Mayor Pro Tem Makes Sexually Suggestive Remark At Council Meeting

At Tuesday's City Council meeting (1/18/2011) Fullerton Mayor Pro Tem Don Bankhead said "Mayor, if you need any help, I would be more than happy to help you!"  At that moment Mayor Dick Jones had his arm around a Miss Fullerton contestant while the Mayor Pro Tem seemed to study the young ladies.  You can watch the exchange here.  Forward the video player to 0:20:00.

The unsavory comment, captured on the City's cable TV feed, reflects a good example of poor leadership and disgraceful public service.  Mayor Pro Tem Bankhead was first elected to the Fullerton City Council in 1988.  If he can complete this term without a sexual harassment law suit and another recall election, he will have served for 26 years.

Fullerton City Council Gets It Wrong...Again

Tuesday night's City Council meeting resulted in the passage of bad laws and a request that I believe would result in the misappropriations of federal funds.

Tough questions were hinted at but the council members were pacified by staff assurances of checks and balances. 

At the heart of my criticism is the amendment of the City's municipal code with respect to trash cans and tarps, two objects I am not particularly fond of. 

One amendment makes it a crime, an infraction, to have your trash cans out more than 24 hours before collection or more than 12 hours after collection.  The new regulation does not take into account those of us who work long hours.  There are many days that trash is collected at 8 a.m. and I don't get home from work until 11 p.m.  That would place me in violation of the law and subject to an infraction. 

Another amendment, also an infraction, is the use of a tarp to, among other things, provide weather protection for the interior of a building.  Again, missing from this amendment is a time element.  The law does not allow for a temporary tarp, say from a downed city-owned trees onto a home, for any reason.  The law is simple and specific enough that any tarp for any period of time used in the manner described above it is an immediate violation.

Both amendments, and others, passed without a great deal of questions, despite pleadings from the public. 

These amendments will allow code enforcement, also known as "community preservation officers", to drive around and issue citations immediately.  The "due process" which was mentioned briefly as a check-and-balance to enforcement is that the citation may be appealed after the fact.  This so-called due process will require that the person cited take time off of work to defend their actions.  Simply adding a 24-hour clause for trash cans and a time-line for the tarps would lend some assurance that the regulations will not be forced simply to harass residents and taxpayers. 

Also being approved by the City Council was a federal appropriations request which listed four projects that need funding.  I first mention this in Federal Money, Local Problem. 

Surprisingly, Fullerton Association of Concerned Tax Payers (FACT) co-founder and councilman, Bruce Whitaker, voted for the request.  I have not spoken with Whitaker regarding the list and he did not comment after the motion was seconded so I don't know his rationale for the vote. 

In my opinion, the only item on the list that might qualify for federal aid would be the Harbor Blvd Slope Stabilization Project.  The other three, park modernization and two parking structures, are local issues that are not a threat to the health and welfare of the community if they are not completed.  In fact, a strong argument could be made that supporting these specific parking structures is support for redevelopment, eminent domain, wasted tax dollars, and abuse of power.  Both projects violated the rights of the previous property owners. 

And if all of that wasn't bad enough, two residents spoke about receiving citations for having a pick-up truck and a toy hauler on the street over night.  The Fullerton Police Department considers pick-up trucks to be a commercial vehicles because the DMV classifies them as such, even when they are owned by individuals for personal or recreational purposes.  The trailer, I suspect, falls under a similar twist of the law because the trailer was not attached to the vehicle that normally pulls it.  Taking these residents at face-value, it sure sounds like Fullerton residents continue to be beat up and abused by City Hall. 

Maybe things will change in 2012...

Wallpaper: Those degrees may not mean as much as you might think

A recently published book blows the mystique off all of those fancy degrees on your wall. 

"Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses" by sociologists Richard Arum of New York University and Josipa Roksa of the University of Virginia reports that few students show any measurable growth in their learning.  The study of more than 2,300 undergraduates found 45% of students demonstrated no significant improvement in the areas of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing by the end of their sophomore years.

At a time when many in the United States are calling for more college graduates, one must ask the hard question: At what cost do we produce more graduates?  Do universities need to dumb-down their standards or lower tuition in order to issue more degrees?  Probably both.

On average, students only learned about 7% more from the beginning of their freshman year to the end of their sophomore year.

The study found that those students who study alone and have more reading and writing assignments do the best.  The study also found that students' social life had no place in their academic success. 

By the students' fourth year, 35% demonstrated no significant improvement. 

We all know someone with a 4-year degree, perhaps even multiple advanced degrees, and still they seem as dumb as a brick.  Now we know why. 

It begs the question, why pay big bucks for a degree?

(Read more about the study at CBSNews.com)

North OC and Fullerton Republicans well represented on the OC GOP Executive Board

The Republican Party of Orange County (OC GOP) Central Committee voted to place North Orange County and Fullerton representatives as Executive Officers of the Party.

Two Fullerton women are among those elected by the Central Committee to serve.  Zonya Townsend, a Registered Nurse and conservative activist, was elected Party Secretary.  I know Zonya well after working with her during the 2010 general elections.  Fullerton and Orange County Republicans are fortunate to have her service.

Another woman elected from Fullerton is the 72nd Assembly District Chair, Pat Shuff, for Assistant Treasurer.  Shuff has worked tirelessly for years on Republican campaigns in Fullerton and the North Orange County region.

The race for the Party's First Vice-Chair was not the blood-bath that some thought it might be.  After two rounds of voting, Villa Park Council Member Deborah Pauly walked away victorious.  Pauly is a well balanced conservative who understands where the Party was and where it needs to go.  If you have never had the opportunity to hear her speak, let me fill you in.  Deborah Pauly is on fire.  When she speaks to you it is with sincerity and integrity.  She knows how dirty the Good Ol' Boys Club is and is ready to take them on and reign them in.  I think there were many who were surprised last night by her win, 36 to Jon Fleischman's 33 votes.  It is far from a landslide victory and Deborah Pauly knows she has her work cut out for her.  She has to bridge the gap between the old establishment Republicans from which Fleischman came and the Tea Party activists who have always rallied behind her.

My friend, Allan Bartlett, did not do as well.  In the first round of voting he received 19 votes, not nearly enough to move on.  Allan has made as many enemies as he has friends, always unafraid to call people out on their BS and push for answers when no one else would.  His fearless criticism of the Party has earned him anger from many and praise from many more.  I am certain Allan will continue to voice his concerns and stir the minds of many.

OC GOP Chairman, Scott Baugh was elected again as the Party Chair despite the atmosphere of change.  As a new-comer to the Party's internal workings, I think Baugh has tried to keep the party together while it is trying to fracture from within.  Baugh is the consummate politician in that he bends to get things done, which often comes across as being weak when in fact he is demonstrating a certain type of strength.  Many of us see this as a bad trait or a even a character flaw.  However, I see it more as a tool for keeping the Party together and getting the job done.  I think Baugh chooses his battles carefully which has lead to what has arguably been a limited and somewhat successful term.

I am hopeful that the new officers will inject their personalities into their work and rebuild the Republican Party of Orange County.

For more on the Republican Party of Orange County, go to http://www.ocgop.org/ and http://ocgopaction.ning.com/.