Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Election Endorsements

At election time I frequently find myself in the position of being asked about how to vote on a proposition or who to vote for to fill various positions. Well, this year the same thing is happening, and I thought I would just share my opinions. Speaking of my opinions, by the way, THEY ARE MINE! Elsewhere in my musings, it has been suggested that I am angry, bitter, biased or wrong. Be very clear: I AM BIASED! I AM ANGRY AND BITTER, and MY OPINIONS ARE MINE. If you don't like what I have to say, don't read it, or delete it....but don't tell me I'm wrong. If you disagree, that's fine...

So, having been asked about the propositions and the Chico City Council, I thought I would speak to both separately. First, the State propositions. While I have an opinion, there are others too. So I have included perspectives on the propositions from the largest organization of peace officers in the State, PORAC (over 63,000 peace officer members), the California Police Chief's Association (which represents over 300 municipal police chiefs in California) and the California Sheriff's Association (which represents the State's 58 sheriffs). For additional local perspective, I have included the typically conservative Chico Enterprise-Record endorsements and the the liberal Chico News and Review endorsements (they call themselves "progressive," but that word makes me gag in this context). Finally, I have included my opinions about the propositions. Here they are:


In addition to several perspectives on the propositions, I have some thoughts about the Chico City Council election. I have included the Chico E-R, the Chico News and Review and my own endorsements for your consideration:

An important thing to note about my thoughts on the Council...elaboration on the small print...I think the City is facing very dire circumstances as far as public safety is concerned. My endorsements reflect MY BIAS for public safety, and my observation that these candidates are supplementing their bigger picture perspectives with a prioritization of public safety, and policing in particular. In good conscience, I can only unconditionally endorse two candidates: Schindelbeck and Morgan. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are four candidates we need to avoid at all costs: Stone, Ritter, Rudisill and Kelley. In the middle are: Donnan, Evans, Coolidge and Schwab.....choose from among them at your own risk....all seem to have some favorable qualities, but I do not have the confidence that any one of them is a solid, well rounded candidate. Oh ya....there's some other person who hasn't bothered to really involve herself in the campaign...her conspicuous absence from the process makes her unworthy of me even trying to investigate and find out what her name is.

There you have it folks. If you want to know more about what I think about each of the Council candidates, you can check my last two postings...


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Council Candidates - Part 2

The League of Women Voters had their regular Council candidate forum the other night. I couldn’t make it, but had a note-taker and a videographer in the audience. Based on what was conveyed by the candidates, here’s some highlights and additional on the impressions I previously spoke of (supplemented by the article in the Chico ER about the event):

Kim Rudisill – Supports Prop 215 marijuana use, and says the businesses that have left Chico wouldn’t have made it anyway. Regarding Walmart being run off by the current Council, Kim whined, “I don’t even like shopping there anyway.” Regarding community safety, she wants to educate the college students on where is safe to go, and where is not….but not scare them….really? It sounds like she, Ann and Randall have a great new idea for Chico instead of a Police Department: Nannies, who are service oriented ambassadors (without an enforcement aura)….ya, that’l do it Kim! Kim also wants to move ahead with the Chapman annexation…and we’ll “figure out” how to deal with the financial piece. It’s that kind of action that has put us where we are now….we annexed all of this area through the 90s, made plenty of plans to accommodate the extra poop that would be generated (two multi-million dollar sewer plant expansions), but no plans whatsoever to meet the other increased service demands. Finally, Kim also noted that she prefers Chico Fire arriving first at medical calls over ambulance-based EMTs….I guess that explains why IAFF is endorsing her.  Kim sounded like she met with some of her Prop 215 friends again on the way to the forum. Her grade stands.

Andrew Coolidge – Redeemed himself a bit after my harsh evaluation from the other night, but I’m still suspicious of this guy.  I’m told that this evening, he appeared to have “waken up,” both literally and with his perspective on the issues. He opposes medical marijuana, and he correctly observed that the City failed to plan forward back when the economy was good. This has been one of my complaints about the City for years: There is an absolute absence of forward thinking in the top leadership! Coolidge acknowledges that the City permit process must be streamlined (I have seen it in action, and agree!), and recognizes that “the bleeding” of businesses leaving the City must stop. I still have a concern though: If budget wasn’t an issue, his #1 priority would be roadway infrastructure. He needs to get more in touch with what’s really going on in Chico. His grade stands.

Tami Ritter – She’s OK with marijuana collectives because they mean less crime….uhhhh….I don’t think so ….the only people who really believe this are (drum roll please) …the people who run the marijuana collectives. This kind of thinking is wrong! Tami also wants to use student volunteers and “Butte College police cadets” to help protect the City. WHAT!?!  Most feel gooders (like Tami) have no clue how policing is accomplished in a community. Her suggestions reinforce that perspective. I can see it now: Let’s get a bunch of college students to deal with the armed suspect who held his wife in the house and shot at the cops a few weeks back. And I’m sure the Police Academy students would love to volunteer their time to cover shifts after they have spent 40 hours that week in class and another 20 at home studying. Nevermind the fact that they haven’t completed their police training or police field training. It is nice that Tami wants better radios for the police, but if there’s nobody there to use them, the nicest radio system in the world doesn’t get calls for service handled. Tami’s grade stands.

Sean Morgan – As with the other night, Sean demonstrated that he knows and understands the issues. Public safety, and policing in particular, would be his top priorities, and he appropriately recognizes that if marijuana is to be legalized for medicinal purposes, it should be treated like other medicines: Distribute it via prescription from a pharmacy. Morgan continues to emphasize business and economic development, and clearly recognizes that fiscal stability in local government is dependent upon a solid local economy. He’s all about realigning City priorities, and no more feel-good initiatives. And he gets that we should not annex the Chapman area until we have enough staffing in the Police Department. Sean’s grade stands.

Dave Kelly – Not sure if Dave is having second thoughts about this City Council thing, or if he’s really in the game. He was again lackluster. Of note, he wants a committee to address Downtown issues….really? And what exactly will they do? His top priority of funding wasn’t an issue would be downtown parking and tourism….really? Dave’s grade stands….and since he really has nothing of substance to say about the real issues, I have nothing more to say about him as a candidate.

Bob Evans – Bob let some of his real views get exposed when he suggested that the cops should be asked to take a pay cut in order to help the City afford more cops…..All I’m gonna say about that is they have already taken pay cuts, and be careful what you wish for because it is proven over and over again: you get what you pay for. I don’t want to disrespect our area agencies by using them as examples, but the truth is that there are very few in policing in our region outside of CPD that could make it at CPD. CPD has always paid well, and that has allowed us to attract and retain the best people. Attrition based on people seeking greener pastures is very low at CPD. If you reduce pay further, there will be in increase in departures to greener pastures, and a decrease in the quality of people policing our community. As much as Bob seems to want to believe this, a cop is not a cop wherever you go. In terms that Bob can understand: Would you expect a guy to be a lieutenant colonel on first lieutenant wages? If the answer is no, I would point out that you aren’t going to have good Chico cops if you pay Orland PD wages. And regarding pension reform, I’m not sure what is going on at City hall, but the two unions at PD have been pursuing a second tier of retirement for the last two contract cycles….it is the Council and top City management that has resisted it. It’s disingenuous to make it sound like the unions are at fault for us not having it. Sorry Bob, your politics concern me. I’m dropping you to a Grade C.
Ann Schwab – Ann remains most comfortable in reading from her resume, and in that regard this forum was more of the same. The things that Ann is now speaking are not totally consistent with her demonstrated actions of the past. She advocates now for more cops, downsizing events and keeping them local….I like these things, but Ann has not demonstrated leadership in these areas historically. She says her top priority would be public safety. I really, really hope she is committed to these things, and is not just giving lip service. Ann understands the issues related to annexation of Chapman as well, but the wishes of the citizens in that area cannot prevail if they are pushing for annexation and the City does not have arrangements to meet the increased policing demands. I’m glad Ann is saying her top priority will be public safety…I hope it really will be. Her grade stands.

Toby Schindelbeck – Toby has done his homework, and understands the issues the cops are faced with in trying to police this community. I like that he’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind…too bad that he ruffles a few feathers…it’s time that people in this town started getting comfortable with straight talk…it’s the only way we will make progress in addressing these difficult issues. Toby’s commitment to not wasting any more time on feel good initiatives until we can get our public safety needs taken care of is also much appreciated…obviously, his perspective is in line with my personal bias. Toby keeps his Grade A.

Dave Donnan – Dave spoke again about priorities, and making decisions…two things our recent Councils have been reluctant to do (does anybody remember the Council priority setting debacle a few years back with the colored dots and the charts? It was such chaos that they ultimately abandoned the effort, and established none!). Dave talked again about taking away from Fire. This has made him a clear enemy of the IAFF (fire union), but his ideas should not be totally dismissed. As this community discusses future priorities (if they do), they should decide if they really want the Fire Department responding to all medical aids. I don’t deny that it saves lives, but in the scheme of all we do, do we want to continue the practice? When I came to Chico in the mid 80s, Fire did not respond to medical aids.  Dave mirrored his performance from the CPOA forum, and his grade stands.

Randall Stone – With his responses tonight, Mr. Stone reinforced that as a City we should do everything in our power to insure he is not elected to the Council. He is pompous and arrogant, and showed his true colors tonight. Recall a week ago when he clearly demonstrated no knowledge of policing issues in Chico and that he had made no efforts to contact anyone in the CPD before the forum? Contrast that with tonight, where the topic of medical marijuana came up. Stone’s response? “ I have spent extensive time with owners of marijuana collectives, and I support them.” He doesn’t have time to talk to the cops, but he has time to talk extensively to the owners of the marijuana stores that are operating in violation of federal law….ya…..that’s the guy I want sitting as my City Council member….NOT! He must have been fresh from one of those visits with the collective owners when he made one of his next comments: “The people coming out of Chico State are not prepared for employment.”  And his priority if elected: “Corporate personhood.” Un-flipping-believable!!! This guy clearly demonstrated tonight that he is a snake in the grass. His grade stands.

Do I have emotion and passion about this election, and the state of the City? You betcha!! Are my opinions difficult for some? I would expect so…but they are my opinions. I’ve been called bitter after my first posting on Council Candidates. I’m no more bitter than the CSUC professor who didn’t get his way and the university went ahead and built a parking structure. Just as he is passionate about community gardens, riding bicycles around Chico and no parking structures, I am passionate about policing and public safety. If you don’t like what I have written, you are welcome to hit delete….and I promise I will have no hard feelings.


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Chico Council Politics

Well, after attending the CPOA City Council Candidate Forum the other night, I am feeling compelled beyond imagination to share a few feelings. But, before I do, let me state unequivocally that I am not a partisan politics guy. In fact, I despise and am disgusted by both parties equally. I am registered as a “Decline to State” because I cannot stand the thought of attaching my name to one of the two prevailing parties. Sooo, my thoughts are not based on any inherently partisan perspective I have. Rather, they are based on the emotions stirred within me as I have considered what I have read and heard about each of the candidates.

The other thing I have to say is based on my own recent 32 years of being in the public spotlight and taking criticism because of my position as a police officer in general, and the chief specifically. When you step into the public spotlight, you have to expect to be criticized. It’s not personal; it’s just the way it is. I am personally acquainted with many of the candidates. My comments about them are not personal. It’s just how they made me feel with what they have said, done or portrayed. For a lot of years, I have had to with-hold or water down my opinion because of my position. Now I don’t have to. So ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t personal, it’s what happens when you choose to step into the public spotlight. If you don’t like what people have to say, maybe you should just go away.

Having said all this, I thought I might grade the candidates, based upon what I heard the other night, and add some additional commentary based on my overall impressions. Of course, the grades (and associated editorial) are on the “Mike Maloney Scale” (in case anyone gives a rat’s tail-end).

Hold onto your seats….here we go:

Kimberly Rudisill – Grade: F
Kim seems like she must be a very nice lady, but over and over again throughout the evening, she demonstrated that she lives in a fantasy world, and she is unable to conceptualize or understand the day to day realities in what Chico has become. She’s one of those who views Chico like Mayberry. With regard to policing issues in particular, she again demonstrated her ignorance. It’s obvious she has never made any effort to connect with CPD, to learn the issues they are faced with, and it’s especially clear that she made no effort whatsoever to prepare herself to speak to public safety issues. It really bugs me that she was so quick to criticize the university police without making any apparent effort to understand what they do or how they and CPD work together (which they do a lot, routinely and well!) If she fails to educate herself on what the City is currently faced with, and she fails to prepare to speak publicly about public safety issues, and she continues to live in her own little fantasy world how can we believe she won’t continue this head –in-the-sand (or clouds) pattern as an elected Council member. In terms of an overall impression for this evening’s forum, Kim was a flat line, and totally lacking of substance. She was the one candidate that left my 13 year old son with an unsolicited impression that she was under the influence of something during the forum. She should not be on the Council.

Dave Kelly – Grade F
As with Kim, I’m sure Dave is a nice guy and wants the best for Chico… but you wouldn’t have known it from his presentation at the forum. He too was lackluster and flatline. In fact, there was a bit of nonchalance about him that almost made it feel like it was inconvenient for him to have to talk about policing and community safety issues. Lots of “I suppose…,” “I sense…” from him makes me wonder if he has a firm position on any issue. Again, if he does, he didn’t communicate it that night. He did speak to priority-based budgeting, which I like….but when he spoke about the noise ordinance, he said, “I think the warning is fine…” C’mon! A warning for conduct that we all learned as kindergarteners was wrong…it is this kind of thinking that demonstrates no awareness of the problems citizens in our community are faced with. Speaking of that, it was overly clear this guy knows nothing about the PD…he said, “A couple of Target Teams were reduced…” A couple? There is only one, and it hasn’t been reduced (although it will go away after the first of the year if the Council doesn’t take affirmative action to insure the PD is properly staffed)….When Dave speaks non-chalantly about an issue like the “Target Teams” and kind of fills in the blanks as he sees fit, it makes you wonder how much he will pay attention to the detail of issues coming before the Council. Word is that Dave and his wife have made it their campaign mission to focus on where the other candidates have their signs, the sizes of their signs and how that all fits in with the CMC Title 19 regulations. This is small-minded, little picture thinking, and exemplifies what we could expect if was on the Council. Dave should not be on the Council.

Tami Ritter – Grade D+
The thing I like about Tami is her passion for humanity…it is evidenced in her responses to questions, her work and volunteer experience, her education….she exudes it. I just don’t think we need that right now on the City Council. It is these kinds of councilors that focus on the feel-good issues (plastic bags, sustainability plans, funding for paper mache horse races in October every year, and light parades) instead of making the difficult decisions related to providing core services. Feel good people like this also focus on making events like the regional Labor Day debacle a revenue generating event for the City (Tami said she wants to do this). The problem with this kind of thinking is manifold. First, as a community, we still have to deal with the crime, social deviance, and drain on the taxpayer dollars to respond to the chaos of the event and undo what has been created through omission. But that’s not even the big one…the biggie is that somebody needs to OWN the event. In order to promote this kind of thing as a revenue generator, somebody has to be responsible. I can’t think that any entity in their right mind would want to take on ownership of a Halloween, Labor Day or St. Patrick’s Day in Chico. Doing so opens to door to acceptance of responsibility, and being liable for whatever happens. It just makes no sense. This, and Tami’s desire to focus on and promote the arts, recreation and tourism as funding mechanisms to meet public safety needs is pure fantasy. If we had a robust economy in Chico, we could spend more time focusing on that kind of stuff to supplement basic needs. Right now we don’t. When we do, it might be a good time to bring Tami on the Council. We have enough feel good councilors right now, and don’t need any more.

Sean Morgan – Grade A
I like this guy. He’s smart, articulate, and he exudes leadership. He knows the issues, and he understands them. Additionally, he is quick witted…when confronted with the nonsense of some of the other candidates, he was quick to respond in an appropriate and well thought out way. That tells me he is very familiar and comfortable with the issues. I like that. He’s also no nonsense. He spoke of a “shock and awe” approach to dealing with Halloween and Labor Day….this kind of thinking is shocking and uncomfortable to the feel-gooders (we don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings or make them mad, after all) but it is what is need to restore order to the chaos in Chico. Three other things I like about Sean: 1) He has clear awareness that allowing endless debate makes a mockery of the Council and process of governance in our City; 2) He recognizes that the paid experts on policing and safety in the community (the staff and leadership of the Chico Police Department) need to be trusted to do their jobs…which they are not currently; 3) Sean speaks of bringing ourselves back into line with the notion of Chico being a safe place to raise a family….an adequately staffed police department is integral to this. The bottom line? Sean is exactly what we need right now on the City Council….it’s been a long a long time (if ever) since I have seen this kind of competence and leadership in the realm of current and potential City Council members.

Dave Donnan – Grade D
I like Dave. How can you not? He is a no nonsense, what-you-see is what-you get kind of guy. He wasn’t always accurate in his responses, and he’s not highly polished….but the thing that really stands out with him is the frustration over the frequent demonstrations of indecision or kicking the can down the road by the current City Council. Dave emphasized over and over: “Make a decision!!” He also has some controversial (but not without merit) ideas about how to radically restructure public safety in Chico. In his closing, Dave said, “It’s time for new leadership, and I’m not afraid to make decisions.” I agree. We need both. Take a close look at Dave before you dismiss him as a choice. Given the alternatives, Dave  should be considered as part of the new leadership for Chico.

Ann Schwab – Grade C-
They either lover her or hate her. There’s no in-between when it comes to how you feel about Ann. I love her passion for Chico, and the pride she has in representing the City as the Mayor. Ann knows some of the issues, but she is sometimes hard to take seriously…I think it’s because her core is that she’s a feel-gooder, and its’s kinda weird to hear a feel gooder try to talk tough. My big disagreement with Ann is her perspective that the % of the General Fund budget dedicated to policing clearly demonstrates a level of support and that it is a priority. Nearly two years ago, in response to my carefully worded criticism for the Council’s failure to routinely engage discussion about policing and public safety, Ann patronizingly met with the City Manager and I, and assured me that this circumstance would be rectified. As the mayor, it is her responsibility to insure these circumstances were rectified. A basis for such discussion could have been the comprehensive report on policing activity I provided the Council every six months. But alas, not such discussions ever occurred. Instead, our Council discussed climate action plans, Frisbees and paragliding in the parks, plastic bags, sustainability task forces, general plans and more….but not the very thing that takes up half of the City operating budget every year. It is amazing to me that we spend so much money on policing, but spend less time talking about it than anything else. In my mind, that does not constitute support or placing the police as a priority. Having said that, I absolutely appreciated that Ann seems to understand police overtime. It was nice to hear it that night, but it would have been nicer to hear when PD staff was having their feet held to the fire over what were not unreasonable expenditures of OT. In fact, as we have been asked questions over the years from Council and other staff, we have provided reams of documents detailing tracking and analysis, only to be made to feel like the bad guys for spending money in an attempt to provide service. To hear at the forum that she understands it was a slap in the face for me and the Police Department. Here’s my bottom line with Ann. I like her. She’s a feel-gooder though. That is her core, and her default in voting. I think she has been a good representative of the City as Mayor – especially in the feel good settings. But I think we need something different right now. The City is in crisis, and we need somebody to lead us through the difficult issues. The current leadership has failed to do so, and it’s time for them to move on.

Andrew Coolidge – Grade D
I don’t know who this guy is, or where he came from, but as a career police officer and student of human character and behavior, there is something about this guy that rubs me wrong. I have picked up that those on the right side of partisan politics seem to like him….but I have to throw out a caution. For you partisan folks, this guy gives me the feeling that he is veiling his leftness with a right side mask. As far as the forum, he came across as a very experienced politician. Specifically, he masterfully avoided answering lots of questions directly and saying anything that was too controversial for those who are generally uninformed. For those who are informed (I consider myself to be), there are a couple concerns. He said some things that just bug me, and make me wonder what his real perspective is. Example: He spoke of “people with backpacks” hanging in the city plaza. So, what? Is it now illegal to wear a backpack in the Plaza? Or is it the backpack that helps us to identify “those” people (you know, the dirty ones we don’t like hanging around our town). News for you Andrew: Be careful about this kind of characterization because the Constitutional rights that your police officers endeavor to uphold applies to the dirty people with backpacks too. Then, I heard him question why government should be helping business – he said business needs to “do it” by themselves. Seems pretty hard-line. I think that business and government should work together to insure that business profits and communities are viable. If this is what Andrew meant, he didn’t say it. Regarding the PD, Andrew said he met with officers….really? Who? Did you meet with officers to discuss policing issues, or did you say HI to an officer when you guys were picking your kids up at school. I’m sorry, but you weren’t convincing when you offered this. Andrew closed by saying we need to “keep this a family friendly community.” Upon hearing this, and reflecting on his new radio commercial, I have to say again: I think this is a smart guy who is trying to fool partisans on the right with a mask that conceals his leftness. This concerns me, not from a partisan perpective, but from a core character and integrity perspective. At the very least, this guy does not instill confidence in me as a candidate – not even as a default candidate based on eliminating some of the others. Be careful if you throw your eggs in this basket.

Toby Scindelbeck – Grade A
Toby is the real deal. He’s a business guy that will tell you exactly what he thinks, and he’s not worried about ruffling your feathers. His agenda is serving and making a difference. He is definitely not a “me oriented” guy. I like that. I like plain talk. I also like people who do their homework, and know what the hell is going on. Toby has demonstrated that he is, and a willingness to enhance his understanding when necessary. Toby spent an afternoon a few weeks back wandering the streets of Chico with my wife “meeting” some of the mentally ill homeless. Laurie was prompted to reach out to him after reading some of his perspectives on the homeless. I think his perspective changed after his tour, and that is good, but even better is the fact that he was willing to put himself out there to do it. I think this demonstrates what we can expect of him as a Council member. Although much different than the kind of guy Sean is, I think Toby also exemplifies what we need on the Council right now: Somebody who will take on difficult issues, develop understanding of them and make the hard decisions. This guy gets it, and should be on the Council.

Bob Evans – Grade B
As a career military officer who had a second full career in business management, and now having been on the Council for awhile, I have expected a lot more of Bob. To be clear, I have been disappointed. After his late entry the other night, I noted more of all that I have seen in his months on Council: Nothing remarkable. If forced to characterize him, I would describe him as wishy washily in the middle of the road. I say wishy washily because Bob never asserts a strong/firm position on anything. Much of what he said the other night was semi-accurate from my perspective, but because he did not say it with conviction I am left wondering if he really believes what he said. Bob does not give an impression that he is what I have described as a feel-gooder. He has a solid military background and a solid business background. Although his demonstrated record on Council is ….ehhh…ok, his background and absence of focus on feel good stuff earns him my support. I hope if he gets elected to his own full term that he will step up to the plate, take some firm public positions and make things happen. I had heard he suggested at one point that we could pay cops $12.50 an hour and have people banging down the door to take the job. I hope he really didn’t say that, and I hope he doesn’t believe it deep down inside. I think we need to keep Bob on the Council.

Randall Stone – Grade FFF
This guy bugs me…everything about him bugs me. I think he’s deceptive, disingenuous and is inclined without hesitation to stretch the truth or omit relevant facts in telling the truth. He’s also a guy that is going to open his mouth without making any effort to find out the complete story. I didn’t like him even before this event. I spoke to somebody who heard him criticize the PD at the Board of Realtors meeting a couple weeks ago. He represented then that Butte County Behavioral Health had been “begging” CPD to get training on how to deal with the mentally ill homeless in Chico. I believe I know who fed him with that crap, and if it was that person and he believed it, I have even greater concern about this guy. The first impression this guy casts is that he is pompous and arrogant. He appears to be very “me” oriented, as evidenced in part by his “I love me” web page. A few tid bits from the forum: 1) He doesn’t want the cops to have an image as enforcers (WTF?), and he thinks we need to bring on more annuitants and volunteers before we hire more cops. If this bozo had made any effort whatsoever to learn about the PD, he would have learned that CPD has approximately 100 uniformed volunteers in 3 different categories. All of these folk combined provide thousands of man hours of service each year to allow the cops to focus on higher priority issues. I wonder where Stone expects to get all the additional volunteers….we can seem to find enough…how does he propose doing it. And annuitants? Where will those come from? The people who used to work there, have retired and now want to come back? I don’t think so. Annuitants from other places? They still have to pass the CPD background and meet our standards….or do you propose we do away with standards of integrity Mr. Stone…or maybe we should lower our standards to get some retired cops from other agencies? Here’s where Mr. Stone really shed light on his willingness to withhold portions of the truth (because he knows they won’t fit with the context)….when asked what he did to prepare to speak in the Chico Police forum he said, “I spoke to a law enforcement officer in Butte County and VIPS.” Translation: He didn’t talk to any officers or management at CPD. Although VIPS are integral to the CPD operation, they are not in tune with the issues faced by CPD in the management of the department and in providing services. Ya, they have opinions, but Stone knows better. He then spoke, apparently seeking to endear himself by demonstrating interest in a police issue, about “an event” he went to where he heard a presentation made about police complaints. Again, only part of the truth. The rest of the truth is that the event was an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) event, where they brought a cop-hating speaker from out of the area to talk abuse abuses of the police and how to make complaints against the police. Realizing he was at this event, as his Facebook page indicates, causes me to wonder if the “Butte County law enforcement officer” he spoke to is the former line-level Oroville officer who is now actively involved with the ACLU. By the way, regarding the ACLU, aside from it’s roots being tied to the Communist Party (I’m not makin’ this stuff up folks – do your own research!), I have never met a bigger bunch of cop haters then this group. Their baseline perspective is that cops are not to be trusted. So Stone seemed giddy as he told of attending this event (although, as noted, he did not completely disclose the nature). Soooo, in response to a question about what he had done to prepare to meet with CPD, he met with somebody who doesn’t work at CPD and went to an anti-cop event with the local chapter of the cop-hating ACLU. Ya, I really want this guy on my City Council – NOT! But wait, there’s more. Did you hear his spin on the 75 jobs he created, and catch the crafty “annualized” benefit to the local economy? Translation: He and his family developed an apartment complex using Redevelopment money, the equivalent of 75 FTE worked on the job, and had those 75 people remained employed after the short-term project was complete, they would have generated millions of $$$ in the local economy. Classic political spin, and another indication of this guy’s unrestricted willingness to spin the truth. More on the cops: He doesn’t want our cops to have “an enforcement aura,” he wants service oriented officers. I think he must live in the same fantasyland as Kim Rudisill. He wants us to have a bunch of Boy Scouts patrolling the streets and helping little old ladies. Well Randy, Randall, Mr. Stone, I got news for you: the current Council, and several before this one, have neglected policing in this community for so long that the police are fighting a losing battle with our small city and its small city crime and problems. Maybe after a period of catch up, we can hire a bunch of Boy and Girl Scouts, but right now we just need to be able to keep up on the enforcement front. Stone spoke again about the absence of training at CPD on dealing with the mentally ill….if he had done his homework on this one, he would have learned that for years we have had a seat at the table of the Behavioral Health Board of Directors with CPD folks serving either as Board Members or direct liaison between the two organizations. He would have also learned that we were an active partner in bringing premier training to the region for helping those in mental health crisis, and that the training for law enforcement and first responders has been held in City of Chico facilities each of the last three years. CPD remains an active partner in planning the next session of training, which will be held in February. Finally, in his closing, Stone made reference to CPD not working together with other entities in the community. Again, if he had bothered to do his homework, he would have found that there’s not another law enforcement agency in the region that works better with other entities in addressing and solving community problems. Bottom line with Randall Stone? He is bad news, and would be bad for the City of Chico. It would be a cold day in hell before I would encourage anyone to even think about supporting this guy.

As I reflect on what I have written, some of it seems harsh. Although, as I also think about my years of government service, I have heard much worse. I’m a passionate guy, and emotional. These are my observations and opinions. You don’t have to like them, and you don’t have to like me. I just wanted to share…

Monday, October 1, 2012

I'm here!

I periodically feel a strong urge to comment in relation to my perspective on the happenings in the North Valley. Figured that this would give me a different kind of message than Facebook, and allow those who don't want to hear my ramblings to disregard them if they so choose.

Soooo.....stand-by! I'll be coming your way with my strong feelings about stuff, and with sharing other stuff you might not know is going on. Looking forward to sharing!!