Union bosses and well-funded outside special interests tried again in 2008 to take over small town El Segundo

Posted on April 2, 2008 by Mike

2008 EL SEGUNDO CITY ELECTION

Union bosses and well-funded outside special interests tried again in 2008 to take over small town El Segundo

Former City Councilmember Mike Robbins fought against a big city-style political machine in small town El Segundo

“El Segundo Fire and Police Union bosses unilaterally endorsed candidates with the worst public safety, spending, and integrity records.”

Candidates were supported with tens of thousands of dollars from outside special interests, including developers, a trash hauler, someone who tried to obtain a large city contract without competition, and others who may have expected something in return. One of these candidates was Eric Busch.

Busch has received large contributions from someone who tried to rig the competition for a large city contract and have it awarded to a less qualified bidder at nearly twice the price ($120,000 versus $65,000 for a Golf Course construction management contract). Busch was so arrogant that he continued to take the money from this person after he was confronted with this relationship.

The $50,000 plus election campaign with many $1,000 to $6,000 contributions was highly unusual for small town El Segundo. Campaigns used to cost less than $5,000 and a lot of shoe leather. Although the Union bosses and outside special interests out-spent the independent candidates by as much as ten to one, they won only one of three council seats – Eric Busch.

Michael D. Robbins, 4/2/2008
Founder, El Segundo Public Safety Project
Former El Segundo City Councilmember (1992-1996)

Read all about it and see more pages, documents, and images posted throughout the week!

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Elections, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Police Union Corruption, Political Corruption, Politics, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Union bosses and well-funded outside special interests tried again in 2008 to take over small town El Segundo

What is a Fire or Police Union Endorsement Really Worth? by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on April 2, 2008 by Mike

The following flyer was distributed city-wide to homes throughout El Segundo in advance of the Aril, 2008 El Segundo city election, on Sunday, April 6, 2008.

You can view a PDF version of the flyer by clicking on either of the two document thumbnail images below.

                                               

EVERY VOTER SHOULD READ THESE FACTS

ABOUT REAL PUBLIC SAFETY IN EL SEGUNDO !

A public service of the El Segundo Public Safety Project – PublicSafetyProject.Org

For supporting documentation, additional and updated information,
and responses to any last-minute hit-pieces, be sure to visit our web site.

What is a Fire or Police Union Endorsement Really Worth ?

El Segundo Fire and Police Union bosses have unilaterally endorsed candidates:

  1. With the Worst public safety and spending records.

    In the last City Council election (2004), the El Segundo Fire and Police Union
    Bosses     endorsed the candidates with the worst public safety records and failed to
    endorse the two candidates with outstanding public safety records – Jim
    Boulgarides, a firefighter and paramedic in another city and also an L.A. County
    Lifeguard – and former multi-term Mayor Carl Jacobson, who was instrumental in
    the successful relocation into El Segundo and modernization of our 911 emergency
    call/dispatch center and our public safety records management system.

    The Union bosses endorsed George Nakano for our State Assembly district in
    2002, even though Nakano voted only three days after the 9-11 Terrorist Attack
    to give official California driver licenses to Illegal Aliens, Identity Thieves, Drug
    Smugglers, and Terrorists using the identity of their choice (AB 60, 9/14/2001).
    Nakano voted for dangerous laws and bloated budgets that led to the Governor
    Davis recall.

  2. With the Worst integrity records.

    In the last City Council election (2004), the police and fire Union bosses endorsed
    the three candidates supported with tens of thousands of dollars from outside
    special interests, including developers, a trash hauler, someone who tried to obtain
    a large city contract without competition, and others who may have expected
    something in return. One of these candidates was Eric Busch. Busch has received
    large contributions from someone who tried to rig the competition for a large city
    contract and have it awarded to a less qualified bidder at nearly twice the price.

    The $50,000 plus election campaign with many $1,000 to $6,000 contributions
    was highly unusual for small town El Segundo. Campaigns used to cost less than
    $5,000 and a lot of shoe leather. Although the Union bosses and outside special
    interests out-spent the independent candidates by as much as ten to one, they won
    only one of three council seats – Eric Busch.

    3. (continued)

    (continued)

  3. Without allowing the Union members to meet the candidates and vote on
    endorsements. The Union bosses decided amongst themselves, and then “flowed
    down” their decisions to the Union members.

    4. POLITICAL CORRUPTION?

    The police and fire Union bosses claimed in many election campaigns that we will get
    better and faster emergency service if we vote for their “approved” candidates, i.e., worse
    and slower service otherwise.

    The fire Union bosses even claimed there was “the possibility of our paramedics not
    being available when you need them” if Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs, and Bill Fisher were
    not elected to City Council in the last city election (2004). They made this claim in their
    disgraceful “Senior Scare” letter, which they sent to senior citizens throughout
    El Segundo on official fire Union letterhead, and signed by all three Union bosses on
    behalf of El Segundo firefighters and paramedics, without allowing them to vote on it!
    A scan of this letter can be viewed at PublicSafetyProject.org/elsegundo.

    The El Segundo Union bosses met with at least some city council candidates for this
    Tuesday’s election, to discuss their pay and benefit increases in the upcoming labor
    contract negotiations    . We value our high quality police and fire services and personnel.
    However, salaries should be competitive, and based on the law of supply and demand and
    the true value of high quality personnel in a free economy. The El Segundo firefighter
    and police salaries are the highest in the region, and probably among the highest in the
    state and the country. Excessive salaries and benefits means less money for staffing,
    equipment, and training, reducing personnel and public safety.

    POSSIBLE INTIMIDATION?

    The police and fire Union boss endorsements are intimidating some residents and
    business owners who perceive an implied threat that emergency service may be delayed
    or absent, or they may be harassed, if they do not support the candidates approved by the
    Union bosses. These concerns are amplified by California Government Code section 845
    which states, “Neither a public entity nor a public employee is liable for failure to …
    provide police protection service or … to provide sufficient police protection service.”

    Is this the right direction for El Segundo?

    Of course not! The first step to promote public safety in El Segundo is to elect honest and
    competent candidates who represent the residents and tax payers, and not the Union
    bosses     and outside special interests. Only independent candidates who are not beholden
    to Union bosses can maintain quality and efficiency in our police and fire departments,
    and be fair to residents, tax payers, and city employees in all departments.

    PLEASE NOTE: The Union bosses do periodic fundraising to replenish their political campaign accounts.
    These are not charitable contributions. Get written evidence of tax deductibility before donating to any charity.

    Authored and Paid for by Michael Robbins, El Segundo Public Safety Project, P.O. Box 2193,
    El Segundo, CA 90245. Not authorized or endorsed by any candidate or committee. Rev. 04/02/08

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Elections, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, News, Police Union Corruption, Political Corruption, Politics, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What is a Fire or Police Union Endorsement Really Worth? by Michael D. Robbins

UPDATE: Arab Islamic Terrorism in Israel, by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on August 4, 2005 by Mike

Aerial photo of the World Trade Center collapsing after the 9-11-2001 Islamic Terrorist Attack in New York City: Israel suffered the equivalent of twenty-three September 11, 2001 World Trade Center Arab Islamic terrorist attacks in the 4.8 year period from September 27, 2000 to July 23, 2005, in terms of Arab Islamic terrorism deaths in Israel scaled up from Israel's Jewish population to the U.S. population. Photo source unknown.

Aerial photo of the World Trade Center
collapsing after the 9-11-2001
Islamic Terrorist Attack in New York City.
Photo source unknown.

“Israel suffered the equivalent of twenty-three September 11, 2001 World Trade Center Arab Islamic terrorist attacks in the 4.8 year period from September 27, 2000 to July 23, 2005, in terms of Arab Islamic terrorism deaths in Israel scaled up from Israel’s Jewish population to the U.S. population.” – Michael D. Robbins, Director of the Public Safety Project

Arab Islamic Terrorism in Israel

Major Arab Islamic “Palestinian” terrorist attacks from September 27, 2000 to July 23, 2005

General Information and Statistics

by Michael D. Robbins

August 4, 2005

This analysis of Arab Islamic terrorism in Israel has been updated using more complete and current data from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which indicates that 1,073 people have been murdered by Arab Islamic terrorism since September 2000.

Thus, Israel suffered the equivalent of twenty-three September 11, 2001 World Trade Center Arab Islamic terrorist attacks in the 4.8 year period from September 27, 2000 to July 23, 2005, in terms of Arab Islamic terrorism deaths in Israel scaled up from Israel’s Jewish population to the U.S. population.

The following data includes woundings but covers a shorter period. Between September 29, 2000 and April 1, 2005, Magen David Adom treated a total of 7,253 casualties as follows:
953 killed, 596 severely injured, 881 moderately and 4,823 lightly injured, among them 11 MDA staff members. (Israel Defense Forces casualties treated by IDF medical personnel are not included in these figures.)

Woundings include arms and legs blow off, blindings, and shrapnel wounds due to nails packed with the bombs to maximize the deaths and woundings.

Using these more recent figures, extrapolating the woundings based on the two figures for murders by multiplying by (1,073 / 953), and multiplying by 60 to scale by the ratio of U.S. population to Israel’s Jewish population, results in the following Arab Islamic terrorist murders and woundings in the U.S.:

The Victims of Arab Islamic Terrorism in Israel
September 27, 2000 and July 23, 2005
Terrorism Casualty Type U.S. Equivalent1 Israel Actual2 Calculation
Murders: 64,380 1,073 = Most recent data
Severe Woundings: 40,263 671 = 596 x (1,073 / 953)
Moderate Woundings: 59,516 992 = 881 x (1,073 / 953)
Light Woundings: 325,818 5,430 = 5,430 x (1,073 / 953)
Total Victims: 489,977 8,166 = 1,073 + ( (596 + 881 + 4,823) x (1,073 / 953) )
Equivalent Nbr. of Sept. 11 Attacks: 23 23 = 64,380 / 2,7523 = 23.4

1 U.S. equivalent based on percentage of population,
computed by multiplying by 60 to scale by the ratio
of the U.S. population to Israel’s Jewish population.
2 Data source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/terrorism-%20obstacle%20to%20peace/palestinian%20terror%20since%202000/
3 New York’s September 11, 2001 World Trade Center death
count was stated as 2,752 as of October 29, 2003.

Posted in Bombings, Islamic Terrorism, Israel, Middle East, Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on UPDATE: Arab Islamic Terrorism in Israel, by Michael D. Robbins

Arab Islamic Terrorism in Israel, by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on August 2, 2005 by Mike

Note: There is an update to this article based on more complete data that concludes substantially higher figures.

Aerial photo of the World Trade Center collapsing after the 9-11-2001 Islamic Terrorist Attack in New York City: Israel suffered the equivalent of 13.8 Sept. 11 World Trade Center Arab Islamic terrorist attacks between September 2000 and February 25, 2004, in terms of Arab Islamic terrorism deaths in Israel scaled up from Israel's Jewish population to the U.S. population. Photo source unknown.

Aerial photo of the World Trade Center
collapsing after the 9-11-2001
Islamic Terrorist Attack in New York City.
Photo source unknown.

“Israel suffered the equivalent of 13.8 Sept. 11 World Trade Center Arab Islamic terrorist attacks between September 2000 and February 25, 2004, in terms of Arab Islamic terrorism deaths in Israel scaled up from Israel’s Jewish population to the U.S. population.” – Michael D. Robbins, Director of the Public Safety Project

Arab Islamic Terrorism in Israel

Major Arab Islamic “Palestinian” terrorist attacks from September 2000 through February 25, 2004

General Information and Statistics

by Michael D. Robbins

August 2, 2005

I have analyzed Arab Islamic terrorist attack data from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official website. The total casualties in this data, which covers only September 2000 through February 25, 2004, is 547 Arab Islamic terrorist murders and approximately 2,832 Arab Islamic terrorist woundings in Israel.

If you multiply by 60, to scale by the ratio of U.S. population to Israel’s Jewish population, this would reflect the following Arab Islamic terrorist murders and woundings in the U.S.:

37,980 murders, and approximately 173,940 woundings, in approximately 3.5 years, where these murders and woundings include babies, infants, children, girls, and women including pregnant women who were intentionally targeted.

Also, the woundings include arms and legs blow off, blindings, and shrapnel wounds due to nails packed with the bombs to maximize the deaths and woundings.

Thus, Israel has suffered the equivalent of 13.8 Sept. 11 World Trade Center Arab Islamic terrorist attacks between September 2000 and February 25, 2004, in terms of Arab Islamic terrorism deaths in Israel scaled up from Israel’s Jewish population to the U.S. population.

This is based on 132 Arab Islamic terrorist attacks, with an average of 4.8 deaths and 22.0 woundings per attack.

There may be more attacks and casualties not reflected in this data.

The full data set is available from FraudFactor™ HERE.

List of 128 Israeli Victims of Arab Islamic Terrorism – 9/2000 – 11/2001 was obtained from this web site:
http://www.IsraelNewsAgency.com/

Posted in 9-11 Terrorism Attack, Bombings, Islamic Terrorism, Israel, Middle East, Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Arab Islamic Terrorism in Israel, by Michael D. Robbins

Email – Agreement with Chevron for gas UUT in lieu fee

Posted on August 18, 2004 by Mike

From: Plumlee, Bret
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 1:33 PM
To: Domann, Cathy
Subject: Agreement with Chevron for gas UUT in lieu fee

Cathy,

I would like to get a copy of an agreement the City has with Chevron for payment in lieu of paying gas UUT on cogenerated electricity. I think the agreement is many years old, but I would like to review it if you can track it down.

Thanks

Bret

Posted in El Segundo Chevron Public Records Act Request | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Email – Agreement with Chevron for gas UUT in lieu fee

El Segundo Firefighter Union Bosses used Threats and Intimidation in City Election

Posted on April 10, 2004 by Mike

BREAKING NEWS:

Saturday, April 10, 2004 7:27 am

FIRE UNION BOSS’S SENIOR SCARE LETTER

Firefighter Union bosses use scare tactics against El Segundo senior citizens.

They sent a letter on Union letterhead dated 4/9/04, signed by all three fire Union bosses, to El Segundo seniors threatening that if they don’t vote for Eric Busch, Sandy Jacobs, and Bill Fisher for City Council, hospitals may be closed and there may not be emergency service in El Segundo when needed!

Click on the letter to the left to see a larger readable image of the complete letter (150 KB).

Click on the envelope below to see the text of the letter.

The Fire Union bosses who signed the letter are:

Kevin Rehm, President
Breck Slover, 1st Vice President
John Bilbee, 2nd Vice President
El Segundo Firefighters’ Association

Click on the envelope below to see an analysis and the text of the Senior Scare Letter. Notice how the envelope also carries the fire Union logo.

Click HERE on the image of the Fire Union envelope that the Fire Union Senior Scare Letter was sent in to see an analysis and the text of the Senior Scare Letter (on the old website). Notice how the envelope also carries the fire Union logo.

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, Elections, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, News, Political Corruption, Politics, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on El Segundo Firefighter Union Bosses used Threats and Intimidation in City Election

A History of Police and Firefighter Union Corruption in El Segundo

Posted on April 10, 2004 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Directory, Public Safety Project
El Segundo, California
PublicSafetyProject.org

– WORKING DRAFT –

April 13, 2004 El Segundo City Election

http://www.publicsafetyproject.org/elsegundo/index.html

Union bosses and well-funded outside special interests are trying to take over small town El Segundo for at least the next four years

Former City Councilmember Mike Robbins fights against big city-style political machine in small town El Segundo

“El Segundo Fire and Police Union bosses unilaterally endorsed candidates with the worst public safety and spending records.”

“The $50,000 plus election campaign with many $1,000 to $6,000 contributions is highly unusual for small town El Segundo.

“Campaigns used to cost less than $5,000 and a lot of shoe leather. We are at risk of having all future Mayors and Councilmembers selected before the election by Union bosses and outside special interests. We may lose our Democratic elections.”

Michael D. Robbins, 4/9/2004
Founder, El Segundo Public Safety Project
Former El Segundo City Councilmember (1992-1996)

Read all about it and see more pages, documents, and images posted throughout the week!

DOCUMENTS

Read Mike’s Flyer – It was distributed city-wide on Saturday, April 10, 2004

                   

Read, Save, and Email Mike’s flyer (9 KB PDF file, 2 pages, B&W)
Print and Distribute Mike’s flyer (38 KB PDF file, 2 pages, B&W)

http://www.publicsafetyproject.org/elsegundo/docs/documentation.html

The El Segundo Public Safety Project
PublicSafetyProject.org

We will have major updates every few hours today, April 10, 2004,
and Sunday, including supporting documents and links.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

GEORGE NAKANO ENDORSEMENT DOCUMENTATION:

George Nakano voted for AB 60 (by Cedillo) just three days after the 9-11 Terrorist attack in 2001. AB 60 would have provided official California Driver Licenses for Illegal Aliens, Drug Smugglers, Identity Thieves, and Terrorists for the identity of their choice. In spite of this unconscionable soft-on-crime and soft-on-terrorism vote, the El Segundo Police and Fire Union Bosses endorsed George Nakano in 2002 for re-election to the State Assembly from the 53rd Assembly District, which includes El Segundo.

Nakano also supported dangerous soft-on-crime laws and polices opposed by more than 80% of rank and file police officers (nationwide polls by the National Association of Chiefs of Police). Poll questions and data are on file.

  1. Assembly Bill 60 Document Page for 2001-2002 Session (HTML)
  2. Final enrolled version of AB 60 sent to Gov. Gray Davis (HTML)
  3. Final enrolled version of AB 60 sent to Gov. Gray Davis (PDF)
  4. The roll call vote giving final approval to AB 60, on 9-14-2001, listing George Nakano as voting in favor (MOTION: AB 60 Cedillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments) (HTML)
  5. George Nakano 2002 Campaign Mailer (entire panel, low-resolution) listing the El Segundo Police Officers Association and the El Segundo Firefighters Association as endorsements for his candidacy (JPG)
  6. George Nakano 2002 Campaign Mailer (higher resolution detail collage) listing the El Segundo Police Officers Association and the El Segundo Firefighters Association as endorsements for his candidacy (JPG)

George Nakano 2002 Campaign Mailer (entire panel, low-resolution) listing the El Segundo Police Officers Association and the El Segundo Firefighters Association as endorsements for his candidacy.

George Nakano 2002 Campaign Mailer (entire panel, low-resolution) listing the El Segundo Police Officers Association and the El Segundo Firefighters Association as endorsements for his candidacy.

George Nakano 2002 Campaign Mailer (higher resolution detail collage) listing the El Segundo Police Officers Association and the El Segundo Firefighters Association as endorsements for his candidacy.

George Nakano 2002 Campaign Mailer (higher resolution detail collage) listing the El Segundo Police Officers Association and the El Segundo Firefighters Association as endorsements for his candidacy.

"Im a Republican and I support George Nakano. When it
comes to some people, I look beyond the partisanship and
see leadership. George and I have worked together for
the better part of the last 20 years. His support for the
South Bay and our local economy has never wavered.
I'm proud to add my name to the long list of Nakano fans .
I urge you to support George Nakano and send him back to
the State Legislature where he will work for all of us."

RAY FREW
Past President,
Torrance Chamber of Commerce



RE-ELECT
GEORGE
NAKANO
ASSEMBLY 2002

Supported by:
_______________________________________________

  * El Segundo Firefighters Association
  * El Segundo Police Officers Association
  * Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association
  * Los Angeles City Firefighters Association
  * Los Angeles County Firefighters Association
  * Los Angeles County Lifeguards Association
  * Redondo Beach Firefighters Association
  * Torrance Firefighters Association
  * Torrance Police Officers Association
  * Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS)
  * California Association of Highway Patrolmen
  * California Correctional Peace Officers Association 
  * California Organization of Police and Sheriffs (COPS)
  * California Professional Firefighters
  * California State Firefighters Association
  * CDF Firefighters
  * Crime Victims United of California
  * Los Angeles Police Protective League
  * Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC)
  * State Coalition of Probation Organizations


Paid for by Nakano 2002 * P.O. Box 11262, Torrance, CA, 90510 * FPPC ID # 1237198


PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
TORRANCE, CA
PERMIT 1783

WIDESPREAD POLITICAL CORRUPTION AMONG FIREFIGHTER AND POLICE UNIONS

George Nakano voted for AB 60 (by Cedillo) just three days after the 9-11 Terrorist attack in 2001. AB 60 would have provided official California Driver Licenses for Illegal Aliens, Drug Smugglers, Identity Thieves, and Terrorsts using the identity of their choice.

In spite of this unconscionable soft-on-crime and soft-on-terrorism vote, the following firefighter, police, and prison guard unions and labor organizations endorsed George Nakano in 2002 for re-election to the State Assembly from the 53rd Assembly District, which includes El Segundo, California.

Nakano also supported dangerous soft-on-crime laws and polices opposed by more than 80% of rank and file police officers (nationwide polls by the National Association of Chiefs of Police). Poll questions and data are on file.

  • El Segundo Firefighters Association
  • El Segundo Police Officers Association
  • Hermosa Beach Firefighters Association
  • Los Angeles City Firefighters Association
  • Los Angeles County Firefighters Association
  • Los Angeles County Lifeguards Association
  • Redondo Beach Firefighters Association
  • Torrance Firefighters Association
  • Torrance Police Officers Association
  • Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS)
  • California Association of Highway Patrolmen
  • California Correctional Peace Officers Association
  • California Organization of Police and Sheriffs (COPS)
  • California Professional Firefighters
  • California State Firefighters Association
  • CDF Firefighters
  • Crime Victims United of California
  • Los Angeles Police Protective League
  • Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC)
  • State Coalition of Probation Organizations

BOB PINZLER DOOR-HANGER CAMPAIGN LITERATURE ON FILE:

The El Segundo Police and Fire Union Bosses endorsed Bob Pinzler, a Redondo Beach City Councilmember, and the endorsements appeared on his door-hanger. The door-hanger was a long and narrow piece of campaign literature (on file).

Bob Pinzler also supported dangerous soft-on-crime laws and polices opposed by more than 80% of rank and file police officers (nationwide polls by the National Association of Chiefs of Police). Poll questions and data are on file.

There appears to be a historical pattern of the different South Bay city police and fire Union bosses swapping campaign endorsements for each other’s candidates.

LARGE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS:

[ Coming Soon ]

All images and photographs are copyright © 2004 by Michael D. Robbins.
Permission is granted to download, reprint, and distribute the flyers in complete and unaltered form. Contact us for additional reproduction or distribution rights.

For information or to support the
El Segundo Public Safety Project, contact:

Mike Robbins
P.O. Box 2193
El Segundo, CA 90245
310-322-7244

El Segundo Fire and Police Union Campaign Mailer (4/13/2004 City Election)

El Segundo Fire and Police Union Campaign Mailer (4/13/2004 City Election)

The El Segundo Public Safety Project
PublicSafetyProject.org

El Segundo Police and Fire Union Campaign Mailer
sent before the 4/13/04 City Council Election

Click on each picture for a larger view


FRONT SIDE
BACK SIDE

El Segundo Police and Fire Union Polical Campaign Mailer Sent before the 4/13/04 City Council Election

The El Segundo Police and Fire Union Bosses sent out this polical campaign mailer before the 4/13/04 city election, endorsing the city council candidates with the worst public safety records as
“The Best Choice for Public Safety”.

They did not even meet and talk with, or allow their members to meet and talk with a candidate with a real, outstanding public safety record:

Former El Segundo Mayor Carl Jacobson, who was instrumental in starting the process to replace El Segundo’s obsolete 911 Emergency Dispatch Center and Radio and Computer Equipment with a modern facility and modern equipment.
http://www.Jacobson-ES.com/

[ FRONT SIDE – Primary Text: ]

What Do El Segundo Firefighters and Police Officers Have in Common?

P.O. Box 55
El Segundo, CA 90245

[ BACK SIDE – Primary Text: ]

Firefighters – Police Officers – Paramedics
Support

Busch – Jacobs – Fisher

The Best Choice For Public Safety

On April 13th Support

Eric Busch – Sandra Jacobs – Bill Fisher

Paid for by the El Segundo Firefighters Association PO Box 55 El Segundo, CA ID # 1231824

In the 2004 El Segundo city election, the El Segundo Firefighters’ Association (the fire union) and the El Segundo Police Officers’ Association (the police union) supported a slate of three candidates for three City Council seats up for election. The slate consisted of Eric K. Busch, Sandra Jacobs, and Bill Fisher.

Firefighters’ union president Kevin Rehm was very active in the 2004 election. One of his responsibilities was to be the campaign sign placement and maintenance coordinator for all three candidates in the fire and police union slate.

Rehm arranged for double, triple, and even quadruple sets of campaign signs for all three candidates to be put on individual properties, even if the property was not a corner property. At least two sets of campaign signs were put out per property, with one set on each property line, to create the false appearance that twice as many voting households were supporting the fire and police union candidates.

The cost of all those extra campaign signs was not an issue, because the fire and police unions had loads of money to spend on the campaigns. Their union members were paid many times more than highly skilled private sector professionals with one or more university degrees and many years of experience.

Here are some photos of the multiple sets of Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs, and Bill Fisher campaign signs placed on the same properties by firefighter union members:

Photo showing three sets of campaign signs for Eric Busch (white), Sandra Jacobs (pink to attract the female voters), and Bill Fisher (yellow), all crowded on the same property.
Photo showing three sets of campaign signs for Eric Busch (white), Sandra Jacobs (pink to attract the female voters), and Bill Fisher (yellow), all crowded on the same property.
Photo copyright © 2004 by Michael D. Robbins.

Photo showing two sets of campaign signs for Eric Busch (white), Sandra Jacobs (pink to attract the female voters), and Bill Fisher (yellow), all crowded on the same property.
Photo showing two sets of campaign signs for Eric Busch (white), Sandra Jacobs (pink to attract the female voters), and Bill Fisher (yellow), all on the same property, with one set at the property line to create the false appearance that two different families are supporting the fire and police union slate of three candidates.
Photo copyright © 2004 by Michael D. Robbins.

All the campaign signs for Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs, and Bill Fisher had a sticker with Rehm’s cellular phone number (310-422-9411) as the campaign sign placement and maintenance coordinator contact number. You can do an internet search for that phone number and you find that Kevin Rehm rents out three lakefront homes that he appears to own, and office space in an eight-story office building that he also appears to own.

It appeared that Rehm was performing campaign management and coordination activities using his cell phone during paid work hours from the fire station, during the many hours of paid free time firefighters have while waiting for an emergency call.

The campaign sign stickers read as follows:

This sign has been placed with the
permission of the owner. If you
have any problems with this sign
please call: (310) 422-9411 We will
fix the problem ASAP. Thank you!

Photo showing upper right corner of a white Eric Busch campaign sign with Kevin Rehm's phone number sticker on the sign.
Photo showing upper right corner of a white Eric Busch campaign sign with Kevin Rehm’s phone number sticker on the sign.
Photo copyright © 2004 by Michael D. Robbins.

Photo showing upper right corner of a pink Sandra Jacobs campaign sign with Kevin Rehm's phone number sticker on the sign.
Photo showing upper right corner of a pink Sandra Jacobs campaign sign with Kevin Rehm’s phone number sticker on the sign.
Photo copyright © 2004 by Michael D. Robbins.

Photo showing upper right corner of a yellow Bill Fisher campaign sign with Kevin Rehm's phone number sticker on the sign.
Photo showing upper right corner of a yellow Bill Fisher campaign sign with Kevin Rehm’s phone number sticker on the sign.
Photo copyright © 2004 by Michael D. Robbins.

ELECTION ALERT!!!

Will El Segundo voters allow the fire and police Union bosses, outside special interests, and Eric Busch to BUY this election and a seat on our City Council?

El Segundo Voter Information for the April 8, 2008 City Election

The El Segundo, California city election is this Tuesday, April 8, 2008.

Please – email and telephone everyone you know who lives in El Segundo and ask them to visit this web site and to read Mike’s election flyer before they vote. Some people do not check their email for several days, so be sure to call them as well. Thank you!

View the El Segundo Firefighters Union “Senior Scare” Letter (dated April 9, 2004) sent to El Segundo Senior Citizens, threatening hospital closure and “the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them” if the City Council candidates they endorsed are not elected. The endorsements are given based on salary and benefit increases and politics, not public safety considerations.

Learn about the candidates, and who are the best and the worst for public safety, spending, and integrity, by visiting the El Segundo Public Safety Project home page.

Also, read or download the sample ballot (PDF file), find your El Segundo voting poll location, and use the address of your voting poll to find it on a map of El Segundo provided by Google Maps.

If you cannot find your voting poll location, vote at any poll, or at the City Clerk’s office at 350 Main Street, and ask to vote on a “provisional ballot”. This is your right, and your request cannot be refused. Your ballot is verified against the voter registration rolls, absentee ballot requests, and to ensure that you are not voting more than once.

April 8, 2008 El Segundo City Election

Union bosses and well-funded outside special interests are trying to take over small town El Segundo for at least the next four years

Former City Councilmember Mike Robbins fights against big city-style political machine in small town El Segundo

“El Segundo Fire and Police Union bosses unilaterally endorsed candidates with the worst public safety, spending, and integrity records.”

In the last City Council election (2004), the police and fire Union bosses endorsed the three candidates supported with tens of thousands of dollars from outside special interests, including developers, a trash hauler, someone who tried to obtain a large city contract without competition, and others who may have expected something in return. One of these candidates was Eric Busch.

Busch has received large contributions from someone who tried to rig the competition for a large city contract and have it awarded to a less qualified bidder at nearly twice the price ($120,000 versus $65,000 for a Golf Course construction management contract). Busch was so arrogant that he continued to take the money from this person after he was confronted with this relationship.

The $50,000 plus election campaign with many $1,000 to $6,000 contributions was highly unusual for small town El Segundo. Campaigns used to cost less than $5,000 and a lot of shoe leather. Although the Union bosses and outside special interests out-spent the independent candidates by as much as ten to one, they won only one of three council seats – Eric Busch.

Michael D. Robbins, 4/2/2008
Founder, El Segundo Public Safety Project
Former El Segundo City Councilmember (1992-1996)

Read all about it and see more pages, documents, and images posted throughout the week!

I posted the following message on the old Public Safety Project web site on Saturday, April 10, 2004 7:27 am.


BREAKING NEWS:

Saturday, April 10, 2004 7:27 am:

FIRE UNION BOSS’S SENIOR SCARE LETTER

Firefighter Union bosses use scare tactics against El Segundo senior citizens.

They sent a letter on Union letterhead dated 4/9/04, signed by all three fire Union bosses, to El Segundo seniors threatening that if they don’t vote for Eric Busch, Sandy Jacobs, and Bill Fisher for City Council, hospitals may be closed and there may not be emergency service in El Segundo when needed!

Click on the letter to the left to see a larger readable image of the complete letter (150 KB).

Click on the envelope below to see the text of the letter.

The Fire Union bosses who signed the letter are:

Kevin Rehm, President
Breck Slover, 1st Vice President
John Bilbee, 2nd Vice President
El Segundo Firefighters’ Association

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SIZE SCAN of the El Segundo Firefighters Union “Senior Scare” Letter (dated April 9, 2004) sent to El Segundo Senior Citizens, threatening hospital closure and “the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them” if the City Council candidates they endorsed are not elected. The endorsements are given based on salary and benefit increases and politics, not public safety considerations. They sent a letter on Union letterhead dated 4/9/04, signed by all three fire Union bosses, to El Segundo seniors threatening that if they don’t vote for Eric Busch, Sandy Jacobs, and Bill Fisher for City Council, hospitals may be closed and there may not be emergency service in El Segundo when needed!

Click on the letter to the left to see a larger readable image of the complete letter (150 KB).

Click on the envelope below to see the text of the letter.

The Fire Union bosses who signed the letter are:

Kevin Rehm, President
Breck Slover, 1st Vice President
John Bilbee, 2nd Vice President
El Segundo Firefighters’ Association

Scanned image of the April 9, 2004 El Segundo Firefighters Association (union) Senior Scare Letter on official fire union letterhead, threatening senior citizens with the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them if their three approved candidates are not elected - Eric Busch, Bill Fisher, and Sandra Jacobs.

The envelope that the Senior Scare Letter was sent in is shown below. Notice how the envelope was imprinted with same official-looking Fire Union logo as was imprinted on the letterhead, which appears to be a counterfeit fireman’s badge. The envelope was also imprinted with the Fire Union’s return address.

Scanned image of the envelope for the April 9, 2004 El Segundo Firefighters Association (union) Senior Scare Letter on official fire union letterhead, threatening senior citizens with the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them if their three approved candidates are not elected - Eric Busch, Bill Fisher, and Sandra Jacobs.

CLICK HERE! Click here for the Firefighters Union “Senior Scare Letter” sent to senior citizen voters threatening them with “the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them” if the three candidates they endorsed were not elected! CLICK HERE!
For the Firefighters Union “Senior Scare Letter”
threatening senior citizen voters with
“the possibility of our paramedics not being available
when you need them” if the three candidates
they endorsed were not elected!

An analysis and the text of the Senior Scare Letter

SENIOR SCARE LETTER ANALYSIS AND TEXT

Saturday, April 10, 2004 11:21 am:

Firefighter Union bosses used scare tactics against El Segundo senior citizens, threatening that hospitals may close if their candidates are not elected.

In fact, hospitals will not close if their special-interest candidates are not elected. However, if they are elected, residents could be forced to pay hospital transport fees to fund the huge fire department pay increases.

They sent a letter on Fire Union letterhead dated 4/9/04, signed by all three Union bosses, to El Segundo seniors threatening that if they don’t vote for Eric Busch, Sandy Jacobs, and Bill Fisher for City Council, hospitals may be closed and there may not be emergency service in El Segundo when needed!

They stated, “That equates to the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them.”

In fact, the opposite is true. Hospitals are more likely to close and local emergencies services become unavailable BECAUSE OF the Fire Union bosses endorsements. They drain the city’s treasury through noncompetitive excessive compensation provided by those they endorsed, leaving less money available to support needed emergency services.

And they support candidates who encourage massive illegal immigration with incentives including official State Driver Licenses and free College Tuition. Massive illegal immigration over-burdens hospitals with patients who show up at emergency rooms for basic health care and don’t pay the bill.

As one example, the Police and Fire Union bosses endorsed and supported George Nakano for State Assembly in 2002, although he voted only two days after the 9-11 Terrorist attack in 2001 to give official California Driver Licenses to illegal aliens. This bill, AB 60, served only one purpose: to give legal identity documents to millions of illegal aliens in California, as well as drug smuuglers, identity thieves, and terrorists.

The DMV Driver Handbook that is issued for study before you take the written driving exam states very clearly up front:

  1. The Califorina Driver License is the official identification document for the state of California; and
  2. Foreigners visiting California can drive legally using their driver license from their native country.

Thus, the Union bosses are the real threat to availability of hospitals and emergency services in El Segundo, and there is no justification for their dangerous endorsements.

Below is the actual text of their “Senior Scare Letter”.

You may also download a .doc, .rtf, or .txt version of this file:

WORD 6 VERSION

RTF VERSION

PLAIN TEXT VERSION

TEXT OF THE SENIOR SCARE LETTER:

The following text of the El Segundo Firefighters’ Union “Senior Scare Letter” is provided as a service by the El Segundo Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org.

==============================================================================

[ red fire association logo ] El Segundo Firefighters’ Association

Kevin Rehm, President

==============================================================================

April 9, 2004

**********ECRLOT**C-XXX X-XXX
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
El Segundo CA 90245-XXXX

Dear XXXXXXXXXXXX,

Please join your El Segundo firefighters and paramedics in support of Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs and Bill Fisher for the El Segundo City Council. Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs and Bill Fisher are the only three candidates who have demonstrated the leadership, determination and foresight to address the pressing emergency care issues that face our community.

To that end, a serious new challenge recently emerged: Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital is now in danger of closing, which places our entire trauma care hospital system in jeopardy.

Loosing a vital piece of our healthcare system would have a devastating impact on the citizens of El Segundo. The closure of even one hospital will overload other emergency care facilities causing the delays we are now experiencing to be even longer. That equates to the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them.

As El Segundo’s firefighters and paramedics, we cannot stand by and let this happen.

That is one of the many reasons why we have come forward and chosen to endorse Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs and Bill Fisher. Eric, Sandra and Bill have the natural leadership skills and determination to work hard and stop the closure of these hospitals. But more importantly, they have a plan of action to do so:

1) Work with all levels of government to vigorously fight the closure of Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital.

2) Increase your paramedic services and the availability of paramedics when you need them most.

3) Implement this system at no additional costs for taxpayers.

Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs and Bill Fisher clearly understand what needs to happen in the future to keep you safe. That is why every single member of the El Segundo Firefighters’ and Paramedics’ Association endorses Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs and Bill Fisher for City Council.

We respectfully ask you to join us — the future of El Segundo’s emergency care depends on it.

Sincerely,

[ signature ] [ signature ]

Kevin Rehm, President [ red fire association logo ] Breck Slover, 1st Vice President

[ signature ]
John Bibee, 2nd Vice President

[ Upper Right Side-Bar Rectangle: ]

January 28th 2004:

Tenet announced plans to sell or close more than 27 hospitals in the United States, 19 in the Southern California region, 15 in Los Angeles County! There are no guarantees that all of these hospitals will sell and/or stay open. Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital and its Emergency Room on the list.

For more info:
http://www.somh.org

[ Lower Right Side-Bar Rectangle: ]

EMERGENCY CARE NEWS UPDATE

“… [T]here will be six million more residents in Los Angeles by the year 2025, a dramatic increase that will require 66% more acute care beds beyond what now exist in Los Angeles.”

Source: Solucient Studies 2002

==============================================================================

Envelope:

[ Black Logo ] EL SEGUNDO [ PRESORTED STD USA Postage Stamp ]
FIREFIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 3401
El Segundo, CA 90245-8401

==============================================================================

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Firefighter Union Corruption, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A History of Police and Firefighter Union Corruption in El Segundo

Hate Crime Law Supporters Weakened Our Criminal Justice System and Self-Defense Rights, by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on August 31, 2001 by Mike

Hate crime law supporters weakened our criminal justice system and self-defense rights

And now they want to fix the system only for themselves.

By Michael D. Robbins, Director
Public Safety Project
P.O. Box 2193
El Segundo, CA 90245

PublicSafetyProject.com
Twitter: PSP_USA
YouTube: PublicSafetyProject

August 31, 2001

Revised September 4, 2001

This older version is available here for historical purposes. This article was revised again on September 1, 2012.

It is recommended that you read the newer September 1, 2012 version of this article, which is available at:
http://publicsafetyproject.org/blog/2012/09/01/why-hate-crime-laws-are-immoral-and-counter-productive-by-michael-d-robbins/

Mr. Robbins is a Jew and the son of a survivor of pogroms (government sanctioned and sponsored torture and mass murder of Jews) in the former Communist Soviet Union.

This article was originally posted on FraudFactor.com on August 31, 2001 and revised on September 4, 2001 at http://www.FraudFactor.com/ff_first_draft_0006.html. The original article and all revisions were written by Michael D. Robbins.

September 1, 2001 – FraudFactor – There are numerous problems with “hate crime” laws that increase the punishment for crimes of violence and intimidation primarily if not only where the victim is black, hispanic, homosexual, Jewish, asian, or some other “minority” and the criminal expresses hatred as a motivation for the crime.

Although hatred based on race or religion is rude, vulgar, and despicable, in a free society, people have a right to be rude, vulgar, and despicable as long as they are not violating the individual rights of other people by physically hurting them or their property. The primary purpose of government in a free society is to protect individual rights and freedom, not to infringe on those rights and freedom.

Various compelling arguments have been made against hate crime laws, yet a significant and perhaps most compelling argument against hate crime laws has not been made except by this author, to the best of this author’s knowledge. This new argument is presented below as the first and primary argument against hate crime laws. Additional arguments follow.

Fixing Criminal Justice System Weaknesses Only for a Select Few

The most insidious aspect of hate crime laws is that they fix our weakened criminal justice system only for a select few and not for everyone across the board. Under hate crime laws, the government is discriminating and playing favorites based on race. Hate crime laws are promoted by activists in the most liberal soft-on-crime political factions that have consistently voted for liberal soft-on-crime Democrats who have greatly weakened our criminal justice system and eroded our right to own and carry firearms for self-defense.

Multiple studies by Professor Gary Kleck have shown that defense with a firearm is significantly safer and more effective than any other methods, including non-resistance. A firearm is a great equalizer, allowing violent crime victims to overcome criminal attackers who rely on physical strength superiority or numerical superiority.

The liberal political factions include blacks, Jews, and homosexuals, who typically have 80 to 90 percent Democrat voter registration rates.

After weakening our criminal justice system and right to self-defense, thereby increasing violent crime and endangering everyone, liberal politicians, political activists, and “community leaders” are now trying to fix the criminal justice system and increase criminal penalties only for their own benefit, when they and the groups they pander to become crime victims. They still refuse to fix the criminal justice system for everyone across the board.

Fix the Criminal Justice System for Everyone

If the penalties for crimes of violence and intimidation are too lenient, then the penalties should be increased regardless of the race or religion of the crime victim. This can be accomplished by electing conservative Republican legislators and through voter initiatives in states where voters have the right of initiative. We can make everyone safer by strengthening the criminal justice system with truth in sentencing and three-strikes laws, and sufficient new prison construction to prevent the early release of dangerous felons. If liberal Democrat governors and presidents have appointed liberal soft-on-crime judges, then all voters, including blacks, Jews, and homosexuals, should vote to elect Republican governors and presidents who will appoint conservative tough-on-crime judges.

So-called “hate crime” laws should be rejected in favor of strengthening our criminal justice system where necessary, and restoring self-defense rights by allowing all law-abiding adults who pass the background check to carry loaded concealed handguns in public for self-protection. Thirty-four states now have right to self-defense laws that issue self-defense permits on a “shall issue” basis. The states with these laws have experienced significantly reduced murder rates with no significant adverse effects. And in these states, the right to self-defense does not cease to exist once you leave your home or business. Furthermore, in these states, self-defense permits are no longer arbitrarily denied on the basis of race or economic status as in California, New York, and other states.

Relative Intimidation Impact of Violent Crimes

The argument that so-called hate crimes are more severe because they can intimidate many or all people in a community who have the same race or religion as the victim is weak if not entirely wrong. Crimes of violence and intimidation that do not target any specific race or religion can intimidate everyone in an entire community regardless of race and religion, thereby impacting a greater number of people. Crimes that target a specific race or religion intimidate fewer people than the entire population of a given community, and therefore have a lesser total intimidation effect.

Punishing Thoughts and Speech

Another problem with hate crime laws goes beyond the common criticism that they violate the First Amendment right of freedom of speech. Hate crime laws actually punish people for their thoughts. The speech merely provides evidence of what the accused person was thinking. But the punishment is actually attached to the thought, not the speech expressing the thought. Furthermore, the speech is used to interpret the thought, and may be an unreliable indicator of the true thought.

Conversely, thought is the precursor to speech, and punishing thought is therefore an infringement on freedom of speech.

Punishing thought sets an extremely dangerous precedent that can be used to imprison and punish people simply for their thoughts and the government’s perception and disapproval of those thoughts.

Thus, the “liberal” and leftist Democrats are promoting laws and policies that violate free speech and even punish thought, and reduce public safety, while conservative Republicans and Libertarians are protecting free speech and thought, while promoting laws and policies that improve public safety.

Love Crimes

Yet another problem is the absurd implicit claim some crimes of violence and intimidation lack hate. Are we to believe there are “love crimes” of violence and intimidation? Hate crime laws are based on the false premise that for two violent crimes with identical circumstances and outcomes, but with victims of different race or religion, one crime can be more “hateful” than the other and should therefore receive a more severe punishment.

Use Strongest Arguments to Educate the Public

In conclusion, we should use the strongest available arguments to educate the public on the dangers and discrimination of hate crime laws and on the benefits of the superior alternatives. In fact, under the definition of “hate crime”, enactment of hate crime laws may be considered a hate crime, because these laws endanger and victimize people based on their race, and in many cases, a hatred for their race by those promoting such laws.

First Posted: Friday, August 31, 2001 – 10:06 a.m. Pacific Time
Updated: Tuesday, September 4, 2001 – 11:48 p.m. Pacific Time

An updated version of this article is available at:

http://publicsafetyproject.org/blog/2012/09/01/why-hate-crime-laws-are-immoral-and-counter-productive-by-michael-d-robbins/
It was Last Updated: Saturday, September 1, 2012 – 6:50 p.m. Pacific Time
©2001 and 2012 by Michael D. Robbins.

Posted in Crime Control, Gun Control, RKBA, Self-Defense and Gun Rights | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

U.S. Domestic Terrorism – Labor Union Bombings and Mass-Murders in the early 1900’s

Posted on July 27, 2001 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org

Eighty-seven labor union bombings of non-unionized construction projects and businesses were recorded between 1906 and 1911. The Los Angeles Times and its owner and publisher, Harrison Gray Otis, were outspoken opponents of the labor movement and the closed shop. The Los Angeles Times downtown plant was bombed early in the morning of October 1, 1910, murdering 20 people. On the same day, a bomb exploded just outside a bedroom window at Otis’s home. Another bomb consisting of 15 sticks of dynamite was planted at the house of F. J. Zeehandelaar, the secretary of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association (M&M), but did not go off.

Labor union leaders denied that these bombings were union related, even while the union headquarters contained “100 pounds of dynamite, several yards of fuse and twelve clocks similar to those with which bombs are discharged.”

Read more about this in the following book:

Bombers Bolsheviks and Bootleggers – A Study in Constitutional Subversion
by Leon F. Scully, Jr.

Read the first three chapters of this book online.

Learn about the labor union bombing and murder attacks against open shop
construction projects and against the Los Angeles Times newspaper for
criticizing the union thug tactics during the early 1900’s.

The main purpose of this book is to present a case that the evidence exclusionary rule was the result of collusion among lawyers to undermine the American criminal justice system. However, the historical material on labor union bombings, murder, and violence is educational and enlightening. Note that there are compelling arguments both for and against the evidence exclusionary rule, where evidence illegally obtained, whether intentionally or unintentionally due to nonsubstantive technical procedural errors, may not be admitted as evidence during a criminal trial.

http://www.PubliusBooks.com/

Here is a verbatim sample from the online book free sample chapters 1 – 3:

http://www.PubliusBooks.com/1chap.html

In 1905 a labor dispute arose in the structural steel industry, affecting all those engaged in the enterprise of erecting buildings, bridges, and steel-framed structures. The dispute was originally between the Bridge and Structural Iron Workers Union (BSIW) on one side and the American Bridge Company on the other. The union demanded a closed shop contract under which the company would not be permitted to use nonunion labor or to use or deliver materials made by nonunion labor. The company refused, and a strike was called. Shortly thereafter there was a change in the union’s leadership. Frank M. Ryan was elected president of the BSIW and John J. McNamara, a lawyer, was elected secretary-treasurer. Both men were considered to be militants.

The strike spread and by 1906 had become nationwide. The employers banded together and formed an organization called the National Erectors’ Association, adopting the open shop as their fixed policy. By this they meant that workmen would be employed irrespective of membership in any organization, except that preference would be given to those who had accepted employment in defiance of the striking union.

http://www.PubliusBooks.com/2chap.html

The strike was a failure. Despite all the union could do, the construction of buildings and bridges continued unabated. In all major cities except Chicago and San Francisco the open shop prevailed. The contest was not without incident, however, and steel-framed structures erected by nonunion labor had a way of blowing up in the middle of the night. Eighty-seven such bombings were recorded between 1906 and 1911.

Nowhere was the struggle more fierce than in Los Angeles, which remained an open shop city despite the most determined efforts of organized labor. The Los Angeles Times and its owner and publisher, Harrison Gray Otis, were outspoken opponents of the labor movement in general and the closed shop in particular. The Times and its editorial policy were anathema to organized labor.

Early in the morning of October 1, 1910, a bomb placed in an area used to store inks and flammable liquids exploded at the downtown plant of the Los Angeles Times, killing 20 people.1 An improvised, four-page edition appeared the next day with the headline: “Must Blame The Unions.” A year later a monument was dedicated to those “who fell at their posts in the Times Building on the awful morning of October 1, 1910 – victims of conspiracy, dynamite and fire: The Crime of the Century.”2

http://www.PubliusBooks.com/3chap.html

Labor involvement in The Times catastrophe was denied indignantly by the unions. A panel of experts named by the California Federation of Labor, after making an investigation, attributed the explosion to a gas leak caused by faulty pipes and fixtures. Others took a different tack. Socialist Eugene Debs accused Otis of dynamiting his own newspaper, comparing him to Nero burning Rome and blaming the Christians. “The Crime of the Century” polarized American society … .

. . .

http://www.PubliusBooks.com/4chap.html

On the same day as The Times disaster, a bomb exploded just outside a bedroom window at Otis’s home, but no one was hurt. Another bomb was planted at the house of F.J. Zeehandelaar, the secretary of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association (M&M), but did not go off. It consisted of 15 sticks of dynamite attached by electric wires to an alarm clock; the clock had been wound too tightly and had stopped. The apparatus was dismantled and kept for evidence.

. . .

http://www.PubliusBooks.com/7chap.html

On Saturday, April 22, six months after The Times bombing, William J. Burns and local policemen walked in on a meeting of the BSIW executive board at the union headquarters in Indianapolis with a warrant signed by the governor of Indiana for the arrest of John J. McNamara. Less than an hour later, after a snap arraignment, McNamara was on his way to Los Angeles. That night the two McNamara brothers and Ortie McManigal were in a closely guarded railway car headed for California.

The raiders also held a warrant issued by a local judge to search the BSIW offices or headquarters, a three-room suite on the fifth floor of the American Central Life Building in downtown Indianapolis. While this search was going on, one of the officers talked to the building superintendent, who told him he had given John J. McNamara permission to use a recessed area of the basement for storage space. The warrant could not have described this as a place to be searched since the police did not know of its existence until after the search was under way.

In the basement the police found a small room made of rough pine boards which had been constructed in an alcove. The door was secured by a padlock to which McNamara was said to have the only key. Breaking the lock, the police entered and found shelves on which lay “100 pounds of dynamite, several yards of fuse and twelve clocks similar to those with which bombs are discharged.”6 Also found were files and account books to which the hierarchy of the BSIW attached considerable value. According to the Indianapolis Star, they were evidence of a most incriminating character:

Among them are receipts showing that money had been paid out by the iron workers organization to the men charged with actual part in the blowing up of the Los Angeles newspaper plant. Other receipts prove, the detectives say, that the organization paid money to men suspected of having had part in other explosions. The dates of the receipts and those of the explosions correspond, they say.7

RELATED REFERENCE MATERIAL:

University of Minnesota Law Library – The Clarence Darrow Digital Collection – The McNamara Brothers Trial web page with photos and linked document scan PDF files.
http://darrow.law.umn.edu/trials.php?tid=2

First Posted: Friday,  July 27, 2001 - 11:35 p.m. Pacific Time
     Updated: Friday,  July 27, 2001 - 11:45 p.m. Pacific Time
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:11 a.m. Pacific Time
Posted in Bombings, Crimes, Historical News, Mass Murders, News, Terrorism, Union Corruption, Violent Crime | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on U.S. Domestic Terrorism – Labor Union Bombings and Mass-Murders in the early 1900’s

El Segundo School Teachers may be disciplined for having students make campaign signs in high school wood shop

Posted on April 9, 1996 by Mike

El Segundo School Teachers Union members were caught having students make City Council campaign yard signs for Democrat candidate Mike Gordon in the El Segundo High School Wood Shop – Mike Gordon was backed by the El Segundo firefighter, police, and school teachers unions (Update)

http://articles.latimes.com/1996-04-09/local/me-56512_1_campaign-signs

Los Angeles Times

ARTICLE COLLECTIONS

Political Campaigns

South Bay

Campaign Controversy

April 9, 1996

Two teachers at El Segundo High School may be disciplined for their involvement in helping a City Council candidate get hundreds of campaign signs made in the school’s wood shop. El Segundo Unified School District Supt. William Manahan said he will make a decision before April 23.

Peter MacDonald, attorney for the school district, launched an investigation after 246 signs for council candidate Mike Gordon were found in the wood shop early last month. Gordon, running in today’s city election, said he was paying the students to assemble the signs after class.

The district attorney’s office said it is unlikely that the political sign-making violated the state education code, but it recommended that some disciplinary action should be taken against wood shop teacher Anthony Hawkesworth and English teacher Ray Gen.

Hawkesworth supervised the students. Gen organized the assembly of signs and used his own money to buy the wooden stakes, staples and nails.

Posted in El Segundo News, Historical News, Political Corruption, School Teachers Union Corruption, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on El Segundo School Teachers may be disciplined for having students make campaign signs in high school wood shop