Monday, March 7, 2011

That shitty crew we call the OC Board of Supervisors

Moorlach sure can pick 'em. Sitting with pals Phil "Shyster" Greer and Chriss "Fraudster" Street.
     Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach has a blog, you know. It’s called “John Moorlach’s Postings.”
     A few days ago, he blogged about the PA/PG—i.e., John Williams, former SOCCCD trustee and pie enthusiast.
     Moorlach wrote:
     There is a philosophy floating around certain political circles that once you’re voted into a countywide position, you don’t have to do much. You can enjoy traveling to conferences. You can spend time on the golf course. You can pontificate on the issues of the day. You can go to functions and be introduced. Just let staff run the department and enjoy the spoils of being elected.
     Naturally, our hero, Mr. Moorlach, opposes this philosophy.
     He’s describing Williams, of course.
     Are we supposed to be impressed? Edified?
Williams
     Now, despite Williams’ manifest mediocrity (just look at 'im; or listen to him speak a sentence, any sentence), back ten or so years ago, Moorlach jumped aboard the Williams bandwagon and promoted the ridiculous fellow.
     Why? Was it the way Williams wears piety and patriotism on his sleeve? His' boyish charm? His winning way with little old ladies?
     There were early signs of Williams’ incompetence and willingness to exploit the perks of his position. Moorlach did not notice. The evidence mounted.
     Eventually, seven years into the Williams regime, there were those two "scathing" Grand Jury reports. The Supes blew 'em off. (I recall a meeting I and three others had with new Supervisor Shawn "Gasbag" Nelson about Williams; Nelson scoffed when I mentioned the Grand Jury. He was visibly annoyed. Evidently, he was expressing the received view among Supervisors. "Don't even get me started with the
Grand Jury," he bellowed.)
     But some of us pressed the Williams issue. We wouldn't let it go. New facts came to light. Some were very serious. And there were troubling connections between Williams and other OC officials. Williams seemed to be part of that asshole network for pious-but-vicious-and-greedy Republicans that nearly everybody in this County seems to tolerate.
     The DA's girlfriend, eh? And Tom Fuentes arranging meetings with important people. And unaccountable over-reactions to ADA phone calls. What does it all mean?
     Oh my.
     After a while, the clever Mr. Moorlach started to get a freakin' clue. He seemed to be an inch ahead of the other Supes (though miles behind any one of Williams' critics).
     Moorlach ain’t much, that's for sure, but he’s probably the best of that shitty crew we call the OC Board of Supervisors.
     Good Lord. Good freakin' Lord.

1. Janet Nguyen  2. John Moorlach  3. Bill Campbell  4. Shawn "Gasbag" Nelson  5. Pat Bates

"most invisible elected powers escape real scrutiny"

     Up in Los Angeles, the most excellent blog LA Observed notices what we've known for years: the LA Times and other media do not cover college board politics.

excerpt:
The Times' usual practice with the college board has been to send an unlucky reporter who knows little to nothing about the issues or the candidates to spend a day or two on a pre-election roundup. This time that story ran March 2, and it mostly lists names and lets the incumbents say why they should be reelected. Once again, L.A.'s most invisible elected powers escape real scrutiny. And like with Bell, which Times editors decided years ago to stop covering, people are shocked to discover that once the media looks away there are problems.
     They discuss this in the wake of the Times' six-part series on the fiasco of the college district 5.7 billion construction program — and in the context of tomorrow's election.
     To read the LA Observed blog post in its entirety, click here.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...