Barrage Of Lies About Foley Continues

ANOTHER HIT PIECE IN THE MAIL THIS WEEK
Many voters, presumably women, received yet another lie-filled hit piece attempting to discredit Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley and impact her run for the State Senate seat currently held by incumbent Republican John Moorlach.  I wrote about the first one last week.  You can read it here if you wish. http://abubblingcauldron.blogspot.com/2020/02/hit-piece-on-foley-is-despicable.html

WE HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED IT, BUT...
We did not receive this particular hit piece, but several friends have and it's been widely shared on social media sites.  It is every bit as despicable as the previous one and clearly demonstrates that Foley's opponents in this race are very worried about her and will stop at nothing to diminish her chances of winning one of the two positions available in the General Election in November by quashing her chances in the Primary Election on March 3rd.

AN INTERESTING SIDEBAR
One interesting sidebar to this race is the venom being spewed on the Facebook site, Costa Mesa Public Square.  Some may recall that my friend, Bruce Krochman, launched this site several years ago as a venue for civilized political discussion.  Apparently unable to keep up with the demands of moderating the comments (I warned him about that in the beginning), he later passed it on to some rabid partisans - frustrated Republicans concerned about the loss of seats in local and state-wide bodies.  Those folks changed the focus and it became the repository of vile, overt partisan rants - despite what their homepage says about welcoming all viewpoints.

I WAS NUMBER 1
Krochman asked me to be participant Number 1 on his site, to which I agreed.  Several months later, as the site grew and it began to dominate my page I bowed out and stopped participating.  Later, as the rhetoric began to take on some unpleasant features, I tried to sign on again, but was rejected.  A year or so later I was begged, twice, by Admin Julie Mercurio, to please sign on again.  I politely declined.  The tone on the site was so dominated by unscrupulous individuals - including some then-current elected officials - that I felt it would be akin to me bashing myself over the head with a 2X4.  And life went on.

NASTY STUFF CONTINUES
However, in light of the uproar about these two anti-Foley mailers, the nasty tone on the site has ramped-up.  A friend who participates there shared some of the recent comments, one of which refers to me as an "ass blogger" and went on to denigrate Foley - the most effective mayor we've had in a couple decades, and the very first directly-elected mayor in City history.

CONSIDER THE SOURCES
I suggest that folks who are in a position to read the bilge published on the CMPS site consider the source of that crap.  Most of them are my fellow Republicans, petrified about the shifting political demographic in our region.  As one commenter on a Facebook thread decrying this latest mailer mentioned today, if you read that last mailer and just turn every accusation presented there 180 degrees you will have Foley's position on the issues.  The liars persist...

The Future Of The Daily Pilot

THE FUTURE OF LOCAL PRINT MEDIA
Among the many issues Tom Johnson - former publisher of the Daily Pilot and host of the "Sunday Brunch with Tom Johnson and Lynn Selich" program on radio station KOCI FM - discussed with me on Sunday was the future of the print media and, specifically, the future of the Daily Pilot in light of the turmoil swirling around the attempt by the Daily Pilot's parent, Tribune Publishing, to acquire Freedom Communications - parent of the Orange County Register and the Riverside Press Enterprise - out of bankruptcy.

WE NEED THE DAILY PILOT
During our conversation I told Johnson that I felt the Daily Pilot - our newspaper of record for more than a century - needs to find a way to survive.  Although no longer "daily", it provides an irreplaceable unbiased small-town feel in the delivery of local news - the stuff we really care about.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Then, very late Sunday night, Kevin Roderick - who publishes the LA Observed blog - published an outstanding summary of the events of last week regarding the Tribune/Freedom Communications debacle, HERE.  His piece provides several views of the issue and is a must-read for those interested in this situation.

A PAY WALL?
Also, Johnson mentioned the rumor that the Daily Pilot will soon have a pay wall.  I've heard that rumor and had it verified by those who should know and it appears to be true.  In my opinion, that would be catastrophic for that newspaper!  The Register tried it and failed miserably.  I fear a pay wall for non-subscribers - we subscribers would be exempt from it from what I hear - would do significant damage to the Pilot page views, those magic numbers that attract advertisers.

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER - YET
I, personally, WANT the Daily Pilot to survive and thrive.  Although others have tried, so far nobody has found a way to provide local coverage better.

A "COMPETING BLOG"?
In a segue, Johnson asked about the impact of what he called a "competing blog" in town - which he described as having been generated to offset this blog.  It turns out he was really talking about the Costa Mesa Public Square Facebook page - not a blog, and far from it.  We briefly discussed that page - how it evolved from Bruce Krochman's original idea nearly two years ago for an open, carefully moderated site for the discussion of important issues - into a closed society where only those blessed may even view the content being discussed.  We discussed the fact that the operators of the blog not only toss folks who offer opposing viewpoints, but seek them out on other sites and expel them from the CMPS for comments made elsewhere.

HYPED BY OFFICIALS
We also discussed how elected and appointed city officials use the site as their own little venue for spreading their philosophy among the true believers who inhabit the site, and how they openly tout it from the dais of their respective meeting venues as "the place" to discuss issues - even though it's NOT an open site.  The hypocrisy is palpable!

NOT COMPETITION, JUST PROPAGANDA
The CMPS is not "competition" for this blog and can't even be considered as such until it's open to EVERYONE, just as we are here.  Yes, to post a comment here you must register, but nobody is banned or blocked.  And, in fact, since I cross-post every blog entry on my Facebook page, anybody can post comments there, too.  When those officials tell the populace that the CMPS is The Place To Go, they forget to mention that it's only open for true believers, or those willing to sit quietly in the corner and not make waves.

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
Anyhow, thanks again to Tom Johnson for the opportunity to chat with him on these and other issues.  If I can figure a way to embed the recording of the program I'll do so.  Unfortunately, it appears that no podcast link is available.  I'll try to figure it out...

Technology Travails - A Message?

ANGER PREVAILS!
Your humble correspondent is not a happy camper these days.  It seems that two separate technology outlets that dominate much of his life have simultaneously let him down - big time!


CURSE YOU, TIME WARNER CABLE!
First, Time Warner Cable, which in our neighborhood has been a loyal, trustworthy source of  television for several years, decided to have a grand mal seizure for the past two evenings.  No problem during the day - I checked, but I don't usually watch television while the suns still up.  However, for the past couple nights we've suffered through the pixelation of all pixelations, regardless of channel.  And, even worse, the stuff we program for later viewing was affected too! Grrrr.  So, tomorrow, a very angry customer is going to melt the ATT telephone lines to Time Warner to extract a pound of flesh - or something.

AND MARK ZUCKERBERG, TOO!
Then, the Facebook "comments" on Daily Pilot online articles has gone through a similar meltdown.  We are well into the second day of erratic behavior, which makes it impossible to 1) read comment threads in their entirety and 2) post words of wisdom for others to read.  My friends at the Daily Pilot tell me this seems to be a problem broader than just the Daily Pilot comment threads.  I did notice that the Orange County Register is having the same kind of problem.  Mark Zuckerberg and his minions at Facebook better quit counting their profits and trying to manipulate human behavior and begin providing SERVICE.  There was life before Facebook and there will be life AFTER Facebook, too.  This is REALLY frustrating because, as you all know, I'm just full of words of wisdom that simply must be shared! ;-)

WHAT AM I DO TO?
I mean, how am I supposed to spar with Mesa Water President Jim Fisler?  How am I supposed to tease Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger about his spelling deficiencies?  How am I supposed to play literary ping pong with my friend, Bruce Krochman?  And Howard Hull.. how am I supposed to razz him about his vocabulary limitations, where every person who disagrees with him is described as a "hater"?  Woe is me...  Oh, wait... I can do that here, can't I?

A MESSAGE?
Maybe the electronic gods are trying to tell me something.  Maybe it's time for a vacation from technology.  What do you think?  Maybe the time is perfect.  There's only one more meeting this month - the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting tomorrow - that's it.  The Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Monday, July 28th, has been cancelled and the next City Council meeting isn't until Tuesday, August 5th, followed by the Fairview Park Citizen Advisory Committee meeting on the 6th.

WE'LL SEE...
So, I'm going to contemplate my navel while I plan my conversation with the folks at Time Warner Cable tomorrow and decide if I need to take a break for awhile.  We'll see.

Fish Fry Fun In The Sun

ANOTHER GOOD YEAR!
I don't have any final attendance numbers for the 66th annual Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club Fish Fry yet, but informed sources tell me that it looked pretty darn good again this year.  Reports are that they hoped to raise somewhere in the area of $30,000 for local organizations again this year.

KIDS LEARNING TO SAVE LIVES
My lovely and patient wife and I stopped by Fairview Park Saturday afternoon and, while the crowd was sparse at that time, I understand attendance really picked up in the evening.  She wanted to learn the "Hands Only CPR" technique, so we found Fire Protection Specialist Brenda Emrick of the Costa Mesa Fire Department instructing two young ladies on the procedure.

AND OLDER FOLKS, TOO...
Then she taught my wife the procedure in about a minute.  Everyone should learn about this and, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Diane Hill will be at the City Council meeting Tuesday to make a presentation In Honor Of Paul and will also have a table outside council chambers for interested parties to learn about this life-saving CPR method.

S.W.A.T. TRAINING
Of course, now that she knows how to save lives, my wife immediately skipped over to the Costa Mesa Police Department Swat booth and had a chance to fondle an AR-15.  She seemed to be having way too much fun with that assault weapon!

HAIL TO THE CHIEF
Lions Club President Mike Scheafer seemed to be everywhere Saturday afternoon.  We caught up with him here, near the fish frying venue, looking very dapper in his Fish Fry t-shirt and his hat.  I think he was telling us that the fish dinners cost ten bucks...

FRYING UP SOME LOVELY GRUB
Lions Club stalwarts were tending to the job at hand.

 

KIRK AND SANDY SERVING, AS USUAL 

And were joined by Councilwoman Sandra Genis and Estancia High School Principal Kirk Bauermeister.

THEY'LL LET ANYONE BEHIND THAT TABLE! 

Volunteer Bruce Krochman was also seen behind that table, although I'm not quite sure what his job was - maybe performing magic tricks, because he was hiding something behind his back.  Or, maybe he was guarding that bucket.  Thanks to him and all the volunteers for a job well-done.

60TH CELEBRATION BOOTH 

There were lots of booths operated by many organizations this year again.  Here is one being tended by folks promoting the 60th Anniversary Celebration, which is coming up the last weekend of June.  More on that in the coming weeks.

 

HOPING FOR A LONG TRIP DOWN UNDER 

And here's a booth peddling cookies and other sweet stuff by the bright young Estancia High School kids who are hoping to make a trip to Australia later this year.

SOMEHOW APPROPRIATE 

I saw uber-booster Greg Ridge "supervising" the corn-on-the-cob roasting, too.  He was watching while that young woman did the roasting.

CONVENIENT PLACEMENT 

And, of course, there were many folks penned-up in the Beer Garden, sitting and sipping in the shade and enjoying the day.  I did notice the convenient location of the portable outhouses - good planning.

STAYING IN TOUCH 

I'm not sure what these three fellas were up to, but they sure were focused... a sign of the changing times, I guess.

CMTV ON THE SCENE 

Brad Long (behind the camera) and Dane Bora (with the mic) from Costa Mesa Television are shown here interviewing another volunteer fish server, former Mayor and current Costa Mesa Sanitary District Director, Arlene Schafer.  Bora and Long were omnipresent during the day, capturing the fun all over the venue for later viewing.

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC... 

One of the great bands that played throughout the day and evening, keeping toes tapping and people smiling and singing along.

STAND-UP AND PRIZES, TOO 

Just before we left President Mike jumped up on the stage - well, maybe "jumped" is a generous term -  and held a drawing for some pretty darn cool prizes.  He did a great job, but is going to have to work on his repertoire of jokes.. don't quit that day job, Mike.

IN MEMORY OF ROLLO... 

Before I close, please note that this edition of the Fish Fry was dedicated to the memory of long, long time Lions Club member Rollo McClellan, who passed away not too long ago.  For more than six decades the members of the Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club have served our community and Rollo was a big part of that effort -  manning the fry tanks and doing whatever was needed to make the Fish Fry a success.  He set the bar high for all those hard-working volunteers who have followed him.  Thanks to them all...

Foley On Sandy Hook Aftermath Discussion Panel

MORE CONVERSATION POST-SANDY HOOK
Last week, on Wednesday, December 19, 2012, Newport Mesa Unified School District Trustee Katrina Foley participated in an online panel which was moderated by Los Angeles Times columnist David Lazarus and included expert psychologists Cathy Paine and Stephen Brock.

ON THE HEELS OF THE NMUSD TRUSTEE MEETING
This event took place one day following the meeting of the NMUSD Trustees which I wrote about HERE and which Foley mentions during her part of this short, 15 minute discussion.

VIEW IT
Listening to what these folks have to say may provide some perspective for you on managing the post-Sandy Hook era with your children.  You can view the discussion HERE.

*****

A CASE AGAINST SROs
Separately, in my previous post about School Resource Officers reader Bruce Krochman suggested that I read a report by the Justice Policy Institute, HERE, titled "Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police In Schools", which I did.  Much of what is presented in that report seems counter to my perception of our experience locally, so I've asked for some help interpreting the report as it may, or may not, apply to our local schools.  I'll report more on that once I've gathered more data.

Some "Civil Thinking" To Consider

CIVIL THINKING...
Bruce Krochman, operator of the Civil Thinking blog, has kept a pretty low profile in recent months. He doesn't post very frequently on his blog, so we get out of the habit of checking in on it. However, when he does post it is always worth reading and considering, just as are his occasional comments posted here. They always enhance the discussion of important issues.

SCIENCE CAMP FUNDING
Last week, on November 8th, he posted an interesting observation on his blog titled, Local control is just that, Local!, which you can find HERE. It deals with the proposal the Newport Mesa Unified School Board was to consider that evening regarding the proposal by Board Member Katrina Foley to fund, district wide, the 6th grade science camp. He linked to a Daily Pilot article on the issue in his blog.

DAILY PILOT REPORTS ON THE MEETING
On the 9th the Daily Pilot ran Britney Barnes' article covering the story, HERE. The school board chose to do nothing about the issue, remaining mute when Foley moved to put the issue on the next meeting's agenda for discussion.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I confess that I've not immersed myself in school issues, but I wonder what the readers here think about this situation? I do know that I'm concerned when any government body, elected to serve the people, refuses to place an issue on the agenda for discussion.

Time For Some Contemplation

TEN DAYS OF DEEP BREATHING
Now that we have a budget and that drama is behind us for the time being, it's time to take a deep breath, pause for a few days and contemplate where this city goes from this point forward. We don't have another scheduled council meeting until July 5th - the day after the three-day orgy of fireworks promoted by a couple members of the city council to the detriment of the rest of us. Oops, there I go again.

WISDOM IMPARTED
My friend, Bruce Krochman, operates a blog called "Civil Thinking" on which he occasionally posts his views of our community. He doesn't post nearly frequently enough, but when he does, those entries are always worth a careful reading. On April 12th of this year - the same date, by the way, that recently-departed Interim Police Chief Steve Staveley presented CEO Tom Hatch with his ideas about how to structure the Police Department - Bruce published a little essay he titled, "My Little Corner of Paradise is Feeling More Like a War-Zone", which you can read HERE. I encourage you to do so, because it provides a pretty concise summary of events in the recent political history of our city from the last campaign until that date.

STOP "DISSIN'' AND LISTEN
Some members of our City Council have been dismissive and condescending with folks who rise to speak before them. Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer, in particular, apparently feels that those folks - who take the time to study issues and regularly attend council meetings - don't really represent the views of the majority of the residents of the city. He apparently feels that the absence of the other 110,000 residents means that he and this council must be doing a good job. He, of course, is wrong.

LISTEN TO YOUR NEIGHBOR'S VIEWS
Lest you think that all of those who rise to speak to the council are a bunch of lunatics or partisan political hacks - yes, there are a few of those - from time to time I'm going to give you a peek at what some of your neighbors have said to the council. Late last week I provided you with four video clips in one post to show you some of the concerned voices pleading with the council for the exercise of wisdom on the police department restructuring and the budget. If you had difficulty viewing those clips you may wish to update your browser and you may have to download Microsoft Silverlight, HERE. It's free and makes viewing those clips possible.

LEFFLER AND REEDY - VOICES OF REASON
Today, I present a couple more voices that spoke before the council on June 22nd. Both of these women, Robin Leffler and Lisa Reedy, are respected members of their individual communities - Leffler in Mesa Verde and Reedy in Mesa del Mar. Each have been officers in their respective homeowner's associations and Reedy has been a candidate for City Council in the recent past. Both study the issues and present their views with clarity and passion. These women are representative of the best among us. They are also among those voices consistently ignored by this current City Council as it doggedly slogs forward, attempting to re-make our city into the image held in the minds of politicians living outside our community. Take a few minutes to view their presentations before the city council and ask yourselves why these uncomplicated , respectful and sincere requests for consideration and moderation are being ignored.

ROBIN LEFFLER



LISA REEDY