By Grover Cleveland:
Hell, yes! Pookas 'n everything...
Okay, we’ve had some harsh criticism of the Voice of OC in the past, but today Norberto Santana came out with a great expose about OC Fair-employed lobbyist Dick Ackerman, husband of former carpetbaggress Linda, both of whom are residents of Irvine.
I told the DA everything was on the up and up. And that's what he went with!
Last year our do-nothing DA whitewashed Ackerman’s role in the ’09 OC Fair sale matter, saying he didn’t lobby the Legislature in violation of State law. How did the DA reach this conclusion?
Norberto has been doing great work on the Fairgrounds Swindle all along. History will show the triumvirate of Swindle chroniclers to be Norberto, the PotStirrer, and Gus Ayer whose place I pretty much took once I was free in late 2009.
Norberto’s secret weapon is his close relationship with us activists – namely the OC Fair Preservation Society.
How did he come into possession of those long-hidden documents? Hmmm…. I’m not saying.
Oh I should add hardworking Reggie at the Pacific Progressive.
Chez Vern, thanks for the props, but my efforts don’t come close to Norberto and the others you mentioned – including yourself and our pal, Gericault. Never a dull moment in the Fairgrounds drama.
Great scoop by Norberto Santana!
FB, Norberto got the docs, but as FFFF pointed out along time ago, Ackerman described to a newspaper reporter (in the fall of 2009, I believe) that what he had been doing in July 2009 was influencing legislation – the very definition of lobbying. You can even find the article on-line, I think. But apparently our DA couldn’t. That part is really disheartening.
Yeah, those were the days … Nov 2009. OJ, FFFF, OC Progressive and Pacific Progressive were all over it. Stupid Van Tran said, “Of COURSE Senator Ackerman wasn’t ‘lobbying.’ That would have been illegal!”
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2009/11/derailment-report/
(My otherwise masterful “Derailment Report” is slightly marred by my referring to Chriss Street as “honest.” But his presentation that day WAS honest.)