I’m not in the best mood to write this; my throat is as raw as a skinned knee and I’m powering through with honey-lemon cough drops and hot tea. My cold meds are making me dry as a bone so I’m drinking a ton of water. Too much business travel and not enough sleep have finally taken their toll. I also used my last cough drop as I walked into the July DPOC meeting (Tic Tacs just didn’t do the full job but kept my throat lubed and got me through the meeting). And I’m grumpy. The fresh bag of cough drops has done little to improve my attitude.
I had submitted a resolution to the DPOC Resolutions Committee in early July about the Irvine Community Land Trust. The resolution was really about transparency and accountability; and the measure never made it out of the Resolution committee. I didn’t find out until the agenda was issued Friday. Party resolutions are largely symbolic and generally easy to vote “yes” on — condemning the separation of families at the border for example. Condemning the persecution of a gay activist on the other side of the world is another. None really will elect Democrats in Orange County, but are generally worthwhile about our collective position as a party. My resolution dealt with a local issue, and was written at the request of several Democrats, Independents and NPPs in Irvine who know I’m a Central Committee member. They wouldn’t go to Irvine council member and Central Committee member Melissa Fox because she chairs the Irvine Community Land Trust. They declined going to Farrah Khan, our South County vice chair, because she’s a candidate for City Council and I’m not running for anything. I was happy to do this.
The Irvine Community Land Trust (ICLT) has an honorable goal — enabling the development of affordable housing and low income housing in Irvine, which is way behind in the city’s commitment to developing this type of housing. It’s important to note, half of all residences in Irvine are rentals. People pay through the nose in order to send their kids to IUSD schools; I have more than one neighbor in a divorce situation who shed tears about moving elsewhere because Irvine is not affordable for the average single income household. The ideas of leaving IUSD was painful.
ICLT changed their bylaws recently, separating itself from the city and a press release announcing the change celebrated how not having to adhere to certain government regulations would save money. Others believe the move was designed so that Patrick Strader, a board member and a consultant to FivePoint, no longer has to worry about filing a form 700 disclosure document. ICLT recently got $3 million in taxpayer money from the city and will be getting 10% of the $292 million settlement from the state over redevelopment funds. The meetings are no longer open to the public. Some expenses authorized by the board are questionable. Besides chairwoman Fox, mayor pro tem Christina Shea sits on the board with Strader making the city council votes to authorize taxpayer funds to the ICLT a case study in conflict of interest.
My resolution wasn’t about the work the ICLT does as much as it was about transparency, accountability and public access where public funds are involved. My resolution was rejected, apparently unanimously, and it sure would have been nice if the Resolution Committee chair Carina Francke Patone had let me know the status of the resolution and reasons for the rejection. But she did not.
I had made a small correction and resubmitted the resolution seeking the same sort of last minute treatment we got for a different resolution last night. I walked it over to where she was sitting and asked why my resolution didn’t make the cut. She motioned for me to join her in the kitchen at Pipefitter’s hall and while she told me why it was rejected and I tried to explain what my resolution was about, we were quickly joined by Vice Chair Jeff Letourneau and her husband Jim Pantone. I tried tell Francke-Pantone that those who asked me to submit did not feel Fox would be responsive to their request, given that she’s the chair of the ICLT. Then I got distracted by the presence of blogger Greg Diamond who invited himself into the chat.I asked Greg, “why are you here?” And he responded “Fuck you.” Twice. Using his tough guy voice. Stay classy Greg. I’m sure that made you feel good. Greg says he’s writing a story; knock yourself out slugger.
Responding to my detail that I submitted this resolution on behalf of Democrats in Irvine, Francke-Patone asked me for the names of those who asked me to submit my resolution. I was shocked. Now I hadn’t promised confidentiality to these people, but before I turn over a single name, I’m getting their permission to do so. My first thought is “why do you (Francke-Pantone) need names?” “Are we building an enemies list?” And I asked why she needed all of these people in the room with us when we were having a discussion. I left the kitchen back to my seat. And spent the rest of the night texting those I spoke with seeking their permission and asking them to bring more people to the next resolution. It strikes me as another example of how the party doesn’t get Democrats in Irvine.
So a spoiler alert — I’m resubmitting the resolution calling for our party to adopt transparency and accountability when it comes to public tax dollars as a core value. The resolution will ask the party to call on ICLT to open meetings to the public and accept public comments. None of these things add to the cost of the operations of ICLT — not a dime.
And I’ll be submitting a list of names of Democrats, independents and NPP voters who support my resolution, demonstrating that transparency and accountability starts with those who asked me to act.
Perhaps it’s time to ask for a list of clients of our central committee members who are political consultants represent, so they might show transparency as well to recuse themselves from certain votes that affect their clients in a positive way. I’d hate to think someone is billing time while serving on the party’s Central Committee.
And yes, I’m still grumpy. Time for another cough drop and some hot tea.
I hope you feel better soon Dan.
I have a new business pitch Thursday. I hope I feel better too
Dan – this is very well articulated albeit highly disturbing!
Wow, another HUMILIATION Intimidated by the tubby loser Greg Diamond, too.
Hey buddy, next time take that notorious tough guy John Mardahl with you as your wing man.
Oops. Sorry. I meant “David Vasquez.”
Haha!
I don’t need a wing man. Thanks for asking. Try not to have a stroke over it
Haha, get it 4th district? Cuz Greg had a stroke! Hilarious – that Dan is just a barrel of laughs.
Get it – STROKE? Hilarious!
Glad you’re enjoying your new VPN with all those new IP addresses; stick to one name and one IP
Duh, people comment from their phones, Sherlock. I don’t know what a VPN is. But some of us don’t stay in one place all day.
I count five different handles under this IP address, including one from Vern Nelson of all people. Whatever floats your boat. And the “don’t have a stroke” comment wasn’t directed at Greg; I’ve been saying that for years.
Yeah right, 4th district really sounded like she was on the verge of one.
She or he. It doesn’t matter
who’s humiliated? I don’t feel humiliated. I sought answers from the chair of the resolutions committee on a decision and next thing I know, I’m surrounded. I’m not easily intimidated.
The Pantone cabal is not second bench deep. I would not worry. Jeff, Carrina, Jim and especially Diamond have little political capitol.
Plus, those guys, along with Mellissa Fox are everything that’s wrong with Dem politics in Orange County.
Dan, I am glad you are not going to let this set you back. What is the point of being on the central committee, if we never get to vote on anything as a body? The committees are only set up to make sure the resolution is in proper form. They are not supposed to operate as a gatekeeper. You can always bring the issue up to the Rules Committee of the CDP to determine if there is a violation. That is why our CDP Rules committee exists.
The key committees are controlled by the same people; we have a number of central committee members on no committees at all and others who are one more than a few.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Wack-a-doodle paranoia corrupts. Absolute wack-a-doodle paranoia corrupts absolutely.
I’d apply the same words to you oh anonymous commenter. Brave behind the keyboard but. Coward in real life. At least you can’t say I’m not an equal opportunity resource for you
Hah. What a hypocrite.
You never called out OC DEM or “David Vasquez”/John Mardahl as cowards when they were spewing their anonymous filth on YOUR website. But they’re your pals evidently and that makes YOU complicit in THEIR cowardice.
Hiding behind anonymous blog trolls = real life coward.
You’re not paying attention; I admonish these commenters frequently and often times will delete comments that are way over the line. I delete more of their comments than I do of Greg Diamond. I wouldn’t know them if I passed them on the street. And you ARE a coward. Perhaps you’d like me to send your comments into moderation as well? It’s a small club and I’m sure the rest of the crew would love to have you
Oh, well I guess I got confused by your enthusiastic desire to meet these low-lifes. But what you did let stay up is a permanent reminded of your own caliber. Maybe that’s why you can’t get a resolution to a vote at our Central Committee.
And don’t lie, Sad Sack. My comments are already being moderated as you well know.
oddly enough, I didn’t create a fake identity of an old friend for college and claim to be a retired veteran to support an issue my wife supported and was outed as a fraud. And I’m not on the party’s resolution committee which bends over backwards to defend someone out of touch with her own city
Listen asshole – don’t call me a whack-a-doodle. The only people that despise me are sovereign citizen extremists who got busted scamming people and the powerful people they used to help them. The latter despise me because they fear their pipeline getting cut off and the former discredit me to keep their pipeline going. I am sure you are probably one of the defendants named in one of my lawsuits which are all popping with liability. Your time is coming. Unlike others, I don’t succomb to extortion. Take me down and you go down with me. You cannot hide behind a fake name. I may not know which one you are by your fake name, but I do know who you are.
4th District Resident isn’t a “fake name.” It’s a true description.
Nice overreaction, though. Guess I hit a nerve,
FYI, I never even heard of you ’til you pulled in a hefty 3.8% of the vote running for DA.
How sad.
That is not true – and we both know it. You are a troll who hijacked a valid comment I made about the DPOC central committee. Of course, you would not know how to run an organization legitimately now would you? You like to play outside the rules instead of follow them huh?
I thought you were wacky but maybe fun to play with. Now I see you’re just a humorless bore looking for free publicity.
Bye.
Thanks for your comment; you can resume your practice of pulling wings off flies, pouring salt on a snail, or using a magnifying glass on ants.
Dan, are you going to allow somebody to write such a vicious, spot-on, hilarious parody of Lenore, using her name?
I allow most every comment. If you want someone who blocks comments, read Greg Diamond or Michael Fox
It was a joke, I KNOW that comment (July 29, 9:09) was Lenore, it’s just that she is such a self-parody it’s comical.
You pretty much never get people’s jokes, do you Dan?
I get my own jokes; I think you’re a joke
Not sure how this article became revolved around me but I only commented under the article in my own name. Just to keep the record clear, here.
Everyone can tell when it’s you writing, my dear, it is unmistakable.
Dan doesn’t like it when I change my name too often, but if nobody minds I’m gonna switch to kenlaysnotdead. For good.
Dan doesn’t like me changing names too often. If nobody minds, I’d like now to start commenting as kenlaysnotdead – for good.
So, you don’t find anything funny at all about a suspended lawyer, who ran for district attorney while suspended, commenting about how others need to show transparency and accountability? Now that is some good shit man. I just want to know what you’re smoking and if it is indigenous to Westminster trailer parks.
I was not lawfully suspended, I was not really suspended while running for District Attorney. I surely was not suspended for violating a valid court order because there was never a valid court order that I violated listed in the NDC. I have not commented under a name other than Lenore, either.
How many conspiracies can you create – is it a competition or something? I have work to do now.
“The only people who despise me are sovereign citizen extremists”…..Lenore Albert 7/28/18
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Don’t sell yourself short Lenore!!!!