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If you ask the live-tweeting neolibs, the out-of-town rubberneckers, and the biweekly meeting of HBCF’s Right-Winger-Hand-Wringer Delegation, Monday night’s Huntington Beach City Council meeting was a must-watch event. And if you tuned in – as I admittedly did – to keep up with the antics of Mayor Pro Tem Ortiz, you were not disappointed!
Oh yeah? Well, we feel the same way about YOU, dude.
‘Unprepared’ is probably the best– and kindest — word to describe Tito’s conduct during his first real council meeting. Here’s the recap:
He underdressed. Not only did he forgo any protective face covering (I know, I know, we’ll get to that later), but he showed up in a t-shirt and sport coat while every other man on the dais wore a suit and tie.
He experienced technical difficulties. After watching him struggle to turn on his microphone for what seemed like an eternity, Dan Kalmick kindly reached over and showed Tito which button to press. Well, Tito must have immediately forgotten those instructions, because he struggled with his microphone for the rest of the evening, once accidentally hitting it with his pen; and eventually he just gave up and shouted. He also voted ‘no’ on a motion he seconded, but it’s difficult to say whether that was due to confusion about the electronic voting system, or confusion about the motion itself.
There seems to be some resentment of the kind-hearted Kalmick.
He peddled conspiracy theories! Tito sat through a lengthy slideshow presentation on the dire status of our local hospitals, and then asked the local officials if they had considered educating the public about… vitamins. Specifically, vitamin Z– no, C– no, zinc and vitamin D. Despite the lack of definitive scientific proof linking COVID-19 and vitamin deficiencies, snake oil salesmen are already capitalizing on mass hysteria. Perhaps Punishment Athletics is about to launch a line of branded nutritional supplements?
He lied from the dais. There is no evidence to support Tito’s assertion that Kalmick removed his mask at an event for elderly veterans. However, there is ample evidence that Tito refused to wear a mask while posing for photos with those vets; and we all saw him and Councilmember Peterson flagrantly defying the mask rules at City Hall. I think Mayor Kim Carr spoke for all of us when she said, “I’m sorry if I sound a bit exasperated, but it is absolutely emotional to me that we cannot get people just to do something [so] simple as to wear a mask.”
Imagine surviving Vietnam just to be taken out by a damn VIRUS.
He serves at the pleasure of Erik Peterson. When Peterson proposed a hybrid-model re-opening of Main Street’s third block, Tito nearly interrupted him to second the motion. The three registered Democrats on the council (Carr, Kalmick, and Moser) often voted differently from one another, but Tito never once strayed from Peterson’s side. In fact, he even appointed Nancy Buchoz, Peterson’s appointee for the Citizen’s Infrastructure Advisory Board, to the Community Services Commission. As far as actual policy is concerned, Mayor Pro Tem Ortiz is Councilmember Peterson’s sock puppet.
Most of Tito’s other appointees are holdovers from former Mayor Lyn Semeta, who decided not to run for reelection when her term expired this year. However, his Planning Commissioner is former city council candidate and honorary Proud Boy, Gracey Van Der Mark.
Here she is in Long Beach, harassing octogenarian Jewish residents with the notorious neo-Nazi known as Baked Alaska.
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In 2014, Gracey was removed from several committees for her racist and antisemitic comments, but she learned from that mistake.
Several HB residents suspect that she operates a new Facebook account under the pseudonym ‘JL Arnov,’ and when you take a look at some of Arnov’s posts in Huntington Beach community groups, it “checks out” :
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Yeah, right, Gracey didn’t write this Facebook post… or the attached open letter…
Overall, I think far-right HB voters who were hoping Tito would “shake things up” in city government are bound to be disappointed. He’s played it safe so far, and even if he gains the confidence to start proposing his own ideas, he’s still an ideological minority on the council.
Until next time, my friends!
Previously in this series:
Cue the clown music.
What a chunk head.
Anyone aware that there is a “Recall Tito” Facebook page that links to a petition to recall Tito? It’s already garnered hundreds of signatures, a mere 2 and half weeks into Tito’s city council term. My only question is what took so long?
Just so you know, it doesn’t work informally like that.
*You know what is amazing? Everyone has an idea on how to stop the Corona-Virus 19.
From “The Trumpster” all the way down the food chain.
As reported Internationally, their are 10 separate Companies, from 10 separate Countries that are still working on coming up with the correct vaccine. Everyone acts as if, you can smoke three marijuana doobies and be cured….or whatever their latest concept is.
Let’s start with China….where arguably the whole thing started (Still conjecture there!). They have a Dead Vaccine DNA model that they have innoculated over a million people with and they have totally re-opened their entire economy.
Then we have the join venture between Pfizer and Biotin in Germany. How it differs from the Moderna or Pfizer models being used here in the US would be interesting to know. Then they have the vaccine that is being developed in India.
Well, the beat goes on as England comes up with a brand new mutated form which folks don’t know for sure will work with the straight Live Virus MRNA version being touted here. So over 40 to 60 countries have grounded all flights to Great Britain…..and aren’t allowing any in from there.
So, will doubling up on your Viagra do the job? Heck, just change your Depends more often and forget it. What the Global Medical Community has come up with…..is “Conjecture 101”! So, wear your mask and keep your distance and make sure you wipe twice! How do we know works? Maybe ask your Momma to make some more chicken soup and use some Vicks Vaporub?
China does not have a dead DNA vaccine.
The three vaccines developed by Chinese companies use an inactivated virus. The virus is RNA based.
I’m not looking forward to another episode of the Winships calling you a “Trumpster” or something because you correct them on science.
*Hey, we are ready for RC to become the next Surgeon General. Maybe he can get Joe to buy off on his endless lies and misrepresentations. So RC, tells us everything you know about the China Vaccine. Which Company is making it and we need to know the facts. Your slippery when wet reactions will not be tolerated this time Dudette! We look forward to offering a complete retraction and apology whenever you can provide something besides “I know and that’s the way it is!” as your fact based understanding.
*Here is what we know:
China’s first DNA COVID-19 vaccine to enter clinical trial …www.globaltimes.cn › content
Jun 19, 2020 — The renowned COVID-19 expert Zhang Wenhong, hailing from Huashan Hospital, and Zhang Jing, director of the hospital’s phase I clinical …
*Or you can try this instead:
What′s the science on DNA and RNA vaccines? | Science| In …www.dw.com › whats-the-science-on-dna-and-rna-vacc…
Jul 9, 2020 — A number of candidate vaccines for COVID-19 use a genetic modification of the virus. It’s a relatively new process that scientists say may be ..
Vern,
As stated the last time, this idiocy reflects poorly on everyone.
Wasn’t this lunkhead married to a porn performer? That speaks volumes.
Yeah… And they fought a lot… and did a lotta drugs… and broke up.. and settled out of court… Very very sad American story.
A note to “Luke Yandell”:
I (not Vern) just trashed both of your comments that accuse people of violence against women. We don’t allow anonymous accusations that could constitute defamation — and we don’t know who you are. Once we do, and we can notify people of how to reach you if they want to sue you, then your accusations may be accepted on a case by case basis.
As for your jibes about our posting on Christmas day — please direct your complaints to CNN and Fox News, which have been posting much more than we have. Happy Boxing Day; knock yourself out!
A note to the author (whom I’ll call “Twatch”), and whose identity is Vern’s domain rather than mine:
Nice job, once again, but there are a few things that warrant a response:
(1) There’s nothing weird about seconding a motion and then voting “no” on it. This is often referred to as “seconding for purposes of discussion” — meaning you want to allow debate on the motion and will then make up your mind.
(2) Some of us *love* underdressing, so I’m all for that. YMMV.
(3) If you’re in a position to talk to Kalmick, I’d like to know what he has to say about this. Not necessary for such a story, but helpful.
(4) Who’s in the “ideological majority” along with Kalmick, Carr, and Moser? You seem to imply that it’s not Peterson (who would have been my guess); is it really Posey or Delgleize? Or is it Peterson, and you’re talking about what would happen in Tito unmoored from him?
(5) From the Open Letter, it appears that this is the work of the Ultra-Orthodox Right-wing Jews who are flouting New York’s anti-Covid regulations and who stalwartly support Trump. (He mentions the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whom they used to and perhaps still do regard as the Messiah.) So this might very well be a real letter from a real crackpot — and if the letter is real, then the testimonial might be as well. I don’t recall examples of Gracey’s writing, so I have no opinion on that — but I hope that you’ll consider expanding into a Gracey Watch if she starts wreaking havoc on the Planning Commission.
Thanks again for keeping us up to date!
Vern doesn’t know who I am, either, and I won’t tell. 😉 Happy to answer these questions for you, though!
1) If I remember correctly, one of the councilmembers did that during this particular meeting! … But it wasn’t Tito. Tito did not do that on purpose.
2) To each their own, I suppose. I found it a little disrespectful, and I imagine we agree about the mask situation.
3) My anonymity would make that difficult, but I’ll find a way to seek out more voices in the future. Thanks for this suggestion.
4) I don’t think there’s a true ideological majority on the council, but Posey and Delgleize seem to have formed a loose coalition with Kalmick, Carr, and Moser. Peterson and Ortiz are far-right politicians, and a minority on the council. I think it will be rare to see Posey and Delgleize vote with them, but we’ll see.
5) I will certainly start Gracey Watch if and when that becomes relevant (but I hope it never will).
Thanks for reading!
That’s probably a wise precaution on your part, but it could lead to a little tighter editing. If you want to set up a safe anonymous email address, we can discuss.
I’m sure that Vern would be happy to call Kalmick.
Interest analysis of the ideology. I’ve tended to view HB through the prism of Poseidon, but this year of course the anti-mask and anti-Black vitriol gives me something else to judge them on.
Is a majority of the Council in the pocket of the Police Association (as Tito clearly is), or are there people who could push back against police abuses (and the City Attorney’s craziness)?
Correct me if I’m wrong– I was under the impression that the Poseidon deal is out of the council’s hands at this point. The three major talking points of the 2020 city council campaigns were HDD, BLM, and pandemic response.
I know for certain that HBPOA endorsed Carr, Kalmick, and Ortiz, and did not endorse Moser. It would take a little more digging to find Delgleize, Peterson, and Posey’s endorsements because 1) they’re not as internet savvy as the others, so their social media presence and SEO is subpar, and 2) I don’t actually remember anymore.
I won’t post my anonymous email here, but if you’d like to speak further, feel free to either send me a Twitter DM, or ask Vern to put us in touch.
Huntington Beach has a louder microphone than most, as the host of the site, but what Poseidon really wants is for someone to promise them that they’ll pay for all the water produced — and I don’t think any single city is nuts enough to do that.
However, in the two big remaining hurdles — the Santa Ana Watershed group and the Coastal Commission — Huntington Beach’s Council could likely sway the commissioners and thus possibly the result. I fully expect that Poseidon has its eyes on them for that purpose, and will publicize the hell out of any support they may provide. So to that extent, it still matters.
John Earl or Merle Mohsiri may have a lot more (and better) to say on that topic.
There are three Dems who all seem relatively decent (although I didn’t like how Kim Carr treated Shana Lathus a couple years ago.)
After that, the likeliest Republican to vote with the Dems is first Delgleize, second Posey
And Erik’s not the worst guy in the world either; I used to think of him as one of the more decent Republicans but the age of Trump has degraded him as it has many Reeps. All in all, HB has a pretty decent council right now, a hell of a lot better than Anaheim anyway.
You know how I’ve said that today’s Republicans tend to be either Kleptos or Trumpies (a catchall meaning bad on social issues & immigration, and irresponsible on Covid) and some are the worst of both worlds – KLEPTOTRUMPIES – and it’s harder and harder to find local Republicans who are neither.
Well, Delgleize and Posey are kleptos who love Poseidon and development, and are as bad as most Democrats when it comes to giving unions whatever they want. But they vote responsibly on public health, and humanely on immigration, and have earned the scorn of their own Party for that.
Whereas Erik is an honest anti-Poseidon Republican who’s turned Trumpy. Tito seems to follow Erik. Things could be a lot worse in Surf City, although Tito gets all the attention.
Is any of that wrong, Tito Watch?
I don’t think any of that is wrong, but I’m probably less impressed with Carr, Kalmick, and Moser than you are, particularly after that vote on Don Barnes’ amicus brief.
Didn’t know about that. Sounds like they backed Barnes?
DPOC made all 2020 candidates sign a BLM pledge to in order to receive endorsements, and presumably money. Carr didn’t have to sign that pledge because she was elected in 2018.
They’re outnumbered by “law-and-order” Republicans on the council, so their votes on this matter were purely symbolic– a message to their constituents. Carr voted in favor the amicus brief, and Kalmick and Moser abstained (which is certainly different from voting no). Message received.
good god! makes me glad to be on Covid Watch here Fl.. But DO carry on!
The Divine Ms. M
Anti-maskers are the worst. They bitch and moan the loudest about lockdowns and yet do ABSOLUTELY nothing to help stop the spread of Covid
Exactly, most of them are anti-vaxxers too, so they won’t even help by getting vaccinated.
Even though all of em are also Trumpies, and Trump’s greatest boast is the fast rollout of vaccines.
On that note, check out our latest Tito Watch piece, about his anti-vax shit.