We had quite an Anaheim Democrats Club meeting last Thursday, between 40th District Congressional candidate Lisa Ramirez (video here), discussion of making Anaheim sister cities with Hebron (petition here, video coming up), and Marc Herbert’s learned explication of the upcoming ATID controversies.
But what EVERYBODY wanted to see was fired whistleblower Kari Bouffard, and her announcement of her new nonprofit C.L.E.A.R. (Coalition for Local Ethics, Accountability and Reform.) Many folks were sad they couldn’t make it – well here’s the video of THAT!
That’s it. That’s the story. The video is the story. But if this is all new to you, you must have missed Yusra Farzan’s Oct. 24 story in the LAist; and her follow-up four days later.
Oh, and maybe you missed City Manager James Vanderpool‘s furious reaction to these stories at the October 28 Council meeting (video coming right up!)
Jim doesn’t sound too happy. But just between you and me there’s a lot more to come soon, in the mainstream press, much much more, very very soon.
To re-iterate from the video, if you know of corruption in Anaheim or any other OC city, and you want to either come out as a whistleblower and know your rights, OR just pass the info on while keeping your secrecy, the e-mail to contact is tips@clearcorruption.org.
Wow this CLEAR thing that Kari is starting sounds awesome. Vern do you know if she has any funding to have a staff? I would be very interested in working in this as a paralegal.
That Vanderpool sure is a mush mouth.
Why would ANYBODY trust him after his lackeydom to the Anaheim Klepto Ring was discovered?
In fact, why is he still there? I thought Ashleigh reformed Anaheim.
This Times article is tough reading with a limp headline, but I read it for you, and to cut to the chase:
1. Brenda Carrion, who “helms fire dispatch operations for the Anaheim-based MetroNet”, arranged to have her niece paid nearly $100k a year to listen to 911 calls and critique them;
2. And to make it look like there was a competitive bid for this cushy & needless job, two phony bids were submitted by ANOTHER niece of Brenda’s, as well as a friend of Brenda’s mom, neither of them with any sort of relevant experience – AND those bids were quickly withdrawn. Now THAT is fishy and comical, and sounds totally like “BID RIGGING” – a felony under the Sherman Antitrust Act. D’OH!
And it just MAY be the case that neither you nor I nor the Times would have heard about this if it weren’t for our favorite Anaheim whistleblower Kari Bouffard, who, to reprise, has just launched a nonprofit named CLEAR (Coalition for Local Ethics, Accountability & Reform.) I’m told there are MUCH MORE SUCH STORIES TO COME.
https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2025-11-24/anaheim
Yeah, like post dating procurement activity – something I saw Judge Nelson pulling at the County to get his buddy Cameron Irons a six-figure commission as a sole source realtor AFTER THE FACT. Crooked as Hell. But the staff were happy to comply.
Fortunately Fullerton queered the deal and Irons got nothing. For doing nothing. The building was a tear down.
CLEAR is just CATER with stupid people
This doesn’t sound like Chuck. (Otherwise known, on the Liberal OC, as “50 Cent Millionaire”, or “Right Wing Noise Machine.”)
But whoever you are, glad you finally admit CATER was smart people. Also who are these “stupid” people you know of in CLEAR? Are you calling Kari stupid?
Just answering cuz I’m bored. Go jump in a lake.
Latest Whistleblower bombshell (from Kari Bouffard) – Anaheim spent $17 MILLION (unaudited) on its credit card over the last two years – from Amazon, various restaurants, Home & Office Depots mostly. Well, Anaheim is a big city you say?
IRVINE is 80% the size of Anaheim yet they spent HALF A MILLION on their credit card over the same time period – 1/34! – and audited it every month.One more place Kari found lots of waste and possible fraud during her year as Anaheim’s purchasing agent, and one more reason they fired her.“How do you like the article,” I asked her. “Does it leave out anything important?”
She responds, “It does. There are Ulta, local McDonald’s, Etsy, Netflix, Spotify on credi cards and I would question why the City pays for all employees’ daily coffee. Every single day. Also hot cocoa, tea, cups, sugar etc. (not on credit cards but circumventing City Council policy). Debbie’s reason for free daily employee coffee: Better to provide free coffee to all employees so they don’t disappear to Starbucks. That’s not normal. Taxpayers shouldn’t provide daily coffee to govt employees. Especially under City Councils’ nose. Did I request to go to City Council to seek approval? Yes. Did Debbie deny that request? Absolutely.”
https://laist.com/news/politics/anaheim-credit-cards-oversight
Talk about out of control.
And a lot of these abusers were there the night of the great Disney Expansion Dog and Pony Show lecturing me on municipal expenses.
It’s abundantly clear that Vanderpool and his minions are casually corrupt in things large and small. Misusing these public funds is a felony. Will we hear from our esteemed City Council?