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News has come from a celebration on Anna Drive that, first, today’s ballots were the LAST one’s to be counted in the race. I’ve been skeptical about that, but some other news we’ve received suggests that it must be true. [UPDATE: I’m now told that there are some additional ballots left to be counted, but that they are all ones that the Brandman campaign or its allies had challenged, and that they are expected to count, if at all, disproportionately for Dr. Moreno.]
According to School Board member Ryan Ruelas, who was visiting with Dr. Jose Moreno and his parents, JORDAN BRANDMAN HAS CALLED DR. MORENO AND LEFT A MESSAGE CONCEDING THE RACE!
We’ll have more on this when we can. Meanwhile, enjoy the above video from Mirvette Judeh at the celebration.
By 44 votes! Incredible. Well-earned. And long overdue.
The Council Majority has CHANGED HANDS!
About Greg Diamond
Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that.
Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too.
He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.)
His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)
Been crying since 5 pm. “The power of 3 votes” just became a minority. SO MCUH work left to do to turn Anaheim around from the disastrous policies of the past decade and a half, but there are so many of us, united, and ready to do the hard work.
Good came from this. People who have seemingly nothing in common have come together in the common love of our community.
I just came from Anna Drive where they hosted a “friendsgiving’ dinner with the most diverse crowd i have seen in a long time. And it was all good, everyone getting along, looking out for each other, a real “hey can I get you something while I am up?’ kind of group that we know Anaheim to be, and which we sadly allowed to become fractured for a time as the Council majority convinced each area that other parts of the city were getting attention, when as it turns out ALL of us were getting screwed while their pals were taking our tax money out of town!
Saw the Mayor and Julie briefly, they were over the moon. We can all finally sleep. And God is good. He is SO GOOD.
The final irony will be that now people will see that what we were claiming was true all along: that we’re not seeking to harm Disney, or the Angels, or the Trades, or other such interest groups — but that all we have been seeking is basic fairness, decency, and stewardship of Anaheim’s future. This could be the dawning of a wonderful era for Anaheim — and, given its leadership, the rest of Orange County. The work will not get much easier, but it will be far more bearable.
Its true jordan conceded.
Id love to see the look on the Irvine trolls face after Jordan lost and Newman will win.
Hard fought, exhausting, historic and well deserved. It is the best tribute to Amin David.
A clear message to Disney and Pringle&Associates, none of their candidates got 50% of the vote in any district. 57% of my district, D5, voted against the subsidies.
To add fodder to the twin Steve Bannons from Orange and Irvine : El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido…(once in a while)… Venceremos!
I think that Amin would be smiling very broadly at most of the election results in Anaheim. Along with Tait, a few others (among whom I’d include our Cynthia), and Jose, he was one of the absolutely indispensable people who made this happen.
Thank goodness for the good news in Anaheim. We really needed it. Now Im looking forward to Josh’s win, and you can’t wipe this smile off of my face.
I’m going to offer my unsolicited opinion of the very first things that need to be done.
Audit and analyze the economic engines.
Audit the Convention Center, clean up material findings and critical control weaknesses and examine the ACC’s ability to pay for its own bonds.
Commission independent analysis of the contributions of the Angels and The Resort and Disney to the City’s general Fund
Commission an audit of the entire City/Disney deal from 1997.
Revoke the hotel subsidy program.
More to come…
Revoke the 40 yr tax exemption
Revoke all hotel subsidies
Let them sue. I want a piece of those depositions.
Kill the street car.
The street car is technically dead. Just needs the proverbial stake through its heart – no more wasted money on “studies!”
Agreed. Stake, silver bullet, garlic, any and all monster bane necessary.
Excuse me, but I want that garlic.
Yeah, I’ve had the list in my mind for months, it kept me walking precincts for Donna:
NEW CITY MANAGER. NEW BUDGET DIRECTOR. Did we really need a Treasurer to balance off the budget director? Then that too.
Jordan off OCWD forthwith, to be replaced by an honest, knowledgeable, independent representative – we happen to have one in mind.
Yes, revoke the hotel subsidy program.
Nuclear option – pursue the “Charter Gaffe” theory that all 3-2 votes since Feb. 2015 are null and void. That includes July 2016’s giveaways and the gate tax moratorium. May have to wait for next City Attorney. http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2016/09/charter-gaffe-of-2014/
And, HOPING earnestly that Denise and James are “down for it,” pursue much more serious police oversight and reform. This’ll be easier as well with useless Paul Emery gone, who slept through every “Public Safety Board” meeting:
1. An actual police oversight committee (the freakin Fire Department doesn’t need oversight) that meets more than QUARTERLY and has subpoena power and its own investigator (as so many other cities our size have)
2. Police Chief must begin by accepting and implementing OIR Gennaco’s commonsense reforms on shooting suspects to kill and continuing pursuits around blind corners; and there needs to be ACTUAL SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES for an officer’s body camera being “accidentally” turned off, AND the public gets to see what is ON those body cameras that we spent so much for.
Open up the Angels negotiations to the public; pursue a deal that’s equally beneficial to city and team. Yeah, audit THAT shit too!
Council meetings at 6 so more working people can attend.
More community gardens. Resources to be spent equally across the city.
Much more. But that should keep us busy for the first few meetings.
DO NOT cede the air rights across Harbor Blvd. and eliminate the “crosswalk to Disney” UNLESS access to that pedestrian bridge (including an elevator for the disabled) is made available FROM HARBOR BLVD. right near the current eastern terminus of the crosswalk.
Disney will survive this easily — they just can’t, maliciously, “have it all to themselves.”
Establish a safe zone for the homeless, with services, at the old Karcher site on Harbor Blvd so that they can escape the riverbed.
Oh yeah. Damn! That was TOTALLY on our list.
Temporary modular buildings on Karcher site, AND a mobile shower/restrooms on wheels.
Oh! A Jose idea – no company receiving a million or more in subsidies can henceforth contribute to our elections. Donna and I wanted to bring that threshold down to 100K.
As Fitzgerald frequently reminds me – Anaheim is the only OC city that prosecutes its own misdemeanors, with a small army of unnecessary city attorneys up at North Court. He estimates a savings of $10 million a year if we just hand that over to T-Rack, and even he couldn’t do much worse.
One BIG change that would enable resident PARTICIPATION is to widen the TIME between the Agenda release on Friday (evening, actually, RARELY afternoon) and the Tuesday meeting, to give the public the CHANCE to digest, understand and comment INTELLIGENTLY (usually requiring thought and research) Staff has the unfair advantage of time, having worked WEEKS or MONTHS on things they throw at US for the “opportunity” of ONLY 3 DAYS! Most “urgency” is by design, staff created !
A dozen or so ideas, not one dollar or one minute of the council’s time for corporate welfare, errrr economic development.
Freaking beautiful.
Sigh — why can’t our blog be more like Cunningham’s and Chumley’s sites and come up with something TRULY SUBSTANTIVE once in a while instead of all of this anonymous name-calling?
Mmmmmm. Ankles.
So.
Tasty.
Hey, remember when it was time to call the race for Chang and Brandman?
Good times. Good times.
You are being very grandiose and virulent.
You’re right, I have rarely seen anything like it.
Perhaps ONE other place.
Whoo hoo!
I think Moreno should come out punching. STOP any support for the corrupt practices and house the homeless along the river (now nearly 400). Place them in FREE GOVERNMENT housing until a peaceful humane trasition can be accomodated. This should be PRIORITY NUMBER ONE. The city should put its money where its mouth is and be kind.
Sue Jerry Brown and take some of that silly Bullet Train money and spend it on the poor!
I want to know who Charles Black dined with at The Ranch on that special night in September 2013.
Now that the “client” has changed the Council can waive the attorney-client privilege, no?
Oh, I almost forgot:
No more financial arrangements with the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce as long as its political action committee is in existence or it is sponsoring political activity.