Jubal/Matt Cunningham wrote a post the other day at Red County/OC Blog excoriating Janet Nguyen for her role in an eminent domain deal involving a disputed parking lot. But he has yet to write anything about Carlos Bustamante’s role in one eminent domain deal and his actions in another related case. So I will.
Earlier tonight I searched the OC Register’s archives and I found several articles pertaining to these deals. The first one, dated August 2, 2005, covered a very strange deal that involved a strip club, Mr. J’s, that was located near the 55 freeway, on very valuable property located near a number of high-end car dealerships, in Santa Ana.
The owners of this business sold the location to a Honda dealer – however the City of Santa Ana then paid the dealer the exact sum of money that they paid for the property. The problem with that was that the city effectively avoided paying relocation fees by conducting a bait and switch with the Honda dealership.
The owners of Mr. J’s ended up in bankruptcy after Honda sued them for backing out of their deal. Honda attorney Michael Vivoli said in court that the city wanted to avoid relocating an adult business and they wanted to eliminate a liquor license. Laudable goals I suppose, but this deal stunk to high heaven. And Bustamante went along with it.
A Register commentary that was published on February 15, 2006, excoriated the city council for the Mr. J’s shenanigans. However, in an interesting twist, two of the council members, Claudia Alvarez and Lisa Bist, turned on the rest of the council, including Bustamante, for giving Honda $6 million dollars so that it could expand onto the Mr. J’s site.
To make matters worse, the city overpaid Honda. The dealership originally had agreed to pay Mr. J’s $4.2 million for the land, but after they went to court the dealer ended up paying only $2.1 million. But the city still paid them $4.2 million. That’s right – Bustamante agreed to overpay by two million dollars.
The editorial writers at the Register summarized the deal this way, “From any vantage point, this deal violates the standards of good policy.” And Bustamante signed off on it.
Bustamante also approved the seizure, via eminent domain, of a property that housed an Orange County Health Department building. The deal affected the county’s ability to inspect restaurants and to inspect hazardous-waste sites.
O.C. Supervisor Chris Norby had this to say about it, “It’s an outrage. It’s BMW vs. public health. Is public health blight?” He also said, “They are using this power to benefit a private interest against public interest.”
According to an O.C. Register article dated January 16, 2004, the city spent $10 million to acquire the land and to relocate the businesses on it. Crevier’s BMW dealership paid $3.5 million of that, even though in 2003 the dealership made $233 million in sales. It is the top BMW dealer in the nation. But it ripped off the City of Santa Ana, and as far as I can tell Bustamante was complicit in this deal too.
I am going to try to get a hold of the City Council minutes from the meetings where these items were voted on. However, the City of Santa Ana, unlike most cities, does not offer archived, searchable minutes on its website. So I am going to have to go through a city clerk that doesn’t return my emails. Suffice to say, I won’t hold my breath while I wait for those records.
By the same token, don’t hold your breath waiting for the folks at Red County/OC Blog to tell you about any of this. They won’t. There are far too many consultants over there who are in bed with Bustamante’s consultant, John Lewis – who is himself listed as a member of their Blog team.
I do anticipate that Lewis will try to have Bustamante endorsed tonight at the OC GOP Central Committee meeting. I hope that the Central Committee members will ask Bustamante about these deals. I had lunch with him some time ago, and asked him myself. He said they were good deals for Santa Ana. I expect he will tell my party otherwise tonight. Don’t be fooled my fellow Republicans! This guy will do and say anything in order to get elected. It is as simple as ABC – anybody but Carlos.
Right on Art! Please post the minutes when you get them. The city clerk must provide them to you. You should go to city hall in person and demand them. I believe the Red County Blog people with John Lewis and Jubal were also in bed with Kermit Marsh who reminds me of a young Charles Nelson Riley!
http://www.peacesymbol.org/photos/img/peace_53.jpg
Poster 1,
Funny picture…
Art—Jubal asked for some evidence…he printed the piece on Janet and eminent domain by reprinting the press release….send the articles and Norby’s comments….call him on it.
Call me naive but I believe he’ll post it.
Bladerunner,
OK – I just sent them to him. Let’s see what happens…
The Crevier dealership is becoming the cultural hub of Santa Ana. If you have doubts, go sip a cup of coffee in their customer service area and just observe all the “beautiful people” flowing in and out. Also, this dealership sure seems to employ a lot of people – a busy place. Sales tax and jobs are big lures for city electeds in many cases —-
Br:
I posted the minutes of the redevelopment agency meeting in question, not a press release.
Art:
Get over yourself. If my post was “excoriating” Janet, you need to acquaint yourself with a dictionary. On the other had, I’ll be amazed if you ever write a critical word about Janet.
As for your charges about Red County/OC Blog — levelled in your typically unsubstantiated manner — your “far too many consultants in bed with Carlos Bustamante” works out to exactly one: John Lewis. I think John has posted once (in Setpember, I think) since being added to the blogpen this past summer. Janet Nguyen consultant Adam Probolsky is also a member of the blogpen. Neither one has posted about their respective clients’ campaign.
Pedroza once again is pulling it out his rear regarding Carlos Bustamante. He will say and do anything – regardless of the facts and truth – to try and discredit Carlos.
Pedroza lie #1: The first eminant domain car deal (Crevier BMW)was heavily pushed by none other than Councilwoman Claudia Alvarez BEFORE Bustamante was ever on the city council. She made out quite handsomely on the deal for her re-election campaign and her run at Assembly. Again, Bustamante wasn’t even elected to office then.
Pedroza lie #2: The second eminant domain was agreed upon between the two private parties. One of them being a prominent strip club (Mr ‘J’s’) that Carlos helped rid our fine city of. Money that was applied there from the city were bond specific for such a purpose. The result was we “lost” a strip club that Pedroza apparently frequented which is why he’s so upset, and a car dealership expanded in size that has resulted in greatly increased revenues to the city.
The whole transaction was a mutual win-win-win for the private parties as well as the City of Santa Ana. Most importantly, thanks to Carlos Bustamante, we no longer have the ‘landmark’ ‘Mr. J’s’ as a black eye.
Thank you Carlos, you have this Regean Democrat’s vote!
Poster # 7
You better stop resorting to facts, logic, and clear thinking, when you post. Or we’re going to have to put a stop to you posting at all!
The following comments were just posted over at OCBlog.
Lets see how long they last until the receivers of cash from Lewis/Bustamante remove them to protect his abuse of ED and misuse of tax payer monies.
Lets be frank for a moment.
Carlos votes to give Crevier BMV over 10 Million dollars and no one says squat.
He has also taken $$$ from Don Crevier for his Sup race.
Carlos votes in a $600 TAX on business per year and no o ne says squat.
Carlos in the last month voted to buy a home from one party,for well over a million, using tax payer $$,improve it using tax dollars, and sell to another private owner.
Where is the outcry?
Posted by: Council Watcher | January 15, 2007 at 03:32 PM
“These council members are then recipients of his fundraisers and donations he brings them”
Sounds like when Carlos voted to increase the amount of $$$ given to city lobbiest Chris Townsend, and then became the proud receiver of $$$ from Chris Townsend.
Posted by: Council Watcher | January 15, 2007 at 03:35 PM
Janet is doomed if that idiot Probolsky has anything to do with the campaign.
Adam Probalsky is very good at what he does and also a very nice guy. I understand that those who are working on other campaigns might fear him and call him names but it’s not very kind of you.
Poster 7,
Take a look at the dates of the articles I referenced – they were all published AFTER Bustamante was elected. Hmmm…who’s lying now?
ooooh, Art… that’s a bona-fide pimp slap.
I’ve been in Republican circles for a while now and not many people think highly of Adam. Too bad I’m not at liberty to share some of the less than kind comments.