6/26/12 City Council:  

BUDGET APPROVED – $1 Million in measure B funds allocated for police but only for second tier hires – This is BIG – This is an opportunity to hire five police officers...But will VPOA tell council and citizens to stuff it with “Cut the staff, we wanna be paid” routine again? Current average total comp per police officers is around $230,000 each, but second tier savings to around $200,000 per cop could mean more officers on the street. This deal will not touch current police benefits. Hard talk on dais about realities of pension reform too.

Budget to also yield new hires for economic development and code enforcement, update to General Plan, infrastructure improvements and improvements to public safety dispatch. Shockingly approved by a unanimous vote of the council. Full report to follow.

 Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

quote from Macbeth by William Shakespeare

6/25/12

By Marc Garman

According to an announcement posted by recall front man Sam Kurshan, the effort to recall councilmembers Stephanie Gomes and Marti Brown has been called off. The statement posted by Kurshan on the website recallcouncilmembersgomesandbrown.com indicates that the effort has been cancelled due to a lack of time remaining to put the measure on the ballot in November. A special election costing upwards of $800,000 would be required if the November deadlines are missed. Considering the number of clerical errors on the part of Kurshan (Epic Fail 1-4) it is unsurprising that the effort died on the vine. That Shakespeare guy had good insight.

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Oh Please   |July.02.2012 We know this is Sam Kurshan posting so I hope Marc is keeping track of his postings to forward to the courts. Sam is still under two restraining orders and he has been posting invitations all over the internet to "come meet him" and he knows that this is what got him in trouble to begin with. Not that anyone believes that he would show up, but it's good information for the court. And that baloney about the law firm making the mistakes? Really? The law firm doesn't have a copy check? They can't see that both petitions had one person's name on it? They wrote "supernarket"? No, even free legal services wouldn't be that sloppy. We all know that this was the work of Sam. And even if it were true, he was stupid for turning it in with all the typos and errors without checking it. Go away Epic Failure. Go back to topix where you belong.

Billy the Greek   |July.02.2012 Good Grief! This line of discussion is so pointless and negative. Let's ignore the obvious and move on with the future ... a new restaurant opened downtown and a mothballed fire station has been reopened AND we have budget to hire five new police officers. Sheesh! Some of you regular participants in the VIB blog can be tedious and unimaginative ... in a word ... boring.

Mr Know It All   |July.02.2012 As hard as it is to believe Sam only paid $800 for the Times Harald full page Ad as opposed for the normal $2500 to $3000. The TH has a special rate for ads that may be of special interest to the community etc.

Rockford   |July.02.2012 @ Deal with it AKA Spammy I thought you were banned from this site due to your defamatory and pornographic postings Please post the full name of the Lawfirm that screwed up I will be sending them a copy of your post where you blame them for the failure of the entire recall mess it would save me from obtaining it from the City Clerk and would be much appreciated will you blame said Lawfirm for your FPPC violations when they nail the crap outa you in Judge Healy's Courtroom high drama at it's best .

wharf rat   |July.02.2012 Oh yes I forgot the Law firm and the banner adds wow it sure adds up any idea what the total is ? I just reviewed my copy of the TH full page add "it was filed under ANAL" dated May 13th top of page states (PAID ADVERTISEMENT) however there is no FPPC ID number on the page just Sams phony PO box number , "wow I bet that add cost a pretty penny"the diatribe states (we don't need more negativity,games,gimmicks and errors) bout busted a gut I laughed so hard how prophetic and ironic "what a joke" if there is a museum of political buffonery this should be framed there. well it's back in the anal file along with numerous discusting and derogatory postings of his it just sits there until needed .

know vallejo   |July.02.2012 rat, i'm no expert, but, as i understand it...if more than $1000 is collected, a FPPC report must be filed. and yes, in kind services (for example, donation of office space, printing costs, food) are included. considering ads, lawyers, mailbox rental. etc., i'd say it's way over the reporting limit. however, generally speaking, the FPPC acts on complaints only. i don't know what the penalties are. fines. i don't know how much.

heres an idea   |July.02.2012 Why don't you and Sam meet person to person and settle your differences once and for all. I for one am tired of your diatribes

Spam   |July.02.2012 So you really must be sweatin' Tubster. No, you will not get away with this. You were foolish to put your name as Treasurer...wonder what fines and penalties await you? Open wiiiiide!

VIBs true colors   |July.02.2012 Give it your best shot. You have no lives and nothing better to do anyway. The City clerk and the FpPC have already been contacted and the proper forms filed with the City Clerk and the Secretary of State. It's all legal so blow it out your a s s e s.

wharf rat   |July.02.2012 Thanks Know Vallejo you seem to know the rules! what is your take on the full page add re:campaign contribution laws ? do you know the approx value of it ? was also wondering what the penalty for fraudulent reporting is. I believe there were rental cars involved as well .

Snerk   |July.02.2012 So you are saying not one dime was contributed to this stupid, misguided, jive ass "campaign"? Oh reeeeeallly?

PeeeU   |July.02.2012 Not so easy Spammy. The web hosting cost, the printing costs, the banner ads, the full page ads, the use of Marti's photo ($500 just for that), the post office box...all of these are expenses and someone had to pay for them. Then there is IN KIND donations that must also be accounted for. ANY monies generated from the PayPal account must also be recorded. Better file now because we're not letting you get away with this one. Coming to getcha!

anon   |July.02.2012 Recall some statements on another site about all the donations flowing in this was posted several times just another lie or a slip of the keyboard ?? this whole thing aint passin the smell test .Maby Judge Healy will have to sort it out boy will that be an interesting Court session

Deal with it   |July.02.2012 Deal with it. It was all legal. There's no story here other than the spin you put on it. In fact had trhey benn given any contributions trhey did not bave to report them until July 31st, not June 30th as the Philadelphia lawyer incorrectly stated. Garman has invited a defamation and slander suit by blaming Kurshan for all the mistakes that killed the recall and encouraging further negative comments of a similar nature, when they were made entirely and solely by the law firm used to handle the recall. The law firm screwed up not Kurshan as ASS umed here.

wharf rat   |July.02.2012 The two FPPC filing numbers are ID# 1347553 = Gomes ID# 1347556 = Brown I believe the rules refrence monetary contributions as well as property is a full page add considered a commodity and required to be reported ? I bet it is if the TH donated that add then it's WAR the fact that they printed the hit job in the first place shows they have no journalistic credibility and are simply panderers remember the Schivley add they would not print , it is a lousy newspaper and for the highest bidder .

I'M PEACHy   |July.02.2012 So the full page ad in the Times herald was a donation from teh TImes Herlad? Interestng.

Wrong imbecile   |July.01.2012 Since no money was collected there is no deadline to file.

Wrong imbecile   |July.01.2012 Wrong imbecile. It would be a 450 not a 460 because no money was collected and a 410 to dissolve the committee.

know vallejo   |July.01.2012 june 30

wharf rat   |July.01.2012 Anyone know what the filing deadline is for the FPPC required expense/contributer accounting i understand there is a fine per day if late and this is enforced by our own and wonderful City Clerk pls post info if you have it .

Recall Monies?   |June.28.2012 @I Love Vallejo: After a brief look at the online/printable Pdf complaint form, one must be able to substantiate, in detail, specific provisions of the act violated, and how, with "particularity", the person filing the complaint has personal knowledge that it occurred. This would be probably be very hard to document for an average citizen. I notice that the recall website has already been taken down, per godaddy, the listing provider. Is there a provision to track funds and expenditures that not part of a complaint? To investigate and dig?

wharf rat   |June.27.2012 @ I love Vallejo Why dont YOU !go up to Sacto and recover the FPPC filings . So many are so quick to give the VIB people assignments I am as guilty as anyone due to the superior quality investigative Journalisim they produce. However I do try to at least whittle down the stick a bit . If you haven't yet learned the whole VIB experiment relies on Volunteers and Contributers. Most of the regular contributers have Day jobs plus Children So at least try to contribute within your capabilities , and respect the collective input that this unique site provides ALL of us. if you would like a topic covered just post a compelling summary with some meat and gravy and a request to the Editor to look into it but beware the VIB Brood is a Fickle bunch ..

I love Vallejo   |June.27.2012 I sure hope that VIB goes to Sacramento and gets the FPP filing required by Sam to show where any monies he collected went and if there are any outstanding debts that the Recall Committee he formed are paid or unpaid. We need to follow up on this and make sure Sam, as Treasurer, dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's!

Anonymous   |June.27.2012 Yes, Mousy, that's right. How else do people like Sam and his "friends" recover from such an embarrassing failure? Go on the offense. And we know he and his "friends" don't care about the truth.

Mousy   |June.27.2012 The "appeasement" idea is just a way to save face. Rather than admit they can't achieve their goal, start a rumor that your enemy collapsed! Notice no specifics...

Anonymous   |June.27.2012 There was no need for appeasing. Buck knew he was behind a quickly sinking ship and he'd drown with it unless he pulled his support. Staying on board the USS Spammy would be like staying on board the Titanic. Poor Spammy, he must have nothing left in his life with no "very influential people" supporting his game playing anymore. Just the Topix sandbox 24/7 again. Ho Hum. So the "recall supporters" (all 30 of you) can deflect all you want off of your complete, total and epic failure(s) all you want. It won't work. You very publicly and embarrassingly failed all on your own with no selling required. We will be laughing at you and this one for many years. The video of Spammy running away from his recallees is just a CLASSIC! I sometimes wonder why these two council women keep doing their council jobs with so many rocks thrown at them. But maybe since failure isn't something they seem to be too familiar with (unlike Spammy and his band of losers), they can just ignore the background noise.

GeoW   |June.27.2012 Sorry GW org... Did not realize that we have the same initials. Yes, Buck was the money-man on this. He was using Sam and the rest of them to put heat on those who were obstructing his desires. I don't know what the particulars of the meeting were, yet, but Brown and Gomes must have appeased him somehow. When you own a lot of the downtown area, you like have your way.

Clarke Johnston   |June.27.2012 Without evidence to support the idea, the notion that councilpersons Gomes and Brown, or Buck, for that matter, "bargained" away or bartered off the recall is pure speculation. Much more likely, I think, is that Buck was realizing two things were coalescing: Signature gathering was off to, at best, a tepid, faltering start, never likely to gather enough validated signatures no matter how much time allowed. Also, by failing to meet the August filing date to make the November ballot, the cost to the city for a special election would generate enormous bad press. If a special election were held, Buck would be forever, in the public's minds eye, "own" the responsibility for that. Sam will rebound, and with the dawn of a new day, alight on a new trail, perhaps running again for council himself, this time with Ms. Nguyen staffing the phone bank in her collegial manner.

the devil   |June.27.2012 Thank you Gomes and Brown for your souls. Seriously, what did Gomes and Brown have to barter to get Buck to drop the recall? With Vallejo's voting history, did those two council women really think that Sam could get 8,000 signatures? Did Fienstein or Kamena (the first female d.a.) barter? answer: no, they let the recall go forward and they came out stronger. Sometimes something good comes out of a bad situation but never sell yourself out.

Anonymous   |June.27.2012 So if you're obviousy all-knowimg, what did Buck want and what did Gomes and Brown give? I know them and have watched them both, and they don't sell themselves for anything. Especially a doomed recall attempt frun by the Village Idiot. So spinnnnn it how you need to make yourself feel better, but it never could have been successful and certainly wasn't worth selling themselves for. So name it. What was offered and what was given?

GW org   |June.26.2012 @GW I did not make this comment. I may have missed the outing, but did Mr. Buck-Hausen actually state he bankrolled the failed attempt?

silasbarnabe   |June.26.2012 Ah but Buck may have bargained for something more than he can take.....he sold his PSU friends down the road for PB.

GW   |June.26.2012 Gomes and Brown both met with Buck and negotiated what Buck wanted. After the meeting,, Buck calls off the recall. I think Buck got everything he wanted.

wharf rat   |June.26.2012 A REQUIEM for a HARLEQUIN This ill conceived attempt to control Our City Council via intimidation fell flat on its face because it was not sincere nor legitimate , perhaps one of the most epic cases of political buffoonery I have witnessed in my lifetime . Buck has cast aside any respect he might have had previous to his ill advised involvement with a person who needs intensive phsycological treatment the recall was not about anything relevant at all rather it was the ramblings of a mad man why in the hell Buck ever got on board is any-ones guess "well we all make mistakes " and boy was this a big one . When you attack two you essentially attack the whole organisation including our voters right of representation by majority vote . What can be learned by this? it is clear We need changes to our charter to prevent frivolous attacks on elected representatives as many smaller Cities have had for years . Also clear is the real and debilitating effects of mental illness especially when not treated , also clear is the repercussions of monumental BAD judgement and political suicide Buck will always be viewed in a different light following his involvement with this fiasco "when you attack an institution you attack all the members of it " and place yourself under the microscope . So much time and energy has been squandered by this ill conceived and idiotic fiasco if the proponents had put their resources into something positive they would be smelling like a rose instead of a ---- perhaps this is the most profound lesson learned from the whole thing.

know vallejo   |June.26.2012 an exhibitionist at a gay pride parade and sam kurshan. just goes to show you that you can act like an idiot no matter what your sexual orientation.

Annoyed   |June.26.2012 Well Anon, if you didn't report the guy then you abetted that behavior.

Anonymous   |June.26.2012 "I don't know what parade you attended but the one I attended in S.F. this last weekend was very different. I saw no such exhibitions of sex. " You could have witnessed this for yourself at McAllister and Jones. Behind the band stand next to the porta potties.

GW   |June.26.2012 @ MOMSTER Mr. Kurshan had no influence about the shut down, but was partly to blame for it. Whole topics had to be removed due to the offensive hardcore language used when the opposing sides tried to impress and top the other party with foul useless comments and taunts. Following a complaint I made I received a personal e-mail from Mr. Volmer apologizing about the removal of my posts. This was before the last format change! Mr. Kurshan has no power, although I support his right to comment on issues, I do not support his nor anyone elses uncivil way of trying to get a point across. It distracts from the issues at hand, but maybe that is the point!

Hacking Attempt? Orange Upload   |June.26.2012 Uh huh. Internet skills. Might include Dedicated Denial of Service attacks, HTML probing or similar hacks. Packets, remote isps', open ports...Don't ever underestimate one's opponent, never a wise call...

Anonymous   |June.26.2012 The only cage Spammy rattles is his own. We just get to laugh at the noise. It provides unending humor.

Anonymous   |June.26.2012 to anon who said that at the pride parade in S.F. there were naked men pleasuring themselves and oral sex available............I don't know what parade you attended but the one I attended in S.F. this last weekend was very different. I saw no such exhibitions of sex. Don't promote lie to promote stereotypes.

You are all a bunch of hypocri   |June.26.2012 Vallejo Independent Bulletin - Offline Vallejo Independent Bulletin This site is temporarily unavailable. Could not connect to the database server

Firebug   |June.26.2012 LOL! handle in caps = enraged the same can be said of sammie, you and your husbands obsession with VIB.

MOMSTER   |June.26.2012 Also, if you think Sam had influence on the TH to change their format, then you're wrong. During that time, the bay area newspapers were all changing their formats; Marin IJ, Press Democrate etc. You guys give Sam way too much power. The only power he has is to rattle a lot of your cages.

Mariner's Landing   |June.26.2012 Too bad Sammy can't put his energy into something useful like questioning the council on when the new parking structure on the waterfront is going to open. It appears that it is going to take the City a longer time period to repair an elevator and formulate parking fee structure than it took to build the parking building.

Anonymous   |June.25.2012 At the pride parade yesterday, there were men standing around naked in the streets, pleasuring themselves in front of the crowd. There were booths set up where people could enter and have oral sex performed on them for the mutual pleasure of all. It is unknown how much HIV virus was spread but it was greater than zero. Many of you advocate "equal justice" for this group of people. Around Vallejo, Sam offends all that he comes in contact with. His words are vile and disgusting and offensive to everyone. Does Sam deserve the same "equal justice"?

Anonymous   |June.25.2012 Internet skills? Spammy? If the recall website is an example of that, there's a reason he can't get a job!

Historical View   |June.25.2012 Sam wanted to belong to the people he (and others) associates with VIB. He never was a part of it nor was he supported. He said the things he thought he should say in order to fit in. Just as he has done with every other group he has come into contact with. In the end, it was his ego and willingness to always push to the extreme that had people wanting to move away from him. He had no boundaries and not morals. He is the type that is willing to do and say anything if he thinks it will win favor with whatever group he is around. He may have hung around here for a few months but he was never a part of VIB.

Arrested Development?   |June.25.2012 Sam has skills, internet and otherwise. He's even had some notable ideas and concepts. But, he sees people not as friends, but a means to an end, vessels for a purpose, tools. Mixed with a fair dose of straight up chauvinism and general rudeness, he offends without reason or purpose. He often revels, in a juvenile way, at the reactions he's managed to provoke. Rather like telling an off-color joke at the dinner table, or making a blatantly sexist remark in the workplace. Cringe worthy.

Firebug   |June.25.2012 @GW, I remember sammie as far back as 2005-6, after his incarceration of December 2007 he became a changed man

GW   |June.25.2012 @ Anonymous I thought I made myself clear when I stated that he was much worse, comment wise, 5+ years ago than now. During that time I was in contact with Mr. Garman and Mr. Kurshan no longer could be considered an assett but a liability, not only on Vallejo is Burning but also on the Times Herald website that was subsequently desolved and reopened weeks later under a different format. All those comments were lost and they would be telling as to the mental state of some! There are former contributors still blogging now that did not mind dishing with the foul mouthed master of muck raking, even supporting him and his slanted view of the world. So yes, I remember well, do you?

Don't Throw Things At Me   |June.25.2012 To those who say he should be held accountable for the cost of this "recall" and/or sued I say nuts. No matter how much I disagree with what happened- and I do- no matter how many laughs I got out of it, this is free speech. It was within the fruitcakes legal and constitutional right to do what he did. He is not liable for any costs (as if he could pay them) for doing such.

SamSamSam   |June.25.2012 Please make yourself useful, somehow, someway, for crying out loud. If you would have spent your last 2 years picking up trash instead of attacking the elderly and women you could have actually contributed something to Vallejo. I don't expect him to learn, he hasn't up to this point.

Anonymous   |June.25.2012 He was banned because he was using terrible ugly profanity and spamming (no pun intended) the website 24/7 with his disgusting rants. The Dialogue Monitor has better things to do than clean up his crap all day and night. You're right on one thing. He needs serious help. He is full of impotent rage, especially towards women, and now even more after spectacularly proving himself to be a loser so publicly and so many times.

GW   |June.25.2012 How long have you lived here? Mr. Kurshan was much ruder and truly vile 5 years ago when he still was with and protected by Vallejo is Burning! He may have just carried water, but he was part of the group that eventually banned him for voicing his opinion and attacts on this website. The situation is no longer comical and has nothing to do with an idea exchange. This man should seek professional help for his issues and those that egg him on are complicit in furthering his problem.

Morgan Lindsay Hannigan   |June.25.2012 Epic fail number six or seven, right? Don't forget his council campaigns, although not as hilarious as this series, those certainly weren't good showings for Spammy. Love that nick name by the way, but maybe there is something more reflective of his hateful attitude? I've saved some really rude emails from him and while Spammy properly connotes how much free time he has on his hands (especially now), it doesn't reflect just how ugly, rude, and angry that little man is. I'm surprised he isn't a cop.

Anonymous   |June.25.2012 Maybe a public records act request of how much staff time and attorney time the city spent on this charade?

Thank You Marc   |June.25.2012 for not posting the news with the fat man's ugly mug.

know vallejo   |June.25.2012 buck kamphausen and sam kurshan should have to pay for this ridiculous waste of taxpayer's money.

Clarke Johnston   |June.25.2012 While the recall website sounds gracious enough, it won't take long for the rude and derisive comments to erupt, labeling recall opponents as "VIB misfits", "VIB losers", and calling anyone else's reading of the event timeline as "Revisionist VIB History". Wait......wait....

Poof!   |June.25.2012 And there you have it folks, yet another losing campaign from the biggest loser in town. Spammy you wasted city staff time on this hare brained mess and embarrassed all of those who might have supported it. They look stupid for having anything to do with you and have been busy for two weeks distancing themselves from you. Why don't you apologize for your stupidity in being unable to properly file paperwork? Why don't you apologize for the nasty lies you listed as reasons for the recall - yes, each item you and your band of idiots posted were lies - and really, why don't you slink away and annoy another town? Epic Fail 5 indeed. This one too big to forget, and believe me, I will be sure to make sure it is never forgotten. Thank you Marc, Stephanie and Marti!

Firebug   |June.25.2012 He must have been having convulsions just writing about his failure(s).

I Love Vallejo   |June.25.2012 Well, well, well, I wonder where the money he collected has gone? It will be interesting to see if he files an FPP (Fair Political Practices) form which is required. We need to follow up on that. Also, is there anyway to recall "The Village Idiot"?

Anonymous   |June.25.2012 Thanks for the explanation. For a minute there I was convinced they'd run into each other at some time.

Bill Shaky   |June.25.2012 He didnt know Spammy. Just the type.

Anonymous   |June.25.2012 How did Shakespeare know Spammy?

Anonymous   |June.25.2012 How nice of him to not make the city pay $800,000 for a special election (insert heavy sarcasm). He wouldn't have been able to collect the signatures even with six months to gather them. What a loser. Gomes and Brown should sue him for harassment.

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