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UPDATED WITH PRESS RELEASE AND CRISTINA’S BIO – see below!
A jolly Brandman, and a nonplussed City Attorney Talley as photographed by Cris Prevat.
Cristina Talley has been Anaheim’s City Attorney since 2009, and has been doing stellar legal work for the city since 1996. Until being forced out yesterday that is, by the new Jordan Brandman council majority.
Notice the lack of an “h” in “Cristina?” That’s because Cristina is a Latina – one of the very few Hispanic city attorneys in California, and a source of pride to her community.
She tells it, I mean, she told it like it is. Which seems to have been her undoing, just like Costa Mesa’s Attorney Barlow who was let go last year for correctly telling THAT council they couldn’t just fire all their employees willy-nilly. The Brandman-Murray-Eastman majority looks to want a yes man like George W Bush had in Alberto Gonzales and John Woo; someone who’ll do their dirty work like Nixon’s first two Attorneys General wouldn’t until he found Robert Bork.
A year ago, when the corporatist majority voted to approve the $158 million Gardenwalk Giveaway without properly notifying the public, Cristina tried to warn them against it. They didn’t listen – they don’t have to. And now, as perversely as can be imagined, they’re pretending that her failure not to warn them HARD ENOUGH (now that the court has ruled against them, and the whole deal has apparently fallen through) is the reason they’ve fired her. Right. She didn’t leap right over her desk and physically stop them from pushing those YES buttons.
No. More like this: Cristina has steadfastly advised the city, as any knowledgeable lawyer will, that they are in violation of the California Voters Rights Act and will not prevail in the districting lawsuit which has ALREADY COST THE CITY $280 THOUSAND so far – THIS is the biggest thing they don’t want to hear. (While they perversely pretend to be open to the idea of districting, while fighting it tooth and nail.)
And there’s also the fact that, as citizen activists like Cynthia Ward and Jason Young request documents they’re legally entitled to which show the city’s corruption, and they’re stonewalled and stymied by protective bureaucrats, Cristina has uprightly insisted, “No, you must give up those documents, let the chips fall where they may.”
THESE are the real reasons that the Brandman majority has forced out this upstanding Latina attorney, as they squander city resources trying so desperately to avoid the inevitable reform that will EMPOWER and enfranchise Anaheim’s Latinos. NOT TO WORRY THOUGH! Brandman has thrown you Latinos a bone – a plan to translate council meetings into Spanish, which absolutely NOBODY ASKED FOR.
Oh, here’s something you probably didn’t know. How were they able to force this fine woman to quietly but reluctantly resign, what sort of carrots and sticks may have come into play? I’ll tell you something: her husband is battling cancer and hence unable to work – watch for her medical coverage to continue, which would have been in danger if she didn’t comply.
So How Are You Liking This Brandman?
This couldn’t have happened without Jordan, you know. Jordan completing the permanent corporatist majority on the Anaheim council. Jordan, the “progressive Democrat,” who promised Los Amigos to “settle” the districting lawsuit yet fires the attorney whose offense is insisting the city needs to settle the districting lawsuit.
I’m asking Loretta Sanchez. Sharon Quirk-Silva. Lou Correa. Jose Solorio. Still bullish on your golden boy, Dem bigwigs? This is only the beginning. The beginning of the damage he’s gonna perpetrate for the Anaheim plutocracy, and the beginning of his proving to the whole big town, and its Latino voters, that Democrats are no better than Republicans after all.
Rally for Talley, Tuesday at 4.
from Take Back Anaheim:
Cristina Sierra Montes Talley.
RALLY FOR TALLEY, Tuesday, February 5, 2013 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Steps of Anaheim City Hall, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim
Before this Tuesday’s council meeting, organizations, individuals and Anaheim residents will gather for a “RALLY FOR TALLEY” in protest of the forced resignation of Anaheim City Attorney Cristina Talley, one of the state’s very few Latina city attorneys.
In closed session on January 29th, the Anaheim council majority demanded Talley’s resignation within 48 hours or be faced with being fired on February 5th. Talley tendered her resignation on January 31st. Councilmember Gail Eastman blamed Talley for the court nullification of the $158 million tax giveaway because of a Brown Act violation, although the violation was committed by the council majority, AGAINST Talley’s advice.
Talley’s real offense seems to be warning the council that they are in violation of the California Voting Rights Act by not proceeding with district elections, yet the council majority has ignored her advice and the city of Anaheim remains in expensive litigation, fighting against district elections to the tune of $280,000 so far in legal costs.
Born Cristina Lourdes Sierra in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Talley remains a role model to many disenfranchised youth, as she, herself, came from a poor, large, Latino, single-parent household, but overcame significant challenges to become the city attorney of one of the most influential cities in the nation.
Speakers at the Rally for Talley will include representatives from Los Amigos of Orange County, Take Back Anaheim, past presidents of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association and Lorri Galloway, former Anaheim councilmember.
For information, please contact Joanne Sosa, Take Back Anaheim, 714-715-8798.
BIO
I was born in the small agricultural town of Las Cruces, New Mexico, one of seven children from a very low‐income Hispanic family. My mother worked as a secretary and my father was a mail carrier. My parents’ 20‐year marriage ended in divorce when I was 13, and in 1971, my mother remarried and moved our family to Pomona, California.
Notwithstanding those challenges, I graduated cum laude from California State Polytechnic University, and was the recipient of an academic scholarship from the University of Southern California Law School. Except for my first year of law school, I always worked part‐time to support myself and pay for my own education.
I worked in private practice for about 13 years, achieving partner at AV Rated (the highest possible rating) Adams, Duque & Hazeltine. I practiced almost exclusively municipal law, with an emphasis in complex litigation. I have numerous reported appellate decisions and tried both civil and criminal cases.
I left private practice to become the City Attorney for Pasadena and held that office for two years before coming to Anaheim.
UPDATE YEARS LATER:
Don’t know why comments are closed on a bunch of these old stories, but I’m looking at this ten years later, and it shoulda been mentioned that Cristina sued the city, and succeeded in Oct. 2016 in making us pay $1.45 MILLION for her wrongful firing. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-anaheim-lawsuit-settlement-20161011-snap-story.html
Heck of a job, Jordan, Kris and Gail. This was also around the same time they were spending THREE MILLION of our taxpayer money fighting against District Elections, a reform that 70% of us wanted. I hope all three of them rot in Hell, or at least in Fallbrook.
– Vern, 2023
I have time only to say this: Jordan needs to explain himself here. Eastman and Murray don’t need to explain themselves — no one, least of all their own party, expects any better of them — which is why I reject the “Democrats are no better” canard. But Jordan needs to come forward and face the music on this one. This is the sort of thing that people long remember.
How supremely patient of you, counselor. Yes, let’s let Jordan “explain himself.”
What I meant to convey, even though I felt strongly enough to use BOLD letters, isn’t that democrats are no better than republicans. I meant that politicians like Jordan and Jan Flory make it understandable that people would feel that way. And make it a little more true as well.
I think that what Jordan’s doing here is a real problem. Yes, it makes it easier for people to say “a pox on both their houses.” Doing so is a cop out, though.
As for Flory and the difference between her and Republicans — well, I have to get on to my real business now, but if I had time to write something big it would be about the conniptions on FFFF, led in real-life politics by “real Republican” Bruce Whitaker, about the Supervisor’s plan to establish a large, serious homeless shelter (with integrated city services) on State College south of Chapman.
I haven’t spoken to Flory about it, but so far as I can tell from the absence of criticism from her in news reports she doesn’t seem to oppose it. (I think that it’s welcome — but that the Supes should create at least four additional regional shelters in different parts of the county rather than just trying to dump the entire problem on Fullerton in addition to Santa Ana, and that Fullerton should receive some benefits from the rest of the county commensurate to the burden it imposes.) So if people want to perceive a difference between Flory and a Republican like Whitaker regarding services for the homeless, they should be able to find one right there.
OK, I don’t want to go too far off on a Fullerton tangent, but I DO hope you speak to Flory about the homeless shelter. The fact she hasn’t said anything about such a burning issue publicly just reminds me of how she tried to not say anything about Coyote Hills until I pushed her. (And of course she turned out to be on the wrong side on that – just like most Republicans.)
Whitaker, as Mayor, seems to be representing the NIMBYs who don’t want the shelter near their homes and school. Ironically, since both of them have often been called Bushala puppets, Shawn Nelson seems to be the driving force behind this, and I think his position is the same as yours and the fair, reasonable one.
And stop using that quote “real Republicans” as though that’s what I used to call Bushala’s group – I’m pretty sure I never used that phrase, who am I to say what real Republicans are. I used the phrase “insurgent Republicans,” in contrast to the Ackerman-Royce-Fitzgerald crowd of “establishment Republicans.” And that was in disagreement with YOU calling Ackerman and Company “conservatives.” They’re not conservative about anything important except hanging onto their power.
I just don’t remember your terminology and I’m too lazy to look it up.
My guess is that Nelson took a good look at what percentage of the vote in the 4th District went to Obama last year. But, yes, I think he’s on the right side of this and I’m sure he’s taking heat for it — and that he’ll take more, probably forever.
I haven’t talked to Flory in about a month and as you know right now I’m tied up with work. You should give it a try! She might pleasantly surprise you about the homeless shelter. We have never discussed it, so far as I can recall.
She was on the wrong side of Coyote Hills like most active Fullerton Democrats of her generation, is more the point. Those are the people who negotiated long and hard with Chevron for many years to get what they thought was the best possible deal for the East Hills. I disagreed (and disagree) with them, but I don’t think that wanting to strike the best bargain with Chevron puts them in the same camp as those who despoil nature as a sort of hobby.
“She was on the wrong side of Coyote Hills like most active Fullerton Democrats of her generation, is more the point.”
Greg, that is a falsehood, and you know it.
Same goes for attempting to strike the best bargain. That deal was a giant steaming pile of donkey doo-doo.
She was wrong, she was in the minority by a long shot, regardless of any type of stratification . . . Perhaps you meant to state that she, like most active Fullerton Democrats of her generation WHO TOOK MONEY FROM CHEVRON . . .
Those who didn’t take money from Chevron were happy to tell Chevron where to stick that deal.
Back to the issue at hand . . . is anyone actually informed enough about the homeless shelter to have a real opinion on it? It’s been rather slow to get to the public, particularly since a decision has already been made.
Neeoowwwwwww, Ryan, I do not know that to be a falsehood. There was a big generational divide in the Democratic Party over this issue. Those like Molly McClanahan, for example, favored it for the reason I stated. You didn’t know this?
Having debated this issue informally with many of those people, I have no doubt that they did feel that they were trying to strike the best bargain from a position of relative weakness. My disagreement with them stemmed from my belief that environmentalists were not in fact in a position of relative weakness. That’s a judgment call, not a rift over morality or ethics.
Flory was a longstanding supporter of the deal, way before getting a cent from Chevron. She was given money (and I don’t think that it was even solicited, though I wouldn’t necessarily know) because of her prior position; she did not establish or change her position to get that relatively measly (in the grand scheme of things) contribution.
Reasonable people with similar goals can generally disagree about whether it’s time to “settle.” I believe that you and I and Vern and other opponents were right about spiking this deal. I hope that we were. I don’t know that we were. We’ll find out eventually, sometime after Chevron either sues or sells.
Ms. McClanahan also took money from Chevron. Anyone else you’d like me to ring up?
Speaks for itself, Dr. D. No need to spin or defend. It is what it is.
I am biting my tongue. There is so much I want to say about Flory, Coyote Hills, the homeless shelter, and the silly comment Greg just made about Shawn and Obama … but NO MORE FULLERTON ON THIS THREAD! Let us know when you hear anything from Jan, Greg.
Why do you feel the need to point out that the City attorney is Latina? Perhaps she is being treated unfairly, or not, regardless of her race.
It’s all of a piece – she’s being victimized because she’s correctly advising the city that districting, which will help hispanics be better represented (although I don’t think that’s its only or biggest virtue) is inevitable and necessary.
And Jordan tried to soften the blow proactively by spending money translating council meetings to Spanish – something that NOBODY was expecting or asking for.
And I’m angry and being incendiary – Latinos like any minority are proud of their highest achievers; thousands of them voted for Brandman because he’s a Democrat who got the backing of the Dems I mentioned above, and they’re used to expecting Democrats will be in their corner more often than not. It’s understandable that they’re gonna feel less and less this way when things like this happen.
Perhaps she should have followed Paul Walters lead in Santa Ana and take a FAT payout to keep her departure “confidential”. That way she could walk away with a couple hundred grand of taxpayer money and allow Jordan and company to hide behind the “personnel issues” defense.
Regardless of party, these supposed non-partisan officials are subject to loyalties they never revealed to voters. In other words vote the candidate not the party.
Show any ACTUAL evidence that race played ANY role in this firing and I will agree with you. If you can’t show ANY ACTUAL evidence, then you are once again setting back real equality.
I don’t think race was the reason for her firing. (A very few crazy people in Anaheim are saying that, but just a very few. Not even ones you would know of.)
Apparently I wasn’t clear enough for you, or possibly for Matt Cunningham. (I never know how sincere or disingenuous Cunningham’s being, but I take you at your word.) But her race IS relevant to the whole situation, in complex ways.
I am sure the Council majority would LOVE to have a Latino or Latina attorney that just tells them they can do whatever they want to do. What a prize that person would be.
I’m working on another piece on this (provoked by Cunningham) and I’ll try to make myself more clear.
Vern, don’t know what Cunningham piece you are talking about, I am only commenting based on what you wrote. You made race a prominant part of the story and implied, certainly to me, that race was a factor in her firing. If race was not a factor in her firing (which you say it is not) I cannot see its relevance at all.
I mentioned numerous times that she is Latina. I never said that’s why they fired her. I’ll make it clear in my upcoming piece – tonight or tomorrow – why I think it’s relevant, although I think it’s already clear to some people.
Race was NOT a “prominent” part of Vern’s story…you’re attempting to turn a mountain into a molehill. He simply mentioned that she has pride of place in the community because she is one of the few Hispanic city attorneys in the state…ooops, there’s the relevance to the story!
If saying that “implies” that her firing was racially motivated, then I’d suggest you’re forcing a level of “PC” onto people that is “setting back real equality.”
By “actual evidence” at this point, do you mean that you want, like, a written document saying “we are firing you on account of your ethnicity”? Yes, in that case, I believe that you’d agree. Maybe.
Quit pulling the race card here and praising someone who doesn’t deserve it. I know this woman personally and trust me she would sell any of her “fellow Hispanics” down the river if it furthered her own personal agenda. She is cold, calculating and selfish and has used, manipulated and cast aside innocent people to get where she is. I hope she rots in hell.
Well, OK — but how do you like her other than that?
You rock Michelle! One brave Chica.
How would you like THIS headline Vern?
“The Benavides Majority Forces Out White City Manager Paul Walters”
OK with me. Seems paranoid, but not indefensible.
Video from Rally for Talley:
http://saveanaheim.com/blog/2013/2/12/rally-for-talley-video