The first item on today’s Santa Ana Planning Commission is the appointment of a new chair for the committee as current Chairman Eric Alderete’s new job is making it hard for him to lead this body; the betting money of who will replace Alderete is on the Commission’s vice chair Sean H. Mill, which is causing a great deal of angst among several Santa Ana residents who contacted this blog over the weekend.
One resident has been working hard to remind city residents of Mill’s record of making homophobic comments dating back to 1989 when Mill opposed a Gay Pride festival in Centennial Park, writing a letter to the LA Times that concluded: “Homosexuals have the right to do as they wish in their bathhouses and bedrooms. Now, they want to desensitize the moral standards of our community. This will be damaging to our children, families and country.”
The email we received is targeting the planning commissioner believed to be the swing vote. Here it is:
Please make time to call Santa Ana Planning Commissioner James Gartner at 714-560-9210 and express your concern regarding the coming vote to appoint Sean Mill as Chair of the Planning Commission
We have a post called “Sean Mill in his own words” from 2010 that’s worth reading. Mill’s made terrible personal references to blogger Chris Prevatt in the past that are so vile, I refuse to run it here.
Mill’s has been on the Planning Commission twice now, having resigned the first time before he could be removed and then re-appointed by Council member Sal Tinajero from what city insiders say is “because Sean knows where all the bodies are buried in town.” But it’s Mill’s bigoted and homophobic comments that have rattled Kevin O’Grady , executive director of the LGBT Center of Orange County who audibly gasped when some of Mill’s comments were read to him this afternoon.
“We would urge the Santa Ana Planning Commission not to elect an individual with such an obvious homophobic and bigoted record to a position of leadership in this city,” said O’Leary. “Santa Ana has a very active LGBT population that is engaged in civic affairs and supportive of the city’s growth and development efforts. Mill’s appointment as Planning Commission chair would send a very negative message to this very engaged community.”
We’ve been asked to encourage members of the public to attend the Planning Commission meeting today at City Hall to protest Mill’s possible election as Chairman. You can find the agenda on the city’s website.
Sean Mill, the man who once referred to gay men with HIV as “infected pieces of shit” has his vote postponed for chair. The four votes were not there. Great job Dan!
Thanks. I will remind readers of Claudio Gallegos’ 2011 post where he documents Mill’s initial appointment to the planning commission.
If it has only been postponed, that’s a shame. Mill’s attitude is straight out of the 18th century. A shame a slob like that should be allowed to hold any office, appointed or elected. Good block, Dan. Now if an OCTA bus would just be at the right place, at the right time. But then, it would probably just damage the bus.
we’re getting all sort of calls and emails that there was a Meltdown in Millville last night at the end of the meeting. Mill was alleged to be waving FPPC papers in the air, he owned up to his homophobic comments and said he’s a changed man, but he never apologized for saying what he said. He said comments attributed to him were taken out of context (good thing we saved all the emails for full context). Somehow Mill’s defended Nativo Lopez in front of those who attended the meeting and I have no idea why that name even came up. From the multiple calls I got about Mill’s meltdown, his paranoia and think skin demonstrated he’s ill suited for planning commission chair. Some are starting to question why he’s on the commission at all.
You sure loved the fellow back when he was fighting with Pedroza. Big chunk of 2008 he was the star blogger here. All pettiness, all the time, at the Liberal OC…
How many hundreds of blog posts written by Sean did you delete to help him burnish his image as an upstanding community member? Nothing says editorial integrity like the OJ “delete” button
So glad you take no issues with Mill’s bigoted statements. Did Mill threaten to beat you up if you ever crossed him?
To Dan: Didn’t delete ANY Mill posts. Pedroza did. Over my protestations.
To Anonymous Weenie who calls ME homophobic: I think what I wrote was simple. Dan had no problem with Sean when he could use him as part of his most important crusade, his petty jihad against Pedroza.
I don’t know what Sean wrote or said or what the context was, but I know that what I hear on THIS blog falls down around FOX News in terms of credibility. If you guys provide me Sean’s words AND the full context, AND send me ten bucks, I’ll pontificate on it. Otherwise wank on wankers.
Vern – I will email a letter to you outlining my particular beef against Mill – which differs from the complaint in this article.
Vern — I point to this post and your comment in it: https://theliberaloc.com/2011/01/11/the-ghost-in-the-machine/
“I’m against giving you any kind of comment while you’re engaged in a lawsuit against Art and the blog. Except that I’m starting to see why Sean wanted that done.”
“What isn’t clear is exactly who scrubbed the posts.”
Aye, Dan, there’s the rub, or the scrub. I could have put the word down, or so could have Art, with my knowledge (or conceivably without) down to the OJ’s legions of scrubbers. ****It would be discomfiting to know that Art still had the wherewithal to do that without my knowledge, but fortunately that does not seem to be the case.**** Our specific team of scrubbers, C-1, seems to have done the job hastily in response to a careless offhand remark from me. But as this was what the author Sean wanted in any case – given the hellbent bent of some present to embarrass him politically with long-past writings – I let the whole thing pass, and gave the fellows overtime pay!
jaja, I wrote that? pretty funny. Sounds like I was really messing with you. And the lawsuit made me not want to be upfront about things.
But fact is, I was furious when Art deleted all of Sean’s posts, and I didn’t think he still had that kind of access at the time. I was also mad when all of Claudio’s, Tom Gordon’s, and Sarah Spinoza’s posts got scrubbed. So much OC history goes down the tubes when people have their little tantrums.
Honesty has never been your strength Vern and interesting that you should use “crusade” and “jihad” in the same sentence but my quarrels with Pedroza were way down the list of my priorities.
In any case, it was never any of your damn business.
what was never any of my damn business? the major breach of ethics from your blog?
Here’s my 2 cents – is this proper behavior for an appointed SA City official?
To the Santa Ana Planning Commission Chair & Members;
Concerning the Commission’s consideration of the position of Chair, I would like to inform you of conduct in violation of the Santa Ana Code of Ethics by a current appointee to the Santa Ana Planning Commission. In the course of a debate on the New Santa Ana Blog concerning a City issue Sean Mill, while a Commissioner and unprovoked, conducted himself in a manner not fitting for an appointed official of the City of Santa Ana. The following are his offensive remarks.
Commissioner Sean Mill: “Speaking of Buffao Wild Wings … We could’ve had one of these fine establishments here in Santa Ana, but a small handful of folks including … Mike Tardif caused the applicant so many problems that they packed up and left.”
Commissioner Sean Mill: “So it is not just medical marijuana dispensaries that Mike Tardif has an issue with, he seems to scream “NO” at new businesses in general. How does he expect us to generate any revenue if we chase all the businesses out of town? I thought he was a small government, anti-tax, Republican. It appears to me that is is nothing more than your typical NIMBY from the “Coalition of No”.”
Commissioner Sean Mill: (in ref. to Mike Tardif) “Standing in opposition to everything and constantly acting as a contrarian to the actions of our great council majority is not going to help move our city forward.”
As an appointed official of the City of Santa Ana Mr. has an obligation to live up to the letter and the spirit of the Code. He should engage residents through rational discussion – not in a heated, accusatory, belittling and unprofessional rant in a public forum. From the SA Code of Ethics and Conduct –
“I treat my fellow officials, staff and the public with patience, courtesy and civility, even when we disagree on what is best for the community.”
“I encourage full participation of all persons and groups ..”
“(The) Code of Conduct is intended to be a reflection of the community’s values as articulated by the Mayor and City Council as they represent the will of the people of the City of Santa Ana.”
In singling me out with his inflammatory and divisive speech Sean Mill has engaged in behavior which is in direct opposition to the values expressed in the Code of Ethics and Conduct.
As a resident, property owner and business owner in Santa Ana I feel that it is important to work with representatives of the City who treat the public with “patience, courtesy and civility and work toward consensus building” – Mr. Mill does not fit that bill. I hereby request that the Planning Commission not appoint Mr. Mill to the Chair position.
Sincerely,
Mike Tardif
Santa Ana
I believe it’s against the Santa Ana Ethics Ordinance to verbally attack a citizen from the Dais, Mike. But then again, no one on the city council is going to enforce this ordinance as it has no teeth.