Geez! What does it take to get a “little” credit?

The following headline caught my eye in the OCRegister tonight.

Supervisor candidate distances his campaign from gang shooting
Meanwhile District Attorney announces investigation into campaign’s finances.

From the OCR story:

Meanwhile, Tuesday, county prosecutors confirmed they are investigating complaints that Tran violated state law by filing incomplete financial disclosures. However, Tran’s campaign may have made the complaints moot by filing last minute amendments on Monday.

With the amendments, Tran dodged a vote by the Orange County Democrats that called for rescinding the party’s endorsement. His long delay lit up the blogosphere, both Democratic and Republican, and led to complaints being filed with the district attorney and the state attorney general.

Among other things, Tran’s original filing didn’t include payments to his campaign manager, Edgardo Reynoso, and reported $17,263 fewer expenditures than the amendment filed Monday. 

I understand that OCR reporters Tony Saavedra and Peggy Lowe do this stuff for a living, but how about giving Matt Cunningham over at Red County and myself a little credit for bringing up the whole issue of Hoa Van Tran and his “HINKY” finance reports to begin with. In this post, I outlined in detail the reporting violations and pegged them at between $16,000 and $17,000. Looks like I kinda got it DEAD ON.

Not for nothin, but if Matt and I hadn’t brought this up there would be no complaints filed with the District Attorney or Attorney General. If we had not called for accountability, the Democratic Party of Orange County would not have demanded that Hoa’s campaign file amended returns.

So what’s it take to get a hat tip around here? Just saying something lit up the republican and democratic blogosphere kind of diminishes the homework we did. I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t for us, nobody would know about any of this hinky crap. Feel free to visit the OCR story and point this out in the comments section if you like.

17 Comments

  1. Chris: Welcome to the world the Weekly has endured for years. A favor: for the love of Jesus, please stop using the word “hinky.” Matt made that word a cliché months ago. Otherwise, great job!

  2. Chris,

    Are you going to take credit for you out of order remark directed at Frank Barbaro?

    I think you yelled out “RAILROAD” when Frank announced that Hoa was keeping the party endorsement killing all the best laid plans created by you and your dysfunctional crew.

    How dare you disrespect Frank Barbaro in such a fashion. He has done more for Democrats in Orange County ten times over than you and your crew have combined.

    Smearing Hoa is one thing, but disrespecting Frank is quite another. Don’t get too big for your britches partner.

  3. I was not at the meeting, but Frank should not have pulled the agenda item. He should have let it come up then asked for a motion to pull from agenda. Vote to change the agenda typically requires 3/4 th’s vote, otherwise posted agenda is followed. I know every group does not follow roberts rules, but this is such a basic one.

    End of the day, Hoa is tainted and so is Paul for their strange behaviour. The party could not do damage to these candidates beyond what they have inflicted upon themselves.

  4. Sean,

    Quite frankly, Barbaro was railroaded by a late and incomplete amended report (cover-sheet). There were a lot of people yelling last night, including Reynoso himself. I seem to recall his disrespect to the entire Central Committee by ordering the committee to stop asking Hoa questions. Funny how, even when Hoa is on stage, Reynoso won’t let him speak.

    Hoa has disgraced the good name of the very organization that endorsed him by his willful failure to report his campaign expenditures properly and on time; and by allowing Reynoso to bring gang activity to his very doorstep. Hoa has known about these problems and has chosen to ignore the facts in front of him.

    You do not just forget to report over $17,000 in campaign expenditures. You cannot just “not be aware” of the involvement of alleged gang members in your campaign; especially when it is repeatedly pointed out to you by multiple employees who have resigned from your campaign.

    To suggest otherwise is to defy logic, reality, and credibility.

  5. Chris,

    Im sorry im not sure you answered Sean’s question.

    Did you yell out “rail roaded ” or not?

    whats the big deal.

    tell the truth.

  6. OCPupil,

    I responded to Sean’s question out of courtesy. I will respond to your comment out of courtesy as well. I believe I called out that the committee was being railroaded, which was in fact true. Barbaro only recieved a dated coversheet of the report, that had been previously verified as being filed after the deadline set by the Executive Board. And as I said, a lot of people (members & non-members) yelled at that meeting.

    This comment thread is however on the topic of the fact that the Blogs TheliberalOC and Red County/OCBlog broke the story of the financial reporting problems of the Hoa Van Tran Campaign; and the failure of the OC Registrer to clearly give full credit where it was due.

    If you would like to comment on that great; if not; do not expect your comment to be approved as outlined in our “Terms of Use.”

  7. Chris – Regarding your terms of use policy.

    Perhaps you should add a clause which states that the commenter could be subject to revelation of every single anonymous nickname you have ever posted under – so that everyone you have made legitimate negative comments about will know your personal identity and business location. So that they may repeatedly vandalize your property.

    Mike Tardif

  8. Mike,

    As I have stated before; I am sorry that the presence of gang activity in Santa Ana has caused your business to be damaged. If you really think people who do this stuff (other than some workers for Hoa Van Tran’s campaign) actually read or care what you have indicated as your personal comments, I suggest you are wrong.

  9. “(other than some workers for Hoa Van Tran’s campaign)”

    I’d be very careful about making libelous accusations that you cannot prove Chris. Are you gonna tell us all that Mischa Houser told you this too?

  10. Chris,

    I am not suggesting anything of the sort.

    I am letting your readers and commentors know that your blog has and will stoop to releasing personal and business identities directly connected with anonymous posting names for purely political payback purposes without regard to protection of personal privacy.

    Mike Tardif

  11. Gustavo,

    congratulations usted also got caught up in the sound and the fury……if not the round up that the migra pulled these week just outside your offce way up in the sky. Mike harrah says what up hommie.

    Da lastima pensar que your buying all their mierda. Even the over worked reporters at the OC Reg…..they got it wrong but a good story is a good story. Bloggers of World Unite >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    The Specter Of Urban Terrorist arises Just South 17th street.
    A picture of The OTHER is worth a thousand facts check….
    If the OC register reports it and they are the paper of record for the all the good folks of OC. Then the bloggers must be right.

    Mercy only for those who Plead Guilty…

    Anyways….Alrato….

    PS….can you please recommend some real authentic
    Oaxacan Restaurant in Greater OC…..I hear their food is so exotic.

  12. dear EZ

    Why you asking this Mex…Ask that Mex

    or better yet go to your nearest Borders and ask for a copy of Gustavos book…its shelved between Soul on Ice and Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

    Shout out to my hommie Bolsavik posted up beneath the
    Freedom Bridge

  13. To alabaster-lentes. Thank you for including spanglish in your comment. I dont understand people who are irritated by a few phrases in another language. “Slainte agus tainte!” as my sainted Irish Grandmother was fond of saying.

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