“It started as a three-week class, December 5 1999, with over 50 kids.” Soft-spoken, thoughtful, 52-year old Jim Bullock is recalling the birth of the chess club held Friday afternoons at the Oak View Library in Huntington Beach. In the next several weeks Bullock, the club’s director, will be moving to South America to live with his new bride. Amidst the din of kids laughing, chattering and clearly loving the game of chess, Bullock reflected on his time at Oak View.

“I was teaching English back then here the school, to adults, as a literacy volunteer. Amy Crepeau, who had the idea for the program, knew I played chess. I worked as an engineer at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, we had a chess club there and so she asked me for help. I borrowed some sets from work and brought them here to Oak View. And here we are, all these years later, with all these kids that just love playing chess.”

Bullock’s love of the game goes back to high school.

“In high school I was president of the chess club, i went to U.S. Chess Federation tournaments and I’m in the top 15% of tournament players. But I’m not a ‘master.'” (a player of such skill that they can beat essentially any amateur).

He also explained why he thinks the Oak View club has been so successful. “It such a great outlet for kids. Parents see chess as something that makes their kids smarter. And they’re right. But it’s fun. It’s a game; a game of intelligence. But I didn’t start playing to get smart. I started because it was fun.”

The club actually does boast a master player, 13-year old Gabriel Sam, an 8th grader at St. Bonaventure. When we met, Sam was preparing to head off to Greece to play in the invitation-only World Youth Championships. “I taught him how to play chess,” said Bullock. “He wasn’t very good at first. And now he’s much better than me,” he laughed.

Two coaches Paul Mangone and Annmarie Boyer who have been coaching here for years will be continuing the program, and Bullock said it’s in very good hands.

And as he makes his big move to be with his “mate,” we bid a fond farewell to a dedicated, inspiring teacher that has helped hundreds of kids over the years to have fun while using their brain. Thank you, Jim Bullock. Huntington Beach will miss you.

As I wrote recently, “The Huntington Haunt idea originated with Scott Smith, a local financial advisor and member of the Rotary Club of Huntington Beach. “I grew up here,” he told me, “and it’s something I’ve always kind of dreamed about. With no major Halloween event in the city, this just seemed like the perfect thing to do. Once I got in touch with Jodi, who was so instrumental in helping to execute our Surfboards on Parade program, I knew I had the right woman for the job. Nobody can take a dream and make it a reality like her.”

Listening to Jodi McKay explain her vision for the event, it’s clear that Smith knows what he’s talking about. She is riveting as she carefully, and with an artist’s eye, describes what it will be like.

“This is not going to be blood and gore,” she said. “It’s going to be far more classic. Truly scary doesn’t have to mean truly disgusting, and we’re creating something here that we think will be unforgettable — genuine, classic horror from some of the best minds in this business.”

McKay and Joanne Norton met after the city’s Fourth of July parade, where actors dressed as ghouls.

“I just had to get involved,” Norton said. “I’m heavily into costuming and other kinds of theatrical projects. And I just love Halloween.”

Well here it is at last, the Huntington Haunt. I had a chance to enjoy the experience tonight and I was more than impressed with what the group has done. It’s actually remarkable. The Newland House, bathed in violet light, is a character itself in the play, which deals with a gothic wedding featuring two “legendary” HB families, the “Oldlands” (get it?) and the “Hauntingtons.”

The maze adjacent to the legendary house bleeds over with crazed characters, wild-eyed family corpses and plenty of well-timed surprises. Startling and smart, and opting for classic horror over slash and gore, the Haunt makes great use of the historic property and brings a professional, first-rate Halloween attraction to town in all its “gory.”

Outside the Haunt are vendors, food, music – a nice little carnival in the shadow of the main attraction. The team has pulled it off; and it’s something you do not want to miss. Also lovely to see the Newland House have so much life breathed into it–even if it does involve some death. 🙂

For tickets and information visit Huntingtonhaunt.org or its Facebook page.

Even more orchestration and manipulation school officials?

Today the following email blast was sent by Monica Mora, Teachers Advocate for WOCUT (West Orange County United Teachers) to Huntington Beach (and other area) teachers and organizations in support of tomorrow’s anti-Rainbow/Republic protest being held at Oak View Elementary School an organization calling itself “Comunidad.”

The teacher that shared it with me, who works in the Huntington Beach City School District, was disturbed by it: “I found this highly inappropriate. For one, I do not even work in the Ocean View District. So why is every teacher getting this? Also, the wording of it all I find very suspicious. I’ve followed this issue very closely in the media and on Facebook. This seems to be a highly organized and orchestrated event, not the “grassroots” event that has been promoted. Who wrote the information in this email? It reads like pure propaganda. Did anyone bother to even fact check it? There are some big problems with the information. Did the union write it? Or just cut and paste it? A lot of questions need to be asked about this. This is wrong.”

Here is the email:

From: “Mora, Monica” <MMora@cta.org>

Date: Oct 27, 2015 11:17 PM

Subject: HBETA: 5:30 PM @ Oak View – Please Join Us

To: “Mora, Monica” <MMora@cta.org>

Cc: “oakviewcomunidad@gmail.com” <oakviewcomunidad@gmail.com>, “ovtapres@yahoo.com” <ovtapres@yahoo.com>

Did you know that Oak View Elementary School, near Warner & Beach Blvd., in Huntington Beach is the only school to exist across the street from a dump?

500+ Elementary and Middle School Teachers from the Ocean View School District are working diligently to support the students, teachers, and Oak View community.

Join us to support a grassroots community effort to enclose the dump across the street, literally a few yards away from 1,000 Oak View Pre-school – 5^th Grade Students and their Teachers.

Thursday, October 29^th, 5:30-7:00 PM

Oak View Elementary School (The Field)

17241 Oak Ln.

Huntington Beach, CA 92647

 v STOP THE STINK! Rainbow processes up to 4,000 tons per day of raw garbage and this spreads sickening odors in all directions of the city. They have received dozens of Notices of Violations for creating a public nuisance.

v STOP THE TOXIC DUST! Rainbow processes friable asbestos at the public dump and has stockpiled and crushed dangerous concrete and drywall. They spray chemical deodorants into our air. This is not safe.

v STOP THE GREED! Republic Services recently bought Rainbow for $112 million. Republic makes millions of dollars in profits at the expense of the residents of the Oak View community.

v STOP THE ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE! Republic, are guilty of the greatest environmental injustice in all of California because they are operating the only Transfer Station and garbage dump across the street from a school. Stop the abuse

<END EMAIL>

—

As well,  from two eyewitnesses in two different Ocean View School District middle schools: in advance of the “Comunidad” protest tomorrow against Rainbow/Republic, official protest flyers were distributed today in both teacher lounges and mailboxes at both schools.

This is the flyer distributed at the school:

I contacted Rainbow/Republic to get some information about the claims being made by the flyer, the same one shared by the teacher’s union. A spokesperson shared:

• There have not been “dozens” of Notices of Violations filed.

• Rainbow’s permit does NOT allow the acceptance or processing of any hazardous material, only solid waste, green waste and C&D based upon their permit.  Here is a link to CalRecycle where you can see their permit provisions.  http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/SWFacilities/Directory/30-AB-0099/Detail/  Under “Permit details” Click on that and you’ll see what they can accept.  Also you can look on the tab “enforcement actions” and you can see there are none.  There is a lot of interesting info on this page, FYI.

• Their misting solution was approved for their use by AQMD for odor reduction and mitigation.

• As the district has been told many times, they stopped concrete crushing in 2011 after the school district complained.

• The flyer states that they receive 4,000 tons a day of raw garbage. They have not received anywhere near that amount.   The Local Enforcement Agency can provide what they receive based upon their scale house computer system.  Every arriving truck is weighed on a state certified scale which is entered into their system.   That is reported to the LEA.

As well, I was in touch with and sent several questions to Comunidad spokesperson Barbie Iman regarding union involvement, fact-checking their flyer, etc.

1. Have you received any funding or support of any kind from any teacher’s union or anyone specifically connected to the OVSD Board of Trustees?

2. Who paid for/printed the flyers?

3. Do you have any idea at all how they wound up in at least two middle schools this week? (in teacher mailboxes)

4. Do you stand by the veracity of each of the bullet pointed claims made on the back of the flyer?

Once I learned of the union email, I asked about that too.

I shared with Ms. Iman that she had three-then revised to four hours- to answer these before I filed this, and have yet to receive a reply. I will update if/when she answers.

I also reached out to OVSD board president Gina Clayton Tarvin And Trustee John Briscoe to ask the following: I saw the union email sent out today about the protest tomorrow. I’d like to ask, for a piece I’m writing for surfcitychronicles.com, did either of you approach the union about getting involved? Do you know who wrote the copy? Was it fact-checked? Do you have any information about the protest flyers being distributed at at least two middle schools this week in teacher mailboxes? Thanks. 

No response as of yet, but if I hear back I will update this article.

More as it develops.

UPDATE: At 4:55 pm I received the following from Dr. Carol Hansen, OVSD Superintendent: “It is normal protocol for the teachers’ union (OVTA) to place flyers in teachers’ mailboxes.  OVSD was informed that the flyers were being distributed and proper protocol was followed.”

Last week I wrote at length about the apparent attack by Ocean View School District board of trustee president Gina Clayton Tarvin upon myself and another private citizen, Craig Frampton.

After hearing from private sources that Clayton-Tarvin was in fact discussing my article with people in the community, I reached out to her myself to ask why she hasn’t contacted me directly over this, and if she could clarify her remarks. She read the note within one minute (Facebook PM indicates when messages are read) and after 48 hours has yet to respond.

Which brings us to this week’s story, as I continue taking a closer look at the OVSD board president’s apparent habit of using lies and innuendo as intimidation techniques, against anyone who opposes her, including not only individuals, but private companies, government agencies and other organizations.

This week I present, based on firsthand witness accounts, a look inside what some may call “community organizing,” but to me what appears to be more like “community manipulation.” Or worse,  “community bullying.”

The question I keep asking myself, and that you should keep in mind while reading the following is, “Is this what Gina Clayton-Tarvin was elected to do? Is it appropriate for an elected official to get this involved and use this kind of pressure and fabrication to fight her cause?”

You be the judge.

The “Star”

We see them at city council meetings, school board meetings and in the press; newly-empowered citizens speaking forcefully about Rainbow/Republic and why they need to enclose their facility (which I think its safe to say, the majority of the community agree with).

But how did the campaign come together? Is it truly a grassroots effort, or more of a manufactured, “astroturf” campaign? And is the information being provided to supporters honest and accurate, or juiced up to play on emotions and create a frenzy of attacks and complaints?

Ocean View School District trustee board president Gina Clayton-Tarvin has worked tirelessly in the public eye, advocating, arguing aggressively for her cause.

But it’s behind the scenes where the details of her campaign are most evident. And thanks to some citizens that have become suspicious of her process and methods, some of those details are now being made public.

Oak View resident Melissa Shaia-Egle who recently blogged here about her lack of trust in both Clayton-Tarvin and trustee John Briscoe, shared details about what she experienced recently in regards to these campaigns.

Shaia-Egle  “I first got involved after seeing a Facebook post for the springtime “Put A Lid On It” rally last May 5. I noticed that Gina Clayton Carvin was commenting a lot as she helped draw attention to the rally. That’s when I really first heard about the issue and I was excited. I thought, wow, our neighborhood finally has a voice. I wrote her a message and asked how I could help. She said, you need to come speak at the next city Council meeting on Monday night.”

She then received this heads up from Clayton-Tarvin:

Gina Clayton-Tarvin: 5:45pm, we will fill in speaking forms and I’ll number them so that it’s the most effective presentation order. Thank you. See me when you get there and I’ll have your form.

MY COMMENT: Not the amount of staging, by an elected official, already taking place. And another resident received this in regards to the same meeting:

Gina Clayton-Tarvin: We will meet at the chambers, fill out papers, I will label them in chronological order. Then we will all speak one after the other. Speak specifically about the conditions at the high school , how stinky it is and not right for students. This is not just an Oak View problem. Apparently the admin of HBUHSD are in denial on the conditions there. We need to highlight the nuisance there as well.

MY COMMENT: More staging, directing and organizing. Then: “Denial on the conditions there”? What if they simply DISAGREE with Clayton-Tarvin? Or what if she is just flat-out wrong, and there is no issue where she claims? Is that even a possibility? Apparently not.

More from Shaia-Egle: “Prior to the meeting, she wanted to read over the speech I have prepared and offer suggestions. But I told her that they were my personal experiences and that I was satisfied with what I had written. I guess my speech went over pretty well because right after the meeting Gina was in my ear along with a couple of teachers telling me that I really needed to speak with a reporter. That caught me off guard. But I did it anyway.”

Shaia-Egle later observed that things had not gone well with city council. Tarvin answered:

MY COMMENT: “New tactics coming”? “We’ve got a plan”? Really? Question from a taxpayer: WHAT ARE THESE TACTICS? And why do you need new ones? Why did the old tactics fail? And what were those? What other secrets exist behind the scenes in this grand scheme? What is the “plan”? This is an elected official writing these words.

And more casting notes, this time for trial: “You are a star! … My legal counsel loves you.” She goes on: “You are a “star witness… you really are (a) star.” I agree that Ms. Shaia-Egle is a compelling, honest, quite intelligent citizen. But what about now? Is she still a “star” to Clayton-Tarvin? Doubtful. She dared change her mind and think for herself.

At the next city Council meeting, Clayton-Tarvin asked Shaia-Egle to come speak at again. And sent this message:

MY COMMENT: A “bigger army.” That’s what it is all about, Numbers. And making sure those numbers are properly cast, and written for.

Lastly from Shaia-Egle: I began to get uncomfortable. Everything seemed very organized and arranged. There were people speaking there from the neighborhood that I was pretty sure had not written any of the words they were reading. I just know them and it’s not how they speak. And Gina was heavily involved in organizing the order which everyone spoken and also reviewing everything that people were going to say. When I got home I told my husband, “This doesn’t feel right.” I was watching Gina and John Briscoe bring in their recruits from the neighborhood to read, and much of what they said sounded exaggerated to me. I live just about 150 feet away from Oak View Elementary and in my head I was thinking, “Why am I not experiencing what everybody is talking about? Yes it still smelled sometimes, but the dust and seagulls never seemed to be a problem as they described.

I started paying attention to Facebook discussions and I noticed that whenever somebody tried to offer any defense of Rainbow, they were attacked by Gina’s supporters. They were not open to any other point of view except their own. And I didn’t like that. I also noticed Gina and John Briscoe all over social media pleading their case and getting in the faces of anyone that disagreed with them. Those things raised a huge flag for me. To watch all of those people get attacked simply for offering any difference of opinion, just wasn’t right.

And the messages that I received from Gina also made me uncomfortable. She was clearly orchestrating a lot of things behind the scenes that I was not even aware of. I doubt any other voters are aware of what’s going on. And now when you start hearing the OVSD lawyer talk about Rainbow being closed down for a couple of years, I think, that’s absolutely ridiculous.

It disappoints me today because for a short minute I thought we had someone there to help those that don’t really have a voice; their own voice. Now I feel like many of the people supporting her are just her pawns… and they don’t even know it.

Thank you Melissa Shaia-Egle, for your honestly in speaking out. In the last few weeks I’ve received many messages from citizens, OVSD employees, etc. expressing shock and anger over the behavior of some on this school board. Some express concern over speaking out for fear of reprisal. I respect that you will not be intimidated by them or their supporters.

 “Please call daily to complain to all three agencies” 

Continuing with this report, this message was sent by Clayton-Tarvin to at least one resident (and presumably, others) as part of her campaign:

“Please call daily to complain to all three agencies.” Nowhere in this specific conversation does it say “if the air is bad” or “if the dust, noise, or seagulls are bothersome.” Nowhere. According to the recipient, this was a stand alone private message, asking for calls, daily, to all three agencies, with no qualification.

For me, this is the most damning message of all. For Clayton-Tarvin, it seems to be about racking up complaints in large numbers to use as part of lawsuits – not reporting legitimate nuisance issues. Agencies “need to hear from residents on a daily basis.” No qualification. Just CALL. How much tax payer money has she wasted with this campaign? How many calls have been taken, how many visits made, simply because of orchestrated calls?

More messages

And from other fed-up residents, here is a sample of private messages sent by Clayton-Tarvin as she scripts and stages the city council meetings. The people that have contacted me are distrustful of Tarvin-Clayton and feel that her words as a public official, though private, still need to be shared.

Gina Clayton-Tarvin: I need bodies and speakers. I’d like high school students who will speak about the stench and the birds at OVHS. I need adults to do the same. I need them to hear that people are fed up, do not want to wait 3.5 years for Republic to build the enclosures! I want people to say that they want state of the art filtration systems and venting on the buildings. We want negative air pressure buildings, so when the trucks drive in to dump trash, the air/stench gets sucked backwards in. I can write up something and send it to you via email.

MY COMMENT: “I need…” “I want…” “I can write something up and send it to you” – more proof of the level of how orchestrated these city council appearances are. It’s as if she is a director casting a play.

Gina Clayton-Tarvin: Did you get the email? I sent it again. Are you still going to be able to speak on Monday night? We need to take a fairly large group to the city council meeting to speak out about the problems. I want them to hear from OVHS people. (students, parents, etc)

MY COMMENT: “Did you get the email? I sent it again.” How relentless is Clayton-Tarvin in putting her words in the mouths of others?

Gina Clayton-Tarvin: It did not go well at the CC meeting. The council did not approve the ordinance and they are totally pandering to Rainbow. They have done nothing to help. It was ridiculous. Now Rainbow has no reason to really enclose the dump and they have no timeline.

MY COMMENT: “They are totally pandering to Rainbow.” If you fail to fall in line with her, you are “pandering.” Zero consideration given to the fact that people may simply just disagree with her.

Gina Clayton-Tarvin: I am up in Sacramento right now, I just talked with 2 trustees from the High School District. They said there is no smell at OVHS and that parents from OVHS need to complain to the principal immediately about this.

MY COMMENT: This is strange to the point that I HOPE it is a typo. “No smell” = complain immediately? What??

The Orange County Health Care Agency

Private citizens and companies aren’t the only targets under attack in the OVSD’s campaign.

The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) is the Local Enforcement Agency overseeing solid waste transfer stations, including Rainbow Recycling, according to statute.  HCA has received numerous calls, emails and requests for public records from representatives of the Ocean View School District.  HCA staff has toured the Oak View school site with OVSD representatives, responded to complaint calls from OVSD representatives, conducted site inspections in response to odor complaints, added information to the agency web site and complaint form categories, and numerous other accommodations in response to requests from OVSD.

A source at the agency shared with me, “Mr. Briscoe has made unannounced visits to the HCA offices seeking confidential employment records; has made accusations against HCA management in public comments at the Board of Supervisors meetings; has met individually with members of the Board of Supervisors to criticize HCA’s role in overseeing operations at Rainbow Recycling; and both Mr. Briscoe and Ms. Clayton-Tarvin have contacted agency staff via email and by telephone with a variety of complaints and have expressed dissatisfaction with every effort made by HCA to be responsive to their concerns. HCA staff has and will continue to respond quickly and appropriately to every request and complaint from OVSD.”

At what point does this become harassment by the OVSD?

John Briscoe recently complained about not being able to get the email address of an HCA director told VoiceofOC, “These people work for us. We pay them with our tax dollars…and it’s their job and duty to be available to the public, to be responsive to the public that they are charged with protecting. “I’d call it the Health Could-Care-Less Agency.”

Really, Mr. Briscoe? I’ve written both you and Ms. Clayton-Tarvin a total of 12 times in the last six weeks, politely and professionally. Neither of you have written me back. Not once. Zero response. I’m a taxpayer. I help pay for you. Is it not YOUR duty to be available to the public? And responsive?

The Briscoe/Clayton-Tarvin Alliance

Residents have vociferously complained about Briscoe, who was forced to apologize recently for his leaked letter which mocked and derided citizens of Huntington Beach. This is how Claton-Tarvin answered a resident’s recent concern about Briscoe:

“Different?” What does that mean exactly? Did he run for office as “different?” And if he is offending people, that is ok, because he is doing what she needs him to do at the front lines of her cause?

And she says has zero board support besides Briscoe. Why is that? Do they not care about this for some reason? Do they think she is overstepping and exaggerating?  “Not one person” has stepped in to help her? What does that say about the board? Or about Clayton-Tarvin? Or this issue?

What exactly is going on here?

Together, Clayton-Tarvin and Briscoe seem to work in tandem, attacking, exaggerating, berating, bullying and refusing to entertain any view beyond their own. We have a right to know why.

“Complain every day, several times if they have to do it. This is how things are done.”

June 11, this was posted by Gina Clayton-Tarvin in an Oak View community Facebook forum:

She actually encourages people to complain if they can “hear machinery and trucks” from their home or school. Call if you hear a truck? But in the end she spells it out: “Complain every day, several times if they have to do it. This is how things are done. If you complain, rainbow will be done to solve the problem more quickly.”

Odd syntax aside, think of what she is suggesting people to do in response to this publicly posted message.

Who is Susan Whitakker?

This is the handout distributed by Clayton-Tarvin, with contact info and directions about how to complain to various agencies:

The bottom instructs residents to also send all complaints to someone at the district as well as: “Whitakkerplanningservices@cox.net. Why? “This information will be helpful to the School District in its nuisance lawsuit against Rainbow.” So it appear it’s all about racking up complaints to serve as lawsuit evidence – which dovetails nicely with the aforementioned messages directing residents to call each agency, every day, multiple times.

Last week I filed a Public Acts Request for all emails sent to the district, to see if there are any patterns in who is making all the complaints.  I have not even received a receipt of request, let alone the information.

As for Whitakker Planning Service? Susan Whittaker, according to information online, “currently works with school districts to monitor land use approvals that may impact school facilities.”

But who is she and why is why is she involved? What is her role? Are WE paying her?

I wrote her last week to ask. Zero response. See the pattern?

Finally…

The misinformation, the orchestration, the secrets, the schemes, the inconsistencies–I think the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees needs to be thoroughly investigated – and I think President Gina Clayton-Tarvin needs to explain ALL of these things to the public, at once.

With what we now know about this campaign, how can we not wonder what’s really behind this clearly orchestrated effort to barrage the oversight agencies with complaints? And should ANY of these lawsuits proceed without explanations as to the motives behind these efforts?

We need to hold OVSD President Gina Clayton-Tarvin (and the rest of the OVSD board) accountable for their, in my opinion, increasingly questionable behavior.

Because this is just what we know about.

Imagine what we don’t know.

Many of us have been anxiously awaiting to read what the Urban Land Institute recommends for what should happen to the historic and much-debated-over parcel of land in Huntington Beach known to many as simply “Wintersburg.”

I know what my Sunday morning reading will consist of. It’s all right here and I will follow up with opinion/analysis in several days. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

(photo courtesy Historic Wintersburg©)

This was not the story I planned on writing today.

Last night at the Ocean view school District board meeting,  myself and a handful of other citizens spoke on a variety of issues, several of them centered on what we consider to be the questionable public behavior of trustee John Briscoe. To my knowledge, not one of these people has ever had a cross word or any kind of personal tension with anybody on the school board.

Yet, there was evidently an extra police officer in the room. As I learned today, that officer was requested  by school Board President Gina Clayton Tarvin because she supposedly feared for her physical safety.  Our group spoke with respect, passion and efficiency. There was nothing even approaching any sort of threat.

So that’s why our city last night had one less officer out in the field.

The “smoking e-mail ?”

Then today, something else happened. There is a Facebook forum dedicated to Ocean View school district issues. In the last several weeks I have posted a few of my articles there and, when certain members freely challenged me as to why I was writing what I was writing, I answered them back. The discussions never reached anything even approaching insults or attacks. It was simply adults occasionally disagreeing about topic.

Today I received part of an email in which a number of the group’s administrators were discussing the fact that they had been contacted by Clayton Tarvin. About me. I’m going to reproduce much of the language here and where necessary, in parentheses, will be answering some of the comments specifically. I have edited them only to protect an attack they made on another citizen. That’s another situation altogether.

After that, I’m going to recount what else I know about Clayton Tarvin and how she has behaved with me in the past.

I have removed the moderator names for privacy reasons. But they know who they are (and the time codes are accurate)

• 6:57 am ADMIN 1: Great, Gina is asking to speak with me on the phone today… any of you get a pm from her as well?
• 7:06am ADMIN 2: Nope. You must be the lucky one.
• 7:07am ADMIN 1: Yea, lucky… that’s the word…
• 7:09am ADMIN 2: I wonder what she’s going to say. I always prefer everything in writing
• 7:09am ADMIN 1:  I will give her a chance to speak. If she makes any demands I will ask for it in writing. She’s a teacher, right?

(APPROX. AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER)

• 8:34am ADMIN 1: We have a mess. I am awaiting a call from the chief of HBPD as well as a letter from the OVSD lawyers
• 8:35am ADMIN 2:  ?
  
• 8:35am ADMIN 1: We have to remove Epting
• 8:35am ADMIN 2: What happened
• 8:36am ADMIN 1:  let me get back to you when I get to my computer. Lots to type but my phone is tough smile emoticon
• 9:50am ADMIN 1OK, so now that I can actually type… Chris Epting has been harassing/stalking several members of our forum including Merkle, Gina and a few others. The HBPD is investigating and working with Gina’s attorneys to file an injunction and to silence Epting in regards to his attacks on these members.
• (THIS IS ABSOLUTELY, 100% FALSE. IN FACT, I RECENTLY BLOCKED MS. MERKLE BECAUSE I FELT I WAS BEING HARASSED BY *HER* AND HAD ENOUGH. I HAVE ALL THE EXCHANGES AND AM HAPPY TO SHARE WHEN NEEDED. MERKLE WAS THE ONE THAT TOOK A SECRET PHOTO OF MS. CLAYTON TARVIN AND MYSELF CHATTING LAST YEAR AND POSTED IT ONLINE. ALSO, THERE IS NOT ONE PRIVATE MESSAGE BETWEEN MYSELF AND ANYONE ON THAT FORUM REGARDING PERSONAL ATTACKS AGAINST THEM OR BEING HARASSED.)
• 9:52am ADMIN 2:  Did you already remove Epting
• 9:52am ADMIN 1: Both the HBPD and the attorney’s are hoping to cut off Epting’s rants on our boards. She is going to file a restraining order and as Chris tends to do, they fear he is going to use that as a smear on Gina.

(IT IS ‘SMEARING’ SOMEONE IF YOU EXPOSE THEIR PLOT TO SILENCE YOU? AND WHY IS STATING AN OPINION CALLED A “RANT”?)

• ADMIN 1:  I told Gina that in order for the 3 of us to stay out of Chris’ firing line I would need a letter from the attorney and a phone call from HBPD informing us of the actions. This way we can simply state that we have been legally advised to remove him. takes it off our shoulders
• 9:53am ADMIN 2: Makes sense Such drama
• 9:53am ADMIN 1: As for (NAME REDACTED)… I am trying to get the actual charges from Gina so we know what we are up against. He has come close to physical harm to Gina (according to her) and they have a photo of it.
• (I SPOKE TO THE PERSON IN QUESTION. EVIDENTLY THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE LIE, AND HE WILL HIRE A LAWYER TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR SMEARS LIKE THIS)
• 9:54am ADMIN 1: they had to have HBPD send a group of officers to the rally to protect Gina from Epting/(name retracted)
• (THEY ARE REFERRING TO THE RALLY IN MAY. I INTERVIEWED GINA, IT WAS PROFESSIONAL, POLITE AND ACTUALLY FUN. THIS PERSON AS WELL HAD LIGHT AND FRIENDLY WORDS WITH GINA AT THE EVENT. THIS IS FALSE TO A POINT OF BEING LIBELOUS, IN MY VIEW)
• 9:54am ADMIN 1: the other nasty piece that we cant discuss publicly is that Epting is now working for Republic/Rainbow so a whole lot of this makes more sense now
• 9:55am ADMIN 2:  Like contracted or just writing a piece
• 9:56am ADMIN 1: Gina stopped communicating with Epting because he is funneling all of the conversations he has with Gina to the CEO of Republic.

(I HAVE NEVER SPOKEN TO THE CEO OF REPUBLIC IN MY LIFE. NOR WORKED FOR THEM. EVER. I HAVE BEEN THERE ONCE FOR A TOUR, ONCE FOR AN INTERVIEW AND ONCE FOR A WINTERSBURG MEETING. THAT’S IT. I HAVE *ZERO* WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH RAINBOW/REPUBLIC OUTSIDE OF BEING A CONCERNED CITIZEN. AND AGAIN, I BELIEVE THIS IS FALSE TO A POINT OF BEING LIBELOUS.)

• ADMIN 1 (CONTINUED) She didn’t go into the extent… but magically (recently) Epting’s daughter got a college scholarship from (sp) Rainbow

(THIS IS THE ONE THAT REALLY GOT ME. DID MS. CLAYTON TARVIN SUGGEST THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN ME, RAINBOW AND MY DAUGHTER? MY DAUGHTER COMPETED AND WON THE MISS HUNTINGTON BEACH TITLE ON HER OWN. RAINBOW IS A SPONSOR OF THE SAND DOLLARS’ COMPETITION. IS *THAT* THE CONNECTION SHE IS MAKING? THIS IS, IN MY VIEW, AN ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING CONFLATION BEING MADE, PRESUMABLY BY CLAYTON-TARVIN, AT LEAST AS IT READS HERE.THIS MADE ME SICK TO READ, AS A PARENT. THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES. BUT CLEARLY THEY ARE NOT.)

• ADMIN 1: it is a bunch of drama and I really don’t want to be a part of it. I will wait for the correspondence and then dump him.
• ADMIN 2: Maybe delete all his postings following as well
• 10:00am ADMIN 1: yep anything pertaining to Gina is probably going to need to get squashed(YOU CAN FEEL THE CHILL OF THE SPEECH POLICE AS THE NOTE ENDS – AND I DID CONFIRM WITH THE MODERATOR THAT THIS HAPPENED JUST AS HE WROTE THIS MORNING)

How it all started

Last April, there was an article in the Orange County register whereby Clayton-Tarvin was quoted as saying, “The OVSD has also filed a nuisance lawsuit against Rainbow Environmental Services and its owner Republic Services to get the trash processing plant to enclose all operations or shut them down.”

I posted the article with this simple comment: Rainbow does a lot of good for this community. And they are responsible stewards in HB. I sense more is going on here. Thoughts?

That simple comment unleashed a full blood of negative comments toward me online led by Clayton-Tarvin and many of her supporters/followers. My simple premise was, why in the world was she talking about shutting the place down? (The OVSD recently also suggested it–so I think we now see where this all is really headed)

I was aware of the ongoing lawsuits but also aware that both parties were in the midst of trying to resolve things and so this seemed rather extreme to me. Within a couple of Facebook forums we spent the better part of a month, as many other people did, engaging and debating. I received a slew of nasty, and in some cases extremely vulgar private messages from people who supported Clayton-Tarvin. In most cases I ignored them, in other cases I blocked the parties. But that is where I left it. As things quieted down and the May 5 rally approached, I reached out to Ms. Clayton-Tarvin to ask about interviewing her for a newspaper article I was thinking about writing.

My one and only meeting with Clayton-Tarvin

That day at the rally, after interviewing the OVSD lawyer and trustee John Briscoe, I saw  Clayton-Tarvin and I introduced myself. I asked her if we could speak for a couple of minutes and if I may record it. She said “No problem.” Before the interview started she introduced her son to mine and they talked for a moment about both being baseball fans. We then had what I would consider to be a strong and enjoyable 10 or so minute conversation. I mentioned that Ms. Clayton-Tarvin had said she had never even been to Rainbow so I asked her if she wanted me to try and arrange a tour and maybe even lunch over there. She agreed that might be a good idea.I had been to Rainbow the week before to conduct my own interviews about concerns I had about their operations.

As the interview ended, my then 21-year-old son said to me, “You know dad, it really is true. It’s better when you talk to people in person. That was a really great conversation.” I completely agreed. I thought Clayton-Tarvin was serious, smart and seemed committed to what she was doing. I was impressed.

A couple of days later I followed up with her to let her know that I enjoyed speaking to her, to offer to visit her schools to talk about writing and also follow-up on the meeting at rainbow. This was the exact exchange:

She never got back to me.

The smear begins

Around this time, a photo was posted online of Gina and I talking during our interview. It was taken by Golden View PTO president (and close Clayton-Tarvin friend) Jodi Merkle.  At first it seemed good-natured enough. People joked about the bag I was carrying, and  both Gina and my footwear. I never thought twice about that picture. Being Italian, my hand is raised because, well, it’s just how I talk.

But then something strange happened a couple of days later. I received a message from someone who runs the Huntington Beach Community Forum, Michael Daly.  This is exactly what he said to me, about the rally: “Gina was terrified when you hunted her down and yelled at her.”  I asked him where he had gotten such a preposterous idea, and he wouldn’t say. At this point, I actually thought somebody was smearing Gina. So I told him I was going to call her and ask her about it. His response? “I don’t think she wants to talk to you. You don’t want to be a “stalker.”

A day later somebody shared this image with me. The person that had accused me of “hunting her down” was now using it to smear me by sending it to various people. Note the caption.

A smear was beginning to take place, I was concerned, and so I contacted Gina. I was concerned for her reputation as well as mine. This was what I wrote:

She was reading the messages, but not replying. Then this happened:

Not “at liberty” to deny a flat-out lie? That seemed absurd (still does). Then I wondered–did she help concoct it?

I would not be able to ask.

That was the last response I have ever received from Gina Clayton-Tarvin; May 14, 2015.

The formal attack campaign begins

Soon after this exchange, I received a call from my editor at the Huntington Beach Independent newspaper. They had  begun, out of the blue, receiving a slew of complaints about me arguing that I have become somebody that was “In the pocket of Rainbow.” Which was absurd. I had *zero* connection to Rainbow,as they themselves have admitted in the face of these lies. Recruits were sending dozens of screen grabs of online conversations, but there was little there to make a case. I received one specific call from my editor who told me that an anonymous person had written him that I was now going door to door in my neighborhood, angrily trying to convince people about what a great company Rainbow is.  This was getting insane. And scary. My editor said that by law they had to at least ask me about the absurd charge. But that the person who was complaining, who of course demanded anonymity, could provide no evidence and so it ended there.

It appeared I had been branded the “Rainbow guy” and I was going to be treated as such by OVSD supporters.

As I was told, the newspaper does have a policy of columnists not being able to engage in social media on the levels that I was. But I willfully violated the policy, because defending my reputation against the growing smear campaigns being launched was more valuable to me than my column.

Things got even stranger. Over the summer, an online commenter made an outrageous charge against me, suggesting that I was anti-Mexican. As I stared, stunned at the remark, in five seconds a note popped up. “Gina Clayton Tarvin likes this.”

I was seriously annoyed by this. Why would the head of the OVSD endorse something this vicious and baseless? it was late Monday afternoon and I posted on Facebook that I was headed to City Hall to address this during public comments. I had had enough.

When I arrived and wrote my name down on a speaker’s card, my cell phone rang. My editor said, “Chris, we heard from somebody that you’re going to speak at City Hall tonight about the school board. And you’re not allowed to do that.” For one, I had no idea about this rule. I had spoken at City Council dozens of times on other issues and it had never been a problem. But then again, those times nobody was monitoring me and regularly sending everything that I did to my editor. What if I speak, I asked? I was told I would lose my column. So that night I went home, frustrated and confused.

On this level, I definitely fault the newspaper’s policy of curbing free speech. But to be dogged and monitored so closely by people connected the school district was for me, a bit chilling.

It was communicated to me by somebody at the newspaper soon after that, the Clayton-Tarvin had actually spoken to one of my editors about me specifically. The more this went on, the more I felt like there was a bigger story here that nobody was telling: that of an oppressive school Board President that looked to silence voices that didn’t follow her narrative or agenda.

That is simply my opinion based on my own experiences.

The final straw

When the paper allowed a rebuttal editorial against an article that I had written regarding some OVSD supporters use of the term “environmental racism,” I expressed my dissatisfaction with them that they had allowed it to be a personal attack which included a couple of baseless accusations against me. I have no problem with criticism, but you have to have your facts together.

I was attacked even more online by a number of OVSD supporters, and I chose to answer back.  I knew this would spell the end of the column, but a higher principle was involved.

When my column ended several weeks ago, I started this blog, SurfCityChronicles.com. As a writer, I thought this was how I could continue telling stories in the city. One of those stories that’s important to me involves certain things happening at OVSD and obviously many others have issues with. This would include the public behavior of trustee John Briscoe. Since starting this blog, I’ve written a number of pieces that challenge the board often times, using their own words as the basis for my articles. I have reached out to various board members for comments and have never received a response in terms of an interview. But not once have I ever behaved unprofessionally or harassed any of them. My requests are always polite and professional. As well, when I’ve spoken at the board meetings, though my words may be firm, they are clear, to the point and I believe, perfectly appropriate in terms of a citizen expressing their view.

Are you going to tolerate this?

Now I find out that the school board president, perhaps in light of my newfound freedom as a writer who’s actually able to focus on their words and actions, is now seemingly in the process of trying to silence my voice. And I was not supposed to know this of course.

Think about that. An elected official, somebody I help pay for with my taxes, and you too, now supposedly trying to silence someone’s ability to express themselves. Read what she told them. I think this is an outrage. I think this is a blatant and egregious attempt to not just silent somebody’s voice but also tarnish the reputation in the process. And it doesn’t just involve me. As I said, the email I shared earlier in this article clearly goes after another citizen who also spoke professionally and politely last night. And has never done anything that even approaches harassment or stalking.

This is not the end of the story, it is just the beginning. I have no idea what their next move is going to be. But as citizens, if the idea of an elected school official trying to silence someone’s voice doesn’t outrage you, then I just can’t understand it. And the insidious lies being made up out of whole cloth. It has nothing to do about whether you agree or disagree with me. I have done absolutely nothing to warrant what I read is happening today. Nothing even approaching that. This is absolutely a grotesque abuse of power and certainly a potential waste of public resources. And I’m going to make sure it becomes a national story.

And if this person decides they want to go to court and force this issue, I welcome the opportunity to expose them for the destructive people that they clearly are. And I hope you join me in the fight.

This is not the story I planned on writing today.

But I’m actually very glad that I had the opportunity to tell it. Because now you know the truth. And you know what the city appears to be up against.

I’ve written many books about road tripping through North America, but as you might know, a road trip had nothing to do with distance – it’s all about escapism.

This morning my daughter and I, on the way back to Chapman University, escaped to a place I just discovered, thanks to my mom, a fellow adventurer (and true Little Saigon maven).

Located at Brookhurst and Westminster, it’s called Baos Hog and though only a 15-minute or ride from HB, you may feel as if you’ve journeyed hours to some hidden, exotic flavor palace. Tiny, spotless and minimal, Baos Hog is a modern celebtation of Bao. As defined, Bao is “an old fashionedCantonese dim sum called tai pao (大包, literally “big bun”) brought to Vietnam by Cantonese immigrants. It was invented during the hardship days of old China to feed the ordinary.”

Fans of Peking Duck will be familiar with the small, pillowy bun that Chinese restaurants use to serve the duck, and Baos Hog takes that concept to a new level with freshly-baked, sandwich-sized Bao buns.

The menu is refreshingly simple. You can fill a bao bun with juicy, freshly sliced duck meat, braised pork belly, honey bbq pork or crispy pork belly. The sandwiches are garnished simply with sweet hoisin sauce, cucumber, fried shallot and not much else.

Everything is freshly prepared in the open, the meats are mouthwatering and the prices ridiculous- $3.50 per sandwich.

We shared lychee ice tea and cucumber ice tea, both unique and delicious.

My absolute favorite lunch in the area. We support many HB businesses and always will. But a little adventure is good once in awhile too and Baos Hog is an absolutely wonderful little road trip escape.

13918 Brookhurst Street

714-600-3311

Facebook: Baoshog

Was it really a year ago that we all gathered by the pier to unveil the marker to Robin Samsoe? since then, her brother Robert, whom I first reached out to to present the idea of creating a marker, has passed away. It is surreal that he is no longer here. I think of he, and Robin, whenever I visit the marker.

I wrote this last year about that remarkable day. Next time you’re by the head to the pier, perhaps stop for a moment to pay respects, to think about the Samsoe family, and all families that have had to endure such catastrophic loss.

Here is the story of that day…

The morning

We all met Sunday morning at about 8 o’clock on the front lawn at Dwyer Middle School, where a tree is planted in memory of Robin Samsoe.

Robin’s mom, Marianne, brothers Tim and Robert, older sister Taranne and an assortment of nieces and friends wanted to spend some time together in the hour before a ceremony at the pier would unveil a marker in honor of Robin, who was slain 35 years ago at age 12. My son and I joined them.

The large and knotty pine, paid for by Dwyer students, has thrived in the decades since it was planted. The family remembers the day well, and they dug deep into their well of memories of Robin as we sat there. They remembered riding bikes, heading to the beach and going to the movies. Robert pointed to a house across the street where he and Robin slept over occasionally when visiting a friend.

Taranne, who flew in from Wisconsin, brought a faded family photo taken at this exact site long ago, and it’s hard not to think about what they’ve all been through since that image was snapped. But for once, the three trials and endless media fascination with the monster who ripped Robin and all innocence from their lives seemed to fade into the background. The morning was gorgeous, all blue sky and yellow sun.

And we were there to celebrate, not mourn.

Heading toward the pier

After spending about 90 minutes at the school, we made our way to the pier, where a large group had amassed for the ceremony. Many in attendance wore pink, Robin’s favorite color. There were several broadcast news trucks, along with hundreds of people, including many important players from the tragedy that brought us all together.

Present were old friends of Robin’s, reporters who had covered the story since the beginning, and many of the police detectives, including the man who arrested the monster. I spoke with a childhood pal of Robin’s, Samantha Martin, who recounted how Robin once stepped in when a bully threatened her.

There were other family members and friends whom many of us had invited, as well as passersby who, intrigued by the presence of TV cameras and so many people, became part of the wonderful celebration.

A city comes together

The family asked if I would act as a sort of emcee for the event, and it was a pleasure to be able to introduce Mayor Matthew Harper, Police Chief Rob Handy and Councilman Dave Sullivan, who took the lead on this project after I wrote about why I felt we needed a memorial for Robin.

Other City Council members attended, along with staffers from Community Services and Public Works, whom I cannot commend enough.

As we listened to the speeches of Robin’s siblings, along with one of her nieces and her mother, Robin’s memory came to life. Many tears were shed by all of us. But as Marianne noted, the day was about tears of joy. For the first time since the tragedy occurred, there was finally a moment to be hopeful, she said.

That’s what Huntington Beach provided Sunday morning.

I have attended many events in the city in the 15 years that I have lived here. But I’ve never felt anything like I did on this glorious morning. Maybe it’s because the marker was placed near the head of the pier, a place where Robin often would visit. I was shown a picture of her, and she was standing right where we were.

Or maybe it was because this brought together so many strangers united in the simple but powerful idea of honoring one little girl who changed so many lives.

When we were about a block from the pier, Marianne saw the crowd ahead. “I can’t believe they’re all here for my little angel,” she said. “What happened to my Robin created a lot of light into areas that needed it. It made people take notice and it made people become more aware.”

Which is why a permanent light built into the marker will glow every minute of every day. It’s a simple reminder that good things can come from tragedy and that victims and their families should never be forgotten.

It’s also a reminder that hope burns eternal, as do precious memories.

Others we’ve lost

As I stood there at the end of the ceremony, looking at the marker and gazing at the ocean, I couldn’t help but think about other young people in this community who were taken too soon. I thought about Danny Oates, Kelly Moorehouse, Christopher Hernandez, Jimmy Sullivan, Dane Williams. There are others, and no doubt there will be more.

I like to believe that the simple little light in the new memorial is strong enough to burn for all of them, to represent their lives and to remind us that as a community we owe it to these families to let them know we are here for them.

To everybody who helped make this memorial a reality, and everybody who helped us celebrate on Sunday, thank you most sincerely.

The spirit of this city and the quality and character of its residents were on sparkling display. I have never been prouder of my home.

Recently, one of the most acclaimed singer/songwriters of his generation got to meet one of his favorite artists here in Huntington Beach. John Oates, one half (along with Daryl Hall) of the most successful duo in music history, was in Los Angeles, but there was a pit stop he felt compelled to make. Oates, a former racecar driver himself and lifelong car aficionado, is a longtime fan of Chip Foose, the legendary automotive designer and fabricator who also hosts the popular Velocity network TV series, “Overhaulin,” whereby Foose and his team of elite workers secretly satisfy the dreams of a car owner in need before unveiling the masterpiece to the owner (and the owner’s family, who help Foose & Co. execute the plots to perfection).If you didn’t know, the feel-good show is shot here in town, where Foose also maintains his design and production shop/garage.

The meeting

Thankfully, Foose was in town the day Oates stopped in and the meeting was an interesting thing to behold. Here you had two highly accomplished artists that also happen to be fans of each other. But for Oates, clearly this was a special experience. Buzzing around the shop like a kid set loose in Santa’s workshop, the rock ‘n roll hall of famer was clearly beside himself as he awaited Foose’s arrival; giddy and fired up.

Once he arrived, Foose, while maintaining the same calm, reassuring, low-key presence he has on the show, nevertheless seemed excited at how enthused the musical icon was to be getting a guided tour of some of Foose’s true automotive treasures.

There was the black 1956 Ford F-100 truck Foose personally restored; the one which originally belonged to his dad, Sam. The seminal lime green Hemisfair hot rod, which he designed during his senior year at Art Center in Pasadena. And the P-32 Ford Roadster “rat rod,” a hot rod that actually incorporates design elements of World War II-era planes including a custom nosepiece and bomber seats from an actual B-17 “Flying Fortress.”

Throughout the tour, as workers prepped and primed pieces for a myriad of different builds, Oates peppered Foose with a variety of intense and intelligent questions that bespoke the fact that he was both a fan and a car expert himself.

The sketches

Back in Foose’s office, the men pored over some of Foose’s elaborate original design sketches, which are works of art all on their own.

Examining the work in Foose’s portfolio, Oates explained what it is about the show that touches him. “I’ve always appreciated Chips artistry. But I think what I love most about the show is just how uplifting it is. The way he gets all the families involved to make it happen, to come alive from paper to reality, is a beautiful thing to watch.” Wryly referencing one of his own hit records to make a point, Oates added with a grin, “He makes their dreams come true.”

And the process, according to Oates, is not unlike what he himself does for a living. “When Chip does his drawings, it’s kind of like the writing of the song. And then when he creates the car, that’s kind of like cutting the record. We both go through a lot of processes before we get into the final version.”

Foose’s fondest memories

Listening to Oates, Foose seemed touched by the observations.

“Well, if I had the ability to play and sing like John does, then cars would just be my hobby,” he smiled. “But I really appreciate his take on what we do. People ask me sometimes what the most memorable build we’ve done is, but for me it’s not so much about the cars as it is about the people. One moment that really stands out is this guy who had a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner convertible. He bought it when he was 15 years old. Now he’s in his 40s and has two daughters in college. His lifelong dream was to have a 426 Hemi engine in it. We knew that when we learned about him and so we did it. We put a Hemi badge on the fender and when he saw that, he asked if that’s what we did. He couldn’t believe it. We let him open the engine when and when he saw what we had done, he just started to cry. On the show you saw a few seconds of that, but he was down on his knees for about 25 minutes trying to compose himself. Building someone’s dream car and really nailing it is an amazing feeling. I’m sure John feels that way when he hears certain songs of his on the radio. Like he just nailed it.”

They had never met before but it seemed pretty clear that a friendship was started up in the shop this day. Just qn a quiet side street in a Huntington Beach industrial Park, where the musician and the car designer bonded over their love not just of paint jobs and engines, but of art, heart, passion and expertise. What a nice thing to be able to witness.