OC Blog

Long Wait For USS Rushmore Tour Worth It

The landing ship dock (LSD) USS Rushmore was open to the public today at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. The offical tour hours were 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I arrived at the liberty gate at 1:00 p.m. with Jubalettes 3 and 4 in tow. Base personnel warned it was a three hour wait.

I thought, "Nah, it can't be that long."

It wasn't. It was two-and-half hours long. With a cold wind knifing through us. The base public affairs director is an old friend of mine, and he said they were expecting 2,000 people and ended up with about 5,000.

But it was worth it. Jubalettes 3 and 4 were troopers and thoroughly enjoyed the tour. They had never been on board a naval vessel, and I as glad for them to get at least some close up look at the men, women and equipment that defend our nation and our liberty.

The ship is essentially built around this cavernous hold:

We were led in groups of 15 or so through the ship's superstructure, the bridge and all around the decks. The crew were very friendly and hospitable.

Below is the Vulcan defense system, and the tubes that fire chaff and flares to confuse incoming missiles:

While the wait was long, the experience was worth it. I hope the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station does this again in the near future.

Dr. Pipes speaks at UCI -- MSU disrupts speech by walking out en masse

Dr. Daniel Pipes spoke tonight at UCI.  His topic: Islamic extremism. 

First, what didn’t happen, unlike earlier this year, members of the Muslim Student Union didn’t try to shout him down. 

What did happen was a Muslim Student Union-led walkout en masse, so, it was a disruption of a different kind as the MSU members did violence to Dr. Pipe’s free speech rights using a kinder, gentler tactic.  (Memo to the MSU: you can protest outside and hand out all the flyers you want.  But pause to reflect on how your actions and fear of violence caused seven hired police officers to be present – vs. no police hired to protect MSU events on campus – how does that look?  Also, big hint here: stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.  If you are not a citizen, you clearly should not pledge allegiance – but for goodness sake, out of politeness, respect and protocol, STAND, if you can.  I stand at a respectful position of attention when other nations pay respect to their flag.  When in America, you should do the same.  Not to do so looks bad, very bad.)

As the MSU walkout emptied about half of the room, Dr. Pipes continued his remarks.  Then the lighting system when dim several times, at one point almost plunging the room into darkness.  Dr. Pipes just smiled gently from the podium. 

As for the content of Dr. Pipes’ speech, it was all rather academic and reasonable.  There was nothing he said that was extreme or at variance with what I learned while a Strategic Studies major at Claremont McKenna College with two years of Arabic and a semester overseas studying Islamic political thought in Cairo Egypt.  Ironically, had the members of the MSU and their supporters stayed to listen, they would have heard Dr. Pipes say that going into Iraq and staying was a mistake and that we should not take responsibility for running Iraq and caring for Iraqis.  Same with Iran.  Toppling Iran or preventing their acquisition of nuclear weapons yes.  Occupation, no.   In this, Dr. Pipes draws a closer analogy to the defeat of Soviet communism during the Cold War in 1991, rather than the defeat and total occupation of the Axis powers in1945 – two examples he brought up three or four times in the course of lecture. 

Dr. Pipes’ main thesis was that America needs a coherent strategy to deal with Islamic extremism of the type that took its political cues from Italy and Germany circa the 1920s and 30s and first developed indigenously in India and Egypt.  In this, I am in full agreement with Dr. Pipes, both as to the origin of modern Islamic totalitarianism as an ideology that aspires to global conquest, as well as in the need for a comprehensive strategy.  As Dr. Pipes said: this is not a war against terrorism, terrorism is a method.  This is a war against Islamic extremism.  To win this war Dr. Pipes said that we will need the assistance of moderate Muslims who seek to modernize their faith.  He was confident that this was doable, if very difficult.

"My Dog Ain't Mean!"

Is it just me, or do pit bull owners always deny their dogs are dangerous after Cujo has bitten someone's face half-off?

That thought crossed my mind after reading this OC District Attorney's office press release that shot across the transom a little while ago (emphasis in press release mine):

PIT BULL OWNER CHARGED FOR ALLOWING VICIOUS DOG TO ATTACK MAILMAN

WESTMINSTER - A Westminster dog owner with a history of keeping aggressive dogs has been charged with allowing her pitbull to violently attack a mail man who was delivering mail to a neighbor's home. Sheri Moody, 54, is charged with one felony count of allowing a vicious animal at large to cause serious bodily injury. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. Moody is scheduled to be arraigned Friday, December 7, 2007 at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

 

Daylight Saving: Set Clock 1 Hour Back

Just a friendly reminder to all loyal Red County/OC Blog readers: please set your clock back 1 hour before you go to bed tonight as Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November.  Yes, I lifted the cool graphic from a fellow blogger.

Servite High School Will Be No. 1 In OC

According to the OC Varsity website, No. 3 Orange Lutheran pounded No. 1 Mater Dei, 31-12.

God is good.

Meanwhile, my alma mater, No. 2 Servite High School, has beaten St. John Bosco 31-13. There'll be no ringing of the Victory Bell at Bosco tonight.

According to Steve Fryer, that means the Friars will be No. 1 in OC going into the Servite-Mater Dei game at Anaheim Stadium on Nov. 9 for a long overdue reckoning.

Go Friars!

Go See "Bella" This Weekend

My wife and I rarely make it out to the movies anymore, even though it is one of my favorite past times. But this weekend we are planning to see "Bella" by Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde, which won the "People's Choice" award at the Toronto Film Festival.

I've been hearing buzz about this film in the religious and conservative media - about the quality of the film and the resistance it has met from traditional distribution channels because "The drama in Bella centers largely on the crisis of a young waitress named Nina (Tammy Blanchard) who has just discovered that she is pregnant, and begins making plans for an abortion. Verástegui plays a chef named José who carries a burden from his own past, and who spends the day with Nina as she agonizes over her options."

Here's how an acquaintance of mine who saw "Bella" on Tuesday characterized the film:

Can the Fed Fight Inflation with Words?

By now most market watchers know that the Federal Reserve chose the path of least resistance today: a 25 basis point interest rate cut. Hilariously, with gold at $800/ounce and oil nearing $100 per barrel, many pundits still claim with a straight face that there remains no sign of inflation!

Bieber Communications' Spectacular Halloween Party

With the gravity of the situation surrounding Sheriff Michael Carona, I thought it be a nice little distraction to put up this post - some light hearted photos from the Halloween Party that Jim and Kellie Bieber put on every year.

Leisa Brug Kline: Chief of Staff and Barrel Racer

As some O.C. insiders may know, my Chief of Staff, Leisa Brug Kline, is not just a demur state employee Monday through Friday – she also competitively barrel races on many weekends.  Well, she did well enough this year to be invited by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association to Texas this week to compete.  So, Leisa and the family loaded up the horses and drove out to Texas.

I am proud to announce that this wife and mother of two finished 23rd of 58 in the national competition. See: http://www.wpra.com/finals%20results-10-26-07-a.htm.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's latest ratings for the O.C. delegation

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, one of the most consistently pro-taxpayer groups in Sacramento (the California Taxpayers’ Association or Cal-Tax being the other http://www.caltax.org/) just came out with its legislative scorecards for 2007 and 2006.  You can see them at http://www.hjta.org/report_card.  However, as a service to OCBlog readers, I’ll list the ratings for this venerable organization below, going back to 2005 when I started in the Assembly:

                                                 2005   2006   2007  Avg.
Senator Mark Wyland*               97.8    100   98.9  98.90
Senator Dick Ackerman             96.3    100   100   98.77
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore      100     98.5  96.8  98.43
Assemblywoman Mimi Walters   94.8    100   100   98.27
Assemblyman Mike Duvall          N/A     N/A  97.4  97.40
Assemblyman Bob Huff              93.3    100   97.8  97.03
Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher 90.7    100   N/A   95.35
Assemblyman Jim Silva               N/A     N/A  94.8   94.80
Assemblyman Todd Spitzer        89.9    95.7 95.9   93.83
Assemblyman Van Tran             90.7    96.2  93.5  93.47
Senator Bill Morrow                  89.3    93.8   N/A  91.55
Senator Bob Margett               83.7    95.3   88.5  89.17
Senator Tom Harman*              85.9    79.6** 97.9  87.80
Senator Lou Correa                 N/A     N/A    59.4  59.40
Assemblyman Tom Umberg       36.2    65.4  N/A   50.80
Senator Joe Dunn                     8         31.6  N/A   19.80
Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez  8.1     23.1  N/A   15.60
Assemblyman Tony Mendoza    N/A    N/A   7.5     7.50
Assemblyman Jose Solorio        N/A    N/A   5.7     5.70

*Includes scores while in the Assembly
**Senator Harman received two scores in 2006, one for his votes in the Assembly, one for his votes in the Senate, the 2006 score is his average of the two

Congratulations to Assemblywoman Mimi Walters and Senator Dick Ackerman for having the only perfect scores in 2007 in the entire legislature.

In 2006, 15 lawmakers scored 100, including five members of the O.C. delegation: then Assemblyman Wyland, Senator Ackerman, Assemblywoman Walters, Assemblywoman Daucher, and Assemblyman Huff.

In 2005, myself and Senator Tom McClintock were the only lawmakers to score 100.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District

A New Appellate Court House in Santa Ana

In partnership with Santa Ana City, the Courts of Appeal in the 4th District held a ground breaking ceremony for a new court house that will be built near the corner of Santa Ana Blvd & Ross Street.  Former senator Joe Dunn was spotted working the room with other state officials like Chief Supreme Court Justice Ronald George and Assemblyman Mike Duvall.  In recent years, under Mayor Pulido's leadership, Santa Ana is slowly becoming the "downtown" of Orange County.  Pictured to the left holding the ceremonial shovels are: Presiding Judge David Sills, Chief Justice Ronald George and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido.

Save the Date: Reception Honoring New Dean for Chapman School of Law

This came over in the morning from the California Republican Lawyers Association:

WHAT:        Reception Honoring Dr. John C. Eastman, Dean of
                  Chapman University School of Law

WHERE:       Enterprise Counsel Group, ALC,
                   Five Park Plaza, Suite 450, Irvine, California 92614

WHEN:        Tuesday, September 25, 2007
                  5:30 PM - Meet and Greet
                  6:00 PM - Guest Speaker

The Most Corrupt Man in California?

Earlier this weekend, liberal commentator and USC Law professor Susan Estrich criticized UCI Chancellor Michael Drake for his recent decision to fire Erwin Chemerinsky; calling him the most corrupt man in California. Interestingly she highlights his willingness to defend the academic freedom of Muslim radicals and anti-Semites, while at the same time allow for the silence of UCI's college Republicans and the mistreatment of a Jewish lawyer who was supposed to become the inaugural dean of the nascent Bren Law School .

In defense of Drake, his predispositions are neither racial, religious, or political. As he explains in his recent op-ed in the Times, there are many leftists who hold senior academic and administrative positions in his school. I am definitely not surprised. Drake's inadequacy in leading a major academic institution is defined by his indebtedness to his highest bidders and his buckling to his most vociferous coercers as illustrated in his appeasement of the MSU (Unfortunately conservative and Jewish groups weren't as effective at warranting the Chancellor's attention).

It wasn't until LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and a group of GOPers formed opposition to Chemerinsky's hiring that he rescinded his initial offer. Now that Drake is receiving backlash from conservatives and liberals alike by mishandling the appointment of a qualified academic who would bring instant credibility to an OC law school does he decide to re-negotiate.

In his op-ed, Drake defended his initial decision:

It was a culmination of discussions -- with many people over a period of time -- that convinced me that Professor Chemerinsky and I would not be able to partner effectively to build a world-class law school at UC Irvine. That is my overarching priority.

Chancellor Drake, be specific and tell us what was the nature of these discussions. Why couldn't you build a world-class law school with someone as revered as Chemerinsky?

Feel free to comment or talk with us. We’d like to hear your side of the story.

The Sheriff's Department New Academy

In partnership with the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD), the Orange County Sheriff's Department will hold a grand opening ceremony of their newest Regional Training Academy next week on September 11, 2007.

Built by RSCCD with the financial support of Measure E, the new 52,000 square-feet facility will be able to train up to 800 students annually, compared with just 300 in the old academy.  This will be the biggest and newest law enforcement academy in the County of Orange.  Students at the academy will be trained under the direction of both the Sheriff's Department and Santa Ana College.

Sheriff Michael Carona and Supervisor Bill Campbell are a few of the dignitaries expected to be at this grand opening ceremony.

Power out in Irvine -- over 9 hours now

Batteries running low… Must get word out…  Foodstuffs spoiling… Cell phones almost out…

Sad to say, DeVore manor has been without power for most of the last nine hours, along with about 3,100 households in the Northwood area of Irvine. 

About 23,000 energy customers were knocked out yesterday.

Southern California Edison spokeswoman Vanessa McGrady said, “It’s like running your car 100 miles per hour seven days a week. Eventually something is going to give out."

We made an initial call to Edison this morning to report the outage.  We found out that this is helpful as the system is not digitized, meaning that when customers report in, the utility can better pinpoint the problem. 

HBP Commission To Review OC Parks Strategic Plan

Tomorrow night, the OC Harbors, Beaches and Parks Commission -- of which I am a member -- will meet the review the draft Strategic Plan for Orange County parks.

You can review the plan here.

Anyone interested in attending the meeting, hearing and watching the staffing presentation  pf the plan, and making any comments is more than welcome to attend.

We'll be meeting at the Muth Interpretive Center, 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach.

Special OC Invitation: "Truth About Trucks" by Ford F150

(Full disclosure, and I hope Jubal enjoys this...Ford Motor Company is a client of my firm.  Nonetheless, this is a cool event that Ford is doing next week and we've been authorized to invite some friends, and heck, all my fellow OC Blog readers are friends, right?)

Ford Motor Company and the F-150 Present...

Jimmy Camp At The Doll Hut Tonight

This came over the transom last night from my friend Jimmy Camp:

Hey Kids,

Come on down to the Doll Hut in Anaheim on Friday, June 22 around 9:30ish and I will be performing followed by the world famous Ziggens. There is no cover charge and it is 21 and over.

Jimmy

The Doll Hut, located at 107 South Adams St. at the corner of Adams and Manchester between Lincoln and Broadway in Anaheim is open 7 nights a week from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.  Call 714.533.1286 for information and directions.107 S Adams St, Anaheim, CA 92802, USA - Google Maps

Communist Vietnam President to Visit Orange County

I was informed today by a reader that the President of Vietnam Nguyen Minh Triet will indeed make a quick stop in Orange County as part of his official state visit to the United States at the invitation of the White House.Triet and his delegation will be arriving at LAX this Friday.

The delegation is scheduled to stay overnight at the Saint Regis Hotel in Dana Point where they will host a private reception for invited guests only on Saturday.  The Vietnam President's arrival will surely stir the ire of the Vietnamese-American community, which met last week to plan a protest against his visit.

Relationship between the two countries turned sour when Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest and political dissident was arrested by the Vietnam's security forces.  The picture to the left was taken a few months ago of Father Ly being prevented from speaking in his own defense at a public trial in Vietnam.

I believe it is also worthy to note that since Dana Point does not have its own police department, the Sheriff's Department is likely to be a part of the security plan even though the Secret Service is usually in charge of dignitary protection.

UC Irvine Men's Volleyball Team Visits President Bush Today

Here's a picture of the UC Irvine men's volleyball team from their meeting with President George W. Bush today during NCAA Championship Day at the White House:

Little Saigon Gathered to Protest Communist Vietnamese President Visit

Last night about 100 people gathered at the Nguoi Viet Daily News's meeting room to explore the community's options on how to deal with the upcoming arrival of Communist Vietnamese President NGUYEN MINH TRIET to the United States and possibly, Southern California.  He is scheduled to meet with President Bush at the White House on June 22, 2007 to discuss bilateral trade and human rights issue.

It is yet to be known if Triet's delegation will make their way to Orange County, home of the largest Vietnamese-American community outside of Vietnam.  His presence here in the OC however is certainly not welcome as indicated by the "No Communist Zone" resolutions passed by the cities of Garden Grove and Westminster in 2004.

Disney's "Magic" - Trample the Property Rights of Neighbors

It's been a little while since I have penned anything on the goings on in the City of Anaheim.  Red County/OC Blog readers may recall that I took the folks at Disney to task for pushing a city-wide ballot measure that would create 'ballot box' zoning in close proximity to Disneyland -- but not IN Disneyland.  In otherwords, other property owners would have onerous regulations placed on them, while the Disney Corporation would not. Anyways, you can read more about what they call the "SOAR" plan in my previous column.

All of the broo-haha has come about in Anaheim because of two things --   

Thumbs Up For Disneyland's New "Finding Nemo" Ride

I was one of 25 Orange County Public Affairs Association members fortunate enough to experience a sneak preview of Disneyland's new "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" this morning before the park opened (gracias to Disneyland and the OCPAA), followed by a free buffet breakfast in Frontierland and a bag-o-swag.

As it turned out, there were several hundred participants in the "sneak preview" of the new attraction, which is in an update of that sentimental favorite, the old Submarine Voyage (which closed in 1998). The old submarine ride was one of my favorites growing up, so I was psyched to check out the new, improved version.

The yellow subs are essentially the same. In fact, they don't seem any different than the yellow subs decommissioned nine years ago. The ride itself is various scenes from Finding Nemo brought to life (with a recorded narration in an Australian accent), and Disney has done a great job of using technology to blend animation with the underwater environment of the ride. The way the Imagineers made the animated Dory seem to be physically bouncing of a model jellyfish stands out (the jellyfish field was exceptional in itself) stood out in that regard, as did the animated underwater lava flow.

Shining a light on the Muslim Student Union at UCI

For several years, going back before 9/11, the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UCI has brought speakers on the campus who have indulged in hate speech.  Hate speech is, of course, protected under the First Amendment. That said it is incumbent on community leaders, including leaders of the academic community, to criticize or condemn hate speech as it happens because such speech can easily lead to acts of violence. 

Last week an OCBlog journalist was ejected from a UCI MSU meeting for trying to video record the event.  Evidently, the organizers of the event were concerned that the speaker, Imam Muhammad al-Asi, would say some incendiary things that they did not want out in public.  (Back in February 2001, a simpler day, Imam al-Asi said in one of his more benign speeches at UCI, “We have a psychosis in the Jewish community that is unable to co-exist equally and brotherly with other human beings.  You can take the Jew out of the ghetto, but you cannot take the ghetto out of the Jew.”)

Given that the MSU appeared to be ratcheting up their hateful rhetoric of late, I figured I would try to attend the first possible event that I could.  Thursday at 6 PM was that opportunity.  My goal was twofold: challenge the unwritten UCI policy that allowed the MSU to shut down public reporting at a public event at a government-owned institution of higher learning; and, more importantly, put a spotlight on the ongoing MSU campaign of inviting hate-speakers, such as Malik Ali (“When all of you (Jews) are buried in the sand.”) and Imam al-Asi on campus, and by doing so, encourage UCI leadership to speak out against hate speech, rather than act as if such speech has the same merit and consideration as reasoned debate and dialogue.

Requiescat In Pace, Norm Murray

I was just informed that Norman P. Murray, Mission Viejo's first mayor and namesake of the city's Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center, has passed away.

Murray was elected in the November, 1987 incorporation election and sworn in as Mission Viejo's first mayor in March, 1988.

I'll post more details as I hear them.

Requiescat In Pace, Denise Mansfield-Reinking

Anaheim Union High School District Trustee Denise Mansfield-Reinking died this morning of a heart attack. She was 52, and had been re-elected to a second term as trustee in November 2006.

Our condolences go out to her family and friends.

Following is her obituary from the AUHSD:

Is OC Home To World's Largest Laundromat?

You may not have known that Orange County -- home to famous landmark's such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Angel Stadium and the Orange County Performing Arts Center -- is also home to the self-proclaimed world's largest laundromat.

I stumbled upon it today, nestled deep in the heart of west Anaheim on the corner of Crescent Avenue and Lincoln Knott Avenue, proudly boasting a phalanx of "over 250 washers & dryers":

But is it really the World's Largest Laundromat?

Disney's Playing "Sim Anaheim" With Their Measure To Impose Ballot-Box Zoning. Shame On Them.

(This is an excerpt from a lengthier column on the FlashReport.)

Over the past year or longer, the Walt Disney Company has been having some 'issues' with the local City Council in Anaheim, some of which may come to a head tonight at a contentious meeting, and we'll talk a little bit more about that in a moment.  But let me tell you how profoundly disappointing it is that Disney (along with a co-opted group of 'business leaders' under the auspices of the local Chamber of Commerce) would resort to a heinous ballot-box zoning measure. 

From time to time I have played a computer game called Sim City -- you may be familiar with it.  It's very popular.  In this game, you actually get to play "God" over a city, controlling literally every facet of its development including, of course, what gets built where and when.  In the game there is no 'City Council' to deal with -- as the player you call all of the shots.  Well, in looking into the qualification of this draconian ballot measure (they call it the SOAR Plan - "Save Our Anaheim Resort), which is about half of the way towards being placed on the ballot, it is clear that Disney is ready to perform an end-run on the elected leaders of the city at the expense of the important American institution of representative democracy, which is defined by Wikipedia as:

"...a form of government founded on the exercise of popular sovereignty by the people's representatives. The representatives are charged with the responsibility of acting in the people's interest, but not as their proxy representatives—i.e., not necessarily always according to their wishes, but with enough authority to exercise swift and resolute initiative in the face of changing circumstances."

You can read the entire column here.

(Comic Credit: Kevin O'Neill)

Outdoor Stations of the Cross

Tomorrow is Good Friday and for those readers with the time and inclination, you might consider participating in the annual outdoor Stations of the Cross hosted by my friend Dan Dulac on his Baker Canyon spread:

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

Good Friday, April 6, 2007

Noon to 4:00pm

Please join us for an outdoors Stations of the Cross on Good Friday (we will be leaving the house at 1pm). The walk from our house to “the cross” is approximately a one mile hike.   

Jimmy Camp Reviews Martin Wisckol's Band "Man Bites Dog"

Musician and campaign operative extraordinaire Jimmy Camp saw Martin Wisckol's band "Man Bites Dog" in action last night and penned this exclusive review for us:

Who would know that the staff of the OC Register had a band? And not only did they have a band....they had a gig. A gig at DiPiazza’s in Long Beach on Sunday night.  I received the flier and the e-mail earlier in the week. “MAN BITES DOG”: featuring a long list of musicians and performers including columnist extraordinaire Frank Mickadeit, singing and playing guitar, and Martin Wisckol, political writer and half of the Buzz column, tooting his horn and singing.

At first I had no desire to go but, my wife is super close friends with Rebecca Allen and a lot of other people at the Register and I thought, “OK it could be fun watching a bunch of writer/wannabe musicians torture themselves for four hours”. Then it hit me....PAYBACK TIME. Now I could write whatever I damn well pleased regardless of the facts about a bunch of reporters. I called Jubal and explained the situation and he said “Have at it.” So, here is the first live music review on Red County/OC Blog.

Responsive MNWD

Kudos to Moulton Niguel Water District for modifying the signs they have along the streets informing about the current water shortage due to repair of a major supply line.  As I mentioned earlier in the week, the signs were not very informative since they didn't include any details regarding context (IE agency, time frame, why).  However, in the past few days the signs have been modified to include a specific time line for the water shortage as well as identifying MNWD as the agency asking for the conservation.  My ego wants me to believe I am the reason for this change, however I suppose there might be others out there who urged MNWD to use a little commonsense.  I commend MNWD on their responsiveness.

Urgent! Moulton Niguel WD in need of PR firm

"URGENT.  CONSERVE WATER.  SUPPLIES LIMITED.  CALL 831-2500"  This is the ominous warning I read on multiple street construction signs throughout Laguna Niguel's major  roads this weekend.  At first I thought it was some type of grassroots environmental campaign, perhaps members of ELF (Earth Liberation Front) who rented a few LED construction signs and parked them along the road, commanding the public to save this precious resource.  Interested, I called the number flashed across the sign and was genuinely surprised to hear the prerecorded message of the Moulton Niguel Water District.  Who in their right mind thought that these crude, ambiguous construction signs where an effective vehicle to convey a message?

Passing those signs in my car, I am left wondering, do I conserve now?  Shall I not drink the water in my Arrowhead Bottle?  Has our water supply instantly evaporated?  How long do I conserve for?  WHY is this so urgent?  And most importantly, WHO is telling me to conserve?   I followed up and found out that one of Moulton Niguel's main water storing facilities will be out of commission for about a week, so there is a need to conserve during that time.  However, MNWD's choice to convey such a message with  commands on road construction signs with no context does little to explain this and I sincereley doubt many memebrs of the public actually called the number to get more info.  MNWD, URGENT!  FIND A BETTER WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS!

Some Windy Ridge Fire Updates

Been out doing some field work and found these Windy Ridge Fire updates had come over the transom this afternoon. This is from the OC Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department:

Effective immediately

County’s Santiago Oaks Regional Park is closed due to the Windy Ridge Fire.

The Park will remain closed until further notice. For information please contact Ms. Wida Karim at (714) 973-6870.

And this from the Transportation Corridor Agencies:

TCA has been monitoring the Windy Ridge fire and wanted to provide an update on the fire’s impact on revenue and operations. The fire began in a vehicle that had been driven down a ravine on the southbound side of the 241. As the fire spread, the southbound 241 was closed near the Windy Ridge toll plaza from about 11 a.m. Sunday morning until 4:30 a.m. Monday. Throughout the day on Monday, TCA staff and system consultants have been cooperating with the arson investigation.

• Based on preliminary data, TCA estimates a loss of about $62,000.

• Average Sunday traffic on the southbound 241 at Windy Ridge:

5-6 a.m. --  93 vehicles

6-7 a.m. -- 173 vehicles

7-8 a.m. -- 291 vehicles

• TCA supplied 28,000 gallons of water from our reservoir to fill fire trucks.

Roe v. Wade at the OC Register

The national debate over abortion came to OC last Friday.  Jubal might have missed it in the "News Roundup".  In any event, James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal caught the debate, and reported on it in his always insightful, and usually hilarious, "Best of the Web Today".

As background, the language used in this debate has long been key to proponents on both sides.  In essence, the battle over the words used in the battle, shapes the outcome of the battle!  Unlike the Federalists v. the Anti-Federalists of yore, the modern debate pits two "Pro's" against each other.  "Pro-life" (everyone likes life, right?) versus "Pro-Choice" (who doesn't want choices?)  It's a pro/pro situation.

You've probably noticed that the linguistic skirmish extends to the name of the what-ever-the-thing-is-in-her-uterus.  Specifically, "baby" or "fetus."  Generally, except in a scientific discussion, you won't hear a pro-lifer referring to "having a fetus."  They have babies.  Actually, most normal folks don't use this "fetus" terminology--regardless of what side they are on--unless they're debating at that very moment.  (Imagine, for example:  "Mom, guess what?  You're gonna be a grandma!!!!!  That's right, I've got a fetus!!!")

During debates on abortion, however, all bets are off--pro-lifers call it a "baby" and pro-choicers call it a "fetus".  It is simply one of the customs universally followed by combatants in this arena.  I believe the tradition began in an attempt to reduce the emotional sting of the sound of the pro-choice argument taken to its conclusion harming "a baby" rather than "a fetus."  After all, a baby is a cute, cuddly, little person--everyone loves babies.  A fetus, however, is simply "the unborn young of a viviparious vertebrate."  Who really cares about unborn viviparious vertebrates anyhow?  (In fact, polls show that a majority of OCers doubt the cops would let anything that's viviparious behind the Orange Curtain after dark.)  Regardless of the reason for this terminology custom, you've probably heard it at some point in the public square.

Speaking of which, a real donnybrook broke out at the OCRegister last Friday.  I'm not sure who won, but I wish I could have been a fly on the wall of Scott Martindale's cubicle, when he went at it with fellow OCR reporter....Scott Martindale.  Here's what I mean.  In a story about an Orange County woman who unexpectedly delivered her batus/feby:

April Branum went to her local emergency room Monday night complaining of stomach pain and emerged with the biggest shock of her life. She was pregnant with a full-term fetus.

Doctors, who discovered the baby when they took X-rays of her abdominal area, immediately sent Branum to UCI Medical Center in Orange for prenatal testing.

The fetus's lungs were fully developed, the heartbeat was strong, and no defects were detected. The baby was ready to be delivered.

Taranto comments on Ms. Branum's shock:  "This is really confusing. Apparently she was surprised because what she thought was just a fetus turned out to be a baby. Is that right?"  This confusion is understandable, given the writing:  she had a full-term fetus, but the docs discovered a baby.  The fetus's lungs were developed, so a baby was ready to be delivered.  Does any of this make sense?

I get that this is a weighty topic, and much of my post is designed to be light.  I'm not attempting to get at the underlying issues here.  I just think we ought to be able to read a simple story--it's actually fascinating on another level:  she didn't know she was pregnant!--without getting pulled into a PC debate in the mind of an author.

I'll conclude by paraphrasing a slogan from this debate:  "Get the US out of my [Local Section]"

P.S. I apologize that neither the mom, baby, nor fetus are related--to my knowledge--to either Janet or Trung Nguyen (although they do live in the district.)  If you've read all the way to this point trying to find the connection to the Sup race deeper than that, you've wasted your time... Now back to our regularly scheduled Nguyen-Nguyen blogging!

Brea Councilmembers Have a Clear Choice - Choose To Protect Private Property Rights!

Fundemental to the role of those elected to public office in government, at every level, is the importance of protecting the rights of the individuals they represent.  Sometimes, this means standing tall for those people even when their neighbors or others in the community would seek in infringe upon their rights.

Tonight the members of the City Council in Brea will face a rather straight forward vote on whether they support private property rights, or not.  Before them is a proposal that is, in polite terms, a 'taking' of the property rights of many property owners in Brea.  To be more blunt, there is a zone change coming before these Councilmembers that, if passed, would severely restrict the number of homes that can be built on properties than can currently be built, according to existing standards.  In the wave of an arm, or rather the press of a button, these Councilmembers may Lord over these property owners, and literally reduce the value of their land by a huge sum.

As was reported in the Orange County Register today: 

The council will consider new zoning rules that would slash by more than 90 percent the number of homes that could be built in the hillsides, compared to what current laws allow.

Brea's proposed rules would allow for an estimated 100 new homes in the hills, down from more than 1,600 homes by current standards.

Landowners have cried foul, saying the new regulations would infringe on their rights and prohibit them from turning a profit.

Leo Hayashi, who owns about 300 acres in the hills, could build up to 300 homes under current regulations. Under the proposed laws, he could build no more than 40.

If the Council votes to reduce the value of the land of Hayashi and others, they are performing a taking as clear as if they voted to use eminent domain to take this land from these folks.  It is okay to have a vision of how you want your city to look.  But in America, you cannot force a "community vision" onto a private property owner, to their extreme detriment, over their objections.

Well, apparently you can.  But that doesn't mean that you should.  I think I speak on behalf of a lot of folks all around Orange County when I say that we will carefully be watching the votes cast tonight by Marty Simonoff, Dan Schwietzer, John Beauman, Ron Garcia, and Ray Moore.  Some of these folks have personally expressed their support of property rights to me.  Well, this is where the talk meets the walk.

This is your chance to show that sometimes your role as a City Councilmember is to safeguard individual rights over 'community interest' -- vote NO on this proposal!
_____________________________________________________________

Below are the City Councilmembers who have before them a very black and white choice about whether they respect private property rights, or not.  I encourage you to contact each of them today!

Brea City Council - 2006-2007
Click on a portrait for an extended biography

Mayor Marty Simonoff E-mail

Mayor Pro Tem Don Schweitzer E-mail

 

Councilmember John Beauman E-mail

Councilmember Ron Garcia E-mail

Councilmember Roy Moore E-mail

(I lifted these straight off of the Brea website - pretty nifty!)

Happy New Year!

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! (that means "Happy New Year" in Vietnamese ... see, I DID pick up SOME of the language after all this time). Happy Year of the Pig!

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, often called Chinese New Year and, in the burgeoning Vietnamese-American community, Têt. In fact, Têt is the grandest of holidays for Vietnamese - imagine Fourth of July, New Years and Thanksgiving rolled into one day.

The largest celebration in Orange County is the annual Têt Festival held at Garden Grove Park on the border of Westminster and Garden Grove, home to the two largest Vietnamese populations. I have been to many Têt Festivals and Stately Leyes Manor is close enough to the park that we can hear the reported one million firecracker lit to frighten off the bad spirits.

The festival attracts as many as 200,000 people from all over Southern California and, sometimes, even further. Elected officials from the San Jose area have visited past festivals and last year, Hubert Vo was a guest-of-honor. Hubert Vo was elected to the Texas House of Representatives (their version of our State Assembly) in November 2004, making him and Van Tran the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American elected officials in the nation.

The Têt festival can make for interesting political theater. For many years the Vietnamese Community of Southern California sponsored the largest of several competing festivals. But the group suffered from leadership disputes and infighting - eventually splintering into three distinct groups claiming the name. And, of course, they all laid claim to Têt, as well.

Five years ago, the Garden Grove City Council granted the exclusive use of Garden Grove Park on Têt weekend to the the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations (UVSA). The UVSA had staged increasingly popular events, usually on a local college campus, for 20 years. This year they are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their first festival.

Coinciding with the three-day President's Day weekend, and with excellent weather (at least until about an hour ago), this year's Têt should be as lucrative as ever, with the UVSA and dozens of community groups the beneficiaries (as part of their contract with the city, the UVSA donates a large portion of the proceeds to local charities and civic organizations).

Each lunar year is designated by one of a dozen animals representing signs of the Chinese Zodiac. We are ending the Year of the Dog and commencing the Year of the Pig. The Pig is the last of the cycle, so next year will be the Year of the Rat. Messrs. Letterman and Leno - and any of you - may insert your own jokes here. As for me, after 16 years on the Garden Grove City Council and attendance at countless Têt festivals, I've heard them all.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

Sorry, why is this NOT a problem?

I am extremely curious as to what happened with the Irvine City Blah Blah Blah I.E. Committee recently.  Here's the back-story, fyi: http://www.ocblog.net/ocblog/2007/02/antibustamante_.html

Why do I car