It’s Memorial Day weekend, so stay safe out there.
- The Anaheim City Council isn’t moving forward with the Angels Stadium deal and is ignoring the deadline to close the deal set by the team. Long Beach is making another play for a Waterfront ballpark for the Angels but the 13 acre site sorely lacks parking and game time traffic is likely to be a nightmare. It would not surprise me if Arte Moreno moves the team to Las Vegas (where the Angels nickname would generate chuckles in Sin City) before the A’s bolt Oakland to follow the Raiders.
- The Orange County Power Authority, with it’s competent board per Mike Carroll, is being fined nearly $2 million by the State of California for failing to buy enough electricity to make sure its customers — many automatically enrolled without adequate information or notice — have enough electricity for uninterrupted service. The agency refuses to honor requests for public records and Brian Probolsky’s shortcomings as a manager are on display daily. Time for an audit. Time for a lawsuit on access to public records. Time to tell Mike Carroll his board isn’t competent.
- And speaking of the OCPA, its own website projects the agency will lose $42 million in its first two years.
- The Irvine Unified School District Board was cited by the ACLU for unreasonable denying free speech for public commenters in rules regarding how members or agenda items could be address. This is a pattern repeated at OCPA meetings and Irvine City Council meetings. Say want you want about Anaheim city council meetings but residents can go to the microphone and say what they want. Time for elected to re-read the First Amendment again.
- The Orange County Business Journal’s list of top OC public relations agencies is out and I’m told (I haven’t seen it yet) that my technology PR firm is tied at #14 along with Curt Pringle and Associates (but we’re #1 in pure play technology, yay!). Also on the list, Jeff Flint’s FSB Public Affairs checking in at #7. One of FSB’s services is “Crisis Communications.” Not listed is allegedly laundering money for a major client. The “Our team” link as been disabled and I’ll let you know if I get a resume from former Tustin City Council member Jerry Amante.
- And finally, I was not arrested by the FBI. It’s been suggested by the OJ Blog’s comments section that I was but its bad form for the feds to question a journalist. I do appreciate the emails and calls asking if I’m OK, and I am. My phone is ringing off the hook with new business and that is taking more of a priority.