Month: August 2011

Fullerton city leaders have their hands full of angry residents and civil rights activists over the beating death of Kelly Thomas, a 37 year old mentally-ill homeless man at the hands of six Fullerton police officers. The beating, and the severity of injuries that beating caused, would have been called murder weeks ago if those responsible were civilians.

I’m left with a simple question, how does the council get from the discussion of the employment and appointment of the City Attorney and City Manager to a discussion of the term of the Interim City Manager? How could anyone have known that the Council would be discussing the Interim City Manager’s possible length of time in that role based upon the agenda description?

Let me say that above all I am appalled by that the fact that some missing signs concerning the layoffs in Costa Mesa resulted in money being spent to hire a private investigator to nail the thieves. In the scale of what is going on in the city, missing signs is the least important issue I can think of. What was the goal? If someone, anyone, told these kids to steal these signs, both the kids and the director of said mischief suffer the wrath of being complete idiots. Isn’t that punishment enough? If anyone is feeling left out, I have two signs in my yard. I’ll give you one.

In looking at tonight’s agenda for the Costa Mesa City Council, I find myself wondering if the Four Boys of the Council have been hanging out in secret a bit too much at Monahan’s Pub. In spite of the fact that they have been told by a judge that they cannot contract out to private contractors any jobs currently held by public employees they are still spending the time of City staff, high priced consultants, and the City Council, on the fools errand of outsourcing before determining feasibility, or if it will actually save any money.

Here are some of the stories we’re following today. OCR: Put officers on leave, councilwoman demands – Fullerton Councilwoman Sharon Quirk-Silva is insisting that officers involved in an incident that resulted in a homeless man’s death be put on administrative leave.

In the continuing saga of mistakes ans missteps, the City Council of Santa Ana has made Keystone Cops look coordinated. The latest questions regarding the search for a new City Manager is a solid example of what happens when people don’t follow the rules.