Hide-n-Seek Harry Finds A New Address

The sun sets on Lucky Way. There is no aviary.

Harry Sidhu’s short lived “residency” at the Calabria Apartment, #116 is over, as we reported, here. We can’t say he moved because that would imply that he actually lived in an apartment behind the Linbrook lanes bowling alley in the first place, and nobody was buying into that load of road apples. But he has a new voter registration address.

So why the “move”? Obviously an implausible address had to be replaced with a plausible one. This was effected at almost the same moment Sidhu assembled his campaign “team.” A coincidence? Yeah, right.

Here’s Sidhu’s re-registration form at the OC Registrar of Voters office, where Harry has become a recognizable regular customer:

This other day I decided to find out where Harry “moved” to this time. It’s on the very scruffy southern edge of Anaheim in a new little four house subdivision; the signs on the adjacent street say Garden Grove.

Anyhow, I rang the doorbell and was greeted by Mrs. Harry Sidhu. I asked if Harry was home and she told me no; I told her I had sent Harry an email questioning his residency in the 4th Supervisorial District  and that he hasn’t sent me a response. I asked if she realized what Harry was doing was called “carpettbagging” and she told me that she did not believe they were carpetbagging because they moved into the district. I wonder if Harry told her that people who move into a district just to run for office are called carpetbaggers? I told her who I was and she told me that I was talking to the wrong person. We said goodbye and off I went.

Upon leaving I had to ask myself whether Mrs. Harry is just a day-time stage prop at another fake residence, or whether the family was really going to try living there. When you see the house and the neighborhood its still a real big stretch. Although there’s no pool hall next door, the neighborhood is a far cry from the Elegant Old Yorba Estate in the 3rd District, that’s for sure.

Hide-n-Seek Harry Has Trouble Within; You Can’t Buy Loyalty

The grass is always greener over there...

I received this email Saturday from our Friend Chris Thompson, and I would have posted it yesterday, but I was called upon to attend a bloggers party to be the master of the barbecue and ended up staying for dinner and drinkies, enjoy:

This morning at the Tea Party Rally in Fullerton, Harry Sidhu’s Deputy Campaign Manager actually told me that he knows that Sidhu will probably lose and after a half-hearted defense, essentially acknowledged that the Carpetbagger assertion wasn’t unreasonable.

I saw this overdressed guy dramatically shaking his head in reaction to Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly’s characterization of Sidhu as a Carpetbagger.  I asked Admin who he was and he told me that he worked for the Sidhu campaign.  I decided to approach him and ask him why he was supporting a guy that didn’t live in the 4th.  After kindly asking him to dispense with the crap about the specially rented domicile, he said…and I’m paraphrasing, but I’m very close…”Can I be honest?” “By all means.” I say.

He said, “I really need a job.  I called every candidate and the Sidhu campaign was the only one that would hire me.”

After telling me that he was a PoliSci grad from CSULB, I told him that in this Tea Party era, he might want to consider hooking his train to somebody that was conservative AND honest.  He said, “I know we’ll probably lose, but maybe afterwards I’ll earn the reputation of being an effective campaign manager.”  I asked him why he thought Nelson never called him back and he said, “It might have something to do with the fact that I did calling for the Linda Ackerman campaign.”  I told him that may have something to do with it.  He said, “I was the Orange County Republican Party Volunteer of the Year.”  I was impressed.  I said, “You know, I want to know why Nelson didn’t call you back.  Give me your name and number.”  He wrote it down for me on the back of a Sidhu flyer.

Hey you kids, get out of my aviary!

I called Nelson and he informed me that this individual never called his campaign to ask for a job.  Now here’s the part of the story where it becomes very clear that Shawn is smarter than me.  I said, “Call him.  He’d probably jump ship.  He acknowledged they were probably going to lose and that Sidhu was running a charade with this rented home.”  Nelson says, “Why would I want to hire a guy that just said all of this stuff to you?”  Ummmm…..good point Shawn.

I’ve been fighting (mostly losing with a couple of great wins) political battles in Fullerton for 10 or 12 years.  It’s only cost me money and time to do this.  I have little sympathy for a guy wanting to get paid to work for a candidate who is violating a principle of mine, much less opposing a guy I know to be an enemy of big government.  Probably time to move on, Mr. Deputy Campaign Manager.

Shawn Nelson on Tea Parties and the Paycheck Protection Initiative

Shawn, please explain to our readers how you got involved in the Tea Party movement?

Shawn: To begin with, there was no Tea Party movement that I was aware of at this time last year. Last March people across the country and certainly in Southern California were reeling from the constant beat down of small business people and this unending talk of raising taxes, bailouts, and the government taking over everything from the auto industry to banking.

As a small business man myself I began to sense there were a number of my peers that had not been typically politically active but had suffered through all they were going to take. KFI’s John & Ken were focused on the same issues that were troubling me and so many others and the talk began to be that they should have some kind of rally to protest. I thought this was the perfect time to do exactly that and that people that had never participated in such things might be ready to scream they wanted the nonsense to end.

I got together with a fellow business owner in Fullerton and we sent an e-mail with photos of other events that had been held in the Fullerton transit center to the producer for John & Ken. It took a few days but they finally responded and were psyched up about the idea and the location. 12,000 people later on a beautiful Saturday in Fullerton I realized we were on to something. The people that attended last spring’s Tax Revolt 2009 in Fullerton were folks that in most cases had never protested anything before. They were people that run businesses and raise families and are usually willing to leave the protest stuff to the activists. They were ready to engage and I was thrilled to see them in action. These were my kind of people.

It wasn’t until last summer that I remember folks beginning to use the word Tea Party to describe the anger of the people and the new activism but I was thrilled to see the movement was not just a one day thing.

Prior to last springs’ Tax Revolt, I hit the radar screen of the Tea Party folks because I stood up against and stopped an attempted retroactive pension spike in the city of Fullerton 18 months ago. Since then I have been seen as one of the few people that will actually take political risk when it comes to all things union run.

What are thoughts about the paycheck protection initiative?

Shawn Nelson: I  believe unions have a right to participate and should. My family’s business, Daily Saw Service (yes I am a Daily) has been union since just after World War II. Paycheck protection will end the strong arm tactics of the union presidents who can at a moments notice raise millions of dollars whether their members are in favor of an issue or not. Right now, unions can literally control the election process in many cities. counties and state wide by their sheer ability to take their members money and throw their weight around. If members had to actually cut an after tax check before a union boss could use their money, I for one do not believe the faucet would be stuck in the “on” position like it is now.

Are you going to the rally this weekend?

Nelson:I will be at the event on Saturday, 10:00 a.m. in the Fullerton Transportation Center. Please say hello to me if you stop by.

What are people looking for in a candidate?

Nelson: Fullerton is the same as the nation. Folks are tired of people who make their living in politics.  A career spent in government affairs is exactly the type of background that has Tea Party types furious with their election choices.

I think people are looking for someone straight forward and honest. Some one who as actually run a business and who is about results not measuring intentions and effort. I think people are tired of voting for a person just because he/she is moving to another office in politics. They want to vote for someone that will get things done, not accommodate those that make their living in the system.

It is too much to ask a guy that has spent his career stroking his political friends to break ranks and disappoint by cutting programs that are not needed, reducing staff when it is feasible etc? This is the reason I am willing to give up my law practice and run and the reason I think I will win. I will say no to the cronies at the county and particularly any union boss who places protecting salaries and benefits above the taxpayers need for service.

There are a lot of candidates moving or claiming to move their residence to run for office lately. Would you be willing to move to run for office?

Nelson: No.

Why not?

Nelson: I live right near where I grew up in a home one of my best friends was raised in. I chose where I wanted to live based on the community, my children’s well being, proximity to friends and family trails, parks etc. Where I chose to live had nothing to do with politics or running for office. I cant imagine being so self absorbed as to move my family specifically to run for an office in a district outside of where my home is. Maybe worse than that would be to pretend I moved but not actually do so. Anyway, gimmicks are not what I am about.

Why do you think you will win?

Nelson: It really is time for some bold changes in who runs, who we elect and what the people we elect have the guts to do. For too long we have elected supposedly conservative people and what we get is constant cow-towing to unions and interest groups that are close to bankrupting government at every level. We need people who are giving up more than they get from public service, not folks that win elections and get a raise.

Can we consider you a friend?

Nelson: Sure, I am a Friend of Fullerton’s Future.

Insights into A Mauve Worldview

That's not the cable company, Einstein.

Those rascals in the white van have been hard at work lately. Or a least that’s what they keep telling us; and we keep providing them with vicodin tablets and Everclear.

Our narcotic investment seems to have paid off the other day for the boys have provided us with the the transcript of a conversation between members of the Tom Day for Supervisor campaign and a blogger from what used to be known as “Red County.” The conversation here seems to be about how the latter can help the former. Believe it or not.

John Lewis: Okay. Chris are you with us?

Chris Jones: Yeah I’m here.

JL: Okay, good. Raining up there? Aw, who the hell cares. Okay. Matt Cunningham is, um, here too.

CJ: Yeah. Hi Matt.

Matthew Cunningham: inaudible, high pitched squeak.

JL: Okay. Let’s get to it. We need some blog presence to go after Nelson, right?

CJ: Yeah. I’ve been trying for almost a year, you know, anonymous comments here and there. No traction, you know.

MC: And you got busted for that.

CJ: So did you, Jerbal.

JL: Forget it.  Cut it out. We’re supposed to be working together. You both screwed up. Okay. What we need is a real person to start hitting Nelson on Red County.

MC: We’ve gotta be careful, not too obvious. Chip might pull the plug. He’s not too smart, but I think he’s starting to get, you know, um, suspicious.

CJ: Yeah, but it’s gotta be a real person. Then we’ll start commenting under different names.

MC: I can’t do it. What about Gordon?

JL: Gordon? Who the hell is that?

MC: Some dummy that used to blog for Pedroza. From Santa Ana. Doesn’t know his ass from from a pothole on 5th Street. He doesn’t know anything about the 4th District.

CJ: Perfect. Can he write?

MC: No. Well, sort of. You’ll have to write it for him.

JL: He may not want to attack a Republican. Will he want something?

MC: Dunno. He’s not too bright but he’ll probably want something. We can tell him he’s getting even with Pedroza for something. That’ll work. If he wants something you can offer him a, um

CJ: A banana?

(general chuckles)

JL: Okay. Jones writes the thing up then stupid puts his name over it. Great. Good. Okay. Then Jones and you can add to the threads anonymously. You’ve both had practice with that. If, er, whats’ his name?

MC: Gordon?

JL: Yeah, Gordon. If he wants something we’ll tell him Daly’s gonna give him a job if he gets in.

MC: Hey wait a minute. What about, you know, Laura? How many jobs is Daly offering around?

JL: Oh hell don’t worry about it for chrissake. Nobody’s gonna hire…

MC: Gordon?

JL: Right. Gordon. He’s just a plausible…you know…

CJ: Stooge?

(more general chuckles)

JL: Okay. Lets get, um, him on the phone.

MC: Gordon?

JL: Yeah, him. Hmm, looks like the cable company’s working outside the office again. Okay let’s make the call…

At this point transmission was disrupted by interference, rendering the balance of the transmission inaudible.

The Hypocrisy Deepens at Mauve County

Over in the purpling swamp of what used to be the “Red County” blog, Matthew J. Cunningham just topped himself, hypocrisy-wise.

Oops! I did it again.

Cunningham has been throwing out backhanded support for Tom Daly, a Democrat, in the campaign for 4th District Supervisor for a year now. Lately he has employed a pro-Daly blogger to actually promote Daly outright. That struck some people as odd for an allegedly “right of center” blog. Of course we know that Cunningham is just a gofer for John Lewis, the political impresario and lobbyist who is the mastermind of the Daly effort. That explains a lot. Including the lame post the other day by some fat-headed goon called Thomas Anthony Gordon attacking the race’s only real conservative – Shawn Nelson. And of course Daly’s campaign manager also chimed in, again using different aliases, to try to reinforce the theme.

Cunningham has been spinning the whole Daly thing by proclaiming that his is not a Republican blog, just a right of center one. When (and if) you get past the obvious discordance of a right of center blog supporting a union-backed Democrat and attacking a real conservative, you’re likely to find  some real hypocritical treasures –  as an alert Friend did today.

Opining in a comment in post thread  about the Mission Viejo recall of RINO Lance MacLean, Cunningham has the nerve to criticize the recallers for causing the replacement of a Republican with a Democrat!

Say what?

Isn’t that exactly what John Lewis & Co. are promoting in the 4th Supervisor campaign? Replacing Republican Chris Norby with a County employee union backed  Democrat – Tom Daly. For fun, check out last year’s Daly’s fundraiser host committee.

The union bosses and lobbyists arm wrestled for front row seats...

Lest you think a Democrat can be a real conservative just take a look who’s backing Daly – County union bosses Nick Berardino (OCEA), Wayne Quint (AOSD), and Joe Kerr, head of the County OC Firefighters. Of course they could be backing Daly because of his fiscal conservatism, huh?

Oh well. It’s not as if this were something we didn’t already know. Still, the hypocrisy is quite remarkable.

The Horror! Hideous Doppelganger Roaming Streets of Orange County

Here’s some free advice for the guys in the John Lewis/Daly for Supervisor Shop. Next time you dredge up a goon to do your dirty work you might want to make sure he has no embarrassing body doubles with the same name wandering around Orange County.

A real one of a kind talent

Yesterday we reported how the Mauve County blog raked up some slob from Santa Ana named Thomas Anthony Gordon, who, out of the blue, attacked Fullerton’s Shawn Nelson for being a defense attorney, therefore “soft on crime,” and hence unfit to be a County Supervisor.

As we pointed out, this was a theme Daly’s campaign manager has been pushing on blogs using an alias.

But back to Gordon. Maybe TAG wasn’t the best choice of hit men on the subject of crime, softness-wise. You see poor Gordo shares the identical name of another Orange County resident.

According to the Orange County Superior Court records, one Thomas Anthony Gordon has been arrested twice in Orange County. He is listed as 6’4″ and 230lbs in 1996 and 240lbs in 2005.

Both of the misdemeanors were for Vehicle Code Section 14601.1 (a) driving on a suspended license. The “.1(a)” part means the license was originally suspended for some type of reckless driving resulting in injury to someone.

The 2005 case was reduced to a lesser offense of driving without a license. He also has some failure to pay issues with the court.

Imagine that: two Thomas Anthony Gordons in Orange County.

What’s that you say? It’s just the same guy?

Naw, couldn’t be. Nobody with that scofflaw’s record would start throwing around his own mud on somebody else would he? And there’s no way the upright Lewis team at Mauve County would let that sort of individual on their blog in the first place, now would they?

Of course we have to wonder about Thomas Anthony Gordon #2’s opinion of defense lawyers. Maybe he’ll stop by and tell us.

Monkey Business At Daly’s Clerk/Recorder Office?

A source inside the County government has directed our attention to a contractual relationship between the County Clerk’s department and a “consultant” that bears closer scrutiny. Our source has indicated that monies were paid out for questionable or dubious “services.”

This contract involves Barbre & Associates; Brett Barbre is a former County employee, a Water District official, and now a self-styled political public relations guy. It appears that Mr. Barbre received at least $36,000 through last summer to do something (see vendor report, above). What did he do? Our source tells us it was supposed to have something to do with organizing an Orange County Hall of Fame memorabilia display. We’re not buying into that just yet since such an inconceivably profligate waste of money, especially in a recession, is hard to ascribe to anybody – even a big spender like Daly.

Nevertheless,  Barbre’s name immediately piqued our curiosity since he claims to be in PR, a function that Daly supposedly hired former reporter Jean Pasco to perform. Furthermore, Barbre, a nominal Republican, was an early and public supporter of Democrat Clerk/Recorder Tom Daly in his quest to be our County Supervisor. Check out the “host committee” to Daly’s 2009 fundraiser. Yes, Brett, we see you right there, #6 in the first column. Later in 2009 Barbre also took on the job of introducing Daly’s hand-picked successor and Clerk Department employee, Renee Ramirez, to the OC GOP Central Committee. Coincidences?

Since Daly and Ramirez run the Clerk/Recorder’s office, we immediately started to wonder just what Barbre did, to pick up that 36K. We have such suspicious minds, you see.

And so we have made a public records request with the County to find out the scope of services that were supposed to be rendered by Barbre and just what was accomplished for all that money.

And when we do find out we will certainly share the information with you.

Transportation Boondoggles Belie Sidhu’s Self-applied Stick-on Labels

It's all about #1, baby!

“Tough-minded advocate for streamlined efficient government.”

That’s how 4th District Supervisor candidate Harry Sidhu describes himself in that dopey Fullerton News Tribune ad he bought last week. We also read that Sidhu claims to have “fought to eliminate excessive and wasteful government spending.”

No examples, of course, to support the statements; evidently we are expected to accept Harry’s word for it.

But let’s make a quick visit to Sidhu’s campaign webiste. Under the “Transportation” issue heading we discover stuff all dressed up to look like an accomplishment that in reality gives the lie to Harry’s claim to be anything but an irresponsible public spendthrift.

Turns out Sidhu is a big cheerleader for the California High Speed Rail scam, a boondoggle on which hundreds of millions have already been squandered in “studies,” and with a gargantuan $50 billion price tag that ridership will never pay for. And of course he beats the drum for the jaw-droppingly expensive ARTIC plan in Anaheim, presumably hoping that if you build the southern terminus of the HSR a choo choo will have to show up sooner or later. A trip to the ARTIC website “benefits” page makes things crystal clear: $180,000,000 (yes, Friends you read that right) for a make-work government jobs program – mostly paid for with Measure M funds that everybody in the County has to pay through sales tax. Hardly the behavior of a fiscal conservative, is it?

Our Friends in Anaheim tell us that Sidhu is all gung-ho for this titanic fiasco to grease his relationship with outgoing Mayor Curt Pringle, who is neck deep in the HSR rip-off and who is looking for a soft place to land.

Pringle on his knees again...

Pringle, not coincidentally, is supporting Sidhu’s carpetbagging run for Supervisor (he supported Ackerwoman, too) and has been raising money for him. Symbiosis. And we get stuck holding the empty sack. Typical.

Sidhu is “tough-minded” about one thing: perpetually running for political office. On matters involving our tax dollars he’s about as tough as a mildewed marshmallow.

Santa Ana Goon Enlisted to Attack Shawn Nelson

The Tom Daly For Supervisor campaign being operated out of the back of the Mauve County blog offices enlisted an unlikely stooge today in an attack on Fullerton’s Shawn Nelson.

The individual’s name is Thomas Anthony Gordon (pictured, below), a participant in the byzantine and highly bitter world of Santa Ana politics. We had to do some digging to find out who this individual even was, and why he has all of a sudden taken an interest in the 4th Supervisorial District election.

When you get beyond the personal appearance issues things really start to get unattractive...

The gist of Gordo’s post is that Nelson is a defense attorney, and because Nelson works to get his clients acquitted he is “soft on crime”  and hence unfit to be a Supervisor. Some logic, huh?

This attack really isn’t too surprising. Daly’s campaign manager Chris Jones kept popping up here recently (until we busted him) using aliases trying to say the same thing. And it’s been obvious for a long time that Mauve County was just a vehicle for political promoter and Repuglican John Lewis who has been setting up the Democrat Daly as a lobbying target for years. But who orchestrated this little Valentine? It’s not very likely that Lewis, or Jones even know this Gordon character.

Aha! I think I’ve got it.  The Mauve editor Matthew J. Cunningham is a prize pupil of Lewis and, of course a backroom Daly supporter. He’s been over here a lot lately commenting anonymously, too. It seems quite plausible that Cunningham stirred up Gordon, probably with the fact that their mutual enemy Art Pedroza has an ad for Nelson on his blog. What an idea! The stooge can do the dirty work and Cunningham can (try to) keep his hands clean.

Just call me up and I won't explain everything.

Sound sort of weird. Of course it is. But the mission of Mauve County is now clear. Promote the career politician Daly, and attack Nelson.

For a blog that keeps pretending to be right-of-center it’s pretty sad that they evidently will be working against the only true conservative in the race. And all so that John Lewis can make money lobbying his boy Tom Daly in the County Hall of Administration. Repuglicanism at its worst.

Hide and Seek Harry On The Move Again. Claims New Address

Adios, Harry. We hardly knew ye.

Not to be outdone by fellow 4th District Supervisor campaign carpetbagger and multiple address occupier Lorri Galloway, Harry Sidhu has pulled up stakes again and abandoned his address at the beautiful Calabria Apartments, #106. The Registrar of Voters verbally confirmed the switcheroo this morning.

Let's hope Harry got the Manager's Move-in Special

Was it the proximity to the bowling alley or the pool hall? Was it the complete lack of landscaping? Or was it just the sheer impossibility as the residence for a rich man like Sidhu, whose carpetbagging was getting a lot of attention anyway. It sure was a great image and just the sort of thing to burst a political bubble.

Some of Harry’s campaign blog monkeys have been hinting recently that Harry was now living in a house he owns in the 4th District – a lot more plausible than the Calabria, to be sure, but in no way mitigating the fact that  HARRY SIDHU IS A CARPETBAGGER! Whether or not Harry will even pretend to live in his new home for the next four months is an excellent question, the answer to which we will no doubt be pursuing diligently.

So far I have moved this many times in 2010!

Ah, well. Thus endeth Harry’s flirtation with the common man. Wonder if he ever even got to meet his neighbors.