Breather

I'll be taking a little breather to make up for the posting pace of the last two weeks.  Don't panic, I'm not gone.

The 2009 Hermosa Beach City Council Election Results Are In

Thank God it's over.  Congratulations to Howard Fishman, Jeff Duclos, and Kit Bobko.  If my calculations are correct, something like 75% of the voters voted for Howard Fishman.  That is a mandate. 

Here are the official results: http://rrccmain.co.la.ca.us/0019_CityContests_Frame.htm

Michael Keegan lost.  Or did slimy politics win?  It's not possible to tell yet.  If the three winners now bow down to Roger Bacon and rubber stamp everything he says, then we will have our answer.  If none of the candidates will consider bringing the Hermosa Beach business tax rates into alignment with similar local towns, then we will have our answer. 

For commenter "Hermosa", and anyone else who thinks that I am ignorant of economic issues, I will be updating my profile, and doing some posts to show you that I have made an attempt at understanding something about this difficult subject.

Now it is my job, for which I have volunteered and for which I receive no car allowance, or health insurance, to make sure everything stays clean.  I look forward to working with Jim at www.VivaHermosa.com, Marianne at www.ThisIsHermosa.com, and of course Joy at Pure, Unadulterated Joy, to cover the issues and uncover the ulterior motives.  All three of them have proven themselves to be dedicated to Hermosa Beach.  I am the new kid on the block, and I am deeply grateful for how willing they have all been to reach out and help me.  If it weren't for the dog and pony show of the elections, these three people should be the new city council.

Thanks for voting!

Roger Bacon's Change of Heart?

The strangest thing happened this morning.  At 6am I received a phone call.  The confused excited voice on the other side of the line said, "Keith?"  I said, "Yes."  He said, "This is Roger Bacon, what day is it?"  Confused, I said, "What?"  He said, "What day is it, boy?"  I said, "Why, it's Tuesday.  Election Day, Sir."  He said, "Of course.  Yes, of course!  They did it all in one night."  I said, "They?  It?"  And then he explained how he had been visited by ghosts in the night.  One ghost took him back 60 years to Hermosa Beach and to Torrance Beach and showed him what he looked like and how he acted back then.  Another ghost showed him how all of his antics were perceived by the voters of Hermosa Beach today.  And the last ghost pulled a mile long chain, with each link representing a lost opportunity to do good.  And it was then that Roger saw how he would be seen in the future.  Not as a person who had worked for the improvement of the community and people around him, but for a petty vengeful person who let greed and vendettas rule his every waking minute.  And when he awoke, he knew he had to undo all the evil he had set in place.

Does Roger Bacon now support Michael Keegan and Democracy?  He didn't say.  But I hope the ghosts have pointed him the right direction.  And I am thankful for the enormous goose that he left for my family's dinner.

Josh Ochs - cont.

This post has been stripped of its original content in response to a request by Josh Ochs.  The election is over, and it is not the purpose of this blog to punish people for running for office.  Josh is no longer in the political arena, and he felt that this post might hurt his Hermosa Beach based business.  The material was relevant only while Josh sought public office.  It took courage to approach me in an open and forthright manner, and I will respect his wishes.

Josh Ochs

I sent this letter to Josh Ochs yesterday.  I have not heard back.  (I noticed what might be an error in my letter - I believe he was registered to vote, but not in Hermosa Beach, though he says he has lived here for 5 years.)

Hello Josh,

I have some questions for you. 

1. Joy Kennelly, on her blog Pure, Unadulterated Joy, said that you were not registered to vote before you decided to run.  Is this true?
2. HermosaFamily.com has its first event listed as August 16, 2009, one month after the letter on your site, dated July 19, 2009, announced your candidacy.  Was HermosaFamily.com set up specifically for your campaign?
3. Why did you remove your entire LinkedIn profile, as Joy reported on her blog?
4. Tell me about what you did at The Oak Tree Group, and why is it based in Wisconsin?  I could not find any real estate projects related to that company.
5. What was your title and job at the Gordon Brothers Group?
6. Your LinkedIn profile says you spent 2 years at USC.  Where else did you go to school?
7. Please feel free to tell me anything else you would like to tell me about your education, work history, and credentials.

Thank you,
Keith Hemstreet

To my critics who say I am not focusing on taxes enough, and that looking at details is unimportant, I  will reiterate that if the voters of Hermosa Beach are told the truth and the whole truth, they can make their own decisions about for whom to vote.  I just want full honest disclosure.

NOI TO TAYMAN KEEGAN

(Thank you to Gigi for the heads up on the banners)

Oh, Good Lord.  Does anybody else find all of this to be embarrassing?  How grimy and petty can the Hermosa Beach City Council Election get?  I took this picture at about 2pm Sunday, Nov 1st.

I wonder who paid to have TWO AIRPLANES pulling anti-Keegan banners on this fine Sunday?

Why?  Why is this necessary?  If there were actual issues at hand, isn't it possible that there might have been a better way to spread the word than Uni-bomber style diatribes, and giant banners hung from strip malls and airplanes?  What can we look forward to tomorrow, the day before the election?  Will there be dancing bears and fire eaters walking in procession around Ralphs parking lot? Barbershop Quartets?  25 Clowns in a really tiny car?

What is truly pathetic about this, is that if he believed for a second that there were facts that needed to get out, and that these facts would defeat Keegan, then with the $10,000 or $20,000 or more that he and his 6 man Coalition, and any other unfiled coalitions have spent, he could have built a fantastic web site for the education of the Hermosa Beach Voters.  The site could have listed every vote done in the last decade, and how every Hermosa Beach Councilman voted.  It could have made available every Form 460 for every candidate and special interest group that has been active in Hermosa Beach, to disclose where all the money has come from.  It could have had videos of all of the debates.  It could have archived every letter to the editor and every political article by every Southbay newspaper.  And it could have fact checked every claim by every candidate to keep everybody honest and put everything into the light of day.  It could have been the sort of thing that Bacon would have received awards for.

But no.  We get sky writers and dancing bears.  Because Bacon doesn't want disclosure, or educated voters.  He wants to stick more pennies in his sweaty little pocket.

I hope you choke on your pennies, Roger.

Marc Schoonover

Marc Schoonover pulled out of the Hermosa Beach City Council Elections.  He did so after the ballots were printed, so his name will appear on the ballots.  But he is no longer a candidate, so if you vote for him you will be truly throwing away your vote.