Newport Beach Voices

Newport Beach's Tax Delinquencies

2011-06-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well...in an effort to embarrass taxpayers into paying their past due taxes, the State of California's Franchise Tax Board releases it's list of 250 worst offenders.

Click here for the searchable database...

But for you interested in seeing who's on the hook in Newport Beach, here you go...

The Sonos Group, Newport Beach, $1.5 million, October 2010
John P. Honiotes, Newport Beach, $861,000, August 2008
Supriti Soni, Corona Del Mar, $499,000, March 2009
Nobuhito Suzuki, $313,828 Newport Beach, September 2008

The honor of Orange County's top debtor to the State of California Steven Bren of Laguna Beach, son of Newport Beach based Irvine Co. Chairman Don Bren.

But knowing firsthand how the Franchise Tax Board handles these types of matters, I'm sure all of these have already been resolved.

Newport Beach Restaurant Closures

2011-05-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

Considering that most, if not all, of my family members have owned restaurants and being the Accountant for Newport Beach restaurant in the past, I know it really takes a lot to get a restaurant shut down by the Health Department...so take a gander at what's closed in the past 60 days.

BALBOA YACHT CLUB 1801 BAYSIDE DR , CORONA DEL MAR

PLACE, THE 2920 E COAST HWY , CORONA DEL MAR

RUBYS DINER 1 BALBOA PIER , NEWPORT BEACH

Only 3 in the past 60 days...not too bad.

If you want to see the entire County's click here.

How to Buy a Newport Beach Mayor

2011-05-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Ok...this article originally showed up in the Newport Beach Independent...but was edited to leave out the best part...so...

Here's to blogging your opinion.

You cannot blame the Full-Time Lifeguards for their $154k a year average compensation package.

Nor can you blame that retired 51 year old Lifeguard from getting his $108k a year pension pay, for the rest of his life.

I mean, you can’t fault them for asking for it right? It’s up to the City Council to give, or not to give.

Just like if my 4 ½ year old daughter asks me to borrow my Harley. It’s up to me if I say yes or no right?

Well, the previous City Councils, who when asked if the Lifeguards could have the same pensions as the Police and Fire receive, would just laugh and would give them Sunglasses or Suntan lotion. And the Lifeguards would go away happy, as if they had just received bars of gold.

But this time was different. This time, former Councilman Tod Ridgeway was going to be gone, former Councilman Dick Nichols was up for re-election, and former Councilman Steve Bromberg had been off the dais for almost a year, all vehemently against any such Police/Fire-like pensions for the Lifeguards. The Lifeguards never had the votes to get a generous Pension approved.

No, this time when the Lifeguard’s contract was up in the summer for 2006 they knew what they possibly had on their hands and they waited. Waited for Tod Ridgeway to term out, waited for Dick Nichol’s re-election bid, and waited a Union/Pension friendly City Council.

So the Lifeguard Management Union, along with the Firefighter Union, spent $31,807.65 on their slate of candidates. The Lifeguards even walked precincts, knocked on doors trying to pitch their candidates…and guess what?

Every one of the Lifeguard/Fire Union endorsed candidates won (the Barbara Venezia/Leslie Daigle race was different because they endorsed BOTH).

So after the November 2006 City Council race was over, the negotiations restarted in earnest and surprise, surprise (in your best Gomer Pyle voice), on March 13, 2007, the new Newport Beach City Council, the new Union-loving City Council, voted 5-2 in favor of give the full-time Lifeguards the Retirement benefit of 3%@50.

And they made it retroactive to July 2006.

Talk about a gift of public funds, all in exchange for what…walking precincts? But this is where it gets a bit weird…

A very connected, and EXTREMELY reliable source told me, when he asked then-newly elected Councilman Mike Henn, why would he do such a thing? How could he possibly vote in favor of giving Newport Beach’s Lifeguards such juicy benefits and pensions that EVERYONE knew could not be sustained.

Now-Mayor Mike Henn responded, how could he not? After all, they had walked precincts for him, they donated money to him, and they helped him get elected. He felt like he owed it to them to give them this juicy pension.

Let me repeat.

Now-Mayor Mike Henn felt like he owed giving the Full-Time Lifeguards the 3%@50 pension for helping him get elected.

The Lifeguards essentially bike Henny to him, bkjddought his vote.

And if that 51 year old recently retired lifeguard lives until the age of 80 years old, his thank you present will be around $3,132,000.00.

So here is where I apologize for some (not all) of the…um…not-nice things I have written about Councilmembers Steve Rosansky and Leslie Daigle in the past because they were to two no votes, back in 2007, who knew that this type of gift of public funds would be unsustainable. Now keep in mind that in the 2006 election, Steve Rosansky was not up for re-election and Leslie Daigle had been victim of that dreaded “Dual Endorsement” for her re-election bid.

So from the March 13, 2007 City Council minutes, Leslie Daigle said that she “expressed concern that the pension benefits will have a fiscal impact beyond this budget year…that she does not support the policy change.”

At the time Mayor, Steve Rosansky then followed that “he will vote against the contract because of the 3%@50...and that it was given to safety personnel at a time when the stock market was rising and the cost of funding these plans was very low, but conditions have changed. The tide is turning in the State as far as providing enhanced pension benefits, and this is not the appropriate time to move against that trend.”

Of course, completely ignoring the common sense and fiscal prudence coming from Daigle and Rosansky, permanent City Employee Don Webb, of the “all the City Employees deserve their pensions” fame, moved to approve…and the rest is history, viral, and whatever else you want to call the Local/State/National/International news that the Newport Beach Full Time Lifeguards have…um…”enjoyed.”

So…let that be a lesson for all you amateur Politicos. If you want to get $3 million dollars for not working (assuming you live to 80 years old), wait for that perfect storm and do what the full time Lifeguards did.

Walk some precincts, knock on some doors, spend some big dough, and WHAMO! You’ll get that friendly City Council who will vote for your gift of public funds…just because they owe it to ya.

Newport Beach Lifeguards

2011-05-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Wow. That Newport Beach Lifeguards story really went crazy huh?

What started off as a follow up to Barbara Venezia's story in the OC Register, kind of blew up after sending it to my buddy Brian Calle over at the Register.

Here's my original column.

Then the OC Register picked it up here, Here and here

From here it went viral

Bill Handel on KFI even talked about it here at the 15:27 mark.

Here are a couple of blogs who also picked up my story in the NB Indy.

http://capoliticalnews.com/blog_post/show/8494

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/newport-beach-lifeguards-get-200k-a-year (which many other bloggers referred to)

http://www.seanet.com/~jimxc/Politics/May2011_2.html (halfway down)

Pretty cool huh?

My Wrong Career Choice

2011-05-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Back in grade school, high school, and college, I surfed a lot. I also swam a lot and was a junior lifeguard, but not for very long.

Why?

Because there is no way my father would have let me pursue that kind of stuff as a career. You see, he was a Civil Engineer, with his Master’s Degree. Shoot, my mom even told me once that he would have gotten his Doctorate had I not been born…but I digress…

So I had to study, study, and then study some more. In the summer, when I wasn’t surfing or swimming, I’d be studying. And now today, I run the books for mom and pops as well as for $100 million dollar companies.

But he primarily kept my nose in the books because back then, being a lifeguard could never be a career, could never pay well, and could never lead to good things. How could it right?

Well…fast forward to 2011 and the City of Newport Beach.

City Manager Dave Kiff, with his budget slashing Conan the Barbarian Axe, is proposing to reduce the full time Lifeguards from 13 to 9. And some people in the City are actually upset at this…even my good friend Barbara Venezia wrote about this from the Lifeguard’s point of view in the OC Register.

So let me inject my spin into this Safety vs. Pension Lifeguard argument.

But let me start somewhere else.

Do you know that the top paying LIFEGUARD, with benefits, received over $210,000?

The next highest paid LIFEGUARD, with benefits, $203,481.76?

In fact, out of the 14 full-time LIFEGUARDS on payroll in 2010, the poorest one received with benefits…wait for it…$98,160.65.

The average salary, with benefits, for those 14 LIFEGUARDS, was $154,857.95. And that includes $400 each a year for sun screen…

Is that a lot?

Ok, so what do they do for that money?

Today just happens to be a very warm day. So are those guys out saving lives? Sure they are, but there is also a large pool of Lifeguards on Call to draw from who make $16 to $22 an hour with no benefits. THEY man the towers and THEY do the lionshare of the rescues.

But the full time guys, well, in the offseason, typically two are in trucks - maybe three - one at CDM, two others are in trucks roaming between the wedge and the SA River. The rest are either doing admin/office work, not driving around....they are not on a TOWER. They are painting towers, ordering uniforms, answering phones ("how's the surf today?), overseeing dispatch, training people on CPR or prepping for Jr. Guards (getting the trailer ready).

So we need those Full Time Lifeguards earning at total, including benefits, of $2,168,011.39 to do this? We need an average of $154,857.95 to paint a lifeguard tower, answer phones, train people in CPR and training Junior Lifeguards?

Obviously not, as City Manager Dave Kiff, the Newport Beach Fire Department Chief, and the Newport Beach Chief Safety Officer had decided as they propose cutting the 13 down to 9.

And as far as I am concerned, this is the furthest thing away from a Safety vs. Pension issue. It’s just cutting some serious, and long overdue, fat from the City.

Ooohhhh…forgot to mention their juicy pensions didn’t I?

Ok, consider that two recently retired Lifeguards now receive in excess of $100k a year in pensions plus medical FOR LIFE. One guard recently retired at age 51 to receive $108,000 a year, plus medical, FOR LIFE.

So don’t feel soo bad for those poor lifeguards.

Also think about this, if you are drowning in Newport Beach waters, would you want a 47 year old full time lifeguard, who normally jockeys an office, or mans the phone, or doing admin/office work to come get you, or would you want a very fit 23 year old Lifeguard-On-Call/UCI water polo player to drag your butt out of the water?

Think David Hasselhoff versus Pamela Anderson?

So by the time I get to retire at the age of, let’s say, 70…that same 70 year old retired Newport Beach Lifeguard would have already been “earning” over $108,000.00 a year from his pension for 20 years.

…and my father didn’t want me to be a lifeguard.

The Kings of Newport Beach

2011-05-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

lead·er·ship noun \ˈlē-dər-ˌship\ - Definition of LEADERSHIP :1: the office or position of a leader 2: capacity to lead 3: the act or an instance of leading 4: leaders (the party leadership)

Examples of LEADERSHIP: 1. a politician who lacks leadership 2. What this country needs is the exercise of strong leadership!

The above definition of leadership was taken verbatim from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Over the past week, the City of Newport Beach has been making the news for a couple of reasons, both extremely positive as far as I am concerned. Yet something has been bothering me, actually bumming me out, and it didn’t really occur to me why until this morning.

City Manager Dave Kiff, faced with a serious budget and pension liability crisis, showed true leadership and eliminated 50 City Positions, which includes having to lay off 25 plus current employees. This by itself irks me because I will no longer get to declare that Newport Beach has more City Employees per Resident than any other City…but I digress.

Dave Kiff is doing what truly needs to be done and took what was deemed a Political issue by the Public Employee Unions, and has made it a purely REAL issue. A REAL issue that needs to be addressed and the elimination of City Employee positions is a REAL first step.

Next up, West Newport and the Peninsula have been known as the “War Zone” for many, many years now, so at a recent Newport Beach City Council study session, POLICE OFFICIALS introduced an ordinance restricting “loud and unruly gatherings.” Essentially, if a house parties with 8 or more folks, they will get fined big dollars, with the fines growing up to $8,000 for repeat violations. If you rent and party, then your landlord will be able to evict you in order to avoid getting fined big bucks themselves.

After living right smack dab in the middle of the War Zone for years, I kinda would have liked anything which would have prevented seeing vomit on the sidewalk and trash on my patio (or any combination of the two) every Saturday and Sunday morning …but I again, I digress.

Anyways the point of mentioning those two extremely newsworthy and potentially controversial items is that they came from City Staff and not from our Elected Leaders.

Now I fully understand that it’s our Magnificent Seven City Councilmembers who “instructed” City Staff to come up with ideas to balance the budget, or keep the crazy partying down, but I would have loved seeing the ideas, like them or not, come from who our City elects.

When I think of Leadership, the Costa Mesa City Council majority comes to mind. They were faced with a similar budget and pension crunch like Newport Beach, yet THEY took the lead (as leaders do) in laying off City Employees, and they are now taking the criticism and enjoying the kudos (as leaders do).

And as much as it pains me to say, I think of President Barack Obama. As much as I disagree with what he’s been doing, President Obama still took the lead in getting the soon-to-be repealed Healthcare reforms shoved down America’s throat. It’s difficult not to admire and respect his leadership (but I still don’t…).

The Newport Beach City Council? They are sitting back like the Kings (and Queens) of Newport Beach waiting for City Staff to come up with the GREAT ideas and then inanely commenting on them in the newspapers.

And by letting City Staff come up with these tremendous ideas, they can successfully avoid taking the criticism if they fail.

If, God forbid, a tragedy like what happened in Costa Mesa occurs in Newport Beach because of the layoffs, our Kings and Queens can blame City Manager for coming up with the idea.

If renters and homeowners in West Newport and the Peninsula start revolting at the heavy fines and evictions, our Kings and Queens can blame the Newport Beach Police Department for proposing the ordinance.

But if both succeed, who will take the credit?

It’s good to be the King…

So I leave with a quote from the movie “The American President;”

“In the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert to a mirage and when they discover there is no water, they will drink the sand.”

Enjoy the sand.

The Next Bubble to Burst

2011-05-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Compared to Mayor Mike Henn, I’m a mid level pencil pusher. He was a CFO for two very large public companies; I’m just a Corporate Controller for small private companies. He filed quarterly 10-Qs to the Securities and Exchange Commission. I file quarterly payroll tax returns to IRS and sales tax returns to the State Board of Equalization. He’s the star Quarterback in the NFL, I’m the third stringer QB in the Arena Football league.

So when I read that based on the Fiscal Year End (FYE) 2009 California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPers) report, the City of Newport Beach has an unfunded pension liability of $134 million dollars, as well as an unfunded $60 million dollar Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB), or Health Insurance et al., liability, I cannot help but wonder. Why isn’t Mayor Henn’s head exploding?

What does all those numbers above mean?

What it means is that if every City Employee, every Police Officer, or every Fireman (or Fireperson) and Lifeguard eligible to retire retired today, the City of Newport Beach would be almost $200 million dollars short on paying for their “Well-Deserved” (former Councilman Don Webb’s paraphrased words) post retirement Pension and Health Insurance benefits for the rest of their lives.

Let me repeat in terms that even a Third Stringer like me can understand.

The City of Newport Beach is $200 million dollars in the hole to pay for the Pension and Health Insurance for all of its present, and future, retired employees.

And that is based on the June 30, 2009 report by CalPers, released in December of 2009, which leads me to a couple of questions.

When did the City of Newport Beach know that their pension liability jumped up 44% from the year before to $134 million dollars? And

Is the City going to do something more than just have the Public Safety Employees, whose contracts expire in December contribute more than just 3.5% (while the City contributes the remaining 96.5%) to their pensions?

With question #1, one cannot help but wonder, after an election season where Pension Liability was a huge topic, where Council candidate Ed Reno brought up privatizing more City Functions (Trash Service as an example), where the size of government was questioned, did the City wait until after the November 2010 elections, 11 months AFTER the report was released, to drop this little tidbit of information?

If we, the voters, would have found out that the City was $200 million dollars in the hole to pay for the bloated, yet “deserved”, pensions and health insurance of its employees, would the election results have been different?

Perhaps.

But couple this with the $128 million dollar loan to build the City Hall/Civic Center, and the City of Newport Beach faces a debt service of over $328 million dollars which will choke even the most robust bank accounts, even the most robust companies.

Is being $328 million dollars in debt a good thing to be during these tough economic times?

Question #2, how far will the City go to alleviate this problem? And how much will the Public Employee Unions concede to prevent this fiscal bubble from inevitably bursting?

Contributing 3.5% to 8% to their own pensions will not work. Having them raise their retirement age from 50 to 55 won’t do anything either.

Only having employees go from the traditional CalPers system to a “defined-contribution” program similar to a 401k, as Mayor Henn suggests, would help, but instead of hoping that it could be done “well down the road,” it needs to be done immediately.

Doing it “well down the road” would be like ordering more lifeboats for the Titanic long after the ship has sunk.

Will the Public Employees, Firefighters, Lifeguards, Police Officers, and Trash guys be willing to dump their juicy pensions for a normal 401k plan like you and I do?

And what will Mayor Henn and the rest of the Newport Beach City Council do if they won’t and “concede” to just contributing 9% to their pensions?

Here’s what I would love to see happen.

-The City Council draws a line in the sand and says that being $328 ($128 million for the City Hall/Civic Center and $200 million in unfunded Pension and OPEB liabilities) million dollars in debt is enough.

-The City Council immediately implements a “Defined-Contribution” program similar to a 401k, and raise the retirement ages to 60 years old.

-If the Unions don’t agree, then let the layoffs begin.

Yes, I repeat, let the layoffs begin.

Just like in Colton, CA and in Camden, NJ.

You read that right, the City Council need to start acting like Fiscal Conservatives (like many claim to be) and take the necessary actions to ensure that the next bubble that bursts isn’t Newport Beach’s.

And Mayor Henn needs to step up to the plate to keep the Newport Beach ship from sinking.

I'm BAAAACCCCKKKK...Maybe.

2011-05-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hello there. In case you didn't notice...or perhaps you did notice, I've been writing for the Newport Beach Independent. Good? Bad? Indifferent? Didn't notice? Well...I think I'm back here again, but mostly just to re-post my works of genius, or to post those articles which were denied by the Editor.

So there.

We'll see how long this lasts this time.

Thanks

Newport Mesa Daily Voice

2010-03-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

In case you are wondering...I've migrated over to a REAL website...Tom Johnson's Newport Mesa Daily Voice.

Weekly, I'll be writing stuff, lots of it like what I used to blabber about here, but now with a professional editor cleaning my stuff up...

Here's the first one.

Thanks for being here.

Leaf Blowers?

2010-02-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

About 10 years ago, we bitterly complained that since
1994 the ubiquitous Leaf Blower had become a common
environmental nuisance. With their use unregulated we
were confronted with gas operated models that made
enough noise to qualify for a Motocross Race at Angel's
Stadium. Then they came out with Electric Models much
later, that once reved up.....were almost as loud as the
gas operated models.

OK, the rumour of the day is that the City of Newport
Beach is looking into banning Leaf Blowers. Finally,
enough people have been offended that it has reached
the NB Council Agenda. Well, Leaf Blowers don't pollute
the environment, but the people behind those Leaf Blowers
can and more likely than not - do! We are sure you have
heard this reasoning before, but before the City Council
of Newport Beach, votes in it's wisdom to completely ban
this egregious vehicle to kill a good phone conversation,
upset the cat or dog, or worst yet dump all that dust
and fertilizer all over the nearest Mercedes - after
just being detailed...let's take another look at the
Leaf Blower issue.

There is little doubt that many people are affected by
the blowing pollen and dust. There is little doubt that
as well that some actually have alergic reactions from
the airborne contaminants. This is a good reason to
control the use of Leaf Blowers - so that they will not
be utilized indicriminantly.

However, what about Palm Trees? Ever heard of them?
Every time one of these beauties has to have the fruit
removed or the palm frawns trimmed....there is sizable
waste to collect and put into the pick-up truck for
transit to the dump. The various pieces left over from
big palms can create a big mess, even for professionals.
This is maybe one reason to crank up the old Leaf Blower
for a few minutes and save both the homeowner and the
gardener hours of labor policing completed project.
Sensible and cost effective use - usually makes sense!

Face it, we find there are reasons for Leaf Blower
use...but in most cases....they are severely over used.
In our old neighborhood complex, the gardeners would
spend way over an hour, two or three days a week....
moving a few leaves from one side of the complex to
the other. Many times pushing them down storm drains
as well. This, in our opinion, was over use at its
worst. Watching gardener helpers spend many hours of
the day walking lazily up and down streets, followed
by a high noise making mini-street sweeper pick-up
truck..which blotted out the local news on TV or radio
...disturbing computer projects, school studies or a
variety of other productive activities. Dealing with
constant airborne pollutants over that period of time
probably requires some regulation.

Completely banning Leaf Blowers may have some costly
unintended consequences however. There can be found
good reasons and uses, as well as some very poor ones.
Finding the correct balance is the preferred course
in this case. Therefore, although we touted a Leaf
Blower ban in the past, after additional consideration,
we now oppose a complete ban, but with some strict
additional regulations.

Severely restricting the use of Leaf Blowers to large
projects and various short spans of use......we could
certainly support, however.

Hopefully, the City of Newport Beach....will agonize
a little longer than usual - before they vote.....and
ask that City Staff come up with additional regulations
that are "not too complicated", "but fair and reasonable"
- that will correct the current abuses of the use of Leaf
Blowers without adding a complete ban. Obviously, Gas
Operated Models, we would suggest, are out! Restricting
use to low decibel Electric Models will also help save
the pet's ears and not drive the Senior Citizens too
crazy, if applied judiciously.

But the Newport Beach City Council LOVES the Unions!

2010-01-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well...I was at Monday's Republican Party of Orange County's Central Committee meeting.

And I got to hear Chairman Scott Baugh's call to action.

His Mandate.

His "Throwing down the Gauntlet."

His Calling for a Revolution.

I liked it, but as Chip Hanlon points out in his Red County blog post, "A Few Folks who Might Not Have Loved Baugh's Speech" rings true...especially in Newport Beach.

Now first off, Chip writes that there are generally three types of reactions.

Those who wholeheartedly supported it
Those who remain skeptical that anything will really change
Those electeds who have taken union money and won't like this sunlight

I would probably call myself a mix between #1 & #2 because I support it and Scott completely, but I'm not too sure how one part of his speech will work...especially in Newport Beach.

Chairman Baugh states that if a candidate wants the endorsement from the Republican Party of Orange County, he or she CANNOT receive contributions from Public Employee Unions.

Now, anyone left here who has read my dribble over the years has known for my contempt of of Newport Beach's VERY VERY VERY active Police and Fire Unions (they like to be called Associations) and the Newport Beach City Council's lack of...guts (I had another word typed, then deleted it) against them.

For a refresher (here, here, here, here).

The OC Register Editorial board wrote about the Newport Beach City Council's fear of the Unions here.

The Daily Pilot here.

David Bahnsen here.

So I spent some time away from my Playstation 3 this morning to do some research.

Ready?

In the 2004 Newport Beach City Council Election:

Former Mayor Steve Rosansky received a $1076.00 Independent Expenditure from the Police Union.

In the 2006 Newport Beach City Council Election:

The Police and Fire Unions spent a total of $31807.65 in support of their Endorsed Candidates.
Former Mayor Don Webb - $500 cash ($500 Contribution limits in NB), $4128.03 in IE money.
Former Mayor Ed Selich - $1000 cash, $4128.03 in IE
Mayor Keith Curry - $1000 cash, $4128.03 in IE
Former Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Daigle - $500 cash, $3381.03 in IE
Mayor Pro Tem Mike Henn - $1000 cash, $4128.03 in IE

They also contributed to Council Candidate Barbara Venezia (who left the race early) and to Former Green Party, and current DTS Nancy Gardner.

In the 2008 Newport Beach City Council race:

Mayor Keith Curry - $500 cash, $6015.07 IE
Former Mayor Steve Rosansky - $500 cash, $6015.07 IE
Former Mayor Ed Selich - $6015.08 IE.

In the past three Newport Beach City Council elections, the Police and Fire Unions ENDORSED and SPENT $51,928.87 to help shape a Union Friendly City Council.

The past two elections? $50,852.87

So what do we do now?

Almost all of those folks listed above requested, and received, the Republican Party of Orange County endorsement in those elections.

Does Scott Baugh's decree now mean that they won't receive the Endorsement anymore?

Does it mean that they can say the standard:

“While I commend Scott for reminding Republicans of the negative impact unions have had on the state budget, I appreciate the role public safety plays in our community,” she (State Senator Mimi Walters), said. “Their support of me has never influenced my decisions.”

I don't know.

The main problem here in Newport Beach is that the City Council election candidates, and winners, usually RABIDLY seek the Police and Fire Unions (which along with the Daily Pilot make up the Three Endorsements Jewels in Newport Beach.)

And the interesting part then?

Endorsements from the Republican Party of Orange County typically come at the beginning of summer, Newport Beach Union Endorsements come late Summer.

Does the OCGOP then wait?

Let me give you an example from 2008.

Mayor Keith Curry and former Mayor Steve Rosansky were endorsed by the Republican Party of Orange County in early Summer.
They were endorsed by the Unions later that Summer.
The Unions contributed to their campaigns in August (Keith) and September (Steve).
The Unions then spent about $18 GRAND in the end of September.
The report for these dollars weren't due until October.
Which was when the Republican Party of Orange County spent $16,965.72 to support Steve Rosansky
The Republican Party of Orange County spent $17,070.91 in support of Keith Curry and $16,622.28 against Keith's opponent (who wasn't endorsed by the Union and who was one the Newport Harbor Republican Women leaders).

Would the Republican Party of Orange County have endorsed or spent $50,658.91 in support of Union Backed City Council candidates had they known?

That is why I'm skeptical.

However, while skeptical, I'm still hopeful.

Hopeful that this means that the Republican Newport Beach City Council candidates will covet the Republican Party of Orange County endorsement more then the Unions, especially in a predominately Republican City.

Hopeful that while the Newport Beach City Council says they are republican (small r) they will start acting like Republicans.

And hopeful that our most Republican member of the City Council will try not to put the City of Newport Beach into Hundreds of Millions of Debt for a new White Elephant (sorry, had to change topics real quick.)

Who will watch the store now that he is gone?

2009-11-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

Dr. Jan Vandersloot.....was our personal hero! He
marched across difficult terrain, when going another
way may have been easier. He applied himself each
day with a renewed fervor.....a renewal of spirit
that was infectious. He wanted to make people aware
that San Diego and other places around our nation....
may not be doing the right thing. He asked us to attend
meetings with him. He stood tall when no one else would.
Dr. Jan's solitary presence, at not only City Council
Meetings, Country Boards and State Commissions told of
someone truly dedicated to a better world. Someone who
would show by example; rather than just shouting from the
roof tops or spouting off for an uninterested audience!

Some people in life that serve as role models are later
to be named for streets, parks, open space, buildings
and even sometimes with a bronze statue. What they have
accomplished could be of little consequence...perhaps
family or powerful friends fronted the cash for these
endeavors. So it would be easy to be cynical about the
process of being grateful to those that have served
without a desire to be remembered. What was in it for
them? "A better world!" comes to mind when the name of
Dr. Jan Vandersloot is mentioned!

Dr. Jan Vandersloot, marched ahead with facts, figures,
study and a targeted desire......to move things forward
and to save our "Quality of Life" for not only our
progeny but those that would survive the years with
memories of wonder and beauty that once existed before
"Redevelopment or Naked Progress" that would take our
community and make it into something that was without
beauty or at worst, simply unlivable.

Water quality, Open Space and the beauty of trees and
plants.......were protected by Dr. Jan and his warrior
mentality. He stood tall, he asked the tough questions
and he offered solutions. He did all this....without pay
or self-aggrandizing purpose. He did it, because he knew
that if no one did it....the worst could happen and most
likely leave us depleted in spirit and in the beauty of
our environment!

Dr. Jan Vandersloot should be remembered. Should be
honored by our City, our County and our State. His
passing on November 5th, 2009 came too early. The people
standing in line to replace his tireless energy are not
only too few - but without his amazing knowledge! We
need to honor his memory with a Park,a street or Open
Space..marked by his name!

Thank you Dr. Jan, but the Lord has taken you too early.
We needed you to stick around a lot longer. We needed
for you to bring that tireless energy back to the Dias,
time after time - to protect us!

To his family and friends, the citizens of Newport Beach,
Orange County and California...and even the patients of
his caring, healing Dermatology practice - God bless us
all. We will remember you Dr. Jan and do our best to
walk a tiny step or two in your shadow!

In Memoriam Jan Vandersloot, MD

2009-11-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

No one exemplified these words better than Jan Vandersloot, medical doctor, environmentalist, and family man. He was generous with his time and his money, and we are thankful to him as well as to Cheryl, Jon and Tiffany.

I first met Jan about twenty years ago, though I’d seen his numerous and eloquent letters to the editor before that. I was a city planner at Newport Beach and he called about illegal fill of a wetland. Someone in the office said “that Dr. Vandersloot” always had some complaint. Still, I arranged to meet Jan at the site along with a biologist and, lo and behold, a wetland was being illegally filled.

After that, I got many calls from Jan. Sometimes he’d be reporting habitat damage, or illegal dumping. I learned that when “that Dr. Vandersloot” called, it was something I really needed to check out. If he had a complaint it was well-founded and well-researched. Unlike some residents who called regularly, Jan was concerned about all areas of the city and beyond, not just matters within a block or two of his house.

Sometimes he was just looking for information. For Jan, there was no such thing as too much information.

Years later, after I’d left the City and was involved in various causes, many at the prodding of Jan, my house was overrun with environmental impact reports (EIRs) and other studies. Jan stopped by about some project. I was mortified at the boxes of documents spilling into the living room. Jan was delighted.

Jan had a way of pulling people into his causes. Bolsa Chica, Ocean Outfall Group, San Diego Creek, trees on the Peninsula. He put so much into so many causes, how could you not help at least a little? Almost daily there’d be e-mail from Jan with calls to action, research requests, or outlines of potential strategies for ongoing projects.

As he toiled to end the Orange Count Sanitation District’s waiver from federal clean water law, he’d ask not IF you’d attend any meetings to speak against the waiver, but WHICH meetings in which cities you’d attend. Eventually Jan, or in rare cases a surrogate, spoke before every city council and sanitary district in Orange County, usually with a few others in tow, but alone if need be.

Jan didn’t care if he was the only one to stand up and fight for something. If it was the right thing to do, he was there.

It wasn’t all just hearings and meetings. I especially appreciate the work he did at Fairview Park. Jan advocated for the park at hearings and also weeded and planted plants, sometimes with a group, sometimes with just one other person, like Gil Collins, sometimes alone.Though I’d been involved in Fairview earlier on, soon Jan surpassed me in his knowledge and dedication to improving habitat at the park. I’d be out for a hike and there was Jan, clearing away the anise choking out native species. Seeing his hard work, I’d go back to my car for an extra bag to pick up trash along the way. How could I not?

We distributed flyers at election time. Of course, if you and Jan covered opposite sides of a street, you really had to hustle. With his long legs he’d finish the distance long before you.

Jan really loved to celebrate the big wins. And he hated to lose. After a setback, he’d be seeking other strategies. Was there a way to appeal? Another agency involved? Should we litigate? Any other options?

Jan just did not give up. If we’d finally run out of options, he’d be planning how we could handle a similar situation “next time”. Unfortunately, now there is no “next time” with Jan.

Today, we are able to reap what Jan so diligently sowed and tended: Open space at Bolsa Chica, cleaner beaches, wetlands, trees, and habitat in various areas. What a tremendous legacy!

Perhaps an even greater legacy is the army of activist that Jan has encouraged and mentored over the years. Now we must continue in well-doing, that we and others may reap in the years to come. How could we not?

Wow! I Told You So???

2009-11-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's not too often when a highly respected "member" of the community agrees with a very small, yet very vocal, part of the community.

For years now, residents of West Newport Beach and the Balboa Peninsula have been complaining about, and opening their wallets to fight, the Sober Living/Rehab homes which littered through the community.

The claim was that the Residents of these Sober Living/Rehab homes were thieves and destroyed property.

The claim was that the Residents of these Sober Living/Rehab homes were disruptive.

The claim was that the Residents of these Sober Living/Rehab homes were disrespectful and rude to their neighbors.

The claim was that the Residents of these Sober Living/Rehab homes didn't belong in residential neighborhoods.

Denys Obermann and the Concerned Citizens of Newport Beach spent lots and lots of money to get the City of Newport Beach to do something about it.

The Sober Living/Rehab homes hired some seriously BIG GUNS to defend themselves.

The City of Newport Beach's response?

Tepid to Ceremonial.

And realistically, as the 2008 City Council showed, that's how the voters felt about the Sober Living/Rehab "patients (and I use that word VERY lightly...)" living in residential areas.

A Council member was accused of profiting off the Sober Living/Rehab Homes.

And while he may have lost in the districts affected by them, the rest of the City cared less, indicating that they were more concerned that he had a house in disrepair, for many years, and that he seemed to push his weight around to keep it in disrepair.

And he was overwhelmingly re-elected.

Well...finally.

Finally, a highly respected "member" of the Community has echoed, and VALIDATED the sentiments of West Newport Beach, Balboa Peninsula, and the Concerned Citizens of Newport Beach.

Finally, a Company, who's President's endorsement is highly coveted and sought after by Potential City Councilmembers.

I can still remember Mayor Pro-Tem Keith Curry quoting their President's words when he was on the campaign trail.

It's all in the title of the Orange County Register article.

Hospital bars drug rehab patients from A.A. meetings

Read it.

Study it.

Here's are some excerpts for those too lazy to click

"Effectively immediately, sober living homes and substance abuse treatment centers that drop off van and bus loads of residents to attend this meeting will be asked not to do so," says the letter. "We ask that you find other meetings to attend."

"Unfortunately, there has been an ongoing history of disregard for the property and policies of Hoag Hospital," according to the letter from Dotty Dozal of the Hoag Chemical Dependency Recovery Center.

"These behaviors include: theft, destruction of property, smoking on campus, profanity, congregating in groups outside of the building rather than attending the meeting, gathering in restricted areas and other disruptive behaviors."

Wow...

Sounds just like ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS THE RESIDENTS HAD ABOUT THESE REHAB "RESIDENTS."

Perhaps the Sky was falling...

Halloween Massacre at China Cove

2009-11-01T03:21:00.000-08:00

Bet you thought that title was some kind of joke. Unfortunately not.

Akin to what occurred in West Newport when some reprobates decided to bulldoze the dunes, someone has hacked away a fair amount of vegetation at China Cove, including native plants (pictures). Word has it the Newport Beach Police have apprehended the miscreant.

Could it be the same guy that’s been chopping down trees elsewhere, including Costa Mesa parks? Is he just a spoiled brat who feels he has the right to alter public property to suit his convenience and/or enhance his own property value? News flash chainsaw man: You are not the center of the universe.

It’s hard to understand what this jerk was thinking. Were the plants blocking his view? One would think that any views blocked by the massacred plants would also be blocked by Kerckhoff Marine Lab.

What was next on his agenda? Was he planning on disassembling Kerckhoff and burning it in the fire rings piece by piece? Oh, wait. Council Member Gardner’s getting rid of those.

Never mind. If some predictions as to climate change are to be believed, it will all be under water in a few years.

Changing the Charter?

2009-09-25T08:05:00.001-07:00

Larry Gilbert is a long time activist, investigative reporter
and good friend over the last 10 years. Larry recently just
wrote a quick blog for the other blog....we write for:
www.orangejuiceblog.com which is a high volume blog that was
developed by Art Pedroza.

At any rate, Larry wrote this interesting article regarding
whether or not his town of Mission Viejo should change from
a General Law City to a Charter City...much like that of
Newport Beach. For those who don't know the difference...
this might be an important understanding.

Larry's article:
September 24, 2009
www.orangejuiceblog.com

Should Mission Viejo switch from a General Law to a Charter
form of city government?

Posted by: Larry Gilbert : Category: Fresh Juice

At the Sept 21st meeting of the Mission Viejo city
council a council member asked the city attorney if
Charter Cities are immune from government raiding.
This was triggered by our general law form of
government and their discussion of the pending “taking”
of city funds to help the state government keep the
bill collectors at bay.

With that question comes a long list of financial
and legal questions that I will try to tackle with this
post. As there are 21 characteristics for comparison
I will limit this post to 8 of them which I feel
provide areas for discussion.

Before providing the list let me state that this
topic and comparison is generally not covered in the
media. Therefore let me state that “the essential
differences between the two types of cities is that
having a charter gives cities more local authority
over municipal affairs. Charter cities are able to
customize operations to meet the unique needs of the
community, while general law cities are dependent
on the state legislature for their power.”

Form of Government.

GENERAL LAW CITY. State law describes the city’s
form of government. For example, Government Code
Section 36501 authorizes general law cities be governed
by a city council of five members, a city clerk, a
city treasurer, a police chief, and any subordinate
officers or employees as required by law. City electors
may adopt ordinance which provides for a different
number of council members. Cal. Gov’t section 34871.
The Government Code also authorizes the “city manager”
form of government.

CHARTER CITY. Charter can provide any form of
government including the “strong mayor,” and “city
manager” forms.

Elections Generally
GENERAL LAW Municipal elections conducted in accordance
with the California Elections Code.

CHARTER CITY. Not bound by the California Elections
Code. May establish own election dates, rules and
procedures.

Public Funds for Candidates in Municipal Elections
GENERAL LAW CITY. No public officer shall expend and
no candidate shall accept public money for the purpose
of seeking elected office.

CHARTER CITY. Public financing of election campaigns
is lawful.

Vacancies and Termination of Office
GENERAL LAW. An office becomes vacant in several
instances including death, resignation, removal for
failure to perform official duties, electorate
irregularities, absence from meetings without permission,
and upon non-residency.

CHARTER CITY. May establish criteria for vacating
and terminating city offices so long as it does not
violate the state and federal constitutions.

Council Member Compensation
(and Expense Reimbursement)
GENERAL LAW. Salary-ceiling is set by city population
and salary increases set by state law except for
compensation established by city electors.

CHARTER CITY. May establish council members’ salaries.

Public Contracts
GENERAL LAW. Competitive bidding required for public
works contracts over $5,000. Such contracts must be
awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. If city
elects subject itself to uniform construction accounting
procedures, less formal procedures may be available for
contracts less than $100,000.

CHARTER CITY. Not required to comply with bidding
statutes provided the city charter or a city ordinance
exempts the city from such statutes, and the subject
matter of the bid constitutes a municipal affair.

Finance and Taxing Power
GENERAL LAW CITY. May impose the same kinds of taxes
and assessments as charter cities.

CHARTER CITY. Have the power to tax. Have broader
assessment powers than a general law city, as well as
taxation power as determined on a case-by-case basis.
May proceed under a general assessment law, or enact
local assessment laws and then elect to proceed under
the local law.

Zoning
GENERAL LAW CITY. Zoning ordinances must be consistent
with general plan.

CHARTER CITY. Zoning ordinances are not required
to be consistent with general plan unless the city
has adopted a consistency requirement by charter or
ordinance.

Gilbert comments. Changing your
form of government from General Law to a Charter City
is like taking your children to a candy store. By law
the compensation of city council members in general
law cities is capped to population. This became a big
issue in Mission Viejo as our council recently
awarded themselves a sizable increase in their monthly
stipend as covered previously. This alone opens
Pandora’s Box for our city where they would love to
create full time posts at $100,000 each.

It is worth pointing out that “all of California’s
10 most populous cities are charter cities” including
Anaheim and Santa Ana in Orange County. At last count
379 of our 463 cities are general law.
Some related issues include your choice of full time
v. part time council and mayor and the powers and
compensation he or she assumes.

i.e. “Relationship of Full-time Mayor and
Structure of Government
While it is true that California cities with a strong
mayor form of government have full-time mayors
(e.g., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, Oakland),
it is also true that a city can have a full-time
mayor without having a strong mayor form of
government. The Cities of San Diego, San Jose, and
Long Beach have full-time mayors who operate under
the council-manager form of government.

Though there are variations within each of these
two basic structures of government, the fundamental
difference is whether or not the mayor serves as the
chief administrative officer of the city. In the
council-manager form of government, the mayor and
council establish policies and a professional, hired
city manager administers the policies. In the strong
mayor structure, the council establishes policy and
the mayor is the chief administrative officer of the
city.”

As indicated by the above details there is much to
consider before making this change at any city where
the initial election costs will surely exceed $250,000.

=======================*Winship Comments:
Special thanks to Larry Gilbert for a fantastic short
version article of CA City Government. Excellent!

Secondly, we have been tauting an Elected Mayor in
Newport Beach for 15 years. It came on the heals of
the passage of Term Limits...which we also supported
strongly. Now, we need to pass a Special Election
provision to the Newport Beach Charter...in the event
that any of our currently "selected but not elected"
City Council people decide to step down early....as
the last five have - to abridge the Charter process!
Changing the Charter simply requires - a vote of the
people and meeting the legal requirements of State Law.

Does Newport Beach Want Successful Businesses?

2009-09-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hello again...

Long time huh?

Nowadays, it takes lots to get me soo fired up that I cannot resist researching, formulating, and spouting off at the mouth (or at the keyboard.)

So here we go again, and forgive me if it feels rusty.

Chronic Tacos' plans denied.

Good topic to return to?

I've been following this little story for a while...and correct me if I understood this incorrectly...

Chronic Tacos on the corner of Balboa and PCH wants to expand.
They want to serve beer (which they later rescinded).
They want big screen tvs
They want a seating area for customers.
They are very busy in the little spot they are in.

Ok. Here are the complaints, and again, please correct me if I understand this incorrectly...

Chronic Tacos is too busy, so parking is difficult in front of it, or around it.
The people that go to Chronic Tacos are lazy bums who throw their trash in the parking lot.
The people that go to Chronic Tacos are young, and thus horny, and must throw their used condoms in the grass behind the restaurant (which by the way happened "near" another Chronic Tacos in a land far far away...)
The people that go to Chronic Tacos are loud.
The people that go to Chronic Tacos can't buy beer at the Liquor store next to it, at the Circle K on the corner, at the Pizza Joint next to it, at the Sushi Joint next to it, or at the bar on the corner, so they will HAVE to buy beer at Chronic Tacos, and thus create lots and lots of problems to the neighbors.
They sticker their windows...but these are different types of stickers that are on the windows at the Donut shop, the scuba shop, the Coffee shop, and Circle K.

Are you kidding me?

According to the Daily Pilot article,

"Councilman Steve Rosansky scolded restaurant owner Dan Biello for litter in the shopping center parking lot outside the stand and the appearance of his storefront, which is covered in bright-colored stickers."

and Rosansky, as a HUGELY SUCCESSFUL FRANCHISE OWNER OF ONE TOGOS RESTAURANT, which then qualifies him as a restaurant expert who is able to judge a HUGELY SUCCESSFUL 28 MULTI-STATE RESTAURANT CHAIN, continues

"criticizing his (the owner of Chronic Tacos) attention to Newport Beach in comparison to Daniel's other 23 restaurants"

Now lets back up for a second...

If I told you about a restaurant that:

Serves quality Mexican food fast
Serves quality Mexican food cheap
Has a seating area
Has some big screen tvs
Serves Beer
Has Stickers on their windows
Is hugely successful
Has serious parking issues.
Young people like to go to it.

What restaurant would you think about?

Need a hint?

Ok...it's owned by three surfing brothers.

Another?

Ok...there's one in Fashion Island.

Yup...Wahoos Fish Tacos.

CHRONIC TACOS WANTED TO OPEN UP THEIR VERSION OF WAHOOS FISH TACOS WHERE OTHER BUSINESSES HAVE OPENED AND FAILED.

This is the same Wahoos Fish Tacos that I've personally seen that same Councilman Rosansky at numerous times.

This is the same windowed stickered-hard to find parking in their sometimes littered parking lot-beer serving-big screen tv showing-taco serving-restaurant that Steve Rosansky goes to.

How much do you want to bet that if Wahoos tried to open up in that same location, there would be unanimous votes of support?

Then why no Chronic Tacos?

I still can't figure it out.

Now let's address the parking and trash issue in that plaza (I used to live right next to it...)

That vacant location is now empty.
That vacant location is large.
That vacant location is OFTEN VACANT
Business open and close in that OFTEN VACANT LOCATION.

So a HUGELY SUCCESSFUL restaurant, who will probably be there for many, many years, will contribute lots of sales tax revenue to the City, where you'd probably see Councilman Rosansky enjoying food very similar to Wahoos Fish Tacos, is not allowed to expand and improve the area?

A crappily run restaurant chain does not:

Get named to the Daily Pilot's 103 most influential people list in Orange County. Twice.
Have numerous and numerous locations in very, very conservative areas (Idaho?)
Opens their doors to numerous charities to help raise money year after year. If the Newport Beach Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation trusts the owners of Chronic Tacos to help them raise dough...
Wonderful reviews and writeups in numerous well trusted publications (here's one...)
and donates food for very civic-related events.

In a down economy where Restaurants are closing down left and right, we punish a restaurant who wants to expand?

Instead, that crappy plaza will continue to have a large vacant spot, which will get repeatedly vandalized.

Small businesses which will not impact parking (?) will open and close there.

If the City wants to bitch about a dirty parking lot, talk to the owners of the NUMEROUS business who share the parking lot AND talk to the plaza operator.

Why hasn't the City gone after Jack in the Box or Circle K for the ugly dirty parking lot.

The City has backed itself into a corner now.

Nothing that resembles anything successful will be able to open up in that large vacant spot.

Nothing that requires people to drive to and park their cars to will be allowed to open there.

Nothing that caters to young (= loud, dirty, drunk, and horny) customers will be allowed to open there.

And if one does, I sure to hell hope Chronic Tacos sues the HELL out of Newport Beach.

See you at Wahoos soon Rosansky!

Old School...New School.....Again?

2009-09-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

We had a cool fog blow through yesterday morning. It
created a lot of wet on our deck and we had to get the
shop vac out to clear out all the puddles. We still
have our SC flag up from last Saturday's debacle. We
keep the battle flag up for the whole week after we
lose a game...especially one that we should have won.
Anyway, we will get back to that later.....

So, the kids are all back in school by now. Homer
Bludau, our old City Manager....has left the building
and the good Dave Kiff....is finding his way around
Homer's old office. Dave we guess is going to have
a tough time for a few months...getting adjusted to
"not being available". Cause, you know....that's what
important people do......become "unavailable"....not
so accessible....."just leave a message"....stuff like
that.

We will tell this story for Dave....just to let him
know that all the great things he did before he was
the "Big Poobah" were pretty good things to do.

Many years ago when the Showtime Lakers..with Magic,
Worthy and Cooper had won everything....they traded
someone we liked, who we can't remember now. We were
quite incensed however and immediately called Jerry
West on the phone. "Hey, this is Ron Winship...from
Parker- Longbow in Newport Beach and we want to talk
with Jerry West immediately!". The secretary was of
course quite professional and simply said: "I will
make sure that Mr. West gets your message!".

Well, thinking we would never hear from him ever...
how shocked were we to have Mr. Jerry West personally
call us back 20 minutes later. "Mr. Clutch" wanted
to know what our concerns were and when he found out
....we were simply "Superfans"...he chatted with us
quite openly for over 40 minutes all about The Lakers,
what perspective trades he was considering, what work
ethic he expected from each member of the Laker team
and a variety of other basketball issues. Needless
to remark, we are now and will always be Jerry West
fans for the rest of our entire lives. We never talked
to Mr. Clutch again...once was manna from heaven..but
we will hold those memories very dear to our hearts,
forever!

So, Mr. Dave Kiff....sometimes "being accessible can
be a good thing"! That goes for all the bureaucrats,
staff and those elected officials as well. Sometimes
"titles" can get so wrapped up in their own self serving
lifestyles and world that they can easily forget the
"little people that put them into office in the first
place.

We haven't be able to chat with our "Stand-In" Newport
Beach Police Chief just yet....but we keep waiting
for the big Search Process to begin in earnest. Waiting
until we see the final four, as it were. Maybe we
just aren't paying attention. Do we have a new Police
Chief yet? No, we have been too engaged in dodging
Cable news about Tea Parties, Obamacare and all the
US Senatorial Mark-up Session actions...going on. We are
feeling a strong disconnect with all these shouters and
pouters right now. Although, the USC-Washington game
left us in that extremely poor condition presently.

Hey, don't start Matt Barkley Coach Carroll, what
happens if God forbid something happens to Matt
Barkley against the lowly Washington State team? Ugh,
maybe Coach Carroll should just play Mitch Mustain
instead. Even if we lose...maybe Matt will at least
be rested a little more for CAL the following week.
Hey, we know this is all about big money, big strategy
and the fact that as Marx said: "The opiate of the masses
- that keeps our minds off the truly important things!"

They don't pay us $4 million a year to keep or raise
the national consciousness....So, when they say..these
pivotal decisions are above our pay grade.....there is
little doubt.

What we can say...is that it has been a very long hot
summer....and the US economy seems to be making a very
slight come back. Although, credit card interest rates
are rising faster than the water in Atlanta. Could we
blame the bettering economy on the Trojan defeat Saturday?
Who knows! Let us all just pray and keep the faith!
"Fight On"!! that is!!!

Dr. Kiff and the Time Machine!

2009-09-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

Soon, our City Manager Homer Bludau will be following
in the footsteps of Chief of Police John Klein and will
be seeking early retirement this month.

"The talk on the streets ..s all too familiar..
strange expectations...everyone is watching you....."
from the Eagles - "New Kid in Town"!

Dave Kiff and Sharon Wood have been the stalwart
providers of temporal support for "the Big Bludau"!
Acting as both researchers, deflectors and inspectors...
Wood and Kiff are the ones....that have responded
as "clear as mud" sometimes on various contentious
issues over the years. The base reality is - they
have both done a good job of playing the roles of
"conscientious public servants". Their titles have
been: Assistant City Managers. An odd set-up that we
believed occurred after Kevin left and Homer came on
board. Before that, we think Dave may have been the
solo Assistant. If someone knows they should tell
us!

The rumor mill says that Dave Kiff is now the anointed
one.....to replace Homer. If so, it sounds all too
logical, reasonable and correct. Dave has dutifully
done his business without screaming and stamping his
feet in egoistic slam jam. There have been too many
others that we might mention that couldn't cut the
mustard in that regard - but we won't!

The truth is: Sharon or Dave are more than qualified
to do the job. Who finally gets chosen will be "very
interesting". In the words of Arte Johnson...for those
that remember Gary Owens and Goldie Hawn on television.

NB Officials & Rehabs-Ticking Time Bomb?

2009-07-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Look at this young woman's photo and see the article below....then ask yourself how you would feel if this was your daughter, realizing that it could happen here if we're not smart:

The Newport Beach City Council, the City Manager (in absentia of mind and ethics) Bludau and the former City Attorney Clauson cared so little and thought so little about this danger to our community, they unanimously supported a 25 year Rehab Settlement Agreement allowing unlimited beds for treating addicts and forgot to include (in that agreement) an effective and meaningful manner to monitor its compliance.

This Rehab Agreement can’t be monitored or enforced. The City doesn’t really know the # of addicts treated (or living, for that matter) in each house or their criminal backgrounds, nor do they care, now that the Rehab issue is off their priority list and out of the public eye.

They may try to tell you about the Rehab's voluntary reports submitted of #’s of addicts treated…but they won’t tell you those reports can’t be verified. Anyone, from this group above, telling you they can truly monitor and enforce the Agreement is a LIAR. Self-interested pigs gobbling free dinners, concerts, photo ops or parades, while avoiding common-folk inconveniences such as permits, penalties and, above all, accountability to the community…taking advantage of their City positions whenever they are able to get away with it. You know the names and the despicable characters. They squirm, make excuses or resort to "no comment" when caught.

When asked, no one in the City even has an effective idea how that monitoring might be done. But they're always happy to take a free lunch while reciting their impotent montras about "being concerned with the welfare of our citizens" and "retaining the character of our neighborhoods" but signifcant, effective monitoring plans......none. It’ll take a tragedy, like reported below, for the Newport Beach Community to see how City Officials sold us out, originating with an atrocious lack of foresight and the cesspool of Profiteering and Rehab Cronyism that they have wallowed in for so long (several ex-mayors, several ex-city attorney’s, current and former city council or friends/family financially involved with rehabs).

Bob Rush

__________________________________

Collision of 2 L.A. worlds may have led to girl's death

By Richard Winton, Ari B. Bloomekatz and Joel Rubin

July 28, 2009, Los Angeles Times

Lily Burk, 17, was a bright, bookish teen who showed vast promise. Charlie Samuel, who is accused of killing her, is a transient with a long record of arrests and drug use.

Samuel had walked out of a nearby residential drug treatment program earlier in the afternoon. He had been ordered there after a recent arrest but had been given permission to leave for the day.

As Burk approached her Volvo sedan near 7th Street, Samuel confronted her. Moments later the car drove off - a security video shows Samuel behind the wheel and Burk in the passenger seat, but it does not capture the exact moment of the alleged abduction. By dusk, Burk was dead, her body left in her car in a downtown parking lot-her head beaten and her neck slashed, according to Los Angeles police and other law enforcement officials. Samuel killed her, police suspect, during a botched robbery............

From the Desk of Chief Klein

2009-07-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

July 7, 2009

Dear Residents of Newport Beach:

As I reach the end of my 30-year career serving
this world class Community, I want to take a
moment to examine some of our past accomplishments
and look to the future.

Now that we have successfully survived another
July 4th holiday, and this year, as in years
past, we spent a great deal of effort in preparing
for this celebration. As the holiday fell on a
Saturday this year, we anticipated it would draw
large crowds, which required us to deploy a
significant number of personnel to ensure for a
safe and enjoyable celebration for residents and
visitors alike.

We deployed close to 300 officers across the
City, which included a number of officers from
other jurisdictions who were brought in to
supplement our personnel. Even without any
significant incidents occurring, we arrested
approximately 120 people, mostly for alcohol-
related offenses.

The success of the July 4th holiday in
Newport Beach can be attributed to the level of
cooperation between the Police Department, the
Community, and many other City Departments.

One of my goals as Chief has been to increase
the Police Department’s participation within the
Community. The success of these efforts has been
evidenced by the strong partnership we have
developed with the residents and business owners
in addressing many long-term areas of concern,
such as alcohol-related activities, disruptive
behavior on the west side, safety and
environmental concerns in Corona Del Mar, boardwalk
safety, teen safety, and commercial traffic safety.

We have also worked to target crime patterns as
soon as they have been identified, which has
included early Community notifications via crime
alerts, and additional focused patrols. As we
approached these issues and developed solutions,
we utilized all of the available City resources
and worked closely with the residents in the
impacted areas.

As we look ahead, the Police Department will
continue to provide the high level of service this
Community expects and deserves. Rest assured that
our services from Animal Control, Parking Control,
Public Relations, Dispatch, Traffic, Patrol, and
Investigations will continue without disruption.

The Police Department is fortunate to employ very
high quality personnel throughout the organization,
and it is for this reason that we have and will
continue to provide the highest level of service
to our Community.

I believe Newport Beach is served by the best
Police Department in the County, and I am confident
that will not change. For the past 30 years, I have
enjoyed the support of this great Community, and
that support has never been more evident than
during my past two years as Chief.

As I wrap up my time in Newport Beach, I want to
thank each of you for the opportunity I have had
to serve and be a part of this amazing Community.
I strongly encourage each of you to continue to
support the men and women of the Police Department,
as your support makes a great difference.

Sincerely,
John Klein
CHIEF OF POLICE

Chief Klein.....calls it a day!

2009-06-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Having a good Police Chief is a pretty important
part of any community. Their attitudes, their
ethics and their dedication...transfer to their
officers and the general public.

As we know now, Chief John Klein, a dedicated 30
year veteran of the Newport Beach Police Department
is stepping down on July 10th, 2009. This is not
only a shocking indictment of the Police Unions,
but of our City Council and Administration.

Now, the endless speculation will begin. Now we
can all wonder, what really happened? How can
someone with a spotless record, having achieved
the pinnacle of success as the Police Chief of a
major high profile Police Department, be driven
out so quickly?

The public comments put out by the Police Union
to the press today were a joke! The high and
mighty attitude of the Union spokespeople is both
disturbing and very questionable....whether they
are right or wrong. How dare they "commend" anyone
for stepping down, especially Chief Klein...after
their "Vote of NO Confidence" and demand for a
"recount" when it came to his initial hiring.

One thing is now for certain; We need a full and
complete investigation and accounting into the
whole operation of our Police Department...stem to
stern! There is something very wrong....what that
might be...will have to be determined.....perhaps
by the Grand Jury of Orange County.

This time; either Chief Klein tells the public "why"
in extreme detail....he doesn't want to fight this
battle....or we need to interrogate those that do
know! The "Thin Blue Line"....needs to come clean!
However bad it is...it is quite obvious that things
are not going to change...until the truth comes out!

Replacement Players Wanted at NBPD?

2009-05-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Excuses are just that...not worthy when wrong doing
is at play. When Arb Campbell said he wasn't paying
attention to the sexual harassment in his Department
...that played well, until he himself came under a
gray cloud of interest. Arb was a nice guy, a decent
guy some would say. He was Chief of Police when we
didn't have much crime in Newport Beach. We did have
some sexual harassment of some dispatchers and perhaps
parking meter maids and others.

Let's just say it all got pretty ugly and those many
lawsuits continued unabated until Arb left and was
replaced by Mr. Clean: Chief Bob McDonell. Chief Bob
was a beautiful guy. He was enough of a politician
and enough of a solid cop to keep the various employee
Unions at bay....as well as the constant array of new
City Council Members. We loved Bob! Bob took our
phone calls, made time to see us about our various
issues within the city. Chief Bob even let us join
up on the Citizens Police Academy #7. Our names are
even exhibited in the main hall at the NBPD HQ!

Then, Bob wanted to retire. He had paid so much
into his Pension plan....that it was getting to be
downright counter productive to continue working.
Bob asked to retire. He was granted his retirement
and immediately got rehired to fill-in while the
City tried to find a suitable replacement. That
went on for a couple of years - as we recall.

Finally, the City Manager Homer Bludau and the
entire Newport Beach City Council.....said they
had finally found the right guy to replace Bob
- John Klein! They had a big party and everyone
that was everyone showed up - including the old
Orange County Sheriff, Brad Gates at the Bay Club
for the big Replacement Christening! Bob even
allowed us for a quick preview meeting with new
"Chief to be" Klein. Seeing them both together
was really quite an impressive deal. Two Top Cops,
that seemed to be dancing on the same head of a
pin...in perfect unison. Our questions were tough
but their answers a little mushy..yet what could
you say...they were great and they asked us in!

We took a liking to Chief John Klein right off.
He kind of reminded those of us with a little
military background as one of those great Command
Sergeant Majors! Gruff, but by the book! His round
smile belied his inner tough as nails approach..
anyone could tell that! We attended the Bay Club
Festive Coronation Event, took our photos and then
celebrated the fact that we had a pretty darn good
man to replace "the Great Archangel" Bob McDonell.

Anyway, then comes the adversity....some Detective
says he didn't make Lieutenant because coworkers or
"People thought he was gay!" This is one of those
pregnant moments, that as a Police Chief of any city
in America...you would want to crawl under your desk.
Who got blamed?...the records are sealed, but the
money from the City is going out. Then suddenly it
is uncovered, the so called fact, that Chief Klein
was improperly selected by the City Manager and
improperly awarded his position!

These issues all kind of sat and simmered for a
month or two and now the heat is on again. This
time the Management Union of the NBPD continues
to push the agenda that Chief Klein "has to go"
...because "he was improperly selected!" A pretty
weak reason for all us civilians.

Give us a break....something is going on here that
just doesn't sound or smell right. Based on the
history of Newport Beach for the past 10 years....
all we can say is...that they probably aren't going
to reveal much to us out here in the hinterland.
What is the real story? Why would 21 or so of the
33 NBPD Managers want Chief Klein to step down? And
why is Homer retiring in September? Coincidence?

Our uneducated opinion is simple: If Chief Klein
has done any wrong doing...he should be gone. If
Chief Klein has done nothing wrong..the City should
open up the process and ask that anyone within the
NBPD that wants to take a jab at the Chief's job...
should do so within 30 days. Just don't complain too
much fellas....when you are promptly thrown off the
force ......right after you lose that challenge!

Born in East LA....

2009-05-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

Cheech and Chong....made quite a living talking
about marijuana and the culture of drugs. They
did several movies....until finally....someone
took serious offense that Tommy Chong was trying
to make a buck or two selling "Bongs" on the World
Wide Web! Tommy went to jail...."because" he had
represented "the drug culture" in his movies.

Miscarriages of justice...happen all the time...
but now that the DNA technology has taken root...
a few times those wrongs have been righted. The
wrong guy that was convicted....finds out 18 years
later...he didn't do it!

Well, so it is with "Underground Utilities". The
big recount last week netted ZERO improvement in
the bad result. 505 Cheapskates AGAINST and 501
FOR undergrounding those utilities on Balboa Island.
We have been remiss in making any statement on this
precisely..because it was... so so sad.
This is probably one of the biggest "Miscarriages
of Justice" since Judge Christianson beat several
very good, able and dare we say "honest" opponents...
for Superior Court Judge..way back in the 50's and
60's! Judge Christianson was an "alcholic" and loved
letting his drinking buddies off for drunk driving,
even when someone got hurt and those that were drunk
in public. But he also hated teenagers...especially
ones that lived here in Newport Beach. But that is
another story!

Needless to say....we now hope upon hope that Balboa
Island will be the last place in Newport Beach to ever
get their "Underground Utilities". Let's hope that a
big list of all those that voted against - 505 members
"against a decent society" be published and placed on
every telephone and utility pole on Balboa Island.
Their names should be placed on every public notice
board, the Penny Saver, the Auto Trader as well as
their names be placed in all the local newspapers.

They all should be very proud of their accomplishment.
They should of course pay for all this good Public
Relations - but what are the chances of that? Or,
how about just a Public Apology? But hey, that is
only a slim hope. Maybe they will find God and offer
a great "Public Conscience. Maybe even "Remorse!" No,
go watch the City Council meeting and their overjoyed
response to maintaining the Blight on Balboa Island.
Maybe "Eminent Domain" would be a solution?

Well, that aside....let the rest of our great Newport
community learn by their example. Underground those
Utilities..as quickly as possible. Pay extra - in fact,
to expedite the process. Yes, friends and neighbors..
.....we need to show the rest of Orange County that
we are not all Balboa Island Cheapskates in Newport
Beach. Sadly, the Little Island already had done their
part....but didn't seem to phase anyone but those that
live on Collins Island.

Sad.....

$17.3 Million only does the Upper Back Bay?

2009-05-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Funny, when politicians play their "Columbo" card
...."Just one more thing Mr. Citizen!" "Oh, we have
been busting buns for months now trying to get the
cash to Dredge our bay......".....Yet, they failed
to mention that the first dip from the pig trough
was only enough to do half the job. This kind of
unresponsible bureaucratic "news release" mentality
is ridiculous and patently an insult to the voters.

OK, let's get down to cases..we previously reported
that we were thrilled that we got $17.3 Million Fed
bucks to do the necessary Dredging that we had sought
$13.1 Million for! Hey, we got a 4 million dollar
bonus....wasn't that nice? Now, the Councilmembers
and Staff can report: "We are actually short......
the money to do the "Lower Navigational Harbor area,
where the Harbor Patrol can run aground on errant
build-up sand bars, yachts going aground at low tide
and the bigger boats are really facing problems. As
the sand bars build up...it narrows the navigational
areas and makes for near misses - from boats coming
and going with accidents, physcial harm or various
levels of property damage.......truly unbelievable!

How much is this going to cost? Do we have an actual
number here...or haven't we even taken a Harbor survey
to determine the required work? What does our Parks
and Recreation Committee do? How about our Harbor
Committee? How about EQAC? How about anyone with two
brain cells that can open their mouth and ask the vital
question? Where is our Congressman on this issue again?

Brutal - Friends and fellow citizens....Brutal. We did
not invent the Harbor, the Upper Back Bay, commercial
or pleasure boating yesterday....well, at least not late
yesterday!

It was a nice touch to see that Leslie Daigle at least
mentioned the lack of funds for the Harbor and lower bay
in passing. So, where do they get this money again?

Senator Feinstein! Loretta Sanchez, Ed Royce,
Ken Calvert.......Monty Hall......"Come on down!"

There is little wonder that our City Manager Homer has
plans to retire in September, 2009. "Dave.......Dave..
...don't turn us off....Dave!" Dave, be aware however,
that if you volunteer to do something...you may not be
selected to replace Homer in October!