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Short Version: Sign.

Observant OJ reader John Claxton points out Denis “Billmoredough” Bilodeau arriving typically late in this picture – but the City of Orange is stuck with him, he’s got no opponent this year. That blur in the right rear is apparently Steve Sheldon, whose ever-deepening hue of red does not seem to agree with John Earl’s camera.

Isn’t it interesting, and highly worthy of contemplation, that the members (directors, technically) of the Orange County Water District (OCWD) who consistently vote in favor of moving forward with the Poseidon boondoggle… are the EXACT SAME ONES who consistently refuse to livestream their meetings, so that you could watch them at home if you’re unable to attend their 5pm Wednesday meetings in Fountain Valley, let alone the smaller “committee” meetings on odd mornings where most of the real decisions are made?

And the two or three members who are critical of Poseidon, and are trying heroically to put the brakes on, are the ones who WANT to make it easier for you to see the meetings at home, and have voted in FAVOR of livestreaming?

I don’t know, that just seems interesting to me at least…

I mean, it gets you thinking, doesn’t it?

It presents the appearance that the members who are pushing through Poseidon would rather you didn’t see what they were doing, and how weak their reasoning is.

D’oh – looks like Debbie Cook (left) FOUND OUT about their secretive morning committee coffeeklatches!

After at least a year of frustration trying to get the Board to do the right thing and film/livestream themselves as so many boards, commissions, and nearly all city councils do, a few very altruistic activists – John Earl, Debbie Cook, to name a couple – undertook to film and livestream the meetings themselves, on their own dime, with their own equipment.  

But they shouldn’t have to, and sometimes they can’t.  OCWD can and it’d cost peanuts compared to what they regularly throw around to make special interests happy.

So the Orange Juice Blog is asking you to sign this petition.  Embrace a little transparency, OCWD!  Start livestreaming your damn meetings!  This is OUR money you are playing with.

Readers, please click here and SIGN.

Thank you.   And thank Debbie, John, and Residents for Responsible Desalination for everything they’ve done so far.  I’ll have a story up soon on what the hell Poseidon is up to, postponing their Coastal Commission hearing for a few months.  Is this a good sign or a bad one?  Stay tuned…

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PS.  Whether this petition is successful or not, we do have an election coming up, in which we can shape the OCWD if we try hard enough, and give it a majority that answers to the people, taxpayers and ratepayers, rather than wealthy and greedy special interests.  The following recommendations would all be members both critical of Poseidon and supportive of transparency, and they’ll livestream in a heartbeat:

If you live in Huntington Beach, please vote for Clem Dominguez, NOT Cathy Green, who is transparency’s worst enemy.

If you live in Huntington Harbour, Seal Beach, Westminster, Cypress, western Garden Grove, that whole area.. re-elect good old Phil Anthony an honest public servant in his fifth decade of service, who’s unlikely to be replaced by anyone better (and thanks for your service, sir!)

Up more toward Buena Park and thereabouts, if Roger Yoh is on your ballot, vote to re-elect him – he definitely falls on the honest side of the spectrum.

The next two are more complicated.  The OCWD directors for the cities Fullerton, Santa Ana, and Anaheim are appointed by those cities’ councils.  Fullerton’s Jan Flory is the smartest most honest director we have right now, but she is not running for re-election to council.  She could still stay on the OCWD, she wants to, and we need her there – but depending who gets onto the Fullerton council this year, she could be removed.  I have been asking Fullerton candidates if they would support her staying on the Board.  So far I have YES from Jesús Silva and Jane Rands – good reason alone to vote for those two.

And Anaheim’s OCWD director Jordan Brandman, a recipient of Poseidon lucre for years before he could really do anything, and now finally able to show his gratitude, needs to be REPLACED IMMEDIATELY, if we get a new council that will do so.  At this point my wife Donna Michelle Acevedo in district 5, and Mark Daniels in district 1, have agreed to make that an immediate priority if they get in.  Can we please hear from:

• Freddy Fitzgerald (district 1)
• Angel VanStark (district 1)
• Denise Barnes (district 1)
• Dr Jose Moreno (district 3)
• Linda Lobatos (district 3)
• Arturo Ferrera (district 4), and
• Mark Lopez (district 5)?