Yesterday, the Feds indicted him, and he's in federal court today. The Mayor has demanded that he resign his position. And rightly so, the Mayor, and all of the supervisors and most other City/County officials have called on him to resign. He should do so, like yesterday, and let SF move on.
"On no occasion did I contemplate he would be vacationing in Greece pending sentencing," [U.S. District Judge Larry] Burns said.
Thus continues the sands through the hourglass of the Cunningham corruption scandal. Burns ruled that the case against mortgage broker and co-conspirator Thomas Kontogiannis will continue despite objections from his nephew's lawyers (nephew John Michael is also on trial for money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice). Michael's lawyers claim that Kontogiannis has continued to engage in fraud with full knowledge of prosecutors since his plea in February.
What fraud? Well, ongoing mortgage fraud from New York apparently. Mr. Kontogiannis has been a busy boy though as, despite surrendering his passport and agreeing to only leave the country in the company or with the permission of federal agents, he's been chilling on vacation in Greece.
As reported earlier this month by voiceofsandiego.org, Mayor Jerry Sanders' second quarter fundraising resulted in zero dollars (pdf). This, presumably, was at least partly to do with a perceived lack of credible challengers for next year's mayoral race. But after two weeks of being picked apart over his role in the illegal Sunroad project and his apparently dishonest defense, things may be changing. The Union Tribune is reporting that Mayor Sanders' two major challengers from last time, City Councilwoman Donna Frye and businessman Steve Francis, "champing at the bit" over the prospect of a rematch. So what's going on?
It's been quite a wild week in the 42nd Congressional District. Ever since Ron Shepston announced that he's running against Dirty Gary Miller, there have been quite some interesting developments that have occurred in the race to replace Dirty Gary. We've had the bloggers talk about going offline. We've had the California Democratic Party go online to announce its new website targeting Dirty Gary. We've heard rumors that a former Republican politician might reemerge to challenge Dirty Gary in the primary. Oh yes, and what did Ron say about John Kerry?
Follow me after the flip for all the latest dirt on Dirty Gary...
The best way to answer this question is to answer two other questions. Why should we allow such a corrupt individual to stay in office? And what has Gary Miller done for his constituents that has earned him the privilege of earning our votes for reelection? Once we figure out these answers, we can answer those other questions.
You may be surprised by these answers, so follow me after the flip for more...
Ken is corrupt and it is our responsiblity to make sure everyone knows and force the hand of the GOP to get this man out of any position of power. I will post what we find and repost what others have contributed -- all in an effort to show more and more what Kennie boy is all about.
Oh, and mistersmith is already doing a great job at this! If we really want to get rid of Creepy Ken next year, we need to get the message out on just how creepy he really is. And what better way to get the message out than to blog it, and let the message spread out through the internets. And hopefully, voters in Orange and Riverside Counties will find it, and they'll then know what to do.
So what are you waiting for? If you're in or near the 44th District in Southern California, and you want to learn more about one of the CREEPIEST REEPS in our area, go see Eye on Calvert. It will really open up your eyes!
"It's amazing how little we know about the science of our environment and a thing called climate change. Before we automatically throw money into this subject matter we ought to know what we're talking about. Global warming is apparently a problem, but global cooling can be as well."
Yes, believe it or not, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Scandal) actually said that. So why exactly did he say this? And why is anyone taking him seriously? Follow me after the flip for more...
"When your seat is so safe that you're not concerned about perception, you become too wedded to Washington and you lose touch with your constituency, and you lose touch with your real purpose."
Want to guess who said that? Believe it or not, that was Karen Hanretty, a Republican strategist and former California Republican Party spokeswoman. And she was talking to the AP (via The Guardian [UK]) about the lovely Republican Congresscritters like John Doolittle and Gary Miller who
have been caught up in some naughty behavior lately. So what's happening? Are even Republicans starting to desert these crooked cons?
Last December I took a look at the potential for a Special Election in CA-41. While that scenario would be the best opportunity to pick up the seat, Democrats would have a strong shot against the embattled congressman. Yet there is a third option, an Open Seat. And GOP insiders on the Hill are floating trial balloons to Bob Novak that Jerry Lewis won't be running for re-election. I especially enjoyed the context provided:
Lewis is one of at least six Republican House members from California who have faced ethical scrutiny, beginning when Duke Cunningham was sent to prison. Most recently, Rep. Ken Calvert, who was sponsored by Lewis for a coveted Appropriations Committee seat, is under attack. He replaced Rep. John Doolittle, another Californian who resigned from the committee because the Justice Department was investigating him.
The CA GOP has been running a racket and it is finally catching up. And if last night's blograiser was any indication, the Democratic Party base is pumped.
Any word on potential candidates? Is San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris interested? I'd expect that there should be a lot of chatter following this story.
Will embattled 15-term Republican Congressman Jerry Lewis (CD 41) retire from the United States House of Representatives at the conclusion of the 110th Congress? Longtime Capitol Hill reporter Bob Novak is reporting in the Washington, D.C.-based publication Human Events that "both on Capitol Hill and in California, Republicans say that Rep. Jerry Lewis (R) is unlikely to seek re-election."
Including a strong candidate to take him on next year? Follow me after the flip for more on what I've been hearing about one good candidate who may be ready to knock the socks off of Dirty Gary...
Oh, my! Check out what Nick Schou has for us in this week's OC Weekly:
Steve Sheldon isn't nearly as famous as his gay-bashing evangelical-minister dad. Most people know him simply as the son of Lou Sheldon, whose Traditional Values Coalition raises money to fight the vast gay conspiracy to undermine America but has less of a problem with sins that don't involve lube. In 2000, Sheldon the elder helped lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his Las Vegas casino clients kill federal gambling legislation. Crucial to that effort was his son Steve, a Newport Beach-based public relations consultant who in the previous decade had already taken more than $100,000 from Sin City to fight Indian gaming in California.
But along Garden Grove's Main Street-one of the last relics of small-town America in the suburban sprawl that has engulfed Orange County-Sheldon the younger is rapidly becoming a celebrity. Just not in a good way. Last October, the longtime consultant to the City of Garden Grove convinced city council to give him the exclusive right to develop a $40 million condominium project adjacent to Main Street. In approving the deal, the city sold him the land-currently a city-owned parking lot serving Main Street businesses-for just $1.5 million.
In January, the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association filed a lawsuit to stop the 100-unit condo project, alleging it violates city and state law by declaring the parking lot "blighted" and handing it to Sheldon without competitive bidding.
Hmmm, so why is America's holiest family involved in some not-so-Godly behavior? Just what is Steve Sheldon up to in Garden Grove? Follow me after the flip for more...
I'm not sure where to even being rebutting this post, which is a rich combination of paranoia and grandiosity that would make your hero Art Pedroza proud. [...]
Andrew, if you really want to see a "noise machine" all you need to do is read your own posts: loaded with straw men, unsupported assumptions, jumped-to-conclusions, screechy rhetoric and paranoia.
So why is Jubal/Matt still fuming over this? Well, he completely lost control. And why is he so angry about that? Well, I'll tell you all about it after the flip...
A long time ago I was told that in this business you are judged by your enemies. If your enemies are mostly democrats then you must be doing something right. They're willing to tear you down, especially people like Andrew Davey who posted on the Calitics page. He's just a punk with a computer.
This just in from The Liberal OC... Chris Prevatt has had it with all the scandals, all the corruption, and all the sleaze that's taken hold of just about every level of local government in Orange County:
In the case of Orange County, it is interesting how many instances of corruption or ethical lapses are prevalent in our government institutions. Whether it is Sheriff Mike Corona [link] and his "Coronies," the Capistrano Unified [link] and Santa Ana Unified School District administrators, or senior managers in the Orange County Health Care Agency, it seems we cannot avoid the scandals and incompetence of these overly paid buffoons.
I received word the other day that the Health Care Agency was partially successful in their appeal of the $143,000 penalty they were issued for failing to properly manage a federal HIV/AIDS grant sub-contractor. The Orange County Register covered the story in a detailed investigative report "Misplaced Faith" released in March 2006.
It never ceases to amaze me how the powers that be here in OC are so willing to waste all of our taxpayer dollars on these dirty crooks... So what can be done about all of this? Follow me after the flip for more...
(Cross-posted at Trash Dirty Gary, Southern California's resource for revealing Gary Miller's true record of disservice to his constituents... AND a place for action in restoring honor and integrity to the 42nd Congressional District.)
"It's beyond my comprehension why he's running again... I've been hoping that Jay would take the moral high ground and move on with his life."
So who said that about Jay Kim, the Republican Congressman who sought reelection in 1998 after being convicted of violating campaign finance law? Oh, only some guy named GARY MILLER who was running against Kim in the Republican primary. Yes, apparently back then Gary Miller was interested in taking "the moral high ground". Back then, Gary Miller wanted to rid the Republicans of a "poster boy" of corruption that Democrats could use against the party.
OK, why am I sensing "deja-vu" here? Do you sense that, too? Well, why don't we both go after the flip to get our questions answered...
Come on, this can't be true, can it? Our governor is going on "Pimp My Ride" to pimp his own environmental policies, by overseeing the conversion of a classic Chevy Impala to biodiesel... but he can't even do something like that unless he gets paid?
It might appear that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to appear on MTV's popular reality show "Pimp My Ride" later this month is just another of his Hollywood crossover moves. But a closer look shows one of Schwarzenegger's big campaign donors is also getting a boost in the April 22 episode -- Galpin Motors.
One of Galpin's Southern California showrooms is where the hit TV show is filmed. Owners of the company, H.F. Boeckmann and Jane Boeckmann, are also among the governor's big supporters.
The Boeckmann's gave $44,600 to the governor's re-election committee last year and in 2005, they also gave another $44,600 to the governor's primary ballot committee, the California Recovery Team.
Also, Alan Skobin, general counsel for Galpin Motors is one of Schwarzenegger's appointees to the state's New Motor Vehicle Board.
Seriously, you have to be kidding me. Is there an political appointee who isn't one of Arnold's personal friends or cronies? Is there a single appearance that doesn't have campaign dollars involved? I know this is how Hollywood works, but does it have to be how Sacramento works?
This just in from our friend Fleischman at Flash Report:
The FlashReport would like to congratulate the three members of California's Congressional delegation who have been tapped with 'high honors' from the National Taxpayers Union -- receiving their coveted "Taxpayer Friends" rating... And the winners are... Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce and our own FR Beltway Correspondent John Campbell!!
OK! So I guess if you're a best buddy of Jack Abramoff, or you have the state buy you a Mustang Saleen AFTER YOU ANNOUNCE YOUR RUN FOR CONGRESS (!!!), or you direct a $300,000 State Department grant to a Russian hospitality school run by your wife's employer, then you're a "Taxpayer Friend"...
Want to find out more? Follow me after the flip...
Answering charges of conspiracy, money laundering, defrauding the public of the honest services of a public official, and in Wilkes' case, bribing a public official, both Brent Wilkes and Kyle "Dusty" Foggo entered pleas of not guilty today.
