Mayor Making Things Up?

"The Mayor sent another campaign email in which he said "We get a lot of people trying to get our city council to spend money on things that don't work; things we cannot afford; things we do not need." When asked to name what those things are, all he could come up in an email response with was "it's a long list." Surely he can be more specific than that ..." Lisa Shaffer's FB page.

Only a sampling was given of this latest note called a newsletter. The mayor uses words like weapons. But, he isn't a wordsmith by any means. There is no respect for words, language, spelling or structure. Words are to cast confusion, accuse, patronize and misdirect.

Damnit! Words matter.  History matters. Numbers matter. Truth matters.

So many words in council chambers have lost meaning. We are more than familiar with decorum, offensive, team, process all being used to mock the true meanings. A clean sweep could mean a fresh start to redefine what words mean.

In ancient China, the arrival of a new dynasty was accompanied by “the rectification of names,” a ceremony in which the sloppiness and erosion of meaning that had taken place under the previous dynasty were cleared up and language and its subjects correlated again. It was like a debt jubilee, only for meaning rather than money. Source 

Count Down - 6 Days to the Election

Time to find those last smattering of undecided voters in the last 6 days?  Don't mind me if I dedicate myself to my 6 pack instead.  Oh wait, there might just be a connection.

Who are the people being held up as a demographic unto themselves who have tuned out all cognitive function for the last 18 months? The last decade?

More frightening, why are they wooed and seduced?  I'll skip this crew thank you very much. Seems like meaningless slogging for no response.

Never very tolerant of this kind of utter lack of self-awareness or volition, I gravitate to the description I once read - lizard brain. Someone else with a different perspective will have to take on this particular population - the oblivious 8% while I enjoy my 6 pack.

There's nothing much to be gained from jumping down into the oily pit to try and engage.

I'll catch you later. This mood will pass.

No on K - Mayoral Rotation Abused

Today at Encinitas You Need Us blog we posted the letter to the editor / Oped from Councilwoman Barth on why she voted no for proposition K - for an elected mayor for Encinitas.

This blog has followed the ongoing pressure early this last year that Mayor Jerome Stocks, aided by Deputy Mayor Kristin Gaspar, have put on the council to pass an ordinance to ensconce Gaspar as Mayor.  When this failed they went along with Jim Bond's wish to have an elected mayor in Encinitas.  

Regardless of the explanations (which change over time) for not simply codifying our mayoral rotation system to eliminate bias and political maneuvering, the council majority refuses to acknowledge why.  It is simply to keep the power and influence of that position within the majority group. 

The summary of clips from the latest working back to the oldest on this blog is here.

The clip below shows how emotional Mayor Stocks is about not getting his way on his plans. 

Bonus points if you spot a glimmer of any of these following in this clip: peace, generosity, engagement, humility, equanimity, empathy or wabi-sabi. Anyone?

Count Down - 7 Days to the Election

Inching up on All Saints Eve, indulge this Christian reference as Wikipedia describes,

The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices (part of Christian ethics) that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin. The currently recognized version of the sins are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

Okay the bold text emphasis on capital vices was mine as I thought it fitting when talking of the last 7 days of this 2012 election season in a time when capitalism in the US has gone stark raving mad.

Evidence of all these vices are buried in clips posted on this blog and EYNU this year. The one semantics adjustment I would make is that über consumerism or affluenza is the new gluttony.  This borders on hyperbole, but let's be clear.  The opposite qualities of

1. peace 
2. generosity 
3. engagement 
4. humility
5. equanimity 
6. empathy  
7. wabi-sabi 

are not qualities to be found right now in city council chambers. That last one in the list is unfamiliar because we don't have a word in English to describe the opposite of our hyper consumerism.

Wabi-Sabi – Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.” 

If I were to choose a legacy for my generation and my role in community building, I'd like the qualities to be front and center: peace, generosity, engagement, humility, equanimity, empathy and wabi-sabi.  And I admit I love to say the last one - a lot. I like the sound of it and the idea of it even better.  I believe these are achievable qualities and that's why I voted for Lisa Shaffer and Tony Kranz.

Count Down - 8 Days to the Election

Outlook good! Magic 8-ball is never wrong. (Not true).

Magic and myths were a regular Monday feature here at Our Mayor Stocks blog.  There are a million of them and we only were able to cover 22 weeks of Myths Encinitas.  The link is to the summary of each one of these beauties over this year - for those new to the blog or those wanting a reminder.

What makes this theme more important than ever in this last couple of weeks has been a stark reality. Despite all tangible evidence,  Mayor Stocks appears to be incapable of admitting errors, mistakes, lies or otherwise questionable statements or behavior.  The same can be said for Muir, despite his relentless presentation of himself as a reasonable man untouched by any cronyism.

What follows is the natural progression of course for we who are watching and listening. Now every utterance and act is treated as suspicious and possibly illegal.  If the mayor had been able throughout his 12 years to adjust or admit error it would be effortless to give him the benefit of the doubt.  No, every extended hand was batted away.

Shining a light, transparency or a sunshine ordinance was consistently rejected by the council majority led by Stocks.  Whether the mood du jour was rude or not at city council meetings, the public could not be sure that the public's opinions - especially from regular council watchers - were not considered of deliberative value.  A Magic 8-ball could have been the methodology for decision making for all we know.

Oh look what I found in the national arena.

Counting Down - 9 days to the Election

Finally single digits in the countdown.

9 candidates and it is obvious that many haven't lifted a finger - speaking of digits - in taking their campaigns to the people.

It becomes obvious to the unprepared non-incumbents that you can't cram for social organization.  Muir is trying to cram a political life of accomplishment outside of the crony network that has sustained his whole career. It's a very expensive task.

Shaffer and Kranz have logged the hours and done the homework for more than a year.  And, they are still at it. Yesterday they both were at the Green Surf event in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.  Today there is a meet-up and both are open to scheduling with other neighborhoods where there is curiosity and interest.  Click Shaffer's website or Kranz's website.

That video makes as much sense to me as so many presentations at city council where you can watch, follow along and think you hear good sense. Then a question is asked, a public speaker brings up overlooked points and then . . .  wait, what?

Public office is not supposed to be a winner take all game - a continuous campaign of control or racking up points as Mayor Stocks treats his role. We want our governance to make sense and to serve our best interests over the long term.

Counting Down 10 Days to Election

Bugga Bugga - tremble people.

The Halloween season and the creepy political stuff to make people fear have gotten all conflated in my waking minutes over coffee.

I want to laugh at the image at the left (from Pan's Labyrinth, 2006), but maybe I shouldn't. I don't watch TV, so I forget how constant the fear mongering gets repeated.  The hatred on the radio is stunning.

Wonderful quote for today from Van Jones below that makes this image relevant.

“We should be willing to tell the truth with the same audacity that they are willing to tell their lies.”

The truth is this is the most important Encinitas election of the new century.  Business as usual, incivility, lying, cronyism and marginalizing whole swaths of the population are all unacceptable behaviors when this general population is stirring, moving and demanding to be heard about what quality of life means for them.

It is no longer acceptable for Jerome Stocks and his overseers and his friend Muir on the dais or Forrester on the ballot to figuratively pat us all on the head and tell us to shut up.

Like communities throughout the country, corporate dominance in our lives, our community is growing.  No, Mayor Stocks, Walmart is not just another door like all of our homes' front doors. 

There are very real fears about our financial future, upzoning, open and accessible governance. I personally don't believe our community is resilient enough for the stresses to come with climate change and a broken economy. But, I feel we are bursting with talent and ideas for that to be a reality - if only city hall were welcoming.

Everything is not okay, regardless of our love for this community.  We dissent. We vote. We get out the vote.

Our Publisher Brings Balance Against Tiny Minority

Thank you so much Jim Kydd for what you do for this community as one of the few independent newspaper publishers left in the whole country.  This year was a game changer for us all in feeling serious forward movement, a waking community and united sentiment in all 5 communities that is is time to Dump Stocks. Coast News was at the center of our local storm.  It takes a storm to unseat embedded, professional political players.

The fact that you chose to exercise your right to dissent as a public citizen via your election website and taking out ads, is legal.  It is democratic.  We more than trust your ability to get all of the rules and paperwork reporting done, made public or whatever is necessary (rather than just a response to odious threats).

It is regrettable that the bad guys used your right to dissent to smear the candidates that you and thousands of us all support.  Then again, we knew the cronies have done many such things in the past and the incumbents have always denied everything at all times.  No surprises. Discussing Doug Manchester sucking up all newspapers is just a local version of the graphic at the top. Nothing to see here folks.

We all have suggestions for better ways you could have done things, Jim Kydd.  We have dozens of people anxious to critique each other at the drop of the hat. Right now we want you to have all your proper paperwork filed.  We all have to say that putting stickers on things without permission isn't right.  Done.

No doubt you and the people behind the Dump Stocks efforts never intended to hurt Lisa Shaffer or Tony Kranz whose campaigns have stayed far away from this effort.  But, diversity is the heart of civic engagement and in no way means choices are always binary.  Not all choices are yes / no, black / white, off / on, us / them . . . you get it.

The good news is the community has hit the tipping point.   And, Jim, it is worth the 10 coins each month to buy a subscription to the Coast News.

Keeping their Heads and Hearts above the Pond Scum

"One you would consider a very primitive life form. A person without principles or morals. 

By [his] recent official actions one might conclude that [he] is only slightly better than pond scum." urban dictionary

In the "new normal" that a council with open minds and sunshine can bring, even pond scum could make useful contributions.  Turns out that algae (pond scum) is an excellent source of vegetable oil, which can be turned into bio-diesel and used in place of petroleum based diesel fuel.

Anyways . . . Despite initial oral communications speakers' attacks, mud slinging and outright lies (presumably supporting Stocks and Muir), both Tony Kranz and Lisa Shaffer were able to speak about campaigns they are both proud of leading.

 

Put a Fork in Him - He's Done

After a water report in the opening minutes of last night's meeting, the regular old man yarns of the past (bleeding away time and patience); Jim Bond decided he'd go home rather than listen to the last 10 speakers who had to wait until the end of the meeting for a turn at the podium.  Nobody cares what I have to say or something like that were his last words. Diva Bond has only 2 more meetings on city council. 

Willful Ignorance and Aggressive Manipulation

This week's city council meeting's agenda includes the EIR for the I-5 widening.

The following clip contains 4 speakers from last April when Mayor Stocks tried to muscle through a resolution opposing California Senate Bill #468 sponsored by Senator Christine Kehoe. Two of the speakers are leading scientists and professors at UCSD, as the EYNU post highlights as Encinitas rich treasure of smart, thoughtful citizens so consistently ignored and abused by the council majority.

 

This previous clip is just one clip in the hour's worth of informed and impassioned speakers who waited five hours to speak at this meeting.

The public has long been trying to have community involved city council meetings about the I-5 widening. Jerome Stocks, privvy to all kinds of inside information from his position with NCTD and SANDAG refused these meetings and failed to share what his own involvement or any salient facts learned in these roles. What he does share he misrepresents for his political ends. He has always treated NCTD and SANDAG as his own fiefdom. Voting his conscience remains his private interpretation of representation.

October Surprise

Ignore the alpha dogs - bullies (funded) barking. Cat-titude

Teresa Barth's Newsletter featured the following this week (with image selected for guest post by editor):

No doubt about it - Elections have changed.

In the good old days Encinitas council races were much more homespun. Candidates handed out photocopied flyers at the grocery stores, met residents at neighborhood gatherings and community events. Real grassroots candidates still do.

But technology and money are changing that genuine person to person contact.

Already there have been two phone polls to gauge public opinion and robo-calls to communicate with the voters without having to actually talk to them.

Robo-calls are pre-recorded messages that can be sent to a wide selection of phone numbers. In the last weeks of the 2010 campaign, Councilman Jim Bond recorded a call in support of then Mayor Dan Dalager who was under investigation for conflict of interest. Dalager was defeated and later convicted of the charges. More recently, a number of people have reported receiving robo-calls from Mo Muir and Jim Bond urging support of Mark Muir who is running for the city council seat he was appointed to after the death of Maggie Houlihan.

Phone surveys can vary in costs. The city recently paid True North to conduct a community satisfaction survey at the cost of nearly $20,000. It is now being used in a questionable fashion by an unknown group promoting the "city council." Having been on Council for six years I could take credit for the "favorable" ratings but I know that much credit also goes to city staff, our great weather and location. However, I presume it was meant to support the two current council members running in this election.

Earlier in the campaign season there was a poll asking for an opinion of the city council, city government and other general questions. This week there has been another poll. A sure sign that some group is VERY interested in the outcome of the city council race.

The poll included the usual questions. Are you satisfied with the city council and who are you voting for? However, an unrelated questions was also asked. What do you think of the Occupy Movement?

I am sure many people were curious about the Occupy Movement just as they were curious about the Tea Party movement. Does that make them a radical? No. I think that makes them open minded and willing to listen to different points of view.

Unfortunately, we will never know who was behind the polls or who paid for them. You can be sure it wasn't the grassroots candidates.

We often hear about the October Surprise in politics. It's the last minute hit pieces meant to change voter's minds. Generally based on lies and innuendos they are desperate last minute tactics by special interest groups.

Be prepared for the October Surprise.

Take it for what it is... a desperate act by an unethical group or individual.

It is not the tactic of candidates with a positive vision for the future of Encinitas.

Mayor, We're Not Amused with Your Massive Waste

Those who are watching are very unhappy with the current council majority marshaled by Jerome Stocks. Besides the unwelcoming behavior, rudeness and marginalizing of the public shown in so many clips, described in the several hundred posts here; he has mounted personal campaigns for his own ends rather than for what he hypocritically terms the public's business.

In the past year this mayor has directed the most wasteful use of staff time and energy, in turn a significant number of the populace's time and energy for what? The two most glaring examples are those wherein Mayor Stocks was embarrassed and he manufactured an official format to retaliate.

When a room full of people turned their backs on Jerome Stocks as their new mayor he blanched and stammered.  Within 6 weeks he'd choreographed a scheme to appoint a mayor who had the most votes at his or her last election and this mayor would pick his or her own deputy mayor.  Of course the whole dance number between he and his partner Kristin Gaspar was to be his coup de grâs to position Princess Narcissus as the first of many of the crony club in the mayor chair.

This effort was thwarted several times, thankfully, by Bond or Muir who didn't play along. Nonetheless - time, energy and using up precious council attention from the people's business to Stock's annual embarrassment to justify abusing Teresa Barth's right to serve her constituency as mayor. See, her embarrassing revelations of Stocks has never been forgiven or forgotten.  This 2012 election's Proposition K - should we vote for mayor position? Prop L -should it be for 2 years? Prop M - should it be for 4 years? It is all part of the original embarrassment of Stocks. He probably won't stop until he can buy the damn title outright.

The second monster waste is based on payback for the whole Arts Alive Banner debacle where Stocks made an ass of himself in treating Maggie Houlihan's image on the banners as a kind of personal threat or rebuke or something or other equally false.  More than a year later and countless meetings, staff assignments, paid outside lawyers, ACLU, bogus subcommittee, tv time, lots of press ink (and digital band width) devoted to Stocks heartless petulance, yet need to justify / blame / deflect, etc.

On October 10, at what was to be the final time this abhorrent agenda item was to be aired, Lisa Shaffer spoke to the essence of this incredible waste.

So, on top of thousands of dollars and hours the council voted to adopt a terribly written and unnecessary sign ordinance for a non-existant risk  to "avoid public controversy or the perception of any such figures both positive or negative." As Shaffer says, "Why is that a legitimate goal for the city?"

Why indeed?  Public controversy and public perception are Mayor Stocks' seeming fixations. He can grow furious if he is called out, exposed or challenged.  His failing in his own very fragile self-regard here has cost the city far too dearly.

Sometimes candidates could stand to be embarrassed, when they behave in contemptible ways.

According to Mary: Not-So-Special "Prop K"

Town Bully Jerome Stocks

Update below

Someone even wrote a song.

Update - Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012

Last night some council regulars created a satire of the council meetings, with a Mock Meeting held outside of City Hall in protest of the meeting being cancelled.

7 Days Ago - For the Record

Our Mayor called in sick to the League of Women Voters (LWV) in charge of the Leucadia Town Council Candidate Forum at the Community last Tuesday, Oct. 9.  Inexplicably, he then showed up in at the last minute, where his was seated outside of the group table carefully set up to accommodate the 7 who showed up as expected.  And yes, Stocks started the evening feeling his own forehead for any trace of fever, spoke in a strained and hushed voice and held his suffering posture of obligatory duty.  Of course this fell away after the first several questions.

The news sources covered candidate responses to a few of the questions.  This post isn't to cover this from that perspective, but to simply make some observations and point out some highlights, low point and opinion.

The questions selected by the LWV, who did a great job moderating and organizing. None of the team were from Encinitas, so questions were selected without bias. No doubt the amount of duplication was one criterion. The list below is a shortened version as no transcript was available and note taking for the lay person sucks.

1. What is your opinion on Sea Walls? Should the City pay for them?
2. What is your opinion on holding City Budget Workshops for the community to help address financial concerns?
3. Campaign Signs placed by Jerome Stocks and Mark Muir, enforcement of violation? 
4. Will Leucadia Streetscape change the community character?
5. Do you think there is a problem with late night drinking in downtown Encinitas?
6. What is your opinion on Pacific View?
7. Prop K - election of mayor: your position and why you think it is best?
8. Please comment on Pension Funding?
9. What should Encinitas do to attract a Movie Theater?
10. Are you in favor of the Right to Vote Initiative? 
11. Name the top 1-3 things you would change.

North County Times (NCT) online - Barbara Henry wrote ENCINITAS: Sign-posting controversy draws crowd to council candidate forum

Usually deferential to Stocks in her reporting on #3 sign violation question (the only question she covered), she wrote he was unrepentant and accused others. Stocks' mocking Kranz - saying he had some crazy "terrorist-like" story he got loudly booed and shouted to sit down.

Patch online - Marlena Medford wrote City council candidate make their final pitch to voters

Also covering the #3 sign violation for most, it is here that we see the origin of Stocks hyperbole for the next night at council. Forrester is quoted in Patch as saying, "he considered the violation of the code “an offensive, but not a capital offense.” 

The second half of the post was devoted to #5 Downtown Encinitas Bars. This was also the only question Medford devoted her reporting to in the Sept. 19 Cardiff Town Council Forum. 

Coast News online - Jared Whitlock wrote Council candidates make their case to large crowd

Giving about equal column inches to #5 Downtown Bar rowdiness, #7 Prop K elected mayor and #10 Voter's Initiative fighting density; Whitlock alone stayed clear of the sign violation.  He also touched very lightly on #2 Budget Workshops, #8 Pension Funding and #9 Movie Theater desired in Encinitas. All of this reads for a more complete cross section of topics and opinions. 

All of the candidates were kept on task with excellent moderation.  Although she stressed no clapping from the onset, in order to save time, the favorites Lisa Shaffer and Tony Kranz did receive applause throughout the evening.  And yet again, they both had the most complete knowledge of what the community found important with thorough answers.  Stocks was the only candidate the audience booed and hissed on several occasions.

In answer to #2 Budget Workshops he sneered, "We have always had this, it's called city council meeting."  Most of his answers were the long-suffering tone of tolerating dunces. All of his answers were in his signature tone of condescension.  Just like blaming the victim scolding of the woman at the Cardiff forum who spoke of her fear at night (she should have called 911). At this forum he declared there was no crime in downtown Encinitas, it was simply a problem of parking which made it noisy.

Jerome Stocks doesn't register as reality a perspective he doesn't have himself.  Or, maybe more accurately, will not allow for a diversity of responses and insights to our complex issues in Encinitas.  The answer is what serves his purposes at the moment.  It is simply his way or the highway. Apprentice Stocks, Forrester is all arrogance all the time which does precisely the same thing to the public.

Kevin Forrester  even upped the ante and the heat when he responded to the questions on community involvement in Budget Workshops and Voter Initiative.  "Land Use shouldn't be in the hands of the people."  His keening voice, that rose in inflection at the end of sentences, strongly praised free markets, bootstraps, financial measures, down tricking blah, blah, blah.  Sorry, notes broke down here.

Mark Muir - Meh . . . Calling out how the video showed his big butt garnered a laugh, added something pathetic.  The words, the claims come from his mouth, but I just don't credit him with actually thinking them, acting them, owning them or living according to them.  Smoke and mirrors man.

Thomas Brophy is a candidate I hope stays involved in city government to keep a mix of perspectives.  This may not be a winning campaign season for him, but he's shown he is a learning and he grasps a great deal of the city's dynamic in confronting the stranglehold on this whole town with this council majority led by Stocks.

Bryan Ziegler was into punishment and protecting us all and deciding for us all what is right.  The over wrought bathos of the closing auto wreck story is just too much. A real Dudley Do Right. This candidate should make you shudder. Just sayin'

Barbara Yost has grown in confidence.  She is still simply all over the board, despite her opening bold statement, "I'll save your neighborhood."  It sounds so populist and right in an old-fashioned Americana kind of way.  But, seriously, how the hell is that supposed to work in the real world?  What defines the boundaries of a neighborhood?  What if neighbors have 6 conflicting views?  Muddy waters . . .

Tony Kranz had one line that really stood out.  As a member of the Historical Society he spoke about the 1863 Pacific View pact with the city that the land be dedicated to education and open space.  He confronted Stocks, pointing out how wrong it was to put the Pacific View Art Pulse Zoning on a recent agenda knowing (as Stocks admitted this evening) that the vote would be to postpone.

Great point since that meeting was overbooked with really important issues.  Stocks gleefully herded people like cattle, dismissing all but the broadest of interpretations of each item.

One of my favorite lines was from Shaffer, the first candidate to speak on #11 - "Name 1-3 top things would you change."  She leaped up, grabbed the mic and said, "Who is on city council!"  Big applause. Her closing remarks were strong too as quoted at EYNU.

Stocks closed with a preposterous lie, something like "I have attended more meetings without an absence than anyone ever" or some nonsense. He must have been deliberately thumbing his nose as he's missed more meetings this year alone than Barth has in 6 years.

So, a bully who also lies openly without a stutter. No, this behavior does not have the support of 98% of the community, despite the taxpayer funded citizen survey misappropriation in Stocks' unethical election campaign.

What about the Rats?

The City Manager Gus Vina cancelled the City Council Meeting scheduled for this Wednesday*.  He made this decision last Wednesday despite protest.  The official response from city staff when people notified by email called to enquire was that there just wasn't anything on the agenda.  As Vice Malarky President Joe Biden said in last week's VP debate, "malarky."

We wrote about the rats, the neighbor's dilemma following the Sept. 17 meeting.

The staff was to follow up on the neighbors' concerns in the case of the rat infested hoarder house at 703 Passiflora Avenue.  What's the story code enforcement?  More importantly, what's the story Glenn Sabine? As stated by the public speaker,

The Code Enforcement Staff were praised for working 100's of hours, diligently. But, it has wasted thousands of taxpayers dollars. The City Attorney is charged with failing the people of this city while protecting the property rights and privacy of the hoarder above all else.

This neighborhood has suffered for 4 years without a solution.  It has been 5 weeks since the item was placed on the future agenda list.

Rats indeed.

And here's a thought, what about a meeting devoted to oral communications? Like the January style Goal Setting?  Maybe to address what community members feel about progress on named goals?

No, the excuse offered was a facile one - we don't trust it for a minute.  This is political.  Mayor Stocks is under fire and is feeling sick. Apparently the City Manager is on board or on notice.  We can only guess as usual.

* Corrected to read Wednesday rather than today.

Campaign Note: As long as you mention the source, please feel free to copy this and any other post on this blog to submit to local papers, for flyers or your own emails.  Use the Facebook and other share icons below. There are nearly 500 posts between this blog and Encinitas You Need Us, with concentrated facts, council video clips and quotes. Linking to these blogs, Our Mayor and EYNU will only help spread the information throughout Encinitas.  http://ourmayorstocks.blogspot.com and http://encinitasyouneedus.blogspot.com

Dump Stocks ~ Fire Muir ~ Stop Forrester  

Bully Broadcasting - Robocalls

"Political campaigns that robocall iPhones and Androids may be in for a shock: They could be fined $16,000 per call.

Unlike making prerecorded automatic calls to landline phones, campaigns need a mobile phone user’s permission before routing a text or robocall to a wireless device, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC has issued an enforcement advisory “to promote more widespread understanding of the restrictions” imposed by certain federal laws — and possible fines that could be imposed."

As the 2012 election season enters its final stretch, phones are ringing off the hook across America with political robocalls."  Source

Public Service Announcement as this campaign method is favored by the council majority with its big party database. We remember Jim Bond and Jerome Stocks 2010 campaign robocalls in defense of Dan Dalager and denial of any wrong doing in conflict of interest? It was within weeks Dalager was indeed found guilty.   In 2008 Rachelle Collier was plagued by a professional robocall blitz (rather than with incumbent voices) presenting her as the candidate supporting needle exchange.  I guess the implication she was somehow pro-drugs?  It goes on.  It is what they do.

"Of course, part of the downside of wallowing in the scurrilous sewer and trafficking in slander and lies is that, sooner or later, you become a toxic mess.  Your stink becomes unacceptable to the general public."  

It is time for a change.

And no, both sides do NOT do it.

Rat by Banksy

Lincoln Club of San Diego

"For conservative political group, money speaks volumes." 
"If money equals power, the Lincoln Club wields it like no other local political organization. Its 400 members, whose annual dues provide a guaranteed source of money for the group’s political action committee, are a who’s-who of lobbyists, developers, Republican-backed elected officials (and their staff members) and high-profile business owners—the people behind Mossy Nissan, Jerome’s Furniture and Coles Carpets sit on the club chairman’s special advisory committee.

Though the Lincoln Club describes itself as nonpartisan and focused on “pro-prosperity” candidates and issues, what and whom it chooses to support is almost always partisan. “In many ways, the Lincoln Club is the Republican Party in San Diego County. [ . . .] “In many ways, they’ve followed the model of most conservative organizations, in which you don’t plan for the next battle, you plan for the next war.”

This an excerpt from San Diego City Beat on Land of Lincoln Club posted this spring. Great article, and a real course in the big business of slate mailers and the deception intregral to the Lincoln Club's strategy. Thumb through and look at who is being endorsed in 2012.  Then tell us it is bipartisan.

Why is this relevant to our Encinitas Election 2012?  Thank you for asking.

The Lincoln Club endorses Kevin Forrester, Mark Muir and Jerome Stocks.

For the Lincoln Club's Party it is about money and it is a winner take all war.

Banksy Rat

Quote of the Day

“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it.” -- Voltaire

 

Classic Stocks Mocks™ to lump any and all who criticize him as haters, whiners, jerks, etc.

Please, please, please Mayor Stocks.  Keep Talking . . .

Channel 10 News for full video and story here.

Blog Note

We are experiencing slowed loading time in the last day. Possibly this is due to high traffic surge with the Mayor's behavior triggered by being caught breaking the rules.  Thanks for your patience with waiting for video clips to load.

J'Accuse! Mayor Stocks and Mark Muir

Since the filming of the Mayor and ex-Fire Chief getting caught doing wrong, the community is disgusted and outraged. Some protests are mild and others seething. There are informed activists, local hot heads, low information stupid* voters, attention seekers and sincerely disgusted residents.  That's what government of the people and by the people allows - lots of voices and choices.

At the Oct. 10 council meeting the last speaker, who had to wait until the very last two minutes of the evenings meeting because Mayor Stocks holds the 15 minute oral communication speaker time limit as a rule which cannot be broken.  He of course fails to see the irony.  I digress, the clip shows no hot head, no campaign team member, no activist, no council regular.  This woman, Terry, speaks simple truths of humanity and responsibility as citizens.

The very first speaker in Oral Communications was none other than the videographer Joe Corder who accuses Mayor Stocks of a great deal more than just the Oct. 5th sign mounting behavior that has so mobilized public disgust.

These are the clips from 2010 when Joe went after Teresa Barth one week and the next week goes at her again as well as lumping all kinds of opposition talking points on Maggie Houlihan too (though she wasn't even running) - right before the election. Interesting that Joe revealed last night his private conversation from 2010 with Councilwoman Barth, yet Barth has held his confession and apology in confidence. Neither she, nor the late Houlihan used Joe's story for political reasons, mudslinging or petty revenge. I believe that is called integrity.

 

Along with our local papers, Channel 10 covered this story. Feel free to direct links to these clips, this post for those uninformed or low information voters who comment, but have no idea the depth of history in Jerome Stocks' history of malfeasance. This is the chairman of Sandag so these hundreds of video clips showing his bully, crony behavior should be more widely circulated.

*community suggested edit

Worth Repeating

There is much to be said of last night's Leucadia Candidate Forums, but this is most timely.

Today's Observation

CERTAINTY IS HIS RELIGION. DON'T CONFUSE HIM WITH THE FACTS.

Several people have written Jerome Stocks to confront him with the blatant disregard for the municipal code in his late night forays with Mark Muir.  Typical of his response is this twitter message from Stocks,

"Another late night putting up campaign signs. Lots of honks and thumbs up from passer's by. It felt great! Those were thumbs, right?"

Has anyone ever recorded Jerome Stocks admitting when he is wrong? It is always someone else's fault and most often it is whoever brings his error to light. Or simply rewriting the rules, redefining language, reframing the story, accusing the people or denying the timeline to claim no accountability. It comes easy as it is just another kind of sales pitch. 

And on the flip side? The pile on of lightweight artiface of photo ops, agenda scheduling, fluff awards, satisfaction surveys born out of group think and lots of the group's financing all constitute the party playbook. This gimmickry is all lightly tethered to truth and ethically measures low enough to be a tripping hazard. By all appearances, this guy Stocks emphatically believes his own hype. As cartoonist Fleener illustrates, it has grown worse over 12 years.

To say Stocks is politicized is an understatement. For him this is the core, with no evidence there is anything else there. Everything is politicized like a polymer coating to plasticize and hold this guy together - without this what's there? Without it he's simply a pushy, inappropriate salesman.

Impressions Are Powerful - Especially With Strangers

Very first impression of candidate Kevin Forrester?

This could be Roy Batty's Libertarian Uncle Liberty.  Just to be clear, Roy Batty was the lead replicant, artificial human, in "Blade Runner" circa 1982.  Yes, 30 years ago this character, played by Rutger Hauer scared the crap out of audiences.  This writer went to the movie alone in Martha's Vineyard in Edgartown and walked home in the moonlight.  This haunting movie stayed with me for years. Forrester's striking ice blue eyes and white hair of course were the memory link.

This caution, this trepidation is not just the stuff of old memories - based on eye color.  It is also the unknown candidate being endorsed by the council majority, Lincoln Club, Rotarians, Republicans in San Diego and yet he chose to skip the first forum.  Frightening. His first council meeting was within the last month.  The big unknown, this dread is something we can actually anticipate pretty accurately in context.

We are entering the last month of the election where thousands of voters will make their decisions on impressions alone.  Here are some more image connections that are pretty fitting for the way our audience of over-marketed public voters consumers are encouraged to think make choices.

Another nature link.  Remember the Earth Day post of pairing each councilor with his / her animal familiars?

Stream of consciouness here with Forrester's home turf of Olivenhain . . . wolf, little riding hood, grannie's cabin in the woods . . . all make me think of the Historic Town Hall. Remember when the rural town was supposed to host the Olivehain candidate forum last week and they failed to publish time changes until several days before, the night chosen conflicted with the Presidential debate, the organizers disallowed filming, taping and threw away the questions as soon as the forum was over?  Me neither.  

Makes you wonder if the plan was to keep citizens in the dark.

Branding impressions . . . 

Ford dealership, where the majority placed signs illegally early Friday night - prior to the allowed beginning of the campaign.  Yes indeed, car dealerships favor the council majority and keeping us all car-centric and tied to BIG OIL. Yea traffic concepts - and images - from 1952! (Not yea)

Quick, you need a Dinah Shore stand in! Wait, what?

Something comforting for the those who believe the world will return to something like nostalgic status quo circa 1952 (which never really existed as remembered or reconted).

Campaign strategies from eras gone by but infused with way too much money and back room tactics are in full swing. Marketing, branding, spokesmodels, lying campaign supporters, ad hominem attacks by comment thread trolls, robo-calls, big signs (put up illegally two days early), direct mailers are all coming into play.  Impressions, impressions, impressions . . . 

Seeking facts?  Not so much.

Branding like the big national boys do it.  Romney's toothpaste logo just doesn't work like the inspiration for his logo's alphabetical curves, colors and banding.

Whitening toothpaste, no doubt. Ahem.
Speaking of white, have you seen the 11 shades?

But here in Encinitas, what is the most prominent image that comes to mind when Kevin Forrester is mentioned? What is most apt for Encinitas City Council Election 2012

My quess is this next icon.

This is the "go to" option now in the council majority for all election needs.  

The financial flood gates are open and their overseers know what they want. Real estate, development, building - rinse and repeat.  They don't have to live here, their profits don't need to stay here, but they are heavily invested in the outcome of Election 2012.  The best council members their money can buy.

Winners: In the Light of Day and Legally

Unlike Mayor Stocks and Councilman Mark Muir busted on camera for skulking around late at night and posting signs illegally - before the official start date by law, Lisa Shaffer and Tony Kranz are putting up signs legally on today's official start, October 7 (30 days before the election) and in broad daylight.

Follow Lisa Shaffer's Facebook page where she says,

"We put up signs in the daylight, when and where they are legal. We will also conduct the City's business in the daylight."

Keep checking here, at Lisa's Facebook and Tony Kranz Facebook page for more photos like this one of Judy Berlfein hanging one of Tony's signs.

To be a part of this undertaking to blanket the town with signs showing massive voter support for Shaffer and Kranz, contact them today for signs or sign hanging volunteer work.

Lisa Shaffer website and Tony Kranz website.

And as always - there can never be enough Dump Stocks signs at your home, on the right of way and on the bumpers of your cars.  Encinitas Undercover volunteered as contact point to hook you up with one of these.

Must add a great expression read in a comment:

Dump Stocks ~ Fire Muir ~ Stop Forrester

Busted

We have aleady posted the fact that Stocks is putting up campaign signs early.

But now, a Coast News videographer filmed Mayor Jerome Stocks and Councilman Mark Muir illegally placing signs on Friday night themselves. This is what the Encinitas law regarding signs says that no signs can be put up before 30 days to the election. That would be Sunday, October 7.

Typical of Jerome Stocks in the video below, he attempts to intimidate the man filming and demand information as though the man filming is doing something wrong.  Caught red handed he completely acts like he is the victim of aggression.

How dare anyone expect Jerome Stocks to answer to any law or challenge to his (illegal) behavior?

It is difficult to stand up to power and privilege and Joe is a hero.  Thank You very much.  We are distributing this because some don't have online access.  Those who do, give them some link love and traffic at Coast News.

Stay tuned.  We haven't heard the last of this by any means.

Oh, and Mark - about your little truth problem with "I'm not running with Jerome."  Busted.

Stocks Breaks Law Already?!

By law, election campaign signs are not allowed to be posted until 30 days before the election.

Jerome Stocks is two days early.  Of course he is.

Did anyone else notice that Stocks signs are using Councilwoman Barth's 2010 campaign sign colors - maybe even font?

We'll have to browse the files to see if we can't find a picture to add here of Barth for City Council 2010!

Friday, 6 pm update: There we go, let me get that for you.  Yes, indeed it looks like a  pretty close match.

7:30 pm update: Forgot to identify this right of way is at El Camino Real and Crest Drive.  Remember Crest Drive?  The whole community turned out several times at City Council to stand up for their right to keep their right of way, their trees and foliage safe from traffic engineering ideas of road widening, curbs and other standardized code strictures.

Encinitas Undercover, a self-proclaimed equal opportunity offender, is acting as go-between for groups with DUMP STOCKS bumper stickers and yard signs.

Jump over to Encinitas You Need Us for the links to Lisa Shaffer and Tony Kranz websites in the sidebars. Each has information about yard sign pick up points and laws.

How Many are Helping Guide From Within the Herd?

“Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment.” Albert Einstein

The trouble with habitual, entrenched power is it can be smug, blind. Those in power are most often unaware of the perceptions of those all around them and how it is changing. This election season there are people in all five communities who are thinking about their own lives and choices quite differently.

As the quote says, it is difficult to make statements that differ from those around you. Individuals may not be able to rise and speak up at city council like the Duff Pickering or Brian Burke in the clips that follow, but many are finding they can influence those closest to them. They are sensing things formerly hidden in plain sight and telling their friends.

People are directing those they trust towards challenging the status quo, challenging City Hall - the planning staff, the financial reports, the facile city attorney and most importantly the incumbents up for re-election - Jerome Stocks and Mark Muir. There are 33 more days until we learn just how successful this movement from within can really be.

Here's Duff Pickering on Sept. 26th challenging the reporting of the Workshop Mapping analysis.

The next two clips are from Sept. 19 and Sept. 26 wherein Brian Burke challenges the Encinitas Pension funding.

 

 

It may seem cliché, but it is worth a reminder that there will always be someone else here in Encinitas who works his nastiest when he's in disguise. Reading his words it's pretty clear he doesn't give a flocking concern for the welfare of all. He wants blood. Vigilance.

According to Mary: The Last to Know

Bad Lip Reading

Lots of gibberish . . . a nod to the debates tonight on national television.  This is a new one with Paul Ryan, plus previously shown Romney. NSFW

Change of pace.

Picking on the big boys.

Shown in their own media in a rather unfortunate way, if there was any sense of history in the real world.

But words, language, math, weather, and much more have been stolen and redefined to fit an imaginary world.

Therefore, lip reading gibberish is not a stretch . . .

Final tweaks for debate prep.  And don't forget this for tonight.

Muir's Truthiness Campaign

This is the Mark Muir Campaign Door Hanger to the left.

Follow along as we parse the various claims made from Mark Muir, the longtime member and support of the crony club's City Council Majority.

Fiscal Prudence - As was pointed out before on this blog in a post titled, Thief!, this is "borrowed" almost word for word from Councilwoman Barth's website.

Community Improvement - Remember, Muir has only been on council for 10 months. He's never voted on Hall park property designs or any issue related to the park, EXCEPT to approve the redistribution of $7m from current projects and to borrow up to $8M. He did show up for the photo op.

• Better beaches EXCEPT the main public safety component - the lifeguard tower.
• Traffic / transit - Voted against locally operated shuttle service at 5/16, council vote. 

Public Safety -

• As fire chief ok'd eliminating lifeguard tower in phase one of Moonlight Beach master plan. 
• As fire chief let response times in Leucadia, throughout Encinitas and especially in Olivenhain fall far below "Best Practice" goal. May 23 meeting . . . both Lisa Shaffer and Tony Kranz challenged Fire Chief Muir's record. 

• As Fire Chief, both fire station architectural rehabilitation projects are over budget and did not dispute  reallocating $1.6M from fire station rehab fund to pay for Hall property park at the July 11 meeting. 

The Olivenhain history is particularly puzzling from the outside looking in. It would seem Fire Chief Muir created the problem, or holds the primary accountability for response time failures, yet there is a group that views him as a hero with the opening of the new mini-fire station, another photo op. Failing upward is a good description.

It's clear that these aren't lies, there is enough truth to convey the basic idea. These are weasel words along with the previously noted "borrowed" statements used without attribution. He could have even used weasel words to rip off Barth's campaign statement by saying, "I must agree with a candidate who summed up service by saying . . . " which would still be taking someone's words, but passively praising the unnamed source.  At this stage the only ethical thing to do is admit it and make the best of it.

To return to the Muir Campaign Door Hanger . . . On the left hand side:

Current City Council Member - appointed against public sentiment to the council in November by Stocks, Bond and Gaspar to fill Maggie Houlihan's seat; Mark has never participated in council goal setting meeting or two-year budget deliberations. (He did vote on changes to the budget at the mid-year review on May 16.) He seems to like being the designated motion maker for the majority though.

Former Encinitas Fire Chief - yet on Feb. 22 this year Muir dodged the vote on the firefighters contract because he was on a cruise?  Seriously?

Encinitas Chamber Community Hero award - awarded when Gary Tucker and Mike Andreen were "in charge". This duo in action during Chamber of Council mishandled funds allegations were something to behold - as was the council majority's utter failure to address the issues.

Encinitas 25 Years Top Leaders Award - presented by New Encinitas Business Network; that is, Mike Andreen again. What was the criteria? Can you identify the voting panel, etc?

San Diego Taxpayer's Association Golden Watchdog Award:  This award in no way names or even singles out Muir personally for this award. It states:

A “throwback” award was given to the Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach Fire Departments and the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District, “North County Fire Departments’ Cooperative Efforts,” for their money-saving personnel-sharing agreement. Begun in 2009 and enhanced last year, this agreement saved taxpayers in these cities $1 million in its first year.

Endorsements - misspelled Sheriff's Assoc. and it is worth noting that firefighters are among Mark Muir's harshest critics.

Aug. 25, 2012

Why the vast unknown? Just like this [Coast News] article quotes empty phrases, at council meetings Muir uses these kinds of phases and buzz words like best practices, re-examine criteria, look at different methodologies, etc. What the hell does he mean? And self describing himself as a fiscal conservative or government efficiency fighter should send the hypocrisy meter into critical zone. Yes, let's have a deep and hearty laugh over Mark protecting the public purse from overly generous pension benefits. He says, 

 “I almost kind of put myself in a position like (San Diego Mayor) Jerry Sanders, (when) you’re part of that pension thing,” Muir said. “And now you’re fighting the pension thing because you’re in a different role.” 

Mark Muir could never be accused of being articulate. But, even simple sentences could link a series of empty phrases to describe a world view, a belief system an overarching goal. With this candidate there is nothing.

With non-sensical strings of walrus words, weasel words, taking credit for others words and work, stretching credible truth, sham awards and friendly sounding equivocating responses to please everybody leaves us with too many questions.  Mark remains an affable character and polite to public and colleagues, a refreshing change.  He still remains a mystery in loyalties, goals, purpose and world view.  Let's get some answers Wed. night, Oct. 3rd.

Olivenhain Town Council Candidate Forum

Wednesday night at 6:30 pm!
(Note time change from all previously published information)

Olivenhain Meeting Hall, 423 Rancho Santa Fe Road

Audience members will be asked to write their questions on index cards. The questions will be consolidated and all the candidates will answer the same questions. People are asked not to submit questions for a specific candidate. Candidates are allowed 2-3 minutes for introductory remarks and 1-2 minutes for concluding remarks