Lorri Galloway was interviewed on September 5 on Fox News LA by anchor Tony McEwing and OC Register editorialists Brian Calle and Joseph Perkins, as part of a series of “You Decide 2014” interviews with local candidates.
I found it well worth watching. Not so much because one learns anything new about Lorri Galloway, but because one gets a better sense of how the OC Register editorial page will approach the Anaheim’s municipal elections.
In 2012, the libertarian conservative newspaper’s endorsed Anaheim council candidate John Leos — the anti-paycheck protection union activist on whose behalf the Orange County Employees Association spent north of $600,000 in two cycles, but whom Mayor Tom Tait endorsed after dropping Steve Chavez Lodge a few months before election.
If body language is any indication, it seems OC Register is pre-disposed to endorse a “yes” vote on Measure L – even though shifting Anaheim city council elections from an at-large to by-district basis will lead to kind of municipal government policies the OC Register editorial page opines against.
At the 4:27 mark in the video, McEwing brings up by-district elections, and framing of the issue in a way that is informed by the liberal premises that authentic representation is a function of race and ethnicity, and at-large elections disenfranchise Latino voters. Calle nods vigorously throughout McEwing’s framing of the issue :
“Let me bring up another issue that is huge in Anaheim, and it’s the way the city elections are held, the electoral process, it is probably one of the major issues, and you have the ACLU, which certainly believes that the way elections are held, the at-large elections as opposed to district elections, has resulted in an under-representation of particularly minorities, Latinos in particular. Are you in favor of district-wide elections as opposed to at-large elections, the way their held now.”
I hope the OC Register does not endorse Measure L. The editorial board’s traditional fealty to limited government is not served by a left-wing political initiative intended to breakdown limitations on the scope of Anaheim city government. The editorial page’s long-time support for color-blind government stands in opposition to Measure L, which is fueled by a belief in color-conscious government.
Calle kicks off the interview with a “Tale of Two Anaheims”-inspired question, saying there’s a lot of unrest” in Anaheim, and that “a lot of people” think it’s a “corporate-run town” where workers “don’t have much of a voice,” and asking Galloway how she’ll give “a voice to the average worker in Anaheim.”
Galloway responds by saying the by “virtue of what I am and what I do” she’s “positioned differently” to provide the “different kind of leadership” she thinks the city needs, and then returns to the topic of the 2012 riots
“The riots of 2012 are a chilling reminder of neighborhoods that are still besieged by issues of crime and gangs and graffiti…”
Calle interrupts to say:
“But wasn’t the current mayor an advocate for the people who were rioting and their issues?”
What issues are those? “Issues” like claiming the Anaheim police are racists and murderers who roam the streets looking for young Latino men to beat and kill? Rioters weren’t clashing with police and vandalizing businesses in order to press for the right to vote on economic subsidies for hotel development.
McEwing follows up with this doozy:
“But to Brian’s point, how do you break away from the basic corporate structure of Anaheim?”
Yes, Lorri – how will you transcend the superstructure and strip away the false consciousness of the lumpenproletariat? Can the question be any more trite and superficial?
During the panel’s question of Galloway about stadium negotiations with the Angels, Joseph Perkins queried her:
“What about the proposal by Mr. Moreno to develop that city-owned property around the stadium?”
A perfectly appropriate and relevant question in terms of the basic topic, but flawed by being factually incorrect: the proposal in the negotiations MOU for Moreno to develop part of the stadium district did not come from Moreno – it came from the city. That’s a significant point, especially since Mayor Tait has spent the last year painting the Angels of trying to take advantage of Anaheim taxpayers.
Future “You Decide 2014” segments will feature the other major candidates for Anaheim mayor and city council. In fact, the interview with Lucille Kring aired last night, although I haven’t watched it yet. Perhaps the panel might consider asking questions such as:
- “Advocates of by-district elections in Anaheim judge how “representative” the city council is based on the ethnicity of the councilmembers. Do you believe citizens can only be authentically represented by elected officials of the same race or ethnicity?”
- “Some critics claim the Anaheim Convention Center expansion is too big and too expensive? Do you agree? If so, what is the right size and cost? How many square feet, and what price per square foot, is the right amount?”
- “Unions and liberal interest groups from San Francisco have contributed at least $150,000 to ballot measure to replace at-large elections with by-district elections. None of the money comes from Anaheim. Why do you think left-wing political groups from outside of Anaheim are spending so much money to change how Anaheim citizens elect their council representatives?”
- “Are you willing to let the Angels leave Anaheim rather than provide a single dime of assistance to keep them in town?”
I thought the whole session was disgusting and totally unprofessional. That wasn’t journalism – that was advocacy.
Here’s a question they should ask Tom Tait:
“Your campaign theme is “taking back Anaheim from special interests” and yet you are the leading spokesman for the by-district elections measure that is entirely funded by out-of-town special interests? How do you reconcile that?”
I will begin fasting tomorrow for justice in Anaheim. As such, I best avoid watching this, or anything coming from any of the candidates, as I can’t afford to … ‘lose my lunch’.