OK, I use quite a bit of photography and videos in my line of work. I tend to err on the side of caution, but I've always been under the impression that videotaping someone without their permission and then publicly releasing that video was against the law. Anyone out there who can quote me chapter and verse on that?
It becomes somewhat important after the twit with the rolling billboard eyesore videotaped me when I confronted him about his illegal sign. Like the Stay Sac signs that Duveneck publicly apologized for, the billboard has no FPPC number or "Paid for by..." language. I told the guy to get it off the streets, and it ends up on YouTube. Fascinating how politics works.
Yes, I was ticked. And although I'm not upset about the video (I think it's really quite amusing), I am upset when I think about the incident. This guy added his name to the list of those putting my kids at risk for personal interest. And this one doesn't even live here - just a stinking mercenary.
Go ahead and check out the vid. In context it's really quite funny.
Apparently I'm now known as the Measure D Vigilante.
If you have to fight back the bile to view their Facebook page, here are the comments:
Daniel Clark Orey: right wing teaparty fascist nutcases... we cannot afford to have these people in charge of our local govenrment! (sic) vote no on D!
In the words of the immortal Bugs Bunny, What A Maroon! I'd hardly call myself right wing. Fascist? I thought those were the ones who lied to get their way. Like, oh let's see... Stay Sac? And for the record, his one coherent statement was that no one wants me in charge of their government. Not that I ever aspired to that. But people who make statements like this probably can't read those complicated sample ballots. Two syllable words and all...
Jane Merlo: Some people are so petty..
Wonder if she meant me or the guy who commented before? But yeah, some people are like that. Annoys the spit out of those who want to make life better for their families. Such is life.
Kara Kindstrom Parsons: He just makes himself look like an idiot... just like his blog does.
Like I said, I wasn't at my best that day. But I really do think that in fairness, I do a MUCH better job of making myself look like an idiot here. But we all know opinions are like rear ends. Everyone's got one, and most of 'em stink.
Lisa Anne Hurt Forsythe: "Sign vigilante"....LOL!! That guy needs a hobby...
Sorry, I already have a hobby. It's trying my best to make sure I never hear the question "Daddy, why does that lady want you to take her on a date?"
So here is the proposition. I say we have some fun with this, and get the ball back in the alley at the same time. If we can get confirmation that this video thing was illegal, and get a suit going, I'll donate whatever is left over after expenses to the fund to get incorporation started up again. I figure if we have standing legally, then the sign twit is culpable for taping me without permission, and Stay Sac is even more so for posting it. And there is nothing I'd like better than letting the community know that Stay Sac provided major funding for the next cityhood movement!
Of course they have better lawyers, so this is probably just a pipe dream. But after all, a man without a vision will perish.
***
In case there is still any confusion, the re-org meeting I had suggested for this Friday isn't going to happen. Mike Grace's meeting last week got us to start a dialogue, and that was what we needed at this point. We'll see where things go from here. I'll do my best to announce any upcoming events here as well.
***
For those who live close to Fulton Avenue. the planning commission met tonight and heard public comment from several who supported and opposed the proposed special planning area along the avenue (essentially the Fulton Ave Business Association). It was deja vu all over again. After a presentation from commission staff assuring everyone that everything was going to be fine, and just drink the kool aid, Melinda Eppler took the podium and told us all how wonderful life will be once the county and residents abandon their rights to speak on new businesses and just let them handle it all. Fortunately a few people showed up with brains engaged, and asked the tough questions that really matter.
The one point that keeps bugging me? Why would any upstanding, legitimate business be unwilling to stand before the commission, like we did tonight, and present the case for their venture? If a potential business owner feels the need to circumvent this process, then we really need to take a close look at what they have in mind.
I was especially proud of my 7 year old daughter, who asked me last week if she could speak, and overcame her fear to address the commissioners like a champ. Unfortunately the mics were a bit high, and I think most of what she said went unheard, but she made the point that kids are involved in these things too. Hopefully the commission understood that too.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Episode IV: A New Hope?
Well, we had our hats handed to us. A crushing 3-1 defeat for the forces of good. Batman was beaten down by the Joker, and is now hanging by a thin line over a pot of boiling oil. And yet, somehow Batman always managed to come back. Now we will see if the analogy holds true in this instance.
The campaign is over. The election is over. Incorporation may be over - only time will tell. All I know right now is that I never got involved in this to win a campaign or an election. I'm here because I want a better life for my family. I want my kids to be safe on the streets and in the parks. I'm here because I don't want my neighborhood to change its name to "Happy Endings, California." None of that has changed, so I am still here and planning to fight for my community.
The big question right now is who is with me? Are there still a couple hundred people out there who are willing to stand up for their community? A hundred? A few dozen? Three? I'm hoping there are enough of us left to put together an action plan for how we can best continue this fight.
Let's remember who the enemy is here. We didn't get into this to beat down Stay Sacramento. Granted, Duveneck, Cahill, Blanas and Alcalay placed your children's safety at risk to further their own political agendas. They are slime, and should be treated as such. But the enemy in this war is not Stay Sac, and it's also not the gangs and hookers.
The enemy is Sacramento County, who continues to cut Sheriff's budgets to the point of making patrols nearly non-existent in our area. Who refuses to enforce building and safety codes, despite the penalties from those violations being able to fund the cost of enforcement. Who continues to dump affordable housing in our midst at a rate 5 times as high as anywhere else in the county, setting us up as Del Paso Heights East. Against Supervisors Peters and Yee, who openly abused their positions as LAFCo commissioners in order to stack the deck in favor of the county and Sac City. This is the fight we have to win. Then getting rid of the hookers and the Cahills and the drug shops will be an easy battle.
I'm calling for a new community forum, to sit down together and see where we can go from here. My plans are to host this event on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. We'll do it around 2 in the afternoon so those who want to shop that morning will be able to do so, and hopefully grab a short nap. We should be done in time to warm up leftovers for dinner. Between now and then I'll be securing a location, and getting the word out to whoever wants to come.
I will also be brainstorming. I've already come up with some ideas that could have me certified as clinically insane. But it may take an insane idea to move us forward from here. But spend a little time when you can and jot down ideas for how we can improve the community. Do we still need to pursue incorporation? Is that even an option? How can we, as a non-city, work on the same set of goals that got us started in the first place?
I know this has been a long struggle, and I can't blame anyone for suffering burnout and just wanting it to all go away. But the gangs aren't going away. The whores aren't going away. The head shops and thrift stores aren't going away. So even though I'm tired and busy licking my wounds, I'm not going away either.
The campaign is over. The election is over. Incorporation may be over - only time will tell. All I know right now is that I never got involved in this to win a campaign or an election. I'm here because I want a better life for my family. I want my kids to be safe on the streets and in the parks. I'm here because I don't want my neighborhood to change its name to "Happy Endings, California." None of that has changed, so I am still here and planning to fight for my community.
The big question right now is who is with me? Are there still a couple hundred people out there who are willing to stand up for their community? A hundred? A few dozen? Three? I'm hoping there are enough of us left to put together an action plan for how we can best continue this fight.
Let's remember who the enemy is here. We didn't get into this to beat down Stay Sacramento. Granted, Duveneck, Cahill, Blanas and Alcalay placed your children's safety at risk to further their own political agendas. They are slime, and should be treated as such. But the enemy in this war is not Stay Sac, and it's also not the gangs and hookers.
The enemy is Sacramento County, who continues to cut Sheriff's budgets to the point of making patrols nearly non-existent in our area. Who refuses to enforce building and safety codes, despite the penalties from those violations being able to fund the cost of enforcement. Who continues to dump affordable housing in our midst at a rate 5 times as high as anywhere else in the county, setting us up as Del Paso Heights East. Against Supervisors Peters and Yee, who openly abused their positions as LAFCo commissioners in order to stack the deck in favor of the county and Sac City. This is the fight we have to win. Then getting rid of the hookers and the Cahills and the drug shops will be an easy battle.
I'm calling for a new community forum, to sit down together and see where we can go from here. My plans are to host this event on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. We'll do it around 2 in the afternoon so those who want to shop that morning will be able to do so, and hopefully grab a short nap. We should be done in time to warm up leftovers for dinner. Between now and then I'll be securing a location, and getting the word out to whoever wants to come.
I will also be brainstorming. I've already come up with some ideas that could have me certified as clinically insane. But it may take an insane idea to move us forward from here. But spend a little time when you can and jot down ideas for how we can improve the community. Do we still need to pursue incorporation? Is that even an option? How can we, as a non-city, work on the same set of goals that got us started in the first place?
I know this has been a long struggle, and I can't blame anyone for suffering burnout and just wanting it to all go away. But the gangs aren't going away. The whores aren't going away. The head shops and thrift stores aren't going away. So even though I'm tired and busy licking my wounds, I'm not going away either.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
And here we are...
Well folks, this is it. No more trying to expose the truth behind the lies. No more reason in the face of fear (and fear mongering). Later today we wake up and do our civic duty. Then we trust the people of this community to do the right thing and wait for the results.
Regrets? Yeah, a couple. This was never supposed to be about politics. This was a movement for the civic good that was co-opted by a handful of wealthy special interests to cache their own political capital. They made it political. And if this fails, every time there is a child harmed in a drive-by, or a small business person robbed, or a family threatened in the park, I will consider Duveneck, Alcalay, Blanas and Cahill personally responsible. As should you. They are the ones who put your family at risk to protect their little empires.
On the other hand, we have already beat the odds more times than I can count. No thinking person would have predicted we would ever get this far, but here we are at the finish line. Whether we cross in first place remains to be seen, but we made it here, and we're still standing. That is a testament to the power of people who are willing to sacrifice so their neighbors can have a better life. And that is the kind of special interest I can believe in.
Since Stay Sac seems convinced that we all have to have a motive for personal gain in this, I'm thinking it might make a good book.
If you are still not sure how to vote today, please consider your family, your neighborhood, your schools, and the businesses where you shop. A yes vote on D will not only make your life better, it will for them as well.
And after you make a stand for your community, drop by the incorporation office around 8 or so and watch the results with us. We probably won't know the final outcome, but we may have a good idea where things stand. Either way you will get to hang out with some wonderful people and celebrate our community. And that is the reason we're here.
Now VOTE!
Regrets? Yeah, a couple. This was never supposed to be about politics. This was a movement for the civic good that was co-opted by a handful of wealthy special interests to cache their own political capital. They made it political. And if this fails, every time there is a child harmed in a drive-by, or a small business person robbed, or a family threatened in the park, I will consider Duveneck, Alcalay, Blanas and Cahill personally responsible. As should you. They are the ones who put your family at risk to protect their little empires.
On the other hand, we have already beat the odds more times than I can count. No thinking person would have predicted we would ever get this far, but here we are at the finish line. Whether we cross in first place remains to be seen, but we made it here, and we're still standing. That is a testament to the power of people who are willing to sacrifice so their neighbors can have a better life. And that is the kind of special interest I can believe in.
Since Stay Sac seems convinced that we all have to have a motive for personal gain in this, I'm thinking it might make a good book.
If you are still not sure how to vote today, please consider your family, your neighborhood, your schools, and the businesses where you shop. A yes vote on D will not only make your life better, it will for them as well.
And after you make a stand for your community, drop by the incorporation office around 8 or so and watch the results with us. We probably won't know the final outcome, but we may have a good idea where things stand. Either way you will get to hang out with some wonderful people and celebrate our community. And that is the reason we're here.
Now VOTE!
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