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Well they got ONE thing right. Anaheim IS facing a crisis….
This weekend, the battle for central Anaheim’s Council District 3 took an even more arrogant turn. While many campaigns seem to be dealing with missing or vandalized signs, supporters from some campaigns are posting their candidates’ signs on private property without permission. Others are misrepresenting facts so blatantly one has to wonder why their trousers do not spontaneously ignite right there on folks’ front porches. But this latest stunt takes the cake.
The Anaheim fire union leaders took to the streets in the vintage, decommissioned, and admittedly very cool fire truck owned by someone in the union. We have seen the truck before, in 2014 it appeared at the Lucille Kring for Mayor kick off announcement at Angel Stadium. The only pics I can find are from that kick off event, where we can see some of the truck behind the smirking Jerbal. (right)
In prior years it has appeared with Lorri Galloway. But this is the first year anyone in my immediate reach can recall them using the vehicle with its EMERGENCY SIREN blaring on the City streets!
We caught some video of it here:
At first, many believed there was a legitimate emergency. That emergency became more alarming (forgive the pun) when the siren was clear, consistent, but TRAVELING in an up and down pattern on the grids of our neighborhood, and of a tone quality inconsistent with the usual fire or ambulance or law enforcement siren. While I wondered at my paranoia at a possible “tsunami warning” siren (who knows?) it turns out I was far from alone. Once I saw the campaign stunt as the cause of the siren I went from frightened to amused and back to pissed off.
When one takes a privately owned and decommissioned emergency vehicle out for a spin, one loses the “right” to use the EMERGENCY siren on PUBLIC streets. This vehicle was in no way responding to an emergency. It is not longer equipped to respond to an emergency. Yet someone decided that breaking the peaceful enjoyment of our weekend was OK as long as it was on behalf of their chosen candidate.
This was taking place over and over and over again. Forget that only-day-off nap. And let’s not discuss the reaction of dogs. All. Day.
Use of the vintage fire truck was not a problem. My own preferred candidate is being supported by someone with a vintage Jeep pickup who drives around with a giant “NELSON” sign in the truck bed. It is cute, it is a great attention getter, and all is fair in love, war, and campaigns. I could even have put up with the clanging of the brass bell, which added a nostalgic touch to the fire truck. That was cute. I get it. But the siren was an overstep. By a bunch. Had you or I, or any other “civilian” made use of an emergency vehicle siren on public streets for a non-emergency purpose, we would have been ticketed (at least) but there is not going to be a consequence for the public safety unions chained at the hip to each other. Both Fire and PD are out demonizing the Mayor for actions he is not guilty of, in order to besmirch his “control” of the Council into the future, leading to the destruction of our public safety departments.
With the legendary Fire Marshall Bill. Coincidence? Separated at birth? Something deeper?
Now the good news, if there is any. The stunt has backfired rather badly, as calls and emails and facebook posts are reporting others as upset as my own family was. While I only saw the union guys on the vehicle. Others believe they saw Brandman on board and waving enthusiastically. It is entirely possible they merely saw the union reps, and believed one to be Brandman. Given Jordan’s rapidly evolving appearance, it is hard to identify which persona he is sporting this week to begin with. Put someone on a moving vehicle, and it is anyone’s guess who is out there greeting their “fans.” So whether Brandman was behind this or not, whether he was on the truck or not, Jordan is getting his teeth kicked in for it. In a sense, the Fire unions were out campaigning for Jordan’s OPPONENTS this weekend.
Does that count as an IE that Nelson and Moreno have to report?
Wow i beat the “Usual Suspects” to comment on this story, they don’t call it the “Silly Season” for nothing Even though Anaheim and Jordan brand men in general who could be working at Disney right now as ‘Woody’ from Toy Story… nevermind the fact that Anaheim didn’t invent this silly season, they’ve just perfected it.
California Vehicle Code
27002. No vehicle, except an authorized emergency vehicle, shall be equipped with, nor shall any person use upon a vehicle any siren except that an authorized emergency vehicle shall be equipped with a siren meeting requirements established by the department.
27007. No driver of a vehicle shall operate, or permit the operation of, any sound amplification system which can be heard outside the vehicle from 50 or more feet when the vehicle is being operated upon a highway, unless that system is being operated to request assistance or warn of a hazardous situation.
Sadly, Anaheim’s law enforcement professionals are so slammed trying to keep up with call responses they no longer seem to pull over any but the most blatant of traffic abusers. But please, Jordan, tell us all about how we are investing in more cops so we can provide services to Anaheim. 40 in 4? Where ARE those officers? Assigned to the Resort? (besides the ones taking unauthorized time off) so APD will do nothing about this abuse of a public safety warning system.
The Fire Department’s professional staff KNOWS better than to pull a stunt like this.
love the graphic
Cynthia,
This same fire truck was driving neighborhoods with sirens blaring today promoting Lucille Kring.
Oh shit! Who’s next, Faessel or Lodge?
Asked and answered. Early Sunday morning I was writing my speech for this coming meeting (prematurely inspired) and it was gonna include a plea to Faessel to keep that fire truck outta district 5.
But by a few hours later that ship had sailed, and our peaceful Sunday morning was shattered by the screeching sirens of the Faessel Vessel.
IT WAS FAESSEL…I SAW IT MYSELF
You mean he was on the truck himself?
At one point on Sunday morning, Steve Faessel stood on the running board of the antique fire truck to have a photograph taken. It was stopped at the time the photograph was taken.
Steve never rode in or drove the vehicle.
Thanks,
David Bartash
Thanks for the info David. Maybe not a good publicity still for you guys to use.
The Anaheim City Attorney handles misdemeanors. Seems like this is not only worth some Anaheim citizen (i.e., not me) filing a complaint and asking the City Attorney to act upon it. It’s certainly also worth someone talking about at this Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
As President of the Anaheim Firefighter Association, please accept my apologies to anyone we might have offended during our walk piece in support of Jordan Brandman, Lucille Kring, and Steve Faessel.
Anaheim Firefighters are dedicated above all else, to ensuring the safety and welfare of the public we serve, through the services we provide.
As you may know, the Anaheim Fire Department is one of the busiest fire departments per capita in all of California. Our professional firefighters love this city and are passionate about our department. We know that we are understaffed and see the effects of this understaffing every single day with firefighters being FORCED to work overtime shifts to cover for our lack of staffing.
We know that calls are up, but our staffing hasn’t grown accordingly. This makes it harder for us to get to emergency calls in a timely manner. We are the ones who respond to the structure fires, cardiac arrest calls, and traffic accidents where literally seconds can make the difference between life and death.
For these reasons, our Firefighters have decided to spend their own time, off duty, to support candidates who will make public safety a priority in Anaheim. This is our 1st Amendment right of course and no city resources are ever used for our efforts. In addition, there has been NO coordination with any of the candidates who we are supporting, and no candidates have been riding in our vintage 1924 Seagrave fire engine.
Anaheim Firefighters will continue to be involved in the election on our own time using our own resources because there is so much at stake in this election for the future of the city that we have dedicated so much of our lives to.
Again, if our passion for the city we love has offended anyone, I sincerely apologize.
Rick Cheatham
AFA President
Oh, isn’t that sweet.
The main issue isn’t whether your electioneering activities have “offended” anyone. It’s whether or not you have violated the Municipal Code or the California Vehicle Code and, in effect created an unsafe environment.
Of course your choice of candidates is highly offensive to anybody who cares about fair, impartial and honest government. You and the cops sold out to PringleCorp® a long time ago – in return for a city council that will do anything you want them to. Nice.
Why do you guys even have to weigh in on this election? How would Jose, Donna, Arturo, Mark Daniels, hurt you guys? Actually their policies would be more likely to keep this city solvent, and able to afford your workers and their pensions.
“We know that we are understaffed and see the effects of this understaffing every single day with firefighters being FORCED to work overtime shifts to cover for our lack of staffing.”
Sorry, Rick I can’t let this pass either.
1) Overtime is the Mother’s Milk of “fire fighters.” Please don’t pretend anyone forced you and you brethren to cook up a shift scheme that could be permanently abused under the comic cover of saving the taxpayers money.
2) If you and your brethren hadn’t raided the municipal treasury (with the help of the electeds YOU put in office) in crazy salaries and benefits there would be lots of dough for any staffing levels you want.
Ironically, just after I read your comment yesterday your cheery voice appeared on my phone pimping the odious Lucille Kring, the most venal and faithless individual I have ever seen hold office – and that’s saying a lot. So thanks for that.
You’re welcome.
http://www.fullertonsfuture.org/2011/boo-hoo-chief-fire-hero-decries-vicious-attacks-against-union-gluttony/
Oh, by the way, Rick, love the last name. Is that pronounced “cheat ’em?”