Apparently some anonymous poster made a crack about Stanley Fiala, the deranged wife-beater who has run for Mayor several times. The poster said something about going after Stanley the way “that Russian spy” was taken care of. I believe that was an allusion to a former Russian spy who was poisoned in England about a year ago.
The post was CLEARLY in jest. But Stanley called Paul Walters, the Chief of the Santa Ana Police Department. Now you would think that Walters would tell crazy Fiala to take a hike. But no, he had a detective call me, Thomas Gordon, Sean Mill and Claudio Gallegos.
I spoke to the detective and he laughed at Stanley. He as much as said that Fiala is nuts. But he also said that he had to file a report.
Well, yesterday Santa Ana Councilman Carlos “Space Commander” Bustamante called our co-blogger Sean Mill, and he proceeded to whine and complain in a long conversation with Mill. Apparently he has been getting many calls since Sean Mill posted Bustamante’s phone number this past week.
I wonder if Bustamante will now call the SAPD too, as Fiala did? How in the heck is any of this worthy of a police investigation? Apparently some unknown character has been calling Bustamante, and the Space Commander thinks he is from Berkeley. Somehow in the Space Commander’s twisted little mind, Mill went to UC Berkeley, but in reality he went to UCI.
We live in a town where the SAPD routinely ignore calls from residents who have witnessed DUIs, hit and runs, beatings, and graffiti. Those calls go ignored, but apparently ANY call regarding our blog merits an instant investigation. How can they possible that the SAPD too Fiala seriousl?
It will be interesting if the Space Commander and Fiala end up using the same tactic? Will that mean that they are working together now? The horror! What an embarrassment! I hope Fiala isn’t teaching the Space Commander how to beat his wife.
So is the Space Commander’s phone number that hard to find? I found his personal email address at this link. I found his website at this link. I found his personal bio info at this link. I found a county document that includes an organization chart that shows us that the Space Commander is nothing more than a middle manager. And you can easily find the Space Commander on Yahoo People Search, by searching for “Carlos Bustamante.” Maybe the Space Commander will go after Yahoo?
So folks can find the Space Commander if they want to. It is certainly not a criminal matter. But if Carlos wants the OJ bloggers to hit the AP wire again, then he ought to consider filing a ridiculous complaint with the SAPD. What a waste of police resources that would be!
This reminds me of the scandal that got the owners of the OC Weekly in jail. A reporter at the Phoenix New Times printed the address of the Maricopa County sheriff in the paper, arguing you could easily find it online. The prosecutors there found some arcane law that prohibited the printing of such material. Dunno if SanTana has that same law–be careful what the Space Commander might pull out!
Don’t have the interest to do the research but there are numerous cases where someone can be responsible (civil and/or criminal) for publishing the address of a public official.
It doesn’t matter if it the address is already avaiable in public places. What matters is that it is repeated, repeated maliciously. The rest of the material it is published against helps determines whether it is malicious and I’d say this probably meets that defination.
I’d tell art to be careful but it would be kind of nice to see him sitting next to his pal Mike Carona.
Poster 2,
You “don’t have the Internet to do the research,” but you do have the Internet to post on this blog? I don’t get that.
Sean did not post the number with malicious intent. He did it to inform the public. Besides, at the time Carlos had the number listed on his campaign website. He has since exchanged it for the number to his consultant’s office.
If Space Commander wanted to keep his info secret, he would not put it on his campaign material and he would unlist his phone number. You can easily find him in any Internet White Pages.
Perhaps if he was actually doing a good job he might get congratulatory phone calls instead of calls that question his record as a Councilman?
As for jail, don’t be surprised when Space Commander and his fellow Pulido hacks end up in the slammer when the feds shut down their “Santa Ana Business Bank.” Now that the feds are done with Carona, I am sure they will turn their attention to Pulido and company…
Art, you are such a hypocrite. You justify posting the private contact info of someone you hate, but when the tables are turned, you play by different rules.
Poster 4,
You can find me on Yahoo People Search too. If you cannot figure out how to use their service, then you are too lame to bother with.
Well done Art and Sean! Isn’t it interesting how these political hacks print campaign material promising to be more available to residents if they get elected and often adding their phone numbers to brochures, but then when they get in office and become unpopular (like Bustamonte) they want to hide and do their best to make it hard for voters to contact them. I think Police officers have a different level of privacy rights regarding phone numbers and addresses. Elected official file statements and have to prove they live in the district. Police officers for fear of threats to their lives should be afforded the privacy. A city hall insider once told me that shortly after being elected Carlos told some people that he didn’t like being on the city council because he thought it was boring. He also said that he thought there would be more “deal making”, big stuff, not so much responding to the day to day complaints of residents. Bustamonte likes people calling him “Councilman” and the social life it affords he has his family, but he does not want to do the job. His reputation both at the County and in politics is that he is very lazy. Let’s hope his laziness and bad attitude keeps him from being re-elected.
Art,
My conversation with Carlos was unbelievable, there’s fifteen minutes I’ll never be able to get back.
His complete arrogance came through quite loud and clear. He let me know that we are “insignificant little men” who pander to the “whack jobs” that read our blog. If we are so “insignificant” why is he always crying to Sal and Miguel about us? And I wonder if the crew on the 8th Floor that read the blog all day know that he thinks they are “whack jobs”?
Carlos really thinks he is something. Having to deal the likes of me was surely beneath him. He told me how busy he is with his job, council seat and starting his new bank to have to deal with me or our ridiculous blog.
Busy starting a new bank? That’s like Bruno complaining that his street corner shell game is cutting into his quality time.
He also wanted to know why I had a problem with Ware Disposal. His asked, “Did Judy Ware run over your dog or something?”
Perhaps he should descend from his throne and take a trip to Logan and see what his buddy Judy is up to himself. His callous attitude about it shows he care very little about the residents in that area. That isn’t too suprising.
He also kept going on about “my friend from Berkeley” harassing him. I have no idea what the hell he is talking about. I went to UC Irvine. Perhaps he eavesdropped on a conversation I had with Vince Sarmiento, who did go to Berkeley, about the Cal campus and its surroundings and deduced from that that I went to school up there. Who knows the guy was clearly grasping for straws.
This bizarre allegation follows another one he made when he yelled at me about “my friend from Servite” as he was going into the last council meeting. Clearly he thinks that everyone who doesn’t like him is my friend. A little paranoid aren’t we Carlito?
I did remove his number as a courtesy to him. However I am sure this won’t satisfy him either.
One thing that was clear about our conversation is that Carlos has complete disdain for our blog and our readers. Once again I let him know that one of our main goals will be to see him defeated next November. I let him know that we want to see him a “loser” like he was in his stellar OC Supes race.
Art
In your screaming hurry to attack #2 you misread the post
Maybe if you moved your lips while reading it would help you.
Should a movie about Carlos be put in production, I think Charlie Sheen would be the ideal actor to play Carlos. What do you think?
#9,
What would you suggest the title of the movie be, “The Biggest Loser”?
Poster 10,
Why should I allow you to post that? Get your own blog if that is what you want to do. The information is out there if folks want to find it.
Besides, I don’t hide my contact information. And I don’t hide from my fellow residents. People find me all the time.
When I wrote about Al Amezcua, his ex wife in Montana found me via email.
The point Sean Mill was making by posting the Space Commander’s phone number was that this Councilman is out of touch with his constituents. It is well known that he does not return calls or emails on a timely basis.
So no, I am not a hypocrite. I just don’t see a reason to let some anon guy grandstand at my expense. Again, you are welcome to start your own blog if that is what you want to do. Good luck with that. You will find that doing so and getting an audience – and keeping it, is very hard work. That would be something the Space Commander knows nothing about.
#9,
I think Charlie’s brother Emilio Estevez would be a better fit. He would just have to dye his hair darker.
Rob Schneider would be an even better fit, particularly as the movie would have to be a comedy about a bumbling security guard at a museum who somehow ends up in space command, gets booted after screwing up time after time, and then ends up getting run out of every subsequent job until the white folks take pity on him and get him a job at the County…in planning no less.
The film would guest star John Leguizamo as Miguel Pulido, and Sarah Silverman as Claudia Alvarez. James Cromwell could play Dave Ream (he was the old farmer on “Babe” who played a traitorous villain in last year’s “24” on TV). Pinocchio might be available to play David Benavides…
“The indictment alleges a conspiracy in which the five defendants schemed to get Carona elected and to corruptly use the office of sheriff to enrich themselves.”
This sounds like every election
in Orange County history!
Art/Sean,
I overheard Carlos talking to some friends his Fisher Park neighborhood and he is VERY upset about what you are saying. Why don’t you guys back off a bit and just focus on the issues. Carlos is a husband and father and doesn’t need to be dealing with those of you (and it’s not many) how don’t like him. Back off and you might be surprised how much better treatment you will get from him as well. I predict that once he is re-elected for another 4 year term, many of you will become friends with Carlos and help him on his run for Mayor. Just a prediction.
Sean: I think your conversation with Carlos is worthy of its own post. Please post!
“Back off and you might be surprised how much better treatment you will get from him as well.”
Pathetic.
I agree with Gustavo. Aire it out, Sean!
At least he has 86ed the uni-brow since his time in the “service”.
What’s the closest Art Pedroza ever got to serving our country in uniform? Reading a Sgt. Rock comic?
At least Carlos Bustamante gave a few years of his life to serving the USA in uniform. That alone is worht more than slacker Pedroza’s keybaord heroics.
Poster 20,
Emphasis on “few,” as the Space Commander, by his own admission, did not stay long in the armed services.
And you can poke fun at this blog if you want, but the Space Commander is sweating it as we continue to reveal how ridiculous he is.
Up next…we will start looking at who has given him money as we go through his campaign finance reports. It does not bode well for the Space Commander…