New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: kris murray

Orange County’s Scariest Politicians?

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

You have to love the OC Weekly’s annual list of Orange County’s Scariest People. This year’s list includes Anaheim Council Member Kris Murray, GOP blogger Matt Cunningham, OC Supe Todd Spitzerm, State Senator Lou Correa and lame OC Register owner Aaron Kushner. Here are a few excerpts:

MATT CUNNINGHAM

A pioneer in OC’s blogging community, Matt Cunningham was shamed into digital hiding a couple of years ago when the longtime Republican operative outed sex-abuse victims in his pathetic campaign to defend his priest, John Urell, a Diocese of Orange bigwig who had long shielded pedophile priests from the law. Cunningham re-emerged last year to start a new blog funded by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce with the sole purpose of tarring Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait and activists trying to reform the corrupt town. When he’s not trashing attempts at democracy, Cunningham hails the status quo and whines that Republicans aren’t paying attention to Anaheim, which only proves how influential he truly is. Did we mention he outed sex-abuse victims? Mitigating factor: He inspired two of the greatest nicknames in OC blogging history—”Jerbal,” for his Baba Booey-like chompers, and “Fart Boy,” because his ethics are as smelly as a juicy ripper. Continue reading→

Another damn Streetcar

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Miguel Pulido, OCTA, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana, Transportation, Vince Sarmiento 32 Comments

tracks

From the OC Politics Blog

Lurking in the back of the OCTA‘s Measure M ~~Wasteful Boondoggles~~ Projects File is another streetcar project in Santa Ana. It’s not as expensive (for now) as the $319 million debacle that’s been cooked up in Anaheim by the City Council and the Toontown Troika of SOAR, the OC Business Council and Master of the Universe Curt Pringle’s team of lackeys, but it’s just as big a turkey. The Register reports today (don’t worry about the paywall) that so far it’s coming in at a minor $209 million even though it’s longer and has five times more stops than the Murray/Eastman Express.

From Lou Gonzales’ story, there are some absolutely priceless quotes from a clueless, in-the-dark City Councilman and his colleague, Michele Martinez, a failed Mayoral candidate:

Continue reading→

The Voice of OC’s Community Editorial Board is loaded with power elites

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Blogs, Media Links, Orange County, Politics, Republican Party, Santa Ana 31 Comments

Paid Republican power couple Matt and Laura Cunningham

Did you know that paid Republican consultant Matt Cunningham is now writing so-called “community Editorials” on the Voice of OC? That’s right. Apparently he is part of the Voice of OC’s new Community Editorial Board. I discovered this when I saw his byline on a post defending Anaheim Councilwoman Kris Murray, who got caught, by the Voice of OC, casting a City Council vote earlier this year to approve a report by a subsidiary of Willdan Group, a consulting firm that employs her as its senior vice president, city records show.

According to the Voice of OC’s “About Us” page, “First and foremost, Voice of OC focuses on accountability in government, not the process of government.” And their stated mission is “To hold government agencies, elected officials and other power brokers in Orange County accountable through investigative news coverage. And to be a catalyst in the community for a robust and sophisticated discourse on local politics and government.”

It is hard to imagine who Cunningham fits into that equation. This is the guy who outed victims of molestation by Catholic priests, while he was being paid to shill for Monsignor John Urell – a man of the cloth who ran interference for molester priests. Cunningham posted an unredacted legal document – that he should not have had access to, on the failed “Friends of Urell” website, and in the process he outed the molestation victims, whose names appeared in the court document. Continue reading→

O.C. business, labor and political leaders oppose Brown’s attack on redevelopment

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Business, california, Entertainment, irvine, Jobs, Labor, Orange County, Politics, Redevelopment, Santa Ana 3 Comments

For Immediate Release: January 28, 2011

Contacts: Jill Cagle, BIAOC, (949) 553-9500; Tony Cardenas, League of California Cities, (714) 425-5558

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

Orange County Leaders in Local Government, Business, Affordable Housing and Labor Announce Opposition to Administration’s Proposal to Eliminate Redevelopment

Group warns proposal will kill hundreds of thousands of local jobs, harm local economies and hinder the national housing recovery while doing nothing to solve the State budget deficit

When/Where:

Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.
Colony Park: 710 Melrose Street Anaheim, CA 92805

What: Anaheim Council Member Kris Murray, and Irvine Council Members Larry Agran and Jeffrey Lalloway join local business, affordable housing and labor leaders on February 1, at Anaheim’s Colony Park, an affordable housing project currently under construction, to declare their opposition to the Administration’s proposal to eliminate redevelopment agencies in California.

This proposal represents more of the same misguided and illegal State budget raids of local government funds that voters have repeatedly voted against. This is a short-term fix that will permanently destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in local economic activity, including over 75,000 jobs in Anaheim alone. While local officials realize Governor Brown is facing tough choices, gutting tools to create local jobs and economic opportunity is a non-starter and will be vehemently opposed.

Who:

Anaheim Council Member Kris Murray
Irvine Council Member Larry Agran and Council Member Jeffrey Lalloway
Building Industry Association of Orange County John O’Brien, Vice President, Brookfield Homes
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County Sharon Ellis, Chief Executive Officer
Orange County Business Council
Trade Union Representatives/Labor
Local Homeowner Testimony

Visuals: The backdrop for the press conference is Anaheim’s Colony Park, and will include workers building an ongoing project that would get shut down if redevelopment agencies are abolished. Colony Park, an affordable housing project, sits on the site of a formerly contaminated area that was cleaned up and revitalized through Anaheim’s Redevelopment Agency.

About Redevelopment:

Redevelopment activities support an average of 304,000 full- and part-time private sector jobs in a typical year, including 170,600 construction jobs;
Redevelopment contributes over $40 billion annually to California’s economy in the generation of goods and services;
Redevelopment construction activities generate $2 billion in state and local taxes in a typical year; and
Governor Brown’s elimination of redevelopment agencies would only provide a one-time cash infusion of $1.7 billion, and $0 in future years; and
Success stories of redevelopment are all over Orange County; please refer to the press packet for a list of ongoing projects that would be jeopardized if redevelopment agencies are abolished.

Tony Cardenas
Public Affairs Regional Manager
Orange County Division
League of California Cities
(714) 425-5558
Tcardenas@cacities.org