We Get Mail, Again.
Here’s a short note dropped into our In Box at FFFF Central Ops over the weekend.
Subject: Sharon Quick has helped me
Just to let you know. Sharon has helped me. more that anyone else in this City. I went to Steamers several weeks ago. After being bounced from one Code Enforcement officer to another, for a noise problem. At this time they are listening to the residents. I have been working on this problem since last May of 2011. No one listened like she did. Code Enforcement communicates with me, now, and sees the problem, hopefully. I feel hopeful for the first time in years, that the problem is being worked. I will admit, that I was very scared, to bring this forward at this time, after the KT problem. I wanted to tell all you at FFFF, that you helped me bring this issue forward, and made me a stronger resident.
Just wanted to say Thank You.
You’re welcome! And, thank you for getting involved!
What is the problem at Steamers? Is it noise levels, or something else?
Steamers is where Sharon Q-S holds her public get togethers. The writer met her there to share her noise issue.
I think the writer is referring to the monthly meet and greet meeting held by Sharon Quirk Silva at Steamers. The writer seems to be saying he attended the meeting and was able to gain audience with Miss Silva, who then listened with great concern of the residents complaint of rapidly increasing noise levels in the city due to the heavy traffic from bars and cruisers.
Just my guess.
actually I believe it was someone that lives behind a certain grocery store and complained for YEARS about the sound coming from the refrigeration at the store behind their house…I was at the meet and greet. And I agree…she is the ONLY one on that council that listens and gets things done.
What does it say about code enforcement that she was bounced around from one person to the other until she went to Sharon? It says they suck!!!I had similar problems with those bozos when I lived there….this recall will be meaningless unless department heads are fired.
This lady had concerns with the noise created by the refrigeration system at the Stater Bros on Euclid and Malvern. Her home backs up to that store. She has an engineering background and claimed to have actually taken noise readings which well-exceeded legal limits. That’s all I know.
Speaking of Steamers, why is it no one on here seems to have a problem with them taking up a sizeable amount of sidewalk, but they do with Florentine’s place doing the same?
I’m no fan of Florentine-I think he’s an idiotic twat. I’d just like someone to explain to me how there’s no inconsistency here.
Most likely because Steamers pays rent for some tables on the sidewalk. The Florentine Mob built a permanent structure on our sidewalk. They got a cooked up lease well after the fact.
You see in Fullerton it pays to make campaign contributions to the Three Hollow Logs.
I will not be frequenting Florentines anytime soon after the way he treated Mr. Bushala.
You know the answer to that. Same reason that the other 2 council people aren’t being targeted. Agenda. Steamers is part of “their” team. “:)
fail
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Stick to police issues. At leas then you can pretend with conviction.
You know that’s not true. Don’t be scared sir.
Actually. Just answer the question then. Would be a good answer to hear coming from you. Go ahead.
Get a Job answered the question: Florentine put a permanent building addition on the public sidewalk without permission to do it from anybody who had the authority to grant such an encroachment.
Steamers has tables on the sidewalk that they pick up and put inside.
Even a cop should be able to tell the difference.
Oh, sorry. 🙂
I see. Steamers places part time steamers on the sidewalk and the other one is permanent. Understood. Thanks.
Three floating logs is more like it.
LOL when I typed Steamers that was what I thought about too was 3 steamers. LOL
The letter writer provides real insight into the dynamics and interplay between citizen and government. Very human and enlightening (especially in this era of “tough talk” and quick quips and sound bites – depicting “good government”).
I think this letter provides valuable education to anyone serving or aspiring to elective public office (as well as work in government service generally).
Erect a noise barrier around the refrigeration system. End of problem! You don’t want to make any potential customers unhappy.
I want to say that in years past, I did business in Fullerton in several locations and I never had any problems with Code Enforcement or City hall, especially when it came to signage. Anaheim is a nightmare as well as Garden Grove.
This is exactly what I was talking about. As Tony would say, people with the “ins” or the “knows” get any sign they want or any project they want. People like Tony don’t get shit and that’s what sends them through the roof. Fullerton is no different than any other city in California.
See comment, above.
All 17 of em?
Are you a member of LEAP?
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Nope. I’m for open communication and changes that better the community.
wake up
Wide awake.
The problem with code enforcement people is that municipalities attach the word “officer” to their job title. As soon as that happens, these people feel an enormous sense of power that never existed in the first place.
I’ve never understood why cities feel the need to have a separate code enforcement department anyway. Have the police department handle the property inspections – on a time available basis only – and forward their findings to City Hall for disposition. We don’t need a gang of code enforcement bullies driving around in their own dedicated code enforcement trucks looking for problems.
Another part of city politics that is debated year after year. I know several code enforcement departments that have gone from Police to City and back and forth year after year.
The way to make the department affordable is to make it civilian with the authority to issue citations. If code was all cops, it wouldn’t be affordable. So they find that middle ground somehow.
Code enforcement is a much needed department in any city though. Some people may not agree with the strict standards that city laws cover, but I’ve seen the opposite with no code enforcement and those cities are a mess to the eye, and to the nose.
I think you missed my point. Have the police department do the physical inspections on slow days, when an officer is in the neighborhood and nothing is going on. Under this system, it might take a month or two before the police have the time, but so what.
Tony Bushala knows all about the code enforcement assholes at City Hall. They rely on absurd interpretations of the municipal code to justify their existence and to harass people for tedious matters that bother NOBODY.
Moreover, there are people in this city who use Code Enforcement as a means to harass their neighbors and property owners they don’t like as a result of a personal falling out. They do it because the City makes it easy to file a complaint.
My personal opinion is that the frivolous complaints would cease if you had the police department doing the inspections. I also believe the police department would be more reasonable in their assessment of a code enforcement situation than the current bunch of nazis.
I see your point.
I think that falls on interpretation though.
You shouldn’t be able to find anything code enforcement is citing for and enforcing that isn’t clearly spelled out in the city codes. You or Tony or neighbors may feel it’s harassment and not necessary, but if it’s a code it can be enforced. If there is a problem with the code, then take it off the books.
I remember growing up my dad used to MF code enforcement all the time. Said they were harassing us for having our RV in our driveway. Law said setback a certain distance with a 6 foot fence. So he was able to cut the side fence to fit it at that setback and then each time we parked it we rolled out a 6 foot straw fence around the front of the RV. His interpretation was stupid law and a bunch of people with nothing better to do.
I see the rewards of what they do and I know without them numerous cities would be a mess. Parking units the same thing. They clean up the mess and without them the blight would be out of control. Just look at cities that have neither.
Yes, you are right. IF police officers were in charge of code violations then nothing would be enforced. So true. There is no down time anymore, 30-40% less cops, calls sit on the queue for hours and hours, sometimes days before they are answered.
There’s your problem. The municipal code does not use specifics in many instances and it assumes that both property owners and code enforcement officers have the requisite knowledge and skills to assess a situation.
Just look at how 6.01.030(B) about public nuisances is worded. Read the last part closely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“…or any other condition which, because of a lack of proper sanitation or soundness, or as a result of dilapidation, decay, damage or faulty construction or arrangement, is likely to cause sickness, disease, or threat to the public health, safety, or general welfare”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translation: A code enforcement officer, whose training amounts to a high-school diploma or GED, gets to decide if a certain condition causes sickness or disease.
In the private sector, if I represented myself as someone qualified to make that determination without the necessary education or a license to practice, I would probably be arrested and/or sued in civil court.
But those formalities don’t matter to the government.
Makes sense. I had a buddy who put up 12 foot bamboo in his front yard. Ugly as hell and really looked like shit. Code was all over him. He thought it was ok per the code, code said no. Ultimately, a judge has to decide.
You know some of the code officers have college degrees and have been to multiple code enforcement classes? 🙂
College degrees in underwater basket weaving?
Could be. 🙂
I can assure you, I didn’t have any connections at City hall or Code Enforcement. That was back about 14 years ago. I certainly wouldn’t want to have to go through the bureaucracy that is now required in business today! My advice is to make your money NOW if you are in business and then get the hell out of the state!!
I know. But in the eyes of other people wanting and asking for things, the only reason you got what you wanted was because you were part of the big problem team.
You’re not following or even fully reading what I wrote. I suggested the police department handle the inspections, not the actual enforcement. That’s why I suggested the police department forward their observations to City Hall.
If somebody complains that a neighbor’s tree is obstructing the sidewalk, have the police take a look the next time they are nearby and have time to spare. We’re talking a 60 second stop. Let City Hall handle it from there based on what the officer sees or doesn’t see.
I see what you are saying Vernon. What you are saying is basically disband code enforcement. Won’t happen. Citizens do feel that code enforcement is a necessary component of a blight free community. Look around. There are cities with very lax or no code enforcement, and it’s very clear on every street you travel on. The level of enforcement is an option, but in the end the more enforcement, the cleaner and nicer the community is. 🙂
You really are a NIMBY aren’t you?
Are you going to make me look up another definition?
🙂
If you don’t know what a NIMBY is you probably are one.
A follow up question would be: Don’t you have any respect for private property rights?
could be. No clue what one is.
Yes, of course. I’m a cop 🙂
You feel people should be able to do anything they want on private property? Overgrown trees and bushes? Yards full of weeds? Broken down cars parked all over the backyard? Cars parked on the front grass? Electricity run from the neighbors house?
That’s odd. I’m the opposite of a NIMBY. What made you think I was a NIMBY?
NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for the phrase “not in my back yard”. The term (or the derivative Nimbyism) is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies. The term was coined in 1980 by Emilie Travel Livezey, and was popularized by British politician Nicholas Ridley, who was Conservative Secretary of State for the Environment.[citation needed]
Projects likely to be opposed include but are not limited to tall buildings, chemical plants, industrial parks, military bases, wind turbines, desalination plants, landfills, incinerators, power plants, prisons,[1] mobile telephone network masts, schools, nuclear waste dumps, landfill dump sites, youth hostels, wind farms, golf courses, housing developments and especially transportation improvement schemes (e.g. new roads, passenger and freight railways, highways, airports, seaports).
NIMBY is also used more generally to describe people who advocate some proposal (for example, austerity measures including budget cuts, tax increases, downsizing), but oppose implementing it in a way that would require sacrifice on their part.
NIMBY’s also love code enforcement so they can tell OTHER people how to run their lives, what they can/can’t do on their own property, etc.
they don’t even have to stop – it’s called a “windshield inspection”; some PDs/FDs/public works types do it after wind storms, e’quakes, etc.
I was there when she presented her case to Sharon. Way to go Sharon.. You listen to your constituents..
I am glad the author felt she did something on their behalf, but I call bullshit, something smells in Denmark. Waaaay too little and too late. She is trying to save her own ass. Whitaker is the only worthy one to stay and I can’t imagine why he would want to, at this point.
I don’t trust her as far as i can throw her.
Never too late. She’s just getting started. Whitaker is just getting started too.
I agree about Hughes and Hamilton….quite frankly there are very few I do trust now. Several months ago I was willing to give many people the benefit of the doubt, but now I feel the entire city administration/FPD/etc is tainted and needs to go.
I am not sure which departments would apply here….. but whoever approved the Providence One Center and the Food Court nightmare ctr at Chapman/St College should be hung. Someone bribed someone, I would bet my first born male child on it.
Please explain!
I am not sure which part of my post you are requesting explanation on so here goes..
The more time that has passed since Kelly’s death, and the more I read, the more I trust no one in Fullerton, not just the FPD.
The Chapman/St College center should never have been approved based on the zoning vs the parking, it is absolutely ridiculous. What exactly did the owner have to ‘give” to get this approved?
Providence ONE & TWO Ctr: Parking again, it is a nightmare, way too many businesses for the amount of reasonable parking options. The roads are far to narrow to maneuver unless you are driving a Smart Car. and your only viable parking option is to do business with the Devil , AKA The company given the contract on the parking garage.(again, what did they “give” to get this contract?) I regret to say i spend far too much time at this center and I could go on and on about my adventures with the parking Nazis at this facility.
Which corner? Northwest? That was a Paul Dudley grease job.
Northwest corner where Charbucks is.
please explain….Paul Dudley grease job?
Dudley was the Director of Community Development. You could grease him with a free lunch and just not laugh at him. He’d do what you want.
BTW, he was the guy who let the Florentine Mob steal that sidewalk in the Great DTF Sidewalk Heist.
thanks, i educated myself further on him after my post, I knew of the heist but didn’t know as much about him as I should have. What …..a slimeball.
to stay on topic…
If I interpret correctly, back in the day, Quirk supported Dudley, along with Jones and Bankhead. Another reason not to trust her.
True enough. We hope she’s finally wising up, but she’s got a lifetime of idiocy behind her so the transformation hasn’t been easy or pain free.
easy or pain free? who’s life is? when you are corrupt it makes it even tougher to keep that shit swept under the rug. Be sure your sins will find you out.
does anyone know anything about that “Independent Medical Eval” that Sellers was supposed to have to determine if he’s just a big fat lying malingerer?
If he had previously filed a claim, it might have happened already. If he just filed his claim at the time he left, it could take about 8-10 months to get that eval. It takes forever. I think he already had a medical claim and accepted case long before Kelly and that’s why he will be long gone quickly.
you dont need the hardcopy report to know whats up- the adjuster knows already-so does his employer
All depends on when it all started. He’s not getting into an AME in 4 months. If he filed earlier or it was an accepted injury/condition then he’s in the wind already.
he’s doing an IME not an AME and yes, there is a difference-whether or not the injury is accepted has nothing to do with whether he’s malingering or not-if the primary treating doctor says he can go back to work he can go back, if he keeps coming up with foot dragging “symptoms” hes lying and thats where the “IME” comes into play
Copy. Really doesn’t matter. He got out quick and now he’ll retire maxed out. City can fight the work comp part if they want but if he has a work related condition, they will lose anyways. Being retired and bored I’m sure he will enjoy the fight if he has to do it. Or as you would say, he would love to cost the city a boat load of money to battle his work comp case even though he’s enjoying his maxed out retirement right? 🙂
He’s a gold-plated pussy. No fight in him.
When the chips were down he ran. Less fight in him than Kelly had.
He has chosen to end his career as a coward . What people will do for those federal reserve notes with that funny symbolism all over it. Maybe there is sumthin too all that wierd stuff. Nah, can’t be true. Poor guy. Poor choices.
Latest I have heard is here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/fullerton-police-department-scandal_n_996701.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false