Political news & views for independent-minded voters 

No more wasting money on overblown PR at the Great Park!

Well that didn’t take long!  The new Republican City Council majority in Irvine is acting quickly to dump the public relations firms that have ripped off the people of Irvine to the tune of millions of dollars, according to O.C. Register columnist Frank Mickadeit.  Here are a few excerpts from his latest column:

• When the Great Park balloon starts to drop at tonight’s grand New Year’s Eve party in Irvine, somebody had better make sure the principals from Forde & Mollrich haven’t thrown themselves under it.
• Over the weekend, Councilman Jeff Lalloway gave me a copy of the memo he will send to the city manager this morning calling to immediately terminate the contract that guarantees F&M at least $600,000 a year and allows it to make up to $900,000.
• Lalloway also will be asking his fellow council members to terminate a $201,000-a-year contract with Great Park lobbyist Townsend Public Affairs.
• “We need to stop spending money telling people about the park and actually start building a park,” Lalloway told me. “It’s insane. It really is.”
• When Steven Choi beat Larry Agran in the mayor’s race in November and Agran had to go back to a regular City Council seat without a majority, the days of sole-sourcing contracts for his political supporters were numbered. The pity is that millions went to F&M and other contractors before the tap could be shut.

Well done Council Member Lalloway!  Kudos to Irvine Mayor Choi and Council Member Christina Shea for wasting no time in doing the right thing.  What a great way to start the New Year…