Fullerton City Council Election 2010 Archives - Page 5 of 7

October 8, 2010October 8, 2010Fullerton 2010

Another Chi No-No: Using a Non-profit to Promote a Political Candidacy

Tomorrow the Roland Chi campaign is inviting supporters to an event hosted by his non-profit. Unfortunately for Chi, using a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to promote a political candidacy is illegal according to federal tax law.

Here is is in the IRS’s own words: “All 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Violations of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.”

If Chi is using his non-profit to pump up his campaign, he could indeed have another run-in with the law. Read this press release and decide for yourself if Roland Chi’s tax-exempt status should be called into question by the IRS:

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NON-PROFIT FOUNDER ROLAND CHI TO AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS TO FULLERTON STUDENTS*Former Fullerton Mayor Buck Catlin and School Board Member Minard Duncan are attending the Fullerton Museum event this Saturday

FULLERTON – Roland Chi, City Council Candidate and Founder of The Sustainable Foundation of Orange County (SFOC), will award $1,500 in scholarship grants this Saturday, October 9, 2010, to the winners of the non-profit’s scholarship program. Chi will be joined by special guest community leaders, former Fullerton Mayor Buck Catlin and School Board Trustee Member Minard Duncan at the Fullerton Museum Center, located at 301 North Pomona Avenue in Fullerton. The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is open to the public, offering a free continental breakfast for guests in attendance. For further information and to view the event invitation, please visit www.rolandchi.com/events.

SFOC is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization dedicated to community development and supporting public service minded youth. SFOC Scholarships are available each year during the academic spring semester, inviting all southern California high school seniors to apply. Application and scholarship information can be found at www.scf-oc.org.

The Scholarship Review Committee evaluates candidates by their leadership and involvement in community activities, academic achievement, difficulty of coursework, letters of recommendation, and statement of purpose articulating the student’s future goals.

“We received many qualified applications, and it was very encouraging to see so many young students who had such high ambitions and passion to serve the community. The recipients of these awards all overcame unique hardships, achieved high scholastic marks, and showed exceptional promise for future success in public sector.”

This year, Michelle Cho, a Sunny Hills High School Valedictorian, will be awarded the highest scholarship of $1000. Cho is attending University of California Los Angeles and majoring in Anthropology. A scholarship of $500 will also be awarded to Fullerton High School graduate Ana Coria, who is attending University of California Riverside.

Candidate Chi, on behalf of SFOC, would like to thank all scholarship applicants and the Fullerton community for their support. For further information about Fullerton City Council candidate Roland Chi’s platform, additional endorsements, and upcoming events please visit www.rolandchi.com.

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October 8, 2010October 8, 2010Fullerton 2010

Marty’s Commercial

by Travis Kiger11 Comments

Here’s the ad that Marty Burbank has been running on local cable channels:

Getting government out of the way so businesses can flourish seems to be a popular message this year. Local business owners love to share their city hall horror stories, providing ample fodder for candidates willing to speak out against the bureaucratic nightmare that Don Bankhead has excused for decades.

It’s just too bad guys like Marty can’t extend that “get government out of the way” concept to the redevelopment agency, which harms the local economy in much the same way through economic interference, crony capitalism and the diversion of tax dollars from core services.

Oh well. Getting it half-right is better than nothing.

October 7, 2010October 7, 2010Fullerton 2010

Not From Around Here: 96% of Chi Donations Come from Outside of Fullerton

by Travis Kiger10 Comments

People usually donate to local campaigns because they have a vested interest in the future of that city. Most would say that they are hoping to contribute to good governance. A few of them might have a monetary gain in mind. Either way, the majority of funding for Fullerton campaigns comes from Fullerton residents and businesses themselves.

Roland Chi is the exception. His first campaign statement was turned in yesterday, and it shows that 96.5% of his campaign donations came from businesses and residents who don’t have much to do with Fullerton at all. Here’s the breakout:

Of course, every candidate has a few friends living elsewhere who are eager to help out, but the disparity of Chi’s campaign funding should raise a few eyebrows.

Why are these donors suddenly interested in what happens to Fullerton? Do they really care about our city? Probably not.

October 6, 2010October 6, 2010Don Bankhead

Fullerton Unions Pick a Pack of Shameful RINOs

by Travis Kiger22 Comments

Today the first public employee union campaign signs went up across Fullerton. Predictably, the union is backing all three worthless RINOs: Don Bankhead, Pat McKinley and Roland Chi.

The public safety unions’ motives have always been clear to the observant. They will support the candidates who offer them the biggest return. What do the unions expect? More generous pay raises. More obscene benefits. More unsustainable pensions. Multi-million dollar retirement packages. And more debt and taxes to pay for it.

Fullerton-RINOs — Rookie draft complete. Now presenting the 2010 Union Dream Team

The unions have proven that they hold little regard for Fullerton taxpayers, as evidenced by their pension-driven destruction of Fullerton’s financial future for the benefit of a few public servants. They lobby for raises, pray on the emotions of the weak, and lie about future benefit costs all while complaining about their cushy jobs. When it’s time to negotiate with our empty-headed council, all of the union deceit comes together like a finely tuned machine. It’s sole purpose? To line their own pockets in exchange for the least amount of effort and accountability as possible.

What’s at stake? Bloated union paychecks.

How could the unions take so much from Fullerton’s conservative voter base? That’s easy. For decades, Republican voters have been fooled in to electing spineless cowards who are afraid to stand up for taxpayers at their end of the bargaining table. They shrivel up in fear at the thought of going against the unions and offer nothing but endless excuses when their negligence is exposed.

It’s frightening, but it’s true. The unions are in it for themselves, taxpayers be damned. They won’t quit until we’ve been sucked dry, and they’ve found just the right candidates to do it. In 2010, it really is “us vs. them.” Let’s bring some sanity back to this city.

October 5, 2010Fullerton 2010

Will Redevelopment Borrow Another $29,000,000 Tonight?

by Greg Sebourn17 Comments

Acting as the Redevelopment Agency, the City Council will be voting on a $29,000,000 bond tonight. City staff estimate the total cost to taxpayers for the bond at about $45,500,000 over the next 16 years. $45.5-million! The RDA is the only agency that can issue bonds without voter approval. It is completely unethical for our elected council members to break out the taxpayers’ credit card while our library’s hours are reduced, workers are furloughed, and employees salaries are cut. Shame on the Redevelopment Agency staff and shame on any council member who votes for this bond!

Why should we be upset about the RDA spending $29,000,000? Because, as the OC Register reported in July, the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency spent $22,700,000 to evict 600 low-income residents, bulldoze their homes to make room for a few low-income condos. This is on top of another half-baked idea to move a McDonald’s 150 feet at a cost of $6,000,000 to taxpayers. $6-million to move a burger stand 150 feet! Fortunately, the RDA gave into public pressure and the project was shot down.

Some council candidates like to point at Downtown Fullerton as a shining example of the great work Redevelopment does. Indeed it is. Had we not “revitalized” our downtown, we would have fewer calls for police and fire to respond to drunk and disorderly conduct.

Please take a minute to think about the untold damage done by our own City Hall under the direction of our City Council, often acting as the Redevelopment Agency.

October 4, 2010December 15, 2010Fullerton 2010

Paranoid McKinley Puts $500 Bounty on His Opponents After Ice Pick Incident

by Travis Kiger26 Comments

Check out this odd blob from Frank Mickadiet. According to ex-chief Pat McKinley, some vandal ice picked the Kevlar-lined gas tank on his F-150 a few weeks ago, dumping his fuel onto the street.

OK, that’s unfortunate. But here’s the strange part: McKinley believes that this act was committed by one of his political opponents.

mckinley-she-bear — You're lucky the She Bear didn't catch you.

Even softball Mickadiet can’t resist pointing out that McKinley sounds a bit paranoid. Take a look at the guys he’s running against and try to figure out which one of them would be capable of such a stupid stunt.

Nevertheless, McKinley is now offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.

September 28, 2010September 29, 2010Dead heads

The Public Safety Employee Life Expectancy: I Call Bullshit!

by admin4 Comments

As the Davis Vanguard does, here.

September 28, 2010August 26, 2012Food and Drink

Roland Chi: The Day The DA Took My DNA

by Travis Kiger25 Comments

Last week you saw some grim pictures taken by a health inspector while the Chi clan was being rounded up for prosecution, which was instigated by a bunch of folks getting food poisoning after eating food from a supermarket in Garden Grove. At the time, Roland’s plea deal was an unknown, forcing us to speculate on how he managed to wriggle out of the criminal charges levied against him.

But now we know the whole story.

roland-chi-079-200x300 — A businessman knows how to close.

In April Roland had struck a deal with the District Attorney that would allow him to escape the 5 counts against him, which added up to a frightening maximum sentence of 2.5 years in jail plus fines.

According to the barely-legible excerpt below, the charges against him were dropped because his co-owners pled guilty and Roland Chi agreed to provide a DNA sample for Rackackaus’ infamous DNA database.

The Orange County DNA database allows the District Attorney to keep track of the defendantly-inclined population by exchanging dropped charges for a personal specimen that could later be used to identify the suspect in the event of any future incidents.

cheek-swab — Just think of it as a small donation.

Of course, the whole thing is pretty embarrassing for a candidate who keeps trying to cast his “business experience” as a positive for Fullerton voters. Heck, as far as I can tell, the only business Chi’s ever been involved with almost got him thrown in jail for criminal neglect, and then left a little part of him locked up in a vial somewhere, just in case he does it again. Chi must think the bar in Fullerton is really, really low.

September 28, 2010September 29, 2010Dead heads

A Citizen Responds to Roland Chi Nonsense

by The Fullerton Harpoon4 Comments

The other day Fullerton City Council candidate, carpetbagger, and food poisoner Roland Chi sent out a press release touting his “volunteering” to educate folks about some So Cal Edison program. Despite the hilarious lack of actually doing anything, or even thinking up anything for himself, Rolando decided to hop onto some idea barfed up by the power monopolists at Edison.

It didn’t take long for an unhappy citizen to respond to this vacuity. And fortunately they cc’d FFFF:

Sent: Mon, September 27, 2010 4:40:42 PM
Subject: RE: PRESS RELEASE- CANDIDATE CHI VOLUNTEERS FOR ENGERY & COST SAVING PROGRAM

Dear Roland,
This is a joke, right? Are you seriously taking a tax and spend model based on a false premise of enviromental protection that this utility company has subscribed to and a.) claimed it as your own, and b.) trying to pass it off as pro-small business? Wow. That’s pretty crazy.

The “ratepayers” (residential and commercial) paid extra on their bills and then the company redistributes it by installing different lights, toilets, programmable thermostats, etc. in commercial buildings.

That neither shows “innovative leadership” nor “advance(s) business development locally.”

If you are looking for innovative leadership, try doing something that YOU came up with, not someone else. And if you are trying to help local business development, how about reducing the size and influence of government and quasi-government entities (i.e. utility companies) not encouraging it.

This seriously made me laugh. Keep the liberal policies coming.

And here’s the text of the comical “press release:”

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

Contact: Roland Chi, Fullerton City Council Candidate

Office: (714) 889-8880

E-mail: RolandChi4Fullerton@gmail.com

CANDIDATE ROLAND CHI ASSISTS FULLERTON

BUSINESSES IN SAVING MONEY AND ENERGY BY

VOLUNTEERING TO INFORM OWNERS OF FREE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON INITIATIVE

*Chi is running for Fullerton City Council’s 2-year seat

FULLERTON – City Council Candidate Roland Chi volunteered to inform Fullerton business owners of Direct Install, Southern California Edison’s (SCE) new, energy-saving program. Chi’s efforts in conjunction with the City of Fullerton and Fullerton Chamber of Commerce to facilitate the awareness and participation of local owners in such programs, demonstrates his innovative leadership and commitment to advance business development locally.

As Fullerton continues to experience economic hardships, it makes it especially challenging for small businesses to profit, let alone survive. As a local business owner, Chi understands what owners are facing by having to cut costs and operate cautiously due to continuing revenue loss. To revitalize local business, Chi’s new ideas, initiative, and strong “blueprint” are necessary for short-term local economic improvement.

SCE’s new initiative seeks to lower energy costs for small-business owners by recommending and installing up to $10,000 worth of energy-efficient products at no cost to owners. For a business to qualify, it must be nonresidential and within SCE’s service territory. Direct Install is funded by California utility ratepayers and is administered by SCE and will remain available to business owners until all funds are exhausted. The program is available to any qualified business whose monthly earnings are less than $100,000.

Chi, SCE, and the Fullerton leadership organizations who participated in this imitative, understand the benefits of programs like Direct Install, which foster active dialogues and partnerships between businesses and government, establishing an openness and trust that enables more efficient City improvements.

“I chose to volunteer for this program because this initiative aligns with everything my campaign is about which is improving the business climate for local business owners here in the city of Fullerton. This program directly improves the bottom line of small businesses which is what I seek to do on the city council.” Chi’s business-minded approach will enable local owners to re-invest, prompt growth, generate revenue, and attract new business, thus creating new jobs.

Chi’s participation in Direct Install demonstrates his dedication to advancing local economic interests by fostering open dialogue with owners, integrating new ideas, and utilizing all available resources. “I will ensure Fullerton’s remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family.” For more information about SCE’s Direct Install please call (800) 736-4777. Further information about Candidate Roland Chi is avai lable at www.rolandchi.com or by e-mailingroland4fullerton@gmail.com. VVV

September 27, 2010Fullerton City Council

Bruce Whitaker Responds: Game On!

by admin5 Comments

Over the week-end we received an e-mail from none other than Fullerton Council candidate, Bruce Whitaker. It seems Bruce wanted to respond to a couple of rather pessimistic posts by our bloggers The Desert Rat and English Major. Here’s what Whitaker had to say:

Subject: Game On!

I’ve been reading some posts and comments here that are “doom and gloom” regarding Fullerton’s future. And while there are many reasons for concern, there are solutions.

Taxpayers/residents/small business owners and those (and there are many) who support rational public policy, objective decisions and open, ethical government: There is still time to put your shoulder to the wheel of my campaign!

If you believe and lament that the outcome of this election is already decided . . . I submit that now more than ever, you should consider helping me to attain a seat on the Fullerton City Council.

Even if we do not agree on every issue, you should consider voting for me for the following reasons:

I believe that a councilmember should ensure openness; invite public input; demand fair and thorough deliberations and hearings; avoid conflicts; continuously conduct independent research and exercise due diligence that would keep him/her fully informed and prepared regarding items coming before the City Council.

Your councilmember should be available, be a good listener and treat the public with respect. A good City Council represents the people in the process, not the agendas of special interests which would work to the detriment of the people.

You can be assured that I will “speak up” when confronted with unethical, harmful or wasteful acts in our city government while representing you as a member of the Fullerton City Council.

Please visit my website for a closer look at my candidacy – www.brucewhitaker.com
and review Fullerton Planning Commission meetings which are archived on the City of Fullerton website.