Showing posts with label PLS8395. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PLS8395. Show all posts

Friday, June 1, 2012

America's Most Wanted Goes After Surveyor Who Murdered Florida Woman

***  UPDATE  ***
GONZALEZ ARRESTED IN MEXICO!

"The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has announced it will hold a news conference today at 1:30 p.m. to announce a major development in the Tia Poklemba case.
Sheriff Mike Scott, detectives who worked the case and Poklemba’s mother and sister will be in attendance.
Poklemba's body was found bruised and bloodied on the side of a San Carlos Park road on Aug. 8, 2008. She later died.
Luis Gonzalez, then 25, was charged with manslaughter with a weapon and fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. He was never located and it was believed he fled to Mexico."  read more HERE


**UPDATE - SEE BELOW**

Luis Gonzalez
Wanted for Murder
Gonzalez, who was working as a land surveying technician, repeatedly ran over and murdered 25-year-old Tia Poklemba of the Fort Meyers area of Florida on August 8, 2008.

Tia (right) and her mother Deb (left)

Help find justice for Tia's family and friends. 

The land surveying community is small and I think we can help bring Gonzalez to justice.  Verify that the laborer you have on your survey crew is NOT Luis Gonzalez!

To learn more about the case, go to AMW.com.

If you see Luis Gonzalez or know where he might be, call 911! 

**UPDATE - The AMW story has also been posted on the California Land Surveyor's Association website.  Anyone with information is urged to contact your local police.  Call 911 if you see Luis Gonzalez or know where he is.**

Monday, October 25, 2010

8 Days

With 8 days left I am walking daily and talking with Fullerton voters and concerned taxpayers.  Voters are fired up and tired of the business-as-usual attitude of City Hall.  Few are content with the direction the City of Fullerton is headed and most are upset that city "fees" (taxes) continue to rise while services are scaled back.  Taxpayers see this as civic mismanagement and they want accountability and transparency.

I have been contacted by several residents who are concerned about overnight parking in their neighborhoods.  Some really want overnight parking and some really don't want to see the neighborhood teens and their cars on the street at night.  Others don't want their neighbor's RV left out curbside. 

I have had a few calls from public employees interested hearing my ideas for pension reform.  Some are scared, some are embarrassed, but most are just concerned about their future.  And who can blame them considering the magnitude of the fiscal crisis.  Many retired Fullerton firefighters have made it clear that the current pension formula just isn't right.  All of them said it was the nature of the work which attracted them to the fire service, not the pay or pension.  They each signed up because they wanted to serve their community and they enjoyed the hours.  Until recent years, they pay was not particularly high nor was the pension.  They point back to 9-11 as the definitive moment when public safety employees garnered major attention and support from taxpayers.  Everyone could see the dangerous work they do and they could justify the higher pay and generous pension formula.  But thankfully not every day is 9-11.  Each expressed that the job just isn't as dangerous as it used to be thanks to emerging technology, new building safety standards, and training.

The campaign trail has been an amazing endeavor which, sadly, few will venture.  It is an expensive process if you hope to win which, unless you are wealthy, requires you to hold your hand out and ask for donations.  As I have repeatedly said, political campaigns are the most unworthy cause for anyone to donate to.  Often, your money would be better spent on supplies for the soup kitchen or investing in a food bank.  But in order for the common man or woman to run and win an election, it takes money and boots on the ground.  Despite being out spent 10:1 by other candidates who have received support from special interest groups, I have been able to run a strong campaign and have received tremendous support from residents, small business owners, family, and friends.

There are just 8 days left to get out the vote.  If you would like to walk with me, call Fullerton voters, or make a donation, please contact me via my campaign website, www.GregSebourn.com

And don't forget to vote on November 2nd!!!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Prejudice and Fear Mongering Alive and Well in Education

Dr. Dave Gibson wrote an article in American Surveyor regarding "professionalism" and the educational component.  First, let me set the context of Gibson's perspective.  He is the Founding Surveying and Mapping Program Director at the University of Florida.  What might come of his job if enrollment were to fall?  Just to be fair, I am the Surveying/Mapping Science Program Facilitator (we don't have directors) at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, California.  So, it is safe to say, I have at least a part-time job riding on the success of my program's enrollment.

Back to his article.  Gibson begins with:
The image of land surveying as a technician/trade image is increasingly growing. I make a case for moving away from the apprenticeship system toward an educational standard.

It seems those of us attempting to recruit new life have succeeded in our public awareness campaigns, at least to some degree.  But why does he want to move away from the traditional career path to the exclusivity of a formal education?  I think I already answered that, but let's look further into Gibson's argument.

Dr. Gibson brings up again (I wrote about this HERE) a Florida Supreme Court ruling regarding the statute of limitations for certain professions.  As noted in my previous post, Gibson is trying to have us believe that a four-year degree is the defining standard of a profession simply because a state supreme court created a definition that was consistent with Florida statutes for the singular purpose of determining the statute of limitations.  With that logic, only those with 4-year degrees are professional artists.  And as a point of humor, even the following university majors are professionals: American Studies, Business Administration, Communications, and Reading.  Further, most of those that the rest of us consider to be professional athletes, are, by Gibson's definition, not professionals at all.  I have yet to find a university with a degree in boxing, but I digress. 

From my previous post on Gibson's assertions regarding the Florida case, I wrote:
If education were a pyramid, kindergarten (funny we have never adopted the English term – “child garden”) through the 8th grade would be the bottom. That base creates a good, wide, solid foundation from which a person can grow intellectually. High school is a bit further up – not the top, but getting there. Mixed in is experience. Experience refines the basis into a pointed, focused body of knowledge. Depending on a person’s personality, means, and life choices, he or she might choose no college, trade school, some college, a university, or any combination of advanced education which will surely be supplemented by quality experiences from various sources and activities. Does the lack of a conferred degree detract from their professionalism? I think not.
Dr. Gibson goes on in his latest article to say:
A true learned professional must understand the mathematical, scientific, legal, environmental and societal framework within which the work takes place, speak confidently, write authoritatively, research published information and analyze related issues, skills that are beyond the realm of most "on the job" training or apprenticeship programs.
I agree with the opinion that the list of skills he gives are generally beyond the scope of on-the-job-training.  However, several of the skills such as math, science, speech, and writing can and should be mastered in high school.  What is not mastered in high school can easily be found and learned in a community college.  The list of skills given do not lend themselves exclusively to institutions of higher learning.  With that understanding, the land surveying student/apprentice needs to seek out source of information for the fringe elements of our profession that are not necessarily part of their day-to-day practice but will need to have some level of understanding for licensing exams.  One example is photogrammetry, which in California, is not regulated except in that the subject is part of the state-specific examination. 

Apparently, dazzling students with brilliance takes a back seat to baffling them with bullshit (sorry Mom).  Gibson says the words land surveyor conjures up the wrong image to high school students because they have a preconceived notion as to what a land surveyor is.  Instead, Gibson prefers "geomatics engineer."  A rose by any other name is still a rose and a turd by any other name still stinks.

The real problem Dr. Gibson has seems to be the ignorant and uneducated technicians of Florida.  Yes, California has its share of unqualified technicians who will soon be out of a job, but whether or not all 50 states adopt a mandatory 4-year degree requirement for licensure will not change those status or quality of technicians.  You will always have a need for a field technician who does not command the same salary structure as the licensed professional.  Gibson digs his heels in on this issue:
Firms have been forced to start drug-testing policies for their employees hired off the street, etc. Many of our current professional leaders (owners of leadership firms, chapter/society leaders, Board members, national society leaders) were trained by apprenticeship 30/40/50 years ago. They naturally think, "If I did it, someone else can." We all know and respect many professionals who did not go to college. But the 99 non-diamonds will determine the reputation, image, and future professional standing of surveying, not the one diamond.
I do not have a 4-year degree in land surveying but did attend all of the community college courses I could enroll in before taking and passing the California professional land surveying exams at age 34.  In fact, the vast majority of the California licensed professional land surveyors I have met gained licensure via the same path as I.  And so, yes, I would agree that "if I did it, so can someone else." 

Gibson goes on to talk about peoples' narrow "comfort zone":
An apprenticed surveyor who learned on the job may have a narrow "comfort zone" of practice--only doing those things in the manner they were taught. Such a person may be extremely uncomfortable in today's surveying world of new methods, new applications, and new tools, preferring to offer traditional services with traditional methods. When the profession in general is slow to react and embrace new technologies such as aerial mapping, GIS, etc., the door opens for competing groups to enter the field of surveying and mapping.
His first sentence takes a GIANT leap in assumptions.  Surely he doesn't actually believe that educated people have a broad comfort zone over uneducated people.  Surely, he is not THAT prejudice.  In California, we address Gibson's concern over a licensees "comfort zone" by codifying in state law that licensees may only practice in their area of competence.  To do otherwise is negligent and reckless. As to his last sentence, is he referring to civil engineers playing surveyor?   

As a final though to Dr. Gibson's article, he is not completely off base, though I think he is grasping at straws.  As professionals, we do need to promote education whenever and wherever we can.  However, we should not use fear mongering and personal prejudice in order to elevate our profession.  Lead by example.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Steven Greenhut's Election Wish and Orange County Taxpayer's Opportunity

In the June 4, 2010 Orange County Register’s Op-Ed Steven Greenhut says that June 8th will likely not bring the much needed reform that California needs.

Greenhut writes, “Love 'em or hate 'em, these initiatives are mostly self-interested deals. They don't offer major reform – and none of them get close to touching the fundamental issues that threaten California today. And none of the candidates offers real hope for taking on the vested interests and changing our state.”

Indeed, the statewide offices, regardless of who occupies them, will have little positive affect on most of us in our daily lives. But all is not lost. Voters need only to look at their local elections to see the winds of reform blowing in. Local elections offer taxpaying voters an opportunity to hold our incumbents accountable for their misdeeds and business-as-usual politics, to say nothing of their fiscal shell games.

Whether you take issue with wasteful spending, abuses of power, or constitutional rights, you can begin reforming your local offices and agencies by making smart choices with your vote. As Tip O’Neil said, “All politics is local.”

June 8th is the beginning of the end of Orange County’s longstanding RINO establishment. November 2nd, 2010 stands to be the nail in the political coffin for those who have reaped constituents with their bad policies. All you have to do is vote.

Voting is the quickest path to reform. Elect only those candidates who are ready, willing, and able to do what’s right in the face of controversy and opposition.

An excellent source for public policy and voter information is Cal Watchdog.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Junk Mail and Elections

If you live in Fullerton or parts of Orange County's 4th Supervisorial District, then you are probably familiar with some of the wild political ads arriving daily. Some are ridiculous boasts of good deeds and strong support while others are just down right mean. With all of the flack flying, it can be difficult to tell who is good and who is bad. For that matter, depending on your political philosophy, all of the candidates could be great. But the uninformed voter will be lost in a tornado of mud and inflammatory allegations with some being righteous and others just rude.

So who is right? Who is the best candidate and why?

It is easy to see the many messes made by incumbents. They have had time to make decisions, the results of which are evident and measurable. We can review council and board minutes as well as video recordings of the meetings. We can look at departmental expenditures and contracts. We can take public polls to see what voters think of their elected leaders. We can look at votes of confidence to see what employees think of their employers. These are all great tools for us to use in understanding the incumbent. But what about new candidates? How can we learn about someone who has never been elected? The only way to know is to ask them, their coworkers, business partners, supervisors, employees.

In the races I am primarily concerned with this June, I think I know enough about those candidates to know who I would like to see win. Do you? Have you done your homework and understand who is running and what their motivation is? When you get a mailer that quotes a newspaper article, do you look up the actual article to see who wrote it and what the author's motivation may have been? Do you try to research other stories to understand the dynamics involved? Can you trust bloggers, like me, to provide you with accurate information?
Sometimes you just have to ask the candidates about subjects that you think are important and see what they have to say. I have done that with Bill Hunt who is an outstanding man and truly a fearless leader, the likes of which Orange County has never seen. I have asked Hieu "Hugh" Nguyen, candidate for Clerk-Recorder, what he planned to do when he wins the race. Hugh made it clear that he is a leader and a mentor. He wants to lead by example, not intimidation. I have had a few brief conversations with Shawn Nelson, who is a current Fullerton councilman and candidate for OC Supervisor. Despite being an attorney, Shawn is able to speak clearly and concisely to anyone. Ask him why he did or didn’t vote on an issue and he will likely give you a good education on the topic. And if you want to know where he stands on a given subject, just ask. I haven’t looked too deep into the other county offices and the candidates who are running for them but I will do some homework and see if I can’t find a gem in the pile.

I have tried contacting several other candidates, but none would return my emails or phone calls. Two of those were incumbents who were too busy wasting our tax-dollars to talk to me. I suppose I'm just a small fish in a big pond. But this small fish has found out some disturbing things about the current OC establishment, some of which I cannot prove without blowing the names of my multiple sources who still need their government jobs. Without getting into the name calling and HE said SHE said, I will just say that OC needs to elect some fresh blood to public offices like Bill Hunt, Shawn Nelson, and Hugh Nguyen. The others in the race, in my opinion, just aren't worth my vote. Don't take my word for it, go do your homework and learn who these people are that want your vote. Try to understand what they want. Most importantly, ask what motivates a candidate to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a job that pays $100K-$200K per year? Clearly, none of them are running for the salaries (but maybe a second pension)after spending so much of their own money (or is it their own money?). Is it ego? Is it power or prestige? Ask them and they just might tell you. They may give you the old "sense of civic duty" line or they may give you their vision for what they believe to be a better future. What exactly that better future will be will likely depend on your political philosophy.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

High-Speed Disaster "Choo choo has new boss"

Mark Landsbaum wrote up a short piece on HSR's new chief.  It's kind of like hiring Henry Ford to build a freeway...

"Remember the disastrous high-speed train? The choo choo has a new boss at $375,000 a year

The high-speed rail boondoggle just gets uglier and uglier. The state rail authority has announced hiring Roelof vanArk, president of a French rail car manufacturing company, as chief executive. His paycheck?

$375,000 a year."

Read more by clicking here.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Email From Steve Poizner for Governor

In Case You Missed It:
California's Governor Race Shows Signs Of A Scott Brown-Like Victory For Poizner

By Kimberly Dvorak
San Francisco Examiner
May 6, 2010

With GOP Senator Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts as inspiration, Steve Poizner’s campaign has risen from the dead and pulled within 10 points of Meg Whitman in the Republican primary race for governor.

While the numbers come from internal polling, the outfit providing the intel is none other than Senator Scott Brown’s public polling firm. The numbers demonstrate “how fluid the race is,” said Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies.

The polling concluded on Tuesday and demonstrated that the 800 likely Republican voters were taking a second look at Poizner. Approximately 38 percent said they would vote for Whitman, while 28 percent favored Poizner and 30 percent were undecided. Just over a month ago Whitman led by nearly 50 points.

Newhouse said that outside the San Francisco Bay Area, Whitman’s lead is cut to five points, 35 to 30 percent with a month to go until the primary election. “This race is eerily similar to the Brown, Coakley race,” he said.

“Where we are running our messaging, we have closed from 48 points down to five points. Meg, the marketing expert, needs a refresher course because she probably could have spent less than $70 million to lose 43 points, but at least she provided a bailout for her political consultants who she needs to remind her of her deeply held beliefs,” said Team Poizner Communications Director Jarrod Agen. “We all know Meg went on a climate change cruise with Van Jones and Jimmy Carter, now she’s become the most expensive melting glacier in political history.”

The California Republican governor’s race has now shown signs of life and with 30 days until voters hit the booth, Poizner’s camp says the energy has shifted in their favor.

“Our poll shows that Meg Whitman’s lead over Steve Poizner, which we measured at 59%-11% in February, has closed to 38%-28%, with Whitman holding just a ten-point lead,” Agen explains. “Further, it’s important to note that even though Whitman has spent considerable resources in the area, Steve has not yet aggressively advertised in the San Francisco Bay Area market. “

Poizner’s camp explains that like the Scott Brown race in Massachusetts; ”this race has been largely misunderstood by the media. Campaigns, especially primary campaigns, and especially in large states like California, are seldom won three or four months out from election day.”

With the President discussing the immigration issue at a White House Cinco de Mayo event and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano saying the Democrats are “focused on the border like a laser,” a fair question for Poizner is the immigration issue that has exploded across the nation.

“The federal government has not done enough to end illegal immigration, leaving states like Arizona and California to take fend for themselves,” said Team Poizner’s Agen. “Like Meg Whitman, President Obama has called for an amnesty plan that allows illegal immigrants to pay a fine, go to the back of the line, and become citizens. Steve Poizner strongly opposes amnesty and he is the only candidate in this race that is willing to make ending illegal immigration a top priority.”

Since Arizona passed its tough new illegal immigration law, many California cities have decided to boycott or denounce Arizona. Poizner says he would ‘get tough’ on the issue in California if were governor.
 “Steve supports Arizona’s new law, which takes a bold approach to dealing with illegal immigration while making it crystal clear that racial profiling is both illegal and wrong. Arizona has acted because the federal government has failed to secure our borders,” Agen said. “It is time for California to do the same and, as governor, Steve pledges to make stopping illegal immigration one of his highest priorities. He has detailed a bold plan to address the crisis, which includes cutting off taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens, employing state resources to help secure our borders, ending sanctuary cities, and cracking down on employers who hire illegal aliens”

Poizner points out while Whitman and her liberal allies in Congress want to reward illegal aliens with a 'pathway to citizenship,' he has just two words: ‘No Amnesty.’
Read the article here.

California Students Sent Home for Wearing U.S. Flags on Cinco de Mayo

California Students Sent Home for Wearing U.S. Flags on Cinco de Mayo


By Joshua Rhett Miller

- FOXNews.com
Administrators at a California high school sent five students home on Wednesday after they refused to remove their American flag T-shirts and bandannas -- garments the school officials deemed "incendiary" on Cinco de Mayo.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The path from Cite and Release to Federal Detention Centers in Orange County

Bill Hunt comes to Fullerton

Join Orange County Sheriff’s Candidate
Bill Hunt and special guest for an evening of wine and hor d’ oeuvres

Thursday, May 13, 2010
5:30 pm - 8:30pm

Held at The Bushala Residence
2020 Conejo Lane
Fullerton, CA 92833

Special Guest
California State Assemblyman Chris Norby



Casual Attire

With a little luck and maybe an email or two, we just might get a special visit from Hugh Nguyen and Shawn Nelson.

Tea Party or Radical Muslim? Media gets it wrong!

Before the arrest of the radical Pakistani Muslim, Faisal Shahzad, many of the talk show hosts were speculating the attack as a possible or even likely Tea Party-related incident.  When I heard those concerns I realized just how out of touch the media is with the average citizen who just wants lower taxes and less government interference in local matters. 

Then I saw this headline from CBSNews.com: Faisal Shahzad's Motive Shrouded in Mystery

What planet is the author on? For that matter, who is the person who penned the title and the article? They seemed to have missed the forest while seeing the trees. Radical Muslims inflict carnage for one reason: to strike fear in the hearts of those who do not believe the same as they do. For radical Muslims, the BELIEVE OR DIE mentality is the cornerstone of their faith. Unfortunately, the cartoon above accurately portrays or mass media and government.

Just over a week ago my blog was visited by someone with an electronic signature designated "national security-090923120828". I'm use to seeing congressional or state representative imprints/designations due to the politics I preach. However, in light of the Times Square attack and the media campaign against the so-called Tea Party movement, I have to wonder why I would get a hit on my tiny blog by a service provider designated "national security-090923120828". Is it because of my very loose affiliation with a few Tea Party activists or did someone at the NSA "trip over" my blog while surfing the World Wide Web? Who knows, who cares, and so what; life goes on.

But not so fast.  I am not concerned about law enforcement looking around here, I support them and their difficult job.  Let them have their fishing expedition and they can start right here.  I am concerned though about mass media.  On a local level, a single media outlet such as radio or TV, can sway thousands, perhaps millions if the market is that large.  Locally, there are also print media sources like news papers, which can sway the minds of thousands, maybe even millions, with their slanted articles that do not have the authors' names.  Then we have the blogs.  Friends for Fullerton's Future did a great job exposing Red County Blog and a local self-proclaimed conservative blogger who is taking public funds to support social welfare programs in Orange County.  This is but a small example of the pains that special interests will go to in an effort to gain traction for their cause.  The worst part is that many "reporters" and "bloggers" really are nothing more than public relation consultants.  If someone with enough money, maybe just a few thousand dollars, wants to cast a negative shadow on a political group like the Tea Party movement or even ACORN, the masses minds will be tainted. 
One fact remains: our greatest effort should be directed towards identifying radical Muslims who have consistently and repeatedly shown their willful and wanton disregard for the value of human life and equal rights. The media and our government need to bear that in mind when they report on incidents of terrorism and conduct investigations. Simply look to the likely source.

Monday, May 3, 2010

From the OC Register: Dan Walters - High-speed train way off track

By DAN WALTERS

Sacramento Bee columnist
dwalters@sacbee.com
 
"California's high-speed rail project leaders tell us it's on track and that the state's residents can confidently look forward to a future of super fast bullet trains whisking them from one end of the state to the other at airline-like speeds.

However, the state auditor's office is saying officially what outside analysts already had concluded – the bullet train isn't ready to roll, lacking the tens of billions of dollars in federal and private financing the project will require.

California voters have approved a $9.95 billion bond issue, but it's supposed to pay for no more than 50 percent of construction costs. With total estimates running beyond $40 billion, the bond would be good only for a quarter at most.

The High-Speed Rail Authority is hoping for a big wad of federal funds – about half the total – but so far has received just a fraction, with no commitments for any more.

However, the biggest unknown, as state auditor Elaine Howe points out in a report issued Thursday, is whether private investors would be willing to commit at least $10 billion.

The enabling legislation says the bullet train will not have any state operating subsidies, but the authority's own documents say that private investors need "revenue guarantees" to protect their investments. That raises the specter of operating subsidies, as another recent report by the Legislature's budget analyst also points out.

"To plan adequately for private investment, the authority should further specify the potential cost of revenue guarantees and who would pay for them," the auditor's report recommends.

An indication that something's amiss is found in the defensive reaction of Curt Pringle, the authority's chairman, to the auditor's report, calling its title "inflammatory" and "overly aggressive" and promising that the questions will be answered as the business plan is revised.

There is a fundamental conflict between voters being told that if they approved the bonds the bullet train would be self-supporting, without operating subsidies, and the apparent requirement for "revenue guarantees," which probably could come only from tapping a state budget that's already awash in red ink and/or imposing some new special tax.

The auditor's report, coming just weeks after the legislative analyst's report and a critique by the Senate Transportation Committee staff, indicates that specific route planning, now under way throughout the state, should be placed on hold until the financial kinks are worked out – if, indeed, they can be.

The danger – and perhaps the hope of bullet train advocates – is that the authority will make so many commitments that the state will be politically compelled to pony up more money for construction and operation, regardless of financial viability.

Big public projects often become financial sinkholes via that process."

Friday, April 30, 2010

Bill Hunt Visits Orange May 25, 2010

I met Michael Green just yesterday at my "other" office.  After talking with him for a few minutes Hunt's name came up and he produced this flyer.  If you haven't had a chance to meet Bill, this is a great opportunity.  The 80-guest limit means you will have time to get to know Bill and hear first hand his solutions for Orange County.  Ride with Bill on the trolley as he tours Orange with the locals. 

Opus is a cigar-friendly restaurant with great food.  I hope you will find the time and money to attend this great event to support Bill Hunt for Sheriff!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Subdivision Map Act Seminar Update


WHAT IS COVERED?

This seminar provides guidelines for effective use of the Subdivision Map Act. The instructors will discuss the responsibilities and powers of local agencies under the Act, as well as particular issues regarding when the Act applies.

Seminar highlights:
•Discussion of Legislative and Judicial changes in 2009
•Relationship of Map Act to other planning, zoning and development laws, and to CEQA
•When the Map Act applies (and when not)
•What kind of Map (Tentative/Final or Parcel Map) to use
•Certificates of Compliance
•Lot Line Adjustments
•Exemptions and exceptions under the Map Act
•Life of Tentative Map
•Vested Rights (including Vesting Maps, Development Agreements and Common Law Vesting)
•Exactions/Dedications/Fees
•Creative mapping approaches


WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This seminar is designed for planners, surveyors, engineers, developers, builders, attorneys, project managers, architects, planning commissioners, council and board members, property managers, public works and utilities directors, zoning board members, and all others involved with the land use process.


This course qualifies for 6.0 hours of California MCLE credit.


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...