And the Beat Goes On
It was a very quick meeting of the Tustin City Council last night. There was not much to discuss unless you were held in rapt attention by those who spoke against the installation of the Edison Smart Meters. In fact, that probably took up as much time as the rest of the meeting. Everyone on the dais was nice to the mother and daughter team who spoke out against the meters but, I distinctly heard a giggle from the dais while one of the ladies talked.
I realize the council is supposed to be non-partisan but we all know that is not true. There is a Republican majority, led by Jerry Amante and His Kids (OK, it has to be a majority, one way or the other). So, it was no surprise that, when it came time to discuss the matter of the creation of the Assistant Executive Director position, there was no discussion at all. I’m surprised because both Beckie Gomez and Deborah Gavello voted against the establishment of the position but did not offer any explanation from the dais. Mind you, this is not an employee issue. It is the creation of a new position specifically for the purpose of allowing a retiring employee to double-dip. Open discussion could have been held without violating anyone’s rights. So, how against it could the ladies on the council have been? I am also not surprised that the council passed the proposal. Republicans are famous for wanting to guard your tax dollar from those evil, money-grubbing, unionized rank-and-file public employees, while happily giving it away to friends, neighbors (they call it outsourcing) and executive management through cronyism. So, now, the City of Tustin will have another double-dipping pensioner drawing $105,000 taxpayer dollars a year over and above her pension. Not bad for part-time work, if you can get it.
Good luck in retirement, Christine. I hope you will spend at least a little of that extra money in Tustin so the citizens who are being stuck with the bill will benefit from your relationship with… the entire council, apparently. Perhaps you could by a car over at Tustin Auto Center?
There was some good news when Jerry’s Kids gave a report on the status of the search for a new city manager. Councilmembers Nielsen and Murray reported that the initial pool of 64 applicants have been whittled down to a manageable 9 finalists. Final interviews of the candidates will be conducted beginning October 15th. This means we could have a new CM by the beginning of the new year, although I wouldn’t hold my breath. And, after the last fiasco, I do hope they take their time and find someone that Jerry can live with. Perhaps, the city staffers should put together a three day retreat with the councilmembers and the finalists attending. Jerry can weed out the ones who won’t succumb to his tyranical style, berate the rest until there is only one left, and make the losers walk home.
Of course, I have to wonder if our perennial double-dipper, Interim City Manager Bill Huston, will continue to be paid as a consultant of some kind. Maybe the city council can create a new position, Executive Kiss-up to the Council. Huston should be good at that.
Posted on September 21, 2011, in Local Government. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
Our Town Tustin 
The people of Tustin need to be informed about smart meters and their dangerous effects. They are not smart, not green, not safe, and not legal. I am glad someone stood up to try to wake up the city council. They giggled….are you serious?
I live in Tustin and the people of have not been fairly warned about the dangers.
Get more information here: http://stopsmartmeters.org/
Southern California Edison’s contractor Corix keeps claiming it is mandatory for me to accept a smart meter installation at my residence. Yesterday I already told the Corix installer do not install the meter at my home and warned the installer to stay away from my private property and to not trespass on my property. Today the contractor Corix called to tell me they were going to install it and I would suffer a power outage while they did. I told them the same thing. They said it is mandatory and to contact Edison. I told them they can contact Edison and warned them to stay off my private property. I have also posted warnings.
It sure sounded like it to me. Listen to the video on the city’s website. Thanks for commenting.
A copy of my letter. This is not legal advice.
September 23, 2011
Southern California Edison
P.O. Box 800
Rosemead, CA 91770
Theodore F. Craver, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Edison International
Ronald L. Litzinger, President, Southern California Edison
RE: address Tustin CA 9278
NOTICE OF NO CONSENT TO TRESPASS AND SURVEILLANCE, NOTICE OF LIABILITY
Sent By Certified Mail and Email via SCE web site https://www.sce.com/forms/ContactUs.aspx
Dear Chairman Craver, President Litzinger, agents, officers, employees, contractors and interested parties:
Be advised, you and all other parties are hereby denied consent for installation and use of any and all “Smart Meters” or any other surveillance and activity monitoring device, or devices, at the above property. Installation and use of any surveillance and activity monitoring device that sends and receives communications technology is hereby refused and prohibited. Informed consent is legally required for installation of any surveillance device and any device that will collect and transmit private and personal data to undisclosed and unauthorized parties for undisclosed and unauthorized purposes. Authorization for sharing of personal and private information may only be given by the originator and subject of that information. That authorization is hereby denied and refused with regard to the above property and all its occupants. “Smart Meters” violate the law and cause endangerment to residents by the following factors:
1. They individually identify electrical devices inside the home and record when they are operated causing invasion of privacy.
2. They monitor household activity and occupancy in violation of rights and domestic security.
3. They transmit wireless signals which may be intercepted by unauthorized and unknown parties. Those signals can be used to monitor behavior and occupancy and they can be used by criminals to aid criminal activity against the occupants.
4. Data about occupant’s daily habits and activities are collected, recorded and stored in permanent databases which are accessed by parties not authorized or invited to know and share that private data by those who’s activities were recorded.
5. Those with access to the smart meter databases can review a permanent history of household activities complete with calendar and time-of-day metrics to gain a highly invasive and detailed view of the lives of the occupants.
6. Those databases may be shared with, or fall into the hands of criminals, blackmailers, corrupt law enforcement, private hackers of wireless transmissions, power company employees, and other unidentified parties who may act against the interests of the occupants under metered surveillance.
7. “Smart Meters” are, by definition, surveillance devices which violate Federal and State wiretapping laws by recording and storing databases of private and personal activities and behaviors without the consent or knowledge of those people who are monitored.
8. It is possible for example, with analysis of certain “Smart Meter” data, for unauthorized and distant parties to determine medical conditions, sexual activities, physical locations of persons within the home, vacancy patterns and personal information and habits of the occupants.
9. Your company has not adequately disclosed the particular recording and transmission capabilities of the smart meter, or the extent of the data that will be recorded, stored and shared, or the purposes to which the data will and will not be put.
10. Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency energy contamination from smart meters exceeds allowable safe and healthful limits for domestic environments as determined by the EPA and other scientific programs.
I forbid, refuse and deny consent of any installation and use of any monitoring, eavesdropping, and surveillance devices on my property, my place of residence and my place of occupancy. That applies to and includes “Smart Meters” and surveillance and activity monitoring devices of any and all kinds. Any attempt to install any such device directed at me, other occupants, my property or residence will constitute trespass, stalking, wiretapping and unlawful surveillance and endangerment of health and safety, all prohibited and punishable by law through criminal and civil complaints. All persons, government agencies and private organizations responsible for installing or operating monitoring devices directed at or recording my activities, which I have not specifically authorized in writing, will be fully liable for any violations, intrusions, harm or negative consequences caused or made possible by those devices whether those negative consequences are justified by “law” or not.
This is legal notice. After this delivery the liabilities listed above may not be denied or avoided by parties named and implied in this notice. Civil Servant immunities and protections do not apply to the installation of smart meters due to the criminal violations they represent.
Notice to principal is notice to agent and notice to agent is notice to principal. All rights reserved.
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Address
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