Our Mission is to fight resident apathy one resident at a time. Our brand of satire is delivered through the CotoLady political strip and Community Journalism, (view Nieman Watchdog for details) covering South Orange County, the Canyons & Environs. ?The best satire does not seek to harm or damage by its ridicule, unless we speak of damage structure of vice, but rather seek to create a shock of recognition and to make vice repulsive so that the vice will be expunged from the person or society under attack or from the person or society intended to benefit from the attack (regardless of who is the immediate object of attack); whenever possible this shock of recognition is to be conveyed through laughter or wit: The formula of satire is one of honey and medicine. Far from being simply destructive, satire is implicitly constructive? (Harris, 1990)
Contents:
The Mirror on the Wall and Betsy the Cow Syndrome
"MANY of us send our children to study, with dreams that they come back with topnotch degrees. And the good news is: Most of them do.
The bad news, however, is that that's not the only thing that they return with. They often come back with values that we find difficult to accept, views that we consider hard to swallow and a culture that we deem, at best, alien." Reads an op-ed piece published today, inviting parents to be held accountable for their child's actions.
Speak Up (Radio) or Shut Up!
It is fair to say that people can be categorized into three groups – those who make things happen, those who see what happens and those who ask” “what happened”!A chance for you to determine which category you rightly belong to is her
OCSD’s Anti-Social Host Campaign
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the AVOID the 10 campaign today announced it will join other police agencies throughout the country in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving this August 15,- September 1. Nationally, more than $50 million will be spent on this year’s crackdown, known by its tagline: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest
Law Enforcement Intelligence Paradox
In the words of former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani from his speech at DMD New York in June 2002 when asked by an audience member how he got crime under control, he replied " ...the city set up the right tracking metrics and benchmarks.....If you can't measure it, you can't manage it; and you can't manage it if you are not measuring it." Like Rudy, we are firm believers in that old management adage anent public safety. Hence we have been developing public safety management tools for the past several years - the OCSD Blogger is not an example of such management tools, as there is no pattern recognition or slice and dice features.
Laguna Woods Village - Having Fun in Paradise?
In a recent letter to the editor, community activist (some may call him a disgruntled homeowner), Mike Curtis raises questions about the community's property management company's motives in obtaining a general building contractors license, and asserts that "Professional Community Management, Inc. is a corporation formed exclusively for the management of our home owners associations. Our management agreements specify this, and further that our General Manager is not supposed to be doing other business activities - particularly within our community and using our resources (remember, we own everything - office space, all equipment, telephones, files - we own it all)"
California Lawmakers Don't Speak CID- Zilch, Nada!
California Lawmakers Don't Speak CID - Common Interest Development, that is.
The Orange County board of supervisors want to pull a "Russian Georgia": The BOS and LAFCO want to obliterate unincorporated communities such as the three unincorporated sections that make up Midway City, Ladera Ranch and Coto de Caza. Midway City has been fighting the move for more than 50-years to remain independent.
LWV Double the Trouble, Double the Fun?
We have asked Professional Community Management, Inc. representatives to comment on the questions asked my Mr.Curtis, but have yet to hear from them. Meanwhile, Mr. Grundke has rhetorical questions of his own:
When Fees Get Out of Control
QUESTION: I paid $139,000 for my Desert Hot Springs condominium in 2005, but according to the Riverside County tax assessor's office, it's now valued at only $100,000. My mortgage balance is $109,000. I pay two homeowner association dues monthly, $350 to a master and $200 to the sub-association. My mortgage payment is $1,150 a month, and so far this year more than $650 has been levied in special assessments by the board. There is a glut of empty condos where I live, and I'm finding it exceedingly difficult to make all these payments. Rather than be stuck with an unsalable condo and two homeowner association dues, can I negotiate a lower monthly payment with the board and the bank? The majority of owners cannot afford all the association fees. Is there a way to get the board to stop levying special assessments and cut the association dues in half?
LWV Double the Profit, Double the Fun?
Michael Curtis asks the question, as Professional Community Management, Inc. is apparently acting as a Property Management Company (PCM) and as a Building Contractor - we have sent a copy of Mr. Curtis' letter to Professional Community Management representatives for comment
Truancy and Gangs in Menifee—Connect the dots
Part VI of four part program: www.blogtalkradio.com/menifeevalleyradioOriginally this was going to be a two part program. District Attorneys Gerry Lopez and Raquel Marquez were so abundant with vital information on the topics of truancy and gangs we decided to extend the program two more times. This Sunday District attorney Raquel Marquez will focus her talk on truancy. We are proud to feature District Attorney Raquel Marquez who will be discussing truancy and the ramifications that go with it.
The CotoBuzz Journal August 2008 - Public Safety in Coto de Caza
What Coto de Caza is Doing for Public Safety- We are currently following up on various traffic incidents registered in Coto de Caza during July and have asked the CHP to confirm the investigations are still open in the cases listed below
Free Concert Hour at Saddleback College
The Music Department at Saddleback College presents Concert Hour, a variety of individual and ensemble performances on Thursdays from Noon to 1 p.m. in Fine Arts Room 101. Admission is free.
What Coto de Caza is Doing for Public Safety
We are currently following up on various traffic incidents registered in Coto de Caza during July and have asked the CHP to confirm the investigations are still open in the cases listed below
All's well that ends well - OC is Not Stand and Deliver County
Stand and Deliver, starring James Edward Olmos is based on a true story set in East LA in an environment that values a quick fix over education and learning. Jaime A. Escalante is a new teacher at James A. Garfield High School in Los Angeles County, California determined to buck the system, Escalante challenges his students to a higher level of achievement.
California Association of Realtors: Pick a Lane!
Assembly Bill 2259 is a farce, a contradiction in both terms and alliances.
Yes, it's no secret! I've written my share of letters to the legislature and to the California Association of Realtors (CAR) explaining problems with their sponsorship and introduction of assorted legislation pertaining to deed-restricted residential common interest developments, e.g., condominiums, co-ops, timeshares, and so on. As expected, I'm ignored with equal silence.
Meniffe's 55+ Not a Very Good Year(s)
Open letter to Mr. Tom Thurman, President of SCCA“Therese Daniels' statements, as quoted, on menifee247.com June 13,2008 are untrue.”- Tom Thurman My statements are quite true. If you can prove other wise, I will then and only then take back my words and apologize.
LWV Open Board Meetings Memo
We received a follow up letter, posted below, to a GRF resolution outlining rules of engagement for open board meetings (click here for copy) scheduled for approved today. We asked Ms. Donie Vantizian, co-author of the long-standing Los Angeles Times column "Associations" to comment on the merits of such letter, and have included her response under Comments below.
CSI - OC Part Two- Significance of OC Sheriff-Coroner ASCLD/LAB Accreditation - Part Two
Congratulation to the OCSD Forensics lab for having achieved a significant milestone in the history of public sector laboratory history. The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner laboratory is the first local government, full-service laboratory in California to be accredited in the ASCLD/LAB-International program, according to ASCLD/LAB-International program manager John Neuner
Shush! - Do not tell anyone! - It's the Context Stupid
U.S. toll in Iraq hits 4000 as four soldiers killed, reads a Mar 24, 2008 Reuters report originating in Bagdhad - " Four US soldiers were blown up in Baghdad, pushing the US military death toll in Iraq to 4000". CNN picks up the story with a similar headline: Blast kills 4, raising U.S. toll in Iraq to 4000 - CNN.com "Four US soldiers died in a roadside bombing in Iraq on Sunday, military officials reported, bringing the American toll in the 5-year-old war ", and so does the LA times with "US toll in Iraq reaches 4,000"
Of cats, dogs, women and the Vice Squad
Prince Sattam, acting governor of Riyadh province, issued a decision prohibiting the sale and escorting of cats and dogs in Riyadh in line with a fatwa issued by the Council of Senior Scholars, according to Arab News. In the same same journal, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, head of the commission in Makkah province is quoted as saying that it is ".. prohibited to keep a dog inside home. A dog can be owned for purposes of hunting, police duties, guarding houses and property, and by farmers for herding cattle and sheep." The journal concludes citing Saudi columnist Abeer Mishkhas:
New OC Reality TV - Celebrity Cheating - Redux
Apparently Orange County Superior Court Judge Jamoa Moberly did not read the Celebrity Cheating Reality TV script, as she ruled against Trabuco HS Students yesterday and ordered that "testing should go forward. It's in the best interest of
Orange Sup, Orange Squeeze
By now you've heard the bad news: California is confronting a budget hole of historic proportions, one that will require billions of dollars in spending cuts, increases in fees and perhaps even higher taxes - No, this is not referring to the state of affairs in California as of July 2008, but to what then Gov. Gray Davis and the California Legislature were faced with in December 2002.
The Dark Side Of Dreamland
Case Against Former Sheriff Reveals Underside of Orange County Politics
By Karl VickWashington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 27, 2008; Page A03
SANTA ANA, Calif. -- In his glory, Michael S. Carona appeared to personify the righteous virtue of Orange County, the famously conservative bastion that three times elected him sheriff.
"Don't sleep. Don't eat. Because we're coming after you," Carona famously warned the killer of Samantha Runnion, the 5-year-old whose 2002 kidnapping cast him as "America's sheriff," in the phrase of Larry King. Lantern-jawed and charismatic, Carona worshiped at the Crystal Cathedral, wept manfully when appropriate and met with Karl Rove to discuss a political future that appeared nothing but bright
Resident Survey Has Little Value- Laguna Woods Village
An open letter sent to the Laguna Woods Village HOA board president asserts that “ in my opinion, the survey has many flaws and the results will have little statistical value.”The letter goes on to ask pertinent questions, such as
Who designed the survey?How do you assure randomization?
How do you make sure it is statistically valid?
Trouble in Paradise - Laguna Woods Village
Candidates vying for one of three slots in the Laguna Woods City Council, to be filled in the general election scheduled for November 4, 2008, were to speak before the Save Open Spaces (SOS) meeting earlier today: Incumbents Brenda Ross and Milton Robbins (former GRF president), Marilynn Sartino, Arlene Sontag, Ronald Beldner, Jim Kane, , Robert Tucker. Martin Rhodes was a no-show and Margo Bouer, and Mark Stein were not slated to appear. George Portlock dropped out of the 3rd mutual director election, citing health issues.
GRF Rules of Engagement Good For Folsom?
First, does this new "SHUT UP!" Rule (click here for copy of GRF resolution dealing with rules of engagement) ) apply only to the Folsom Prison inmates at Leisure World or does it apply also to the residents?
GRF Rules of Engagement Innovation, or Self-preservation?
Have you all lost all your senses?
If you would pay attention ((click here for copy of GRF resolution dealing with rules of engagement) ) to what the residents are telling you, you wouldn't have to be so scared and try to impose illegal sanctions against the people who are paying the bills. The residents would not be angry.
GRF Rules of Engagement Restrict Resident Participation
The GRF resolution (click here for copy) about to be finally approved at the next GRF Board meeting - Tuesday after next (August 5th), is an effort to greatly restrict resident participation in their meetings. Click here for additional information
Auditing Chief Scott's OCSD's Audit
When we asked Sheriff Hutchens for a copy of the 100-Day plan she would use to get the ball rolling at the OCSD, we got a not so SMART "120-Day Plan", which we characterize at best as "a plan-for-the-plan".
Serendipity and OC Sheriff Paul Morabito
We have been critical of the process used by the Orange County Board of Supervisors (BOS) to select a sheriff to replace embattled Sheriff Michael Carona, mostly because we think that the BOS had an Obama Moment - a once in a life time opportunity to change the landscape of public safety in the county- on their hands, and they did not take advantage of it. Instead, the BOS followed the road most traveled to select Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. It is not the candidate - it is the process used!
New Golden Rain Foundation Rules of Engagement
On the heels of the Golden Rain Foundation’s (of Seal Beach) decision to appeal the recent Court of Appeals decision, on a financial transparency lawsuit, to the state Supreme Court, the embattled GRF HOA board of directors recently decided to enact rules of engagement for open board meetings to “protect its director members and staff and managing agent from verbal personal attacks in a public forum”.
$2 million Verdict Returned Against Homeowners Association
Conduct constituted malice, oppression, or fraud and committed by one or more officers, directors or managing agents of the HOA - Presiding Juror
Earlier this week a jury in a case filed in Superior Court of California Riverside, a jury ruled in favor of residents Richard and Leslie Fredericks r and returned a verdict of $1.6 million in damages and $400 thousand in punitive damages against Santa Rosa Cove Homeowners Association
Urop Us, Oh Bum Us, Or Petraeus?
The satirical piece we titled Senator Obama and the Beanstalk was not well received by a McCain supporter because apparently we went too far with the satire and predicted we would “not win any arguments employing such rhetoric"
Chat with Coto de Caza (CZ) Enforcement Coordinator
Resident: Does the association have any regulations regarding the use of motorized vehicles by teens in general and specifically the use of motorized skateboards, such as the ones in the photos below? If so, what are these?
Sheriff Hutchens - The Transformator
Sheriff Hutchens has billed herself as a transformation agent – she is indeed keeping her word! Earlier today, she announced her new command staff represented by:
Undersheriff John S
GRF 2009 Budget Review, Be There or Be Out of Luck!
Letter from LWV resident M. Curtis inviting concerned residents:
Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 22) at 9AM, in the Community Center Board Room, GRF will have a Special Corporate (all boards) meeting to review next year's budget. See the schedule below.
CZ – The Coto de Caza Giving Tree That Keeps on Giving
In communities such as Laguna Woods Villa, high maintenance common areas are funded on a “pay for use”, rather than placing the burden on homeowners who elect not to use the facilities, such as the golf course, for instance.
The Contextual President - Senator Obama
Senator Obama has rebuked critics who claim that after 30 years of association with extremist, anti-American pastor, Chicago-based Trinity United Church of Christ, Reverend Wright now widely recognized as the G-D America pastor, surely he must share the G-D America pastor's views, or at least sympathize with them.
The CA Teachers Assoc. Responsible Budget Solution Paradox
Early this month, the California Teachers Association (CTA) launched a new statewide ad campaign calling on lawmakers to put aside partisan politics and give Californians a "real responsible budget solution" - The California Teachers Association posits that a "responsible budget solution" is to Tax to Teach
Senator Obama and the Beanstalk
A version of Jack and the Beanstalk, an old child's fairy tale features Jack, a lazy kid who disobeys his extremely poor and widowed mother. They are so poor that they sell all the furniture of a little cottage to buy bread, until at last there was nothing left worth selling. Only a good cow, Milky White, remained, and she gave milk every morning, which they took to market and sold. But one sad day Milky White gave no milk, and then things looked bad indeed.
A view of Senator Obama Using a Disgruntled Homeowner Prism
During a recent blogging exchange with Assemblyman Todd Spitzer , he referred to a particular constituent as a disgruntled member of a homeowners association. Now, we have heard the term disgruntled employee regularly in employer-employee spats and usually in whistle blowing scenarios. We have also hear the term disgruntled resident in the context of an argument between representatives of a homeowners’ association and the resident itself. Never from a politician to characterize a constituent.
Coto de Caza Stabbing Incident Update
Coto de Caza - An 18th birthday celebration in Coto de Caza over the past weekend, where allegedly spirits were flowing freely and party-goers ranged in age from 18 to late 20s and the homeowner was there at the time, eventually turned into a stabbing incident, where a 25-year-old party guest had to be taken to the hospital with several stab wounds
Sheriff Hutchens Hires Chief Scott for Strategy Work
Retired Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Chief John L. Scott has been hired as a consultant by the county to work with Sheriff Sandra Hutchens in her assessment of Department operations. He will focus first on the Department's jail system, with five jails and an average daily population of 6,500.
