Election 2007: Pick your horse
Another day, another election forum in Riverside as the first election date approaches. Several days ago, candidates running for election in Ward five met in a forum to discuss the issues and their political platforms at an event sponsored by the Arlington Business Partnership, according to the Press Enterprise.
Ward five candidates talk issues
Over 60 people appeared to watch as candidates Harry Karuni, Donna Doty Michalka and Chris MacArthur raised issues and fielded questions about development, traffic and other matters.
In a bizarre development, two of the candidates criticized the actions which led to the creation of the organization which sponsored the forum. And even more interesting, Karuni its sole defender was instrumental to the existence of the Arlington Business Partnership, which kind of indicates that this particular "forum" was in actuality a stacked deck.
But he's better off than poor MacArthur who has been referred to in news articles both as a he and as a she. So which is it? Well, apparently MacArthur's got the blessing of the current councilman, Ed Adkison which means it's most likely that he's not a woman. What used to be GASS before Betro came along, wasn't a club that appeared to invite women to be members.
(excerpt)
On traffic and street improvements, MacArthur said he believes developers must pay their fair share and put in streets, curbs and sidewalks when they build projects, to help avoid worsening traffic congestion.
Widening roads is not enough to reduce traffic congestion, Michalka said.
The city needs to change its proposed general plan to scale back its emphasis on attracting more high-density housing and focus instead on putting in high-quality office space, shopping and entertainment venues that would attract good jobs to Riverside -- so people have much shorter commutes, she said.
Kurani underscored his involvement in bringing to fruition the project to widen Van Buren Boulevard from two to three lanes in either direction between Andrew and Garfield streets. If elected, he would work to extend the widening all the way to the Santa Ana River, he said.
Another round of political endorsements are out. This time from the Riverside Police Officers' Association's political action committee and its selections are the current talk of the town. That committee has apparently chosen to endorse the following candidates.
Ward one: Dom Betro
Ward three: Art Gage
Ward five: Donna Doty Michalka
Ward seven: Roy Saldanha
None of the choices are that surprising except perhaps the last one. Only four years ago, the RPOA had personally picked out current incumbent, Steve Adams to run for the ward seven seat, even though at the time he didn't even live in the ward. This union put at least $13,000 into his campaign coffer and dispatched its members to go door to door campaigning for Adams.
But it's been a tough four years for Adams, a retired RPD officer, and he's gone from a staunch member of the GASS quartet to failing to obtain the Republican nomination for the state assembly to watching as on Feb. 27, many of the police officers who filled the chambers to protest the "at will" employee controversy applauded the speeches of his critics. Saldanha, one of his most vocal critics came to a city council meeting and castigated Adams for a newsletter he had circulated lauding his accomplishments which was paid for by city funds. He said it might not be illegal but it was unethical and besides, he would leave it up to the city attorney's office(fat chance) and the Riverside County District Attorney's(even fatter chance) office to issue a ruling on the legality.
Adams likely will not be reelected this time around and perhaps his once solid backers realize that and are moving on.
But someone said that the reason that the RPOA didn't endorse him was that some of its leadership believed that his style and his language were too vulgar for its members who are devout Christians. And yes, he often did throw around his authority as a bully club when serving as mayor pro tem, even calling on police officers to "escort" an elderly woman away from the podium in 2006.
If the explanation provided is true, it might seem like a strange reason not to endorse a candidate for some, but how an elected official conducts his or herself is very important and it should be. If their demeanor makes you uncomfortable, then you probably shouldn't endorse them. But given how much the majority of the police department's officers dislike the current city council, one wonders how they'll react knowing that two of the incumbents are on the endorsement list.
It makes a lot of sense to support two candidates who are trying to cancel each other out of the mayor's race--not. But the latest is that Mayor Ron Loveridge will be running again next year for yet another term. Why? Well, it turns out that what Loveridge wants more than to be mayor is to be head of that quasi-organization, the League of California Cities. In order to qualify, he has to be well, in the same job he's had since 1994.
But there are potential clouds on the horizon because even though for now, other city council members have put their political aspirations aside, that doesn't mean they won't endorse someone who will take Loveridge on in the political arena. After all, Betro, Adams, Frank Schiavone and Ed Adkison, the BASS quartet, have been upset with the mayor lately for allowing public comment to take place at city council meetings, albeit at the end of the meetings instead of where it's actually scheduled on the agenda. It seems that BASS would be much happier being allowed to eject people who criticize it and have them arrested as it has tried to do.
And it's not known for sure if it really was Loveridge and City Manager Brad Hudson who were heard having a loud argument by the Mission Inn not too long ago as has been reported and if so, what that was all about. Hudson is heavily backed by the current city council. People have said that the only thing he has to be able to do is count to four, but he's made it all the way to seven. But does the mayor support him as much as the city council?
Its choice of Betro is, some speculate, a means to try and keep a voting majority on the city council.
What's ironic is that only four months ago, Betro appeared specifically at a meeting of the Group and implored people there to come to city council to speak out against the RPOA an what he called its decision to sue the CPRC. What a difference several months make when you're running for office. Politics indeed makes strange bed fellows particularly here in Riverside.
As for his vote, they probably won't have it when it counts, as long as there's a conflict between building on the city's infrastructure including law enforcement and funding the Riverside Renaissance which hasn't left much room for funding the city's public services. Who knows if this rendition of Betro as point man for Riverside development firms will last any longer than the version of Betro that was rooted in grass-roots campaigns. Many of those outside the downtown area who worked on his first political campaign felt sucker punched by the time his midterm rolled around.
What's also ironic is that the Betro camp is having meetings warning its workers about something called the "Letitia Pepper" effect, which has little to do with her actually and more to do with the issue she's come to represent, which is eminent domain in the city of Riverside. I guess that's Betro's way of realizing that he and his supporters have to be careful how they address that thorny issue in his campaign. That clue and a buck might just buy them a cup of coffee though not at the Starbucks which are popping up all over the city.
A letter writer in today's Press Enterprise took Betro to task over the Fox theater, comparing it to the Wiltern theater in Los Angeles and not in a flattering way.
Speaking of elections, the CPRC finally has a chair through default and it's Brian Pearcy.
Last month, Pearcy had been elected to serve as the commission's vice-chair 5 to 3, over Jack Brewer. The election for chair had resulted in a 4-4 tie, between Les Davidson and Jim Ward, which couldn't be broken when newer commissioner, Steve Simpson refused to cast a vote.
The stalemate finally broke yesterday, when it was announced that Davidson had resigned from the commission possibly due to having moved outside the city limits. In order to serve on a city board or commission, you must be a resident of the city who's a registered voter. His departure means that his replacement will have to be a resident living in the fourth ward who is appointed by the mayor within 90 days. However, Loveridge typically allows the councilman representing the ward to make that decision for him when filling ward-specific spots.
It's not clear why Davidson ran for election when he knew that he was going to be resigning from the commission. Some people believed it was to clear the way for Pearcy to chair the commission. Most people are a couple chapters behind in the play guide to what's going on with the CPRC and how the city manager's machinations involving its operations reflect his pretty dim view of the police department.
The commission currently being micromanaged by Hudson's office has finally elected its chair after two months of wrangling by commissioners, Interim CPRC Manager Mario Lara and his bosses sitting in the city manager's office.
The Los Angeles Police Department's policy involving immigration is under attack by two organizations from outside the state including one based in Washington, D.C, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.
LAPD immigration policy challenged
Both the Judicial Watch and Federal Immigration Reform Enforcement Coalition have launched either litigation or protests against Special Order 40 which is a "don't ask, don't tell" policy involving undocumented immigrants.
(excerpt)
The city is already gearing up for a trial over a Special Order 40 challenge that has been filed by another anti-illegal immigration group, the Washington, D.C.-based Judicial Watch. That group argues that the order is unconstitutional.
In both cases, plaintiffs said, they are supported by rank-and-file police officers who don't like the policy but are afraid to speak out publicly because Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton are vocal proponents of it.
Some officers are calling on the Los Angeles police union board of directors to consider, for the first time, taking a formal position on Special Order 40. The board plans to discuss the issue soon."We have heard there is concern among the members," said Bob Baker, president of the Police Protective League, on Tuesday.
I imagine that undocumented immigrants especially those who are brown, not White may be concerned as well, as are those who could be mistaken for being undocumented simply due to the color of their skin.
Even though the policy change would appear narrow in scope, it would have a chilling effect on populations of people who probably won't be as willing to report criminal conduct including violent crimes if they think they might be targeted for deportation. It's only narrow in scope now because those organizations that push it have a much larger agenda than this one.
Kind of like the reports floating around of undocumented immigrants in Riverside who are assaulted and harassed by White Supremacist "groups" and are afraid to report that.
That concern was expressed in Los Angeles, by LAPD Chief William Bratton and city officials, as well as those who supported the special order.
(excerpt)
Southern California immigrant-rights activists bristle at the thought that many Special Order 40 opponents, though living outside Los Angeles, seek to dictate how the city treats its immigrants. They are concerned that other cities are moving away from similar protective orders.
"It's a very slippery slope," said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles. "We have always known with the LAPD there is disagreement on the issue. The leadership supports Special Order [40] but a minority of officers, a very vocal minority, want to enforce immigration laws and they want to expand their ability to do that."
One thing that police departments, police chiefs and police officers do in every city including Riverside is encourage the residents to be their eyes and ears in the community, to report criminal conduct and to cooperate with police officers and the system, even by testifying in court. But when they said that they were only speaking to certain groups of people and this latest attempt to police those who may be their eyes and ears just shows that.
In Los Angeles, another investigation has been launched into patient dumping at Skid Row, this time one involving a Downey hospital which left a 70-year-old male patient at the Los Angeles Mission. The hospital, Downey Regional Medical Center denied it, saying that it was simply discharging a patient, according to the Los Angeles Times.
(excerpt)
Authorities have launched investigations into more than 50 other suspected cases of patient-dumping on skid row. Capt. Andy Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department said that, according to an officer who witnessed Wednesday's incident, Davis was "barely able to walk" when he was dropped off about 12:30 p.m.
Smith said Davis was clad in hospital pants, a white T-shirt and a jacket.According to Smith, Davis was carrying hospital discharge papers stating, "L.A. Mission by taxi" and on the line for a patient's signature, it indicated, "refused to sign."
Smith and mission officials said that the East 5th Street mission was contacted by someone calling on behalf of an unidentified hospital, saying that the medical center had a man in his 70s who was ambulatory and needed a bed.The caller, Smith said, was told that if the man arrived at the shelter and was ambulatory, he could be accommodated. But, Smith said, Davis "wasn't in a fit condition to walk or move. That telephone call doesn't amount to a discharge plan" meeting legal requirements.
"He doesn't live on skid row. He's never been here," Smith said.
The city attorney's office in Los Angeles has launched investigations and filed charges in several other patient dumping cases that have occurred in the past several years.
An Iranian-American woman has sued the California Highway Patrol, alleging that they violated her civil rights during a traffic stop.
Zahra Sedaghatpour, 38, of Fremont did what a lot of motorists do, which was to ask the officer, in her case Jon Schatmeier, not to give her a ticket for speeding. What she alleged came next was probably not the response she was expecting.
In her law suit, she said that he had told her to "shut up" and refused to give her a business card. Then he started making comments that attacked her ethnic background.
(excerpt)
When the officer asked her to sign the citation, Sedaghatpour asked whether she could read it before she signed it. The officer then yelled, "I don't have time for you foreigners to sit in your Mercedes. You think you own the road! You think you own the country," according to the suit.
The situation worsened as Schatmeier allegedly pulled her out of the vehicle at one point and when she told him she would sign the citation, he told her it was too late for that and arrested her.
(excerpt)
Schatmeier told her, "Today is Sept. 12. Do you remember Sept. 11? Do you know what happened on Sept. 11? It's people like you who killed all of our people. This is our country! Why don't you go back to your country?" according to the suit.
When his supervisor showed up, he ordered the officer to release the woman.
Ward five candidates talk issues
Over 60 people appeared to watch as candidates Harry Karuni, Donna Doty Michalka and Chris MacArthur raised issues and fielded questions about development, traffic and other matters.
In a bizarre development, two of the candidates criticized the actions which led to the creation of the organization which sponsored the forum. And even more interesting, Karuni its sole defender was instrumental to the existence of the Arlington Business Partnership, which kind of indicates that this particular "forum" was in actuality a stacked deck.
But he's better off than poor MacArthur who has been referred to in news articles both as a he and as a she. So which is it? Well, apparently MacArthur's got the blessing of the current councilman, Ed Adkison which means it's most likely that he's not a woman. What used to be GASS before Betro came along, wasn't a club that appeared to invite women to be members.
(excerpt)
On traffic and street improvements, MacArthur said he believes developers must pay their fair share and put in streets, curbs and sidewalks when they build projects, to help avoid worsening traffic congestion.
Widening roads is not enough to reduce traffic congestion, Michalka said.
The city needs to change its proposed general plan to scale back its emphasis on attracting more high-density housing and focus instead on putting in high-quality office space, shopping and entertainment venues that would attract good jobs to Riverside -- so people have much shorter commutes, she said.
Kurani underscored his involvement in bringing to fruition the project to widen Van Buren Boulevard from two to three lanes in either direction between Andrew and Garfield streets. If elected, he would work to extend the widening all the way to the Santa Ana River, he said.
Another round of political endorsements are out. This time from the Riverside Police Officers' Association's political action committee and its selections are the current talk of the town. That committee has apparently chosen to endorse the following candidates.
Ward one: Dom Betro
Ward three: Art Gage
Ward five: Donna Doty Michalka
Ward seven: Roy Saldanha
None of the choices are that surprising except perhaps the last one. Only four years ago, the RPOA had personally picked out current incumbent, Steve Adams to run for the ward seven seat, even though at the time he didn't even live in the ward. This union put at least $13,000 into his campaign coffer and dispatched its members to go door to door campaigning for Adams.
But it's been a tough four years for Adams, a retired RPD officer, and he's gone from a staunch member of the GASS quartet to failing to obtain the Republican nomination for the state assembly to watching as on Feb. 27, many of the police officers who filled the chambers to protest the "at will" employee controversy applauded the speeches of his critics. Saldanha, one of his most vocal critics came to a city council meeting and castigated Adams for a newsletter he had circulated lauding his accomplishments which was paid for by city funds. He said it might not be illegal but it was unethical and besides, he would leave it up to the city attorney's office(fat chance) and the Riverside County District Attorney's(even fatter chance) office to issue a ruling on the legality.
Adams likely will not be reelected this time around and perhaps his once solid backers realize that and are moving on.
But someone said that the reason that the RPOA didn't endorse him was that some of its leadership believed that his style and his language were too vulgar for its members who are devout Christians. And yes, he often did throw around his authority as a bully club when serving as mayor pro tem, even calling on police officers to "escort" an elderly woman away from the podium in 2006.
If the explanation provided is true, it might seem like a strange reason not to endorse a candidate for some, but how an elected official conducts his or herself is very important and it should be. If their demeanor makes you uncomfortable, then you probably shouldn't endorse them. But given how much the majority of the police department's officers dislike the current city council, one wonders how they'll react knowing that two of the incumbents are on the endorsement list.
It makes a lot of sense to support two candidates who are trying to cancel each other out of the mayor's race--not. But the latest is that Mayor Ron Loveridge will be running again next year for yet another term. Why? Well, it turns out that what Loveridge wants more than to be mayor is to be head of that quasi-organization, the League of California Cities. In order to qualify, he has to be well, in the same job he's had since 1994.
But there are potential clouds on the horizon because even though for now, other city council members have put their political aspirations aside, that doesn't mean they won't endorse someone who will take Loveridge on in the political arena. After all, Betro, Adams, Frank Schiavone and Ed Adkison, the BASS quartet, have been upset with the mayor lately for allowing public comment to take place at city council meetings, albeit at the end of the meetings instead of where it's actually scheduled on the agenda. It seems that BASS would be much happier being allowed to eject people who criticize it and have them arrested as it has tried to do.
And it's not known for sure if it really was Loveridge and City Manager Brad Hudson who were heard having a loud argument by the Mission Inn not too long ago as has been reported and if so, what that was all about. Hudson is heavily backed by the current city council. People have said that the only thing he has to be able to do is count to four, but he's made it all the way to seven. But does the mayor support him as much as the city council?
Its choice of Betro is, some speculate, a means to try and keep a voting majority on the city council.
What's ironic is that only four months ago, Betro appeared specifically at a meeting of the Group and implored people there to come to city council to speak out against the RPOA an what he called its decision to sue the CPRC. What a difference several months make when you're running for office. Politics indeed makes strange bed fellows particularly here in Riverside.
As for his vote, they probably won't have it when it counts, as long as there's a conflict between building on the city's infrastructure including law enforcement and funding the Riverside Renaissance which hasn't left much room for funding the city's public services. Who knows if this rendition of Betro as point man for Riverside development firms will last any longer than the version of Betro that was rooted in grass-roots campaigns. Many of those outside the downtown area who worked on his first political campaign felt sucker punched by the time his midterm rolled around.
What's also ironic is that the Betro camp is having meetings warning its workers about something called the "Letitia Pepper" effect, which has little to do with her actually and more to do with the issue she's come to represent, which is eminent domain in the city of Riverside. I guess that's Betro's way of realizing that he and his supporters have to be careful how they address that thorny issue in his campaign. That clue and a buck might just buy them a cup of coffee though not at the Starbucks which are popping up all over the city.
A letter writer in today's Press Enterprise took Betro to task over the Fox theater, comparing it to the Wiltern theater in Los Angeles and not in a flattering way.
Speaking of elections, the CPRC finally has a chair through default and it's Brian Pearcy.
Last month, Pearcy had been elected to serve as the commission's vice-chair 5 to 3, over Jack Brewer. The election for chair had resulted in a 4-4 tie, between Les Davidson and Jim Ward, which couldn't be broken when newer commissioner, Steve Simpson refused to cast a vote.
The stalemate finally broke yesterday, when it was announced that Davidson had resigned from the commission possibly due to having moved outside the city limits. In order to serve on a city board or commission, you must be a resident of the city who's a registered voter. His departure means that his replacement will have to be a resident living in the fourth ward who is appointed by the mayor within 90 days. However, Loveridge typically allows the councilman representing the ward to make that decision for him when filling ward-specific spots.
It's not clear why Davidson ran for election when he knew that he was going to be resigning from the commission. Some people believed it was to clear the way for Pearcy to chair the commission. Most people are a couple chapters behind in the play guide to what's going on with the CPRC and how the city manager's machinations involving its operations reflect his pretty dim view of the police department.
The commission currently being micromanaged by Hudson's office has finally elected its chair after two months of wrangling by commissioners, Interim CPRC Manager Mario Lara and his bosses sitting in the city manager's office.
The Los Angeles Police Department's policy involving immigration is under attack by two organizations from outside the state including one based in Washington, D.C, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.
LAPD immigration policy challenged
Both the Judicial Watch and Federal Immigration Reform Enforcement Coalition have launched either litigation or protests against Special Order 40 which is a "don't ask, don't tell" policy involving undocumented immigrants.
(excerpt)
The city is already gearing up for a trial over a Special Order 40 challenge that has been filed by another anti-illegal immigration group, the Washington, D.C.-based Judicial Watch. That group argues that the order is unconstitutional.
In both cases, plaintiffs said, they are supported by rank-and-file police officers who don't like the policy but are afraid to speak out publicly because Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton are vocal proponents of it.
Some officers are calling on the Los Angeles police union board of directors to consider, for the first time, taking a formal position on Special Order 40. The board plans to discuss the issue soon."We have heard there is concern among the members," said Bob Baker, president of the Police Protective League, on Tuesday.
I imagine that undocumented immigrants especially those who are brown, not White may be concerned as well, as are those who could be mistaken for being undocumented simply due to the color of their skin.
Even though the policy change would appear narrow in scope, it would have a chilling effect on populations of people who probably won't be as willing to report criminal conduct including violent crimes if they think they might be targeted for deportation. It's only narrow in scope now because those organizations that push it have a much larger agenda than this one.
Kind of like the reports floating around of undocumented immigrants in Riverside who are assaulted and harassed by White Supremacist "groups" and are afraid to report that.
That concern was expressed in Los Angeles, by LAPD Chief William Bratton and city officials, as well as those who supported the special order.
(excerpt)
Southern California immigrant-rights activists bristle at the thought that many Special Order 40 opponents, though living outside Los Angeles, seek to dictate how the city treats its immigrants. They are concerned that other cities are moving away from similar protective orders.
"It's a very slippery slope," said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles. "We have always known with the LAPD there is disagreement on the issue. The leadership supports Special Order [40] but a minority of officers, a very vocal minority, want to enforce immigration laws and they want to expand their ability to do that."
One thing that police departments, police chiefs and police officers do in every city including Riverside is encourage the residents to be their eyes and ears in the community, to report criminal conduct and to cooperate with police officers and the system, even by testifying in court. But when they said that they were only speaking to certain groups of people and this latest attempt to police those who may be their eyes and ears just shows that.
In Los Angeles, another investigation has been launched into patient dumping at Skid Row, this time one involving a Downey hospital which left a 70-year-old male patient at the Los Angeles Mission. The hospital, Downey Regional Medical Center denied it, saying that it was simply discharging a patient, according to the Los Angeles Times.
(excerpt)
Authorities have launched investigations into more than 50 other suspected cases of patient-dumping on skid row. Capt. Andy Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department said that, according to an officer who witnessed Wednesday's incident, Davis was "barely able to walk" when he was dropped off about 12:30 p.m.
Smith said Davis was clad in hospital pants, a white T-shirt and a jacket.According to Smith, Davis was carrying hospital discharge papers stating, "L.A. Mission by taxi" and on the line for a patient's signature, it indicated, "refused to sign."
Smith and mission officials said that the East 5th Street mission was contacted by someone calling on behalf of an unidentified hospital, saying that the medical center had a man in his 70s who was ambulatory and needed a bed.The caller, Smith said, was told that if the man arrived at the shelter and was ambulatory, he could be accommodated. But, Smith said, Davis "wasn't in a fit condition to walk or move. That telephone call doesn't amount to a discharge plan" meeting legal requirements.
"He doesn't live on skid row. He's never been here," Smith said.
The city attorney's office in Los Angeles has launched investigations and filed charges in several other patient dumping cases that have occurred in the past several years.
An Iranian-American woman has sued the California Highway Patrol, alleging that they violated her civil rights during a traffic stop.
Zahra Sedaghatpour, 38, of Fremont did what a lot of motorists do, which was to ask the officer, in her case Jon Schatmeier, not to give her a ticket for speeding. What she alleged came next was probably not the response she was expecting.
In her law suit, she said that he had told her to "shut up" and refused to give her a business card. Then he started making comments that attacked her ethnic background.
(excerpt)
When the officer asked her to sign the citation, Sedaghatpour asked whether she could read it before she signed it. The officer then yelled, "I don't have time for you foreigners to sit in your Mercedes. You think you own the road! You think you own the country," according to the suit.
The situation worsened as Schatmeier allegedly pulled her out of the vehicle at one point and when she told him she would sign the citation, he told her it was too late for that and arrested her.
(excerpt)
Schatmeier told her, "Today is Sept. 12. Do you remember Sept. 11? Do you know what happened on Sept. 11? It's people like you who killed all of our people. This is our country! Why don't you go back to your country?" according to the suit.
When his supervisor showed up, he ordered the officer to release the woman.
Labels: City elections, CPRC vs the city, public forums in all places
posted by Five Before Midnight | 8:21 AM
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