This Williams-Spitzer thing is loosing tongues!

     Wow. The news about Williams, Rackauckas, and Spitzer (and Rackauckas’ girlfriend at Williams’ office, and Mike Schroeder's wife at T-Rack's office) is interesting enough. But check out the comments left by readers!
     Sure, some of 'em are shite. But some of 'em are—well, maybe not shite. 
     This story might grow into something big.

• Sunday News Notes: Todd Spitzer Out! (OC Weekly)
• Spitzer Speaks Out on His Firing From DA's Office (Voice of OC)
• Todd Spitzer says district attorney fired him (OC Register)
• Rackauckas’ firing of Spitzer should be investigated due to conflict of interest (OJ Blog)
• Rackaukas Fires Spitzer (OJ Blog)
• Mickadeit: Firing of Asst. D.A. Spitzer raises questions (OC Register)

Giant scandal?

     The Orange Juice Blog’s Art Pedroza doesn’t mince words. In his latest post (Rackauckas’ firing of Spitzer should be investigated due to conflict of interest), he explains that

OC Public Administrator/Guardian John Williams has been a favorite subject of ours for some time. Click here to read all about how corrupt he is, courtesy of our editor, Vern Nelson.

     He also notes that “John Williams is a Quadruple-Dipper – taxpayers may have to spend millions on his retirement!”
     It seems so.
     According to Pedroza, “[Spitzer’s] firing does seem politically motivated. This could easily turn into a giant scandal that could bring down both Rackauckas and Williams. That would be a good thing for the people of Orange County.”
     Well we’ll see.
     It would be lovely to see these two corrupt Friends-o'-Fuentes go down for good.

"The district will not discriminate on the basis of viewpoint...."

     We’ve heard good things about Dixie Bullock’s performance and style as Chancellor. Friends and acquaintances have told me that meetings with her are nothing like the old Mathurian meetings.
     They’re good.
     I’ve even been told that she is showing an independent streak with regard to her relationship to the board. Well, we’ll see how it goes.

     The August meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees is tomorrow night. You can find the agenda (and replacement pages) here. (See blue box on the right side of that page.)
     I skimmed the agenda, and nothing especially jumps out at me. There’s no big discussion item, and so the meeting could be short. But who knows. With this crew, anything can happen. Lately, they've been at each others' throats.
     Item 6.7 concerns the board policy revision process. Several policies and their revisions are up for discussion and approval. That’s routine.
     Among these is BP 1311, which concerns “civic center and other facilities use.” There is a Civic Center at each college and campus, we’re told. No doubt these are facilities that can be rented or used by members of, and organizations in, the community: church groups, political groups, etc.
     Here’s the revision from a replacement page:

          Not sure what to make of these changes (especially the underlined part--an addition no doubt).
     Is the BOT engaging in CYA? What’s this about?

“They should clean up this whole county”

     Norberta Santana of the Voice of OC sheds further light on DA-hopeful Todd Spitzer’s firing—supposedly based on a complaint of impropriety coming from John Williams! That complaint isn't making a whole lotta sense. And this whole firing episode looks as hinky as hell.

Spitzer Speaks Out on His Firing From DA's Office

     Former state Assemblyman and county Supervisor Todd Spitzer spoke out Saturday, saying he was improperly fired from the Orange County District Attorney's Office over a routine phone call to the Public Guardian's Office to check into the status of a case.
     Spitzer made the call on behalf of Huntington Beach resident Teddie Alves, who had called Spitzer at the Harbor Justice Center and asked him to look into allegations of domestic violence and elder abuse at the Public Guardian's Office.
     "She [Alves] told me a crime was occurring," Spitzer said, adding that as an officer of the court, he was obliged to look into the matter. "That's what's so ridiculous," he said about his firing.
     That call alone was apparently enough for Rackackaus to fire a man who just months ago he was touting as his possible successor.
     "He [Rackauckas] told me I mishandled the situation with the public guardian," Spitzer said. "I was told this was the only reason I was let go."
. . .
     But John Williams, the elected head of the Public Guardian's Office, apparently sent Rackauckas a notification – confirmed through a statement received by the Orange County Register on Saturday – saying that Spitzer had improperly contacted his staff.
. . .
     Ironically, the Public Guardian's Office that Spitzer called has been at the center of controversy for years, with grand jury reports and efforts to remove its elected chief, John Williams.
     Adding to the mystery is the fact that District Attorney Tony Rackauckas' fiancée, Peggy Buff, is a high ranking official in the office.
     Spitzer joined the District Attorney's Office after years in public office in Orange County. He served as a county supervisor in the late 1990s and then moved to the California Assembly.
     By 2006, there was talk of the soon-to-be termed-out Spitzer mounting a serious challenge against Rackauckas. That talk stoked fear inside Republican circles that Spitzer would be an effective prosecutor when it came to politics and elected officials.
     Spitzer eventually decided against a run this year. Instead, he brokered a deal with Rackauckas to return to the District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor with the understanding that he would run in 2014 with Rackauckas' official blessing.
     Spitzer did come back, and said he stayed quiet through a half-dozen assignments in the felony and fraud divisions. He said he was scheduled to teach prosecutorial ethics on issues involving crime victims for the entire DA staff in early October.
. . .
     "I called him out of the blue, and he was very supportive," said Alves, who was stunned to hear that Spitzer was fired because of the few calls made on her behalf.
     She said she had called Spitzer after also calling Supervisor John Moorlach on her friend's behalf as well. Moorlach was helpful in getting her friend some public assistance like food stamps, Alves said.
     She said she called Spitzer because of his reputation as someone not afraid to take on other public officials.
     "He's a serious, heavy guy, and he can get into this and investigative [sic] it. ... I wanted him to jump in there like Batman."
     Yet, Alves said, "he didn't do that."
     She said Spitzer called her back and informed her that an investigation was underway at the Public Guardian's Office.
     "He said, 'This is the District Attorney's Office; I can't get involved,'" she said. "From my point, I was disappointed. I thought he'd jump right in."
     Spitzer said all he was trying to do was to make sure that some agency was reviewing Alves' allegation and that her friend was safe.
     "I just wanted to make sure we didn't end up with a situation where someone was seriously injured or dead and people asked why didn't Tony Rackauckas' office make a phone call," Spitzer said.
     Indeed, an email from the public guardian's office to Spitzer on Thursday morning doesn't seem to indicate that Spitzer's questions were so badly received.
     Supervising Deputy Public Administrator Sheila Roberge addressed Spitzer with a "Hi Todd" greeting. Her email continued with an offer to answer any questions: "Our office received your message regarding the above case. I attempted to contact you at your office – voicemail was full, so I left a message on your cell. I will be in a meeting most of the morning. Please feel free to email me and I am sure I can answer any questions you may have. I will get back to you as soon as possible."
     To Alves, it is a scandal.
     "He jumps into it and he gets fired. What does that tell you?" she asked.
     What does it tell her?
     "He [Spitzer] should be the next DA, and they should clean up this whole county."

ORLANDO:
     Someone sent me the ad for the “League for Innovation” ORLANDO conference at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort that (it appears) Williams plans to attend, at taxpayers’ expense. Check it out. See.
     It is ridiculous to imagine that Williams would get anything out of this “tech” conference, what with his brain being the size of the head of a pin. But it is utterly plausible that it is he who seeks to attend this conference, what with his ethics also being the size of said head.
     Williams clearly thinks that he can pretty much do as he pleases. Is that true? Well, it's all up to you, mister and missus taxpayer. Call somebody up! Send an email! DO SOMETHIN'!

Good grief! Spitzer is fired and John “Orlando” Williams seems to have something to do with it!

     This is amazing, a scene from some hard-boiled corruption flick from the 30s. It appears that DA hopeful Todd Spitzer got seriously rope-a-doped by Rackauckas and his fellow Mafiosi of the Schroeder-Fuentes Axis of OC Evil.
     Our own John "Orlando" Williams shows up as a bit player in this yarn; he's as crucial as a paper clip. Check it out:

Todd Spitzer abruptly leaves D.A.'s office (OC Register)

     Todd Spitzer, who aspires to be Orange County's next top prosecutor and was viewed as the likely successor of Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, has abruptly left the law-enforcement agency.
     Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff for Rackauckas, confirmed Saturday that Spitzer is no longer an assistant district attorney.
. . .
     Spitzer confirmed Saturday that he was fired by the district attorney because of the way he handled an information request with the Public Administrator's office.
     Public Administrator John Williams issued a statement Saturday, which did not name Spitzer, but said that an assistant district attorney contacted his office and tried to obtain information to which he was not entitled.
     "He tried to get the information by claiming there was a legitimate law enforcement purpose, using his current title as prosecutor, stating he was a former assemblyman and a county supervisor and saying he knew me personally," Williams said. "This conduct is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated."
     Williams said he forwarded information regarding the prosecutor's conduct to the District Attorney's Office with the hope that the D.A. would handle it "in an appropriate manner."
     Spitzer said he called Williams' office after he received a call from a woman about a domestic-violence and elder-abuse situation. He called Williams' office to make sure the matter was being investigated.
     "It was a legitimate law-enforcement issue," Spitzer said. "I had the right to ask another law-enforcement agency if a potential crime had been committed and whether an investigation was ongoing. I had a duty in my position to do my due diligence and make sure this woman was safe."
     Spitzer said he did not throw his weight around with Williams' staff.
     "I had no reason to throw titles around," he said. "I asked for the information I needed, I got it, I said 'thank you' and that was it. The next thing I know, I get let go and I was told it was because of the way I handled this situation."
     In his opinion, Spitzer said, his firing had nothing to do with his seeking information from Williams' office. He declined to comment further about why he might have been let go or the political implications of his exit.
. . .
     "He is young, smart and has a lot of campaign funds," [former Supe Chris] Norby said. "I'll leave it at that."
. . .
     "When Tony Rackauckas retires, whenever that is, I'm confident that Todd Spitzer will be our next district attorney," [consultant Adam Probolsky] said.....

Norberto Santana of the Voice of OC sheds a bit more light on the possible reason for the firing:

     …[I]t's a far cry from June when Rackauckas all but anointed Spitzer as his successor after winning what he said is his last term as district attorney.
     "I brought Todd Spitzer into the office with the hope and the expectation that he would develop the skills and the experience necessary to be an excellent district attorney," Rackauckas said an email statement to the Orange County Register following the primary win.
     "I look forward to supporting him when that should occur."
     …Many observers wondered aloud whether the DA would actually support a Spitzer candidacy. Many local Republican insiders are terrified of the prospects of Spitzer having subpoena power.
     Rackauckas has a reputation among Republicans and Democrats for not prosecuting politicians. He and others in the DA's office bristle at such commentary, saying they don't have lots of high-profile political prosecutions because the courts have ruled that district attorneys have limited power to investigate other elected officials.
     In 2006, when he was a state assemblyman preparing to run for DA, Spitzer seemed to offer a potential break with that tradition, arguing that he would provide a more active presence on the political scene.
. . .
     He aborted his 2006 bid to unseat Rackauckas after county Republican leaders pressured him to back off….
. . .
     …[T]here were signs months [before Rack's reelection] that the sands had shifted. A key indicator came on April 2, after the filing deadline for candidates in the June primary, and Spitzer's last chance to really challenge Rackauckas, had passed.
     That day Rackauckas appointed his spokeswoman, Kang Schroeder, as his chief of staff without changing her job duties. Kang Schroeder is married to Republican heavyweight campaign activist Mike Schroeder, who was instrumental in the elections of both Rackauckas and former Sheriff Mike Carona.
     Many insiders actually warned Spitzer after the Schroeder appointment that the writing was on the wall – that the peace accord he had brokered was coming to an end.
     Apparently, it officially died on Friday.

From the archives: 1912

     Here is a photo, taken in about 1912, of my mother’s family on her dad’s side: the Schultzes of Bärwalde, Pommern (in what was then the far eastern part of Germany—Prussian territory; see old map).
     Karl and Emilie, who are seated, had twelve children (!), but only six are shown here. My mother’s father is the boy at the right.
     Martha, the woman at the left, and Else, who is wearing the same outfit over at the right, both worked at the time for the Berlin Opera. Perhaps they were home for a visit.

     Aunt Martha (b. 1891) took in my mother, Edith, when Edith’s own mother died in the mid-30s. Edith’s father, shown below, died in a logging accident in 1939. That occurred in Stettin, a big city to the northwest.

     Else hanged herself in 1950. My mother, age sixteen, discovered the body. (She left Germany a year later.)
     I'm intrigued by the little dog.
     My mother knows absolutely nothing about him. She doesn't even know the names of two of the girls in the above family picture.
     Efforts to get this kind of information have thus far failed.
     When the Russians advanced, they destroyed a great deal (they raped all of the women, including young girls).
     I have not yet found any records from the town of Bärwalde, which is now in Poland.

Mom and Aunt Martha at father's grave, c. 1941

Something wicked this way comes

     If you’ve been paying attention to the curious saga of the South Orange County Community College District, you’ll know that one of its more interesting recent episodes was the BOT (board of trustees) discussion this summer of the proposed creation of a new deanship at Irvine Valley College.
     The board, of course, is split with a capital “S.” There are two camps: Team Wagner (Board Prez Don Wagner, Nancy Padberg, Marcia Milchiker, and Bill Jay) and Team Fuentes (Tom Fuentes, John Williams, and Dave Lang).
     The schism arguably concerns recently ousted Chancellor Raghu P. Mathur, a conniving and officious pooh-bah who nevertheless displayed an unseemly obeisance to “his bosses,” the board of trustees, and, more specifically, to precisely those trustees who supported him. (I’ve actually heard him insult some of the others.)
     But, over the years (Mathur advanced to Chancellor in 2003, thanks to an obviously hinky hiring process), IVC President Glenn Roquemore, a former Mathur hanger-on, found Mathur’s, um, style—especially his endless micromanagement—increasingly irksome and even repugnant. The latter state was probably achieved already by mid-decade.
     Districts are complex. Alliances form for all sorts of reasons, not all of them bad. Starting after mid-decade, an alliance of some kind gradually formed between Roquemore, trustee Don Wagner, and long-time Academic Senate President Wendy Gabriella. Roquemore and Gabriella had already developed a close working relationship, but when they and Wagner served together on a key accreditation committee starting in 2008, Wagner’s Mathur-created caricature of faculty—namely, scheming, power-hungry, feather-bedding rat bastards—quickly disintegrated. In fact, Wagner found faculty on the committee to be bright, hard-working, dedicated, and earnest. Mathur was horrified that the truth about faculty (well, some faculty) was being revealed.
     Meanwhile, Tom Fuentes, a fellow who believes in loyalty and team-building (think Cosa Nostra), remained steadfast in his support of the spectacularly unpopular Mathur. Probably, by mid-decade, none of the trustees liked or trusted Raghu. Some plainly hated him (e.g., Padberg). Wagner likely tolerated him owing to his (Wagner’s) complex relationship with former GOP kingpin and rolodex spinner Fuentes, Mathur’s one die-hard supporter (possibly John Williams is another).
     Then something happened.
     One hears many stories of alleged Mathurian outrages, but a persistent one concerns a classic Mathurian gambit. Fearing that more truth would continue to bleed into trustee consciousnesses owing to the continued practice of including trustees on the accreditation committees, Mathur secretly communicated with Babs Beno of the Accreds. He hoped to elicit from her the opinion that including trustees on these committees was bad practice.
     Who knows. Maybe that never happened. Or maybe it did happen and something else got Wagner irrevocably steamed. But, at one point, Mathur had committed some atrocity, and Wagner, a fellow given to apoplectic fury, stormed around the colleges (or at least IVC), unapologetically spewing colorful depictions of the Mathurian demise. (That was a year or two ago.)
     So that set the stage for the Clash of the SOCCCD Titans. Fuentes is not the kind to abandon one of his capos, even if the capo is a duplicitous and incompetent rat bastard. And Wagner is not the kind who can reverse his death glare, once it is deployed upon its victim. He suffers from irreversible peevitudinal threshold syndrome.
     "Uh-oh," said Raghu. That’s when he turned to Plan-B (or maybe Plan-C; dunno). He ran to Boss Tom and appealed to a favorite conspiracy theory: that a small crew of (IVC) Lasers and their friends was scheming against him and seeking total control of district power. The story included a newly emphasized element: an unseemly romance between differing species and a plot to advance a girlfriend to IVC administration.
     Eventually, the yarn even included the element of “blackmail.” At one point, an anonymous person sent documentation of the blackmail charge to the press.
     Gosh. I wonder who that was. (But the press, to their credit, paid no mind.)
     Things get complicated. Many of us (or some of us anyway) have long been convinced that the creation of the new IVC deanship is genuinely needed. And it is by no means clear that a certain ally wouldn’t be very good at that job.
     Yeah, but nothing says corruption quite like fixing a hire. And fixing is, of course, a matter of degree. Should one get bent out of shape over fix light (i.e., writing the description to fit the beneficiary to a T)?
     Mathur’s now gone (though, in some circles, the dark rumor that he will be “brought back” persists). But the bitterness, and the daffy theory, remains. And so, when the request for the new deanship came up, at least one Axis trustees went apeshit.
     It got ugly, man.
     Well, anyway, the request was approved (in a predictable 4 to 3 vote) during a “special” board meeting.
     And so the hire is going forward.
     The “opening” of the search started on August 20 and closes September 10. Gosh, that’s brief.
     Read all about the job here.
     There’s a pdf file that presents the job description (it’s incredibly detailed!) and so on. There’s also a brochure. The latter describes the job as follows:

     I was amused by the last element of the job description in the pdf file, which presents the “physical demands” of this dean job:

The incumbent regularly sits for long periods, walks short distances on a regular basis, travels to various locations to visit instructional sites, attend meetings and conduct work; uses hands and fingers to operate an electronic keyboard or other office machines; reaches with hands and arms, speaks clearly and distinctly to answer telephones and to provide information; sees to read fine print and operate computer; hears and understands voices over telephone and in person; and lifts, carries, and/or moves objects weighing up to 10 pounds.