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Wife Beaters and Pussy Grabbers: "If you want nasty things done, you hire nasty people."

February 12, 2018, 5:30 am
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"It should no longer be a surprise to people that Caveman Trump would hire a man like Porter, who’s accused of beating his wives. If you want nasty things done, you hire nasty people. That’s how criminal syndicates thrive." - Jim Carrey

As list of Trump White House scandals grows, so does women's disapproval (MSNlink): As the number of scandals in the White House racks up, with accusations that now-former top aide Rob Porter abused his ex-wives being the latest, some women who voted for President Trump are walking away from him. On Friday, Trump defended Porter, saying, “He did a very good job while he was in the White House.”

“We found out about (the allegations from Porter's ex-wives) recently, and I was surprised by it, but we certainly wish him well, and it’s a tough time for him,” Trump told reporters. “He also, as you probably know, says he’s innocent, and I think you have to remember that.”

But there was one very glaring omission from his statement: the women.

The most recent Washington Post-ABC poll has found that approval from white women has fallen since the president’s first 100 days. While most white women voted for Trump in 2016, his approval rating has fallen 10 points since then, and strong disapproval of the president by this group rose 12 points, from 39 percent to 51 percent.

The group of women Trump performed best with was white women without college degrees. Many of these women found his message championing traditional values and an economic message benefiting working-class families in Middle America more attractive than Clinton’s progressive promise to continue the Obama legacy.

But that has recently changed. The Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein recently wrote:

“In the Rustbelt states that decided 2016, Trump has slipped into a much more precarious position with these women: Gallup put his 2017 approval with them at 45 percent in Pennsylvania, 42 percent in Michigan, and 39 percent or less in Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Compared to his 2016 vote, his 2017 approval among blue-collar white women in the Rustbelt represented some of his largest declines anywhere — 18 percentage points in Ohio and 19 in Wisconsin and Minnesota.”

Brownstein wrote that the decline in support began during Trump’s unsuccessful effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, something he repeatedly promised his base he would do.

According to the Post-ABC poll, more than 1 in 5 — 22 percent — of white women without a college degree said actions by Trump have mainly hurt them and their family.

And despite Trump's frequent praise of the economy, nearly half — 47 percent — of white women without degrees view the nation’s economy as not so good or poor. Most — 65 percent — of these women do not believe that Trump is the “very stable genius” that he says he is. And the overwhelming majority — 79 percent — of these women think sexual harassment of women in the workplace is a problem in America.

The Trump base: Wife beaters? (Arkansas Timeslink): Donald Trump is said to have gone "off script" yesterday by expressing sympathy for men accused of abusing women while showing no concern for the victims.

Not his own script, that's for sure. When you're a celebrity, he's said, you can do no wrong to women. You can grab them by the pussy, "anything." But here's the thing: Trump has a knack for saying things that energize his core supporters, maybe 35 to 40 percent of the electorate. Immigration. Muslims. Guns.

You'd think, however, that the people most likely to respond to a defense of men accused of abusing women would primarily be — men who abuse women. Is that a winning strategy? Are there that many of them out there?

Meanwhile, Trump is getting ripped for how he put his Tweet of sympathy for people like Rob Porter, accused by three women - one with a photo of a black eye to prove it.

“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” the president wrote on Twitter, adding: “There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

Due process? From a man who continued to call for punishment of men exonerated by DNA evidence in a Central Park assault; who urged "lock her up"; who built the birther attack on Barack Obama out of whole cloth; who's famous for introducing his latest attack line with "people say." As several have noted, Trump is getting due process from Robert Mueller. Sounds like the kitchen is getting hot.

Trump Gives Wife Beater Praise He Usually Reserves for Child Molesters and Nazis (The Borowitz Reportlink)—In comments to reporters at the White House on Friday, Donald J. Trump stirred controversy by lavishing an alleged wife beater with praise that he historically has reserved for child molesters and Nazis. Reporters who heard the President’s comments were taken aback since, in the past, the President had given no indication that he held wife beaters in the same high esteem in which he holds supporters of child abuse and white supremacy.

“We knew that President Trump considered child molesters and Nazis very fine people, but this was the first time he had put wife beaters up there, too,” Tracy Klugian, a member of the White House press corps, said. “We wanted clarification as to whether he considered wife beaters as fine as those other two groups, or finer.”

John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, accused reporters of attempting to drive a wedge between three of the President’s most cherished constituencies. “Donald Trump has made it very clear that he can be the champion of wife beaters, child molesters, and Nazis at the same time,” Kelly said. “He doesn’t play favorites.”

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Preserve Sierra Madre: Upcoming City Council Election

February 12, 2018, 7:21 am
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Mod: This came through this morning and I thought I should post it here.

Dear Supporters: As many of you know, there is an important City Council election coming up on April 10, 2018.  There are 3 incumbents running for re-election for the 3 seats that will be in play and voters are allowed to vote for 3 candidates.  Those incumbents are Rachelle Arizmendi, Denise Delmar and Gene Goss.  There is one candidate challenging the incumbents, Andy Bencosme.

In the past, Preserve Sierra Madre has not formally endorsed political candidates. However, the stakes are so high in this election, that we do not feel that Preserve Sierra Madre can remain on the sidelines. The present City Council has accomplished some remarkable things when it comes to preservation in Sierra Madre the highlights of which include passing a General Plan that is very protective of Sierra Madre, passing rules to prevent Arcadia-like mansionization, passing a Demolition Ordinance that protects historically significant homes from being torn down and enacting a water meter moratorium to protect our depleted water resources.

For these reasons and many others, we are strongly urging our supporters to re-elect Rachelle Arizmendi, Denise Delmar and Gene Goss and keep the present City Council intact so that they can continue their good work.

We are sure the challenger is a decent and honorable man. But he is a real estate agent who had his fundraising kickoff not in Sierra Madre, but in Arcadia at the Arcadia Association of Realtors.   Based on the over-development that has been allowed to occur in Arcadia over the last 20 years, we suspect that the Arcadia Association of Realtors probably does not share the same goals as Preserve Sierra Madre when it comes to protecting our "Village of the Foothills."

But our efforts will not be against any one but rather for keeping the existing City Council intact as long as possible.  While we have not always agreed with every position of all 3 of the incumbents, the fact remains that all of the many successes of Preserve Sierra Madre happened during their watch.  We can say that in general, all 3 have supported preservation in Sierra Madre and none of what we accomplished could have happened without their support.

The importance of this election is further amplified by two very important issues that may come up within the next couple of years: Efforts to develop the Monastery seem to be rearing its head again and the City Council may take up the issue of whether to do an historic survey of the City's properties. This makes the election and the re-election of the 3 incumbent candidates of vital importance. There may also be outside money and influence in this election from those having a different agenda for this city than preservation.

Here's how our supporters can help:

1. You will be allowed 3 votes. Vote for Rachelle Arizmendi, Denise Delmar and Gene Goss.

2. Forward this email to 5-10 friends and urge them to vote.

3. Email us back and let us know if you can volunteer by walking or making phone calls in support of these 3 candidates.

We have appreciated your support in the past and we try to refrain from asking for your help unless it is really important.  This is one of those times.  Much has been accomplished but more remains to be done.  What has already been done can also be undone if we are not vigilant.

As always, we appreciate your help and support.

Steering Committee

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Sho Tay: Golden Memories from the Man with the Miss America Smile

February 13, 2018, 5:30 am
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Last week I introduced you to an initial piece of current campaign bluster from Arcadia's enduring political artifact, Bulldozer Bob Harbicht. This week I thought we should have a "TBT," or "Throwback Tuesday​," and remember when Arcadia's now Mayor Pro Tem, Sho Tay, was running unsuccessfully for City Council back in the year 2012.

To the immediate left is Sho Tay's homespun, yet heartfelt, campaign flyer from that year. Note Sho's dismay at the uncontrolled tax and spend treachery of then Council Members Bob Harbicht and Roger Chandler. He was also upset with their efforts to campaign for John Wuo. John is the now former Arcadia Mayor often noted today for his alleged promotion of a local crypto-currency known as Gem Coins. Which, as I am sure you are aware, were famously backed by amber mines. Something no longer the case, sad to say. Apparently the FBI didn't like it.

Then there was Sho Tay's more successful bid for an Arcadia City Council perch in 2014. A run that was not without some measure of controversy, however (link):

Arcadia POA pulls endorsement of candidate - The Arcadia Police Officer’s Association has removed their endorsement for Sho Tay for Arcadia City Council in the April 8 election, Arcadia Detective Mike Hale confirmed with Arcadia Weekly on Thursday.

An attempt to collect mail-in ballots for the upcoming April 8 election in Arcadia by a young man identified only as an Asian teenager approximately 16 years of age who was knocking on doors in the 1700 block of Alta Oaks and asking residents if he could collect their election ballots and mail them for them was the catalyst.

Now we'll fast forward to 2018, when MPT for Life Tay has become the "Appointed One." There will be no need to campaign this time around. It also seems that his past disdain for Harbicht and Chandler has waned a bit. Or even morphed into an adorable form of bro-love. Today he appears in photo ops supporting The Bulldozer's run for a City Council seat. But you won't find such a photo in the Arcadia Weekly or the Pasadena Star News. You'll instead have to look to the Chinese World Journal.

Here is one. I am also including the interesting translation provided by Google (link).


Nice man-spread, Bob. It's here that you can find MPT Tay smiling away with his new best friend. How did this happen? Why so sudden a change of heart? Is it because Bob is now a much finer man than the current Councilmember, Tom Beck? Maybe Sho Tay is impressed by Bob's camel-toe?

Or perhaps it was how Harbicht led a young delegation from the Special Olympics a few years back when they first arrived to town. Especially after he famously referred to those athletes as being "retarded." For those who have forgotten the moment, you can refresh your memory by viewing the following video footage:

The link is found here.

It could be Sho Tay was swayed by how much money Harbicht raised in 2016.

Arcadia council candidate gets controversial $26K donation from local developer (Pasadena Star Newslink): A local developer that has been trying to build on an Arcadia hillside for 15 years has spent $26,850 to support City Council candidate Bob Harbicht’s campaign, according to campaign finance records ... Instead of donating directly to Harbicht’s campaign, Nevis Capital LLC, owned by Ta-Jen Lee, routed the money through the California Homeowners Association, a political action committee in Sacramento ... The PAC spent $15,000 on a mailer sent to voters this week asking Arcadians to “bullet vote,” or only cast one vote for Harbicht, even though there are two seats open. The PAC also spent $10,000 on online marketing for the candidate ...

Sho Tay, on the other hand, was only able to get a $10,000 contribution in that single donor category when he last had to run in 2014.  Here's a copy of Tay's Form 460:

Invest LA Regional Center, LLC is a federally regulated program through the United States Customs and Immigration Services Department. It is where immigrants who "invest"$500,000 with an approved Regional Center can then qualify for a visa called an Eb-5 for not only the investor, but their entire family.

It seems to me that contributions from a Regional Center that is run entirely on foreign money may be an attempt of a foreign national trying to influence a local election. Does the Federal government know how this money was being spent? Why would a Regional Center that is a pre-approved qualifying investment for foreigners looking to immigrate to the United States be interested in who is sitting on the City Council in little old Arcadia? Maybe because the gentleman behind the curtain is none other than Kin Hui, Arcadia resident and developer extraordinaire?

It looks like the actual link between Bulldozer Bob Harbicht and Sho Tay could be that they are both the willing puppets of some very well-heeled developers.

Nothing ever really changes. It is always about the money.

An update to last Tuesday's Arcadia post

The City of Arcadia will be sending out a mailer on Historic Preservation in the next couple of weeks to correct some of the misinformation being spread by Bulldozer Bob Harbicht. Yes, The Tattler makes a difference wherever it may roam. We'll post it here when it becomes available.

Here is a comment that didn't get posted a week ago because I really wanted to give it the special attention it deserves.

How ironic is that a person who himself lives in an over 7000 SF Mcmansion is against development? Tom Beck is a typical hypocrite. He would rather pay millions of tax dollars on a unwinnable lawsuit than vote for district voting to allow more representation from the underrepresented. He voted to deny Crosby's circular driveway, arguing against the owner's safety plea. How could he not understand a circular driveway would be certainly safer than backing up to the street for an over 70-year old couple? 

The commenter left out that Beck himself doesn't have a circular driveway and the poor, elderly couple who needs this circular driveway for "safety" reasons, is none other than Tom Crosby, the owner/broker of Coldwell Banker/George Realty.

Tom "Coldwell" Crosby is currently in the middle of constructing his modest 6,092 sf 2-story mansion with a 3 car garage in the back of the house that has a 32'x32' parking pad in the back for easy turning in order to go out of the driveway front first.  It features 5 BR, 5BA plus 1/2 BA, a kitchen, a wok kitchen, a breakfast nook, a family room with a wet bar, a wine room, a library, a home theater, and a home gym.

How is it Crosby is able to afford such luxurious digs, and in his golden years no less? He has reaped the rewards of over-development in Arcadia, for each agent from his office that sells a McMansion, as the owner/broker he gets a commission, too.

The city staff of Arcadia determined that because he has a 50' front yard setback, the circular driveway would cause an excessive amount of hardscape and denied the request. There has been issue on these large properties with people parking 10 or more cars in the circular driveways.

With just a retired, old couple living in this wickiup, there shouldn't be a need to park 10 automobiles.

Besides, who needs all of those cars when you can just call an Uber to take you to Sprouts?

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Has There Been An Increase In Crime In Sierra Madre?

February 14, 2018, 5:30 am
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Some people put a lot of faith in these "Safest Cities In California" surveys. Especially in Sierra Madre, which usually ranks amongst the very safest in all of the Golden State. Treasure Henderson, who runs the Mountain Views News, obviously looks forward to these, and gives them some deeply meaningful exposure in her paper every year. This one being no exception. To bring you up to speed, here is 2018's article.


Now don't get me wrong. "28th Safest City in California" is not necessarily a bad thing. There are Mayors of many cities in this state who would happily sell the souls of their dear mothers for such a result. But is that number 28 really up to past Sierra Madre standards? Based on some similar reports from years gone by, perhaps not.

The first result we dug up is from something called the Safewise Report. The year of this survey's release was 2017 (link).


This next safe city survey was released in 2016, and it is the work of something called Background Checks.Org (link). Here Sierra Madre came in a very admirable #6.


The final survey I found was released all the way back in 2013, with the crime figures for this report dating from 2012. It is the work of something going by the name of Movoto (link), and here Sierra Madre ranked a remarkably safe #8.


So there you have it. Like I said, this year's rank of "28th Safest in California" is not necessarily all that bad. But as we have now seen, things might have been a little bit better before.

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Arcadia's Worst Valentine's Day: Did Sho Tay Lay An "Arcadia's Best" Hit Piece On Councilmember Tom Beck Under The Name Of Long Departed Editor Scott Hettrick?

February 15, 2018, 5:30 am
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Mod: I ordinarily don't like to post articles having titles quite that long, but this really is a special case. Yesterday things went quite bananas in Peacocktown, and we're here to try and untangle this latter day Valentine's Day Masasacre for you.

As you might know, the now oxymoronically titled "Arcadia's Best" website is currently owned and run by Arcadia Mayor Pro Tem Sho Tay. Here is a document that establishes his ownership. It is important to share this because Sho Tay is now apparently claiming he bears no responsibility for what gets posted on his own website. Here he identifies himself as both owner and "webmaster."


Scott and a friend.
Arcadia's Best used to be the pride and joy of a fellow named Scott Hettrick. Scott ran it as a kind of Chamber of Commerce news site, and filled it with articles that promoted local businesses and civic events. You know, nice community booster style positive stuff.

However, Scott moved to Nebraska a couple of years back to be with his grandkids, gave up the blog business and, quite obviously, things have now gone downhill very quickly at a site many refer to today as "Arcadia's Worst."

Yesterday someone posted a truly nasty and dishonest hit piece on the Arcadia's Worst site smearing current City Councilman Tom Beck. And this person did it under the name of Scott Hettrick who, after being contacted by incredulous Arcadia residents at his home in far away Omaha, swore he had nothing to do with it. And why would he? He gave the site to Sho Tay two years ago and hasn't been involved with it ever since. Plus it just isn't his style. Scott is a far better writer than that, and never penned anything I've ever seen in such an "ESL" style.

Sho Tay was then contacted by certain aggrieved residents and asked why he had written such a thing and posted it on a site many still believe has something to do with civic involvement and promoting the nice things about Arcadia. Sho then claimed it wasn't him, but rather it was posted by hackers and he would take care of it right away.

So what was Sho Tay's idea of taking care of this situation? Did he take down the offending article and apologize to Scott Hettrick? Or explain to a baffled community that the article was put there by a hacker, and that he has hired professionals to improve the security on a site that he himself owns?

No, instead he left the article up, said Scott didn't write it, and then gave it a new author.


Very strange, right? Technical glitch indeed. The smear piece is still attached to the name Scott Hettrick, but the site's owner said it was actually posted by a mystery resident. Look, if your website was hacked and an obvious smear piece was left there, and under the name of a highly respected fellow who ran the local Chamber of Commerce for years no less, you'd immediately pull it down, right? Then call the cops. Obviously Sho's weird solution here does raise some very substantial questions.

Tom Beck responded to the smear by posting the following on Arcadia's Worst.

Tom Beck says
February 14, 2018 at 8:48 AM

WHO WROTE THIS FALSE HIT PIECE? Everything on my website can be backed up with documents or emails. The two lawyers on the CC voted to fight the potential lawsuit because of facts of Arcadia were unique and we thought we could win. EVERY ARCADIAN I HAVE TALKED TO THINKS DISTRICTS ARE BAD FOR ARCADIA. At large election would mean everyone who wants to be on the CC would have to face the voters they represent- including Sho Tay. My votes prove I’m the MOST FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE member of the CC. The Brinks sent me an email stating they totally support me and were telling their friends to vote for me. They were then listed as endorsers. I then received a later email that they should be removed because Burt is running for the Assembly but they still support me and were sorry. Sho Tay is WRONG!! I did bring the Ring Door Bell Program. Sho should ask our City Manager where I first brought it and it was passed to Police Chief.

Sho and tell?
There is one more piece to this very strange puzzle. Sho Tay is now claiming that the smear was posted (or hacked in) by someone who goes by the name of Brett Meyer. No such name can be found on any list of property owners in town, nor has he been located yet on any roster of Arcadia voters. And I emphasize the word "yet" because we are still trying to identify who Brett Meyer might actually be. Nobody knows who this man of mystery is.

My opinion? What follows is conjecture at this point, but it is where all of the evidence is now pointing. Sho Tay, or someone close to him, wrote the piece, and he posted it under the name of Scott Hettrick because he thought this would lend it some credibility. Obviously Sho felt it did need a credibility boost, and for once he is right. And if true, it was obviously a very creeped out thing for him to do.

After Hettrick was contacted in Omaha about the smear piece and cried foul, Sho Tay then claimed the site had been hacked, but strangely enough left the offending piece up anyway just in case someone in town did write it. Or so he claims. Sho also left Hettrick's name there for all to see, along a very odd explanation for having done so.

Now Sho Tay is claiming an as yet unidentified "Brett Meyer" wrote the hit piece, but nobody knows who this guy is. Nor has evidence of his existence been found so far in any of the usual places.

You do realize that Sho Tay is about to become the next Mayor of Arcadia, right? I pity the peacocks.

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NY Times: Thoughts and Prayers and N.R.A. Funding

February 16, 2018, 5:30 am
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Mod: I think that if I was God the prayers of these fools would offend me.

Thoughts and Prayers and N.R.A. Funding (The New York Timeslink:) Most Americans support stronger gun laws — laws that would reduce deaths. But Republicans in Congress stand in the way. They fear alienating their primary voters and the National Rifle Association. Below are the top 10 career recipients of N.R.A. funding – through donations or spending to benefit the candidate – among both current House and Senate members, along with their statements about the Las Vegas massacre. These representatives have a lot to say about it. All the while, they refuse to do anything to avoid the next massacre.


All of these representatives are Republican. The highest ranked Democrat in the House is Sanford Bishop, who ranks 41st in career donations from the N.R.A. Among the top 100 House recipients, 95 are Republican. In the Senate, the top two Democrats are Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who rank 52nd and 53rd — behind every Republican but Dan Sullivan of Alaska.

Michael Cohen's Porn Star Payment Just Left Trump Open to Criminal Charges (Law and Crime.comlink): President Donald Trump‘s personal attorney Michael Cohen addressed the payment of $130,000 that went to former pornographic film star Stephanie Clifford (aka Stormy Daniels) in 2016. Cohen said that the payment to Clifford, who had claimed she had an affair with Trump soon after his wife Melania Trump gave birth to their son, came directly from him. In an apparent effort to show that the payment was legal, he made it clear that Trump’s campaign was not involved in the transaction. Ironically, however, Cohen’s very explanation could land Trump in serious trouble, and possibly vulnerable to criminal charges.

“Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford,” Cohen told the New York Times, “and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly.” Cohen would not say what the payment was for, but other outlets have reported it was to prevent Clifford from speaking publicly about the alleged affair.

While Cohen was probably trying to put Trump in the clear by saying he had nothing to do with it, his very explanation paints a picture very similar to that of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

Edwards faced charges after it was alleged that he accepted and tried to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars that came from outside sources that were then used to cover up an affair he was having. Edwards was running for president at the time of the payments, and federal prosecutors claimed that the money should have been reported as campaign contributions. Such contributions also would have been in excess of the maximum amount allowed by individual donors, in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

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All of the Sierra Madre News you'll ever want to read

February 17, 2018, 5:30 am
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Mod: We get our share of complaints here about the blog, and that's fine. When some people aren't complaining you probably need to check and make sure they're still breathing. One of the gripes we hear quite often is that The Tattler doesn't carry enough Sierra Madre news anymore. So here you go.

San Gabriel Valley water board accepting applications for Sierra Madre representative (Pasadena Star Newslink): The San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District is accepting applications for an appointment to represent Sierra Madre on its board of directors.

Applicants must reside in Division 4, which encompasses Sierra Madre, be a citizen of the United States and not have any felony convictions, according to the board. Mailed and personally delivered applications will be accepted until 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 6. Board members will interview candidates in March.

The successful applicant must commit to attending board meetings at 8 a.m. the second Monday of each month in the district’s board room in Azusa, as well as special meetings as necessary.

Mod: Like anyone ever needs an excuse to go to Azusa, right? You could be the next Tom Love, and wouldn't that be wonderful? Another near volunteer job that has been out there for a bit is the Sierra Madre City Clerk gig. The last one left when the city cut her pay by a few thousand dollars, but don't let that discourage you. If writing down every nugget of wisdom shared at a City Council meeting appeals to you, then go for it!

City Clerk Application (City of Sierra Madre.comlink): In the United States, the office of city clerk was one of the first to be established when early colonists set up local governments.

Today, a city clerk is an elected or appointed senior official who is responsible for many administrative functions that relate to maintaining the public records of a municipality. The Sierra Madre City Council is soliciting applications to fill the vacancy of the elected City Clerk. The successful candidate will be appointed by the City Council to serve as City Clerk until April 2020.

The statutory duties of the City Clerk, as described in Government Code Section 40801 through 40811, are:

· Keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the legislative body

· Keep and record all city ordinances with the clerk’s certificate annexed to each, which record, with the certificate, constitutes prima facie evidence of the contents of each ordinance and of its passage and publication and is admissible as such evidence in any court or proceedings; and

· Act as the custodian of the city seal

The appointed City Clerk will receive a $250 monthly stipend commencing the month they are appointed and concluding the end of April, 2020. If you are interested in applying for the City Clerk position please return a completed  application to Sierra Madre City Hall at 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Mod: Former Sierra Madre Mayor Joe Mosca abruptly left the Foothill Village behind a few years back, and is now Vice Mayor in the City of Encinitas. However, San Diego County has not been as accepting of Joe and his family as they probably hoped. 

Santa Fe Christian school discouraged same-sex couple from applying (The Coast Newslink): When Matt Bosse began looking for a middle school for his 10-year- old, Garrett, several friends told him to consider Santa Fe Christian Middle School, a school known for rigorous academics, proud athletics and a Bible-based curriculum.

After all, they said, Garrett is a high-character, straight-A student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, an altar boy at his Episcopalian Church and plays competitive lacrosse.

So it came as a surprise, Bosse said, when school admissions director Vicki O’Rourke late last year discouraged him from applying because they weren’t the type of family that would be welcome at the school.

The reason, Bosse said? Because Garrett has two fathers. Bosse’s spouse is Encinitas City Councilman Joe Mosca, who became the city’s first openly gay councilman when he was appointed in 2017. Bosse and Mosca said they were “shocked” and “disappointed” by the school’s decision, which they called outdated.

“It was the first time in our experience that we have faced that sort of discrimination,” Bosse said. “We respect SFC and their right to run the school, but in this day in age, it seems antiquated.”

Mosca echoed Bosse’s sentiments. “When they told us that we weren’t invited to apply because we were two dads it was shock to us,” Mosca said. “Hopefully by telling our story it can effect some change.” Santa Fe Christian Middle School Director Todd Deveau said in a statement that the school doesn’t comment on specific admission decisions, but commented on the school’s admissions practices.

“While we do not provide details on matters involving students or prospective students, I can say that our policy is to encourage the family of any student committed to academic excellence and spiritual development to apply,” Deveau wrote. “As a matter of practice, we do not attempt to persuade or dissuade prospective families from applying.

“At the same time, as part of the admissions process, we make clear to prospective applicants that they will be joining a Bible-based community designed to disciple students to embrace biblical truth,” Deveau’s statement continued. “This is our mission and our purpose, and a vital component of the SFCS experience.”

Mod: This next item should be received as good news for anyone hoping to save Sierra Madre's current Library. Apparently the Feds no longer care as much about "ADA requirements" as some still claim.

Bill slowing lawsuits for ADA non-compliance passes (The Hublink): A bill that slows the process of filing a non-compliant Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit passed the House on Thursday. The ADA Education and Reform Act, or H.R. 620 was introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas).

Businesses will now have an additional 60 days to devise a plan to fix non-ADA compliant issues and another 120 days to implement the changes before being sued. “These ‘drive-by’ lawsuits all too often create a negative impression about the goals of this important law. Suits of this kind saw a 14 percent increase in 2017,” Poe said in a statement on his website. Supporters of the bill claim it will help both small businesses and people with disabilities.

“We’re very excited for H.R. 620, it’s long overdue for the business owners and for the disabled,” said Maryann Marino, the Southern California representative for Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA). This nonpartisan group focuses on fighting against lawsuit abuse in California.

“ADA lawsuit abuse has been explosive,” Marion said. “I can line you up with hundred of shakedown lawsuits that have wiped out or nearly wiped out a lot of family-run businesses.”

Opponents of the bill feel it discourages businesses from making their spaces ADA-compliant and could result in long delays.

Mod: Just when you began to fear that the planet might have forgotten, a new article about Sierra Madre's mighty Wistaria Vine has now appeared on the World Wide Web.

Sierra Madre Wistaria Vine (Atlas Obscuralink): Every spring, a breathtaking swathe of purple emerges within the shadow of the parched Southern California mountains. This spectacular colorful display is thanks to the beautiful flowers that burst from the branches of one extra-special vine.

This lovely “Lavender Lady,” as some call it, is the largest flowering plant in the world. Every spring, more than a million gorgeous purple blossoms drape from its tangled branches. Its seeds originally came from China, and two homeowners planted it in 1894 to celebrate their new house.

In a sad twist of fate, the wistaria eventually grew so large it destroyed the home it was planted to honor. It now occupies a staggering one-acre stretch of space.

Though the Guinness Book of World Records lists the vine as the world’s largest blossoming plant, the massive specimen is strangely hard to see. As it’s on private property, the public is only able to visit the behemoth beauty once a year during the annual Wistaria Festival. On this day, the whole town (plus plant-loving travelers) gather to celebrate this local celebrity.

It’s worth the wait. Witnessing this rare botanic gem is a true treat. Being able to walk under its sprawling canopy of delicate purple flowers is a magical experience. It’s no wonder it’s considered to be one of the seven horticultural wonders of the world.

Mod: We all know that the Pasadena Unified School District has some serious woes, but that should never prevent the usual suspects over in Pasadena from screwing things up even more. Very few people in Sierra Madre will be aware of this next item.

A New Way - Council to hold special meeting on changing charter to suit new state law (Pasadena Weeklylink): The Pasadena Board of Education and the Pasadena City Council will hold a joint meeting at Pasadena City Hall to vote on putting a proposed City Charter change on the June 5 ballot. According to a new state law, cities with low voter turnout must move election dates to coincide with state election dates if local election participation rates result in contests with low voter turnout.

City Council and Board of Education races over the past several years have been plagued by voter apathy, forcing city officials to comply with the law. Under the California Voters Participation Rights Act, the city will change its election calendar from March primaries and April general elections, which are currently conducted in odd years, to June primaries and November general elections in even years, or when the state holds its elections.

The city’s election calendar is regulated by the charter which can only be changed at the voting booth by Pasadena residents. Because the Pasadena Unified School District includes Altadena and Sierra Madre, those residents will have a chance to vote on the proposed charter change regarding Board of Education elections.

Under the new system, elections will no longer be run by the city, and instead be supervised by county officials. Voters will be asked a simple yes or no question:

“Consistent with state law, shall the Pasadena City Charter be amended to: 1) change the city’s primary and general election dates to coincide with statewide primary and general election dates, beginning with the November 2018 general election; 2) extend the current terms for the mayor and councilmembers by 19 months on a one-time basis in order to transition to the  statewide election cycle; and 3) change the timing of the mayor’s thematic budget message?”

The City Council would maintain part of its current system which requires the winner to receive more than 50 percent of the vote. The school district will move to plurality elections. Under that system, the candidate with the most votes wins.

The current system could extend elections by months and make it even more expensive to run for office, thus making it more difficult for newcomers to be elected.

Mod: Hopefully that is enough for now. More Sierra Madre News as it arrives.

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Sho Tay Censors a Discussion of Guns on his Arcadia's Best website, even though he deals in them for a living

February 18, 2018, 5:30 am
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A gentleman that I have come to know over the last few months posted the above question on Sho Tay's website, the at times oxymoronically titled Arcadia's Best.

As was revealed here on The Tattler just last week, Sho Tay is a gun merchant, and my concerned friend wanted to find out what the next Mayor of Arcadia thinks about semi-automatic weaponry and the role such things play in the far too often repeated slaughter of innocents such as we saw this past week in Florida.

You know, like what has occurred in Las Vegas, Orlando, Aurora, Blacksburg, Little Rock, Charleston, San Bernardino, Fort Hood, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Sutherland Springs and, of course, Parkland High School in Florida. And far too many other places.

To give you some additional perspective, a New York Times article, titled "After Sandy Hook, More Than 400 People Have Been Shot in Over 200 School Shootings," appeared in that paper earlier this week. Here is the link that will take you there. Heavily armed madmen have declared a war on kids.

The screenshot at the top of this page shows the question my friend asked Sho Tay on Arcadia's Best. It seemed to me like a good one. As someone who is in the gun business, and is also about to become the next Mayor of Arcadia, Sho's opinions on this issue could be both insightful and beneficial to a lot of people.

Unfortunately, Sho Tay has not only refused to answer that question, but he also censored it from his website. It was never cleared to appear on Arcadia's Best. It is as if this deadly issue is of no concern there, with Sho not wishing to reveal any personal insight on an issue of singular importance today.

After hearing from my friend about his unfortunate experience there, I decided to do some research into Sho Tay's firearms business. The question in mind being why is he keeping this topic from appearing on his Arcadia's Best website? There must be a reason. Especially since Sho himself claims he never deletes comments from his site. Except that apparently he does.

Here is a screenshot describing the corporate entity that financially incorporates Sho Tay's gun business, Merriwether Enterprises (link).





There is a website link on the Merriwether page, and if you click on that you will be taken to the website for the La Puente Firing Range, which is Sho Tay's firearms business. You can also get to that site by clicking here.









You with me so far? Good. While we're on the topic of tragedies involving weaponry, Sho Tay's gun business in La Puente has not been without a similar misfortune. The following comes to us from a regional daily newspaper, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune (link).

La Puente Firing Range shooting death possible accident or suicide --- LA PUENTE 5/12/2015): Detectives don’t suspect foul play in the death of a Walnut man found fatally shot at a shooting range Monday night. Investigators are looking at whether the death is an accident or a suicide, according to Sgt. Shannon Laren of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.  

Ed Winter, assistant chief of investigations and operations for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, identified the man as Ning Pan, 29, of Walnut. He said an autopsy is pending.

An employee at the La Puente Firing Range at 16418 Valley Blvd. found Pan around 9:30 p.m. He had a gunshot wound to the upper body, Laren said. He said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Obviously guns are designed to be deadly, and those who use them need to be extremely careful. Semi-automatic weaponry, such as the kind used at mass killings like the one that occurred this week at Parkland High School, is a particularly lethal category of firearms.

For some additional insight, here is how Frank Girardot, the former news chief at the Pasadena Star News, describes his experiences with the semi-automatic weaponry available at La Puente Firing Range. This following comes to us from his very serious sounding news site, SGVCrime (link).


The rest of Girardot's article on his experiences at La Puente is available at the link provided above. As a side note, given the many gun massacres involving semi-automatic weaponry over the last decade or so, I wonder how Frank feels today about some of the edgier viewpoints he expressed in that column.

Hopefully Sho Tay can now answer our friend's question, as posted at the beginning of today's article here on the Sierra Madre Tattler. It is never too late to do the right and honorable thing.

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Presidents Day: Did Washington Predict Donald Trump?

February 19, 2018, 5:30 am
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Mod: Thoughtful New York Times op-ed for Presidents Day. Please remember that we are living in interesting times. Times George Washington might have seen coming.

Did George Washington Predict Donald Trump? (The New York Timeslink): In September 1796, George Washington, weary of partisan combat just eight years after the ratification of the Constitution and the founding of the nation, wrote a farewell address explaining why he would not seek a third term. His message is worth remembering in our current political moment.

In elaborate and thoughtful prose, Washington raised red flags about disunity, false patriotism, special interests, extreme partisanship, fake news, the national debt, foreign alliances and foreign hatreds. With uncanny foresight, he warned that the most serious threat to our democracy might come from disunity within the country rather than interference from outside. And he foresaw the possibility of foreign influence over our political system and the rise of a president whose ego and avarice would transcend the national interest, raising the threat of despotism.

Washington certainly had great confidence, but in his address he didn’t brag about his accomplishments. On the contrary, he beseeched the Almighty to soften the impact of his errors and expressed hopes that the country would forgive them. He established a standard for presidential self-deprecation out of the fear that a president of grossly inflated ego could become a threat to democracy.

He cautioned against both overly friendly alliances (lest another country’s interests and wars become our own) and excessive hatreds (lest we provoke unnecessary conflict and war with others). Forbearance in the use of power was another of his major themes.

“A free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another,” he declared. Such encroachment, he said, would lead to the consolidation of power and create “a real despotism.”

Some of Washington’s most prescient warnings were about the dangers of factionalism. He wrote that should one group, “sharpened by the spirit of revenge,” gain domination over another, the result could be “a more formal and permanent despotism.” The despot’s rise would be fueled by “disorders and miseries” that would gradually push citizens “to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual.”

“Sooner or later,” he concluded, “the chief of some prevailing faction, more able and more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purpose of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty.”

As if envisioning the political tribalism and 24/7 cable news culture of today, he urged political leaders to restrain “the continual mischiefs” of political parties. The “spirit of party,” he wrote, “serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”

And then he arrived at one of his greatest concerns: The ways in which hyper-partisanship could open the door “to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.”

On Friday, Robert Mueller, the special counsel, charged 13 Russians with trying to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election. One need only read the indictment to understand what the first president was talking about.

Since 1893, a senator has read the farewell address on the floor of the Senate every year on Washington’s Birthday, alternating annually by political party. Bluntly speaking, it’s become little more than an exercise in bipartisan lip service. The House of Representatives stopped reading it decades ago.

This was, at least, a form of honesty. Clearly no one was listening anymore. In 2016, fake news, gerrymandering, voter suppression and disenfranchisement were “the mischiefs” employed by the Republican Party to propel Mr. Trump’s campaign. And Mr. Trump, perhaps “more able and more fortunate than his competitors,” stumbled to victory using mendacious appeals to voters squeezed by a greedy economy — even though Mr. Trump had himself profited handsomely from that economy. If only we had heeded Washington’s warnings, would the election have turned out as it did?

Washington’s goal was to ensure that the young country became stable enough to withstand the threats to liberty and freedom he saw on the horizon — a horizon that has now stretched 220 years into the future. We can never say he didn’t warn us.

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Chandler and Harbicht: Are the Pro-Property Rights Pals also the Cell Tower Twins?

February 20, 2018, 5:30 am
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Chandler and Harbicht, the pro-property rights pals. Just what exactly are they talking about?

We hear a whole lot about how candidates Roger Chandler and Bob "Bulldozer" Harbicht are all about your property rights. I think it is safe to assume that what they mean by this is allowing the biggest home any developer wants to build. Roger and Bob will ignore the pleas of those who will have to bear the burden of living next door to a single family hotel, done in the name of profiteering for developers.

And now the two dudes are claiming your property rights are "under attack." Which, of course, they will be once these characters allow a McMansion to be build right next door to your house.

Last Saturday Arcadia heard all that again when Roger and Bob campaigned at the Arcadia High School Chinese Parents' Booster Club Fundraiser and Chinese New Year Celebration. At this event, Roger, whose ticket was fully funded by the City of Arcadia, went table to table, wearing his City Councilmember pin, passing out flyers and ingratiating himself to all the Asian parents there, all on the taxpayer's dime.

Bulldozer Bob chugged along not too far behind, brandishing a City Council pin as well. Done even though he is not currently serving in that capacity, or legally authorized to wear it. Bob was escorted by a member of the AHS Chinese Parents Booster Club for language interpretive services.

Both had their "Property Rights First!" battle cry going on that day. And remember, your tax dollars paid for Roger to be at this event, representing the City of Arcadia. It doesn't sound very ethical to use taxpayer money to attend an event for the purpose of political campaigning. But that's our boy. Arcadia can be proud of Roger Chandler's easy ethical convenience.

So let's take a closer look at some of that list of property rights Roger and Bob are eager to protect once elected to a Peacock Throne on the City Council.

Some might think it's a property right to build big houses. However, that is not all of it. The people who would have to live in the dark shadows of those big houses have property rights as well, and neither Chandler nor Harbicht care anything about them. They are selective about this, and only choose to listen to the sweet sound of money.

Roger and Bob have consistently voted to repeal tree protection ordinances in the name of property rights. Such annoying things get in the way of those building huge McMansions, limiting the amount of profit concerned developers can make.

Some might think that it's a property right to have a circle driveway that holds 10 cars for certain poor and elderly couple's 6,100 square foot McManny. But again, it's not. If you want to live next to a parking lot, go set up your tent at the shopping mall.

There's one more property right the big house boys are hokey pokeying about, and the residents of Arcadia would have to be bat blind not to see this one coming. Cell Towers. Big, tall, obtrusive, medically questionable cell towers, and right next door to your home.

Perhaps you think I'm making this up?

Roger was the lone vote for a 54' tall cell tower proposed by Verizon to be placed in a residential neighborhood last year.  The owner of the Church at the corner of 1st Avenue and Lemon needs the $2,000 in yearly revenue it would produce to stay afloat, but the neighbors vehemently protested and the majority of council voted against it. Verizon has now sued and the City of Arcadia is still hip deep in litigation over that one. A change in council would allow for a settlement with a 54' tall tower to be built in that residential neighborhood.

But what evidence do I have that Bob the Bloody Bulldozer would vote for a cell tower in a residential neighborhood?  Who would be so crazy to be in favor of a cell tower in their own backyard? You guessed it! Bob himself!

link
At the top of this post is a photo from the front of Bob's house. Circled in red is a cell tower glaring above the roof line of his own home like Darth Vader's hissing head. Bob has his very own cell tower next to his very own backyard. How would you like to live near it? That's what Roger and Bob call property rights. The right of every homeowner to have the cell tower of their dreams right there, in their own backyard. With nothing they can legally do to stop it.

If Roger and Bob are elected, you can also bet that Sho Tay will vote with the tower team to protect the property rights of every homeowner to have their own 54' tall cell tower. Whether they want one or not.

Don't worry, Sho Tay has been appointed and won't have to run, so he's not beholden to the wishes or desires of his constituents. You really don't think he'll go back on his word on cell towers? Try it and see what happens.

The HOAs trusted Two Timing Tay when he campaigned in 2014. He told all of them that he would vote in favor of smaller homes in the HOAs. His way of showing his appreciation to the HOAs for helping get him elected? He has voted against them every time the issue comes up.

So who's ready to get better cell service in Arcadia? Be sure to wear your sun screen.

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Can Somebody Please Tell Andy Bencosme Where Sierra Madre Is Located?

February 21, 2018, 5:00 am
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History of a different sort was made yesterday afternoon. For the first time ever a candidate for a seat on Sierra Madre's City Council began his run for glory campaigning in an entirely different town. This is quite unprecedented, and you have to wonder why he did it.

Well, OK. So you don't have to wonder too hard. Andy held his campaign kickoff at the offices of the Arcadia Association of Realtors because that is where the money is. Outside of the Realtor and development communities Andy really doesn't know all that many people. Who else is there he could hit up for a little campaign cash? Nobody he knows.

When you are representing the interests of an industry rather than that of a resident community, you will need to take your act to a place that your people both know and are comfortable with. And for those special interests giving money to Andy Bencosme yesterday, that location couldn't be found anywhere in Sierra Madre.

Rather it had to be located somewhere else entirely, such as at the offices of the noted and rather activist supporter of mansionization and high density development, an organization known as the Arcadia Association of Realtors.

The AAR has quite a long history of sticking its long nose into Sierra Madre affairs. Measure V was created in part to keep them at bay.

Pretty remarkable if you think about it. I wonder what those folks think they'll be getting for their money. It's not like they would care all that much about better parks or the Library, right? And certainly not the values and hopes of a community that they see only as a place to make a little folding money. After all, most attending yesterday don't live here.

It would need to be something else. Something industry figures from other places want.

Any guesses?

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Your questions are answered here by the City Manager

February 22, 2018, 5:30 am
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The Gizmo is watching.
Mod: As is usually the case I have been diligently collecting questions for Gabe Engeland, Sierra Madre's City Manager, and when I get a few together I send them off for his answers. Today's installment is informative, though brief. Gabe has been traveling this week, thus the succinctness. Send in your questions to The Tattler and soon you will know all.

The Tattler: Do we have any indication of how many Library survey cards have come back yet?

Gabe Engeland: We will provide the official update at next Tuesday’s Council Meeting.

The Tattler: Does Chris C. have that info on the traffic gizmo? I get asked all the time. People are concerned it is part of a process leading to a traffic light. Or it might be connected to a move to Disney-fyKersting Court.

Gabe Engeland: The study is for pedestrian crosswalk safety only.  The engineer firm has the backup information on the device they are using. The results of this study will ultimately go to Council, but the scope is limited to crosswalks.

The Tattler: Has anyone involved in Sierra Madre governance been contacted by the PUSD about its financial crisis? Has Sierra Madre reached out to the PUSD?

Gabe Engeland: The Mayor has requested an update from the PUSD. I anticipate an update will come to City Council shortly.

Mod: It's good all of that is going to the City Council. They haven't had much to talk about lately. I received the following report from an adventurous Sierra Madre resident who actually attended the Andy Bencosme campaign kickoff event in Arcadia earlier this week. He might have been the only one from this far west to attend.

I went to Andy Bencosme's kick off party this evening. There were about 25 people there, none that I knew. He had some sandwiches, drinks and deserts.

I spoke with him for a short time and he is very friendly and personable. He said that he is running to give people a choice, but he does not elaborate on the differences between himself and the three incumbents.

His handout is very well done and not specific. He stresses his love for Sierra Madre and wanting to keep it a special place.

Mod: Hopefully Andy will be able to find his way back to Sierra Madre and he'll share something with a little more substance to it. The third of four City Council campaign kickoffs will be for Denise Delmar, and it will take place Sunday in Sierra Madre, of all places. I have obtained a copy of her campaign flyer, some of which I am sharing with you today. There is some substance here, something that I am sure will confuse those who would prefer to just receive a pat on the noggin and be told they are nice.


Mod: The kick-off party to re-elect Denise Delmar to the City Council is this Sunday, February 25th from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm at 441 Ramona Avenue. In Sierra Madre.

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Arcadia Weekly: Are Bloggers; Social Media Sites Killing Us Softly With Their Song? Gossip and Innuendo Plague the Political Landscape in Arcadia

February 23, 2018, 5:30 am
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Mod: A story that first broke here on The Tattler (link) has now become headline news at the Arcadia Weekly. Here is their report.

Are Bloggers; Social Media Sites Killing Us Softly With Their Song? Gossip and Innuendo Plague the Political Landscape in Arcadia (Arcadia Weeklylink): By all accounts, political races and battles are nasty, ugly and even downright jaw-dropping at times. Enter Arcadia’s municipal race and its new district(s) and you have a potential for confusion and misinformation.

Last week, mild mannered Arcadia councilman, Tom Beck, became the latest victim of what has become a disturbing trend on social media and blogs more commonly known as “bullying.” In this particular instance, the attack took place on a local blog called Arcadia’s Best which, as it turns out, is run by another councilmember who sits at the dais, Mayor Pro Tem Sho Tay.

On this particular blog, Arcadia’s Best, you’ll find derogatory comments on a page that is very thinly veiled as an announcement for an upcoming candidate forum in March (link).

Not only is there no story, but if the blog claims the candidates are placed (‘in alphabetical order’) for the March 7 forum, someone needs to tell the editor (aka Tay) that the name Harbicht is definitely later in the alphabet than Chandler. At least, this was the alphabet I was taught.

The piece and the corresponding comments raised many an eyebrow last week.

“Most voters in Arcadia have no idea what is going on in this election. In fact, most voters don’t even know we have districts,” Tom Beck told Beacon Media last week.

“Sho Tay took over Arcadia’s Best from Scott Hettrick when Scott moved away two years ago. Sho states in required government disclosure forms that he owns Arcadia’s Best. The morning that the hit piece on me came out it was Sho that sent it to me. He said his site had been hacked. I told him to take it down. He would not take it down.

The byline said it was written by Scott Hettrick so I emailed Scott to ask if he wrote it and he said absolutely ‘no’. He said he has had nothing to do with Arcadia's Best since he left. Sho emailed me that he does not own Arcadia's Best, that Scott owns it. Sho will admit that he is at least the ‘editor’ and controls the site day-to-day.”

Tom Beck told Arcadia Weekly that “Sho Tay has been working daily to do whatever he can to make sure I am not re-elected and that Harbicht is elected. I told Sho that I have no problem with that as that is his right as a resident of Arcadia.”

“I told Sho that what I object to is the lies and mistruths he spreads about me on Facebook and his WeChat sites. I also told him ‘hit pieces’ like the one front and center on Arcadia's Best, which he either owns or controls is not in keeping with the dignity of Arcadia.”

"The last election was an absolute low for Arcadia. I will not be part of this effort to embarrass our great city.” Tom Beck.

Mod: The veracity challenged Sho Tay might have claimed in his emails that he does not have all that much to do with Arcadia's Best, but in his filings with the Fair Political Practices Commission that story is quite different.


Mod: Here is Tom Beck's letter to the Arcadia Weekly in its entirety.

Most voters in Arcadia have no idea what is going on in this election. In fact, most voters don’t even know we have districts. Sho Tay took over Arcadia’s Best from Scott Hettrick when Scott moved away two years ago. Sho states in required government disclosure forms that he owns Arcadia’s Best. The morning that the hit piece on me came out- it was Sho that sent it to me. He said his site had been hacked. I told him to take it down. He would not take it down.

The byline said it was written by Scott Hettrick so I emailed Scott to ask if he wrote it and he said absolutely ‘no’. He said he has had nothing to do with A. B. since he left. Sho emailed me that he does not own A.B. that Scott owns it. Sho will admit that he is at least the ‘editor’ and controls the site day-to-day.

Sho Tay has been working daily to do whatever he can to make sure I am not re-elected and that Harbicht is elected. I told Sho that I have no problem with that as that is his right as a resident of Arcadia. I told Sho that what I object to is the lies and mistruths he spreads about me on Facebook and his WeChat sites. I also told him ‘hit pieces’ like the one front and center on A.B. which he either owns or controls is not in keeping with the dignity of Arcadia.

Since the last Arcadia election two years ago was so ‘dirty’ I asked my opponent (Bob Harbicht) to pledge to run a clean campaign. Bob said he always runs a clean campaign and claimed the one two years ago with April Verlato was ‘clean’. Bob stated he could keep his associates in line. I copied Bob with my emails to Sho so he would know what is going on.

The last election was an absolute low for Arcadia. I will not be part of this effort to embarrass our great city.

Mod: It seems obvious to me that Sho Tay, who is scheduled to become the next Mayor of Arcadia soon, struggles mightily with the truth. That does not bode well for the people of Arcadia.

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Your Tattler Weekend Donald Trump News Dump

February 24, 2018, 5:30 am
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Mod: It's Saturday, so what better a time than now to catch up on a week's worth of the bizarre happenings from the Trump universe? Yes, indeed.

The unwitting: The Trump supporters used by Russia (CNNlink): A Donald Trump supporter who unwittingly helped a Kremlin-linked operation to meddle in American politics says he only learned of his part in the Russian plot when the FBI showed up at his doorstep months later. Harry Miller was paid as much as $1,000 by the Russians to build a cage that was used to depict a person dressed as Hillary Clinton in a prison cell at a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida in August 2016.

The stunt was part of an elaborate scheme run by the Internet Research Agency, a troll group in St Petersburg, Russia with links to the Kremlin, that was designed to undermine the American political system, according to a new federal indictment. The agency and thirteen Russian nationals associated with it were named in the indictment, which was made public by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office on Friday.

In early August 2016, the indictment says, the Internet Research Agency began reaching out to Trump supporters in Florida to organize a statewide "flashmob" that it dubbed "Florida goes Trump."

Twitter just purged ‘Russian bots’, and Trump fans are crying as their followers vanish (Metro.comlink): Today, our thoughts and prayers are with the #MAGA brigade, as they howl in despair after half their Twitter followers vanished overnight. The reason? Those ‘cruel leftist libs’ at Twitter just purged a load of Russian bots, it seems – leading (hilariously) to right-wing Tweeters losing their minds.

They think it’s some kind of left-wing conspiracy, whereas in fact, Twitter appears to have just deleted a bunch of non-existent fascists controlled from St Petersburg. Not seeming to realise the irony, many are sharing their agony online with the hashtag #TwitterLockout. Twitter has been targeting bot accounts in recent weeks, and the latest spate of deletions comes in the wake of indictments against Russians for alleged disinformation campaigns on social media. Twitter deleted up to a million fake accounts in January, the New York Daily News reported.

A Twitter spokesman said, ‘Twitter’s tools are apolitical, and we enforce our rules without political bias. ‘We focus on suspicious account behaviors that indicate inorganic, automated activity, or abusive behavior. Our systems regularly look for suspicious account behaviors and we proactively take action on accounts that behave in spammy ways, including by requesting additional details like asking account owners to confirm a phone number.’

Manafort Left an Incriminating Paper Trail Because He Couldn’t Figure Out How to Convert PDFs to Word Files (Slate.comlink): There are two types of people in this world: those who know how to convert PDFs into Word documents and those who are indicted for money laundering. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is the second kind of person. Back in October, a grand jury indictment charged Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates with a variety of crimes, including conspiring “to defraud the United States.”

On Thursday, special counsel Robert Mueller filed a new indictment against the pair, substantially expanding the charges. As one former federal prosecutor told the Washington Post, Manafort and Gates’ methods appear to have been “extensive and bold and greedy with a capital ‘G,’ but … not all that sophisticated.”

One new detail from the indictment, however, points to just how unsophisticated Manafort seems to have been. It appears that he created an incriminating paper trail because he needed someone to help him convert a Word doc to PDF.

Quinnipiac poll: Trump's approval rating slides (The Hill link): President Trump’s approval rating has fallen 3 points in the latest Quinnipiac University poll, which was released on Wednesday. The new poll, conducted Feb. 16-19, found that 37 percent of American voters approve of Trump’s job performance, while 58 percent disapprove.

This marks a decline from the last Quinnipiac poll, released on Feb. 7, which had Trump’s approval rating at 40 percent, the highest it had been in seven months. The lower ratings follow controversy concerning former White House staff secretary Rob Porter’s resignation after being accused by his two ex-wives of domestic abuse. Nearly 60 percent of voters said they disapprove of how Trump handled the Porter case.

Special counsel Robert Mueller also brought charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian groups last Friday for interfering in the 2016 election. Fifty-seven percent of American voters said they disapprove of how the president responded to the threat of Russian interference in the 2018 elections. The same percentage said Trump is not fit to serve as president.

More than three-fourths of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, said the Russian government did try to influence the 2016 elections and 68 percent said they are concerned that they might try to do it again in 2018.

The NRA Is Losing Tons of Corporate Partners (The Cut link): Once again, the country is left reeling in the wake of a devastating mass shooting, after 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last week. And once again, many are left questioning the continued laxity of our nation’s gun laws, and the overwhelming influence of the National Rifle Association.

As the Washington Post noted following the massacre in Las Vegas last October, the majority of Americans favor stricter gun-control laws, but many Republicans continue to block them, for fear of losing the NRA’s considerable financial support. And the association’s leverage has extended much farther than Washington. Across the country, major companies like Hertz, Norton, FedEx, and Wyndham Hotels have partnered with the NRA, offering discounts to NRA members in the hopes of drawing more customers.

On Thursday, First National Bank of Omaha tweeted that it would not be renewing its contract with the NRA. It was soon followed by Alamo Rent a Car (though the tweet seems have been deleted), Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and National Car Rental. The next day, MetLife, Hertz, and Symantec, the cybersecurity company that owns Norton and LifeLock, announced they would no longer be offering discounts to NRA members.

Florida shooting survivor: We should call AR-15s Marco Rubio because they're both so easy to buy  (The Hilllink): A survivor of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School criticized Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Twitter early Friday, suggesting he is "easy to buy" for accepting donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA). “We should change the names of AR-15s to ‘Marco Rubio’ because they are so easy to buy,” Stoneman Douglas junior Sarah Chadwick tweeted Friday.

Rubio has been criticized by survivors of the shooting for accepting donations from the NRA. On Wednesday at a CNN town hall with survivors of the shooting, junior Cameron Kasky asked Rubio if he would commit to no longer accepting donations from the gun group.

“Senator Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA in the future?” Kasky asked. Rubio didn’t directly answer, telling Kasky that “people buy into my agenda” and saying he supports both the Second Amendment and “the right of you and everyone here to be able to go to school and be safe.”

The Florida senator was repeatedly confronted during the town hall event, with the father of one girl killed during the shooting  calling Rubio’s comments “pathetically weak.” Rubio has an "A-plus" rating from the NRA and has received $3,303,355 in donations from the organization over the course of his political career.

Video Link

Parkland Survivor Calls Out Melania Trump After Donald Trump Jr. Likes Conspiracy Tweets About Her Brother (Teen Voguelink): First Lady of the United States and self-described anti-cyberbullying advocate Melania Trump is being called out by a 14-year-old survivor of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, after Donald Trump Jr. liked conspiracy tweets about her brother. Lauren Hogg's brother, 17-year-old Stoneman Douglas senior David Hogg, has been the target of conspiracy theorists ever since he spoke out about gun control in the media.

As Teen Vogue previously reported, the conspiracy theories in question accuse David of being a "crisis actor," receiving payment from anti-gun groups, and being coached to push an agenda by his dad, who's a former FBI agent.

Earlier this week, Donald Trump Jr. liked two tweets perpetuating these unsubstantiated and false attacks against David, according to The Daily Beast. Now, Lauren is saying Donald Trump Jr.'s Twitter likes directly led to the harassment of her family, and she wants Melania to do something about it.

"Hey @FLOTUS you say that your mission as First Lady is to stop cyber bullying," she tweeted Friday morning, "Well then, don’t you think it would have been smart to have a convo with your step-son @DonaldJTrumpJr before he liked a post about a false conspiracy theory which in turn put a target on my back & created a safe space for people all over the world to call me and my family horrific things that constantly re-victimizes us and our community.

I’m 14, I should never have had to deal with any of this and even though I thought it couldn’t get worse it has because of your family."

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Seriously, Does "Arcadia Andy" Bencosme Even Know Where Sierra Madre Is?

February 25, 2018, 5:30 am
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Andy should ask Alpha where Sierra Madre is.
We've had a lot of fun with the fact that Andy Bencosme held his campaign kickoff event at the controversial confines of the headquarters of the Arcadia Association of Realtors. Which, as most know, is located in Arcadia, and not the town where we think Andy believes he is running for a seat on the City Council. Or at least that is what we've been told.

However, we are no longer certain. Apparently Andy's campaign is now making a concerted sign push in Arcadia. There might be more of them there than there are here.

The photo here was sent to us yesterday by a resident of the Peacock Empire who wondered if this Sierra Madre candidate knew that he would not be able to pick up very many votes by campaigning in Arcadia. The sign pictured above can now be found at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Arbolada Drive, which is a little bit afoot of the Foothill Village.

Despite what some might say, we don't just criticize here, we also try to help. In case Andy reads The Sierra Madre Tattler, and we have no reason to believe he does, here is a map that helps to point out what part of Arcadia this particular sign is found in.


As people who are better acquainted with the area than Andy will tell you, the corner of Arbolada Drive and Foothill Boulevard is to the south of the City of Sierra Madre. To get here you would need to make a left on Foothill from N. Baldwin, and then take a right on Baldwin where it resumes its happy journey home. Upon getting there you would still have a ways to go before you safely arrive in Sierra Madre.

I hope this helps. We're reaching out here.

Maybe Andy was looking for cheap cigarettes?

Yet another Andy Arcadia sign.
The following story in the Pasadena Star News might offer us the clue we're looking for here.

2 men from Arcadia, Monterey Park accused of fraud scheme to avoid taxes on selling millions of cigarettes (Pasadena Star Newslink): Federal investigators arrested two San Gabriel Valley men this week in connection with an alleged scheme to procure and resell cigarettes without paying excise taxes through the Port of Los Angeles over the past two years, authorities announced Friday.

Yong “David” Lu, 54, of Arcadia and Wenzhu Guo, 54, of Monterey Park, both Chinese nationals, were arrested by federal agents Thursday morning, according to U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States during an appearance Thursday afternoon, Feb. 22, in federal court in Los Angeles, he said. They were ordered free on bond, and a trial date was set for April 10.

Lu is accused of illegally obtaining the tax-free smokes, while Guo is accused of acting as the “primary distributor” of the duty-free tobacco. Mrozek said in a written statement the arrests were “part of a wider investigation into cigarette diversion schemes designed to avoid the payment of excise taxes.”

We'll let you know if we find out anything more.

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Sierra Madre's Board of Education Member Larry Torres to Address City Council Tuesday Evening About Possible Pasadena Unified School District Insolvency

February 26, 2018, 5:30 am
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Will miracles never cease? Way back on February 5th The Tattler reported that the Pasadena Unified School District was on the verge of insolvency, and that unless something was done quickly the school district that includes both of Sierra Madre's public schools could soon be taken over by Los Angeles County.

Now it is a full three weeks later, and guess what? Sierra Madre's Board of Education representative Larry Torres is going to address the City Council Tuesday evening about, you guessed it, the real possibility of PUSD slipping into insolvency.

Suddenly the concepts of government transparency and timely proactive response have taken on an entirely new meaning. Of course, this talk from Mr. Torres is listed as a presentation only, which I believe means there will not be much of an opportunity for any Q&A from the public. Hopefully the City Council will want to fill that gap and jump in with a few questions. Otherwise this experience will not be quite so rich.

In case you haven't seen it yet, below is a financial report card on the PUSD's parlous financial condition (link). This comes to us from the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the organization that oversees the PUSD and actually has the power to take the whole thing over and remove any administrator it sees fit.


So how is that going to be done? Here is how the Pasadena Star News describes it.

Pasadena Unified to cut teachers, security guards, assistant principals and more due to budget woes (2.12.18 - Pasadena Star Newslink): Facing a large financial shortfall and under the gun from county officials, the Pasadena Unified school board voted 5-1 on Thursday to make significant budget cuts.

The plan, which would eliminate the equivalent of 139 full-time positions in the district — including 87 teachers, four security officers and two assistant principals — was approved by all school board members present except for Kimberly Kenne. Board member Lawrence Torres was absent.

I wonder why Larry couldn't make that meeting? Seems like it was a momentous one.

Sierra Madre's PUSD Board of Education member Larry Torres will be hopefully be discussing all of this at the very beginning of tomorrow night's City Council meeting. Before the Consent Calendar even. Plan to be there early if you wish.

The stuff posted on the Arcadia's Best blog is often appalling

You really have to wonder where they dig these windbags up. The topic is cell phone towers, and here is what one incredibly ill-informed Arcadian had to say.


There is no such federal law. What the commenter is claiming here is complete nonsense. There was a proposed state law similar to what this Edmund L. character is ranting about, but it was mercifully vetoed in October of 2017 by Governor Jerry Brown. An account from The Mercury News describes how all that went down.

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes bill easing permits on cell phone towers (10.16.17 - The Mercury Newslink): Gov. Jerry Brown late Sunday vetoed a bill backed by the cell phone industry that would have made it easier to install microwave radiation antennas.

Senate Bill 649, authored by Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego and co-authored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, proposed to scale back the permitting process for antennas and other equipment in an effort to meet demand for wireless services.

In a signing statement, Brown wrote that while he saw the value in “extending this ​innovative technology rapidly and efficiently,” the bill took too much control away from cities and counties.

The bill was primarily supported by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, the main trade group for the U.S. wireless telecommunications industry. The group said SB 649 would help boost the economy.

Yet the bill had alarmed many local government officials around the state. They worried if SB 649 became law, it would cap how much they could charge phone companies for leases to $250 a year. Others raised concerns about the risk to public health from cell towers.

Grass-roots activists and scientists said that if SB 649 became law, a projected 50,000 new cellular antennas would be installed on public buildings and utility poles in California neighborhoods, creating a risk to public health because of the dangers of radiation and electromagnetic frequencies emitted by cell towers.

“I am thrilled that Governor Brown showed strength and stood up to this powerful wireless industry and said no — you are not going to do this in my state!” Ellen Marks, a San Francisco-based leader of the California Alliance for Safer Technology, wrote in an email  after Brown’s decision was posted online.

“This is a tremendous victory for democracy,” said Marks, whose group is trying to keep cellular antennas away from homes, schools, offices and parks.

The rest of the article is available at the link. What is it about Roger Chandler that he attracts the support of such poorly informed and frankly obnoxious people?

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It Appears That Bob Harbicht, Roger Chandler, Along With Several Sadly Misinformed Arcadia Cops, Have Now Broken A Few Political Campaign Laws

February 27, 2018, 5:30 am
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Sierra Madre readers may recall the controversial postcard John Harabedian sent out during his campaign in 2012 picturing himself with a couple of semi-uniformed Sierra Madre cops, and how that led to a big City Hall investigation (link). The results of that inquiry were never released to we the people, of course. They almost never are.

Such cop things are considered a personnel matter, and whatever punishments were leveled upon the heads of the officers involved remain a big secret. Under the law they have rights that you and I do not have. Must be nice. But action was taken, and we haven't seen any political material with Sierra Madre cop pictures included ever since.

Today we are living in the year 2018, and apparently such lessons have yet to be learned in the City of Arcadia. We are now bearing witness to something the clearly out of touch Bulldozer Bob Harbicht proudly plastered all over his Facebook page. It is definitely a legal no-no, and I suspect all involved will be called out on it quite soon. As they should be. Somebody has to keep an eye on these characters.

Posted on Bob’s Facebook page is a stunning example of what not to do during a campaign. Note the smiling faces of all those involved. While it is good to be confident, officers also need to understand the laws. Isn't that why they are being paid so much?



Someone must have been on duty and thought all he would need to do is just change his shirt and everything would be good to go. Pictured second from the left is Detective Ken "Schoolboy" Lee, newly elected president of the Arcadia Police Officer’s Association. In this photo, posted proudly on Harbicht’s Facebook page as an emblem of honor, is the police badge of Ken Lee. It symbolizes the legal authority vested upon him by the City of Arcadia. Who wouldn’t follow the command of an armed police detective when confronted by this badge of authority? God help you if you don't.

Here is what our State of California says about an officer wearing uniform identifiers such as his cop badge while posing in a political photo like the one above (link).


It probably doesn't help the cause of the officers pictured above that they are also standing right there in front of the Arcadia Police Department building, either. This too is a definite legal wrong (link).


I think all of the folks in Harbicht's Facebook picture need to take that (b) part very seriously. I'm pretty certain that the taxpayers of Arcadia didn't pay for that building so it could be used as a gratuitous campaign prop for the likes of Bulldozer Bob and Cheap Trick Chandler.

There is also this Federal law known as the Hatch Act. It too frowns upon the kinds of shenanigans we are discussing today. The Fraternal Order of Police has put together an excellent review of the Hatch Act, which you can check out here. But for those of us who like to get straight to the point, here's some of the special spice.


I kind of like this one in particular:

"Use any official authority for influence for political purposes, including using the officer’s official title or authority to coerce individuals to participate in political activity."

I think that when poor old Bob Harbicht identified the posing officers in this Facebook political picture by their official titles, he immediately condemned them to long hours of sitting with the City Attorney and being asked if they need to have their fool heads examined.

You know who enforces the Hatch Act, right? That would be the FBI. An agency that certainly knows its way around Arcadia. Especially after all of that Gem Coins stuff a couple years back.

And speaking of Gem Coins ...

Look at who has given his lawn sign endorsement to Roger Chandler. None other than disgraced former Arcadia Mayor John Wuo himself!


I have got to get real with you for a second, Arcadia. Aren't you sick to death of these shady pols yet? Isn't it time to fire Bulldozer and Cheap Trick, once and for all?

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
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Larry Torres Talked and Talked at Last Night's City Council Meeting, But Offered No Hope For Improvement at Pasadena Unified

February 28, 2018, 4:00 am
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Clickhere - Larry comes on at 19:28
It was as if the story of the educational future of Sierra Madre's kids was being told by Eeyore. Things are bad, enrollment is down, money is short, pensions are taking up ever larger amounts of the budget, and there are no solutions anywhere in sight. Just more firings, more program cuts, more failure.

I guess it is understandable why it took Sierra Madre's sub-districted Board of Education representative Larry Torres so long to go public about Pasadena Unified's grim battle with insolvency. It is a situation with little hope for improvement, and Larry doesn't have any ideas on how to make things any better. If you're looking for inspirational leadership, don't go calling on this guy.

There isn't much else to say here that hasn't already been said. The best possible solution that I can see is to simply let Pasadena Unified go under. It is a failed school district with little hope for improvement. LA County would then be forced take things over, hopefully get rid of the administrators that ran the place into the ground, and then fold the remaining schools into the LA Unified school system.

Which, by the way, is better financed, adequately populated with actual willing students, and academically more successful than whatever remains of the PUSD.

It is going to happen anyway. Why prolong this misery any longer than is necessary?

Mod: Here is the story more bluntly told.

School officials approve mass layoffs to avoid county takeover (Pasadena Weeklylink): In response to a long-looming fiscal crisis, one that could force the LA County Office of Education (LACOE) to take over the finances of the Pasadena Unified School District, the Pasadena Board of Education voted to eliminate 139 full-time employees — 87 of those positions held by teachers.

Board member Kim Kenne voted against the motion, primarily because she said there was not sufficient time to review and analyze the figures being presented by staff. Board member Larry Torres did not attend the board’s special meeting held on Feb. 8.

The district has been struggling financially for several years due to declining enrollment and state laws that favor charter schools over the public school system.

School funding by the state is based on student average daily attendance, or ADA, with current budget cuts the result of steep and ongoing reductions in the district’s student population. Due to declining attendance, the board closed four schools in 2006 and two more in 2011.

District officials have blamed the decreasing numbers on “white flight,” a phenomenon caused by upper middle-class white families pulling their children out of the struggling PUSD schools and placing them in area private schools or charter schools.

Nearly every spending category in the district’s budget — except salaries, benefits and district-issued credit card expenses at the top administrative levels — was affected by possible reductions contained in the district fiscal stabilization plan. For now, cuts are being recommended among academic and certified personnel, including not only teachers, but also assistant principals, as well as security guards and custodians.

Mod: This next story hasn't improved my mood much, either. 

In year since ATF raided his Sierra Madre home, seized dozens of weapons, Pasadena police officer has collected $191,000 from city (Pasadena Star Newslink): A Pasadena police lieutenant has been on paid leave for the last year after federal agents raided his Sierra Madre home and carted off dozens of weapons. In that time, Lt. Vasken Gourdikian collected $191,000 in pay while federal authorities investigated him and his own department.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided Gourdikian’s home early on Feb. 16, 2017. They seized 32 pistols, 19 rifles, five rifle parts, three shotguns and two revolvers, according to a forfeiture notice. Immediately, Chief Phillip Sanchez removed Gourdikian from duty and placed him on paid leave, pending the outcome of an internal affairs review.

Gourdikian hasn’t been charged or publicly accused of any crime. The internal review has yet to begin, and Gourdikian continues to receive his full salary.

Mod: This next part is funny, in a grim sort of way.

In an interview last week, Mayor Terry Tornek called the lack of action “infuriating.” He said he hopes the department can find a way to separate its internal review from the federal investigation.

“The problem with all these police-related matters is that people demand timely and transparent performance on these investigations, and we can’t deliver timely, or transparent,” Tornek said.

Mod: Apparently when it comes to Pasadena government, crime does pay.

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Bob Harbicht Attempts To Airbrush Away His Alleged California State Campaign Law Violations

March 1, 2018, 5:30 am
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On Tuesday we posted on The Tattler a few questionable pictures that were found on Bob Harbicht's Arcadia City Council campaign Facebook page. They were part of a media outreach campaign designed to help publicize his recently received Arcadia Police Officers Association endorsement. Unfortunately for Bob, he screwed it all up, apparently breaking a few laws in the process.

Word about our post got around town quickly, and soon Arcadia City Clerk Lisa Mussenden was forced to get in touch with a very naughty Bulldozer Bob and tell him that you can't do things like that. No word if Bob was also given a time out by the City Clerk for being so bad a boy. 

Here is that original Facebook photo, complete with the potential campaign law violations that so entirely unnerved Ms. Lisa Mussenden.


Below is the same picture, but it has been airbrushed by the Harbicht campaign to comply with the legally driven demands of City Clerk Mussenden. Two things have been removed from this second version of Bob's Facebook photo.

Can you pick them out?



In this amended photo the police badge attached to Detective Ken Lee's belt (second dude from the left) has been airbrushed away. That corrected an alleged violation of both California campaign law and the Federal Hatch Act. Police Officers cannot appear in political campaign photos or advertising wearing any items such as that.

Additionally the words "Arcadia Police Department" have magically vanished from the left hand side of the building these folks are posing before. Again, using a Police Department building such as this particular one in a political campaign photo op that includes the endorsing police officers and at least one cop badge would also be a violation of applicable California and Federal political campaign laws.

But wait, there's more!

This next screen shot is how the original, and potentially illegal, Facebook presentation appeared. Complete with that endorsement plug, plus the police titles and names that accompanied it. Note that each of the Arcadia PD members are identified here by their official city government titles, such as "Detective" or "Officer."


Below is roughly the same picture and verbiage, but this time with a notable difference. In addition to the airbrushing we just discussed, you will also see that the titles of the officers in this Facebook post have vanished. Correcting even more alleged campaign law violations that City Clerk Lisa Mussenden had to call Bulldozer Bob out on.


Please remember, the Arcadia Police Officers Association didn't endorse Bob Harbicht or Roger Chandler because they're tough on crime, or look nice wearing their ties. No, the APOA endorsed them because they had been overly generous with cop salaries and pensions in the past. So much so that it has resulted in Arcadia now carrying over $130 million dollars in unfunded pension liabilities. Something that will certainly increase should Harbicht and Chandler be returned to the City Council.

Do you really want to vote someone like Bob Harbicht into a position that comes with the extremely complex responsibilities necessary for running a city? Especially when Bulldozer apparently cannot even properly administer a political campaign Facebook page without getting calls from the City Clerk? Or people filing FPPC complaints?

Think about it.

One more thing. While the FPPC in Sacramento has already been adequately notified by concerned residents, Arcadia's City Attorney Stephen Deitsch would probably benefit by hearing from you on this matter.

His email address is Stephen.deitsch@bbklaw.com. Drop him a line and let him know you care. And tell him The Tattler sent you.

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Politico: California braces for Trump’s ‘border wall hallucination tour’

March 2, 2018, 5:30 am
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Mod: The Trump Crazy Train is about to make its first visit to California since his White House occupation began more than a year ago. One thing you know for sure. When Donald comes to visit it is going to be nuts.

California braces for Trump’s ‘border wall hallucination tour’ (Politico link): Donald Trump’s California supporters are “ecstatic” that the president will be making his first official visit to the state next month. But his March trip to San Diego to advance construction of a border wall is also firing up progressive activists who are determined to make him feel unwelcome.

The White House confirmation of Trump’s visit to view border wall prototypes — the preeminent symbol of his immigration policy — comes amid widespread anger on the left related to a series of immigration raids and arrests launched this week throughout California, home to an estimated 2.2 million undocumented immigrants.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, which spanned from the Central Valley throughout Northern California and resulted in more than 150 arrests on Tuesday, intensified anger and political resistance to the administration in a solidly blue state where the president is already deeply unpopular.

“I have full faith that my Southern California Latino community will give Trump’s border wall hallucination tour exactly the respect it deserves: Nada, nunca, forget it,’’ said Gloria Nieto, a veteran Democratic LGBT activist in Santa Cruz. “Considering how much this administration has allowed unfit employees access to information which is a real threat to our country’s safety, this continued charade feeds a false narrative about the dangers we face. Mexicans trying to find work to feed their families are an empty threat.”

Advance reports of the raids prompted mayors like Oakland’s Libby Schaaf to push back against the administration by announcing the ICE strategy in advance to warn residents in her city. That move earned her a rebuke from ICE Deputy Director Thomas Homan, who, in a statement, called her action a “reckless decision was based on her political agenda with the very federal laws that ICE is sworn to uphold.”

Trump’s impending visit “makes sense with his converting the U.S. presidency into reality TV,” says Chris Newman, legal director for the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network – an immigrant rights group. “And if I were the producer of his game show presidency, I would do the same.

“If Trump comes to California, he’ll find that California has built an immunity to the type of fear that he’s pushing,’’ Newman said. “[H]e’s trying to spread venom — and I don’t think it will have the desired effect.”

Trump’s visit to California, the nation’s political ATM, is also about money: In addition to the border visit, the president will also head a Republican National Committee fundraiser in Los Angeles. Sources familiar with the planning say Vice President Mike Pence— who raised $5 million for state House races working alongside Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in his last visit — is also planning a return to help bulk up the coffers of GOP incumbents battling to return to Congress.

But the reaction to the presidential visit so far has focused on a border wall and the administration’s immigration policies. Trump addressed questions about the wall Wednesday in a tweet.

“I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved,” Trump said.

GOP former state Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, founder of the California Minutemen Party, and who has made illegal immigration a linchpin of his political career, says he welcomes news of the president’s stop in San Diego as evidence that Trump is a “hands-on” leader who plans to make good on his “signature issue.”

“He can’t strike out on the wall. It has to work, it has to be funded — and it has to get built,’’ said Donnelly, who has launched a primary challenge against Rep. Paul Cook. He said the president’s announcement will reassure his supporters who are worried pressure in Washington will make Trump cave on a key issue. “A lot of hardcore Trump supporters are deeply concerned about this whole DACA thing becoming amnesty,’’ he said.

In the eyes of many conservatives, mayors like Oakland’s Schaff are flaunting the law. So “our supporters are just ecstatic that Trump is coming down to look at the wall,’’ said John Berry, an activist with the Redlands Tea Party Patriots. “It’s beyond insanity that Sacramento idiots are showing they care more about illegals than they do about our own citizens. Trump is coming to rescue the people of California.”

So far, some leading elected officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown have been silent on the president’s plans. But state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, a candidate for U.S. Senate and the author of SB54— that’s known as the “sanctuary state” bill to further protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation — said he doesn’t intend to be quiet about the White House state visit.

He told POLITICO that “The great thing about California is that we welcome everyone — even a malevolent president who has spent a full year attacking our values, threatening our people and corroding the people’s trust in government.”

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