Baron Bettenhausen Belches Bilge Water
The other day The Fullerton Harpoon published a post on how new Councilwoman Jamie Valencia got bad advice regarding receiving and then giving back campaign contributors who had expressed definite opinions about the ridiculous Walk on Wilshire – and another vote was coming up! He opined that the bad advice about Section 84308 in the Government Code (“the Levine Act”) may have come from the City Attorney Jones and Mayer – through one channel or another – a suggestion supported by later events.
As Mr. Harpoon ably showed by commonsense and State legal findings, the law in question does not even apply to the people opposed to Walk on Wilshire who gave Valencia campaign contributions over $250 in the past year.
It turns out that some dope is still pursuing that angle – to create a scandal out of nothing, and find a smoking gun where no gunshot was even fired. My money would be on one of the Kennedy Sisters of Fullerton Observer fame. Here’s a Public Record Act request dated 2/3/25:
Now, we now this request should have been responded to with a brisk “there are no relevant records” like a city does when it’s trying to hide something. In this case it would be true since the law doesn’t apply. Even the dodo who submitted the request cites the scope of issues involved in the law: permits, entitlements and licenses that clearly don’t apply to Walk on Wilshire opponents.
Enter Baron Bettenhausen, Esq.
Mr. Bettenhausen, is graduate of the Regent School of Law, Now he’s a partner in the I Can’t Believe It’s A Law Firm of Jones and Mayer. His response to reporter Gabriel San Roman about the Valencia matter, was trawled in the Public Records Act request, above. The response is incompetent, immaterial and irrelevant.
Let’s see what Bettenhausen had to say to San Ramon:
Notice how Bettenhasen throws the rat on Valencia, claiming it was her decision to return the money because of her determination of a conflict with the law. Well, we already know what she did it, but not being a lawyer herself, we have to assume someone who is, or who had access to one, gave Valencia her options.
Bettenhausen admits it’s his firm’s responsibility to hand out legal advice regarding the “Levine Act” to the City Council, but notes that it’s the councilmember’s responsibility not to run afoul of it – another bit of obvious information meant to deflect from the real problem.
What’s the real problem? Valencia, Bettenhausen intones to the reporter, has “cured” the Levine Act problem, but he doesn’t acknowledge the truth: that there was nothing to cure. This is like your doctor telling your friends that you’ve been cured of a nasty disease when you never had it in the first place.
If no one at Jones and Mayer was responsible for guiding the action provoking Valencia’s return of campaign contributions last fall, they are certainly responsible for knowing the contents and the applicability of the damn Government Code, including the Levine Act, to Fullerton decision makers in various circumstances. The lawyers at Jones and Mayer either didn’t know the law or they don’t care. Maybe both.
Ignorance and apathy? Throw in some occasional malice to FFFF and other Fullerton troublemakers. What a team.
Those knuckleheads were so caught up in sounding legal that they didn’t bother to know the law. And they make bank on Fullerton. Imagine the number of legal fuck-up that have never come to light.
Jones and Mayer (deceased) have set the bar so low a snake could get over it.
That’s funny. Regent Law School – hardcore evangelical Christian and ranked #108 in the nation. 10 effing 8.
Fullerton being Fullerton.
Agree completely. The law is crystal clear. And the Palo Alto decision is, too.
Why didn’t Bettenhausen know this? Maybe he was to busy acting as City Attorney for Point Arena, population 451.
“Mr. Bettenhausen is experienced in managing the legal needs of public agencies throughout California. His practice includes advising and training city councils and planning commissions regarding legislative updates…”
FiF, you gotta to be kidding me, there’s really a city called “Point Arena” with a population of 451, and Bettenboohoozle’s really their City Attorney?
It’s on their website. He works for us when things slow down in Point Arena.
Bilge water can be found aboard almost every vessel. Depending on the ship’s design and function, bilge water may contain water, oil, urine, detergents, solvents, chemicals, pitch, particles, and other materials.
Baron Bettenhausen is little brother to Christian Bettenhausen who also works for Jones Mayer and is the city attorney for Placentia and Westminster – two stellar examples of stable political leadership. Big Brother got his tit in a wringer over a dirty property sale a Councilmember there was pushing through to benefit himself. The Voice of OC covered it extensively. I guess the dumbassery doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Christian went to Western State Law School so he’s another bright bulb in the legal firmament.
There’s something about those wild, imaginary, exaggerated titles that just make you want to dive into the story right away. It’s like a promise of something unexpected and exciting that brings the Post to life. It’s fun how just a quirky title can make you smile or intrigue you enough to want to know what happens next. Just curious, who comes up with this brilliant titles?
Titles are produced by FFF’s Title Committee, a group of dedicated Friends sitting with each other drinking too much inexpensive wine.
The best part, Google, “Baron Benttenhausen” guess what appears in Google as his # 2 claim to fame?
#1) Baron J. Bettenhausen – Jones Mayer
Baron J. Bettenhausen is a Partner with Jones Mayer in the transaction and public law division and currently serves as City Attorney to the cities of Fort Bragg and Point Arena and Assistant …
#2) Friends For Fullerton’s Future
https://www.fullertonsfuture.org › baron…
Baron Bettenhausen Belches Bilge Water – Friends For Fullerton’s …
Enter Baron Bettenhausen, Esq. We’re #1. 08! Mr. Bettenhausen, is graduate of the Regent School of Law, Now he’s a partner in the I Can’t Believe It’s A Law Firm of Jones and Mayer. His …
Poor Barron, he’s so G.D. stupid.
Pink mudslide simmers
World of possibilities
It is not over
Mr. Bettenhausen is proof you don’t have to be smart to be a lawyer and that half of all lawyers are below average. It seems that the Jones firm only hire lawyers who clearly test at or below the 10th percentile.
First off, spell my last name right. I’m not a city in Northern California–and it ain’t that hard!
Also, since Councilwoman Valencia wasn’t specific about the refund during the WoW council meeting and did not return my requests for comment, I filed a public records request to see if anything pertinent to the Levine Act’s actual triggers would come up.
I haven’t seen the Levine Act in action in OC since it was expanded to local councils.
If Valencia returned the money to go above and beyond the law or was misinformed about it, I would have taken comment on either account–and still will.
First off, sorry about the name.
FFFF doesn’t represent or answer for Ms. Valencia.
In this instance there wouldn’t be any need to. Somebody gave her bad advice in the first place – possibly the City Attorney and later, when the dumbass WoW vote came up Bettenhausen failed to note the inapplicability of the law to the vote.
The actual law is clear enough for anybody who takes the time to read it.
Speaking of Northern California cities, you might try looking into the FPPC case regarding Palo Alto – a case in which a city councilman asked if the city’s action on a street closure would invoke the Levine Act provisions. I’ll help:
https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/documents/advice-letters/2024/24110.pdf
Of course the answer was a succinct no.
Fortunately Valencia didn’t talk to you. I’m pretty sure the non-issue stirred up by Zahra & Co. would have continued to be garbled.
Good final point. Reporters want a story not a nothing. This one will probably get a quote from the idiot Jaramillo supporter and alleged local politics “professor” Jodi Balma.
If that was your PRA request posted above on 2/3/25 would you be concerned that Zahra’s email to his colleagues and Bettenhausen wasn’t included?
BTW, who is rattling you cage about this? Zahra?
The letter should have been responsive under #2 in my request given the date range. I don’t see how it would not be, but I can ask the City Clerk.
I hate to disappoint you, but nobody is rattling my cage about this. As mentioned before, the Levine Act is of interest to me as a local government reporter.
AnaCrime have anything to do with that?
Keep it up, sir.
Then you should know that the “pay-to-play” law applies to decision makers who take money from people who have a specific request from them, i.e. permits, licenses, entitlements, sole source contracts.
It does not apply to cases where government actions have an economic impact on someone.
Please don’t try to get an hones response from Jones and Mayer. You will get a self-serving response pretending the law and the opinion by the FPPC are somehow unclear. They aren’t. Everyone knows the meaning of permits. licenses and entitlements.
Elected officials who are guilty of what they’re accused of do not return calls or emails inquiring about facts. The less the people know, the better, from their perspective. Valencia is just another hack bought and paid for by the Hero Unions who expect a return on their investment which she will absolutely give to them!
She didn’t do anything wrong, chap, so there goes your narrative.
Actually, let me clarify the time stamp issue.
The date of my request was Jan. 25, 2025. The email is dated Jan. 26, 2025.
It would not be responsive to my request by a day.
Oddly, there is no “create date” of any kind for January 25th in the CC’s log. And the only PRA request about the Valencia contributions thing since January 21st is the one already mentioned – February 3 – the one shown in this post. Is that yours? If so why the 2/3/25 creation date? If not, where is yours?
Also, have you now seen the Palo Alto decision?
That may have to do when the request made its way to the online Records Center. The dates match there.
I just looked at my records request again. The email is dated Jan. 31.
And the Palo Alto decision?
It appears San Roman’s not interested in facts previously published by the FPPC L’s Palo Alto ruling.
Or maybe those facts are irrelevant to S.R. because Jamie returned the campaign contributions. Good for her! Error on the side of caution. Especially since your legal team is weak and incompetent.
Maybe San Roman believes in fairy tales. Maybe he’s just trying to write a story to fill his tank. The fact that Jamie’s shitty advise, legal or not, is water under the bridge. The outcome will remain the same. Wilshire is opened and the business who were suffering have had record breaking sales since Wilshire reopened. Don’t take my word for it, go see for yourself, and talk to the employees, or the business owners. They don’t have an agenda other than to put food on their family’s and employees tables.
And to think kiddy chalk, Pokeman, and dangerous underground transformers were taking president over people’s livelihood. Ha! Fullerton being Fullerton.
Can’t you see, he’s a reporter, it’s all about follow up. Even if all it ends up on a one way street. Thats the nature of that business. He’s being persistent because Gabriel needs a follow up story. It is what it is.
Reporter: vee vill ask the questions!
What is the “online” Record Center?
The “Public Records Center”on the Fullerton website shows one entry for this specific issue on 2/3/25.
The only city worse than Fullerton at handling PRA requests is La Palma. They’re dreadful!
Here’s a fun one. Zahra doesn’t have any authority to waive privilege. Only a vote of the city council can do that.
Guy is as arrogant as they come.
Cat’s out of the bag. He should be happy.