Actually the first article we ever posted here was on December 13, 2008. Something that should have made the official
Tattler 1st Anniversary a week or so ago. But who can keep track of such things? I certainly can't.
So in the course of the last year we've published over 330 articles, attracted thousands of comments, and have seen our readership go from zero to something that does fairly well on Google's blog ranking service. Which isn't bad for a site that is almost exclusively about the politics of a rather modestly sized town of around 11,000 people. Not exactly the venue or topic for instant mass media stardom.
I've been trying to figure out how to commemorate this event, and outside of maybe splurging on a doctor to get checked out for carpal tunnel syndrome, I was kind of stuck for ideas about how to accomplish this. But then, looking back to those earlier days, it occurred to me that there is a whole lot of material that people haven't really seen. It was just a few of us during those first several months, yet a lot of topics were covered. And a lot of these matters are with us months later, and still need to be resolved.
So I've picked out a number of articles to reprise. A kind of Whitman's Sampler from a very large pile of sweets. And for those of you who have been here from the beginning, there is no doubt that some notable items will seem to have been passed over. But for those who came to this blog a bit farther down the road? Here's some stuff you might want to check out. And let me tell you, the first year was the easy part. What's in store for the next will be far more risky and challenging.
Never let it be said we didn't work hard.
Ex-Sierra Madre Mayor Glenn Lambdin's Mighty Struggle With The Lord (Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 9 comments) Long time Sierra Madre figure and former Mayor the Lambster confesses on Bill Coburn's elegantly designed Sierra Madre News.net site that his years of Christian fundamentalism are now behind him. In what was frankly a hilarious and sophomoric essay about his inquest into the existence of God, this home improvement professional and kung fu aficionado confesses to a new belief, this time in agnosticism.
The Astonishing H. Susan Henderson (Wednesday,
January 7, 2009 - 11 comments) It turns out that the publisher of our adjudicated newspaper of record (then known as the
Mountain Views Observer), has a rather notorious past. Would you believe that she was at one time the #2 ranking poobah in the
California Democratic Party? And that she lost this rather posh gig for
resume' padding (she claimed she had a law degree from Berkeley when apparently she's only a high school graduate), and
misuse of the party's credit card? All information that came out during her crushing defeat at Court in the
Deuxamis case.
Take The Last Train To SCAGsville (Monday,
January 26, 2009 - 15 comments) SCAGsville, also known as the "
billion dollar bus station," was in reality a very special
SCAG project called "
El Monte Transit Village." The brainchild of
John Leung of the
Titan Group, along with his trusted sidekick
Bart Doyle, the dream came to a crashing halt a few months later in a storm of legal embarrassment. Did you know that buses are the answer to global warming? While that was what Leung was saying, it wasn't the fraud he was arrested for.
More Deception From The Mountain Views Observer (Friday,
February 6, 2009 - 14 comments) In an article chock full of humbug and typos, the MVO's editor supplied a deceptively described photo designed to make the
Skilled Nursing Facility appear to be a gathering point for "day laborers." Something which the article's author seemed to find appalling. It is rare to see such naked ethnic animosity in a California newspaper these days.
Now On Facebook: STOP the Sierra Madre Smoking Ban! (Thursday,
February 19, 2009 - 75 comments) This was the beginning of what was to become a running battle with those wacky "smoker kids" over an ordinance designed to keep them and their foul smelling tobacco products away from our fine downtown eateries and small children. Their predictions of
economic ruin and a
fascist takeover of Sierra Madre have yet to come to pass, though I am sure at least a few of them continue to monitor the situation from their parents' basements.
Tattler Interview: Ana Ramirez (Saturday,
February 21, 2009 - 25 comments) The publisher of the
Mountain Views "Observer" hired Ms. Ramirez to clean her house and wait upon guests at a party. But when the time came to be paid for her hard work, the MVO's publisher turned out to be
a deadbeat. The later humiliations Ms. Ramirez suffered at the hands of this woman are heartbreaking.
Did The Congregational Church Deliberately End Run Sierra Madre's City Council? (Thursday,
February 26,2009 - 58 comments) Not expecting to get approval for its "New Life Center" (which despite their denials is actually a school), the
Congregational Church just went out and built a seriously out of code building in the middle of downtown Sierra Madre. And for whatever reason no salaried employee at
City Hall seemed to notice, even though it was built within earshot of the place. Maybe it was built during "summer hours?"
Susan Henderson Characterizes Sierra Madre As "Mississippi In 1959" (Thursday,
March 19, 2009 - 51 comments) Speaking before a half empty room of mostly napping oldsters, Susan proclaimed Sierra Madre to be something akin to the
deep south during the height of anti-civil rights terrorism as practiced by the
Ku Klux Klan. There is no evidence that any of the slumbering members of her audience were awakened by this stunning revelation.
Put The Utility User Tax Back On The Ballot (Friday,
March 27, 2009 - 86 comments) The article that caused many at City Hall to cry out to the heavens for mercy. But since the voters of Sierra Madre had basically been fibbed to when they went to the polls to approve the UUT hike, what other ethical solution is there? How
City Hall wriggled off this hook remains a cause for much heated speculation to this day. In economic times as tough as these, news that Sierra Madre is running surpluses and handing out raises to "staff" might not be the cause for celebration some might believe.
Tattler Exclusive: The Marquez Letter (Tuesday,
March 31, 2009 - 30 comments) When the
Congregational Church went to City Hall to defend their building a structure without permits, and in the wrong zone, they did so by claiming they had a letter from the city fathers authorizing them to just that. Somehow the letter ended up in our hands, and it turned out to be about as legally binding as a three month old copy of
The Pennysaver.
The Order of the Fly (Monday,
April 20, 2009 - 63 comments) Now most of us know that "Mosca" in Italian means "
The Fly." And when our buzzing buddy put out the word to his "followers who had been there from the beginning" to meet at
Casa Fly and discuss his quixotic campaign to become
Mayor of Sierra Madre, one of his original preservationist supporters did show up. Only to be turned away at the door and briskly escorted from his property.
A Susan Henderson Story Told In 3 Short Videos (Friday,
May 8, 2009 - 30 comments) After having been crushed in Court and ordered to pay $40,000 to
Katina Dunn, plus change the name of her publication due to "misappropriation,"
Susan Henderson was rudely chafed. And when
Mayor Kurt Zimmerman made an ever so slight reference to her legal denouement, Susan stormed into a City Council meeting and gave a rather edgy performance that still stuns viewers. You see, it was all caught on video, and
Neuroblast Films posted it. Check it out.
The California Association Of Realtors Channels Saul Alinsky (Monday,
May 18, 2009 - 114 comments) Your fun loving pals at The Tattler drove some computer jockey of a suit nuts comparing the infiltration techniques employed by
CAR to the organizing methods of famed '60s radical
Saul Alinsky. We have a pretty good idea who the agitated commenter was, and remain grateful for his comical umbrage.
Meet The Owner Of The Sierra Madre Cumquat (Tuesday,
May 19, 2009 - 45 comments) During the time
Measure V was being debated, those who longed for its defeat launched a nasty pornographic website called
The Cumquat in hopes of demoralizing and ridiculing the good hearted people working hard to save this town from the wrecking ball. But after Measure V passed, this website, along with its sock puppet host, perished. Imagine the excitement when The Tattler discovered that the current owner of the rights to The Cumquat brand turned out to be the
President of the Sierra Madre Rotary Club.
Glendale Deals With A Major Cause Of Blight: Real Estate Speculators (Thursday,
May 21, 2009 - 137 comments) The practice of buying up buildings during difficult economic times and just letting them rot until times improve is a practice some real estate speculators enjoy. And Glendale got sick of it and passed a law that allows them to fine the pants off the dirtbags. This article led to a similar ordinance being agendized here in Sierra Madre, with our City Council set to approve it very soon. Look for the
Skilled Nursing Facility to get new windows any day now.
No Show Joe? (Tuesday,
May 26, 2009 - 34 comments)
Joe Mosca has always seemed most proud of his membership to SCAG. Despite the fact that this organization is basically out to turn Sierra Madre into something the residents here do not want, Joe can't brag enough about what a fine
SCAG guy he is. But then, Sierra Madre interests were never Joe's real priority. So imagine the surprise many felt when
The Tattler revealed that Joe couldn't be bothering to even show up at SCAG's meetings.
Anybody Getting The Impression That Larry Wilson Has A Serious Problem With Sierra Madre? (Thursday,
May 28, 2009 - 33 comments) This post was in response to the 2nd
Larry Wilson column within a three week period that made some rather bizarre accusations about this town and its residents. But what made this Larry Wilson column particularly amusing was the truly hilarious errors and factual absurdities contained within it. Something that had some speculating whether he was suffering from merlot poisoning when he filed it. Larry's column is reproduced within the cited article, so take a look for yourself. Then maybe you'll be able to tell us what an "
American American" is?
Tattler Breaking News: El Monte Developer Accused Of Fraud, Embezzlement (Monday,
June 22, 2009 - 28 comments) Remember that
Billion Dollar Bus Station? Well the developer,
John Leung, was arrested for some dastardly doings. Of course, the real reason we cared as deeply as we did was because he was former
Sierra Madre Mayor Bart Doyle's boss. The El Monte Transit Village, something that many so-called "smart growth" bus huggers had put so much faith in, may now never see the light of day.
The Most Clueless Headline Ever? (Saturday,
June 27, 2009 - 35 comments) Considering the stiff competition they get from the
Mountain Views "News," winning this celebrated cite from The Tattler for exceptional ineptitude is really quite a feat. But with their headline,
"City Manager: Sierra Madre Has No Surplus," the gents at
The Sierra Madre Weekly took the donkey tail in the pants. But hey, what else would you expect from a bunch of carpetbaggers from Monrovia?
The Pasadena Star News Doesn't Read Itself (Thursday,
July 23, 2009 - 67 comments) In one editorial the
Star News said Sierra Madre was going broke. And in another editorial a few weeks later they said we're running huge surpluses and need a tax cut. I swear you could get whiplash from reading this rag. But we read it everyday.
Mommy? Why Did That Man Say They're Taking away My Library? (Friday,
July 24, 2009 - 60 comments) In one of the most inane ploys ever, a
bunch of knuckleheads tried to make the case that they were the saviors of a Library that was in absolutely no jeopardy of closing. The attempt to manufacture a controversy where none actually existed went on to make them a laughingstock in town. But should they have lied to their own kids about it? No, I don't think so.
The Head Of SCAG Is A Former Soviet Planner? (Saturday,
October 10, 2009 - 52 comments) Now they might act like some kind of totalitarian outfit backed up by the might of a powerful central government, but that the leader of
SCAG should turn out to be an actual former
Soviet Planner is just too good to be true. But there it was. So when will
Commissar Ikhrata send in tanks to quell the uprising here in that
dissident stronghold known as
Sierra Madre? And will
Joe Mosca run out into the streets to greet them as liberators?
Joe Mosca Fired (Wednesday, October 14, 2009- 68 comments) How deliciously ironic that the haughty
Mr.Mosca should have been canned by the Mayor of Sierra Madre from his
SGVCOG job because of a report in the Tattler. It happened. Once again Joe was caught not showing up to something he was supposed to. During the City Council meeting where the deed was done,
John Buchanan asked if anyone knew how embarrassing this was. Indeed we did.
So that's our review of a portion of The Tattler's first year in existence. A lot of stuff is listed here, but it barely scratches the surface. Just a ton of information about all the scoundrels, deadbeats, lobbyists and dishonest politicians that bedevil us on a daily basis. But they are fun to write about, that's for sure. And there always seems to be plenty of material.
Christmas is here and we're going to a light publishing schedule for the next week or so. I'm sure there will be a couple of things to write about, so keep checking in. And there are always the comments. But it's family time, and you know we all have to do what's right. Family is always first.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and thanks! I've made some of the best friends I've ever had doing this blog. Please accept my gratitude.