Employee Gone Postal Sentences to Six Months

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-15-2010  12:30 PM

SANTA ANA - Eveline Panganiban Galermo, a  former employee of the United Stated Postal Service (USPS) was sentenced today to six months in jail and three years of formal probation for stealing money, gift cards, and pre-paid calling cards from the mail by seeking out colored greeting card envelopes while sorting mail for distribution.

Galermo, 37, Bellflower, pleaded guilty to a court offer to three felony counts of acquiring access cards to defraud, two felony counts of second degree commercial burglary, and one felony count of receiving stolen property. 

In March 2008, Galermo started a job with USPS sorting mail at the Santa Ana Processing and Distribution Center. Between March and July 2008, the defendant stole mail, including mostly colored envelopes of greeting card size. She removed the stolen mail from the rest of the mail and felt the envelopes to determine the contents. 

On several occasions, Galermo opened mail or hid mail under her shirt and stole the contents, including pre-paid calling cards, cash, and gift certificates. The defendant used stolen gift cards to purchase items at two Target stores. 

The USPS Office of Inspector General began investigating the case after receiving complaints from numerous Orange County residents that cards and mail containing monetary gifts had not arrived. The victims in this case do not know each other. 

Stolen mail and envelopes addressed to other people and locations were found in Galermo's trash outside of her home. As of Aug. 1, 2008, she no longer works for USPS. 

Deputy District Attorney Andrew Katz of the Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted this case. 

Ladera Ranch’s Church Secretary Gets Five For Dipping into Collections Plate

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-11-2010

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -  Crystina Renee Bock,  former financial secretary for the Compass Bible Church (CBC) in Aliso Viejo was sentenced today to five years in state prison for stealing over $200,000 from the weekly offerings made by congregants to the church. Bock, 38, Ladera Ranch, pleaded guilty March 16, 2010, to 62 felony counts of grand theft with sentencing enhancement and allegations for aggravated white collar crime exceeding $100,000 and losses over $100,000. In addition to her sentence of five years in state prison, Bock has been ordered to pay over $200,000 in restitution. 

Beginning June 1, 2005, Bock worked part-time as CBC's financial secretary and assisted with accounting for offerings and payments made to CBC by congregants. Bock prepared the church's deposits each week, updated the electronic financial records, and sent contribution statements to the congregants documenting their donations for tax purposes. 

Between June 2005 and September 2008, Bock took over 440 congregants' donation checks and deposited them into her personal account. Bock wrote her personal account number on the back of CBC checks before making the deposits and altered the church's financial records to make the contribution statements reflect the congregants' contributions for that year. 

In September 2008, the church's financial supervisors contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Department after learning that a $1,000 donation check had been cashed but was not deposited into the CBC account, as recorded by Bock.

Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit prosecuted this case.  

The California Mud Wrestling Federation (MWF) 2010 Edition is here.

Posted by CotoBlogzz: 06-11-2010 09:00 AM

As soon as the polls closed and Meg Whitman was elected to represent the GOP in the California Governor’s race, in what promises to be one of the most watched races in the country, the mud started to fly:

In an apparent chance encounter with KCBS’ Doug Sovern,  Jerry Brown according to Sovern said:  "It's like Goebbels," referring to Hitler's notorious Minister of Propaganda. "Goebbels invented this kind of propaganda. He took control of the whole world. She wants to be president. That's her ambition, the first woman president. That's what this is all about."

Sterling Clifford, Jerry Brown's campaign spokesman confirms to the Associated Press that the conversation took place, but dismisses it as the proverbial out of context sound bite.

Meg Whitman Campaign Manager Jillian Hasner is not as glib, quite the contrary, she seized on the opportunity to blast Jerry Brown saying:

"Just last week, Governor Brown promised he wasn't going to engage in mudslinging, but now he is comparing Meg Whitman to Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. Jerry Brown's statements comparing our campaign to a propagator of the Holocaust is deeply offensive and entirely unacceptable." 

Get your mud flaps ready.  The California Mud Wrestling Federation (MWF) 2010 Edition opening ceremony has now concluded.

The Return of the Saddleback Civic Light Opera

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-09-2010 06:30 PM

Mission Viejo, CA – After being benched for two years, the Saddleback Civic Light Opera (SCLO) is back at home plate and ready to hit a grand slam homerun with the production of Damn Yankees.   This endearing musical comedy, based on the novel, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, by Douglas Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, hits the McKinney Theatre stage on July 16^th.   Directed by James R. Taulli, with Musical Direction by Diane King Vann and Choreography by William F. Lett, Damn Yankees is the return of a tradition at Saddleback College .    Middle-aged baseball fanatic Joe Boyd trades his soul to the Devil (the charming but devious Mr. Applegate) for a chance to lead his favorite team to victory in the pennant race against the New York Yankees. As young baseball sensation Joe Hardy, he transforms the hapless Washington Senators into a winning team but the devil still owns his soul.  Familiar songs in this rousing musical include Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo, Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets,and Those Were the Good Old Days.

Photo Courtesy Saddleback College:  Craig Tyrl; Shauni Gerner

SCLO opened its doors in 1978 and instantly became a Saddleback community tradition.  SCLO is a musical theatre company that teams professional directors with college and college-prep students, bringing affordable, quality Broadway productions to the community.  South County theatre fans will be happy to know that SCLO is back this summer and if we don’t strike out, we hope to be back with a double header next year. 

The return of SCLO to the McKinney Theatre is not the only new player on the roster. At the top of the batting order is Bart McHenry, the new Dean of Fine Arts and Media Technology, effective May 24, 2010.  Mr. McHenry brings with him extensive experience in theatre having recently been a professor and department chair in the Department of Theater, Film and Television at Azusa Pacific University .  He also has a background in directing musical theatre and he taught a wide-range of classes including all levels of acting, introduction to theater, theater field study, great plays as literature, musical theatre history and directing musical theatre. With Mr. McHenry on our team, the ongoing future of the Saddleback College Civic Light Opera is on a winning streak.

Dates:  July 16^th, 17^th, 23rd, 24^th, 30^th and 31st at 7:30pm and  July 18^th, 25^th and August 1^st at 3pm.

Tickets can be purchased by calling (949) 582-4656 (noon-4 Tuesday through Friday) and online atwww.saddleback.edu/arts.  Prices are $36 general; $33 students/seniors/ Angels; $25 children 12 and under.   Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo , just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit.  Parking is available in Lot 12.  Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the third left to “ Theatre Circle ,” turning right into Lot 12.

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.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.  

More on Parasitic Bureaucracies, the Orange County BOS and Coto de Caza

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Apparently Coto de Caza's local governance's, the  CZ Master Association,  smoke and mirrors has done the trick, sort of like the  Yocham/Varo Dog Park: 

   

In another example of parasitic bureaucracies, the Orange County Board of Supervisors today voted to add the communities of Coto de Caza, Las Flores, Wagon Wheel and Stonecliffe to Rancho's sphere of influence. Generally, considered a step toward annexation.

The Yocham/Varo Dog Park - why?   because it is a real puppy!

Why the county took this initiative now remains a mystery - perhaps a cover for the parasitic bureaucracy LAFCO, and given that most people are focused on election results, this is a good time to hide it from the mob of tea baggers.

Just consider that the government encourages the development of common interest development communities, while creating a cottage special interest industry largely protected by the California Law Revision Commission - once the communities thrive, then LAFCO comes in and tries to annihilate them  - talk about government job creation initiatives!

Not surprising.   The county does not want to be bothered with the people who live in unincorporated areas because people are messy.   RSM will never annex Coto unless forced, or bribed to do so by the county.   They have nothing to gain by taking us on and a lot to loose as we would make demands on them with out giving them any meaningful new tax revenues that they don’t all ready get from us.   Joseph Morabito, former director, CZ Masters Association Board of Directors.

RELATED STORIES

Of Parasitic Bureaucracies
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - We plan to update this page from time to time - so stay tuned, or send us suggestion,We continue to assert that California’s Triple Threat is choking off California: 1) Unions, 2) Lobbyist and 3) Parasitic bureaucracies. In the past, we have discussed the California Law Revision Commission (CLRC), the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), and the Air Quality Board (AQB) as an example of parasitic bureaucracies.  

The EEOC Says we are wrong – Criminals Deserve Jobs Too.
When clients ask us to suggest a cyber security plan, we start out with a number of questions, such as: Do you know about the $1,000 fence for the $1.00 horse? Who is the enemy? The answer usually leads us to the What and the Why of the final proposal. Turns out that some 70-90% of all security breaches are directly linked to insiders. These and other fact lead us to include a recommended best business hiring process, which includes a background check on potential employees, particularly those who may be chartered with guarding the aforementioned horse.  

CAL. AG Lobbies US Senate - Refuses to join in Challenge to Constitutionality of HCR
LOS ANGELES, CA - As a financial reform package advances in the Senate and an unrelenting swarm of Wall Street lobbyists descends on Capitol Hill to block it, Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today urged senators to preserve a critical portion of the legislation which allows states to join the fight against financial fraud on the front line. At the same time, as a number of Attorneys General and Governors accros the country swarm to challenge the constitutionality of the ObamaCare Bill, Brown refuses to join mostly because doing so politicizes the issue.

Termination proceeding for DWP employees is NOT the story. DWP General Manager Austin Beutner said that of six suspended six employees last month after a KCBS Channel 2 / KCAL Channel 9 aired an undercover story showing the workers buying beer, drinking in a park, drinking while driving and entering a strip club, while on the job, DWP would start termination proceeding on two un-identified employees.

California under siege  - Which is More Threatening:  The  Triple Threat or Lawmakers?      We have tried to reach California lawmakers to get their views on California's Triple-Threat:  1) Public sector organized labor,  2) un-elected, un-checked parasitic bureaucracies and 3)  lobbyists.  Mum is the word.

Consider that lobbyists outnumber lawmakers in Sacramento 8-1.  Add to that the un-elected, unchecked bureaucracies, such as the CLRC, LAFCO and AQB, which are in essence tax-payer funded un-registered lobbyist, and one can see in part, why California is bankrupt:

BRCI, Solution to CA Budget Deficit - Do not leave Sacramento Without it - Bureaucracy Realignment and Closure Initiative

At a time when Orange County faces some $84 million short fall in the 2009 budget, state Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) wants a more "responsible budget" by increasing taxes..

Not to be outdone, the California Teacher's Association not only wants a more "responsible budget" by increasing taxes, but is working on an initiative to increase taxes.

Baughing to the King & the 2010 OCSD RaceRancho Santa Margarita, CA - The President of the United States caused quite a controversy when he bowed to kings and foreign dignitaries to the point that the White House spokesperson had to refer to the old Clintonian, “it depends on what is, is” to explain that while the president was bowing, he really was not bowing.

The Orange County's Newest Dance Craze:  The Mumbaugh! Rancho Santa Margarita CA - A new dance craze is sweeping Orange County.  It is a fusion between Irish step dancing and California move.  It is not a re-incarnation of the Macarena, Salsa or Mambo.  It is more like Riverdance, the phenomenon from ten years ago; Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish step dancing, and notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept stationary for the most part.  Dubbed the mumbaugh (rhymes with Mambo), like Riverdance it consists of rapid leg movement, but in this case,  in complete silence and in the dark, most popular with the politicians throughout Orange County, triggered by what we have called the Baug Initiative.

BRCI-20, A Bureaucracy Realignment and Closure Initiative (BRCI) February 2009. BRCI, Solution to CA Budget Deficit - Do not leave Sacramento Without it ... The BRCI is patterned after the Base Closure and Realignment Commission. ...

California Governor's Vital Signs Show Mild Murmur In a speech to the Joint Session of the Legislature today, thetranscript of Governor Schwarzenegger Addressing Joint Session of State Legislature indicate the Governor's willingness to propose "...once again to eliminate and consolidate more than a dozen state departments, boards and commissions. These include the Waste Management Board, the Court Reporters Board, the Department of Boating and Waterways and the Inspection and Maintenance Review Committee and so on."

Laguna Nigel's OCSD Deputy Waters, Arrested on Multiple DUI related crash

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-09-2010

SANTA ANA, CA  - Allan James Waters was arrested and charged today with injuring a 78-year-old woman after crashing into her car while driving under the influence of prescription drugs. He is also charged with using fake cocaine to purchase prescription drugs. 

Waters, 36, Laguna Niguel, has been charged with one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury and two felony counts of selling a substance in lieu of cocaine with a sentencing enhancement for causing great bodily injury. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of seven years and four months in state prison. Waters is being held on $100,000 bail and is expected to be arraigned Friday, June 11, 2010

At approximately 4:45 p.m. on March 1, 2010, Waters is accused of driving southbound on Golden Lantern Street in Dana Point. He is accused of failing to stop and crashing into the back of a vehicle that had stopped at a red light in front of him. Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) responded to the scene and released Waters and the other driver approximately 30 minutes later after taking a report of the incident. The responding deputies were aware that Waters was an OCSD employee. 

At approximately 5:20 p.m., seven minutes after leaving the scene of the first crash, Waters is accused of driving northbound on Golden Lantern Street. He is accused of driving erratically including failing to accelerate at a green light, stopping partially in an intersection on a red light, and almost crashing into a passing motorist. Multiple drivers called 911 to report his driving. 

Waters is accused of swerving and hitting the curb before over-correcting and swerving to his left. He is accused of crossing over the middle lane and crashing into a vehicle driving in the far left lane. The victim's vehicle was forced over a planter onto the wrong side of the road, where it came to a stop facing northbound in the southbound lanes. 

The defendant is accused of driving forward for a short distance before coming to a stop. OCSD deputies arrived at the scene and contacted the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to investigate. CHP officers contacted Waters at the scene. The defendant is accused of displaying objective signs of drug intoxication including slurred speech, a lack of balance, and trouble following directions. Waters is accused of being impaired while driving and under the influence of prescription drugs Zolpidem and Hydrocodone. He was arrested at the scene. He was later released pending further investigation. 

The driver of the victim's car sustained minor injuries. The passenger in that vehicle, a 78-year-old woman, was transported to the hospital and sustained injuries to her back for which she later had surgery. 

During the driving under the influence investigation, detectives also began investigating Waters for drug-related charges. On April 15, 2010 and April 30, 2010, Waters is accused of meeting a friend after arranging to receive Opanas and Oxycontin, prescription drugs, in exchange for money and cocaine.  He is accused of providing the friend with a fake white powdery substance under the false pretense that it was cocaine. 

OCSD arrested Waters this afternoon, Wednesday, June 9, 2010. 

The driving under the influence case was investigated by CHP and the drug case was investigated by OCSD. Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case. 

Justice Department Seeks Help With Suspected Serial Rapist Kevin Lee Francois

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-09-2010 11:00 AM


LOS ANGELES, CA  - The California Department of Justice is asking the public for any information about Kevin Lee Francois, 44 (photo below) who was arrested recently on charges related to an unsolved 2003 rape in Arizona and is a possible suspect in other sex crimes throughout the country.

If you have information On Kevin Lee Francois  you are encouraged to call (323) 869-3400 and ask to speak to any special agent at the department's Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence's Major Crimes Team.

Authorities believe Francois, who worked as a painter, may have other victims. He resided and worked in Orange and Los Angeles Counties but traveled extensively.

Police believe Francois primarily targeted college-age women who lived in residential areas near colleges. At times, he is suspected of breaking into homes and returning at a later date to assault a resident. He attended major sporting events around the world, including the Olympics, the Final Four College Basketball Tournament and the Super Bowl.

In January 2010, Newport Beach police arrested Francois, who was loitering around an apartment complex. His DNA sample, taken when he was booked on a felony charge of resisting an officer, matched DNA from a 2003 burglary and rape in Tempe, Arizona. As of Jan. 1, 2009.

Working with Arizona law enforcement officials, special agents with the California Department of Justice obtained a search warrant for Francois' Fullerton residence. There, the agents found evidence indicating that Francois may be responsible for other burglaries and assaults throughout the United States over decades. Among the items found were more than 300 school and government photo identifications, hundreds of photos of unknown females

Francois remains in custody at the Orange County Sheriff's Department while awaiting extradition to Arizona.

Garden Grove Man faces trial for DUI related Murder

Posted by CotoBlogzz 06-08-2010 10:30 AM

SANTA ANA, CA  - Alex David Trujillo faces trial tomorrow for murdering a woman by crashing his car into her while she was riding her bike on the sidewalk with her son. Trujillo, 45, Garden Grove, is charged with one felony count of murder and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison if convicted. Opening statements are expected to begin tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at 9:30 a.m.

At approximately 4:55 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2008, 46-year-old Catherine Busse was riding her bike on Lampson Avenue in Seal Beach with her 15-year-old son, Samuel Busse. The pair was riding on the sidewalk. Trujillo is accused of veering off the road up onto the sidewalk at 45 mph while driving under the influence of multiple prescription drugs and with a blood alcohol level of .11 percent. 

Trujillo is accused of crashing his car into Catherine Busse, who was thrown from her bike and landed nearby. Witnesses called 911 and detained Trujillo until police arrived. Catherine Busse died at the scene due to blunt force trauma to the head. Her son, Samuel Busse, was transported to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries. 

Trujillo, who has a prior 2002 conviction for driving under the influence, had completed an alcohol awareness class and a Mothers Against Drunk Driving panel, during which he was advised of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Deputy District Attorney Susan Price of Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

Preliminary Report - The Yocham/Varo Dog Park is a Dud

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-07-2010 08:00 PM

We took our cocker spaniel, seven year old Coto Lady, for a walk to the new Yocham-Varo Dog Park this afternoon to verify whether what we had expected all along had materialized or whether we had been using tunnel vision – sad to say that we have been right all along – the park is a total waste of money for many reasons, however, the one mostly cited by the Village residents is not one of them:  “Unfortunately the ugly dog park is destroying the beautiful passive park area below Alondra,” reads the June 2010 Village newsletter.  For starters, the park is right next to the Coto Polo Arena – another venue  subsidized by the CZ Master Association residents and mostly supported by the Village residents – the ones who enjoy the Coto Life Style and pay nothing for it – that is, the tail of the community trying to bite the hand that is feeding it.

The latest flawed argument in support of the Yocahm-Varo Dog Park (why?  Because it is a real puppy!) presented by the CZ Master Association in the June 2010 Newsletter is that “there is no doubt a dong park is long overdue for Coto residents.  According to the Humane Society, almost 40% of the US Households own at least one dog and 33% of all those dog owners own two or more.  That translates roughly to 2,000 dogs who call Coto home.”

The Yocham/Varo Dog Park - why?   because it is a real puppy!

Now here is a question?  Of the 2,000 dogs in Coto, how many dog owners will be compelled to take their pets to what amounts to a kennel where the pets may have more space in their owners backyards? Our premise was that usage of the Yocham/Dog Park would not be much different from the Horse Trails, paid for 100% by CZ residents, but only used by some 1%.  Our first spot check confirmed it:  We saw some pets coming and going with less than 10 actually in the park.  On the other hand, as we drove around the community, we saw a large number of pet owners exercising and or walking their dogs – more of what we expect will be the standard practice.

As we let Coto Lady get acquainted with its surroundings, we overheard a lively conversation between pet owners I the park joking about the long list of regulations they had to abode by in order to use the park, then as if on queue, a female pet owner asked rhetorically “and where are we supposed to seat?” which largely fits our pre-conceived notion of the pet owner mostly compelled to use the new facilities.

Here is the clincher however; we estimate that if the park has more than 12 pets at any one time, it will be so crowded that the pets may just as well roam around in their pet owners’ backyard.

All in all what we though – a financially bone-headed idea!

This is just one more subsidy for a small number of CZ members.  I

really think that those who use this dog park should pay for its

maintenance through some sort of CZ annual dog license user fee.  Why

not? We have no multi-generational park in Coto, when the vast majority

of our members are over 55 years old and empty nesters; yet we now have

a dog park.  What am I missing here?  About 500 CZ Member families, if

that, use the Sports Park out of 3,550 and pay little or nothing to

maintain it.  The majority of CZ Members who pay dues get no amenities

for our money in return, no club house, no pool, no tennis courts, no

multigenerational park etc.   For the same $210 a month, slightly less

in Reno, we get all of these things plus normal maintenance of common

area and streets and security. The majority of us pay $216 a month in

Coto and only get the last three items for our money.   This is a major

disconnect.  This dog park, which was ill advised and will result in

liability for CZ, just wait and see, just compounds the problem further.

It is one more costly boondoggle that will contribute to a dues

increase.  JM    

Joseph Morabito, SCRP, former director CZ Master Association

RELATED STORIES

Coto de Caza's Tail Trying to Wag the Dog- Biting the hand that feeds you

Coto de Caza's Tail Trying to Wag the Dog- The law Of Unintended consequences

Biting the hand that feeds you.

The CZ Masters association’s misguided decision to open the Yocham/Varo Dog Park so lazy pet owners can simply let their pets roam free in a contained environment is yielding unintended consequences:  For starters, while financially the decision is bone-headed, the real intent is to use smoke and mirrors to convince Rancho Santa Margarita (RSM) City Hall that it would be getting a good deal by annexing the community, even though residents overwhelmingly refuse to pay additional taxes. 

Coto de Caza Governance - An Illustration of Parasitic Bureaucracies

Coto de Caza , CA - Vicentia Davis, on behalf of the Coto de Caza governance, aka the CZ Master Association board of directors is requesting comments from residents to a proposed rule change to restrict parking of recreational vehicles in the community,  by no later than June 10, 2010:  Our comment in one word?  Pathetic

 

 

Coto Cityhood, LAFCO and LAUGHCO

What part of NO, do parasitic bureaucracies such as LAFCO, do not understand?While the state is broke amidst a financial tsunami and there is an exodus of business leaving the state for greener pastures in Arizona, Utah and Nevada, some politicians want to increase taxes.  Other parasitic bureaucracies such as  LAFCO and the CZ board continue to spend taxpayer money to push for cityhood.

Who Let's the Coto Dogs Out?

Hello All: I had a good laugh reading the CZ’s newsletter related to building a Dog Park in Coto so “dogs could run free”. We don’t even have a multi-generational park in Coto so Seniors (soon to be me) can walk free. What I want to know is when did dogs start paying CZ dues? Certainly the dogs that reside in CZ must pay dues to warrant the dedication of a park to them. What other logic could there be for building a Dog Park on one of the few areas of common area left in Coto that should instead be dedicated to a multi-generational park. And, why do we need a Dog Park anyway, when we have miles of horse trails that can be used to walk dogs on very long leashes so that they can run and crap free.

 

Coto de Caza’ Redistribution of Wealth: From Seniors to Dogs

 

Coto de Caza, CA- You cannot make this up:  The Coto de Caza local governance, aka the CZ Master Association, has decided to proceed to build a dog park.  Not a problem, particularly when you paraphrase Karl Marx’s  1875 Critique of the Gotha Program “From Coto de Caza seniors according to their means, to dogs, according to their owner’s whims”  

 

Coto de Caza Going To The Dogs

Coto de Caza, CA

Hello All:  I can't imagine why CZ would waste time or money building a Dog Park on our common area, when we still don't have a multi-generational park in Coto that would meet the needs of our changing demographic.  We gave away our Sports Park to outsiders for peanuts to benefit a few hundred CZ members in Coto.   And, the CZ Board now wants to commit what little decent common area we have left to another few hundred members so they can run their dogs around crapping on our common area land.   There is something very wrong with this picture

Tustin Woman Pleads Guilty to $265K White Collar Crime

Posted by CotoBlogzz 06-07-2010 03:00 PM

SANTA ANA, CA - .  Beverly Joan Winter was convicted today of embezzling over $140,000 by writing company checks to herself and falsifying business financial records.  Winter, 59, Tustin, pleaded guilty to a court offer to 34 felony counts of forgery and 34 felony counts of falsifying records with sentencing enhancements and allegations for aggravated white collar crime over $100,000, loss over $100,000, and property damage over $65,000. She was sentenced to one year in jail, five years of probation, and ordered to pay full restitution. TheOrange County District Attorney’s office objected to the court's offer, advocating for a sentence of three years in state prison based on Winter's criminal record, violation of trust, amount of theft, and number of violations. 

In early 2005, Winter began working as secretary for David Linskens, owner of Five Star Water Truck Rental, Inc. (Five Star) in Anaheim. Five Star provides water trucks and licensed operators to companies that require a water source for large scale construction projects.  As company secretary, Winter was responsible for managing the company's finances and had access and control over the company's bank account, checks, and financial records. 

Between June 29, 2005, and July 28, 2008, Winter forged over 130 company checks, making them payable to herself, and deposited them into her personal bank account. She wrote herself checks amounting to more than $140,000 without the knowledge or consent of Linskens. In order to conceal the theft, Winter falsified the company's financial records by altering the payee to reflect a legitimate business or individual with whom the company did business.  

In early September 2008, the bank contacted Linskens to inform him that Five Star's account had been overdrawn. Upon comparing the company's bank account statements and accounting records, Linskens discovered several financial inconsistencies and contacted the police. 

Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit prosecuted this case.  

2010 Elections Preview: Brown Supports Parasitic Bureaucracy

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-07-2010 01:00 PM

OAKLAND – A California Attorney General (CAG) Gerry Brown’s press release issued today can be construed as a preview of what the California electorate can expect in the upcoming months: the CAG office being used as a proxy to promote Gerry Brown for Governor

The CAG’ office announced today that Gerry Brown has asked to intervene in a lawsuit “.. in order to protect newly adopted motor vehicle emission standards that would save nearly two billion barrels of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately one billion tons,” otherwise known as “the benefit.” The CAG’s office does not detail “the cost”, as in how many more jobs will move from California to Texas, Nevada, Utah and other states.

According to the press release,  Brown filed a motion to intervene in the U.S. Court of Appeals in support of the Frankeistanequese federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a bureaucracy we often refer to as “parasitic bureaucracy”: Take for instance, earlier this years, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced sort of like a congressional veto to stop the EPA from controlling greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Murkowski, the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, argued that Congress, not EPA, should determine federal climate change policy. Not to mention the Law of Unintended  Parasitic Bureaucracies as exemplified by Orange County State Sen. Lou Correa's(D-Santa Ana)  Senate Bill 1406, dealing with glaucoma treatment. According to the CAG’s office, the reason for siding with this parasitic bureaucracy is  “a suit brought by energy companies and other industries challenging the EPA's authority to enforce the tough emission standards beginning in 2012”

The disingenuous rationale for the CAG’s office is that “the EPA's new vehicle emissions standards are the first significant reduction in federal fuel consumption standards in more than 30 years. Over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the first five years, the national program is projected to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2.1 billion tons and save 1.8 billion barrels of oil. Consumers can expect the new standards to save them between $130 and $180 a year in fuel costs,” and concludes echoing Madame Boxer’s worrying about the weather, rather than jobs: “California has long set the pace in enacting tough pollution standards, and it has been active in attempting to protect its right to impose those standards and in encouraging other states and the federal government to adopt similar standards.” – On the other side of the coin is that California used to be the fifth largest economy in the world – it is now a distant eight. Do you really want to worry about the weather?