Anaheim Insider here.
Adam Elmahrek’s hit piece…excuse me, article…on Lucille Kring was forwarded to me earlier today. Not to put too fine a point on it, but what a shoddy piece of…journalism.
It’s a long article, but here’s the gist: Elmahrek claims Kring changed her position on four issues in response to campaign contributions. He offer no proof. Even the liberal “watchdog” types the Voice always calls for quotes to support their slant scoff at Elmahrek’s allegations.
Elmahrek does dredge up Cory Briggs, a liberal environmental ambulance-chaser from San Diego to echo his allegations and chirp that Kring should hire a lawyer. Briggs is the same guy brought in by OCCORD to ask the AG and the DA to prosecute Kring and the other three councilmembers on trumped-up conflict-of-interest charges.
If Elmahrek is truly interested in writing about flip-flopping Anaheim politicians, how about Mayor Tom Tait (I realize that is ridiculous since Tait has blanket immunity from the Voice)? How about the story of how the mayor’s broken promises to council candidate Steve Lodge helped break his candidacy, a story now well-known in Anaheim political circles?
In late 2011, Tait gave Lodge his strong endorsement for City Council. He headlined his inaugural fundraiser and hooked Lodge up with his political consultants.
Then came the 2012 vote on GardenWalk, which Lodge publicly supported. Initially, Tait’s attitude was one of reasonable people can disagree and stuck with his endorsement. A few months later, during the summer, Tait told Lodge that unless he flip-flopped on GardenWalk and came out against it, then Tait would pull his endorsement. Lodge posed a question to Tait: would he, personally, trust a candidate who flipped-flopped like that? Tait answered that he wouldn’t, but insisted Lodge do it anyway. Lodge refused. Tait pulled his endorsement but promised to keep the un-endorsement quiet and not work against Lodge’s candidacy. He also promised not to endorse another council candidate.
Not long afterward, Lodge’s political consultants let him know that unfortunately, they would no longer be able to run his campaign. Despite promising not to hurt Lodge’s campaign, Tait forced Lodge to scramble to put together a new campaign team several weeks before voting started.
Then, Tait endorsed John Leos, an OCEA hack who was Tait’s polar opposite on union and other issues, breaking his promise to Lodge not to endorse anyone else in the race. Tait then threw all his energy into electing Leos, breaking his promise not to work against Lodge’s candidacy.
This story of serial promise-breaking occurred at the same time as the e-mails Elmahrek points to, and is much more specific than Elmahrek’s dubious claims about Kring’s campaign stances.
This story is well known in Anaheim political circles, if Elmahrek is genuinely interested in writing stories about politicians flip-flopping and breaking promises.
It’s not difficult to see what is happening. Liberal special interests are trying to pulverize the Anaheim council majority into submission with a steady stream of negative media stories and legal threats. Adam Elmahrek is their scribe. The pattern of his coverage and story angles is so obvious you would have to be a blind man not to see it.
Creepy Jason Young, who moved to Fullerton a few months ago, and unstable Cynthia Ward file public record act requests and act as Elmahrek’s volunteer research assistants. Kring doesn’t vote the way they want, so they want to pay her back like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Tait’s council aide, Mishal Montgomery, leaks info to Elmahrek, Ward and Young and others in hopes of damaging anyone she sees as an enemy or critic of her boss.
We all know the deal here. It’s an open secret that Kring is going to run against Tom Tait for mayor next year, so this is the beginning of Voice of OC muddying her up to provide ammo for anti-Kring hit pieces.
The political agenda here is evident not only from the stories Elmahrek writes, but from the stories he knows about and doesn’t write. Someone forwarded this to me a while ago; it’s a screen capture of Adam Elmahrek’s bio from when he was communications intern for the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association (the job he had before going to work for Voice of OC). Look at his closing quote:
Does Elmahrek want his reporting to be measured against that quote, the way he is measuring Kring against a few examples of heated rhetoric?
Everyone has an agenda. My political agenda is pretty obvious. So are the political agendas of others who blog and comment here and elsewhere.
No proof Anaheim insider? Kring changed her position on all four of those important issues after she was elected.
And we’re not talking about her changing her mind on whether a speed bump should be installed on Katella Ave. These were issues related to mulit-million dollar subsidy deals, district elections, civilian oversight, and allowing the people to vote on the use of TOT. She promised to oppose the GardenWalk Hotel giveaway and support districting, civilian oversight, and TOT voter approval.
Do you think I would spend my hard earned money on ads in the Register supporting her if she hadn’t made those promises? Do you think Mayor Tait would have endorsed her if she hadn’t made those promises?
In regards to Steve “Chavez” Lodge, Mayor Tait had every right to un-endorse him if he wasn’t going to agree on his platform.
The bottom line is that Lucille Kring is not to be trusted.
Jason Young proudly proclaimed his support for Lucille Kring from the dinner he shared with her and her husband Ron on election day. Now that she doesn’t vote lock step with Tait she’s not to be trusted. Tait, like Jason Young, are a plague on the City of Anaheim. The City has never dealt with this type of venom ever – so unfortunate. Wish both would just go away.
Of course Tait had every right to pull his endorsement, but that’s not all he did.Tait asked Lodge to do something he wouldn’t do himself: act against his principles and flip-flop just to keep Tait’s endorsement. Why would he ask that of someone? And while he was pulling his endorsement, Tait made promises to Lodge, which he quickly broke. Those are the points you are missing, Jason.
Tom Tait is just a man, Jason. You and Cynthia Ward and too many people build him into this saint and then flip out whenever anyone points out he’s as flawed and imperfect as anyone else.
Another thing. I’m not going to judge Lucille based on the Voice’s summary of what she said. I’d rather see what she actually said.
For example, the 2013 GardenWalk deal she voted for was different than the 2012 deal she opposed. That’s not a flip-flop.
Does anyone else think its laughable that Jason characterizes his vicious SaveAnaheim ads as being paid for with his “own” hard earned money? Puh-leaze!
I paid for each and everyone of those ads. All of which have only been characterized as factually accurate not vicious by reliable sources. Not someone hiding behind an alias Anaheim Avenger.
Your team just can’t stand being called out publicly in the newspaper. You’d prefer to keep your money train rolling along without alerting the Anaheim taxpayers.
Excellent job. Thank you for consistently pointing out important facts about the antics of Jason Young and now Adam Elmahrek as well. It’s sad that these two don’t understand that they are being used.
Thank you. Elmahrek could be a very good reporter, in my opinion. He digs and works at it. He should move on to someplace where he isn’t chained to a political agenda.
I never, ever believed Kring on the critical questions during the election which is why I quoted her statements in my coverage of the local forums…I knew they would be instructive later for those who weren’t listening then! She was shrewd and Machiavellian, something you clowns would be touting if not for being in constant spin cycle.Another reason I knew Kring wasn’t viewed as an independent maverick, much less a threat, was the kid gloves treatment she received on this very blog…
Lucille Kring’s only crime is that she votes independent of Tom Tait. The residents of Anaheim know that she is about community first and foremost. Jason Young has a criminal record and the others are just in the pocket of the Mayor who is clearly afraid she will run against him. Big shock they are starting the online intimidation campaign in hopes of blocking her…fortunately, most people in Anaheim couldn’t find Voice of OC if they tried and couldn’t care less if they did.