’re proposing to legalize the use of so-called “safe and sane” fireworks, but we’re going to figure out how that works sometime after the election.
I’ll be voting no. If this is something the city council wants to do, then they can come up with a plan to implement the measure BEFORE its put on the ballot and not after. That way we all understand the rules, what the impacts are, and how we’re mitigating risks . . . you know, things that societies are supposed to understand.
Seems to be a bit half baked at this point. Almost like it was a favor pushed in under the deadline.
That is a good point, thanks guys.
I should mention that Barry’s position against Chevron’s development is a brave one for him to take as a Republican. It cost him the endorsement of both the Register and the OC GOP, who bemoaned his lack of fealty to untrammeled “property rights.” (And possibly cost him the backing of Tony Bushala,, who is instead concentrating his massive financial resources on trying to keep Travis Kiger on council.)
Barry retorts that he does believe in property rights, but not unlimited property rights, not at the expense of the public good.
I wish I could go! I would ask Jan and Rick about measure W and ask Jan why she said in the 1st forum that her reason for running was to support the city staffers. What about the rest of us who aren’t working for the city? For those of you who are undecided, please go so you can see the JANE RANDS and BARRY LEVINSON are the candidates to vote for. Balanced, fair, transparent, and honest…both of them!
I only caught the last 45 minutes but Jane and Barry reinforced my support, and many of the others reminded me why I feel that they are wrong for Fullerton. I don’t think Rick Alvarez has much of a chance of winning, so he is not someone I’m trying to target, but he really demonstrated what an empty suit he is. He has only the most basic knowledge of local issues and his responses are all vague generalized b.s. “as a local business owner …. insert something totally useless” His refusal to honestly say what his position on W is should tell you what kind of a leader he will be. He is a weasel of the first order and he is being pimped by the cops.
Jan Flory was not supportive of our efforts to bring attention and justice to the Kelly Thomas case, she along with Rick and Kitty, are in fact the choice of the Fullerton Police Assoc, who are the biggest roadblocks to reform. I also disagree with her position on Measure W. She is very much like an awake Bankhead, so I hope she is defeated, but at the very least she told those in attendance where she stood on issues and with the exception of a reference to Howard Jarvis and the water tax, she knew what she was talking about. Her positions on the two issues I care about most are wrong, but she, unlike Rick Alvarez, has at least done her homework. Rick is clueless – utterly useless to anyone except the police assoc. As I heard someone like Jane Rands speak about the detail and nuance of local issues, sighting facts, referencing law, potential conflicts etc, juxtaposed to when Rick weighed in with his high school essay answers and bullshit platitudes, it gave me douche chills. He is the political equivalent of having toilet paper stuck to your shoe. He is an embarrassment with ambitions to be Barry Coffman’s sock puppet. If people actually vote for him they are also an embarrassment.
While I’m being generous, I must say that Diamond is much more agreeable in person than his online persona. On line Greg has a talent in his evocation of antipathetic feelings, but I actually enjoyed our little side bar that night. You are still playing the role of a party hack Greg (e.g. support of Paula Williams over Jane Rands in the recall and making FFFF the great boogeyman on behalf of the establishment), but on a personal level, you are not entirely unlikable in person. Feel free to use that on mailor. 🙂
I enjoyed our talk also, Bax. You know I’m all tapped out, so no mailers!
I’ll be writing about Paula’s campaign (if you don’t know her, I’m sure that you’d like her too, by the way) once the election is over.
I’ve always said that I agree with have of what FFFF says (although usually not with how they say it) — but the past several months have mostly been about the other half. I believe that there will be substantive and serious ongoing reform within FPD — even if (as I hope) Flory and Jaramillo are elected, because they aren’t in anyone’s pocket — and FFFF deserves great credit for that. It’s other aspects of their agenda that bother me.