Sunday, October 23, 2011

Saddleback Speech & Debate Team Places Third in CA Tournament




Posted By CotoBlogzz

Mission Viejo, CA – The Saddleback Speech & Debate  earned a third place trophy overall and second in individual events at the California Double-Up held at Concordia University in Irvine on October 14-16, 2011. 

The California Double-Up, a tough tournament, attracts competitive schools including Western Kentucky University (2010 National Champions), Arizona State University, Rice University, and Mt. San Antonio College. Heidi Ochoa stated, “It is with great pride, that the coaches share with the Saddleback Community that our squad, which is comprised of students who are new to the world of Speech and Debate, is holding their own and exhibiting more promise than any other team that we have worked with,” said coach Heidi Ochoa


And the winners are:

Novice Informative:
Yamah Karim              7th Place
Thomas Ward              6th Place
Madison Dixson          5th Place
Keegan Knappert        4th Place
Michelle Spadaro        3rd Place
Emily Hanson             2nd Place

Novice Persuasive:
Anneke Pyle                4th Place
Brooke Howell            1st Place

Novice Dramatic Interpretation:
Lorissa Marsh              2nd Place
*Derek Demerjian       1st Place
*Derek “picket-fenced” the entire tournament, which means he was awarded winner in every round that he competed in at the tournament.

Novice Impromptu Speaking:
Jason Brewer               4th Place

The Saddleback Forensics Team started in the 1970s and prides itself on offering students the ability to create innovative arguments for future writing and speaking engagements to strengthen their critical thinking skills, and to better communicate with others.

Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community.  Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals.  For more information, please visit www.saddleback.eduand for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.  


November to Remember with internationally acclaimed pianist and composer: Jazz, Boogie Woogie and Blues




Posted by CotoBlogzz



Leavenworth, WA – The Icicle Creek announced that Washington’s own internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Scott Cossu is scheduled to perform with his latest trio at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts on Saturday, November 5, 7:30 PM.



Best known for his releases on Windham Hill Records, Cossu was at the forefront of the new age music scene in the 1980’s, while not restricted  to just one genre , as he often incorporates elements of jazz, blues, and fusion into his playing.

Labeled by some as folk piano, others as hard jazz, Cossu describes his playing as, “equally influenced by Chopin and Pink Floyd,” resulting in a live concert experience not to be missed! Cossu’s recordings have been known to top the charts, and The Seattle Times has compared him to jazz great Keith Jarrett.


Cossu’s performances artfully blend new-age and jazz and even venture into boogie-woogie and blues. His current trio members include long time collaborators— former Wenatchee resident, Ann Lindquist on flute, and T.J. Morris on percussion.

For more information on Icicle Creek watch Ustream video:   http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16735132

Admission is $18. Tickets can be purchased online at icicle.org or by phone at (509) 548-6347.
 

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Occupy Personal Responsibility – the 50-50-86 Plan


Posted by CotoBlogzz



Since the American revolution, the US tax system has mostly been used for the 4Rs:  Revenue, Redistribution, Repricing and Representation.    Revenue is used to spend on armies, roads, schools and hospitals, and on more indirect government functions like market regulation or legal systems.  Then there is redistribution of wealth emphasized by the current administration and the Democrats.  Repricing is used to tinker with the macro-economic system and to discourage certain consumption, or as the President might say, used by the more fiscal conservatives to dirty the water and the air.

The tinkering of the US macro-economic system has a direct impact on the US Economic Freedom.  For over a decade, the Wall Street Journal and  the Heritage Foundation, Washington's preeminent think tank, have tracked economic freedom around the world with their influential Index of Economic Freedom.  The 2010 Index of Economic Freedom ranks the US as number nine, with Hong Kong as number one.  In 2009, the same index had the US in the number six slot.  What happened?  Mostly what we refer to as the US Economic Freedom’s Triple Constraint:  1)  ObamaCare 2)  Cap & Trade (EPA) and 3)  Card Check.

When parasites (EPA) are allowed to tinker with macro-economics


The American revolutionary slogan "no taxation without representation" implied a fairness doctrine:  since rulers tax citizens, citizens should demand accountability from their rulers as the other part of this bargain.  Current GOP presidential contenders and  Occupy Wall Street protesters alike agree on something.  Tax reform is desperately necessary.

Now, Herman Cain’s 9-9-9- Plan notwithstanding, studies have shown that direct taxation generates the greatest degree of accountability and better governance, while indirect taxation tends to have smaller effects, thus, we are proposing bold-colored tax reform using a modified principle:  No taxation without representation and no representation without taxation.   

Since 50% of US residents do not pay taxes, it is not fair for them decide on the level of wealth redistribution, for example.  This means that if you pay zero taxes, you can’t vote.

Further, since the nation is suffering from a pandemic – a symbiotic relationship between politicians, unions, lobbyists and parasitic bureaucracies and highly impacting the US Economic Freedom, organized public labor should be 86ed.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Philadelphia Homeowners association charged with discriminating against residents with disabilities





The association required residents needing assistance animals to use service elevators, failed to
address harassment and intimidation



Posted By CotoBlogzz

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced yesterday that it is charging a Philadelphia condominium association with violating the Fair Housing Act for refusing to revise its “no pets” policy as a reasonable accommodation for condominium residents with disabilities who required assistance animals.

The charges allege that The Philadelphian Owners' Association (POA), which manages the 776-unit Philadelphian condominium complex, required that residents provide burdensome and invasive medical documentation before requests for accommodation would be considered, severely limited access to the complex's facilities for residents accompanied by assistance animals, and failed to address several instances of harassment of residents requiring assistance animals.

The Fair Housing Act requires property managers, including condominium associations, to make reasonable accommodations to no-pet rules for persons with disabilities who require assistance animals.

HUD's charge is also based on the results of a "Secretary-initiated investigation," which HUD conducted to protect the interests of other residents who used or sought to use assistance animals, because the policies suggested systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act that went beyond the allegations of the individual who filed a complaint.

According to HUD's charge, the POA implemented increasingly restrictive and onerous policies over a twenty-year period.  In a new 2011 policy, the POA issued detailed "Instructions for Physicians for Documenting Disability Under the Federal Fair Housing Act," which required exhaustive documentation to support a doctor's opinion about the necessity of an assistance animal, and stated, "it may be necessary for you to testify under oath in federal court about your opinion."  The 2011 policy banned persons using assistance animals from accessing the main lobby, shuttle bus, social rooms, fitness rooms, mail room, and laundry room, and required them to use the service elevator.  HUD's charge alleges that, as a result of the restrictive policies of The Philadelphian, residents with disabilities have been discouraged from requesting needed assistance animals.

People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 (voice), (800) 927-9275 (TTY).

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Mission Viejo's Corr charged with carjacking, child abuse & kidnapping


Posted By CotoBlogzz








Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - 
ames Christopher Corr is scheduled to be arraigned today for kidnapping a toddler, who was strapped into a car seat, during a carjacking in Aliso Viejo. 


The Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) is throwing the book at Corr, 34, Mission Viejo, and is being charged with one felony count each of carjacking, kidnapping during the commission of a carjacking, child abuse, child stealing, second degree vehicle burglary, first degree robbery, aggravated assault, hit and run with injury, vandalism over $400, two felony counts of first degree residential burglary, one misdemeanor count of resisting an officer, and sentencing enhancements for non-accomplice present during a residential burglary and a prior prison conviction in Nevada for leaving the scene of an accident in 2007. 

According to the OCDA, Between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2011, Corr is accused of breaking into a Honda Accord parked in a lot in front of a business in Aliso Viejo and stealing a purse and its contents, including credit cards. He is accused of fleeing the scene.

Shortly after 8:00 a.m., Corr is accused of going into a nearby neighborhood. Victim Suzanne C., who was eight months pregnant, was preparing to leave her home and was in her garage with the garage door open. The victim put her Saint Bernard in the caged-off rear area of her Volvo sport utility vehicle (SUV) and then put her 2-year-old son, John Doe, in his child safety seat in the back seat of the car behind the driver's seat. She placed her keys in the car and left the driver's door and door next to her son open as she walked into her home through the internal garage access door for a matter of seconds to get her son's sippy cup. 

In the few seconds that Suzanne C. was inside her home, Corr is accused of getting into the driver's seat of her car. The victim walked out and began screaming at Corr to let her get her son as John Doe cried in the back seat. The victim attempted to remove her son from his car seat through the open door, but the defendant is accused of backing out of the garage and knocking Suzanne C. to the ground with the SUV. He is accused of running over her foot as he rapidly reversed, leaving tire skid marks from his speed. 

Corr is accused of hitting the frame of the victim's garage door and crashing into a neighbor's garage, causing the open rear door next to the crying toddler to break and hang off. Corr is accused of fleeing in the stolen vehicle with the knowledge that John Doe was in the back as Suzanne C. chased after the defendant screaming for her son. 


A neighbor who witnessed the carjacking and kidnapping followed the defendant in her own car. Corr is accused of speeding and driving erratically as he attempted to flee, including running through an intersection on a red light. 
The defendant is accused of driving into an adjoining neighborhood and jumping out of the car without putting it in park with the engine still running. The car with the child and dog inside ran up a curb, nearly hitting a tree, before coming to a stop. The pursuing neighbor stopped to help John Doe as Corr fled on foot.

The defendant is accused of running away and jumping over fences of homes into residents' back yards. He is accused of taking pruning shears from one home, removing the screen of a sliding door, and unsuccessfully attempting to pry open the locked door in an effort to escape and get inside the house. 

Corr is accused of again running away, at which time he was spotted by a responding Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) deputy. Corr is accused of refusing to stop as the deputy chased him. The defendant was ultimately caught during the foot chase and arrested. At the time of his arrest, Corr is accused of being in possession of one of the stolen credit cards from the earlier car burglary in his pants pocket. 

Senior Deputy District Attorney Aleta Bryant of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case. 

Second Striker, Wrong Side Driver - toward oncoming marked police vehicle - OCSD Deputy Charged with DUI





Posted by CotoBlogzz




Rancho Santa Margarita  - Mario Manuel Castro, an off-duty Orange County Sheriff's Department deputy was charged today with driving under the influence of alcohol with a .24 blood alcohol level on the wrong side of the road toward an oncoming marked police vehicle. You cannot make this up.

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA office, )Castro, 33, Orange, is charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior, one misdemeanor count of driving with a blood alcohol .08 percent or more with a prior, and a sentencing enhancement allegation for having a blood alcohol level over .15 percent.

Castro has a prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol in Los Angeles County in 2009.  Castro is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 16, 2011, at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.. 

At approximately 2:15 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2011, Castro is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol in the City of Orange after consuming several alcoholic beverages at a bar in Costa Mesa. He is accused of driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic directly toward a marked Orange Police Department (OPD) patrol car. 

After being stopped by an OPD officer, the defendant is accused of displaying objective signs of alcohol intoxication including emitting strong odor of alcohol and extremely unsteady balance. Castro is accused of having a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, three times the legal limit. 

Senior Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Olivieri of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.

Monday, October 17, 2011

So Lange Oktoberfest, Azul African Festival


Posted By CotoBlogzz



Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -  So Lange (so long) Oktoberfest, Azul (hello in Algerian Berber) African Festival.


We previously posited that the new Icicle Creek Center for the Arts was transforming Bavarian-theme town of Leavenworth, Washington into Vienna, the region's cultural, economic and political center.  And just to prove this mas not merely hyperbole, Icicle will host a new festival  October 28-30, 2011 - The African Festival.

Bavarian-Theme Leavenworth,  in Central Washington


This 3-day festival will take place at the new Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, located off the main front street strip up Icicle Road in Leavenworth.

The festival is produced by Sankusem, a New York based non-profit organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of African music written for classical instruments. This marks Sankusem's second appearance at Icicle Creek where it debuted in June 2010.



This year, the line-up will include three concerts inside Icicle Creek's Canyon Wren Recital Hall:
--Friday, October 28, 7pm - African/Classical Fusion Concert
--Saturday, October 29, 7pm - African Traditional Drum & Dance Concert
--Sunday, October 30, 3pm- African Choral Concert featuring local choirs

Admission = $20 for Friday and Saturday concerts and $15 for Sunday's show.
Tickets can be purchased online at icicle.org or by phone at (509) 548-6347.

The roster will feature an impressive list of international artists including:
--Rachel Barton Pine, Chicago-based violinist, a sought after worl-wide soloist who frequently appears on the cover of Strings and other major classical magazines
--Margaret Ferguson, UK/African soprano/conductor, called “Africa’s Lady of Song”, who has performed operas, oratorios, spirituals, and jazz concerts throughout the UK, Europe, United States, and Africa
--Kofi Anang, traditional storyteller/drummer on faculty at Cornish College of the Arts
--George Francois, lauded Ghanian pianist and Executive Director of Sankusem
--Sally Singer, acclaimed cellist on faculty at Whitman College and Artistic Director of Sankusem
--There will also be a special appearance by esteemed master drummer Obo Addy and his Okropong Drum & Dance Ensemble.

So Lange Oktoberfest, Azul African Festival - as Africa meets Bavaria at the end of the October month.

For more information, email Lilia Grundy at lgrundy@icicle.org or visit www.icicle.org


Saturday, October 15, 2011

US Charges Property owner, management company and its employees in second-hand smoking case




Management refused to relocate resident hospitalized by neighbors’ second-hand smoke

Posted by CotoBlogzz





Ocala, Florida  – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has charged an Ocala, Florida property owner, management company, and its employees with violating the Fair Housing Act for refusing to allow a resident to move to a different apartment after her neighbors’ second-hand smoke twice sent her to the emergency room.


HUD brings the charge on behalf of the resident, alleging that managers at Magnolia Walk II, a 144-unit low income housing tax credit participant property, falsely claimed that tax law required that they treat the tenant’s request like a new application, requiring new fees and deposits, before they could grant her request.


The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations for renters with disabilities.


“Owners and managers of low-income housing tax credit properties, like others, must rent and manage apartments in a manner consistent with the Fair Housing Act, - a transfer to another unit when it is medically necessary not only affords a person with a disability the same opportunity to enjoy her housing as others do, but may also be critical to that person’s well-being. HUD will ensure through its enforcement of the law that people with disabilities have the opportunity to live in the housing of their choice,” 
said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.




According to HUD’s charge, the resident had to be transported to the emergency room twice from her apartment after complaining of difficulty breathing. First orally, and then formally in writing, the tenant informed Magnolia Walk II management that smoke was coming into her apartment from other units, and that her doctor had advised her to avoid exposure to cigarette smoke because it would exacerbate her chronic respiratory illness. She requested to move to a vacant apartment located between an elevator and a unit occupied by a non-smoker.


Managers claimed, falsely, that tax regulations prevented the tenant’s transfer without her being treated as a new tenant, necessitating an application fee and additional security deposit, as well as an early termination fee for vacating her current unit. To avoid paying the early termination fee, the tenant waited to move to the requested unit until after her lease expired, nearly a year after her first request. Management still charged her the application fee and additional security deposit.


FHEO and its partners in the Fair Housing Assistance Program investigate more than 10,000 housing discrimination complaints annually. People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 (voice), (800) 927-9275(TTY).

US Charges HOA, Management Co & owners for discriminating against Gulf War Vet






Association and owners refused to accommodate veteran’s support animal




Posted by CotoBlogzz

Park City, Utah – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Tuesday October 11, 2011, it is charging a Park City, Utah homeowner association, property management company, and a group of condominium owners with violating the Fair Housing Act for refusing to accommodate a Gulf War veteran with a disability who required an emotional support dog because of a disability.

HUD is alleging Fox Point at Redstone, a multifamily housing complex, assessed illegal fees and fines against the tenant and the owners of his condominium unit for the presence of the assistance animal. HUD is also charging the condominium owners for their refusal to renew the tenant’s lease unless he paid the charges. The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations to no-pet rules for renters with disabilities who need emotional support animals.

Today, many veterans return home with mobility impairments or other conditions that can be alleviated by a support animal.  HUD will enforce the Fair Housing Act against policies that prevent people with disabilities from having a medically necessary assistance animal at home,” said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

According to HUD’s charges, Fox Point’s homeowner association required the tenant to pay a registration fee, provide proof of liability coverage, and sign a medical release for it to obtain his confidential medical records. The tenant provided medical documentation of his need for the assistance animal and obtained liability insurance, but refused to give Respondents access to his private medical information or to pay the $150 fee. Even after it acknowledged that the veteran’s dog was a medically necessary assistance animal, the association continued to demand that he pay the fee. The association also assessed a number of fines against the condo owners for the presence of the support dog, and the condo owners refused to renew the tenant’s lease until he paid the fee and the fines. The tenant and his wife moved away rather than pay. Such fees and fines are prohibited by the Fair Housing Act, as are requirements that persons with disabilities obtain liability insurance and provide their medical records.

HUD’s charge will be heard by a United States Administrative Law Judge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds after a hearing that illegal discrimination has occurred, the judge may award monetary damages to the complainant for the harm he was caused by the discrimination. The judge may also order injunctive and other equitable relief to deter further discrimination, as well as payment of attorney fees. In addition, the judge may impose fines in order to vindicate the public interest. If the matter is decided in federal court, the judge may also award punitive damages to complainant.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Is CAI Feeling the Heat? Will it get out of the HOA's kitchen?




Legal-academic aristocrat – advocate exchange on HOA bad faith conduct



By George K. Staropoli


email: info@pvtgov.org


Republished with permission
I am responding to Mr. Berding’s undated blog entry, First Thing We Do, Let’s Ban All the Bloggers! , a no-name identification of the author of the blog, namely yours-truly. Why is Mr. Berding afraid of mentioning my name? After all, I’m not an attorney. He chose to copy myCommentary rather than to provide a link to my blog, with all those other commentaries.
Ok, it does appear that Mr. Berding is quite perturbed about my statements and quotes from a D & O insurance article that uses the phrases “bad faith,” “criminal intent,” and “fraudulent acts.” He’s upset that I emphasized these words in my Commentary (WordPress Blog). Yet, Berding misleads the readers of his own blog by referring to my Commentary as, “suppose this is a blog.”
Yes, the ugly truth does hurt, Mr. Berding, doesn’t it? And I suppose posting on those blogs, like yours, those CAI blogs, and the Adams Kessler blogs does make them right and important, but forget about those advocate written blogs. Spoken as a true legal-academic aristocrat making Philosopher-King (educated elite setting forth what is good government to the rulers) pronouncements.
Mr. Berding then invokes the legalistic argument of allegations and no proof, as if this were the time and place for legal confrontation. His attitude reminds me of the slogan commonly found on court buildings and other judicial buildings, “Equal Justice Under the Law.” This slogan contains a hidden premise, or assumption, that the law is just and fair. Suppose it isn’t, as advocates maintain? Then the slogan is reduced to a meaningless and empty statement. And those with power derived from these unjust laws just love to argue, “It’s the law! It’s the law! We have done nothing wrong!” And that’s were ethical and moral questions of good faith – honesty and integrity, or an honest intent to act without taking an unfair advantage over another person – come into play.
Our public policy permits the law to inflict financial damages, and the possible loss of all one’s equity in his home, for violating the CC&Rs, yet gives only a “ slap on the wrist” to violations by the HOA board. It permits “after an opportunity to be heard” to satisfy the due process requirement for hearings on violations, there being no explicit statement, as found in the public arena: “by an independent tribunal with the right to present evidence, demand proof and to confront witnesses.” It is absent from the CC&R contractual agreement. And where state legislatures maintain a hands-off posture, providing no oversight accountability or effective enforcement against board violations in a “see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil” banana republic posture. And justifies this pro-HOA support with, “Well, that’s what the homeowner agreed to. Now he’s just trying to get out of a contract.” What kind of society do HOAs create?
I’m sure he would be shocked, as were the editors at KPHO, the Phoenix CBS-TV affiliate, when they conducted a poll on the PTSD HOA Syndrome (click on image), and found out that 68% of the respondents agreed it existed. Or that an overwhelming 91% respondents in aTruth in HOAs Disclosure Poll said NO to signing an agreement to accept, beforehand, the conditions as set forth in the poll — misrepresentation, fraud, no meeting of the minds, etc. No, after all, his philosophy accepts the belief that “the king can do no wrong.”
As to his CAI remark, all he had to do is to attend these seminars and discover for himself the lack of homeowner protection material presented at these seminars. For example, important info for homeowners can be found in my latest Commentary (HOA boards cannot escape wrongful acts by their managers), information regarding the relationship between the HOA and the management firm. It is is an agency relationship that carries with it immense protections for the homeowner against both the management firm and the HOA board. It’s not on the agenda.
As to misleading and out-of-context statements about the D & O article, Mr. Berding misses my point, which is that the board can be sued and here are the grounds for suing. Also not found in an educational CAI, town sponsored seminar. He discredits my work as “emotional,” “lacking objectivity,” and that I “don’t contribute much that is useful to their chosen subject.” So sayeth the Philosopher-King, or is it the “weavers” from The Emperor’s New Clothes?
Come down from the clouds Mr. Berding, and see what is happening around you. I challenge you to answer the following 4 questions that were posed in March 2006 to Mr. Durso, then Editor of CAI’s Common Ground,
I ask the legislators, the public interest organizations and policy makers to consider the following questions:
1. Is it proper for the state to create, permit, encourage, support or defend a form of local government of a community of people, whether that form of government is established as a municipal corporation or as a private organization that is not compatible with our American system of government?
2. Is it proper for the state to permit the existence of private quasi-governments with contractual “constitutions” that regulate and control the behavior of citizens without the same due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment; that do not conform to the state’s municipal charter or incorporation requirements; or do not provide for the same compliance with the state’s Constitution, statutes or administrative code as required by public local government entities?
3. When did “whatever the people privately contract” dominate the protections of the US Constitution? The New Jersey Appeals Court didn’t think so. Does “constructive notice”, the “nailing to the wall”, the medieval method of notice, measure up to the requisite level of notice and informed consent to permit the loss of Constitutional protections?
4. Please state what, if any, are the government’s interests in supporting HOAs that deny the people their constitutional rights?
I await your reply, or a reply from any of the legal-academic aristocrats.


2 Responses to Legal-academic aristocrat – advocate exchange on HOA bad faith conduct

  1. Mike Reardon says:
    You are quite generous when you call Berding a legal academic. His article reads as nothing more than sophistic logic that is blind to the real problems in Community Associations.
    Their ship is sinking, and he is critical of the folks pointing at the hole in the boat.
    Of course the Legal service provider’s obtuse behavior (and SO many others including our perpetual fund raising legislators) becomes more understandable when you realize that their income is directly proportional to the amount and extent of the pathology in our associations.
    Lessen the problems and you most certainly lessen their income (and ability to ‘influence’ our legislators). It is almost comical to read their “emperor is fully clothed” nonsense.
    You know the truth, please keep speaking it!
  2. Mr Berding’s article is no more or less “news” itself than is yours, yet he still published it today. Why must discussion of a topic on a blog be considered “news?” Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but it’s still worthy of discussion.
    I am struck by Mr Berding’s admonishing you for your headline by saying “The choice of words in the first sentence of the opening paragraph lays bare the intent of the writer,” while failing to realize he has done the same thing. Is Mr Berding’s headline, “First Thing We Do — Let’s Ban All The Bloggers?” to be taken at face value? It’s not designed to be attention-catching or tongue-in-cheek, is it? Of course it is. That was his point. He made his point while criticizing you of the same thing.
    I’m sure Mr Berding isn’t surprised to hear that some managers, board members, and their lawyers do abuse homeowners. In fact, an employee of his has done just that with a letter she wrote to a homeowner:
    There was never a call to a police department over a letter sent via UPS. Why would there be? Is sending a letter via UPS now suddenly a crime we should worry about? The police certainly weren’t. Such activity could only be worthy of police action if there were a restraining order in effect, right? He’s a lawyer, and he should know that, but Mr. Berding has an agenda, same as everyone else. (One could argue that the lawyer’s agenda is a financial one.) But I digress….
    Mr Berding suggests that not supporting homeowners associations is bad. He says “…the blog poster suggests that supporting homeowners associations is not good.” We know that for Mr Berding, supporting homeowners associations IS good. It’s been very very good. Good enough to employ a whole cadre of lawyers in Alamo who don’t live in homeowners associations while lobbying in Sacramento for those same homeowners associations that they won’t live in themselves.
    Mr Berding’s comment “that blog posts, email, and social networks are an inexpensive and widely available means of communicating with large numbers of people and make it easy for pundits of every stripe to be heard.” Yes, thank you. That’s because homeowners association boards of directors often refuse to allow a homeowner access to a roster. Regardless of it being allowed in the bylaws or Civil Code. His law firm stokes the flames of dissent when an owner wants such a document, and his law firm makes money by stalling and refusing. Homeowners have been left no other alternative BUT to turn to the internet to communicate because boards say “no” reflexively. And, Berding and Weil loves it. They scour the “agenda-driven advocate” sites looking for ways to “shut it down” because the board wants it done.
    And finally, Mr Berding’s comment that your post is “just invective—a ‘rant’ if you will,” is interesting. Because so is his. And that’s OK. He is entitled to express his thoughts as much as we are to ours. And we’re not going away, and we’ll continue publishing, and he’ll continue making money off homeowners who live in associations. And so it goes.

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CA State Assemblyman DeVore Quits OCBOS race – goes Texan





Posted by CotoBlogzz



Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – The CotoBuzz Journal uncharacteristically endorsed Todd Spitzer over Chuck DeVore for a Third District Orange County Board of Supervisors seat in 2012, previously noted that the county could not lose.

We expected to see Mr. DeVore  battle to the last possible second with Mr. Spitzer coming on top.  We were 50% right.  Mr. DeVore is calling it quits and moving to join the  Texas Public Policy Foundation,  as Senior Visiting Scholar for Fiscal Policy.

Citing family and business issues for his decision to move, Mr. DeVore explains  in a press release that  “.. my old aerospace clientele has fled to greener, less-expensive pastures.  Combined with the drain on our savings caused by six years of public service in the Assembly, we have come to the reluctant conclusion that it is time to move.”

Mr. DeVore concludes with his trademark barb at his former colleague and vacation buddy aying
I’m expecting that a successful businessperson, someone with a strong record in promoting fiscally responsible policies, will soon step forward to run for the important office of Orange County Supervisor.  When that person emerges, I expect that you’ll know who it is and that they have my full support.”

Good luck to Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, in Texas!



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www.atwebo.com/cotobuzz/2011/POLITICS/CotoPOLITICSDeVore... 

cotobuzz commented on The DeVore-Spitzer Debate & the One Million Dollar OC Man
www.redcounty.com/cotobuzz 

... and the Third District specifically are fortunate to have Chuck DeVore and Todd Spitzer... A month earlier however, the CotoBuzz Journal had called the election for the ...
www.redcounty.com/content/devore-spitzer-debate-fisc... -

DeVore on ANDRES BOCELI - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA- Candidate Obama rightfully demanded that  words must mean something.  President Obamaregularly parses words not unlike the infamous "it all depends on what is is".  Politicians regularly use the terms accountability and transparency, but when pressed as to what they are ready to do, they deflect, deny or ignore, perhaps even lie - that is, the political game of DIDL.
California's Triple Threat - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  We assert that the sucking sound you hear are all the jobs California is losing to Nevada, Texas and Utah, in large measure do to what we refer to as California's Triple Threat:   1) Public sector organized labor 2) un-elected, un-checked parasitic bureaucracies and 3)  lobbyists. 
Economic Freedom and the Triple Constraint - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - The Heritage Foundation & The Wall Street Journal compared 183 countries across ten specific freedoms such as trade freedom, business freedom, property rights, investment freedom and others, to come up with the so called The Link Between Economic Opportunity and Prosperity: The 2009 Index of Economic Freedom.  Such index ranked  Hong Kong at the top, while the United States was relegated to the number six slot
A view of Senator Obama Using a  Disgruntled Homeowner Prism During a recent blogging exchange with Assemblyman Todd Spitzer , he referred to a particular constituent as a disgruntled member of a homeowners association.  Now, we have heard the term disgruntled employee regularly in employer-employee spats and usually in whistle blowing scenarios.  We have also hear the term disgruntled resident in the context of an argument between representatives of a homeowners’ association and the resident itself.  Never from a politician to characterize a constituent.
A Winning the Future Moment, or Simply:  WTF? - Rancho Santa Margarita,  CA – President Obama has ditched the car in the ditch metaphor and the Hope & Change slogan in lieu of taking the engine off of an airplane metaphor  and Winning the Future slogan .  Critics say that the new metaphor does not work, since the airplane is heading to China to mortgage future generations of American, when the airplane has no fuel, while Governor  Sarah Palin characterizes the new slogan as “What Were They Thinking”  (WWTT) or in the vernacular:  WTF?
The 2010 Union Voting Guide - Use at your Own Peril  - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - There is a lot of truth in the old adage that "we should not judge a book by its cover." But what if we have access to the Cover, the Table of Contents and the Appendix? Can we get a good idea as to the contents of the book? In other words, using another adage "tell me who you associate with and I will tell you who you are?" and applying the latter to political elections, if we know the candidate's supporters, we should be able to have a good idea about how that candidate will govern. Take for instance Van Jones, Reverend Wright, the National Representative of the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan, the Reverend Al Sharpton,  terrorist William Charles " Bill" Ayers and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel all supporters of candidate Obama.  Should this not have been a good indicator, largely ignored, of the contents of the now Presidential Book?

The California Air Resources Board acknowledges that "no direct public health impacts" are expected from Prop 23. The proposition delays control of greenhouse gas emissions, implicated in global warming. It delays implementation of AB 32 (the global warming solution), which penalizes sources of emissions, especially refineries and fossil fuel power sources.

The 2010 Union Voting Guide - Use at your Own Peril
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - There is a lot of truth in the old adage that "we should not judge a book by its cover." But what if we have access to the Cover, the Table of Contents and the Appendix? Can we get a good idea as to the contents of the book? In other words, using another adage "tell me who you associate with and I will tell you who you are?" and applying the latter to political elections, if we know the candidate's supporters, we should be able to have a good idea about how that candidate will govern. Take for instance Van Jones, Reverend Wright, the National Representative of the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan, the Reverend Al Sharpton, terrorist William Charles " Bill" Ayers and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel all supporters of candidate Obama. Should this not have been a good indicator, largely ignored, of the contents of the now Presidential Book?


2010 California Propositions Voters Guide
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - While heuristics indicate that a NO vote in any California's direct special interest democracy is a wise move, following the money may be even better. Below is a list of the 2010 California propositions, their main supporters and our recommendations, including a brief rationale.