Santa Ana Clowncil Goes After Local Blog

Here we go again. Politicians scared of blogs are ready to play censor. If you're a blogger in Santa Ana and you serve on a City Commission you better watch out.

Politicians who find comments by appointed city officials too critical of City officials want the bloggers to tone it down. In fact one blogger was told to choose between writing or serving.

"We appoint our representatives to represent us. If they don't agree with us and they don't want to be part of the solution, they shouldn't be on these commissions."
Santa Ana Councilmember Carlos Bustamante

Art Pedroza, founder of the popular OrangeJuiceBlog.com, was asked by Santa Ana City Councilmember Michele Martinez to stop writing or step down from the City's Housing and Redevelopment Commission.

Amazingly another Councilmember, Carlos Bustamante, justified chastising by the bloggers by saying "We appoint our representatives to represent us. If they don't agree with us and they don't want to be part of the solution, they shouldn't be on these commissions."

When will these politicians learn when they go after bloggers they look stupid and the bloggers will make sure that everyone knows?

Pomona Harrassing Bloggers or the "Not Ready for Prime Time City Attorney"

In the past, we've linked to some of the many excellent stories at the Foothill Cities blog, sort of the Mayor Sam of the San Gabriels.

Now it appears FC is having some impact as they recently revealed they've received a "cease and desist" letter from some clown named Arnold Alvarez-Glassman, the Pomona City Attorney over a series of stories about alleged shadiness and shenanigans when it comes to Pomona's City Manager, Doug Dunlap (who amongst other things has been alleged by Pomonaians for allegedly putting his allegedly decades younger alleged girlfriend on the alleged City payroll). You can read FC's post as well as Alvarez-Glassman's ridiculous letter here.

As a sidenote, in most small cities the City Attorney is not an elected official like Rocky Delgadillo but usually a law firm that is contracted by the city to handle legal matters. Alvarez-Glassman has served more than just Pomona; in 2003 he was terminated by the City of El Monte.

Pomona is one of those shithole eastern Los Angeles County cities whose only real claim to fame is hosting the LA County Fair annually and RV shows and off-track horse betting the rest of the year.

Perhaps they're pissed that Zev removed the goddess Pomona along with the mission cross from the LA County Seal.

Seriously however its completely reprehensible for a government official to attempt to intimidate a citizen and member of the press for exercising their first amendment right. This fool isn't even up to speed on libel laws; numerous court decisions have protected the right of bloggers to be critical of public officials.

So it looks like its time to put in a call to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and see if Zuma Dogg's Bat Computer picks up signals from the 626.

Foothill Cities - we have your back. Don't let these bastards push you around. And private memo to Arnie and Dougie: We're not going to let you fuck with FC. You've already made a mistake there. Don't even think about fucking with us over here - you will look like the biggest clowns to ever inhabit municipal government ever.