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Duvall had microphone problems in the past

September 9th, 2009, 6:53 pm by Jessica Terrell

Assemblyman Mike Duvall was a politician with a microphone problem.

The Yorba Linda Republican, who resigned earlier today after being caught on tape bragging about a sexual affair, was caught on tape at a Yorba Linda City Council meeting last December using language that had the folks at City Hall scrambling for the edit button.

Once again, he didn’t know the microphone was on.

An unedited tape of the Dec. 2 Council meeting shows Duvall stand up to shake hands with an unidentified man, and then blurt, “I don’t know what to tell you, but I sure got all kinds of f****** phone calls about it.”

The meeting was aired live, and drew complaints for the language.  City officials edited it for rebroadcasting.

Duvall’s past City Council decorum is one of the reasons why Yorba Linda Mayor Mark Schwing said he wasn’t too surprised when news broke today that Duvall was caught talking about two sexual affairs in Sacramento.

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Posted in: Assembly • | 15 Comments »

Worried O.C. residents pack Miller’s health care Town Hall

August 25th, 2009, 9:25 pm by Jessica Terrell
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Supporters of proposed health care reforms were greeted by a few jeers at 04miller0825rp_blog1the Health Care Listening Session held Tuesday night by Rep. Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar, but the overall mood was civil among the more than 500 attendees who gathered to voice their concerns.

Most people at the open forum, held at the Nixon library in Yorba Linda, appeared to be in opposition of the proposed reforms, although constituents on both sides of the spectrum attended.

“The despots in Washington are trying to destroy our country,” said Debbie Forbeck from Rancho Santa Margarita.

Forbeck stood outside of the library before the forum gathering signatures on opposition letters addressed to Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.

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Posted in: Uncategorized | 160 Comments »

Sanchez, Royce call on Vietnam to release prisoners

July 31st, 2009, 10:23 am by Jessica Terrell

Orange County lawmakers are calling on the Vietnamese government to release over 100 political and religious prisoners. The prisoners are nonviolent and many of them have not received a trial, lawmakers said.

Vietnam traditionally releases selected prisoners on Sept. 2, in honor of National Day. The number of prisoners released varies from year to year.

“We are hoping that all of them are released,” said Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana.

Sanchez, who is co-chair of Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, authored the letter.

“The United States has an opportunity to bring pressure on the communist regime because of certain advantages that the government of Vietnam wants with (its) relationship to the U.S.,” Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, said. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Congress | 2 Comments »

Immigration enforcement in O.C. may change

July 13th, 2009, 11:42 am by Jessica Terrell

New federal rules governing how local police and sheriffs can enforce immigration laws could impact Orange County’s process for screening and detaining illegal immigrants.

The changes, announced Friday by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, are partially aimed at reining agencies back in line with the department’s goal of deporting dangerous criminal aliens, as opposed to arresting individuals on minor or insignificant charges for the purpose of checking their immigration status.

Immigrant rights groups argue that the agreements have led to racial profiling and vigilante-style law enforcement.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio from Napolitano’s home state of Arizona has received wide-spread public criticism for his immigration enforcement policies. The East Valley Tribune won a Pulitzer Prize this year for its series delving into the hidden county costs of Arpaio’s tactics. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Immigration | 57 Comments »

Calvert to donate questionable campaign cash

July 9th, 2009, 8:25 am by Jessica Terrell

Looks like an organization serving injured marines will be getting a $2,300 donation from Congressman Ken Calvert soon, courtesy of an Orange County investment adviser accused of running a massive ponzi scheme.

Danny Pang, who was arrested in April for allegedly structuring cash transactions, had donated $2,300 to the Corona Republican in 2008.

Pang’s Irvine-based Private Equity Management Group Inc. was seized by the Securities and Exchange Commission in April. A federal judge recently appointed a permanent receiver for his companies, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Calvert did not know Pang and does not remember meeting him at the fundraiser where Pang donated the cash, said Rebecca Rudman, Calvert’s communications director.

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Posted in: Congress | 6 Comments »

Rick Warren to address Islam convention in D.C. today

July 4th, 2009, 12:20 pm by Jessica Terrell

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church is in Washington, D.C. today for a Fourth of July speaking appearance at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention. He has suggested that members of his congregation to pray for the event.

A spokesperson for Warren said he is not giving interviews about his appearance tonight, but in a blog last week Warren addressed criticism he receives for speaking at non-Christian events.

“Every time I speak to any non-Christian group, I get criticized by well-meaning believers who don’t really understand how much Jesus loves lost people,” Warren wrote in the blog. “They are more concerned with their own perceived purity than the salvation of those Jesus died for.”

Warren will be speaking with a panel on the convention’s theme, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

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Posted in: Uncategorized | 35 Comments »

Unemployment rate overshadows green energy jobs

July 2nd, 2009, 3:14 pm by Jessica Terrell

A staged photo-op at the White House this afternoon to tout successful green energy companies took a somber turn in the face of the  June unemployment numbers released today.

The unemployment rate hit a 26-year high after 467,000 jobs were lost in June. Joined by a group of CEOs – including two from California companies Hara and Applied Materials – President Barack Obama tried to strike an upbeat tone by highlighting green energy as a pillar for future economic growth.

“I’m pleased to say that we’ve achieved more in the last few months to create a new clean energy economy than we had achieved in many decades before,” he said.

Investment in energy and green collar jobs is supposed to play an important role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Orange County was recently awarded an infusion of cash for green job training. The county is going to receive $937,890 in Recovery Act funds for the Green Corps, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced earlier this week.
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Posted in: Economy • Environment • Gov. Schwarzenegger • President Obama • meltdown | 2 Comments »

California wins protracted emissions battle

July 1st, 2009, 12:04 pm by Jessica Terrell

California was granted a federal waiver Tuesday that will allow the state to enact strict environmental standards for automobiles, including a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from new cars by 2012.

The decision comes at the end of a protracted fight between California, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bush administration and automobile manufacturers about whether a state could require stricter emission standards than those required by federal law.

By the time California won the waiver, President Obama had announced his intention to pursue a federal law governing greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes.

“California’s waiver will bridge the gap between now and then,” said Lisa Page, a spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “What it means for consumers is spurring our green economy and more fuel efficient cars.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Environment | Post a Comment »

Democrats launch attack on Calvert

June 26th, 2009, 10:41 am by Jessica Terrell

Looks like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is hoping to give Orange County a little political fireworks show next week, when they will launch a radio attack ad targeted at Rep. Ken Calvert.

The Independence Day Ad Campaign will attack the Corona Congressman for his recent “no” vote on the $106 billion war spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan that passed the House last week.

“”Republicans never hesitated to criticize those who voted against the previous supplemental bills that included funding for the troops,” the executive director of the DCCC, Jon Vogel, said in a press release about the ads. “… Republicans’ votes have conveniently changed. So this Independence Day, we are going district by district to hold these hypocritical Republicans accountable.”

Calvert characterized the ads as a cheap political move that has nothing to do with the troops.

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Posted in: Congress • Democrats • Elections 2010 | 6 Comments »

Death of O.C. teen may help inspire national law

June 24th, 2009, 1:23 pm by Jessica Terrell

After 15-year-old Nile Moss died at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County-Mission from a drug-resistant staph infection, his mother dedicated herself to changing the rules for how hospitals screen for the infection.

Nile’s Law was passed in California in 2008, and now Carole Moss is in Washington to show her support for recently proposed national legislation that would require hospitals to screen patients entering high risk units, take additional precautions to prevent the spread of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and report institutional infection rates.

“For far too long Americans have accepted that when you go into a hospital, you can get an infection,” Moss said, standing in front of the Capitol building today next to a picture of her deceased son. “This is a national epidemic that most of us don’t know about.”

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Posted in: Health care • Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

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