Yesterday afternoon the Anaheim City Council met in an emergency closed session under the pretense of discussing an ACLU lawsuit alleging California Voting Rights Act violations. After the meeting we learned what they really wanted to do was find a way to delay any meaningful action as long as possible. Voice of OC reports that:
…the council majority is formulating its own alternative to the ballot initiative seeking to establish council districts, with council members on Thursday agreeing to agendize a proposal from Councilwoman Kris Murray that would instead create a citizen commission to review “the electoral process in Anaheim.”
Murray’s plan is simple, form a commission to study the electoral process in Anaheim so that they can ask the court to do nothing while they study the issue. Then in two years, once they’ve dragged the discussion on and on through a seemingly endless process of review, they can put a Charter Amendment on the ballot in November of 2014 to establish districts in 2016. In effect they will give themselves another four years to continue the process of lining the pockets of Murray and Eastman’s developer buddies with free money from the taxpayers of Anaheim. Eastman and Murray figure that if they can get time to implant their ally, and SOAR poodle, Jordan Brandman on the council in November, they’ll have an effective majority to maintain business as usual for at least two, and possibly four, more years.
The City Council has several options when it comes to the lawsuit filed by the ACLU. 1) They can willingly put forward a ballot measure asking the voters to decide whether to establish council districts and district level elections; 2) They can do nothing, fight the suit in court and gamble that they can show that district level elections are not needed; or 3) They can study the matter in order to drag out the process.
Dragging things out is the best option for the council majority and the worst for the voters of Anaheim. Even if the end result is a recommendation to establish districts, they can claim that holding a special election before the 2014 primary or general elections would be too expensive for a cash-strapped city. Representation delayed for the minority and underrepresented communities of Anaheim will be a payday for Murray, Eastman, and their political donors.
Did you you really just call Jordan Brandman a “SOAR poodle”? And Dan let you post it? Wow…can criticism of Galloway be far behind?
Its a world gone mad Cynthia. We allow all manners of comment as long as its germain to the post and not libelous.
I have a different perspective on SOAR and Anaheim politics than Joe and he knows it. And I like Jordan and think he’d be a solid addition to the city council. I’d also like to see Mr. Galloway elected too.
Dan have you seen my post at Red County regarding Mr. Galloway? I have linked court documents there showing the Galloways lost a lawsuit, I which Mike’s aunt claims Mike and Lorri sucked her house dry of equity without her knowledge, and then let the place go into foreclosure…she had signed it over to refi so she could focus in battling cancer. Now we need to determine something here. Either that caliber of character is acceptable to you as a candidate for office, or I am lying my ass off. Which is it Dan?
Oh, by the way, just got confirmation that Red County officially goes dark today, so if you cannot find the docs there they are online at Friends for Fullerton Future, real honest to goodness court docs, not rumor or innuendo.
or i will send them to you directly…
Dan – hey Dan …. are you there? Colony Rabble has called you out .. no response?
…. sounds of crickets chirping ………..
Oh, and by the way, I am not nearly as concerned about the Council Districts stalling tactics as I am Item 2. We are in the middle of a freaking CRISIS, the City is regularly locked down with SWAT teams and camo-wearing PD, and they choose NOW to review the direct-report employees? Methinks someone did not cave to some specials interest demands? This is the time to come together for the sake of the community and be a team, NOT the time to pick off underlings. Who put this on the Agenda?
2. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (Section 54957 of the
Government Code)
Title: City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Treasurer