Fire Captain John Hines, Charged in DUI Hit-and-run

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - John David Hines, a Long Beach Fire Department Captain has been charged with severely injuring a cyclist in a mid-day hit-and-run crash while driving with a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, three times the legal limit, according to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office.


Hines, 38, Huntington Beach, is charged with one felony count each of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, driving with a blood alcohol .08 percent or more causing injury, hit and run with injury, and sentencing enhancements and allegations for causing great bodily injury and having a blood alcohol level over .20 percent.  

On the morning of April 1, 2011, Hines is accused of consuming alcohol and becoming severely intoxicated at the Schooner or Later bar in Long Beach. At approximately 1:20 p.m. on April 1, 2011, Hines is accused of driving erratically under the influence of alcohol eastbound on Westminster Avenue in Seal Beach in his Chevrolet pick-up truck. 

While driving, Hines is accused of losing control of his vehicle and suddenly swerving into the bike lane and dirt shoulder. Without slowing or hitting his brakes, he is accused of crashing into 47-year-old bicyclist Jeffrey Gordon. The victim was thrown from his bike over 70 feet and landed on the shoulder of the road. Hines is accused of failing to slow or hit his brakes after crashing into the victim and fleeing the scene. 

Two separate drivers who witnessed the crash followed the defendant and called 911. Hines is accused of driving to his Huntington Beach home, where he was contacted by the Huntington Beach and Seal Beach Police Departments. 

When contacted by police, Hines is accused of displaying objective signs of intoxication including emitting a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot and watery eyes, unsteady balance, and a strong odor of urine from his clothing. Approximately two hours after the crash, Hines is accused of having a blood alcohol level of .24 percent. 

The force of the impact from the crash caused by Hines left a blood splatter on the defendant's vehicle and resulted in major front-end fender and hood damage. 

Gordon was transported to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to be treated for head trauma, severe lacerations and bruising to his head and body, internal injuries, and spinal and vertebrae injuries. Gordon remained in the hospital for two weeks and continues to suffer limited physical mobility and speech and memory loss. 

This case was investigated by the Seal Beach Police Department in coordination with the Los Alamitos Police Department as part of the Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team.

Sr. Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopoulos Recipient of Defender of Justice Award

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - Our research over the last decade strongly indicates that public safety is more a function of the local governance’s actions or inactions, as opposed to law enforcement. The latter being a reactive force, whereas the former can be proactive.

Assemblyman Allan Mansoor of the 68th Assembly District honoring Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopoulos this Wednesday with the Defender of Justice Award for his outstanding work in prosecuting gang cases in the TARGET Unit of the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) Office is an example.  It sends a message to the criminal element in the community that local governance is serious about public safety.

Since his assignment to the Garden Grove TARGET Unit a year and a half ago, Chrisopoulos has handled a caseload of over 50 cases involving various gang offenses and he has successfully prosecuted four homicide cases, 12 attempted-murder cases, and six jury trials.

"Paul has devoted his life to public service, and we are grateful for his exemplar service in prosecuting gang crime in our community," said Assemblyman Allan Mansoor. 

In one of the notable cases, Chrisopoulos successfully prosecuted a gang member for the attempted murder of a father of five who interrupted a Garden Grove criminal street gang members writing graffiti on a wall in his neighborhood. The victim and his wife had returned to their home from grocery shopping. The defendant and a fellow gang member were tagging a wall near the entrance of the cul-de-sac where the victim's house was located by covering up the graffiti of a rival gang with their own. When the victim approached the wall to move his car into his driveway, the defendant shot the victim several times as he tried to escape. The victim suffered permanent paralysis from his injuries. The defendant was arrested after police matched his DNA from a paint can recovered from the scene. Chrisopoulos conducted the jury trial, where the defendant was convicted and sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison. 

Chrisopoulos also successfully handled the fourth re-trial of defendant Marco Damian for the murder of a rival gang member. Damian had been driving with his fellow gang members in a rival gang neighborhood and shooting at cars and homes where they believed rivals lived. When a fellow gang member pointed out a rival gang member in an alley, the defendant pulled the car near the alley and an unidentified gang member shot the victim. Damian's three previous convictions had been overturned on appeals. The prosecution by Chrisopoulos led to the conviction and sentence of 16 years to life in state prison for the defendant. 

Chrisopoulos joined the OCDA in April 1997 and started his work in the Special Prosecutions Unit of the District Attorney's Office. He now has been prosecuting gang crimes within the TARGET Unit for five and a half years.

Kudos to Sr. Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopoulos

Kudos to Assemblyman Allan Mansoor. 

Married Huntington Beach Teachers Arrested for Molesting Minor Student

Posted By CotoBlogzz

The Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) and WPD are seeking potential additional victims in this cas

Huntington Beach, CA -  Daniel Alma Shepard and  Gay Davidson-Shepard, two married school teachers have been arrested and charged with having an unlawful sexual relationship together and on their own with a 17-year-old male high school student, according to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office.


 Daniel Shepard, 62, Huntington Beach, is charged with three felony counts, and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.


Co-defendant Gay Davidson-Shepard, 59, Huntington Beach, is charged with three felony counts and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. 

Both defendants are being held on $150,000 bail and are scheduled to be arraigned Friday, April 22, 2011.

At the time of the crime, Gay Davidson-Shepard was a teacher at Mesa View Middle School in Huntington Beach and her husband Daniel Shepard was a teacher at Westminster High School in Westminster. 

Daniel Shepard is accused of meeting John Doe while the victim was a student at Westminster High School. In March 2009, Daniel Shepard and Gay Davidson-Shepard are accused of grooming the 17-year-old victim by regularly inviting him to their Huntington Beach home to drink alcohol, eat, play board games, and watch movies. 

In April 2009, the defendants are accused of sexually assaulting the victim for the first time. 

On a weekly basis beginning in April 2009, the defendants are accused of getting John Doe intoxicated by providing him with alcohol and engaging in illegal sex acts with the victim in their home.  The victim turned 18 years old in December 2009 and any sexual conduct with the defendant cannot be criminally charged after that time. 
 

In March 2011, the victim disclosed the sexual assault to his mother. John Doe's mother contacted the Westminster Police Department (WPD), who investigated this case. Daniel Shepard and Gay Davidson-Shepard were arrested by WPD today, April 20, 2011. 

The Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA) and WPD are seeking potential additional victims in this case. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact WPD Detective Michael Nguyen at (714) 548-3247 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at (714) 347-8794. 

Coto de Caza's Governance, Ignorant, Psychotic or ...?

 Posted By CotoBlogzz

Coto de Caza, CA - Since the Coto de Caza (CZ Master) board of directors continue to make boneheaded decisions, such as focusing on teenage vandalism, as opposed to grown-up crimes which have a direct impact on public safety, such as theft, fraud and or moving citations, or the more recent decision to propose extending the district delegate terms from one year to two, thereby consolidating its power base, instead of pursuing the more democratic, direct elections, we are wondering if the board ever got the memo – that is, is the board ignorant or psychotic?

Take for instance a piece published in the CotoBuzz Journal October 30, 2005

CID Legislation – the next step – Reprinted from the CotoBuzz Journal, October 30, 2005

So far, all the CID legislation we have supported such as board of director qualifications, background checks and election reform, has been vehemently opposed by those who by definition, make Home Owners Association non-profit corporations:  Incompetent board of directors, CAI attorneys, property managers and so on.

Evidence A is the CZ Master Association Letter where a Keystone Pacific employees labels a certain type of legislation unreasonable and an effort by the legislature to micro-manage and attributes the passage of this legislation to “..poor practices of a few associations, but more often it is from negative sensationalism by the media or a few disgruntled residents”. 

Grandiose statement from a person who is not supposed to use the forum to make political points, the one who has been identified as one of the most ineffective property managers in the history of Coto.  The same type of behavior that has generated more legislation to make sure HOAs and Property managers do not use association funds to make political points – legislation we also support.  And the same HOA and property manager who blocked a less expensive election reform that we have proposed.  If other associations such as the CZ Master had adopted such proposals much sooner, the Legislature would not need to micro-manage.  So do not blame it on  “..poor practices of a few associations, but more often it is from negative sensationalism by the media or a few disgruntled residents", but on poor management such as the current CZ BOD and poor property managers, such as Keystone.

The next step is to introduce additional legislation to bring in a Chairman/President, on salary, that will make sure property managers, legal counsel and other blood sucking special interest groups and service providers perform, rather than dictate how residents should behave.

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The California State Legislature continues to pass laws aimed at protecting the rights of HOA Members because many HOA Boards and Associations including CZ have abused those rights and failed to manage Associations in keeping with existing laws and Association governing documents.  Laws governing HOA's don't get passed because of the complaints of a few disgruntled homeowners and/or because of the abhorrent actions of a few HOA's.  These laws are being passed because there is wide spread abuse and CZ is no exception to the rule.  These laws are generally opposed by the HOA industry because any law that requires more accountability to Members is a threat to their income streams.    The current CZ Board has squandered our dues money subsidizing outside groups, exposed us to unnecessary danger and liability on our streets, ignored legal agreements, manipulated the last Board election using dirty trick tactics and generally mismanaged the CZ Master Association.  CZ Board Members, please look in the mirror.  These new laws are aimed at all of YOU.   Joe Morabito 


RELATED STORIES
Vote NO on Changes to CZ Masters Association CC&Rs
Coto de Caza, CA - Just when you think that the CZ Masters Association board of directors cannot possibly come up with another boneheaded idea, BAM!, there it is This time the CZ Masters Association’s is spending your hard earned money “to save you money” – or so it says. The board is proposing to amend the Master Declaration to extend the term of elected delegates from one year to two years and authorize the board members to call as special meeting of any district. The argument is that you, CZ dues-paying residents unnecessarily pay $6000 per district in connection with each district meeting for election of delegates, or roughly $300,000/year.  Why unnecessary you ask?


Coto Continues Course of Corruption (C4)
On behalf of the CotoBuzz Journal readers, I am requesting that the CZ Master Association and its legal counsel revisit the board’s latest decision to extend the district delegate’s term from one year to two years. An independent observer can readily see the move as yet another power grab attempt, when it should be doing the opposite: Work to hold direct elections, particularly now that the Coto is in Rancho Santa Margarita’s sphere of influence. Further, annexation of additional land simply means additional expenses to the community.  Look forward to hearing from you that sensible heads have prevailed

Another HOA Bites the Dust - CHEN v. ASSN. LIEN SERVICES
FACTSThe facts are stated in full in our prior opinion in this matter. (Chen v. Association Lien Services (June 1, 2006) G035402 [nonpub. opn.] (Chen I).) In short, Chen believed his home had been wrongfully foreclosed upon by his two homeowners associations while he was out of the country. In 2003, he filed the instant lawsuit against the associations, the management company, and ALS, alleging wrongful foreclosure, rescission and restitution, breach of fiduciary duty, willful misconduct and accounting. A first amended complaint added claims against certain defendants for unfair business practices, violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, RICO, quiet title, and declaratory relief. Although not initially filed as a putative class action, Chen later sought to certify a class for three of his claims, for breach of fiduciary duty, unfair business practices, and for violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the last against the ALS defendants only. The court denied the class certification motion, and in our prior opinion, we affirmed. (Chen I, supra, G035402.)

Final Categories of the Davy HOA Awards announced
Sunday, February 27, 2011, 9:02:52 PM 
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – The CotoBuzz Journal, a community journal with a focus on HOA/CID, public safety and government corruption in general, today announced the official categories of the 2011 Homeowners Association Davy Awards. View the Davy Awards as the Un-CAI Awards: For example, the Orange County Chapter of the Community Association’s Industry (CAI) presented the homeowners’ association industry awards at the chapter's leadership awards dinner February 25, 2011.

It is 2009 - Iraq Holds Free Elections - Coto de Caza Still Ruled By Politburo
It is 2009 and Iraq just held its municipal elections with little to no little violence while sectarian parties did poorly and mainstream media mostly ignored the milestone as a nonevent. Refer to a good editorial on the subject by the WSJ.

CZ Master Association 2009 Budget Failure and Mismanagement
The CZ Board failed to adopt a proper 2009 budget for the CZ Master Association because they simply refuse to deal with the subsidies going to non-members which is clearly necessary. The $ 6.00 monthly dues increase does not cover the needs of the.

County and OCBOS Pat Bates Endorse Coto?s Trickle Up Welfare Program
Posted By CotoBlogzz | 1/09/2009 10:30 AM Only after thoughtful deliberation and taking into considering a number of contentious issues, the County has given the green light to proponents of building a new polo arena in Coto de Caza ?

Pimp My CCW ? Annex Coto de Caza
Promoters of Coto de Caza Trickle Up Welfare Program have also been promoting the annexation of Coto de Caza in ways that would make Don King proud. The cover of the January 2009 Coto de Caza newsletter proudly announces a breakfast with Sheriff Hutchens...

David Vs. Goliath or David and His Saithe?

An undated article titled Community Association Conflict, available online from the Community Associations Institute (CAI) asserts that ?Rather than David-versus- Goliath conflicts, as occasionally portrayed in the media, disputes in community associations. ..

It is time to comply with California Appellate Court decision to let homeowners see those books and records!

The cases: Golden Rain Foundation vs Franz and Golden Rain Foundation vs Lyon Not incredibly, the California Supreme Court denied Golden Rain Foundation's request for review of a case they just kept losing. Another costly bit of arrogance that...

Brown, the Butcher of Sacramento & Law Enforcement caught picking Joe's Pocket

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Wednesday, Sheriff Baca joined California's major law enforcement organizations backing the Brown, Butcher of Sacramento’s  call for extending tax increases to pay for a new law that shifts responsibility for thousands of criminals from the state to local governments.

Sheriff Lee Baca and a wide-spectrum of law enforcement officials representing prosecutors, police chiefs and probation officers joined Governor Brown Wednesday at the Capitol to urge Republican lawmakers to approve a special election during which voters would be asked to extend tax increases set to expire this year.

While Brown's plan calls for $5.9 billion of vehicle and sales taxes to fund the realignment as part of his effort to bridge the state's $26.6 billion budget deficit, his plan  fail to address head-on California’s Triple Threat – mostly responsible for the current fiscal tsunami:  1) Union 2) Lobbyist and 3) Parasitic Bureaucracies, but Lt Governor Gavin Newsome leads a so-called fact-finding to Texas to examine how Texas has managed to add 165,000 jobs during the past three years while California has lost 1.2 million.   Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Linda, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Tracy and representatives of the California Teachers Association join the Lt. Governor.  As the leading contemporary philosopher of the day would say, no need for the trip to Taxes, is Taxes, duh!

Did we mention that the Butcher of Sacramento is not only ignoring California’s Triple Threat, but actually feeding it by growing government, as in creating yet another commission to oversee the CALPARS boondoggle?

So what about law enforcement?  Is it  a false choice to say that if you oppose tax increases you are against law enforcement.  TNot only is it a false choice, the question is, what about  the law enforcement money trail?

Thanks to the union, metrics for law enforcement accountability and transparency are largely non-existent.  Or  as Stephen Connelly, OCSD’s  Executive Director of Independent Review, says:
“Accountability means different things to different people.” Which translates to “yes we ain’t got no  accountability”
Here is the troubling issue:  While public safety is a function of local governance and contracted cities in the Los Angeles and Orange counties pay millions of dollars per year for sheriff's  services, we have been unable to locate the money trail. Local officials usually sign a contract that says, “we pay the county millions of dollars and in return we get public safety” with no way to determine if the services promised are indeed delivered.

flickr photo credit: stans_pat_pix

We have  contacted the  county of Orange to see what accountability and transparency tools are  in place to make sure that Joe the Taxpayer in certain contracted city is  getting his public safety dollars worth but were told that the state is responsible for conducing audits.  We then contacted local city officials to see if they had any idea whether they were getting their public safety money’s worth – in all cases, they had no idea.  We then contacted the California State Department to see if it had any records of audits conducted on the LA County, Orange County and Sand Diego County Sheriff Departments over the last ten year – no records found.  We  then contacted the California State Auditor’s Office and asked the same question.  Same answer

So, while we cannot find out how  money paid for law enforcement  to the counties of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego is being spent, The Butcher of Sacramento and law enforcement leaders are asking Joe the Taxpayer for his debit card, again.  Makes sense only if you are the Butcher of Sacramento!

LAPD deputy Convicted of Assault with firearm

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  - Sean Paul Delacerda, a  deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) was convicted today of assaulting an ex-girlfriend with a firearm after accusing her of cheating and violently holding her against her will at gunpoint in her apartment, according to the Orange County District Attorneys (OCDA) office  

Delacerda, 27, Fullerton,  a four-year veteran of LASD at the time of the crime, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count each of assault with a firearm, kidnapping, false imprisonment by violence, and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence battery. Delacerda faces a maximum sentence of 18 years in state prison at his sentencing June 3, 2011

On April 18, 2010, Delacerda broke into the home of his ex-girlfriend, Jane Doe, whom he had dated for two months, without the victim's permission. The victim was not home. When Jane Doe arrived home at approximately 4:00 p.m., the defendant asked where she had been and accused her  of cheating. He pulled out a firearm loaded with one bullet in the cylinder. Jane Doe became scared and tried to run to the front door, but Delacerda chased her, grabbed her by both arms, and kept her inside. He forced the victim to open her e-mail so that he could read them. 

While Delarcerda was reading the e-mails, Jane Doe again tried to run to the front door to escape. The defendant chased after her, tackled her to the ground, and climbed on top of her. He covered the victim's mouth as she screamed. Delarcerda took the firearm with one bullet, pointed it in his mouth, and pulled the trigger while still on top of the victim. The firearm clicked but did not fire. The defendant then pointed the firearm at Jane Doe.

After pointing his firearm at the victim, Delarcerda dragged Jane Doe to her bedroom and pushed her in a closet. He returned to her computer to continue reading her e-mails. While the defendant was distracted, Jane Doe was finally able to run outside and get into her car. 

Delacerda ran after the victim, tried to open her locked car door, and banged on her window. He jumped on the hood of her car as she reversed and chased after her as she drove away. Jane Doe called 911 from her car and the defendant was arrested shortly thereafter leaving the area of the victim's home.  

During the trial, Delacerda admitted breaking into the victim's home, loading one bullet into his firearm, and waiting 11 hours for Jane Doe to return. He denied any assault on the victim. 

Deputy District Attorney Sandra Nassar of the Family Protection Unit is prosecuting this case.  

Scammed in Laguna Woods Village

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Laguna Woods Village, CA -It was around 6:30 PM or 7, when I finished grocery shopping at Stater Brothers.  I pulled out of the parking lot heading towards El Toro (exit by Starbucks).  I waited until traffic was clear for me to make a right turn.  As I started to turn, I heard a thud on my hood.  I stopped immediately.  A man had hit my hood with both arms and then I saw him throw himself down on the ground.  He was carrying a skateboard under one arm.

 

I got out of the car and asked if he was all right.  I offered to take him to emergency and he refused.     He then asked me if I could give him $20.  I said I don't have $20.  All I had was $5 change from my groceries.  I don't carry a lot of cash around.  Then I saw a man on the right side waving for me not to give him anything.  I knew it was a scam.  The supposedly harmed man then asked for $10.  I said I don't have $10, all I have is a $5.  He said $5 will do.  So I gave him the $5 to get him out of my hair.  He then said he wouldn't pursue this matter any further and he took off in the direction of Starbucks, skateboard under his arm.

 

I got home put my groceries away, then about 10 or 15 minutes later, my doorbell rang.  It was a sheriff deputy.  He said "we're you at Stater Brothers tonight?"  I said yes, thinking maybe I'm in trouble.  He said do you think you might have been a victim of a scam?  I said yes.  I asked him how he knew all this.  He said somebody took my license plate numbers and called them.  Must have been the man who was telling me not to give that guy any money.  I told him the story.  He said that guy never made it to Starbucks, "he saw me and took off running". 

 

The sheriff deputy thought it was a kid.  But it was not.  The guy had gray hair, and I believe he was wearing a hat.  But he did have gray hair, I remember that much.  I'm not good at remembering descriptions of people and what they're wearing.

 

Thought you'd all like to know and be on the lookout.  Maybe tell your friends and neighbors also.

 

Lou Skogen

If you would like to make a comment about a specific news article, editorial or commentary and have it considered for publication in the CotoBuzz Journal as a Letter, Photo or Video Clip  to the Editor, please send it to buzz@cotobuzz.com --- or mail to Letters to the Editor, c/o CotoBuzz, P,O. Box 154, Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678 Letters should be brief, and may be edited for clarity and length. All material become the property of CotoBuzz Journal  and may be republished in any format. Please include your full name, mailing address and daytime phone number (your number will not be published).

Forrest Gump, Humpty Dumpty, Nancy Pelosi and Rancho's City Council

Posted By CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -   Forrest Gump’s momma said that  "Life is  like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”   Prior to the passing of ObamCare,  former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi infamously borrowed momma Gunp’s wisdom stating that we would only finds out what was and was not included in  ObamaCare, until the bill was passed.

Most employers in almost any industry are much more specific in the criteria they use to select potential new employees.  The top five requirements include excellent oral and written communication skills, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking skills, relevant experience and a relevant degree and or certification.

When the Orange County Board of Supervisors considered candidates to fill the position left by disgraced Sheriff Carona, the main criteria used to filter the shaft from the wheat included education/training, law enforcement experience and law leadership/management experience.

As the Rancho Santa Margarita city council settled on a schedule to interview twelve candidates for the seat vacated by Gary Thompson, we asked council members Tony Beall, Steve Baric, Jerry Holloway  and Jesse Petrilla whether the council had settled on a criteria, or whether it was going to be left to each individual council member. We then asked each member, if the latter, whether the criteria to be used would be objective, subjective or a combination thereof.

We did get a Humpty Dumpty-esque response from RSM city clerk Molly McLaughlin  “The criteria listed on the application are the requirements for any resident to run for office.  There are specific but broad requirements that are required – such as being a registered voter, etc. However, the application did request for a statement of qualifications/resume.  And again, the City Council’s public discussion, did speak to the City Council’s expectations”

For reference, Humpty Dumpty appears in Lewis Carroll's through the Looking-Glass where he discusses semantics with Alice

"I don't know what you mean by 'glory,'" Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't – till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!'"

"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument,'" Alice objected.

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master – that's all."

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again.

"They've a temper, some of them – particularly verbs, they're the proudest – adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs – however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That's what I say!"

For Ms.  McLaughlin’s edification, criteria as defined by the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary: 1. a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based 2.  a characterizing mark or trait.  The RSM application is not an acceptable criteria.

We should note that we did get a Maddof-esque I-do-not-want-to-leave-any trails-response, from Jerry Holloway stating “ call me”.

Perhaps momma Gump and Nancy Pelosi were right.  You do not know the type of city council member is going to get, until you get it.

Comments

Huh?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2011-04-09 13:45.

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This is pretty much nonsense. Why waste Red County bandwidth on drivil coming from a nutcase like this guy.

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Remedial Version available through dial-up

Submitted by cotobuzz on Sun, 2011-04-10 08:50.

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Not to worry - the remedial version is available trough dial-up

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"Trough" is right

Submitted by What? (not verified) on Mon, 2011-04-11 10:29.

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"Trough" is right... that's where this article belongs

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Me Smells an Anonymous RAT who can't stand the Heat! ! !

Submitted by SHERMAN TANK on Tue, 2011-04-12 14:09.

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Sure sounds like these particular Anonymous postings have an INTEREST in this topic.

When I see Anonymous postings along the caliber of what's posted to this particular article, I question the veracity.  The one-liners calling Buzz a nutcase, the comments that the article is somehow "inferior" (my word) I know that the author has hit the nail on the head.  It appears that those who CAN relate to this article are WORRIED about SOMETHING.

Here, we are speaking to a position that affects the quality of life for all of us living in that district.  And, what kind of circular NONSENSICAL RESPONSE DOES THE REPORTER GET TO A PERTINENT QUESTION???  HE GETS THIS CRAP: “The criteria listed on the application are the requirements for any resident to run for office.  There are specific but broad requirements that are required – such as being a registered voter, etc. However, the application did request for a statement of qualifications/resume.  And again, the City Council’s public discussion, did speak to the City Council’s expectations”.

Hey! That kind of stuff doesn't fly for me, why would it fly for you idiots that are complaining that the question was asked at all!  WE HAVE A DUTY TO GET A COHERENT ANSWER FROM THESE STUPID POLITICIANS. What the hell kind of answer is that from Molly McLaughlin?  IT DEPENDS WHAT THE MEANING OF "IS" IS?

The best those Anonymous posters could do was to produce their low-life peasant responses of blaming the messenger and attacking him with ad hominem personal attacks with NO Substantiation -- just the typical blow hard nonsense that we citizens have been forced to endure by our politicians own PAID FOR BY TAXES hot air!

Somebody tell me why Rancho Santa Margarita city council refuses to be transparent?  Refuses to perform due diligence? Refuses to abide by the law? Refuses to represent those of us in the District as we EXPECTED THEM TO DO SO!  What is it? Did Buzz uncover a "good old boys" type of situation going on in there? Maybe THAT will explain what's happening and why we do not have the representation that is in our own best interests from occurring.

SO PIPE THE HELL DOWN YOU ANONYMOUS BLOG BOTS and start answering some questions! 

GIVE ME A BREAK!

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Transparency and Accountability IS the issue

Submitted by cotobuzz on Tue, 2011-04-12 14:50.

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Tank

You bring up some good points – not the least of which is the anonymous postings.  In a different story, the IP address used to obfuscate, was traced to the City of Laguna Woods.

However, one question not asked, yet you answered,  is indeed transparency and accountability:  The local establishment in the past has  come under criticism for its  “good old boy’s network” approach  to managing the city’s affairs.  While it is the prerogative of the city council to appoint whoever it wishes, it is missing a golden opportunity to make an unambiguous statement by openly discussing the criteria to be used – whether critics agree or not, at least is in the open

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Bizarre Title

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2011-04-09 14:20.

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John Tesh, Little Red Riding Hood, Dana Rograbacher, and Irvine's School Board.

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Final Jeopardy

Submitted by Cliff Claven (not verified) on Mon, 2011-04-11 10:30.

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Who are eight people who have never been in my kitchen, Alex.

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You are listening aren't you!

Submitted by Cheryl (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 14:33.

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Might have been a bizarre title, but guess what? It got YOUR attention didn't it!

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At no point did this come

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2011-04-10 08:46.

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At no point did this come close to making sense.

But then again, his posts never do.

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Insane and Ignorant?

Submitted by cotobuzz on Sun, 2011-04-10 11:03.

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Some claim that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results- as noted above, a remedial version is available.

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Hmm

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2011-04-11 12:06.

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Not only does the post not make any sense, nor does your repeated response, Cotobuzz.

Buzz, do you have a suggestion what councilmembers should look for?

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Dumb Down version

Submitted by cotobuzz on Mon, 2011-04-11 14:01.

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To clarify, there are two types of opinion - taste and judgment - in the case of judgment, we have a responsibility to provide supporting evidence.

In that context and for a dumb down version, so I do not repeat myself:

Click here

It is not rocket science - you have 12 candidates to become one -Every candidate should know before hand whether he or she meets a pre-established council criteria  -  lacking the will to come up with a criteria, you can use a lottery - that way every candidate can have an equal shot.

Or you can use weighted criteria depending on what the council as a group and or individually deem to be more important,  such as 1) management/leadership/military  experience 2)  Financial management 3)  Business contacts 4) Public safety experience 5)  Public union environment experience

Or

Priorities:  1)  Focus on what government can do for RSM Vs 2)  Focus on how government can get out of the way of business

Or....

Local governance views

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Humpty Dumpty must come up with these dumb posts

Submitted by You make no sense (not verified) on Tue, 2011-04-12 06:56.

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It appears that you are in need of some remedial education yourself. Shouldn't it be "dumbed down?"

All you ever post is gibberish. Maybe you should take a look at your responses and get a clue.

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Indeed I Are

Submitted by cotobuzz on Tue, 2011-04-12 17:37.

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Indeed,  I are in need of remedial education- however in this context, that is a third order effect. On the other hand, you either wish to ignore, or do not see the larger issue.

What part of head in the sand do you not understand or wish to ignore?  First you claim to not understand the message, then avoid the issue when a simple picture tells you the story.

By the way, Dictionay.com defines Dumb down as:

–adjective 1. lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted. 2. lacking the power of speech (often offensive when applied to humans): a dumb animal. 3 ...

 What is wrong with this picture?    

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Anonymous Blog Bots Worried?

Submitted by SHERMAN TANK on Tue, 2011-04-12 14:21.

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I just posted a response to the Anonymous blog bots insulting the author of this article, which incidentally, IS A GREAT ARTICLE.  Unfortunately, I got a note stating my post went to a filtering system.  If it is not posted I will attempt to re-post if not for any other reason than the blog bot Anonymous comments are incomprehensible and I believe are a concerted effort to neuter this particular article that is about what I feel is IMPORTANT.