Some Information About “The Fullerton Collaborative”
Pam Keller likes to talk a lot about her role as Executive Director of something called The Fullerton Collaborative. We didn’t use the word “job” because we’re not sure yet how much actual “work” goes into the function.
We do know that the Collaborative seems to be run by, and for the principle benefit of Pam Keller herself.
Here is the first page from the Collaborative’s 2007 tax filing:
Note that the Collaborative’s expenses exceeded its revenue by 13k, covered by a surplus from the year before. Notice also that the corporation’s address is the same as the Fullerton School District’s headquarters on West Valencia Drive. This latter fact is explained on page 4:
The Collaborative has an agreement with the FSD to provide an “executive director” for 44K. That’s Keller. The only explanation for this is that this way Pam gets to remain an FSD employee with salary and benefits thereof, while doing her good works and self-promotion as a professional do-gooder on the taxpayer’s dime. Instead of a telling folks she’s a public employee, she gets to pretend that she’s the employee for a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Notice that the cost of Pam is the Collaborative’s main expense in 2007. The only other significant expense is a $26,000 contract with something called OCCO for “community organizing.” Rusty Kennedy’s do-nothing Human Relation Commission is in on the gravy to the tune of $4400 for “leadership training,” whatever that may consist of.
Since Keller is listed on the Collaborative’s website as a board member, we wonder whether she’s actually negotiating and voting on her own contract with the FSD. The dialog in the room during those discussions might be fairly amusing. And we also wonder if anybody else on the board is auditing that relationship for vendor performance management. Hmm.
We are a bit curious as to why public funds are being sluiced through this rather elaborate piping in the first place. And we wonder, given the fact that FSD Board member Minard Duncan is listed as a “member-at-large,” how closely the FSD negotiates and manages that contract itself. There is something called The Government Accounting Standards Board; are their rules being adhered to regarding accounting and public disclosure of their financial relationship with The Collaborative?
Of course we are also very interested in where The Fullerton Collaborative gets its funds, especially which private donors, if any, are contributing the wherewithal to cover the FSD contract that pays for Fullerton City Council woman Keller’s services. The Collaborative’s website is strangely silent on the identity of its donors; most charities boast about their benefactors, who generally like to be boasted about.
When we find out we’ll be sure to share the information. And if we can’t find out, we’ll let let our Friends know that, too.
Shadow, thank you for this post. Quite illuminating.
Wow, there is some really fishy stuff going on here. I wonder if these anonymous donors are aware that most of their money goes to pay for Pam?
That’s only part of the story. The rest of the question is whether the donors knew that keller was opn the City Council and whether they had any business before it.
The part of the post about publicizing donors is interesting. Most businesses like their neighborhood and community philanthropy to be broadcast.
How many of the people with interests in Fullerton Council votes have donated to this “collaborative”? Chevron? JMI/Morgan? Jack Franklyn (Heroes)
So help me god, she better be recusing herself from any votes dealing with the donors to the “collaborative” or its recall time. I’m sure Pam will be more than anxious to disclose this information regarding donors because she would never purposely hide relevant information from constituents, right?
Everybody calm down. It’s perfectly normal for elected officials to accept anonymous donations and then funnel the money back to yourself through a school district. Everyone does this, right?
I’m fairly new to Fullerton politics, I don’t understand how Pam Keller could be on the Council in the 1st place while the City of Fullerton is a donor of the Collaborative, isn’t that a conflict of interest?
Moche, you raise an alluring question.
If you have any interest in becoming one of our writers, please let us know.
OCCCO (listed on the tax returns) received $25,600 for “Community Organizing”. This is the same group that brought 5 or 6 people to the council meeting who lobbied (begging) the council to vote for the Redevelopment expansion, I’m beginning to see the picture and it’s not very pretty!
Contributions, gifts, grants recieved: $45,033
Compensation – Executive Director: $44,162
A woman who appeared to be the leader of OCCCO presented a slide show to the council meeting on the redevelopment expansion showed graffiti and a bottle cap on the ground as example of blight hardly a cause to enact eminent domain on 1,200 acres of land including thousands of Fullerton business’s. Now we know why OCCCO wanted redevelopment expansion SO BADLY.
“Now we know why OCCCO wanted redevelopment expansion SO BADLY.”
Well, not exactly. Did they want it so they could get something out of it directly? More likely they did it as a favor to Keller who funneled $26K in their direction a couple of years ago (and maybe last year, too). Either way it’s a big stink bomb for Mrs. Transparency.
I like to read some of your stuff but whoever wrote the article Pam Keller and the Fullerton is so uniformed that it must be embarrassing to you when you get the facts. Pam Keller does not get Fullerton School District funds. Her salary is paid for with grants, donations and membership fees.
Have you seen the list of member organization that belong to the Fullerton Collaborative? Included in the approximately 50 organizations in this group are the Fullerton Police Dept., Fire Dept., St. Jude Hospital, Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Service, Boys and Girls Club and many more. This group does a lot for Fullerton people.
You must not have a conscience because it appears that you try to hoodwink a lot of people.
Check things out before you write junk as above. Why don’t you attend a meeting. You might want to join.
I just reread my comment and somehow I eliminated some words.
“About” should be inserted before Pam in sentence 1. Also in sentence 1 add “Collaborative” after Fullerton.
Sorry for my sloppy work.
Mr. Duncan, welcome to our humble blog. I hate to have to correct an old pedagogue like you, but it is you who have your facts wrong. Either that or the Collaborative submitted a fraudulent document to the IRS in 2007.
Please take the time to read page four of the 990 EZ form, Mr. Duncan. You can see that the Collaborative lists no employees. None. Zip. Zero. Instead it decribes a contract with FSD for supply of 1 (one) Executive Director – Pam Keller. This clearly indicates that an agreement between the Collaborative and the FSD exists. The Collaborative claims the FSD address (1401 West Valencia) as its home. Why do you suppose it does that, Mr. Duncan? It’s right there at the top of page one.
Do you even have any idea of what you are talking about? Even remotely?
You claim that Pam’s salary is paid for by grants and donations. The Collaborative (of which you are descibed as a member) 501(c)(3) records indicate that the money is funneled through FSD. That part hardly matters. We both agree that donated money pays for the Collaborative’s Executive Director.
Where does that money come from, Mr. Duncan? Membership fees and donations? Donations from whom? Has it come from anybody that does business with the City, say over the Planning Department counter?
And thanks for admitting that the City Departments help to pay for Keller. Why should Fullerton City departments be paying Keller’s salary at all? Do you think that’s right? She’s on the City Council for God’s sake! Just more opacity!
I’ve got a conscience, all right, Mr. Duncan and unlike the professional and self-interested do-gooder lobby I want transparency. The Fullerton Collaborative appears to be the real hoodwinker here.
As an FSD Trustee you should check things out before you write junk as above. I really fear for the academic well-being of Fullerton’s little kids.
I can’t believe that a school board member could produce such an incompetent, abysmally ignorant load of crap. Did he honestly believe anybody would be satisfied with that garbage? Please, somebody tell me that guy IS NOT in charge of educating our kids.
Maybe Minard needs to be recalled. Right along with Keller.
Minard, I think you missed the point. The Shadow never claimed that Pam got paid from school district funds. As you said, she gets paid by donations funneled through the school district.
The whole point of the story is WHO is behind those donations and WHY does such a large portion of those donations go to pay Pam Keller?
Actually, Travis I claimed that the 990 EZ form indicated that Pam got paid by the district – presumably with funds offset by grants and donations. I assumed the Collaborative’s documents were competent and honest, possibly a poor assumption on my part, but if they aren’t then the Collaborative has a whole set of new problems!
A Fullerton School District Trustee just got waxed by an anonymous blogger. Just the sort of blogger that Pam Keller doesn’t want to hear from.
I hope for Pam’s sake that this Duncan fellow gives up his role as spokesman for the Collaborative/Team Keller. Now that i think about it, the more this boob blathers, the more fun we’ll have. Bring it on Minard!
Hi Minard, perhaps you should have a cocktail and sit this one out, at least till tomorrow 🙂
Minard,
You cite the fact that Fullerton PD and Fullerton Fire are members of the collaborative. It just never occurred to you that these departments answer to Pam on the city council and belong to her organization. No ring of conflict there? Cant imagine how the presence of these two groups as members could be used as leverage during their contract negotiations? None at all?
Minard, is it possible that Bankhead and Kellar could feel uncomfortable being asked to fund Pam’s event “Faces” given that a NO vote would be seen as a personal slap in the face to Pam?
Is it possible that the publisher of this blog himself has been shaken down for a contribution to the collaborative? How about Jack Franklyn?
Try this Minard: Jack Franklyn kicks in for Faces or some other collaborative event and miraculously Pam is right there backing the late night noise ordinance. No conflict though right Minard? I mean, some one just needs to get their facts straight right?
By the way Minard, why is it your photo is so prominently displayed on Pam Kellar’s election website? Not related in any way to the fact that you have stubled to her defense here right?
Minard backs Pam because he is a friend and knows that she stands for what is best for all of Fullerton, thats what friends do. Of course you would not know that because you people are making more enemies on the unnecessary
bashing of whoever stands in your way. Hey Tony why don’t you ever bash your neighbor
Shawn Nelson, he has voted along with some of the projects that you are bashing Pam and Sharon on. Oh yeah you donated alot of money to his campaign, Huummm what do you get that DONATION????
Well, PAM FAN, with friends like Minard Duncan – with his foot permanently placed in his mouth – Pam could use more enemies.
Seriously, though. What would you say if the woman who claimed not to take developer contributions was found to have solicited donations from developers toThe Fullerton Collaborative – that go to pay her “salary.” What then, PAM FAN?
PAM FAN, my friends let me know when I do something wrong. If Pam’s friends are too scared to call a spade a spade, maybe they aren’t friends of hers or of Fullerton’s.
Shawn Nelson has taken many contributions from developers, he just believes that it is OK to do so.
PAM FAN, did Nelson ever claim he didn’t? Pam always has. And did Nelson ever raise money from developers for a bogus charity that paid his salary? Of course not. Whether Keller did remains to be seen. We won’t know until she let’s us see who donated money to the Collaborative.
Did Not / Did claim WHATEVER, means nothing, even if they both did….
Wrong, PAM FAN. If Keller campaigned as a candidate who didn’t take developer money, but did so under the table, the problem is even worse.
Hey Fullerton Harpoon, Do you get a pay check
for responding to these blogs. Because seriously you must not have a real job…..
You would be fired by now on my watch!
The Fullerton Harpoon is a retired commercial fisherman having served many years on the Japanese whaler Nisshin Maru where he unfortunately lost the right side of his brain and his sense of propriety in a Greenpeace attack.
Well then Fullerton Harpoon I am glad to here you are trying to keep the left side of your brain active.
Um, PAM FAN, as a blithering boohoo, nobody would get fired on ‘your watch” especially if they drew a government paycheck.
But whay don’t you address the issue: Keller says she takes no developer money. But what if she takes it under the table to pay her “salary” at this Collaborative operation; and then votes to approve their projects?
What if city employees/departments are contributing to her paycheck. can’t you see where that would lead to all sorts of ethics issues?
What if she took that Sheldon boat ride, too? The tab was $1000 per person. Did she pay up? if not she took a gift from a developer.
The Fullerton Collaborative reimburses the school district. That is the contract. Collaborative funds are from memberships, donations and grants. Please come to a collaborative meeting. A lot of great things are happening. If there is some confusion then the Collaborative Board can address public concerns. Name calling isn’t necessary, if there are questions then they need to be answered. I understand your concern.
“Collaborative funds are from memberships, donations and grants”
Well Maynard says Keller is not a an FSD employee and he’s on the board. But we’ll let that one go. Yes, Susan we’ve heard all about the great things going on. Let’s not get all mushy, please; let’s stay on topic.
First, I’m not name calling. I’m raising the possibility that a Fullerton City Council member solicited donations that paid her salary – possibly donations that were made by business interests in Fullerton, maybe even the same developers that she refuses campaign money from.
Even with half a brain the Harpoon raises questions that most boohoo’s can’t raise with a full one.
Questions that need to be answered.
So why don’t you go find some answers and come back to the blog and share them with us, Minard did it, you can do the same, hurry back!
Has JMI/Morgan or Chevron contributed to the “collaborative” or not? Could someone please just answer that so there is not any unnecessary speculation or implied accusation going around?
Minard, you seem to be Johnny on the spot with the 411. What say you? Did these guys kick down any gravy to the collaborative or not?
Hmmm. Chevron! Now there’s a provacative name!
Didn’t JMI/Morgan get handed that idiotic “Transportation Center Megalopolis” boondoggle?
I had fun reading the blogs. It touched some sensitive feelings and I think that is what this site is about and why it is fun to read. As usual, there is often a lot of misinformation in blogs.
All Responders, good job!
I noticed that I got a promotion to “Boob.” Thanks! I used to just be “Lost.”
Congratulations on your promotion Minard, I owe you a drink for being such a good sport, give me a call!
Minard,
You are far too nice a guy to be involved with politics. Please just hang out and be the Minard we love. Stop coming to Pam’s defense because it only lessens your credibility.
One more thing. Easy on the drooling when you are around Nelson’s wife. It’s kind of obvious.
Hollis, “Easy on the drooling when you are around Nelson’s wife.”, he does the same to all the pretty ladies, and we love it.
Nelson’s wife is a very pretty women as well as pleasant and cordial! It is hard not to drool around her.
Eeww. That’s just creepy.