The Democratic Party of Orange County has taken notice of a new blog that has popped up in Orange County. It looks like it might be affiliated with the Democratic Party of Orange County.
It isn’t.
In fact, it is operated by Orange Juice Blog publisher Art Pedroza operating under the alias of “El Democrata.” Don’t be fooled, this blog has about as much to do with supporting democratic candidates as the OCGOP website does. If you get a request to be a Facebook Friend of El Democrata, just say no! The DPOC has received so many questions about the site they have issued the following alert to their email list.
Alert: OC Democrat Blog — Not Ours.
There is a new web-blog out: OC Democrat Blog that is not written by nor approved by the Democratic Party of Orange County. It appears to be carefully crafted to look like DPOC’s other sites but it contains campaign information for a Democratic candidates not endorsed by the DPOC.
I wonder how long it will take the folks over at OC Weekly to call out Art Pedroza for his multiple personality disorder. Pedroza posts as Admin, Zorro, El Democrata, and his own name on his Orange Juice, New Santa Ana, and OC Democrat blogs. They did such a good job several years ago exposing Republican blogger Matt Cunningham for doing the same thing.
The new blog has the same format as some of Pedroza’s other web properties and there’s a reference to us being ligitious bloggers which was another tip off. The writing style and language choices in the posts also seem to reflect Pedroza’s work. But what solidified this for us was a simple test. A friend of this blog wrote a comment, one of the first on the new OC Democrats blog, expressing praise for Congressional candidate Beth Krom and then referenced the “terrible things” written about Krom on the OJ blog. The poster ended with a request that the new blog do a feature on the two Democratic incumbents running against Art Pedroza for SAUSD and called Pedroza a parasite. Nothing negative was written about any Democratic candidate but the response was edited so only the sentence “Thanks for saying nice things about Beth” showed up.
Typical blog comment policy is you approve comments, typos and all, or you delete them for violating terms of service. There is no in-between and editing a comment is at the very least, unethical. Commenters at OJ have seen several comments edited or deleted period if Pedroza doesn’t like the comment (Art equates criticism of him with libel).Â
We invite you to try this yourself. Go to the OC Democrat blog and post a positive comment about Art’s competition for SAUSD while criticizing him for his personal financial mismanagement and see if your comment shows up. We find it fascinating that Art can rip candidates he doesn’t like on the OJ blog while drafting a positive statement about the same candidate on OC Democrat the same day. Talk about bi-polar blogging!
Pedroza, a name that inspires treachery. What is the real story why Art became jobless in 2008. If he is willing to be dishonest and unethical and cover up stuff for free on his blogs, why wouldn’t he be dishonest, unethical and cover up stuff for $100,000 a year, like he claims he was asked to do. Me thinks he was fired for blogging at work and misusing company resources, like the company car to travel to political events.
Either he was fired, or he is extremely stupid.
Art’s claim that his former employer, American Technologies in Orange, asked him to lie about workman’s comp issues just strikes me as false. If his boss asked him to lie, he could go to HR or up the management chain. There are authorities to complain about this to and he’d even have a solid legal case he was forced to quit. No lawsuit. Nothing. American Technologies probably won’t comment on this for employee/privacy laws, but I think the company should issue a flat denial of Art’s charges which would not violate Art’s employment record. But dont you love the conversations Art has with himself on the blog?
Art (El Democrata/Zorro/Admin) has a post up today about one of his opponents that feaatures a mini bio of Pedroza himself highlighting that he is one of two Latinos running! And a negative comment against Al Amezcua was allowed. And why is this blog using photos Art posted on OJ?
Art, because I know you’ll read this, readers are not doorknobs; they can see right through this. Will you be starting an OC Republicans Blog too?
And no thought that maybe the 2008 Democratic Party Volunteer of the Year might be more involved? Not to mention several others? (Not that I confirm or deny any of your speculation)
Some of us real OC Democrats are possibly more qualified than the DPOC to say what Democrats deserve to be promoted. And the County sure needs a Democrat blog, even if the DPOC may not realize it yet. I mean, you guys’ thing here has become – what did you say, a “Labor Blog?” Or more specifically, an OCEA blog? One that will print Republican press releases at the drop of a hat if instruction comes from the proper quarter.
The county is richer now.
Vern,
Take another swig from your bottle of Carlo Rossi jug wine but please only drive from your keyboard.
The fact that nary a negative comment will be allowed about Art Pedroza, coupled with Pedroza’s easily identifiable writing style, makes the likelyhood you are El Democrata, slim to zip.
If you are working on the blog, then it is in the capicity as Art Pedroza’s beard. Just like on OJ, you have no real control, and do what you are told.
Wow. The old bait and switch. Those mean spirited democrats…I mean, republicans… I mean, libertarians … I mean, …
Man, I need to visit the Lib more often.
Vern – are you seriously comparing us negatively to someone who isn’t a Democrat posing as one on this new blog. Not a single negative comment bring allowed about Pedroza, the SAUSD candidate, but positive comments go right through. And editing the comments is something you will defend? Must be the booze talking
Vern – are you seriously comparing us negatively to someone who isn’t a Democrat posing as one on this new blog?
Um … yeah, Dan. I guess so, actually.
Then you are a bigger fool than I thought Vern. What do Art and Sean know about you that makes you so afraid to cross them?
Vern – all I can say if Art must think his readers are as dumb as doorknobs if they can’t tell his writing style. All Art’s past criticisms of Matt Cunningham referring to himself as Jubal are nothing short of hypocritical now that Art is having conversations with himself as El Democrata and refering to El Democrata on OJ. It really is the Orange Joke now isn’t it? How insulting to your readers.
And all I can say is LOL. Oh and also, despite the severe disability of your obsessed tunnel vision, the blog should be judged on the quality of its content, not conjecture over the identity of its anonymous authors, of whom there are several.
If it walks like a Democrat blog, quacks like one too, then there you go, Orange County now has a Democrat blog! Thanks to whomever.