It was SRO at the Anna Drive candidate forum (courtesy OC Register)
Six of nine Anaheim council candidates attended at last night’s street side candidate forum on gang-infested Anna Drive. Judging from pictures on Voice of OC and the OC Register, the audience didn’t outnumber the candidates and forum organizers by very much.
Nonetheless, some useful information emerged in the coverage by the VOC and OCR.
John Leos, the government union activist being supported by organized labor, came out in support of imposing a dollar head-tax on visitors to the Disneyland Resort and Angel Stadium (it’s unclear whether this head-tax would also be imposed on the Honda Center, the Grove of Anaheim, Muzeo or any other attraction in Anaheim).
Leos was responding to a question to candidates as to whether they would support such a tax to fund “youth programs and neighborhood development.”
Excellent — another government tax to generate revenue to be funneled to amorphous programs. There’s an original, untried idea. Plus, sending the message that City Hall views new taxes as a solution to crime is a sure-fire way to attracts more jobs and business to Anaheim.
“They are a vital source of income in the city of Anaheim, and I cannot forget that,” Leos said (according to the OCR). So vital, in fact, that he wants to tax them more.
Now, will someone explain to me again how electing Leos to the Anaheim City Council is supposed to move city government in a conservative, reform direction?
I’m guessing a ticket tax wasn’t among the ideas Leos was “brimming with” when he interviewed for the OC Register editorial board’s endorsement – which he, inexplicably, received .
Leos was not alone in supporting a new tax. Brian Chuchua, Duane Roberts and Rudy Gaona.
Roberts’ support for a tax isn’t surprising: he’s a Green party member, after all.
But Brian Chuchua? Well, Brian is also John Leos’ unofficial running mate, and he’s donated to liberal Democrat John Santoianni Anaheim school board candidacy, as well. Ah, another brilliant candidate endorsement by the Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee!
Jordan Brandman and Lucille Kring oppose a ticket tax. Steve Chavez Lodge has also declared his opposition to it.
However, Kring did throw the assembled a bone by saying she supports re-directing 1% of TOT revenue to “youth programs and neighborhood development.” So, using TOT revenue to subsidize hotel development: bad. Using TOT revenue for social programs: good.
Kring apparently did not say whether any such use of TOT revenue had to first be put to a vote of the people.
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October 17, 2012 at 2:26 pm
wake up Anaheim
One of us got Lucille’s mailer today and here is one of three mission statements under ‘integrity’ taken directly : ” you can’t buy it at Walmart or fake it at all. It’s the look straight in your eye, its the firmness of a handshake – and it’s proven in the votes that matter and the results that follow. LK is that rare public person who’s integrity has never been questioned, never been attacked. Anaheim needs a leader we can trust”
We just added all the way to the bank and who does she think she’s kidding !!. If it weren’t so serious we’d laugh out loud. This woman will say or do anything to get elected and this is absolutely what Anaheim does not need again.
Leos and Chichua et al are busy trying to find ways to tax our City and investigate our PD while yet another 14 yr old was shot to death in a gun fight on Vermont . Not a mention of drugs, gang violence and punks running rampant though our City – no – just find new ways to tax the folks and blame our PD because that will surely solve crime.
October 17, 2012 at 5:45 pm
Matthew Cunningham
Hey, where is Cynthia Ward telling us that this doesn’t matter, that John Leos will be under enormous pressure to vote the right way once he’s elected, etcetera, etcetera?
October 17, 2012 at 5:45 pm
Gustavo Arellano
[Deleted for making baseless personal attacks.]
October 17, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Matthew Cunningham
Gustavo: you are welcome to comment here if you want to discuss issues. But if it is just to spew your adolescent personal attacks, then I am going to delete your comments.
October 17, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Matthew Cunningham
By the way, Gustavo, I care very much about Anaheim, for a variety of reasons. For example, I went to school there, worked there, have long-time friendships there, recreate there, and as someone who lives just a few hundred feet from Anaheim, what happens there affects where I live, too. So stop pretending you have even an inkling into my thoughts and sentiments, and return to cataloging long-dead Klan members of whom no one has ever heard.
October 17, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Diogenes
Ha ha! Where’d Gustavo go?
If he can’t trash-talk and shriek insults, it turns out he’s got nothing to say.
Adios, pinche mosca!
October 18, 2012 at 7:45 am
Gustavo Arellano
Personal attack? All I did was ask why you weren’t at the forum, and noted that it proves how little you care about the issue. Where was your care to blog for Anaheim all these years? But please do continue to delete my comments—just proves you have the spin of your beloved Urell. And then you leave the comment of Diogenese? Typical Cunningham apologetics.
October 18, 2012 at 9:03 am
Matthew Cunningham
All it proves is I had a prior commitment — a family commitment. And by whose authority does attending that piece of street political theater become the measure of “caring about Anaheim”? Yours?
As for personal attacks, they have become such an integral part of how you speak to others that you can’t even see it.
October 18, 2012 at 9:32 am
Diogenes
Did Gustavo go to the Anna Drive forum? if he didn’t, that means he doesn’t care about Anaheim. According to Gustavo’s logic, only the people who were there care about Anaheim.
October 19, 2012 at 9:55 am
Wild Colonial Boy
This unbelievable. How can Tom Tait and the OC Register endorse this guy and keep any conservative credibility?
Was the GardenWalk hotel deal so awful that he is working to elect a union activist who wants to raises taxes? He is not acting like the Tom Tait I voted for. Very disappointing.
October 19, 2012 at 12:36 pm
AnaheimFirst
Tait, the GOP and the Register are all endorsing two tax raising, pension spiking, lieing canidates – Kring voted for 3@50 for police and fire – then lied to the OCGOP about not taking their funds this election but did so anyway – and now says she will dedicate 1% of TOT to social welfare programs indefinitely. Leos is a long time OCEA Board and PAC member, supports gate taxes at Anaheim Stadium, Honda Center and Disneyland for more social welfare programs. Chuchua the other OCGOP endorsed candidate also supports gate taxes and courted the Anaheim POA for funds and endorsement while claiming not to be a “Scott Baugh Republican” – All three support carving Anaheim into districts ala LA and essentially locking in multiple Democrat seats and limiting governance for all Anaheim residents. What the hell is going on?!
October 22, 2012 at 5:02 am
John Leos’ Ticket Tax Is Harmful Policy « Anaheim Blog
[…] the Anna Drive candidate forum last week, most of the candidates in attendance endorsed the idea of imposing a tax of $1 a ticket on the Disneyland Resort, Anaheim Stadium and the Honda Center in order to fund “youth programs […]
October 22, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Lucille Kring’s 1% Solution for Civic Unrest « Anaheim Blog
[…] Councilwoman Lucille Kring is to be commended for opposing the admission tax idea being embraced by several of her competitors (see my post on how John Leos and Brian Chuchua lent their support to the idea at the Anna Drive […]
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