Friday, October 21, 2011

FOCUS ON WEST FULLERTON - City Officials Seek Public Input

You’re invited to…
on November 2, 2011
A Dialogue with
Fullerton City Manager
Fullerton Police Captain
Fullerton Community Development Director
And other members of your City of Fullerton team
Joe FelzDan HughesAl Zelinka
WHY?
Over the next several months, meetings will be organized to facilitate dialogues between the Fullerton community and members of its City of Fullerton team.
The purpose of this planned meeting is to have a productive dialogue between West Fullerton community members and City staff about quality of life issues and explore approaches, ideas, and solutions related to them.
WHEN?
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 – 6:00pm-8:00pm
WHERE?
Fullerton Main Library – Conference Center
353 W. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832
MORE INFORMATION…
Fullerton at 714-738-3347 or alz@ci.fullerton.ca.us

For more information, please contact Al Zelinka, Community Development Director for the City of
FOCUS ON WEST FULLERTON

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Councilwoman Speaks Out Against Fellow Republican for Sex Assault Remarks

FULLERTON - Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly spoke to KFI's John & Ken Show at yesterdays Fullerton Recall rally to condemn the October 17th remarks of fellow Republican Pat McKinley.


Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly
  McKinley is the recently retired chief of Fullerton's police department and is currently a Fullerton City Council Member who is the target of a massive recall effort.

Monday, McKinley spoke to a group of women about personal protection against predators. 

An unidentified woman asked the former chief and author of She-Bear how women could protect themselves from police officers like the recently fired Albert Rincon. 

Rincon is alleged to have sexually assaulted more than half a dozen woman after falsely arresting and kidnapping them.  The City recently settled to give at least two victims $350,000 to drop their federal civil rights law suit.

McKinley, speaking of Rincon's victims, told the women in the audience that "Those ladies [Rincon's victims] weren't like..." sweeping his arm across the audience, "...like this [the ladies of the Brea Soroptimist Club]."

McKinley's words were repeated by Councilwoman Pauly on the John & Ken Show.  Pauly takes issue with McKinley's dismissal that it is not a big deal if certain woman are groped, assaulted, falsely arrested, and kidnapped by police officers. 

McKinley can be heard saying on this video that "it wasn't a sexual assault. It was inappropriate touching. It's not a good thing but it aint a dangerous thing."

These words have sparked public outrage at the gross insensitivity of the former chief who hired the now fired Rincon.

Pauly's words on the John & Ken Show even inspired Christine Walker, a Democrat and member of Kelly's Army, to join the Republican Party.  When asked why she was joining the GOP, she looked at Pauly and said, "By what you said today, it moved me and I appreciate what you have done for us [women].  Without people like you, we are nothing and I'm registering today to help support you."

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly to Run for 3rd Dist. Supervisor!

DEBORAH PAULY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR 3RD DISTRICT SUPERVISOR
“Chuck DeVore’s Departure Leaves A Big Hole in the Race That I Intend to Fill”



OCTOBER 17, 2011Orange County, Calif.
In a surprise announcement at the regular meeting of the Central Committee, Republican Party of Orange County, Deborah Pauly declared her candidacy for the Board of Supervisors, 3rd District.

“Chuck DeVore’s email last Friday that he was moving out-of-state left a big hole in this race,” said Pauly. “The voters in the 3rd District deserve to see a true limited government, fiscal conservative on the ballot. Chuck was a man of principle and integrity, who could not be bought. He could always be counted on to do the right thing by the taxpayers he represented.

“I was very sad to see him leave the Board of Supervisors race because he best represents the way I think,” said Pauly. “I intend to fill the void that he left.”

The Honorable Deborah Pauly is serving her second term as Councilwoman for the City of Villa Park. In a Tea Party upset of entrenched party leaders this past January, she was elected by her peers to serve as 1st Vice Chair of the Republican Party of Orange County.

The 3rd District is currently represented by Bill Campbell, who terms out in 2012. The district covers Anaheim Hills, Cowan Heights, El Modena, Irvine, Lemon Heights, Orange, Orange Park Acres, Tustin, North Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda and the canyons.

###

Mileage Tax Coming Soon?

As a licensed professional land surveyor, I have an acute awareness of our infrastructure.  Our roads and utilities are aging and no one wants to deal with it. 

President Obama thinks infrastructure maintenance and construction jobs are the answer to our economy even though they are all temporary employment.

Some of my engineering counterparts like the idea of big federal expenditures on our infrastructure and the lucrative contract to be gained.  Indeed, I too could benefit from a Big Dig. 

One of the ideas being promoted by my engineering colleagues is the Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Fee or mileage tax as I prefer to call it. 

There is a notion in the engineering community that the current gas tax just isn't sufficient for keeping up with the wear and tear on our roads because of mileage efficient vehicles and that a usage-based tax is more appropriate.

How quickly we have forgotten one of the principle reasons for implementing the gas tax: to encourage use of public transportation systems. 

Additionally, we have forgotten what we used to do before the gas tax.  Not that long ago, we relied on the general fund to pay for roads. 


President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform recommended a gas tax increase at the federal level last December when it issued its report to America.  The financial "experts" who came up with this recommendation made this argument: The current transportation trust fund is falling behind the government’s outlays, once again requiring transfers from the general fund to cover transportation costs. The commission called for additional gas tax revenues to be dedicated to fully funding the transportation trust funds and therefore eliminating the need for dipping in further to general fund.  The gas tax has freed up funds making it possible for the President and Congress to funding pet projects like wars. 

It could be argued that the best way to prevent unnecessary military conflicts might be to end all of the various special taxes and fees so that Congress must fund domestic  programs ahead of foreign military campaigns with obscure objectives.

A quick internet search of "gas tax" brings up numerous blogs, PR pieces, and reports about why we need a higher gas tax. 

According to http://www.gaspricewatch.com/usgastaxes.asp California's gas tax is $0.18 per gallon.  Other California gas taxes include a 6% state sales tax and 1.25% county, plus additional local sales taxes and 1.2 cents per gallon state under-ground storage tank (UST) fee.

So, as the gas tax is not quite keeping up with the needed infrastructure repairs, many are looking for the quick fix solution in rate hikes for everything from water, gas, roads, and even emergency services in some jurisdictions.  I don't think raising the gas tax will change anything.  Our same lack of fiscal discipline will soon find us looking to raise taxes elsewhere.

The elephant in the room being ignored are the various allocations from General Funds to cover salaries and benefits.  Locally, in Fullerton California, 80.2% of the General Fund is spent on Public Safety and 69.8% of the City's General Fund is spent paying the Public Safety salaries and benefits (City of Fullerton FY2011-2012 Adopted Budget). 

The question shouldn't be which tax or fee to raise but rather where to cut spending.

Monday, October 17, 2011

$1,331,519

Sunday I joined 13,000 people at Disneyland to raise money for Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).  Our team, St. Angela Merici School or Team SAM, had 175 walkers who collectively raised more than $7,500.

As of Monday morning, the CHOC Walk website was reporting that $1,331,519 was raised and, after seeing my son's medical bills from his visit at CHOC last year, I know they need a whole lot more than what was raised!

As the holidays approach I hope you will think about all of the children and their families at CHOC who are relying on medical and scientific breakthroughs to deliver miracles.  I hope you will pray for all of them and make a donation to CHOC.

Greg Sebourn

The Beauty of a Storm

The Beauty of a Storm
Orange County, Ca.

My Grandma - A Eulogy

LET'S TALK ABOUT 1914 FOR A MOMENT.



FOR STARTERS, GRANDMA WAS BORN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1914 IN HER FAMILY'S ATWOOD RANCH HOUSE.



IT IS WORTH NOTING THOSE ALSO BORN IN 1914:

JACK LALANNE

JOE DIMAGGIO

DANNY THOMAS



AND WHO DIED IN 1914:

JOHN MUIR, THE FAMOUS NATURALIST FOR WHICH NUMEROUS ROADS, PARKS, HOTELS, AND NATURE RESERVES ARE NAMED.



IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT IN 1914 WOODROW WILSON SIGNS MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION AND BABE RUTH MAKES HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT WITH THE RED SOX. MOTHER'S DAY AND BASEBALL- TWO OF MY FAVORITES!! (PERHAPS HER NICKNAME "BABE" CAME FROM BABE RUTH???)



GRANDMA WAS BORN INTO A PERIOD OF TIME FILLED WITH TURMOIL. IN JUNE OF 1914 ARCHDUKE FRANZS FERDINAND WAS ASSASSINATED. WITHIN ONE MONTH WORLD WAR I RAGED ACROSS EUROPE. TWO DAYS AFTER HER BIRTH HOWEVER, GERMAN AND BRITISH TROOPS INTERRUPTED WWI TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. (PERHAPS THEY PAUSE KNOWING THAT A GREAT WOMAN WAS BORNE) WORLD WAR I CONTINUED UNTIL THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IN 1919.



ALTHOUGH SHE WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, SHE SAW THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS CREATED AND THE 19TH AMENDMENT WAS APPROVED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS GUARANTEEING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN TO VOTE.



SHE LIVED THROUGH MANY NOTABLE EVENTS. LIKE THE 1933 LONG BEACH EARTHQUAKE OR WHEN ATWOOD FLOODED ALONG WITH MOST OF ORANGE COUNTY IN 1938 AND THE FLOOD-WATERS CLAIMED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE, 43 OF WHICH WERE FROM ATWOOD! ALL OF THIS DURING A TIME THAT WE READ ABOUT IN SCHOOL AND KNOWN AS "THE GREAT DEPRESSION". SOMEWHERE IN ALL OF THAT SHE FOUND THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, GRANDPA LEO, GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, GOT MARRIED, AND HAD KIDS!



THEN THERE WAS WORLD WAR II. FROM PEARL HARBOR TO HIROSHIMA, GRANDMA WAS RAISING MY UNCLE BOB AND MOM ARLINE. WITH AIR-RAID SIRENS AND BLACKOUTS SHE WAS A WIFE AND MOTHER. WHAT A TIME TO RAISE CHILDREN! I BET GRANDMA'S PARENTS WERE ABEL TO TELL HER A THING OR TWO ABOUT RAISING KIDS IN WARTIME.



GRANDMA WAS THERE WHEN THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HELD THEIR 3RD ANNUAL NATIONAL JAMBOREE IN 1953. SHE SAW AIRBASES OPEN IN '42 AND CLOSE IN '99. SHE WATCHED WALTER KNOTT START UP HIS BERRY FARM AND WALT DISNEY TURN ORANGE GROVES AND STRAWBERRY PATCHES INTO DISNEYLAND!



SHE SAW THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE FADE AWAY INTO HISTORY AND SPACE TRAVEL EXPLODE BEFORE HER WITH THE FIRST LUNAR LANDING. JUST IMAGINE HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS. FROM TUBE RECTIFIERS TO SUPERCONDUCTORS; FROM TRANS-ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLES TO SATELLITE TV.



SHE SAW MORE IN HER 93 YEARS THAN MOST OF US WILL EVER READ ABOUT, LET ALONE LIVE THROUGH!



OF THOSE 93 YEARS IT IS MY HONOR TO HAVE BEEN HER GRANDSON FOR 35 OF THEM. SHE WAS MY MOTHER WHEN MOM HAD TO WORK. SHE WIPED MY NOSE AND PUT FOOD IN MY MOUTH. SHE LET ME PLAY WITH GRANDPA EVEN THOUGH SHE NEEDED HIM TO TAKE HER TO THE STORE. SHE WAS MY GRANDMA AND I WILL MISS HER IMMENSELY.



JUST LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM; SHE DID THIS. SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE INTO THIS WORLD AND TOGETHER TODAY. THIS IS HER LEGACY.



A Dedication To My Loving Wife, Stacey. Thank you for all you do for me!

Brad Paisley - I Thought I Loved You Then


I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
3 weeks later in the front porch light taking 45 min to kiss you goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet but I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I remember taking you back to right where I first met you
You were so surprised
There were people around
But I didn’t care I got down on one knee right there
And once again I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I can just see you with a baby on the way
I can just see you when your hair is turning gray
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before.

Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Well look back some day at this moment that we’re in
And I'll look at you and say I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then...