OC Blog

New Year Resolutions

Here are the new years resolutions of some notable Orange County people;

I resolve to switch to just Jack and Coke instead of Jack and Coke and Vodka and Rum and Gin and Scotch and some more Vodka. -Jennifer McGrath, Huntignton Beach City Attorney

I resolve to keep pretending to be a conservaitve Republican but keep voting the way the county unions want me to vote. -Supervisor Bill Campbell

I resolve to explore a run for state senate until the very end when I decide not to do it and blame Dick Ackerman and leave the Republicans without a decent candidate, again.  -Assemblyman VAn Tran

Feel free to email me your idea at roscoeblogger@hotmail.com and I will publish the best ones.

Sun Sets on Sunrise

We left this OCR story out of today's summary as it deserves it's own post: Farm closes for lack of legal labor.

For the first and likely last time this year, we have to give the government a hand -- the clap, if you will.  Jeff Rowe reports that Sunrise Growers (SD County) is closing its 498 acre "ranch" as it "couldn't get enough legal workers".  Further,

Tighter restrictions at the border cut the flow of workers to San Clemente and to farms around the state. But what really made it nearly impossible for Sunrise was the intensifying security at the base, which excluded workers lacking documentation - and that included many of the workers at San Clemente. Entrance to the ranch is through the base gate, and military commanders no longer wanted to allow illegal-immigrant workers to enter. Typically, 250 workers a day labored at the site, picking, planting and tending to other chores.

Cry me a river.  Illegal aliens are barred from transiting through an active military base.  Rednecks must live there.  Over four years after the worst attack on our country in its 200+ year history, someone (presumably a Marine officer) at Pendleton, apparently (finally?) realized that a foreign criminal element was crossing through the base.  Perhaps they also learned of statistics which say that over 100,000 of the illegals already in the country are felons or are wanted for crimes other than just unlawfully crossing the border -- and an unknown, but at least single digit percentage of them are "OTMs" (other than Mexican).

What's missing from this article are the other numbers -- and who the real "bad guys" are here.  What was Sunrise paying its workers -- the artificially manipulated, loved-by-the-liberals minimum wage?  For stoop work?  Obviously, they weren't paying what the picker market is now demanding for back-breaking work (which is also forcing its workers into other trades, like construction).  What were they paying the illegals before they saw (or were made to see) the light? 

Sunrise can't attract the legal workers it must hire because its competition is hiring illegal alien workers and isn't paying wages that would be required if they were lawfully operating.  Business is war, Sunrise, and you're a casualty -- not of the government that in your case forces you to hire legal workers, but the government that doesn't prevent your competition from hiring illegal ones. 

If your competition was forced to legally hire also, you'd still be in business.  AND, as has been pointed out by others, if the agriculture industry in general was compelled by market forces to automate as all other labor-intensive industries have since they have no illegal labor pool, may you'd still be pickin'.

Let's not be tearing up for the Ag business either.  Dan Weintraub at the Sacramento Bee posted this great piece about ten days ago on the SUCCESS that AGRICULTURE is having in California: California Insider - Agriculture.  In part,

California agriculture is booming.  The value of the production from California's farms soared between 2003 and 2004, from $30.2 billion to $34.3 billion. About half of that increase came from crop output and the other half from animals, though the value of crop production overall is three times greater than that from animals. Net farm income, meanwhile, increased by 45 percent, from $8.4 billion to $12.2 billion. Farm income was $5.9 billion in 2002.  The one-thousand word picture:

So, sayanora, Sunrise.  Until your friends (or enemies) in your business compete on the proverbial level playing field, you must pay what the picker market demands for legal employees, or you build a parking lot.  We don't care what a box of strawberries costs when our security and a fair, legal market are at stake.

OC Blog News Roundup -- December 31, 2005

Today's top stories and commentary from behind the Orange Curtain:

LAT and OCR: Two More Suits Filed Against UCI Hospital.  LAT summary below reports 32 dead waiting for transplants during Chancellor Drake's "failure to succeed".

LAT wraps up 2005 for the OC: O.C.'s 2005 Filled With Tragedy, Levity and Perfect Storms.

Best (unresolved) item: Residents of a Newport Beach neighborhood once known for raising Cain about Dennis Rodman's rowdy parties said they didn't hear a thing on the April night when someone bulldozed the sand dunes in front of their oceanfront homes. Police later accused five homeowners who allegedly sought unobstructed views of the ocean, and state officials said the residents would have to pay to restore the dunes.

Most troubling: It wasn't a banner year for Sheriff Michael S. Carona. In December, a longtime supporter endorsed one of Carona's opponents in next year's election. The setback followed a string of embarrassments, including the indictment of a former assistant sheriff, a state investigation into accusations that Carona sexually harassed two women (which he denied), and scrutiny over his appointment of friends and political allies as reserve officers. One reserve deputy allegedly flashed his badge and pulled a gun on a group of slow-playing golfers in Chino Hills.

About damn time.  DP on finally closing the CM Job Center: On the eve of closure.  Loitering, curb-side soliciting and whining begins.  Will CM round 'em up as they've planned or chase 'em out?  Related Alicia Robinson story: Infighting, controversy dominate headlines.

Maria's husband to step in it again?  OCR: Governor may seek minimum wage hike.

OCR: O.C. stocks boast 16.8% return in '05.  Great news on STRONG local economy -- OC Index beats Russell, S&P by 13%.  Imagine what a new international airport might have added.

OCR: Laguna Beach buys 'paper lots' for open space.

OCR: Nowhere to run.  More El Toro fallout.  Horses apparently incompatible with Great Park.  Spicy and Bebe banned.

Two great OC Weekly year-end wrap pieces this week:

Warped Blue Line by R. Scott Moxley.  Top 10 moments in 2005 OC crime.

¡Ask a Mexican! by Gustavo Arellano.  The year in Mexican-bashing.

Just FYI: Haidl boys sentencing is 1/20, Angels naming trial starts 1/9.

Livergate Lawyering Up

The Register reports this afternoon that seven more law suits have been filed by victim families of the shut down UCI liver transplant program: 7 more sue UCI Medical Center over liver program.  No news yet from the Blue Ribbon panel investigating the debacle.

What Do Jerry Brown, Tom Hayden And The Yorba Linda Town Center Have In Common?

2006 promises to be a year of political combat for laid back Yorba Linda. A majority on the City Council is backing a redevelopment effort called the Town Center. It's one of those schemes that backers claim will supply a civic core that is supposedly missing from Yorba Linda, plus  more sales tax revenue (or so the city hopes).

The city has given exclusive development rights to an entity called Old Town Yorba Linda Partners, which is controlled by a developer named Michael Dieden. Dieden is principal of Creative Housing Associates, a Los Angeles-based in-fill developer.

Contrary to the stereotype of developer as a corporate Republican sort, Dieden is a bona fide left-liberal who cut his teeth as a campaign aide on Jerry Brown's 1974 gubernatorial campaign and as campaign manager of Ton Hayden's first run for the Assembly in 1982. Judging by that pedigree, using government power and money to steamroller local property owners in the sake of a utopian vision comes naturally -- especially when you can make a boatload of money in the process.

Town Center opponents, organized as Yorba Linda Residents for Responsible Redevelopment, are gathering signatures for a referendum to over turn the City Council's Dec. 20 action permitting the building of 501 homes and 560,012 square feet of shops and restaurants in Yorba Linda's downtown. The city reprehensibly blindsided a large number of local property owners by adding them to the plan at the last minute, preventing them from mounting any meaningful protest.

Dieden has hired political consultant Dennis Desnoo to build political support for his redevelopment project. Desnoo has been running local non-partisan races in Orange County for years. Although a Democrat, Desnoo's clients come from both sides of the aisle. Most recently, he was the consultant for Mike Harrah's successful effort to win voter approval of the One Broadway Plaza project.

Dieden and Desnoo have put together their own residents group called Citizens and Taxpayers to Restore Old Town Yorba Linda.

I agree with the OC Register editorialist on this issue: I'm opposed to the YLRRR's June referendum requiring that major development projects be put to a popular vote, because it is an abridgment of property rights (the City Council is seeking its invalidation for less idealistic reasons). At the same time, I support their efforts to stop the City Council from riding roughshod over local property owners in an attempt to outflank the June referendum.

It will be an interesting campaign, and one I plan to follow closely.

OC Blog News Roundup -- December 30, 2005

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

Republicans Rallying Central County Votes -- OCR
Democrats still control the legislative and congressional seats in central Orange County, but an aggressive Republican voter drive has the GOP nipping at their heels.

Woman Files Suit Over Sex Assault -- OCR , LAT and DP
Nineteen-year-old seeks unspecified damages from Gregory Haidl, his two friends, his father and others.

Metrolink Fire Causes Passenger Transfer to Amtrak -- OCR
The engine of a Metrolink train caught fire this morning, causing the between-station transfer of about 20 passengers to an Amtrak train, officials said.

Revere Pupils Will Return To Campus -- OCR
A new building will ease problems with crowding at the Anaheim school.

Yorba Linda Groups Clash Over Initiative -- OCR
Effort to repeal City Council's redevelopment OK draws fire.

OC Modelers Association: The Buzz Stops Here -- OCR
Orange County Modelers will lose El Toro airspace after Saturday as Great Park work proceeds.

Op-Ed: A Predisposition To Overregulate -- OCR
Conservative scholar Lance Izumi opines that the SCAQMD Regional smog agency is example of a smaller fish that thinks it rules the sea.

Museum Closes Deal For Fun Zone -- OCR and DP
The Balboa Fun Zone, a small waterfront amusement park on this city's historic peninsula, will be largely replaced by a museum under a deal finalized Thursday.

Warped Blue Line -- OC Weekly
R. Scott Moxley recounts the top 10 moments in 2005 OC crime.

The Year In The 241 Toll Road -- OC Weekly
Alexander Brant-Zawadski recounts what he terms "the year in doing nothing."

Another One Gets Away

Do the Sacramento socialists, envirowackos and wackettes even cringe any more at stories like this one this afternoon from the OC Business Journal?

Kia: Sweet Plant Alabama?  State Bidding for Automaker's First U.S. Plant

By Alisha Gomez, Orange County Business Journal Staff

Alabama is courting Irvine-based Kia Motors America Inc. in a bid to be home to the automaker’s first U.S. plant.  In August, Kia, part of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co., detailed plans for a U.S. plant employing about 2,000 people.  At the time, Kia said Mississippi was its top choice but was considering other states. Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America Inc., also part of Seoul-based Hyundai Motor, has a $1.1 billion plant in Montgomery, Ala.

Alabama officials are in constant contact with Kia “to make sure they understand that Alabama wants to play a role in its expansion plans,” Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Economic Development Office, told the Huntsville Times newspaper.  “Our first goal is that we get it in Alabama,” Wade said. “If it doesn’t come to Alabama, our second goal is that it is located in an adjacent state so that Kia can take advantage of all the suppliers in Central and South Alabama.”

Mercedes-Benz USA LLC, American Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. also have plants in Alabama.  Kia is undergoing a big expansion.  Earlier this year, the automaker said it planned to build a headquarters and design center in Irvine.  In October, the automaker replaced former U.S. chief Peter Butterfield with Len Hunt, who hailed from Volkswagen AG.

Having bought a rather nice Hyundai SUV a few years ago, and as I watch the auto business pretty closely, I've admired what the Koreans have built in the U.S., and how well they're doing as far as maintaining a quality product and holding their own against the Japanese competition.  It would seem this is a business to covet, and I have to ask if anyone (including our own local pols) even approached Kia with the idea that southern California might have an interest in this plant. 

Arnold, did you even make a call?  Bill?  Jim?  Dana?  Loretta?  Ed?  Gary?  Van?  Is anyone in "constant contact" with Kia?

This is just plain damn embarrassing -- with their Headquarters right here in Irvine (and Hyundai, the sister company just up the road in FV), will those with some political power just let the Alabamans take this business away from us?  It looks like no one's even putting up a fight.  There used to be a lot of cars (airplanes too) built in California, so the apparent lack of effort to win this business must then mean we've given up -- the wackos have won and the "anti-business" label the State has earned is truly deserved. 

Loretta Just Wants to Help

From the SF Chronicle (Schwarzenegger weakened, but Democrats still face long odds) today:

Sanchez said she hadn't ruled out a run [for Governor] in 2006 but guessed it probably is too late to jump in.  "I'm a Californian at heart, so of course I want to go back and help my state. And that's why we opened up a campaign committee for the governorship to position ourselves to have that opportunity if we decided to do that," Sanchez said. "Right now I'm running for re-election to the House. I don't see that changing."

It's not too early to speculate re. a Republican who might run against Loretta next year.  Will s/he be another weakling like Alex Coronado, or can Baugh & Company come up with a real contender?  We'll presume that Van Tran thought about it before deciding to challenge Umberg or Liberal Lou in the 34th SD.  Does the New Majority have anything to say about this too, or has the right side of the County just written this seat off?  With the Republican Party as weak as it is in California, does it really matter?

OC Blogpourri -- December 29, 2005

You may have noticed I haven't been blogging very heavily this Christmastime, so it's a good time to cruise the OC Blogosphere and see what being written.

Over at Tin Star, the Sergeant writes about how Prop. 69 made possible the arrest for double homicide last week of a man who was in jail for an unrelated crime, blogs about OC Sheriff's candidate Ralph Martin's work to end racial gang warfare near Watts, and denounces Sheriff Carona's desire for more leeway in giving badges to civilians with no police powers while suggesting an alternative.

Over at the revivified Orange Juice blog, Art Predroza has been busy blogging (here and here and here) against Lynn Daucher's incipient campaign for the 34th SD, and Sen. Dick Ackerman's boosterism of her candidacy. Art also posts his views on Carona's immigration proposal and the sheriff's race in general.

Picking up on the California School Employee Association's efforts to unionize the OC Vector Control District (which seems to be a driving force in the District Manager's insistence on spiking their pensions), the Greater Orange eBlog has a good post on similar CSEA's organizing campaigns at other vector control districts.

Frank Johnson at Orange Politicos sneers at an LAT sob story about the utter dejection of the canyon people over the Orange City Council's apporval of the Irvine Co. development. Frank points out the inconvenient fact that the land is privately owned and in a this country, that means you can build houses on it (after years of slogging through red tape, that is).

Stuart O'Neil over at Political Dogfight chips in his views regarding the chatter about a Jim Gilchrist for Governor campaign. Stuart opines that Gilchrist's "best long-term interests are served by surviving through to the General Election by being the AIP Candidate. It gives him the largest, longest platform. And that's his only interest."

Powder Blue Report proprietor Allan Bartlett blogs a 2006 "Political Dead Pool" -- including the prediction that Ed Dornan's death will lead to Larry Agran's political demise -- and speculates as to the identities of the OC Blogpen members.

At Last, A Substantive Dianne Harman Newsletter

Hold the presses! A few days ago I received the most recent e-newsletter from Dianne Harman, who is running to succeed her husband in the 67th Assembly District -- and for a change, it actually contained an article of substance (about how we're over-taxed).

In fact, Mrs. Harman goes so far as to take stances on some issues larger than picking up litter:

• She believes government expenditures shouldn't exceed revenues.

• She promises never to raise taxes or fees.

• She believe elected officials should "perform" for the citizenry.

Looks like we have the emerging outlines of a political philosophy.

Now how about something about property rights, Mrs. Harman?

Here is the article in question:

FEELING OVERTAXED?

By Dianne Harman

Feeling overtaxed? Do you agree with a number of people in Sacramento that we don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem? Just to let you know that you’re not imagining the enormity of the tax problem, let me give you some facts and figures of just how much we’re being taxed and how much this government is spending.