I feel like I woke up from a really bad hangover and can't believe where I ended up. Did Medina really win? Someone pinch me!
It's no doubt that King Dear, with his dirty backdoor antics had a lot to do with electing an unqualified candidate, but there are other factors--lots of money and King Dear's connections.
Steve Bradford's Mini-Me, Shannon Lawrence, who has little to no history in this community, also had all the connections that Bradford could bring--the unions, Ridley-Thomas and lots of money, all delivered on a silver platter.
It's too bad that money and access are still what get a candidate elected.
The race is on--again. Individuals are pulling papers for two open Councilmember positions, Mayor, City Clerk and City Treasurer. Got money? You too can be a councilmember in this town. No experience, community involvement or integrity needed.
11/08/2008
Pipe Dreams
Gardena Councilmember Candidate, Shannon Lawrence, who was endorsed by the SEIU (the largest union in California) which was mired in recent scandal, also received a campaign contribution of $1000 from Dakota Communications. Rick Taylor, of Dakota Communications, represents WesPac Energy Group.
In April of 2007 this article appeared in The Daily Breeze.
"On Tuesday, company spokesman Rick Taylor told the Daily Breeze the company already had PUC common-carrier status ("The reality is that we're a common carrier and we can do eminent domain to get access to the center or side of a street."), and moments later after he was confronted with PUC records showing only an application has been filed, denied that he ever said it."Do you have a quote of me saying that?" he said. "I never said that. ... We don't expect any problems. There's no question in my mind that they will give us common-carrier status. ... I think there's a misunderstanding."In its application to the PUC, obtained by the Daily Breeze, WesPac states that it anticipates "no protests to the application will be filed and that no evidentiary hearings are necessary."
"Gardena has put up the most resistance to the pipeline project coming through the city, Taylor said. City officials and residents who oppose the project say it will hurt the city, and offer no benefit.The jet-fuel pipeline would not only provide no benefit to the city of Gardena, but it also would disrupt the daily business of an elementary school, a convalescent hospital and residential areas along Rosecrans between Vermont and Crenshaw, where the construction is proposed to take place in 2008, said Gardena City Manager Mitch Lansdell."
The jet fuel pipeline has been the subject of much discussion in Gardena, especially in the North end. During the forums held for the city councilmember candidates, Shannon Lawrence said that he was against the pipeline. The question is then, why would he accept a $1000 campaign contribution from Dakota Communications? This is the company that represents WesPac.
Lawrence, defeated by Medina, said in his campaign slogans he would bring change to Gardena. It looks like his plans for change could have included dreams of a jet fuel pipeline running through the same neighborhood his supporters live in.
In April of 2007 this article appeared in The Daily Breeze.
"On Tuesday, company spokesman Rick Taylor told the Daily Breeze the company already had PUC common-carrier status ("The reality is that we're a common carrier and we can do eminent domain to get access to the center or side of a street."), and moments later after he was confronted with PUC records showing only an application has been filed, denied that he ever said it."Do you have a quote of me saying that?" he said. "I never said that. ... We don't expect any problems. There's no question in my mind that they will give us common-carrier status. ... I think there's a misunderstanding."In its application to the PUC, obtained by the Daily Breeze, WesPac states that it anticipates "no protests to the application will be filed and that no evidentiary hearings are necessary."
"Gardena has put up the most resistance to the pipeline project coming through the city, Taylor said. City officials and residents who oppose the project say it will hurt the city, and offer no benefit.The jet-fuel pipeline would not only provide no benefit to the city of Gardena, but it also would disrupt the daily business of an elementary school, a convalescent hospital and residential areas along Rosecrans between Vermont and Crenshaw, where the construction is proposed to take place in 2008, said Gardena City Manager Mitch Lansdell."
The jet fuel pipeline has been the subject of much discussion in Gardena, especially in the North end. During the forums held for the city councilmember candidates, Shannon Lawrence said that he was against the pipeline. The question is then, why would he accept a $1000 campaign contribution from Dakota Communications? This is the company that represents WesPac.
Lawrence, defeated by Medina, said in his campaign slogans he would bring change to Gardena. It looks like his plans for change could have included dreams of a jet fuel pipeline running through the same neighborhood his supporters live in.
11/06/2008
The Don Dear Dynasty, Chapter 4
For those of you who just did an eenie meenie miny moe at the polling place, or are just plain sadistic, I'd like to tell you a story. Sit back and relax in my virtual time machine. There once was a King (aka Don Dear) who ruled as Mayor of Gardenadom. His reign lasted 9 seasons of the locust (i.e. 9 terms). When he departed the city for other villages to pillage (i.e. Carson) he made sure to leave his legacy for us--near Bankruptcy--until our current city manager (okay, I'll call him the Prince in this little story) saved our city.
Now along the way, the King gathered his army. "Men, join my forces. I will promise you great power and riches and casinos with bright lights to eat breakfast at. The lords of the casinos will contribute large sums of money to your political campaigns. Merchants in the village take care of you (wink wink, nod nod). I will show you how to trick the little people into thinking that you care about this city while you're really just thinking of your own personal agendas and lining your pocketbooks." So Steve Bradford, Terry Terauchi and Oscar Medrano followed on the march to Gardenadom's council chambers and ruled according to the King's plans. Eventually the men tired of the King and branched off on their own (with their own spinoff candidates like Shannon Lawrence). While eating breakfast at one of the bright shiny casinos he spied a new candidate--Dan Medina. He had all the right stuff. He didn't finish what he started, claimed to be something he wasn't and lacked the wherewithall to fill the position. "He's PERFECT!" claimed the King...to be continued.
Now along the way, the King gathered his army. "Men, join my forces. I will promise you great power and riches and casinos with bright lights to eat breakfast at. The lords of the casinos will contribute large sums of money to your political campaigns. Merchants in the village take care of you (wink wink, nod nod). I will show you how to trick the little people into thinking that you care about this city while you're really just thinking of your own personal agendas and lining your pocketbooks." So Steve Bradford, Terry Terauchi and Oscar Medrano followed on the march to Gardenadom's council chambers and ruled according to the King's plans. Eventually the men tired of the King and branched off on their own (with their own spinoff candidates like Shannon Lawrence). While eating breakfast at one of the bright shiny casinos he spied a new candidate--Dan Medina. He had all the right stuff. He didn't finish what he started, claimed to be something he wasn't and lacked the wherewithall to fill the position. "He's PERFECT!" claimed the King...to be continued.
11/02/2008
Election endorsements
Election endorsements
The Daily Breeze
Article Launched: 11/01/2008 10:00:00 PM PDT
Here are the Daily Breeze's ballot recommendations:
President: Barack Obama.
State measures
Proposition 1A (High-speed rail): No. This is no time to borrow $10 billion on a costly and questionable project.
Proposition 2 (Treatment of farm animals): No, because the main effect would be to shift poultry sales to other states.
Proposition 3 (Children's hospitals): Yes. This is a terrible time to take on more state debt, but it's for a worthy cause.
Proposition 4 (Abortion notification): Yes, for the same reason a nurse has to notify parents before giving a teenage girl an aspirin.
Proposition 5 (Treatment for drug offenders): No, because it is much too lenient in dealing with serious felons.
Proposition 6 (Spending on crime programs): No, because it is too inflexible and much too costly.
Proposition 7 (Clean energy): No, because, as the Sierra Club and others say, it is so vague as to be counterproductive.
Proposition 8 (Bans same-sex marriage): No, because the state is better off not redefining the moral issues related to marriage.
Proposition 9 (Crime victims): No, because it is too costly and redundant.
Proposition 10 (Alternative fuels): No, because it is so self-dealing for some supporters that it would do more harm than good.
Proposition 11 (Redistricting): Yes, it may make just a small difference in breaking politicians' hold on their own re-elections,
but at least it is an improvement.
Proposition 12 (Veterans' mortgages) Yes, this decades-old program has never cost taxpayers a cent.
Local measures
Proposition A (City of Los Angeles parcel tax to fund gang-prevention programs): No, the city must prove the effectiveness of programs administered by the Mayor's Office before asking property owners for more money.
Proposition B (City of Los Angeles update of rules on low-rent housing): Yes, this would remove impediments to obtaining funding from the state and federal government.
Measure J ($3.5 billion bond measure for Los Angeles Community College District): Yes, the district's campuses need more upgrades to expand enrollment and enhance health and safety.
Measure M (El Segundo's $14 million bond measure to improve and repair the high school auditorium and athletic fields): Yes, this measure would not increase current school bond taxation rates, and the repairs are justified.
Measure Q ($7 billion to upgrade aging Los Angeles Unified School District campuses throughout the region): Yes, the maximum school bond tax rate won't rise, and there will be an increased emphasis on smaller learning centers.
Measure R (Half-cent sales tax increase to expand mass transit system countywide and improve highways and roads): Yes, the plan includes help for South Bay commuters by extending the Green Line further south and also to Los Angeles International Airport.
Measure U (Reduces utility users' tax in unincorporated areas from 5 percent to 4.5percent and applies it to new communications technologies): Yes, updated language will ensure that users of all technologies will be treated fairly.
Measure V (Maintains the rate of Hawthorne's communication users' tax at 5percent but updates language to reflect technological advances): Yes, the update will help protect the tax from legal challenges.
Measure Y ($265 million bond measure to upgrade academic facilities in the Torrance Unified School District and improve school safety): Yes, this is probably the school district's final attempt to avoid campus closures.
Measure Z ($90 million Torrance bond measure to improve physical education and athletic facilities, as well as rebuild science labs and music and art classrooms): Yes, the bond would fund facilities that would benefit the entire community.
Measure BB ($67 million school bond measure to replace deteriorating academic facilities at
Manhattan Beach's Mira Costa High School): Yes, the bond would fund needed improvements without increasing current tax rates.
Measure CV ($98 million school bond measure to upgrade Centinela Valley high school campuses): No, a divided school board put this measure on the ballot. It's premature considering the district's financial problems and the Wiseburn School District's secession plans.
Measure DD (Initiative to subject certain land-use changes in Redondo Beach to popular votes): No, it threatens revitalization efforts and runs contrary to representative democracy.
Measure EE (Redondo City Council's alternative to Measure DD): Yes, it offers voters a say over rezoning involving open space, increased building heights in the coastal zone and specified residential changes.
Judicial
Office 72: Hilleri Grossman Merritt, a highly rated criminal trial prosecutor.
Office 82: Thomas Rubinson, a deputy district attorney serving on the Hardcore Gang Division, rated well-qualified by the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Office 84: Pat Connolly, a Long Beach gang prosecutor.
Office 94: Michael O'Gara, a criminal prosecutor rated well-qualified by the bar.
Office 154: Michael Jessic, a gang prosecutor noted also for his community work against gang violence, is rated well-qualified by the bar.
South Bay candidates
Second District Supervisor: Bernard Parks.
Water Replenishment District, Division 2: Robert Katherman.
Water Replenishment District, Division 5: Linda Unruh Fuentes.
West Basin Water District, Division 3:
Desi Alvarez.
West Basin Water District, Division 5:
Don Dear.
Gardena City Council special election:
Mina Semenza.
Beach Cities Health Care District Vanessa Poster, Marie Corr and Brian Parker.
The Daily Breeze
Article Launched: 11/01/2008 10:00:00 PM PDT
Here are the Daily Breeze's ballot recommendations:
President: Barack Obama.
State measures
Proposition 1A (High-speed rail): No. This is no time to borrow $10 billion on a costly and questionable project.
Proposition 2 (Treatment of farm animals): No, because the main effect would be to shift poultry sales to other states.
Proposition 3 (Children's hospitals): Yes. This is a terrible time to take on more state debt, but it's for a worthy cause.
Proposition 4 (Abortion notification): Yes, for the same reason a nurse has to notify parents before giving a teenage girl an aspirin.
Proposition 5 (Treatment for drug offenders): No, because it is much too lenient in dealing with serious felons.
Proposition 6 (Spending on crime programs): No, because it is too inflexible and much too costly.
Proposition 7 (Clean energy): No, because, as the Sierra Club and others say, it is so vague as to be counterproductive.
Proposition 8 (Bans same-sex marriage): No, because the state is better off not redefining the moral issues related to marriage.
Proposition 9 (Crime victims): No, because it is too costly and redundant.
Proposition 10 (Alternative fuels): No, because it is so self-dealing for some supporters that it would do more harm than good.
Proposition 11 (Redistricting): Yes, it may make just a small difference in breaking politicians' hold on their own re-elections,
but at least it is an improvement.
Proposition 12 (Veterans' mortgages) Yes, this decades-old program has never cost taxpayers a cent.
Local measures
Proposition A (City of Los Angeles parcel tax to fund gang-prevention programs): No, the city must prove the effectiveness of programs administered by the Mayor's Office before asking property owners for more money.
Proposition B (City of Los Angeles update of rules on low-rent housing): Yes, this would remove impediments to obtaining funding from the state and federal government.
Measure J ($3.5 billion bond measure for Los Angeles Community College District): Yes, the district's campuses need more upgrades to expand enrollment and enhance health and safety.
Measure M (El Segundo's $14 million bond measure to improve and repair the high school auditorium and athletic fields): Yes, this measure would not increase current school bond taxation rates, and the repairs are justified.
Measure Q ($7 billion to upgrade aging Los Angeles Unified School District campuses throughout the region): Yes, the maximum school bond tax rate won't rise, and there will be an increased emphasis on smaller learning centers.
Measure R (Half-cent sales tax increase to expand mass transit system countywide and improve highways and roads): Yes, the plan includes help for South Bay commuters by extending the Green Line further south and also to Los Angeles International Airport.
Measure U (Reduces utility users' tax in unincorporated areas from 5 percent to 4.5percent and applies it to new communications technologies): Yes, updated language will ensure that users of all technologies will be treated fairly.
Measure V (Maintains the rate of Hawthorne's communication users' tax at 5percent but updates language to reflect technological advances): Yes, the update will help protect the tax from legal challenges.
Measure Y ($265 million bond measure to upgrade academic facilities in the Torrance Unified School District and improve school safety): Yes, this is probably the school district's final attempt to avoid campus closures.
Measure Z ($90 million Torrance bond measure to improve physical education and athletic facilities, as well as rebuild science labs and music and art classrooms): Yes, the bond would fund facilities that would benefit the entire community.
Measure BB ($67 million school bond measure to replace deteriorating academic facilities at
Manhattan Beach's Mira Costa High School): Yes, the bond would fund needed improvements without increasing current tax rates.
Measure CV ($98 million school bond measure to upgrade Centinela Valley high school campuses): No, a divided school board put this measure on the ballot. It's premature considering the district's financial problems and the Wiseburn School District's secession plans.
Measure DD (Initiative to subject certain land-use changes in Redondo Beach to popular votes): No, it threatens revitalization efforts and runs contrary to representative democracy.
Measure EE (Redondo City Council's alternative to Measure DD): Yes, it offers voters a say over rezoning involving open space, increased building heights in the coastal zone and specified residential changes.
Judicial
Office 72: Hilleri Grossman Merritt, a highly rated criminal trial prosecutor.
Office 82: Thomas Rubinson, a deputy district attorney serving on the Hardcore Gang Division, rated well-qualified by the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Office 84: Pat Connolly, a Long Beach gang prosecutor.
Office 94: Michael O'Gara, a criminal prosecutor rated well-qualified by the bar.
Office 154: Michael Jessic, a gang prosecutor noted also for his community work against gang violence, is rated well-qualified by the bar.
South Bay candidates
Second District Supervisor: Bernard Parks.
Water Replenishment District, Division 2: Robert Katherman.
Water Replenishment District, Division 5: Linda Unruh Fuentes.
West Basin Water District, Division 3:
Desi Alvarez.
West Basin Water District, Division 5:
Don Dear.
Gardena City Council special election:
Mina Semenza.
Beach Cities Health Care District Vanessa Poster, Marie Corr and Brian Parker.
11/01/2008
Semenza for council
From The Daily Breeze, October 28, 2008
Gardena voters on Tuesday will choose from four well-matched candidates to fill the seat of Oscar Medrano, the former city councilman who was found guilty of child molestation earlier this year.
All four have qualifications and backgrounds that make for a difficult choice. Tasha Cerda, president of the Hollypark Homeowners Association, has worked as a community activist on a number of issues affecting the city, including a campaign against a jet-fuel pipeline.
Shannon Lawrence is a city planning commissioner and a policy analyst in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office. And Dan Medina, spokesman for Normandie Casino, has a long list of community experience with service groups.
Our nod, however, goes to Mina Semenza. She stresses her independence and her ability to work constructively with other council members. A 44-year resident of the city, Semenza has worked for a Fortune 500 company and owned her own business. She is currently president of the YWCA of Gardena Valley and is a former Planning Commission member.
In her campaign, she emphasizes the need for revitalization, especially along blighted parts of Rosecrans Avenue, and making pro-active efforts to bring popular stores and restaurants to the city. Her record in business and nonprofit groups should provide a balanced view on how the city should move forward.
The city's current leadership has finalized a workable repayment plan for a $26million municipal debt stemming from the failures of a city-owned insurance company and the first-time homebuyers program. The city is now moving ahead on infrastructure improvements.
We think Mina Semenza, who is running a traditional grass-roots campaign, would keep the city on track.
She has our endorsement.
Gardena voters on Tuesday will choose from four well-matched candidates to fill the seat of Oscar Medrano, the former city councilman who was found guilty of child molestation earlier this year.
All four have qualifications and backgrounds that make for a difficult choice. Tasha Cerda, president of the Hollypark Homeowners Association, has worked as a community activist on a number of issues affecting the city, including a campaign against a jet-fuel pipeline.
Shannon Lawrence is a city planning commissioner and a policy analyst in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office. And Dan Medina, spokesman for Normandie Casino, has a long list of community experience with service groups.
Our nod, however, goes to Mina Semenza. She stresses her independence and her ability to work constructively with other council members. A 44-year resident of the city, Semenza has worked for a Fortune 500 company and owned her own business. She is currently president of the YWCA of Gardena Valley and is a former Planning Commission member.
In her campaign, she emphasizes the need for revitalization, especially along blighted parts of Rosecrans Avenue, and making pro-active efforts to bring popular stores and restaurants to the city. Her record in business and nonprofit groups should provide a balanced view on how the city should move forward.
The city's current leadership has finalized a workable repayment plan for a $26million municipal debt stemming from the failures of a city-owned insurance company and the first-time homebuyers program. The city is now moving ahead on infrastructure improvements.
We think Mina Semenza, who is running a traditional grass-roots campaign, would keep the city on track.
She has our endorsement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
This work is licensed under a
