OC Blog

TCA Charging LA Firefighters Tolls

I heard this today on the Radio.  It seems that an LA firetruck, while on the way to help put out OUR fire, took the 133 toll road and did not pay the toll at the toll plaza.  Apparently they received a fine for up to $200, whereby the LA Fire Captain thought this must be a mistake and called the TCA.  NOPE, apparently it was not a mistake, and he was able to reduce the fine to $5, and paid it on his credit card.  Now I ask you, as if OC does not look bad enough lately...how does the TCA justify this outrageous fine?  And what is the point of not waiving the entire fine, and instead making him pay $5?  Someone please explain this to me. 

UPDATE: Apparently it was on the 73, and the fine was about $100 according to msnbc's site.  I would think that ANY official police or fire vehicle would be allowed to drive onthe toll road free of charge.  This is just plain silly.

Lefty Blogger Continues Re-Writing Measure D History

The post-Santiago fire "blame Measure D opponents" myth-making continues apace. The leading blogosphere propagandist for this effort is Robert Cruikshank -- "Robert from Monterey -- and he resumes his attempt (commenced in October) to pin blame for the Santiago fire on pernicious "anti-government, anti-union" elements in Orange County with this November 1 offering on Daily Kos under his dKos nom-du-blog "eugene" (and re-posted on Calitics and California Progress Report).

In Robert's world, Measure D --  -- was defeated by "anti-government ideology."

Those of us who lived in Orange County during the battle over Measure D -- the measure offered by the OCPFA to increase the OC Fire Authority's share of Prop. 172 sales tax revenues -- know is was more than anything a fight between OCPFA and the rest of the local government unions, led by the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs and the Orange County Employees Association.

Other than an a brief reference to an over-the-top analogy by Steve Greenhut, Cruikshank gingerly tip-toes around that reality. The way he misrepresents the Measure D campaign is akin to saying the Crimean War was between the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Greenhut On Lefty Exploiting Santiago Fire To Attack Conservatives

Steve Greenhut noticed the same lame-brained propaganda post from Calitics and Daily Kos concocting a new urban legend: the Santiago fire would have been contained sooner but for a anti-union, anti-tax conspiracy to defeat Measure d in 2005. Writes Steve:

One of their arguments: OC in 2005 rejected Measure D, which would have increased funding for firefighting. Well, it’s clear from reading the posts that these lefty critics don’t know anything about Measure D. Jubal at OCBlog deals with this point here. The lefties argue that the fires spread out of control because conservative counties shortchange government budgets. But D was about divvying up existing revenue streams. Had it passed, it would have taken money from the sheriff’s department and sent it to the firefighters. Would that then mean that the county was shortchanging law enforcement services?

You can read the whole post here.

Here's what one lefty commenter said on the Calitics post, taking a conservative to task:

Lefties Try Pinning Blame For Santiago Fire Situation On OC Conservatives

Someone named "Robert in Monterey" wrote a post on lefty-blog Calitics (also posted on DailyKos for wider digestion by the nematodes of the Left) entitled "How Anti-Union, Anti-Tax Conservatives Defeated Adequate Fire Protection In 2005." "Robert in Monterey" posits a premise and then cherry-picks information he thinks fits that premise. The motive behind this re-write of history is apparent in a follow-up comment from Robert:

It just goes to show the importance of fighting not just anti-tax sentiment, but any attack on government, public services, public workers, and unions.

In other words, his simplistic attempt to blame the extent of the Santiago fire on Orange County conservatives is really a pro-government ideological contrivance.    

But let's examine who the "anti-union, anti-tax conservatives" were who defeated Measure D.

Governor Schwarzenegger as chief executive: a glimpse into your government at work

I have often been openly critical of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fiscal, environmental, and energy policies.  I have also praised his policies when I agree with them.  That said I have always seen our Governor as a strong chief executive.

I spent 24 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard.  During that time I have worked for or observed many leaders, from corporals and sergeants up to colonels and four star generals.  I was the company commander of HHB, 640th MI Battalion for three years as well.  In the corporate realm I saw leadership and exercised it too.  I know leadership.   

This afternoon I listened carefully to a fire briefing for Governor Schwarzenegger at the Orange County Sheriff’s mobile command post in Irvine Regional Park. 

Present in the command post were the Governor, State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, Senator Dick Ackerman, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Sheriff Mike Carona, Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson, Orange County Fire Chief Chip Prather, state fire officials, U.S. Forest Service officials, and other local fire agencies with personnel working in Orange County, about 15 participants in all.

I watched as the Governor absorbed the situation and asked questions.  I could see him considering each bit of information, then asking questions designed to not only help him lead in the current situation, but also to glean the lessons learned from the current emergency to improve our response to the inevitable next one. 

For me the briefing was useful in a number of policy and budget areas.  First of all, I am one of the six Assembly members on Budget Subcommittee 4 – State Administration.  This subcommittee has the budget for our state fire assets, our National Guard, and the Insurance Commissioner.  Any lessons learned that come out of this fire emergency will have to be funded by Subcommittee 4.  I am also the Vice Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation, in that role I am introducing a bill to provide property tax relief for those who lost their homes in the fires.

As the 20 minute briefing continued, I saw each participant appropriately playing their part.  The Governor asked insightful questions.  He also issued praise where praise was due, even singling out President Bush for his rapid response to state requests to issue a federal emergency declaration, then a disaster declaration.

Cong. Rohrabacher praised the Governor for forcefully requesting federal DC-10 assets that the U.S. Forest Service was slow to offer.  But Rohrabacher also promised to review other federal procedures or bureaucratic attitudes that may have slowed the early hours of response. 

Sheriff Carona remarked at how the unified response command in Orange Country is drilled and drilled – as recently as a month before this fire disaster – and how that improves interagency response. 

Insurance Commissioner Poizner spoke to how his fraud investigation teams have already used sting operations to catch bogus contractors and scammers, one of whom had an outstanding warrant for murder. 

Finally, as is befitting of a leader in the middle of an emergency, Governor Schwarzenegger resisted the urge to immediately lay blame.  He is determined to see this crisis through then thoroughly examine the emergency response and, only once all the embers have been extinguished, methodically seek to improve the system.  In this, I am in full agreement with the Governor. 

As the briefing broke, we went outside for the Governor’s press briefing.  In addition to the previously mentioned public officials, Assemblywoman Mimi Walters, Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis, and Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency Rosario Marin were present. 

During the press briefing, the Governor warned the arsonists who started at least two of the devastating fires saying, “I want everyone to understand that we will hunt down the people that are responsible for that and we will arrest them and we will prosecute them to the full extent of the law.” 

Sheriff Carona said that some 1,700 tips had come in and that authorities were looking for a white Ford F-150 pickup truck.  Anyone with information should call the Orange County Fire Authority Arson Tip Line at: 1-800-540-8282.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District
www.ChuckDeVore.com

Kudos to the folks over at TheLiberalOC for compiling this useful list of fire-related sites and information

Orange County Red Cross -(714) 481-5300 - People trying to locate evacuated family members can register and search the Red Cross "Safe and Well" list at RedCross.org or by calling (866) GET-INFO.
OC Sheriff's Blog
Orange County Fire Authority
OCRegister Fire Central
LATimes
Smoke from Santiago - Fire in Orange County Poses Potential Public Health Danger
U.S. Forest Service Incident Website
Governors Fire Info Site
Governor's Office of Emergency Services
Senator Barbara Boxer’s fire site
Senator Dianne Feinstein’s website

Anaheim Councilwoman Galloway To Donate Fundraiser Proceeds To Fire Relief

This just came over the transom:

Lorri Galloway to donate all proceeds from tonight’s fundraiser to fire relief effort.

(Anaheim) Due to the devastation that this week’s fires have wrought in Orange County and Southern California, Anaheim Councilwoman Lorri Galloway announces that she will donate all proceeds from her campaign fundraising event tonight, held at the Hotel Menage in Anaheim, to the American Red Cross Southern California Victims Relief Effort.  The American Red Cross will use the donations for local wildfire-related shelters, food, clothing, and other necessities.   

Transcript Of Yesterday's Schwarzenegger Fire Press In OC

This came over the transom yesterday evening from the Governor's Press Office:

Transcript of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Holding a Press Conference at El Toro High School  Evacuation Center

Time: 12 noon

Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Event: Press Conference, El Toro High School Evacuation Center, 25255 Toledo Way, Lake Forest, CA

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:
Hello, everybody, and good afternoon.  It's wonderful to be here today with all of you.  And I have, since the fires have started, I have been traveling up and down the state and visiting the various different places that have been struck by the fire, and visited places where people are staying overnight.  There are so many people that have been evacuated; it's really unbelievable when you think about that more than a million people have been evacuated from their homes.  And this is one of the centers where people come to, and I just wanted to see firsthand how people are treated, if they need anything, if they need medical care, or more food, or cots, or blankets, pillows, baby food, or whatever it is that people need when they stay overnight when they're away from home.  I think that everyone is in a good spirit in there, which I really appreciate.  And everyone knows that eventually, in the next few days, we will solve all those problems.  And we all want to make sure that also the people get an update on what happens to their homes and to their neighborhood, and what happens with the fires and so on, so they have a progress report.

Arnold's Press Conference on the Fire

As reported by other media outlets, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger conducted a tour of the State of California Regional Office of Emergency Services based at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base and held a short press conference with local leaders today to brief them on the state coordinated effort against the raging wild fire that is devastating Southern California.

Lt. Governor John Garamendi, LA Supervisors Mike Antonovich, Zev Yarolavsky and LA Sheriff Lee Baca were also in attendance. California National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. William Wade, CHP Commissioner Mike Brown, among other state public safety officials accompanied the Governor at the tour and press conference.  Surprisingly only three officials were there to represent Orange County - Senator Lou Correa, Assemblyman Van Tran and OCFA Chief Chip Prather.

Relief Centers for So-Cal Fire Victims

This just came over from the Governor's Office with information on local centers for fire victims:

GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER ANNOUNCES OPENING OF LOCAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Continuing his efforts to provide immediate assistance to displaced Californians affected by the southern California wildfires, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the opening of 5 local assistance centers in coordination with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and local governments.

"The devastation and loss of life from these wildfires has been horrific, but the people of California are going to rebuild and we must do all we can to help these communities recover," said Governor Schwarzenegger.  "That is why I am directing my Office of Emergency Services to work closely with local officials to open up local assistance centers for fire victims in the affected areas."