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A California Icon Passes
Huell Howser with Old Town resident, Linda Jennings
My heart broke this afternoon when I received a news update from the Sacramento Bee saying that television icon, Huell Howser, passed away yesterday, reportedly from a long term illness. Howser was 67 years old and had recently announced his retirement.
Julie and I have, for uncounted years, watched this man describe a state we love with beautiful photography and that down home style that no one else could ever match. Visions of Mayberry would always invade my thoughts as we heard his gentle Tennessee drawl spiel amazement in that aw shucks kind of way he had. He never went anywhere that he couldn’t find something even vaguely interesting and make it seem like the most important and fantastic place he had ever visited.
Howser was not just a television personality who produced interesting shows, though. He took such an interest in historical buildings that, at one point, he filed a lawsuit to prevent the destruction of buildings built by African-American architect Paul Williams on the Long Beach Naval Station. The suit was thrown out of court and, of course, progress pursued its’ course. But, the effort demonstrated Howser’s commitment to “walk the walk” when it came to the history he was preserving through film.
What many of you may not know is Huell Howser visited and filmed Tustin just a few years ago. From the report by Linda Jennings on July 31, 2008:
My afternoon with Huell went very well and was actually a lot of fun. He’s every bit as energetic as he appears on his show and he runs the taping at his rapid-fire pace using the info he finds interesting. It was just Huell and one cameraman and the rest of us running after him as he crisscrossed El Camino, ignoring the stoplight and traffic.
He was late getting to the museum but took great care in setting everything up, including the opening remarks with me. As we stood chatting in front of the camera out on the corner of Main and El Camino, just about everyone who drove by waved and yelled hello to him. He was equally as friendly, waving and smiling.
Jennings goes on to say Howser visited most anything that looked vaguely interesting including, the Utt Juice Building, the Museum and the blacksmith shop. A photo of Huell with
Howser getting a clip job from Gordon Bean
Gordon Bean, our Old Town Barber at the Wooden Indian (best haircuts in town, by the way) is posted on the wall across from where I get my haircut. I still marvel at that photo when I stop by there. Howser was thrilled by the hidden treasure that was Tustin and presented our town to the rest of the world.
Howser’s passing now bring a regret to me. A year or so ago, I was sitting with a friend at a local Santa Ana restaurant. It was a nice day and we were smoking on the patio when I saw Huell Howser speaking with someone. I really wanted to go over and say hello, just to say I met him, and I didn’t because it looked like they were talking business. A shame, because now I will never have the opportunity to meet someone whose passion for the eclectic brought me such pleasure.
Rest in Peace, Huell.
Application Deadline Nears
Applications for Tustin City Planning Commissioner are due Tuesday, September 25, 2012. The opening is to fill the unexpired term left by the resignation of Chuck Puckett who left the commission to run for city council. The term ends in March, 2012 and may be renewed at the pleasure of the council. Compesation is $150 per regular meeting of the commission and they typically meet twice a month or less.
So far, according to the City Clerk’s office, there are two pending applications. She declined to give us names until the applications close and the names have been checked for eligibility. We should have that information later this week.
Planning Commissioner is a high profile position whose authority extends to hearing issues of planning and some zoning. They are the first stop for any business asking to build or remodel. According to the Tustin website:
The Planning Commission’s primary responsibilities include:
Preparing and making recommendations to the City Council on the City’s Comprehensive Plan regarding development;
- Considering and making recommendations to the City Council on zoning map and zoning ordinance changes;
- Reviewing and making recommendations to the City Council on subdivisions, on appeals on variances and use permits; and
- Considering other policies and programs affecting development and land use in Tustin for final City Council action.
The Planning Commission is also a springboard for anyone wishing to eventually run for City Council as they work closely with the city staff and the city council on items that directly affect the city plan. As mentioned before, Chuck Puckett is a former planning commissioner as are many of our fomer councilmembers. Face it, it looks good on the resume′.
Time is running out. If you are considering an application to the Tustin Planning Commission, you can find it here. And, although they have a “fact sheet” for the Planning Commission here, it is sadly lacking in the details of what the commission does. You can find better information on that here.
Random Alphabet Sets Ballot Names
(Updated 08/20/12 9:00 pm) The Tustin City Council race is off to a good start. Five candidates have filed for three seats. Councilmember Jerry Amante is termed out and Councilmember Deborah Gavello has chosen not to run for 
a second term. Mayor John Nielsen is running for a second term, probably so he can fulfill his latest campaign promise. The California Secretary of State, Deborah Bowen, has made the random draw of the alphabet that determines where candidates names will be on the ballot. The random alphabet draw was passed by the legislature in 1975 due to the bias caused by alphabetical and incumbent-first ballots.
In ballot order, the candidates running for Tustin City Council are:
- David Waldram
- Tracy Worley Hagen
- Allan Bernstein
- Chuck Puckett
- John Nielsen
As we said, John Nielsen is the only incumbent running and has a built-in lead by his incumbency that should make up for his last-place placement on the ballot. He has 
also, occasionally, stood up to Amante and voted his conscience. While those are rare times, we hope that if he is re-elected, Amante’s influence will wane (we can always hope). He is well endorsed by a broad spectrum of the community. John lists as his priorities, public safety, taxes, and traffic. He doesn’t appear to think of transparency in government as a priority. But that is understandable, given his track record.
Chuck Puckettis an alumni of the Tustin City Council and has previously served as mayor. During the elections of 1994, Puckett was mired
in a scandal involving city credit cards and lingerie shows. As far as we can see, there was little truth to any of it but, it made for a good story around the campfire. It is probable there was enough credibility in the story at the time to cause him to lose the election. Chuck appears to be an affable guy who some believe will speak his own mind when necessary. In any case, he has a leg up as a former councilmember and mayor. He has remained active in the community and has held positions on the Tustin Community Foundation Board and recently as the Chairman of the Tustin Planning Commission. Unlike Nielsen, Chuck lists, among other things, transparency in government as a priority saying, “Our city government and financial decisions must be transparent.” That’s a plus for us.
Allan Bernstein, well what can you say about Allan? Anyone? Anyone at all? He has no political experience. He has no community involvement that we have seen other than when he appeared as a judge for the Annual Chili Cookoff alongside… can you guess? Jerry Amante. In fact, Allan is a good friend of Jerry’s apparently, and lives in his neighborhood. But, until Hizzoner began showing him around political circles, few had heard of him. His campaign manager has had the good sense to host fundraisers for Allan at both the Wilcox House and that bastion of republicanism in Old Town, Quinn’s Old Town Grill. Bernstein bills himself as a “physician” as he is a podiatrist. My chiropractor also calls herself a physician.
It is Bernstein’s initial attempts to deceive the public as to his community service that has us most concerned. At the chili cookoff, he was reported to be wearing a pin with the Tustin City Seal and the word, “Candidate” on it. If the average citizen saw this, they might think Bernstein already sits on the council or works in some capacity for the city. Add to this Bernstein’s Facebook profile picture (also shown above) that shows him on the dais in the Tustin City Council Chambers, sitting at a council seat with the Tustin City Seal above his head. Again, he deceives anyone looking at his page (it is open to the public, by the way) into thinking that he is a sitting councilmember already. If this is the type of tactics Amante has endorsed for Bernstein, he needs to take another look at campaign laws. Bernstein has a web address reserved but, alas, no website as of yet. The big question: Will Jerry push his beloved dog aside and let Allan ride with him in the Tiller Days parade?
Like John Nielsen, candidate David Waldram is an Eagle Scout and very proud of his work with the Boy Scouts. He previously ran for city council in 2010 and was narrowly defeated by Beckie Gomez.
David recently held his kickoff fundraiser at his home with a BBQ and bouncehouse for the kids. He is a sometimes teacher at Tustin High School and a small business owner. Waldram is also a lifelong resident of Tustin having attended local schools and Chapman University. Although he has a website, it does not appear to be fully functional yet. The best bet for information is his Facebook page. Waldram and Tracy Hagen are having a fundraiser on August 30th at the Loveland residence. More information is available on his Facebook page.
The final candidate is veteran councilmember, Tracy Worley Hagen whom we recently wrote about. Tracy won a seat on the council in a contentious race in 1994. She has 
been Mayor of Tustin 4 times. We would like to say she is coming back into politics but it seems she has never really left. She was at the forefront of an effort to bring civility back to the dais when a hit piece on David Waldram was discussed at a city council meeting. Along with her 12 previous years on the council, Tracy has held seats on the boards of OCFA, Transportation Corridor Agencies, and the OC Sanitation District. Her community service includes, past-president of the Foothill Boys Volleyball Team Boosters and she sits as current president for the Tustin Ranch Homeowners Association III. Tracy is also an active member of the Assistance League of Tustin.
Tracy was instrumental in securing the old Tustin Marine Corp Air Station, when it closed, in a no cost transfer of the base to the city. After a slow start in development (through no one’s fault except the economy), the area promises to breath new life into our town. Tracy has both a website (of the blog sort which we like) and a Facebook page that has plenty of information on her background. Hopefully, she will get her platform up somewhere soon. We do know, in casual conversations with her, she puts transparency of government and civility to citizens and each other on the dais as high priorities along with fiscal prudence and a government that serves the people.
As we have said, this is shaping up to be one heck of a race. All odds are even at the starting gate. As they round the first turn, we will be there to let you know how things are going.
Waldram Signs Up
Courtesy Orange County Register
Yup, we are still in Northern California, where at least one commenter would prefer we stay. We’ll be back next week. In the meantime, enjoy-jg
We recently received a forwarded email from David Waldram. As you may know, David previously ran a strong but unsuccessful campaign for Tustin City Council, barely being edged out by Beckie Gomez. He is running again in 2012 and has declared his candidacy on his website and in this email:
During the last campaign for City Council, I was so appreciative of the support and endorsement of many of you. Since then, Kendra and I have had many wonderful life changing moments including the birth of our daughter and purchasing our first home here in Tustin. Having been born in Orange County and raised in Tustin, I am blessed to now be raising my own daughter in my hometown. We are facing a momentous election season. We will be voting not only on whom should be our President, but ultimately which course our country should take to best strengthen our economy and remain the moral compass of the free world. In our own hometown we have a similar choice ahead of us.
With the many challenges facing America, believing in your hometown is needed now more ever. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided that I should run for City Council in this upcoming election. I believe in Tustin just as I believe in the greatness of America. Giving back to both is why I am running for office.
Waldram also has a website with much the same message on the home page. This website is a retread apparently and there are no links on the home page to other pages. However, if you want to see the rest of his site, go here. On the website, he has a link that will take you to a questionnaire that allows the user to enter the issues he or she thinks is most important to them regarding the city.
Waldram claims he will be fiscally responsible and points out the fiscal irresponsibility of the current council with such facts that the city council has been running a deficit budget for the past two years (but we already knew that). He also points out the unnecessary increases to water rates.
One thing we especially liked seeing on his website is, “Rudeness towards citizens and each other [is] unacceptable at City Council meetings. I will show respect to all & listen to all views.”
That would be a refreshing change.
Next week, filing begins for the Tustin City Council race. It is interesting to see that we have two declared candidates and one who has all but declared already in the running. Get your wallets out. Although city races don’t usually require a lot of money, I suspect the one who reaps the most in political contributions will have a distinct edge.
One question remains. Will Deborah Gavello run again? In a recent interview with her, she said that she had not decided. She feels strongly that, with the right mix of people on the city council and a toning down of the rhetoric that has become too common lately, she could continue to be an effective voice for city residents. One thing for sure, she has at least $17,000 in her campaign account as of the first of the year. We understand she has been busy garnering new contributions and that number could be quite a bit higher during the next reporting cycle. That is huge jumpstart in a race where even a few dollars can make a difference.
