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Lenore Albert has announced that she is running to replace her ally and benefactor Eric Bauman as California Democratic Party Chair.
Goodbye to 2018, which showed once more that everything she touches turns to radioactive gold.
She is still in Chapter 13 bankruptcy, still suspended from the practice of law, and was just denied a certification by a federal judge that she could appeal a portion of a lawsuit (brought against me and Vern, among many others) without paying fees that would normally be made available to her if the claim has been meritorious.
But no recitation of her greatest hits is complete without this:
The sequel is rarely as good as the original. And in the original, Lenore got eight votes out of thousands cast.
I put her odds at winning the race to replace Bauman, who resigned after the publication of several charges involving sexual harassment and physical assault, at somewhere below 30%. Somewhere way below.
This is your last Weekend Open Thread of the year. Don’t squander it! Blah blah blah with discretion, decorum, dignity and debonairness.
About Greg Diamond
Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that.
Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too.
He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.)
His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)
*We love Hans. He should run for anything he wants. He will win, going away. He got Blued, Screwed and Tatooed……but he will be back.
I’m hoping that people might do me a favor before the year ends.
This story of Vern’s on the on the shooting of Peter Muntean really does belong in our 2018 top five over a post where I basically just copied the candidate statements for the candidates for Irvine Mayor simply to make them more convenient for people to read. It’s about 80 page views short. So if people are interested in a compelling and disturbing story, let’s set the world right while we can, shall we?
And now here’s a favor from us for you: If you haven’t ever read the Huell Howser “interview” piece by Larry Gilbert, which Vern recently mentioned is our most-read post of all time — you should do so tomorrow (or Tuesday if you need to wait.) It’s much more serious, and much less of an interview, than the title suggests — and still very timely.
The Huell Howser story about Redevelopment projects should stand as one of the most interesting political realities. Larry Gilbert was very sensitive to the whole concept and spent many years involved in ferreting out the inequities of the whole process and system of Redevelopment. So, if we can wax poetic for a moment,
it may all simply boil down to another “Urban Renewal” concept well adopted in Salem, Massachusetts when Maiden Aunts and Surviving Spouses of wealthy landowners got pointed to as “Witches” and hung, mainly by decree or mock trails or Kangaroo Courts! The people were taken out, their land acquired by the town, county, state or split between local landowners – perhaps to make way for the equivalent of a New Walmart!
The beneficial side of course to Redevelopment Progress include Social uplift,
new Infrastructure and community namings! Like: This land donated by President Luis Ecchevaria for the Unwed Mothers of Cosumel 1968. That lands still lays bearen, staked out with plastic ribbons and strings, rope or wire. The very expenseive Cement Edifice, with the dedication, in front of the property however remains cleaned once a month.
Banning Ranch is supposed to be a Redevelopment Project in Newport Beach. If you really want to look into a can of worms…you might want to follow that story, where “the folks” have fought back and held this area to a higher standard.
Progress? Bless Huell for being forced to sell out, to keep his show going during those tough, turbulent times before his passing. We still miss him. We got to shake his hand at a book signing at the Nixon Library some years back. He never really accepted our request for a field interview….but you don’t stay on Public Television that long….without having some serious responsibilities.
In other news Rick Rieff is retiring from So Cal Connected….as most people know. Perhaps Dr. D. should step up to the plate and take his place in that arena! Otherwise, we will nominate our dear friend Lucille Kring!
Wow, I don’t remember actually having read that.
It really should have a better title.
I read it once three or four years ago — then forgot it.
Sell out, or not sell out? It really is an appropriate “most popular story ever” for this blog. I very much like and appreciate the work of Huell Howser. Yet, when push came to shove, in at least one significant instance, he did sell out — not for any atrocious self-serving reason, but because it allowed him to keep on creating his work. And he fooled himself (or tried to) into thinking that it was not a political choice.
I don’t really think less of Howser for him choice there, even though I would not have done the same. I think a little less for his fooling himself, and for not even eventually biting the hand that fed him, but even those detract little from the work. The people I think less of are the ones rushing made him choose between retaining integrity and producing good work. And the message to readers is that that is the sort of world we live in — and what we see, what we hear, and what we think we know should be judged accordingly.
A title like “When Huell Howser Sold Out” might be more accurate, but ultimately misleading about him in the broader sense. It’s a small-scale tragedy in which he’s more victim than villain. But still: for some people, he helped make things worse. It would be nice to see a balanced series on the topic.
Happy New Year, friends and neighbors, boys and girls, old folks and minorities of every stripe! Happy Year of the Pig, starting February 5th, 2019!
Happy Pig Year to you too, ‘Ships!
Lenore is a far better lawyer than you will ever be Diamond. Just delete this because it’s an negative observation about you. Loser
Let’s see: I’ve never been suspended from the bar, never been accused of the sorts of things she has (see the links on the State Bar site for details), never declared bankruptcy to stiff creditors, routinely offer advice for free to those who can’t afford it and pro bono services that undercut my earnings, lost some big cases on technicalities while still unearthing useful materials that let to a grand jury report calling for reform. Then I had a stroke that substantially undercut (without totally eliminating, something the person you’re pretending to be doesn’t understand) my ability to use my license, and I can still use my legal education to teach the public (for free, as usual) about the legal aspects of what’s going on.
Maybe you’re right, depending on how you measure the value of a lawyer. But I don’t think so, and there’s no chance that I’d trade places. Hope that you enjoyed your chance to insult me publicly — almost too late to be the highlight of your year!
[moved because this was pretty clearly intended to be here, not way below]
That mountain really is magic!
Posted December 31, 2018 at 5:15 PM
If ranking lawyers is your obsession you can apply to be a judge for 2019’s “Who’s a better lawyer contest and pageant” it will be held as it traditionally is in last year’s winner’s butt.
Be advised there is no pay, attendance is poor and parking is terrible.
“Butt” you sound like the right person for the job!
Durrhurr Lenore iz a much better lawyer than you. Dur hur…hey you big drunken loaf of an oaf, is she better because
(1) a judge just said her last filing was frivolous so he wouldn’t lenore fight the frivolous fight against ebil without paying fees,
(2) because she has no privileges to practice law,
(3) because she is having appeal a bunch of bankruptcy court rulings because she lost every single thing there, or
(4) because you have no freaking clue what you are talking about?
“fabricates the implication” misuse of “your” By the time the decapitations for show and tell roll around (pun intended) one is almost a little numb to the dumb.
All monsters not just vamps are tenacious. The HB racists have gone to ground FOR NOW. But they plan to return with new tactics, branding, candidates and hope for short memories amongst the citizenry. Do not throw out your garlic necklace. Keep those crucifix ready. And most importantly; DO NOT INVITE THEM IN…to any elected position.
It’s shocking how much negativity disappeared from social media immediately and completely with the absence of just the one eyed king and his handful of blind followers. It really illuminates to the community how all the negative OVSD, Historic Wintersberg, Rainbow/Republic garbage (pun intended) was generated by them. So thanks for putting that in stark relief for all to witness.
When they reappear as “normal rational humans” do not be fooled! They are still the same dark entities. Just trying a new strategy. Stay vigilant!
Good points, especially about the HB racists. Yes, eternal vigilance is necessary to protect more than just liberty — it’s also needed to protect civil society as well.
But I think that we — though most of the leadership role belongs to people like Gina Clayton-Tarvin and Victor Valladares, as well as Vern — laid some really good groundwork for future battles this year. And the lessons are all (well. most all) here in public for people to learn from and follow. I wish that people people of good will would sit on the sidelines, but that seems to be an eternal truth in OC.
Out of fairness, I will publicly share a message I have just received from Lenore:
I am limited in what I can say in reply to Lenore due to the continuation of her litigation on this matter against me and Vern. (Portions of the lawsuit dealing with a RICO conspiracy have already been rejected by Judge Cormac Carney and as “law of the case” will apply to Vern and me as well, leaving solely defamation-related charges.) I will primarily paraphrase what I have said in pleadings.
As a citizen-journalist, I am relying in my reporting about (1) the underlying actions leading to Lenore’s suspension upon information provided by the State Bar of California, which (in light of Lenore’s failure to respond in the required forum) credited complaints by several of Lenore’s former clients, including
Pam Ragland andNira Woods (adding: and Cindy Brown and Sherry Hernandez.) The State Bar is assigned to address matters of attorney discipline by the Supreme Court of California, and (2) in the matter of Lenore’s suspension itself by the information provided by the State Bar and several courts, including the Supreme Court of California, that have reviewed the factual assertions regarding her status. I am entitled to do so. I don’t do so due to malice, but due to the fact that Lenore has thrust herself repeatedly into the public eye and is unquestionably a public figure at this point, and the public has a right to know about her disciplinary status and her Chapter 13 bankruptcy.This is not “harassment”; it is simple and plain reporting, and it is not my fault that Lenore does not seem able or willing to discern the difference between them.
This is not “false light”; neither Lenore’s suspension nor her bankruptcy are secrets, and at any rate she is a public figure seeking to lead the largest state political party in the nation and she can’t hide behind “false light” to suppress reporting.
If Lenore thinks that critical facts are missing from the story, she has had and still has the opportunity to present them here. I’ve had the opportunity to assess Lenore’s credibility (which in my opinion is “very poor”) and that of her accusers (which in my opinion is credible.) But even so, I would not want to stop Lenore from presenting whatever facts she thinks the public needs to know in this and any other story that I’ve written. The problem for her is that, with respect to her former clients, she tends to offer factual assertions that are some combination of conclusory (that is, arguments asserting a conclusion itself, rather than addressing the asserted factual basis for a conclusion), immaterial, and incoherent. If she had more and better to offer, she might not be losing so consistently in court.
I don’t think that people are shunning her as a result of what I’ve written about her; if they are shunning her, it is because of her own actions. It may please her to think that all her problems are someone else’s fault, but seriously — people have figured her out by now. I tend to leave her alone EXCEPT when she thrusts herself into the public eye, when she becomes a public rather than a private concern (although when she says something terrible on her accomplice Dan C’s blog, I also feel entitled to respond to it.)
I presume that she means to say that the posts on Yelp are in response to her filing for a TRO against George Olivo for allegedly attacking her, rather than in response to the alleged attack itself. I have absolutely no reason to think that this is true, and in any event I don’t base my assertions on a personal reading of any attacks in Yelp forums.
I’m not “personally obsessed” with Lenore, although I do feel some personal obligation to do my part to help police my profession when I am aware of information not generally known to the public.
While Lenore says that she “doesn’t like me,” I limit my dislike to her actions rather than her essential self. I’ve conveyed to her privately that I think that she has some real talents — she does! — and that I don’t doubt that she had a serious intent to help people survive foreclosure attempts. before things went awry. I hope that she can transcend her “personal demons” — placed in quotes so that she doesn’t sue me for suggesting that she is literally possessed by malevolent supernatural beings, the existence of which I doubt — and become happy, productive, and non-destructive towards others.
Her declaring that she has never had any “romantic interest” in me freaks me out for two reasons. First of all, she’s raising a topic that neither of us have mentioned before. I have no romantic interest in her and I’m glad that she reciprocates, to the extent that I have any emotional reaction to it at all besides slightly alarmed confusion. I stopped having romantic interest in other women when I met and married my wife almost twelve years ago. I’m also the one of us who wasn’t sitting in the back of a DPOC meeting with Dan C.’s arm around my and my head leaning against his chest; nor was I the one who had Ray Cordova’s arm around me at a meeting massaging my shoulder or areas nearby. I don’t know what Lenore is up to with bringing this up. She’s the one who has attacked another woman for posting a photo of herself in a bikini; she has issues that I don’t have. If she’s trying to suggest that she has rebuffed me, there’s been nothing to rebuff.
Second, she has a habit of projecting her own states onto others: she accuses people of being “sovereign extremists” when she is the one who claims that the state’s designated agency for attorney discipline has no power over her. She accuses me and other attorneys of “paper terrorism” when she is the one who files large numbers of large (and often confusing-to-incoherent) documents in litigation, which I file very little by comparison. If “paper terrorism” is a thing, I think I’m on the receiving end of it. So when she says that she has no romantic interest in me, I’m alarmed because it might mean the opposite, and I hope more than I can express that that’s not so.
My putative removal from the position of AD-55 rep to the DPOC Central Committee — for endorsing the District Attorney candidate NOT endorsed by the Republican Party of Orange County — is currently under challenge to the state party’s Compliance Review Commission. I’m told to expect a decision soon; they also have the ability (which Lenore does not seem to realize) to “freeze” matters while they deliberate, which would allow me to take part in the January reorganization meeting and in the regular January DPOC meeting until they reach a decision — and if the decision is adverse I can still appeal it to the CDP officers. Until then, I have no reason to think that I am not a CDP delegate or that I cannot continue to participate in the CDP Delegates’ Facebook page. If Lenore thinks otherwise, she can take the matter to the page’s administrator and make her case, upon which act I will provide the above explanation.
I understand why Lenore would like to keep anyone who knows about her history and her present circumstances from commenting about her. Thanks be to the Framers of the federal First Amendment and Article One of the state constitution for their wise foresight in understanding that free speech is most critical when it is most sensitive.
Perhaps has she confused you with a long dead poet ?? …….. Nevermore !
So lets get this straight….
ARE YOU DISABLED?
CAN YOU PRACTICE LAW?
WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR INCOME?
HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR SSI/DISABILITY?
Does anyone with an actual verifiable identity want to ask me these personal and emotionally fraught questions, or are the answers just of interest to trolls and knaves?
As the story from a couple of days after my above comment of December 31 shows, Lenore’s pending litigation against Vern and me and 26 others was unceremoniously tossed by Judge Cormac Carney, so I guess that now I can say whatever else it was I couldn’t say during the pendency of that litigation — except that offhand I can’t remember what it was and I don’t particularly want to figure it out right now.
Very careful readers will notice that I have stricken the reference to Pam Ragland as Lenore’s former client. (She was one of the codefendants; as I have not really needed to know whether she was a client or whatever else, that information didn’t stick with me.) In the process of answering my question about her status after Lenore challenged it, she wrote something clarifying that status (and incidentally probably explaining my confusion) and granted me permission to print it for the record. It might as well go in this post, and will be a reply to this comment.
[This from my former co-defendant Pamela Ragland, re Lenore]:
To set the record straight –
After I won my published appeal from US Bank, Lenore Albert sought me out in Facebook. She asked me “Are you the Pam Ragland from Ragland v US Bank” and I stated I was. She then invited me to a candlelight vigil for the Koshaks. It was close to our house, and we felt a kinship as they also did 4H, so we went.
During the vigil Lenore criticized my current attorney and told me what he was doing wrong. I felt she was trying to take my case, and I ignored her and stuck with him. Thankfully I did or it’s my opinion there is a great chance had I gone with Lenore I would have lost.
Although I met some lovely people and hard fighters through this process, who are passionate about wining against the banks due to the obvious fraud we all see nearly every day — I do many times over wish I had never met Albert. She has cost my family nearly $50K along with a lot of my own time and resources. I am a single mom with two children, and I simply don’t have time for her continual bogus lawsuits and lies. It is my opinion she is a pitiful human who cannot take responsibility for her own faults. I believe in Karma and hers will be a doozy.
Greg you are free to print that, it’s all facts of if it’s opinion I have stated so (so therefore not actionable, Lenore.)
That is it. Lenore do not email me again. I have no interest in being in your own private hell. I would think you ought to instead of spending time on petty things like this, spend time fighting your own eviction, which Wright Finlay Zak got a relief from stay on.
Warmly,
Pam
Just STOP.
Don’t you see what you are doing?
The JEW BITCH comments about Beth, calling Lou a killer, whore and closeted faggot. STOP.
You two are going to fuck up this whole thing. Just like the Tea Partiers did to the GOP.
You going to end up like Ryan and David, lonely blogflies with nothing.
STOP IT. STOP IT.
You childish assholes.
“…lonely blogflies with nothing.”
No way, dude. My house was full of friends and family for the holidays, plus I bought a 28 pound turkey and we stabbed with our steely knives.
OK, before you got to the compliments on Vern and my incredible political potency, you said some things that I didn’t quite follow.
1) Who is the “JEW BITCH”?
2) What “comments about Beth [Krom]” are you talking about?
3) Who and where was Lou [Correa] called “a killer, whore, and closeted faggot”?
Seems to me that you’re just trying to make up a world where you can lay claim to the moral high ground — or maybe just trying to wag your penis around impressively. Either way, you’ll have to try much harder. Post your answers on Liberral OC, because I don’t think they’re going to last here — though I’m sort of glad that people do get a look at the kind of thing that I normally delete, so that they can see why I “stifle debate” (as if this involved any logical reasoning)!
I think that just as these trolls imagine we called Lou “a killer. whore and closeted faggot,” they imagine we called Beth a “Jew bitch.” They can’t say where, they just feel it in their gut.
Happy New Year!
Oh well, I guess it’s back to our plan to topple the Democratic Party. I propose that you sneak up behind the party and crouch on your hands and knees behind its legs and then I’ll go up to it and give it a hard push. Splat!
Jeez, I’ve been here… for a couple-a years.
I was trying to position myself equally between both dumm Parties.
Diane Carey publicly supported and cozied to Allan Mansoor a few years back. How come she was not kicked out of the Dem party. In fact the OC Dem party seems to reward her for holding onto what can be viewed as racist actions…It’s no wonder that some registered Dems donate directly to candidates and not the party…OC Dems show yourself to truly represent the salt of the earth people who keep OC working.
LIE. She and he worked together on ONE ISSUE, which we could have used more Democrats’ help on: keeping toll lanes off the 405. For that reason Allan named her woman of the year or something. But she never told anyone to vote for him.
And it’s Diana.
She cozies up to Republicans all the time. But she has cute shoes compared to LoGal
Could you PLEASE change your pseudonym?
She certainly does like her shoes, but I’m not sure which Republicans you have in mind. If it’s Vietnamese ones, well, that wouldn’t surprise me. She’s very attached to Vietnamese culture.
To be fair, that may have been before Diane was a DPOC Committee member, which is that same way that Jordan Brandman has gotten away with it for years.
DIANA.
And yes, it was 2012 or so. And read the rest of my information.
Mr. Diamond,
You are correct about the groundwork laid against HB racists for future battles. In (think it was The Daily Pilot) a local paper’s Huntington Beach’s big stories of the year recap today, they featured Gracey’s removal from 2 committees due to her shameful words and actions. They also noted Patrick “Proud Boy” Brenden’s refusal to acknowledge reality and act with good leadership by allowing Gracey to remain an appointee of his.
It is SO important that all of you writers and reporters continue to expose the people seeking office in the community for who they really are and what they truly believe in and represent. It is the only way to notify, protect and lead the community in a more positive direction. The local elected officials cannot be counted on to act with integrity. And that creates a vacuum that can allow some really egregious people with disturbing agendas to advance into representative positions.
THANK YOU,
A grateful citizen
Most of your thanks rightfully goes to Vern, Victor, and Gina — who have joined me in being the top targets for these trolls over the past year. I appreciate your sentiments. The silence of most observers has been deafening.
Couldn’t sympathize more about “the silence”. Bear in mind that these tormentors are not normal, healthy folks. These are people with severe personality disorders, problems with the law and have either exhibited violent criminal behavior or consort with those who do.
Some of their associates were arrested by the FBI, recently. That one 50 year old militia LARPer has no steady job and hangs out on facebook all day picking fights with people half his age and writing comments about wanting to participate in public hangings.
The aggressors post filthy blogs about mothers in the community. They do perverted things like posting the woman’s face on another woman’s nude body. You know high class stuff that you really want your kids to see on the internet. They affect employment.
They threaten people in private messages and emails. They dox and get involved in divorce and child custody issues. They have shown up publicly to harass (mostly women) or have gotten total weirdos from like Yucaipa to do their dirty work in person. Tires have been slashed. This catalogue of frightening, invasive and threatening behavior could go on for pages and pages and pages.
Not making excuses for those who do not speak up. And it is disheartening to see intimidation work. Please try to understand that some people are actually scared. They want to protect themselves, but most of all their families. And specifically, children. Because yes, they will actually target the children of their, “enemies”.
They are revolting, mentally unstable, relentless and evil.
There is maybe a little empathy for those who would not risk their personal safety or their families to tangle with a pack of dirty demons. Its’s sad. But it’s maybe a reason why they remain, “silent”.
That said. Thanks again for enduring so much abuse for the greater good.
No healthy, happy person reads those nasty comments about you and doesn’t see them for the brainless rage and sickness they display. It really works against them proving any point they are attempting to make. It’s incoherent, illiterate, ill advised nonsensical raving. You have to be kind of crazy yourself to even make any sense of it. Most people probably do not even read those foolish words.
And you only see a fraction of it.
That’s horrifying.
The thing is their tactics ultimately do not work.
They cause heartache, hurt feelings and an ugly pall over the community. But in the end – they lost. “Bigly” No more Harper. No more Rohrbacher, Gracey kicked to the curb. Single use plastic bag law upheld, school bond passed. Gina re elected in a landslide, Tony R. gone and on and on…They lose way more than they win, overall. And that echo chamber HBCF ain’t doing them any favors. And they are too dense to sort out that just because people don’t feel like arguing with lowlifes does not mean you’ve changed any minds or won over any hearts. And they damaged a few of their favs reputations by association irreparably for future political runs.
People may not enter the public brawl. But they see. They read. They hear.
And they vote.
Keep up the good work and don’t let the dummies get you down.