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I am shocked, and frankly horrified, at the number of West Anaheim residents who have lost their collective minds in their support of council candidate Steven Albert Chavez Lodge. Yes, yes, I know, he’s running around telling everyone he is going to solve the homeless issues in West Anaheim. The guy may as well claim to hold the patent on aluminum foil. Seriously. Homeless services and mental health services (which MUST go hand in hand for effective results) are the job of COUNTY government. The City of Anaheim lacks the resources, the knowledge and skill sets, and the LEGAL AUTHORITY to pursue resolution for homeless individuals. Never mind that Lodge has NO EXPERIENCE NOR EXPERTISE in the issues of homelessness, having retired from Santa Ana Police Department long before homeless services were a “thing” with law enforcement.
All that said, even IF Lodge had an iota of ability to resolve homelessness, the rest of the evidence against him is so putrescent that it outweighs any good he might bring to the dance. Keeping in mind, he doesn’t.
Case in point. We know of Lodge’s long and sordid history of violence and misdeeds while serving in the SAPD. Beating a jaywalking suspect to the point that a jury awarded PUNITIVE DAMAGES into the six figure range. Harassing a Latina bar owner. Falsely imprisoning someone on bogus murder charges to rack up his own “victories” (and making it into the “OC’s Hottest People” list for that record of “wins.” And of course, Lodge always seems to have some reason to excuse his behavior, as though violence is routine in arresting people (who may or may not NEED to be arrested.)
But how about AFTER his time in SAPD? How has Lodge conducted himself while NOT tasked with cuffing the bad guys?
The entertainment news people have widely reported Lodge’s restraining order, brought by a gentleman named Michael Thomas, according to records. Lodge explained away the incident claiming the man was sleeping with his wife.
Now keep in mind that marriages come apart on a daily basis. Indeed, this is Lodge’s THIRD (or is it 4th? I lost count) marriage so he is no dewy-eyed pup dealing with the loss of his first crush. All divorce is sad, but for the most part folks don’t walk around beating the crap out of others in public settings over it.
I have been tipped off to a piece of video claiming to be LODGE, in what sure looks like hotel security camera footage in a hotel lobby. The incident appears to match the events outlined in the restraining order…except Lodge claimed he felt “threatened” by the other man’s physical gestures. Watch the video and see for yourself:
Now, whether you believe Lodge felt threatened, whether you believe Lodge is justified in decking a man who he claims was fooling around with his wife, the question to ask yourself is, “Is this the character of someone who should be on the City Council, approving official policies for the Police Department already wrestling with tension between officers and the community rooted in claims of violence?”
This is NOT an isolated incident of one time in the heat of passion defending his marriage and marring an otherwise unblemished character assessment. Lodge has a documented history of violent behavior backed by a narcissistic habit of excusing his behavior rather than owning it and paying the consequences for it.
Much more Lodge badness to come…
UPDATE:
A call-out from the restraining order, courtesy of Nancy West!
Oops. Call me — we need to coordinate better! Or maybe I can make the one I’ve been doing “Part 2”? One per day works well so far as I’m concerned!
I saw you were doing something about the guy, but it didn’t seem to have anything about the assault (maybe I skimmed over it) or at least no video. And Cynthia wanted this out quick. And I obey Cynthia.
As do we all.
No, this doesn’t overlap TOO much — in fact in enhances the one I’m doing. It’s that “Much more Lodge badness …” at the end that led me to say that.
To guide readers: you should be watching the center table. The two men walk in and are seated just before the 0:15 mark. They stand up at around the 1:20 mark, and you can see the rest — including what look like Lodge’s balled-up fists — for yourself. The man who does appear to be Lodge ends up sitting alone in a chair in the top center of the frame.
If he’s elected, watching people talk truth from the podium to this walking bucket of leaded gasoline is going to be the best show in town. I hope that Tait sits him at the far side of the dais (just to protect the City Clerk and her assistant) with only Kris Murray between him and the rest of the Council. Or maybe Steve Faessel, if he wins, could get the assigned seat between Lodge and the rest of the Council. After a couple of meetings, he’d be ready to switch away from the Kleptos in exchange for Tait letting him move someplace safe, like near Vanderbilt.
I have two words, Vern, for you to pass on to Donna is she elected and is seated next to him on the dais: “tear gas.” Not just regular pepper spray; I mean the real deal. Show the authorities this video and I’d think she could get a permit for it. The City may also need to station a cop behind the back door with a beanbag gun aimed at the back of his head in case he goes nuts, because it doesn’t look like a tranquilizer dart would stop him.
Maybe lodge can hang out with the DA’s investigator who likes to deck public defenders.
Peas in a pod.
Yes, please do yours Greg. There can’t be too much info. out on a guy like Lodge. It seems his supporters need a lot of info available to them, as some of them embody an attitude much like some supporters in the presidential race.
This was discovered when our flyer couriers were aggressively chased down into a culdesac and verbally accosted by scary people calling them liars, and trespassers. They should be able to google and find out the truth after intimidating and frightening a nice old lady, who has the best interests of her community at heart.
Please don’t throw Cynthia to the ground and beat her with a baton.
The video is pretty entertaining. Blue Shirt sits there, leaning forward, in an aggressive posture, fist in hand, while endomorphic Pink Shirt slouches backwards in a completely docile manner. Pink Shirt makes the move to disengage by standing up and shouldering his bag. He pats Blue Shirt on the shoulder. Blue Shirt knocks his hand away. The gesture is repeated. Blue Shirt hits Pink Shirt in the face with his left hand and takes him down across the furniture with a pretty feeble armlock, but Pink Shirt is weak as a kitten and top-heavy, to boot (good thing for Blue Shirt that Pink Shirt obviously has no wrestling experience!).
Blue Shirt is pulled away by the gathered onlookers and ends up on a chair in the back of the room, exhausted by his exertions (Jesus, it’s been a while!); poor Pink Shirt is still on the floor between the table and the green settee, wishing to Hell he’d never agreed to meet in the lobby with Blue Shirt for that man-to-man talk!
Say, is Albert Steven Cabot Lodge a leftie?
I think that you enjoyed that last line a little too much.
Can someone clarify something for me? Lodge is divorced from his most recent wife, right? So this is him beating someone up for sleeping with his EX-wife, right? Because once his sperm has been deposited in a receptacle, he thinks he “owns it” forever?
Man, this is one sick puppy. I haven’t noticed cross-endorsements between him and his bosom buddy Brandman this year. Doesn’t that seem weird? Do you think that that is because Jordan came out as gay? Do you think Jordan knows something about Lodge that he doesn’t want made public? If there’s no cross-endorsement because Lodge doesn’t want people to think that he’s secretly at least sometimes gay — isn’t it a little late for that?
I knew I had seen this somewhere. Here is how Lodge describes the encounter when the restraining order went public;
http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/vicki-gunvalson-boyfriend-steve-lodge-assault-restraining-order/
When Lodge tried to leave Thomas, “stepped closer [to him] in a threatening manner stating, ‘I bet you want to hit me right now.’”
Lodge said he wouldn’t hit him in a crowded room and was called a “p***y” by Thomas.
“I turned to walk away and Thomas reached out with his left hand and grabbed my right upper arm,” he explained. “Fearing for my safety and recognizing this as an aggressive prelude to physical combat, I immediately defended myself by knocking his hand off me and striking Thomas with my closed fists until I believed him to no longer be a physical threat to me.”
I am shocked, shocked, to find that former bad cop Steve Lodge perjured himself under oath!
Sure is fearful, though, huh?
Please don’t knock Cynthia to the ground and beat her with a baton.
Did he get arrested or charged with anything?
Paul, you will love this. The story Lodge presents is that HE called the Police as the “victim”…and I am told once that scenario is on the record, it is hard to flip it around, especially when you are a former cop and those taking the report see a kindred spirit.
I have no idea if the PD bothered to get this video (I assume so but I don’t KNOW) I did hear rumor that the man depicted in the video tried to get a copy of the Police report and other docs and was blocked because HE was the instigator and for the protection of his “victim” the info would not be made available. Since the City they were in did not file charges for him to defend himself against, he had no “right” to the docs. Again, total scuttlebutt, not in any way saying I know without question any of it is true.
I do know that when I put into out there these days I tend to get anonymous info turned around pretty quickly. I get emails from clearly fictional gmail accounts. One Sunday morning we found a package on the front porch (Richard asked if it was ticking and wondered if he should submerge it in water for a while before opening…) And so far nearly all the info I get has been correct, but because it comes without back up docs or a credible source willing to go on record I refuse to use it as “thus sayeth the Cynth-monster” and I generally sit on it and wait it out.
For instance I got a tip that the Anaheim Plaza Shopping Center would be subject to the biggest subsidy in the history of the City’s incentives for retail projects. I could find NOTHING filed for that address on Euclid. Shortly thereafter the Anaheim Plaza HOTEL PROJECT popped up on the radar. So clearly folks are seeing and hearing things, and when circumstances warrant I try to put out info to see if we can get anyone to add to it and provide the missing links we need. In this case the video appeared to be Lodge, and appears to debunk his claim he was the “victim” and I felt it was worth putting out there. I know someone out there has more info, and I hope they will come forward and help me with the remaining puzzle pieces.
I want all to consider something though. There is a bigger picture than a thug wanting a Council seat for his own hobby or self-enrichment.
LOOK AT WHO IS BEHIND THIS THUG. What are they expecting from him that is so big they would risk the reputation tarnishing effects of hanging out with him?
DISNEY/SOAR spending BIG.
Police (but NOT Fire)
Pringle, Spitzer, DA Tony, Kring, Murray, Eastman, the usual suspects.
WEST ANAHEIM people, who have thrown over genuine resident-leaders in their zeal to support someone they KNOW to be carpetbagging!
Amanda Edinger (on the payroll)
Jody Moseley
Phyllis Greenberg (endorsed on her way out of town, thanks very much)
Sally Feldhaus
http://lodgeforanaheim.com/endorsements/
Either they believe that repeated and verified incidents of brutality have been justified by his excuse-o-matic machine, or they are willing to overlook those flaws for whatever mouse he is supposed to drag into the house and lay at their feet as a love offering to his masters, exchanged for some Kitty-Kibble and a scritch behind the ears.
So you like those outcomes? I don’t.
Thank you Orange Juice Blog for you dedicated service to our city, and for your conscientious research to deliver facts on foremost issues.
“Police (but NOT Fire)”
Sooooo funny. I got a mailer for KringleCo® featuring the pint-sized pack mule and a bunch of fire fighter types.
Paid for by the COP union!
The fat guy hit the other guy first. Looks like self defense to me.