OC Blog

SAUSD Superintendent Al Mijares Resigns

Al Mijares, Superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District, has resigned. Here's the OC Register story.

Bernadette Medrano posted the SAUSD press release at Orange Juice, and Claudio Gallegos gives his take on the resignation.

Happy Two Year Anniversary To OC Blog

It's the last day of June, and I didn't want to let the month go by without recognizing that June marked OC Blog's two year anniversary.

OC Blog debuted on June 17, 2004, with a readership of zero (not including me). The OC Blogpen consisted of yours truly and the blog was ugly and hosted on Blog City. My intention from the beginning was for OC Blog to become a group effort, and I migrated it over to TypePad in November 2004 and began recruiting other members of the Blogpen: Roscoe, OC Dutch, Lurk, Publius, Pistolero, Kahuna, Silence Dogood -- and most recently OC Spock and Roark (I know, I know -- I still need to add them to the Blogpen graphic).

I started OC Blog to fill what I saw as a void in political news. Political coverage in the OC Register and LA Times was shrinking, and I believed there was a demand for the kind of political information that MSM editors would dismiss as too "inside baseball" for the general audience -- an as such, never got report.

OC Blog was an experiment, and it worked better than I imagined. Some figures to illustrate the growth of OC Blog and underscore the existence of a genuine demand among opinion leaders, activists, and interested citizens for "inside baseball" political news. Since November 2004, OC Blog has received  823,331 page views and is currently  averaging 90,000  -  100,000 page views per month (I use November 2004 as a starting point because Blog-City didn't provide blog traffic information).

During the same period, the Blogpen has posted 2,883 posts and our readers have responded with 20,571 comments (a special award goes to Tim Whitacre, who single-handedly posted .1% of those comments).

I'd like to thank my fellow Blogpen members for providing news and commentary that would otherwise be missing from the Orange County political scene. I wouldn't have been able to keep OC Blog going -- and a special gracias to Lurk for handling the News Roundup chores on the weekend. It is a great help and I appreciate it.

Equal thanks go to our readers for making OC Blog Orange County's leading clearing-house for political information and for providing the vast river of comments that a major factor in OC Blog's popularity.

When OC Blog launched two years ago, there was literally no political OC Blogosphere. Art Pedroza's Orange Juice had published intermittently, but hadn't been active for months by the time OC Blog went live. But I would like to thank Art for providing some of the inspiration for launching this effort, and I'm glad he revived O-Juice into a thriving political blog. In the last year Power Blue Report, Tin Star, Orange Punch, A Clockwork Orange, Total Buzz, The Blotter, Frank Ury's Mission Viejo Blog, the Greater Orange eBlog, The Liberal OC and Greetings From Downtown Huntington Beach have entered the political OC Blogosphere (my apologies to any I have overlooked).

Our motto here at OC Blog regarding the OC Blogosphere has always been the more the merrier. We view other Orange County blogs not as competition but as collaborators in getting political information into the public domain. A rising tide of public interest lifts all blogs, after all - and I believe our collective efforts enrich public discourse in Orange County.

In any case, I look forward to OC Blog's continued growth and to bringing you our insights into and views on Orange County politics.

Muchas gracias!

It Looks Grim For Santa Ana's Forced Pre-Sale Home Inspection Plan

Earlier this week, the Stanton City Council stared into the political abyss of a voter initiative and voted unanimously to repeal the forced pre-sale home inspection policy they'd been steadfastly defending.

A similar policy has been cooking in Santa Ana -- the lead chefs being Santa Ana Councilwomen Lisa Bist and Alberta Christy. It's embarrassing this assault on property rights is being spearheaded by two of the Santa Ana Council's three Republicans.

Fortunately, it looks like this policy -- known as PIP in SanTana circles -- is going to die a much deserved death due to lack of support from the rest of the Santa Ana Council. Kudos to the Council's Democratic members (and GOPer Carlos Bustamante) for displaying fidelity to the property rights of ordinary people.

Term Limits For Santa Ana Mayor Get Deep-Sixed

From the Orange County Register:

Mayoral term limits pulled from Santa Ana ballot
3 council members and the mayor vote to drop proposed charter change.

By AMY TAXIN

The Orange County Register

SANTA ANA – When residents head to the polls in November, they might be asked to change how the City Council does business like appointing commissioners and paying bills.

After months of debate, the council is heading for a final vote Monday on a slew of proposed charter amendments. But one hotly contested proposal – term limits for the mayor's seat – recently disappeared from the list.

Mayor Miguel Pulido – who has been mayor for 12 years – proposed to remove mayoral term limits from the ballot, explaining that some major city projects take more than just a few terms to complete.

"A strong mayor is important for the city," Pulido said at a recent council meeting where he and three council members voted to pull term limits off the ballot.

You can read the rest of the story here.

And as is so often the case with the OC Register, the story doesn't bother to provide a roll call vote so that readers know which council members support mayoral term limits, and which ones oppose it. Call me crazy, but I think that is something voters would care to know. Why newspapers regularly fail to provide such basic infrormation is beyond me.

In any case, here's the vote breakdown:

For putting mayoral term limits on the November ballot:

• Councilwoman Lisa Bist
• Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez
• Councilman Mike Garcia

Against putting mayoral term limits on the ballot:

• Mayor Miguel Pulido
• Councilwoman Alberta Christy
• Councilman Jose Solorio
• Councilman Carlos Bustamante

Anaheim Wins Motion On Attorney Fees In Angel Case

A big win for the City of Anaheim today. The city won it's motion regarding attorney fees. In other words, the city won't have to pay the Angels' attorney fees from the name-change lawsuit, which Angels Baseball claim are in the $7 - 9 million range.

UPDATE: Here's the OC Register story.

OC Blog News Roundup -- June 30, 2006

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

Anaheim Striding Toward WiFi Network -- OCR
EarthLink hopes residents will sign on as December completion date approaches.

Twisted Sister City -- OC Weekly
R. Scott Moxley writes on how Irvine shanghais Taiwan.

Frank Mickadeit: Irvine Move Was Hardly Last Minute -- OCR
Frank questions Irvine officials' cover stories about signing the PRC sister city documents.

Church Group Asked To Help Foster Kids -- OCR
Orange County's Social Services Agency reaches out to the faith-based community to recruit and support foster and adoptive families.

Servite's Plans Concern Neighbors -- OCR
Homeowners worry school's expansion would affect their quality of life. Move in next to a high school and there are all these...students! Who would have known?

OC Lawyer Alleges Retaliation -- LAT
Joseph Cavallo says his indictment in a bail bond kickback case is political payback for defending certain clients.

Editorial: OC Grand Jury Swats Pesky OC Agency -- OCR
Report is critical of the Vector Control District, which ought to be dismantled

Op-Ed: OC Is California's GOP Kingmaker -- OCR
Assemblyman Bob Huff opines that primary results confirm the county's pivotal power for candidates

Santa Ana Is Hoping To Build Loftier Downtown -- LAT
But some wonder whether gentrification efforts near the Artists Village will compromise the area's diversity.

Web Ad Leads To Illegal Fireworks -- OCR and DP
Police seize ‘virtually a van full' of the devices in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa after an undercover investigation. A Costa Mesa man is arrested.

Irvine Pair Guilty In Child Slave Case -- OCR and LAT
Egyptian nationals plead guilty to four charges in Irvine human-trafficking case.

Libraries Phase Out Bookmobiles -- OCR
Santa Ana discontinues its bookmobile service, part of a national trend.Only two cities in Orange County still have them.

Firefighter Injured In Buena Park Blaze -- OCR
Six engines and two truck companies respond to Thursday night fire. Two residents displaced.

Returning Homes To Their Historic Past -- OCR
The San Juan Historical Society has raised $25,000, but needs about $500,000 to restore three dilapidated historical houses.

Two Doctors Resign From UCI Stroke Center -- OCR and LAT
They lengthen the list of recent departures from the medical center.

Mission Hospital Receives $1 Million Gift -- OCR
Bender family's donation to go toward a multimillion-dollar project to transform the 49-room maternity center.

Irvine Co. Buying San Francisco Tower -- LAT
Irvine Co. is paying a record price for a skyscraper in San Francisco, evidence that the city's commercial real estate market is recovering from the tech crash.

Costa Mesa Fire Chief Out On Medical Leave -- DP
As Costa Mesa says goodbye to Police Chief John Hensley, who retires today, Fire Chief Jim Ellis has left his job on medical leave, and it is unknown when he will return, city officials said.

N.B. Leader Seeks Local Control Of Drug Rehab Centers -- DP
For several years, Newport Beach residents have complained about problems involving drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes, and city officials have responded that their hands are tied by state and federal laws.

A Vision And A Visionary -- DP
When Clint Wilkins first knew Sage Hill School, it wasn't much to see -- just a series of Post-it Notes covering three walls of an office.

Ask A Mexican! -- OC Weekly
OC Blog compadre Gustavo Arellano answers everything you wanted to know about Mexicans but were afraid to ask.

CUSD Recall Committee Names Their Candidates

This came over the transom yesterday evening:

“Reforming CUSD:  Easy as ABC”
Addonizio, Brick & Christensen endorsed by CUSD Recall Committee

San Juan Capistrano, CA.  Ellen Addonizio, Jack Brick and Larry Christensen have each declared their intention to run for a position on the Capistrano Unified School District (“CUSD”) Board of Trustees in this November’s elections.  Today, the CUSD Recall Committee officially endorsed Addonizio Brick & Christensen. 

After an exhaustive search for the very best candidates, the CUSD Recall Committee is confident that Addonizio Brick & Christensen will put the best interests of the children and the taxpayers above all other interests in each decision they make.  We are also confident these reform candidates will ask the tough questions, hold the CUSD administrative staff accountable for their actions, and work to create a transparent organization that is responsive to the community.      

Addonizio Brick & Christensen will each bring a wide spectrum of impressive personal and professional talents that will make them uniquely qualified and ready to serve as CUSD Trustees once they are elected in November.  They possess qualities and experience the existing CUSD Trustees clearly lack.

Stanton Repeals Forced Pre-Sale Home Inspection Ordinance

I just heard that Tuesday night, the Stanton City Council, after accepting the City Clerk's certification of the voter initiative to repeal their misbegotten forced pre-sale home inspection ordinance Tuesday, then voted 5-0 to repeal the ordinance themselves.

A welcome display of common sense, saving the city the cost of an initiative campaign would that certinaly have ended in the same result.

And not uncoincidentally, the council's action spares Mayor Brian Donohue, Mayor Pro Tem David Shawver (remember him?) and Councilman Ed Royce, Sr. from having to seek re-election on the same ballot as an initiative seeking to repeal an unpopular policy they had supported. If they're lucky, Stanton politics will return to form and no-one else will file to for City Council and they'll get to cancel the election again.

Irvine Republican Council Opening An HQ In Town

This was just forwarded on to me by Nicholas Romero, Jon Fleischman's stand-in on the FlashReport, who must also double as a promotional guy for the IRC (I get emails from him on IRC activities every month or so):

THE CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY VICTORY 2006

in support of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the entire Republican ticket

Cordially invites you to the

GRAND OPENING

Irvine Volunteer Victory Headquarters

Featuring Special Guest Congressman John Campbell

18008 Skypark Circle, Suite 240

Irvine, California

Saturday, July 15, 2006

12:00 pm to 2:00 pm

For more information, please contact Kathryn Staczek at (714) 497-5713

Irvine's getting its own Republican volunteer home base.  That's great.  If I were Beth Krom, or Larry Agran, I'd be a little worried.

OC Blog News Roundup -- June 29, 2006

Today's top stories from behind the Orange Curtain:

Net Access Untethered By Earthlink -- LAT
The wireless municipal service, the biggest yet, begins today in a test of the provider's strategy.

Alicia Robinson's The Political Landscape: No Love For $131-Billion Budget -- DP
State legislators passed a $131-billion budget Tuesday, without the benefit of Newport-Mesa legislators' votes.

Irvine Reverses Its China Policy -- LAT
O.C. city will rework sister city agreement to include Taiwan partner.

Bomb Threat Diverts Plane From JWA -- OCR
Officials said suspicious note was found aboard Southwest flight from JWA.

OC's ER Bills Partially Paid -- OCR
UCI Medical Center has received the third-largest payment among state hospitals to help defray the cost of providing emergency-room care to illegal immigrants.

Brea's New History Museum Debuts -- OCR
The city's Museum and Heritage Center debuts Tuesday, its second unveiling in three years.

Mexico Votes Draws Expatriate Attention -- OCR
Many Mexicans in O.C. keeping close eye to see who wins presidency Sunday.

New Group Calls For Ethical Government -- OCR
Organization is formed in reaction to aftermath of campaigns by Carona and Rackauckas by -- surprise! -- Tim Whitacre. Guess that recall thing didn't work out.

Frank Mickadeit: Irvine's Sister City Act Takes A Turn -- OCR
It was one of the largest crowds in Irvine City Hall history, on par, regular council watchers say, with the multitudes that mobbed the chambers over the CenterLine proposal and the county bankruptcy.

Metrolink Can Continue To Push-Pull Trains -- OCR
Bill that would have required locomotives to pull trains fails in committee.

Senior Housing Plan Is Delayed -- OCR
Fullerton city staff says more time is needed to address residents' concerns.

Newport Beach's City Hall Plans Double -- OCR
Newport Beach agrees to look into designs for an official building described as cheaper than an existing proposal.

OC Activists Don't Expect Mexican Election To Reduce Influx -- OCR
Two leading opponents of illegal immigration say the leading Mexican candidates offer no reason to believe they would reduce the flow of undocumented immigrants.

Former CHP Lieutenant Pleads Not Guilty To Molestation Charge -- OCR
New allegations concerning 10-year-old come after arrest tied to Internet sting.

Grand Jury: Homeless In OC Need To Become Priority -- OCR
The Orange County Grand Jury on Wednesday released a report urging the Board of Supervisors to appoint a high level director to address the county's problem of homelessness, which it said was growing 17% a year.

Rule On 2nd Units Reversed -- DP
Property owners in West Newport and on Balboa Peninsula won't lose the ability to build a second unit on their single-family lots, the Newport Beach City Council decided Tuesday.