Friday, February 3, 2012

MWD Ethics Office A Complete Failure

Last year I wrote about Metropolitan Water District's $571,400 Ethics Office. 

We are now learning just how big of a colossal failure the Ethics Office is. 

The Surf City Voice is reporting that MWD Chairman Col. John V. Foley (ret.) didn't think he needed to disclose his wife's income from her consulting business Statement of Economic Interests or “700” form.  If she was consulting on something unrelated to water, maybe that wouldn't matter.  But Mrs. Foley was consulting directly and indirectly with MWD and member agencies.  That's a big conflict of interest.

Surf City Voice is reporting about $280,000 in unreported income.

If the number one man in charge of MWD doesn't recognize the need to report his wife's income, its time to find a new chairman and scrap the Ethics Office.   For Pete's sake, even Linda Ackerman, another MWD director, reports her husband's income.  Hubby Dick Ackerman is an attorney for Nossaman LLP which consults to MWD. 

The Surf City Voice wrote quite an amazing expose on the incestuous relationships of the water agencies and their many directors. 

In short, Orange County's water is dirty.  Very dirty.  And another $571,400 down the toilet. 

How much more has MWD tossed away for feel-good programs that line the pockets of friends and family?  How many more back-room deals have taken place?

Fullerton Police Chief Michael Sellers to Retire (for good?)


Fullerton City Manager Joe Felz today (Feb. 3) announced that Michael F. Sellers has informed the city that he will retire from his position as chief of the Fullerton Police Department.
           
The retirement will be effective Feb. 18.
           
Felz, who wished Sellers well, said the retirement will help the department and the city in the process of moving forward.   He added no decision has been made as to a permanent replacement.
           
“We will be reviewing our options with the Council in the coming months and will determine the best course for the city in finding a replacement,” Felz said.
           
Police Capt. Dan Hughes, a 28-year veteran of the department, will serve as acting chief until a decision is made on a permanent replacement.
           
Sellers, who became Fullerton’s chief in May 2009, has been on medical leave since Aug. 9, 2011. The announcement of his retirement coincides with resolution of Sellers’ workers’ compensation claim.
           
That resolution involves a payment of $127,500 to Sellers, plus $22,500 in legal fees. In addition, it relieves the city from any future responsibility for medical costs related to the claim.  
           
William McCormick, the attorney who represented the City of Fullerton in the workers compensation claim, said he is pleased with the outcome of the case. “Chief Sellers’ treating doctor and an independent doctor both said he was unable to return to work at his job, and the settlement ended any potential liability for future medical treatment costs, which could be significant,” McCormick said.           
           
Sellers will be eligible for an industrial disability retirement based on findings from his doctor, as well as from the city’s doctor, who determined Sellers is disabled from performing his job as Fullerton’s police chief.

Sellers began his career in law enforcement in 1976 when he joined the La Palma Police Department. He left La Palma in 1995 for a captain’s position with the Los Alamitos Police Department. In 1997, he was made chief of the Seal Beach Police Department. He accepted the post of Laguna Beach chief of police in 2005.

He left Laguna Beach to become Fullerton’s chief of police.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Orange County Surveyor Says Good Bye

In a press release from the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) Orange County Surveyor Ray Mathe, PLS was named as the Board's Senior Registrar Land Surveyor. 
The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) is pleased to announce that Raymond Mathe, PLS, has accepted the position of Senior Registrar Land Surveyor, effective February 28, 2012.  In 2004, Mr. Mathe was appointed by the County of Orange Board of Supervisors to serve as the County Surveyor.  Prior to his position at Orange County, Mr. Mathe worked as a Project Manager at a private engineering and land surveying firm and served as the Deputy County Surveyor for the County of Riverside.  Mr. Mathe obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Mr. Mathe’s experience and knowledge of BPELSG’s mission and operations, particularly with respect to licensing examination development and the Professional Land Surveyors’ Act, will prove to be very beneficial to the Board’s licensees, applicants, and the public.

Congratulations Ray!  OC will miss you!!

From left: Raymond Mathe, PLS & Robert Hart, PLS


Water Rate Meeting - MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Public parking will be available in the small parking lot accessed from Commonwealth as well as the large employee parking lot accessible from Basque. 


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...