Mayor Tom Tait has now successfully derailed “Disney Democrat” Councilmember Jordan Brandman’s appointment of Republican lobbyist Curt Pringle’s to Anaheim’s Charter Review Commission by demanding that the avaricious puppet-master release a 700 form showing his financial interests. Pringle’s doing so would reveal that he has his fingers in so many pies that he should not be allowed into the City Hall unless he is accompanied by Cynthia Ward and Amin David, who should be equipped with both a camcorder and a shock collar around Pringle’s neck. So Pringle has decided to back out at warp speed. This leaves us with four questions.
- Why is Anaheim even starting a Charter Review Committee?
- SERIOUSLY, WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE UP TO WITH THIS THING?
- Whom will Brandman, sole nominal Democrat, appoint to the Committee — and will they be Latino?
- Will the prospect of working with a Latino drive Amanda Edinger screaming from the Committee? Seriously, why is Amanda Freaking Anti-Immigration Edinger on the Committee? Are they just trying their hardest to inflame relations with the City’s Latino community? How do we get her removed too?
OK, that was seven questions. (Amanda Edinger? Gah!)
Yeah, Jordan, we know, we know — but do you have anything in stock that’s a little *more* Latino-y?
This creates a problem for Disneycrat Brandman. People — not led by Soloriocrat Jose Solorio, however much he may wish it were otherwise — are aghast at the idea that no Latino has been appointed to the Charter Review Committee despite the city’s being majority Latino. Some people have asked why Tom Tait didn’t appoint a Latino, but that seems unfair: he’s running for re-election and he has to solidify his relations with the wealthy non-Latino community that will fund his efforts. He can’t be expected to do all of the good stuff on Council.
So Brandman, who the last I checked (and I check constantly) is still a registered Democrat — the party that is supposed to have the back of the Latino community — is the one who would be, and I’ll even say should be, expected to appoint a Latino. An actual Latino, not a “Latino of convenience” like Steve “Chavez” Lodge. He can make my job of messing with him much harder by appointing a smart Latino with an interest in these issues and a willingness to question whether what the other committee members are doing is good for the Latino community.
Not only is this the right thing to do, but Brandman can get away with this, because he’s a Democrat and everyone (Disney included) should understand that this is his burden to bear. Surely, if the committee could not stand even one voice of possible dissent out of five, that would suggest that they are up to something no good, something that must be hidden from the public, something that strongly boosts the case that Latinos are currently way, way, (way!), underrepresented in Anaheim’s governance. This might be of substantial interest to someone like, oh, JUDGE FRANZ MILLER, who happens to be cogitatin’ on that very question these days.
My guess is that Brandman will make his appointment this afternoon at about 3:00, simply because the appointment of a Disneyphilic Anglo is the sort of move that usually belongs in the “Friday afternoon news dump.” So that gives OJB readers just a few hours to make it tougher for him to do something stupid. (“Craven,” actually, but let’s call it “stupid.”) Get your suggestions out there right now, folks — what Latin@ should Jordan Brandman appoint to the apparently unnecessary and probably dangerous Charter Review Committee? HURRY!
Brandman will have to pick from the remaining 31 applicants who applied for the committee, six of which are Latino.
This is all a set up. They are going to appoint “Muerto Mouse!”
“It has come to trademark your Cultura!”
http://www.voxxi.com/day-of-the-dead-trademark-disney/
And, according to Matt Cunningham or one of his Cunninghamsters, the winner of the Brandman Charter Revision Committee appointment sweepstakes is: Latino, flatlander, and Teamster Ernesto Medrano!
(Vern, is this the guy we heard speaking for the 405 toll lanes who was making the point about how they were needed for emergency medical evacuations? It is, isn’t it? Hoo-boy, if so.)
ERNESTO MEDRANO.
Last I saw him was at Flag Day, he did wave hi. Time before that was the most memorable. It was, yes, at an OCTA meeting where he spoke passionately in favor of the toll lane alternative, Alternative 3 – and against the highway expansions Alt 1 and 2 which would NOT include tolls. Even OCTA director Shawn Nelson scratched his head over that: “I don’t know why you labor guys are so gung-ho for toll lanes; there’s gonna be the same amount of concrete poured whether there are toll lanes or not.” In fact, their construction guys could get to work QUICKER if they went with Alt 2, because Alt 3 would have been (and still would be) tied up in court and possibly defeated. It made no sense. When I asked Gus Ayer, he theorized “There’s probably a secret deal between (OCTA chair) Will Kempton and the Teamsters that if they support toll lanes he’ll hire another ten union bus drivers or something.”
I wrote about this whole thing here: http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2012/09/405-tolls-campbell-flings-hail-mary-pass-moorlach-decries-chinese-water-torture-can-kicked-hard/
Medrano, (Teamster chief) Pat Kelly, and a few other guys from some building trades unions, spoke so much bullshit at those meetings, but one of the more ridiculous pieces of nonsense was when Ernesto mourned about how difficult the slow traffic on the 405 is for his poor union truck drivers, and how only building toll lanes would make their situation a little more tolerable. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person there who saw how nonsensical that was – 1) the toll lanes would not be for truck drivers, and 2) even the toll trolls’ studies admit that traffic in the free lanes would get A LITTLE WORSE on account of toll lanes, not better. But I WAS the only person to chase Ernesto out of the room at the end of the meeting, asking “What the hell were you thinking?” He scurried off without even looking over his shoulder, “I’ll talk to you another time, Vern.”
So… which brings up… how did he know my name, and how did I know his? I had to go way back in the memory hole for that … all the way to 2010, when I was helping the moderates take over the Capistrano Unified School Board, and the rightwing radicals they were trying to unseat were painting them as “union tools” and demonizing “unions” in every sentence. The ironic thing we’d discovered was that the rightwing candidates had been funded by the Teamsters in the past, and had just that month come hat in hand for more Teamster money (I don’t remember offhand if they got it.) Medrano was the guy I eventually contacted to confirm that. Back then as well he seemed torn between telling the truth and being progressive, versus following his Teamster orders.
Back to Anaheim. Even though corporatist shill Cunningham likes to portray the opposition to corporate welfare (and district elections) there as some huge conspiracy of the “unions,” the Teamsters and other “building trades” were Pringle and Murray’s biggest allies during the Gardenwalk Giveaway, showing up to Council meetings in their stupid hard hats with signs saying “JOBS JOBS JOBS” – even though there’s nothing in that agreement to prevent the developer from hiring Arizona scabs at bottom dollar – why wouldn’t he? ANOTHER thing that doesn’t make sense and suggests secret dirty behind-the-scenes agreements (as well as legions of poor dupes.)
It’s all starting to add up to a bigger picture. As a liberal democrat I used to knee-jerk support unions in general, but in recent years I’ve noticed that CERTAIN unions – Teamsters, building trades – tend to be on the wrong side more often than not – against the interests of taxpayers, against the environment – and sometimes against BOTH, as when they defend Poseidon in Huntington Beach. And always for the mantra of JOBS JOBS JOBS, although even that doesn’t add up half the time you look at it. Secret deals, corruption….
So Jordan, failing to get his master in, has netted a Latino, union guy, and someone who seems to always be on the Pringle side anyway. (Pringle was behind the Gardenwalk Giveaway, had his fingers in the 405 toll lane attempt, and his “OC Tax” is shilling for Poseidon.) Well done, I’d say. Why did they even try Pringle in the first place?
What’s this fucking charter commission for anyway? I gotta look into that….
Vern, no wonder your detractors call you ”flojo”…just kidding, somehow…I hope you have a thicker skin than you know who…back to the serious topic. The city’s website has a section dedicated to this committee, although it is not updated yet.
http://anaheim.net/images/articles/5034/StaffReport_Establishing_Charter_Review_Committee.pdf
“City Charter Review Committee
The Anaheim City Council recently established a Charter Review Committee to serve as an advisory body to the Council. This committee will be tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the City’s Charter, which serves as the city’s fundamental governing document and outlines certain authority and restrictions the City has over municipal affairs, and provide recommendations for potential Charter amendments for the consideration of the City Council. Deadline to apply was Thursday, June 13, 2013.
Reference Documents:
•City Charter
•City Charter – Spanish
•Staff Report – City Council Approves Review of City Charter
•Staff report- Establishing Charter Review Committee”
I mean, not what they are OFFICIALLY claiming is the purpose, dude, but what their REAL purpose is. I got an earful of it from Lorri Galloway a couple months ago (she still has numerous inside sources) but I didn’t write it all down. It’s all about retaining their power as long as possible – longer term limits was one thing, some change in the nature of the mayorship. I’ll add this to my long non-flojo list of things to get back to you all on!
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Join-Me-for-My-Re-Election-Campaign-Kickoff.html?soid=1103380029518&aid=Kr05ocCXElY
Don’t forget Ernesto Medrano also served on the Host Committee for Kris Murray’s June 25th “festival of trough feeders” event.
The Charter Review is hands down the biggest thing to happen to Anaheim in the last decade. I’m working on a post to go up when I have finished beating the streetcar into submission (or at least going on record enough prior to Board approval to lay the groundwork for potential legal challenge.) The City Charter creates the foundation upon which the rest of civic government is built, it dictates who much (or how little) influence and independent power the Mayor may wield in comparison to the other Council members (see an opportunity to bitch slap Tom Tait there, perhaps?) and sets up all kinds of underpinnings that can either create a better form of civic leadership, or leave a bunch of little back doors open for creatures of the darkness to slip through when nobody is looking, This is one I will be watching like a hawk!
By the way, I do not think Tom Tait was aiming only at Pringle with the demand for 700 form disclosure, it would be prudent no matter who is serving, because the potential for conflict here is enormous. I hope he continues to push hard for that requirement even without Pringle.
….”accompanied by Cynthia Ward and Amin David, who should be equipped with both a camcorder and a shock collar around Pringle’s neck.” Why do you tease me like this?
*sigh* a blogger can spend their whole life transfixed and infuriated by Anaheim.
Which teased you, Cynthia, the camcorder or the shock collar?
I will predict right here, right now, sight unseen: the Charter Revision will not pass. This committee is not going to be capable of crafting something that would pass. And it will be a great organizing tool for the less powerful areas. So please proceed, Pringlers.