In trying to make themselves into another KCET (with possibly the same long-term prospects), Orange County’s PBS SoCal public TV channel is abandoning its viewers and the ties it long-developed here when it was the lonely OC-focused, Huntington Beach-based KOCE, UHF Channel 50. Per the union-funded Voice of OC via the OC Business Journal: Local PBS Cancels ‘Real Orange,’ OC’s Main TV News Show at year-end.
On this You Tube video from the April 10th Real Orange program (PBS SOCal, KOCE Channel 50), Panelists
OC Supervisor Janet Nguyen
Mark Petracca (pictured), Rick Reiff, Michael Capaldi and Chris Mears discuss the ongoing FBI investigation of OC Supervisor Janet Nguyen‘s campaign fundraising.
Petracca, a UC Irvine Professor, also raises the very pertinent question of why the Orange County District Attorney has been less than aggressive about investigating OC politicos — versus the FBI. He also suggests that the investigation is excellent fodder for anyone planning to run against the Supervisor next year as she’s already planning her campaign for the 34th State Senate District next year to be vacated by Democrat Lou Correa. Nguyen is termed off the Board of Supervisors in 2016.
What a mess of conflicting predictions, estimates, projections and politics — here’s a YouTube for a 23rd March SoCal Insider segment by the excellent reporter/documentarian David Nazar at PBS SoCal (KOCE Channel 50) on the Poseidon Desal plant that’s looking for approval to be built on the beach near the AES Power Plant at Brookhurst and PCH in Huntington Beach.
We don’t think the Poseidon plant pencils and if it, or its owner, FAILS, its cost will end up on Orange County and/or HB taxpayers. But isn’t that always the case when a large public works project has issues? Certainly California High-Speed Rail will be an epic FAIL and not only end up costing us billions if it’s every built, but later generations as well.
We’ve never bought the extremists’ environmental arguments against Poseidon, because they were silly and unsupported with real fact — but the financial risks were overwhelming. For those reasons alone, Poseidon shouldn’t proceed. It’s not up to Debby Cook and her inflammations — she burned her credibility bridge by proselytizing about peak oil for so many years, and then shut up fast and looked for other liberal nostrums to peddle as the good news and great numbers from shale oil production started to emerge from drillers in fields across the United States.
Someone neutral, with no baggage and very very good financial chops needs to take a look at this project. Do we really need it? Is it cost justifiable and effective? Who gets stuck with the bill if it fails, or the demand isn’t there? Or is it just another public works boondoggle that we’ll be paying for for years after the hucksters are long gone?
Once monthly, KOCE’s (PBS SoCal) Real Orange new program runs a good panel discussion between two local liberals and two conservatives.
In this You Tube video (7:42) from Wednesday, Chris Mears, Mark Petracca, Rick Reiff and Michael Capaldi discuss Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach’s potential run for California Governor in 2014.
Watch The Grand Jury, Supervisor Janet Nguyen and Medi-Cal on PBS. See more from KOCE.
The video above is from the KOCE TV program Real Orange. This episode features “The Grand Jury, Supervisor Janet Nguyen and Medi-Cal.” The host is Ann Pulice, with guests, Mark Petracca, Chris Mears, Rick Reiff and Michael Capaldi, discussing Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s dispute with a Grand Jury report that said she helped trigger an implosion of Cal-Optima…which administers Medi-Cal for nearly half a million OC residents. Continue reading