I just caught a post by Art Pedroza at the Orange Juice Blog where he says that he has resigned from the O.C. Public Facilities Corporation Pedroza was appointed by Supervisor Janet Nguyen back in June.    ÂÂ
Just before Pedroza’s appointment most of the Orange County blogosphere (left and right) and Martin Wisckol at The Orange County Register were all urging Janet Nguyen to comply with the TIN CUP provisions (a.k.a. The Law). ÂÂ
Pedroza was (coincidentally?) silent on the issue, and then a couple of days later received the appointment. That left a bad taste in my mouth, but I’m really just grasping for straws.
What are Art’s reasons for the resignation?
I appreciate [Janet Nguyen’s] faith in me, but it has become increasingly obvious to me that service as a County Commissioner will make it difficult for me to write about the actions of our O.C. Supervisors.
Is anyone buying that? Pedroza is a smart guy, and I know that he thought about how serving on a commission could inhibit his ability to write freely about the Board before he accepted the seat. I really think there is something more to this resignation than meets the computer screen.
With that said, I’d really like to highlight a paragraph from the post:
By now I hope most folks realize that I don’t care about titles. I don’t care about power. I don’t care about money. What matters to me is making Orange County, particularly Santa Ana, a better place.
I truly believe that Pedroza isn’t in the political game for money or power. He’s here because he wants to make a difference. I may question the resignation, but I don’t question Art’s character.
And of course Art took the opportunity to give a quick jab at Matt (Jubal) Cunningham:
I don’t know how Matt Cunningham, over at Red County/OC Blog, is able to do what he does while serving as a Commissioner for OC Supervisor Bill Campbell. Then again, Cunningham never writes anything negative about his machine friends.
Mike,
Thanks for the kind words!
In answer to your question, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the Street matter. If Janet votes to allow him to keep his investment authority I want to be able to write about that without reservation.
Needless to say, I won’t be happy if Janet does not vote against Street. But I suppose she could recuse herself as she has a conflict of interest given that she and Street use the same lawyer.
Art —
I know you get tons of criticism out there, but you have tremendous character that I admire.
Dan
Dan,
Thank you my friend – that means a lot.
BTW, Matt Cunningham is having a royal cow on my blog, at the post I wrote about leaving the county commission. It is so fun to push his buttons!
By all means, everyone come over O-J and see the “tremendous character” of Art Pedroza in action.
Matt,
And they can also see the tremendous pettiness that is Matt Cunningham…
I’m sure some readers will think that, but most probably won’t. I hope everyone who reads this thread moseys over there to see for themselves..
“Needless to say, I won’t be happy if Janet does not vote against Street. But I suppose she could recuse herself as she has a conflict of interest given that she and Street use the same lawyer.”
PRICELESS
Here’s how the story breaks down for all of you who wish to give Art Pedroza the benefit of the doubt:
Art pitches Janet to voters for months, realizes that she is a sham, still continues to push her onto the public until it’s finally obvious that being tied to her will only cause him headaches. So what does he do? He quits the commission to save face but tries to give her some talking points in the process.
Classic.
Art, you are classless. Comparing OC Blog to O-Juice is like comparing the Wall Street Journal to The National Inquirer and comparing Jubal to you is like comparing Walter Williams to Anderson Cooper.
d’Anconia,
I never asked anyone to compare my blog to Red County. They are shills for the OC GOP machine. We shill for no one.
My cobloggers have ripped Janet without mercy. And I have also held her accountable since her campaign.
Let’s see how she votes on the Street matter. Then we can all hold her accountable for that too.
And no, I don’t think Janet is a sham. I think Jim Silva, Van Tran, Diane Harkey, Mike Carona, etc. are all shams. I suppose they are all friends of yours?
Art-
I never said you asked anyone to compare your blogs, so stop responding to arguments I never made in the first place.
Yes some of your co-bloggers have ripped Janet, but you have done nothing of the sort of holding her accountable for ANYTHING.
Silva, Tran, Harkey, Carona? What do they have to do with this? Trying to divert attention from the biggest sham in OC politics?
Anyway, kudos for jumping out of a sinking ship.
Art,
This strikes me as the logical last stage in your separation from the republican party. A clever and timely exit, for sure, but that’s just tact.
js
o-juice and liboc have become the only places that all viewpoints can be freely expressed. Ridiculed but not censored!
As matt has become more and more embroiled in the very screw-ups that are occurring in the OC he has lost what credability Jubald ever had. Matt is being paid (underpaid) for his soul on so many stories, SunCal, Harkey, etc…
James,
As always my friend you always see things the rest of us miss.
I told a friend of mine the other day that I spent my entire adult life in the Republican Party…and I will likely spend the rest of my life making up for it.
Which is not to say that I will never again support a Republican. But try to find one anymore who is not an immigrant basher…or who cares for the poor, or who actually has a good idea once in a great while.
I still have high hopes for Supervisor Nguyen. She seems a decent sort. But I will be much more capable of assessing her performance from outside the constricts of the commission appointment.
I probably should never have accepted it in the first place. But sometimes you have to make a mistake in order to correct your course. Consider mine corrected.
o-juice and liboc have become the only places that all viewpoints can be freely expressed. Ridiculed but not censored!
Blah, blah, blah. Same old BS. That you consider not being able to use obscenities or call people names on OC Blog to be “censorship” says a lot about you, anon 11:31.
Matt is being paid (underpaid) for his soul on so many stories, SunCal, Harkey, etc…
More of the same old BS.
I’m a SunCal consultant — something you know about because I disclose it in my relevant posts. It doesn’t make what I post about that issue any less true.
As for Harkey, I am not now nor have I ever been a consultant to her. As for “etc.” — could you please enlighten me?
But I will be much more capable of assessing her performance from outside the constricts of the commission appointment.
Again, Art — how can the appointment constrict you when you have said that your independence can never be constrained?
Not being intending to be malicious, I once referred to some Lincoln Club members as “old farts” and my comment was deleted from the Red County blog. I’m Sorry if I offended anyone.
During the special election to replace Chris Cox in CD 48, I posted a comment over on OCBlog about Phil Paule “encouraging” (recruiting) a Democrat to run in order to help split the Democratic vote in the first round.
No cursing. No name-calling.
It was quickly deleted.
Matt has censored many posts on the SunCal debacle. He goes off and calls bloggers idiots, questions their brainpower and finally why they use nom de plume’s, guess Jubal is Matt’s middle name. All this while he can’t defend SunCal’s positions with any substainable arguments.
Matt resorts to name calling when he’s fustrated at loosing an argument on merit and only makes the bloggers more credible.
Keep up the good work Art! I don’t often agree with your points but find your positions well reasoned and thought out, and most importantly not paid for…
Re: Even More Jubal Censorship
I haven’t been around long but I know enough to know that nothing could be further from the truth than your previous comment.
I once referred to some Lincoln Club members as “old farts†and my comment was deleted from the Red County blog.
If that was the entirety of your comment, I probably did. Apologies. I should have edited it to say “old guys.”
I posted a comment over on OCBlog about Phil Paule “encouraging†(recruiting) a Democrat to run in order to help split the Democratic vote in the first round.
Unsubstantiated rumor-mongering isn’t allowed — it comes under the heading of “personal gossip.”
Matt has censored many posts on the SunCal debacle. He goes off and calls bloggers idiots, questions their brainpower and finally why they use nom de plume’s, guess Jubal is Matt’s middle name. All this while he can’t defend SunCal’s positions with any substainable arguments.
That’s untrue. Read the comments on any SunCal/Disney post for yourself. I edit out portions of comments that violate the rules. I warn the violators and refresh them on the rules.
If what you are saying is true I would simply ban pro-Disney commenters and have done with it.
I’ve never understood the commenters — almost invariably anonymous — who level this accusation, which is easily refuted by reading the comments on Red County.
As I recall, Phil was bragging about it, until I pointed out that such recruitment is inappropriate and possibly illegal. My comment was deleted, as well as the portion where Phil bragged about it.
Ring a bell?
So I wouldn’t call it rumor-mongering. Or unsubstantiated.
Keep up the good work Art! I don’t often agree with your points but find your positions well reasoned and thought out, and most importantly not paid for…
My opinion isn’t paid for. I understand some might think I only argue for SunCal case and against Disney’s because I’m a SunCal consultant, but I do believe the arguments I put forth. I’ve believed SunCal is in the right since long before I went to work on this project. And I learned long ago not to work on projects that I don’t believe in.
The “your opinion is paid for” is a red herring used as a substitute for argument.
Matt,
“Unsubstantiated rumor-mongering.” We are BLOGGERS – not reporters. Without chisme our blogs would be boring. Besides, most of the time there is truth amidst the chisme…
“Unsubstantiated rumor-mongering.†We are BLOGGERS – not reporters. Without chisme our blogs would be boring. Besides, most of the time there is truth amidst the chisme…
No we are not reporters, but we shouldn’t use “we’re bloggers” or “we don’t want to be boring” as an excuse to repeat absolutely any chisme we hear.
If commenters want to post rumors and personal gossip, there are other blogs where that is tolerated or welcomed.
As I recall, Phil was bragging about it, until I pointed out that such recruitment is inappropriate and possibly illegal.
As I recall, Phil was being provocative, as he is wont to be sometimes. And I didn’t feel it appropriate to be using OC Blog to start rumors about Trojan Horse candidate recruitment.
There have been 38,777 comments on Red County/OC Blog since November 2004. The number I have deleted in that time is infinitesimal. So save the bellyaching about “Jubal censors comments” for someone who’ll buy that load of baloney.
Matt,
Get off your high horse. The GOP machine spin you present as fact is worse than any chisme I have ever posted.
You also have a habit of not covering what you don’t want your readers to know.
And having Harkey ally Probolsky post about the Harkey recall is just pathetic. You have no other blogger who can handle that assignment? Yeah right.
Get off your high horse.
“High horse”? I said bloggers shouldn’t repeat, or let commenters repeat, absolutely any chismegossip we or they hear. I didn’t realize you consider that being on a “high horse.”
The GOP machine spin you present as fact is worse than any chisme I have ever posted.
That’s just blather, Art, and laughable blather, at that. But keep telling yourself that. I’m sure someone beside yourself might believe it. At least for a little while.
I’d stack Red County’s accuracy against your posts any second of the day.
You also have a habit of not covering what you don’t want your readers to know.
More self-righteous blather, Art — an accusation that could just as easily be turned against you or any other OC blogger.
And having Harkey ally Probolsky post about the Harkey recall is just pathetic.
Really? You’re a Janet Nguyen toady, and you post about Janet. And don’t use Sean Mill as some kind of excuse.
You have no other blogger who can handle that assignment?
I don’t “assign” stories, Art. The other Red County bloggers post when they want to about what they want to.
Something tells me it’s unwise to get in the middle of a domestic squabble, guys, but … it seems to me the two of you need to agree to disagree on a few things.
Gila,
Too funny! Matt never had a problem with me when I was a doctrinaire conservative.
As you know, I back down from no one. But this stream has run its course.
I am sure that I will find other reasons to disagree with Matt.
I did however agree with Matt that Chris Prevatt should not have called my fellow blogger Larry Gilbert a moron. Low blow.
So if Adam posts some pro-Harkey Malarky, is it billable time? Or is it part of his retainer?
Too funny! Matt never had a problem with me when I was a doctrinaire conservative.
When was that, Art?
I never had a problem with you, Art, until you developed this weird, compulsive need to continually launch personal attacks against me. I’m happy to just disagree with you and leave it alone. You just can’t seem to do that.
As you know, I back down from no one.
Geez, Art. Can you go stroke your ego in private where we don’t have to watch?
So if Adam posts some pro-Harkey Malarky, is it billable time? Or is it part of his retainer?
I don’t know, Dan.
Are you going to disagree with him on the facts, or go the lazy route and yell “you’re a paid consultant!”
Given that you’re paid by your clients to toot their horns in targeted media, are we to assume that ipso facto you are not telling the truth and being factual?
OK, it’s time for me to say something here. I’ve held my silence for FAR TOO LONG.
Matt-
Enough already! You just don’t like any one who’s willing to speak out against the GOP Machine. And I guess since Art is willing to tell it like it is as a former GOPer, it just hurts you. Sorry, Matt, but a lot of folks here prefer free speech and free thought to pre-packaged GOP Machine propaganda.
Art-
I LOVE YOU. Just know that. I may not always agree with your opinion, but I always respect it. Keep up the great work at OJ, and PLEASE keep telling it like it is! 🙂
“PLEASE keep telling it like it is!”
(i.e. HIGH FIVE ART!)
Good lord, can we be a little more mature here?
Stop comparing Art to Jubal. It’s laughable and you guys know it.
Matt — I thought you understood the nature of my business, but that’s not exactly what I do. I work with bloggers like journalists but do not post positive positions or reactions to blog posts about clients. When I start my political consulting firm (catering to Blue clients), you can ping me back on this….
On this site, I’m an unpaid volunteer; you, Adam and Jon are paid partisan consultants. I am sure you all believe everything you say; and getting paid for it must be candy.
Dan:
I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear about my point, which is that I don’t think that the fact that clients hire you to promote a product or service or whatever, that payment makes what you say suspect. I don’t doubt your professional integrity, and don;t think you would do PR for a product or business that involved saying things that are untrue.
The same goes for the sort of consulting I do.
Matt..we agree
Enough already! You just don’t like any one who’s willing to speak out against the GOP Machine. And I guess since Art is willing to tell it like it is as a former GOPer, it just hurts you. Sorry, Matt, but a lot of folks here prefer free speech and free thought to pre-packaged GOP Machine propaganda.
Andrew:
You need to let those scales fall from your eyes. I tangle with any number of people on the OC blogosphere about the OC GOP — whether or not they see it as “The Machine” — but there’s no personal rancor. Do you see Dan C. or Claudio Gallegos, for example, lashing out at me personally like Art does simply because I disagree with them? No, you don;t — and they’re liberal Democrats.
If you want to believe Art is the Burning Bush when it comes to the OC GOP, be my guest. But Art isn’t “telling it like it is.” He’s just saying what he thinks.
And that line about preferring “free-speech” to “pre-packaged GOP Machine propaganda” is ridiculous and meaningless…one might even call it “Pedrozian.”
Matt,
“Pedrozian?” Listen, I am Mexican-American, not Armenian. Maybe you are thinking of Deukmejian?
*sighs*
I’m going to pretend you’re kidding about your last post.