City and County Collaborate on $25 Million Bribery Plan
Last night the Fullerton City Council voted to give the County of Orange $4,000,000 of your money. Right now. Right out of your pocket.
So what’s the reason for this unusual generosity? It was because the County was threatening to sue the City over the diversion of property tax increment from the County through the bogus establishment of an expanded Redevelopment project area where no blight exists as required under State law.
The City lawyers, Rutan & Tucker,sure must have felt they had a lousy case – because they cooked up a deal behind the scenes to buy off the County with a ton of up-front cash plus some hinky lease back deals on down the road. Ultimately the total payout will be $25,000,000. We shared news of the the payoff meetings here . The County knows the Redevelopment expansion is fraudulent, because it has already made that argument publicly; but apparently there are at least three votes on the Board of Supervisors to take the deal and help out a fellow government agency. The County will formally go for the gold next week.
The City Council vote was utterly predictable with Pam Keller, Don Bankhead, and Dick Jones cheer leading the payoff. Dick Jones in particular excelled himself in ignorant idiocy. We’ll soon be showing the Friends clips of Fullerton’s City Council in action.
To their credit, both Shawn Nelson and Sharon Quirk-Silva voted against an action that both robs the taxpayers of Fullerton and violates a basic ethical standard. The other three broke the law, and they know it. But they’re not out of the woods, yet. A court will decide the matter.
So who is going to pay the City’s lawyer bills to defend this fiasco?
Hey, HeeHaw! See ya in court!
It’s not just a bribe, it’s a bribe with laundered money. Or as Dick Jones calls it: “innovative”.
Let’s hope Jones innovates himself into a stay at Theo Lacy. Love to see him in an orange jump suit.
I’m confused. OK, so I get that it is clearly bribery, and the citizens are going to lose/pay (?) $4 million. So, the City is going to give the County $4 million not to sue it over some expansion of a project area (what ever that is?). And over the next 50 years they are going to get something like $600 million in new money. I’m no genius, but how do I get in on this deal!
Excuuse me, but $4 million and $600 million tossed around to special interest groups while I watch my neighbors lose their homes to forecloure, have their taxes increased, lose their private sector jobs due to excessive government regulation and see public sector employees get their pay cut by 20%. this is not fullerton’s or orange county’s money that is thrown away on frivlous ideas and corruption, it is the hard-working person’s money that is taken away form him or her when they can least afford it. FFFF needs to start viewing the fullerton’s redevelopment fiascos and fullerton’s corrupt councilmembers through this lens.
Are you willing to break the law and then cover it with bribe of taxpayer dollars? If so, talk to the Chamber of Commerce about becoming their next city council candidate.
Tomorrow should be an important day in Fullerton redevelopment history.