Linda “19%” Ackerwoman has until February 28, 2010 to fess up to her phony Fullerton residency or lose her coveted seat on the Metropolitan Water District Board.
She still represents the Metropolitan Water District of Orange County on the MWD Board, but her phony “granny flat” at the Dolans is outside that district, which does include her real home (2 Mineral King) in Irvine.
According to MWDOC bylaws, she will lose her seat if she lives outside its service area for more than 6 months.
Of course, she could keep up the ruse and try to seize Fullerton’s own seat on the MWD Board, long held (20+ years) by old Buck Catlin crony Jim Blake.
Could the Ackermans’ launch a challenge to Blake? Where would Linda’s council backers Bankhead and Jones stand? Would Keller and Quirk fall for the “woman thing” or an ABB (Anyone But Blake) sentiment? The longer she remains registered in Fullerton, the more credible an anti-Blake coup becomes!
Far-fetched? Maybe. After all, Blake’s an old Ackerman klingon, too.
Reregister, now, Linda. Take your 19% and Roski money with you and stay on the MWD Board representing your real home in Irvine.
We considered ourselves pretty much hopelessly cynical. Most local elections don’t seem to matter much, at least here in OC. The choices are determined in Repuglican primaries between various assorted mixed nuts with more ambition than brains; people whom you wouldn’t hire to walk your dog. People of no real ability but a crafty sort of skill at ferreting out the main chance – for themselves. Remember Duvall? Bulldozer Daucher? Every council election gives birth to a new litter.
But this time it really is different.
Chris Norby is not perfect. A long way from perfection – like most of us. But his political attributes far outweigh his liabilities. He is a rock-solid conservative who has fought for property rights against the incursion of government depredations for decades. At the County he has opposed pension spikes, PLAs, and other policies that unreasonably raise the cost of government to the people who pay for it – us.
As a city councilman in Fullerton Norby time and time again had to stand alone in a lonely fight against the boondogglery of the Redevelopment Agency and completely incompetent affordable housing schemes – foisted on us by his colleagues. You see, Chris put the welfare of the City ahead of foolish collegiality with the rest of the council and with staff. He never forgot that it is the city manger who works for the council – not the other way around. Unlike his fellows on the council he never came to identify himself with the bureaucracy at the expense of his constituents. Remember the Utility Tax?
There is a reason a billionaire like Ed Roski Jr. dislikes Norby so much and is willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to attack him. It’s because Norby is one of the few elected officials in California who has stood up to fight the redevelopment abuses that create sham cities like “Industry” where Roski rules over his supposedly democratic realm in effective majesty.
So what can Norby do in Sacramento? He can fight the California Redevelopment Association by forging a coalition of Democrats and republicans who are tired of seeing the little guys get pushed around by auto dealers and big box corporate welfare artists. He can fight for equitable sales tax distribution to eliminate internecine tax wars between neighboring cities. As a former teacher he can bring his own experience to bear on education problems instead of relying on party cliches. And as a true fiscal conservative he can fight for the interests of the taxpayers.
His Republican opponent? An empty suit of clothes wheeled around one afternoon in front of a cameraman in poses hardly any more credible that her claimed business experience. A sham candidate imported from another district by forces of pecuniary interest who think nothing is wrong in creating a tax-free, charitable organization whose only mission is to arrange free Hawaiian vacations for legislators.
The Republican Party of Orange County has been run by a relatively small gang of manipulators and political profiteers. Almost all of them have come out in support of a woman who doesn’t even live in the district, and whose entire campaign is a fraud; and lots of small fry local electeds have followed suit, believing as they do that their main chance belongs with the Gang. Maybe they are right. But Tuesday, a message of bad news may be delivered. The Gang has never trusted or accepted Norby. Maybe a Norby victory against their hollow candidate will send the message that their days are numbered. Let’s hope they are.
Ed Roski is friends with many famous dead Americans
Although we haven’t seen it, Martin Wisckol at the Register has posted a youtube clip of a cable TV run ad that basically paints Norby as some sort of anti-feminist monster. The thing is so hyperventilated that it’s hard to believe anybody would take it seriously. It starts out with an image of Mike Duvall that morphs into Norby. Only problem is by now voters have a pretty good idea that it was Dick Ackerman who selected and groomed Duvall in the first place, and even that Norby supported his opponent.
Wisckol claims the ad has been paid for by an independent expenditure of as yet unknown origin.
A strong whiff of Ed Roski Jr. is emanating from this garbage. Since the Alliance for California’s Tumors has stopped its work, Roski has undoubtedly discovered a new conduit for his torrent of slime. But this crap is bound to backfire just like all the other Ackerman slime seems to have done.
At least they said they did. We will certainly forgive you if you have your doubts. The boys in The Van were given an extra allocation of medicinal mushrooms after their last supposed Ackerman phone call coup, and, well, that’s an ingredient that could produce almost any kind of weird hallucination.
Anyway, here’s what the Undercover Surveillance Unit claims to have captured. Make of it what you will.
(phone ringing)
Dick Jones: Ahhm a comin’ (heavy panting noises) Hello?
Dick Ackerman: (a grunt) Dick Ackerman here.
DJ: Dick! (wheezing sounds) Sorry, ah’m a little winded. Long way from the privvy.
DA: Quit talking and listen. That asshole Nygren did a poll. Roski’s pulling out. Two goddam miserable weeks left and that punk Roski’s pulling out on me. They’re all out to get me. No respect. Goddammit I’m Dick Ackerman. Okay, look, I’m outta dough. We’re outta dough. Linda’s outta dough. Hitting up all my Fullerton friends. Our Fullerton friends. Linda’s Fullerton friends.
DJ: A poll (wheezing and coughing). What kinda poll? (coughing)
DA: (several guttural noises) Don’t worry about that. Forget about it. I need some dough. We need some dough. Linda needs some dough. We gotta keep hitting that bastard Norby. Right up ’til the end. At the end. After the end (distinct snarling sound followed by an apparent bark).
DJ: That Norby, boy, he’s a real troublemaker. A real Brutus. Et tu Brutus? (unattributable sputtering sounds)
DA: What?
DJ: Huh?
DA: (a series of staccato grunts) Shut up and listen. What can I put you down for? The limit, right?
DJ: Ahhumm. Well, ah ain’t gonna hide the fact, Dick. S’been a tough year. Reeeal tough! (two phlegmmycoughs)
DA: (a snarl) Why you ingrate, if it wasn’t for me you’d just be another loud-mouthed Rotarian. You’ve got more money than Croesus. Sell one of your thirteen cars and pony up, goddammit!
DJ: There was a poll? (more asthmatic wheezing)
DA: (a bark) Goddammit you jackass, forget about the poll! I’m putting you down for $1200. A guy’s coming up to Fullerton today to wash my car at Dolan’s place. I’ll send him over to pick up the check.
DJ: Norby. That sumbitch tried to stop our Redevelopment expansion. That’s a brilliant plan. He’s a trouble maker. And he’s buddies with Bushala. Suin’ his own city! Got a name fer boys like that back in Galveston: sumbitch.
DA: Yeah. I tried to shut up that punk too. Didn’t work. Everybody’s useless. Out to get me. Get us. Get Linda. (several low growling sounds) But forget about that.
DJ: (a long wheeze) Heh-heh, did ah ever tell ya about the Eye-talian family that used to run Galveston?
DA: What? Shut up and listen. My boy will be around for the check at ten or eleven. His names’s Mike. Or Matt. Or Milt. Something like that. Won’t do my tires right (a snarl).
DJ: Huh?
DA What?
DJ: There was a poll?
Unidentified Female Voice in Background: Dick, that white van is back behind the statue garden wall!
DA: Hell. Damn peacocks are gonna go off again. Okay. Get off the line you idiot. And write that check. Now.
Friends, have you noticed the sudden subsidence of big glossy mailers sent out by Ackerman, Inc. and Alliance for California’s Tomorrow (ACT) attacking Chris Norby? You know, the ones that take uncorroborated testimony from a disgruntled ex-County employee fired for misfeasance and turned into third person language to make it look like somebody was a witness to her bogus claims?
We were getting pieces almost everyday (sometimes two) ladled out of the Ackerwoman slop-bucket, but that has stopped. Even Ackerwoman’s obsequious press agent Martin Wisckol has noticed it – and actually tried to figure out why. The ACT has run out of money. The last dough they spent went to a poll – and no more money has come in since.
Possible poll results that look bad for Ackerwoman, plus the fact that the majority of permanent absentee voters who are voting have already mailed in their ballots may well mean that the investment value in Ackerwoman’s candidacy has been reassessed.
So, have Ed Roski, the Indian casinos, and the other anti-Norby interests finally given up on the Ackerwoman campaign? Wisckol asked Jim Nygren, the parasite who runs ACT. Nygren said he was told to keep quiet. Apparently Roski doesn’t care for idle chatter.
A few days ago, the Pechanga Band of Indians kicked down $15,000 to send out mailers on in the 72nd on behalf of Linda Ackerman. The money arrived at the same time as the $25K kicked in by billionaire owner of the City of Industry. And on the 23rd a new expenditure has been reported that specifically targets Chris Norby.
Since all these funds are laundered through the bogus “Alliance for California’s Tomorrow” IE committee, it’s hard to pinpoint who paid for what. But it hardly matters. The other day one of our writers supposed that Roski might want to keep his hands off Norby directly. Now it appears that that is not the case since the funds go into the same pool.
But back to our Native American brothers.
Why would a bunch of Indians way out in Temecula be interested in the race to represent North Orange County?
Dick Ackerman has a history of pandering to the Indian gambling cabal, going out of his way to give them fat favors from the State on behalf of Orange County residents. Over the last few years, Ackerman spent an incredible amount of energy pushing deals through the California legislature that would allow Pechanga to add tens of thousands new slot machines. Somehow this was all justified by calling Orange County a “core geographic area” for the distant desert casinos.
Native American dancers celebrate the blessings of Dick Ackerman
Now it’s Linda Ackerman’s turn to run for office, and the Pechanga Indians know where to put their money. Linda is sure to continue her husband’s tradition of repaying special interests with special favors to the detriment of Orange County residents.
Well, we predicted the presence of Ed Roski in the campaign for the 72nd Assembly District, here. Roski has made a fortune in commercial real estate, not to mention controlling the dubious City of Industry – a Redevelopment Valhalla – as his personal fiefdom.
Chris Norby has been a staunch foe of Redevelopment abuse, and has singled out both the City of Industry as well as its attempt to swipe an NFL team (to play in a stadium that dodged full environmental review – courtesy of the legislature) for scrutiny; so Roski’s participation in the election seemed a forgone conclusion.
A late expenditure report by our parasitical pals at The Alliance for California’s Tomorrow shows that Roski dumped $25,000 into their committee this week. The expenditures are for “data” and “printing,” so presumably a mailer is on the way.
What’s curious is that the expenditure is that it is designated as “for” Linda Ackerman, whereas we had assumed Roski was going to be the designated hitter against Norby – so that the Ackerwoman could keep her mitts clean. That theory was undermined when Ackerwoman had to do the dirty work herself in her disgraceful mailer about the bogus sexual harassment suit. The fact that Roski is weighing in now – but not specifically “against” Norby – might indicate that he’s seen some polling numbers and doesn’t really want to offend Assemblyman Norby, but needs to show the flag, at least. But we merely speculate.
What’s also curious about the expenditure is the timing. Thousands of absentee ballots have already been returned. Why did Roski wait so long to kick in? Desperation by Team Ackerman, Inc.? Who knows?
When we get the mailer, we’ll share the contents.
In the meantime maybe our Undercover Surveillance Unit has picked up on a conversation between Dick and Ed. If so, we’ll keep you posted.
Lest anyone believes the special election to replace scummer Mike Duvall in the 72nd Assembly seat will be a model of decorum, we will disabuse them of that misconception right now.
Chris Norby can run on his political record – because at least he has one. His principal opponent in the GOP primary, Linda Ackerman, has no record other than being married to the once-powerful, and still venomous Dick Ackerman, and she doesn’t even live in our district. But the Ackermans have an ally.
That ally is named Ed Roski. Never heard of him? Roski is a hyper-wealthy LA real estate guy (Majestic Realty) and virtually controls the City of Industry as his personal fiefdom. The City of Industry is the single biggest Redevelopment scam in the history of California, and Roski’s latest big idea is to steal a professional football team – the San Diego Chargers were a likely target for a move northward – to a new stadium at the confluence of the 57 an 60 freeways. Since Norby has openly attacked the phony City of Industry and the NFL theft, he has incurred the wrath of Roski, so the story goes, who is supposedly as vindictive as he is rich. In other words a perfect playmate for Dick Ackerman.
According to local political theorists, the plan is laid. The Ackermans keep their South County hands clean vis-a-vis Norby, and continue to show up at Central Committee meetings with smirks and innocent shrugs; and Roski does the dirty work on Norby. Nice folks, huh?
Well, get ready, Friends. Absentee ballots are mailed out in a couple weeks. A tidal wave of slime is on its way.
