ONE QUESTION … FOR THINKIN’-ABOUT-IT COUNCIL CANDIDATE BILL ORTON
By Greater Long Beach
The back story: Bill Orton, a 1980 graduate of Cal State Long Beach who moved into Long Beach’s 3rd district a few years ago after 23 years in Seal Beach, announced on his Facebook page in February that he would be considering a run for Long Beach City Council in 2014. But incumbent Gary DeLong now says he’s running for Congress in 2012 against termed out state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, which could vacate the seat. Then over the weekend, Orton chipped in a comment in on a GreaterLongBeach.com discussion about conditions at Bixby Park that sounded very, uhh … council-dential … can we say? Hey, we said it! Orton suggested “subdividing a secure space within the Community Center to be used by the police as a base for bicycle patrol officers” that would make Bixby Park part of “a circuit that includes the beach path, and the Ocean Blvd and Broadway corridors,” and he also came out “against the proposal within the city manager’s budget of cutting 14 patrol officers.”
The question: Are you going to run for the 3rd district seat on the Long Beach City Council?
Bill Orton’s answer: I am still exploring the question. I have not reached a decision, and until I do, any further discussion is premature. Having run for elected office once and lost (a 2002 bid for the Assembly that was won by former Huntington Beach City Council member and Republican Tom Harman), I told myself I would never do it again unless it were a race that I had a real chance of winning.
26 Comments
The last thing the Third District needs is another carpetbagger!!!
True,De Long and Foster both have been disasters-and both
should be turned out of office–as most(except for those drinking the
Kool Aid-have come to realize.
Twelve to fifteen years in the Third District-would be minimum about
of time required to attain a working understanding of its culture and
needs.
Incidentally–thought\ it is certainly not enough to compensate for all
the damage he has done-giving credit where credit is due—check out
the new high end men’s and women’s clothing store Gary De Long was
able to bring to Marina Pacifica–in the space Walgreens recently vacated.
No doubt,in the executive suites of Bloomingdales; Brooks Brothers;Macys;
Neiman Marcus people are kicking themselves for not capturing that
space so central to epic center of high levels of disposal income-even in
these difficult to times.
Finally Third District residents-as well as other will not have to travel to
Irvine,Newport or Los Angeles to buy high end clothes.
What is that writing style of yours, Goodhue? Is that prose or poetry?
Lord how you ramble on. Prosetry?
Incidentally, Orton is hardly a carpetbagger. He grew up and attended schools in and around this area, his kid goes to school here, and he has worked in local government in the area his entire career.
WHO THE HECK IS BILL ORTON? I’ve been very involved in Long Beach politics, 3rd district issues and multiple city-wide issues over the past six years, two of them as president of the Belmont Shore Residents Association, and had not even HEARD of Bill Orton until he announced his 3rd district candidicy earlier this year.
I have not once seen Mr. Orton speak at City Council meetings where many residents worried about their community express their opinion IN PUBLIC. I don’t remember Orton’s name or involvement in numerous past and present 3rd District issues impacting the community like Belmont Shore Bar disturbances, the Marina Project, Melody Ross murder, multiple police killings, Los Cerritos Wetlands, Tom Dean development, Colorado Lagoon, Livingston Tot Lot, Beach development, etc, etc. Why hasn’t he involved himself in community issues if he wants to represent the community as a Councilman? Does Mr. Orton even involve himself in the community association where he lives? If so, I have not heard of it.
It is clear from Mr. Orton’s recent comments congratulating Councilman DeLong and Mayor Foster for their wonderful decisions that he knows where the political money and power is in Long Beach Politics. What is unclear is whether he would be just another politician who uses Long Beach as their personal stepping stone to a political career outside of Long Beach.
Nah, Bill Orton’s been around for ever. I didn’t realize he’d only run for office once (for some reason, I’ve got him and Peter Matthews occupying my cranial niche labeled “perpetual candidacy”). He’s definitely seemed like a more active gadfly in the past — but I have a fairly high regard for gadflyism.
Not wanting to be publicly visible on every issue that comes along is not necessarily a bad thing.
Attached is Bill Orton’s letter in support of Mayor Foster’s proposal to increase the Police Department’s UNSUSTAINABLE compensation another $2.1 million above and beyond what is provided in their union contract.
http://longbeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=186259&GUID=7EC98C75-BBCC-4D10-AF57-2A8AFA3C59C3&Options=&Search=
At least the address on the letter proves Orton was living here in LB at least as far back as 2006. Guess he’s not a carpet bagger after all.
Orton is a big union supporter, so the letter isn’t really a surprise. Just because you don’t like the cops, Mr. Ruehle doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be compensated fairly. These people put their lives on the line every day for unappreciative people.
The truth is that our middle class is only as strong as it is today because of the efforts of unions to make the workers’ lives better.
PLAYERS IN THE IMMIGRATION DRAMA
July 28, 2006
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is troubled by the strong views that ordinary citizens he’s meeting have on immigration. On the first day of the governor’s campaign bus trip, he stopped in La Mesa, where his town hall event was dominated by the strong views of people who called him soft on immigration. “This was really the first time I had seen the intensity of prejudice,” he said.
The first time? When did Proposition 187 pass? Doesn’t this man get out? It’d be worth asking what planet he’s been living on for the last 12 years. How can anyone wanting to lead California honestly be so out of touch as to only now be troubled by the strong views that people hold on immigration? Schwarzenegger can flip-flop all he wants on the issue; it’s the right of each person to change his views. But he needs to get out more so he can understand the people he purports to represent.
WILLIAM R. ORTON
Long Beach
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jul/28/opinion/le-friday28.3
California Assembly
November 07, 2002
District 67 Anaheim, Cypress, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster 100% Precincts Reporting Votes
Tom Harman* (R) 63,392 69
William R. Orton (D) 29,153 32
Mike Ruehle-is directly on point.Over the course of 33 years;having attended
a wide variety of community meetings dealing with District or City issues–;
to best of my knowledge Orton’s, name never surfaced,,-in terms bad,good or
ugly.let alone the man himself.
True,not every one needs to be vocal—but a bump on the log is not what is
needed.
LBCityGirl, I also work in an industry where the “people put their lives on the line every day for unappreciative people.” And the fatality rate in my industry is MUCH higher than being a police officer. Just today, I read an article about how fishermen have the most deadly job with the highest fatality rate. So, what is considered “fair compensation” for those other jobs, many of which ARE NOT supported by unions?
In most cases, people have a choice over what career they pursue. If they can make more money or have less of a hazard somewhere else, then they can choose to work elsewhere. It is their decision to place themselves in a job that pays less or is more hazardous. If they don’t feel they are being treated fairly, they can choose to look elsewhere for employment.
In my opinion, your argument makes sense if there is nobody willing to take a job as a Long Beach Police Officer. However, that is not the case. There are long, long lines of willing applicants. Therefore, the market determines what is fair and just compensation. As long as there is someone willing to assume the hazards that come with being a police officer, then the police officers are being fairly compensated.
And by the way, I don’t dislike ALL cops. I have several cop friends and family members, not uncommon to your situation. In most cases, I understand their plight and how the retaliation works. However, I have a strong dislike for cops and their management who lie and are outspoken in their support of other cops no matter how attrocious their crime. Unfortunately, that appears to be norm in Long Beach.
Do not know how long Orton has been in 3rd…but here in the 4th WE HAVE A CARPET BAGGER!!! Herlinda Chico moved in on January 26, 2011 and is running for our Open seat…talk about NERVE…word is that Robert Garcia is supporting her and promised her Labor Support…
Why do downtown interests think they get to decide who OUR 4th District council person gets to be????
Just say NO to CARPET BAGGERS…
Hahahaa…Ruehle, you have lots of cop friends and family? Hahahaa…you sound like a teabagger trying to explain they’re not racist…”I have lots of black and mexican friends”…it rings hollow when they say it, and certainly rings hollow when you make such an outrageous statement.
The apples to oranges comparison you make between a fisherman and public safety employees should be embarrassing for you. A fisherman doesn’t intentionally run toward a burning building, or shooting mad man…they die because of a tragic mistake.
They do not intentionally put themselves in danger to shield the community; they die because of equipment failure or human error. They don’t die because they are purposely putting themselves between us, and chaos. Get real.
Mike, since I very very rarely eat fish, I see it as something we could all do without– as opposed to policemen which are an intregal part of a smooth functioning society. So yeah, it’s true I do not appreciate fishermen that much– though I love watching “The Deadliest Catch.”
I myself strongly support unions. If you feel you need worker’s rights as a fisherman there is a fishermens’ union local based in Wilmington. A quick google will get you there.
All workers deserve rights, regardless of their profession.
LBCityGirl, I do not intend to be rude, but what do YOU consider “fair compensation” for police officers?
Dear Editor,
Thanks for the accurate reporting of my response to your question. In scanning the responses, I do stand behind comments made in 2006 and also several nights ago, about police pay and police staffing. I am pleased to have joined a great many residents in calling for restoring cuts to patrol, gang and violent crime units at last night’s council meeting. But not everyone is going to agree, and that’s the nature of this blessed democracy. The comments also include statements which are off the mark, and since few people really know who the heck I am, the need to introduce myself is one of those questions I must explore in my decision of whether to stand for election.
And I did also run for office in Long Beach while a student. I finished 80 votes out of qualifying for a run-off for ASI president, as a candidate of The Gumby Party. While I did not win, four of the seven Gumby Party slate’s candidates did roll on through to victory.
Let me guess…….you lost the run-off to Pokey.
I’ve known Bill Horton since the late 1970′s, early 1980′s, when we both attended CSULB. As a matter of fact, he was also my editor at one of the school’s two papers.
Over the years, we crossed paths as journalists, community activists, etc. Bill was often working as the constituent outreach person in a legislator office. He is well seasoned by his continuous presence in the trenches of neighborhood political concern.
I came in contact with him more in the time when I was a Human Relations Commissioner with the city of Long Beach, than in my time as a journalist. By that I mean to say that he never sought any public acclaim for the tireless work he’s been doing. That I met him more often, while in my capacity as a commissioner, is testimony to the unaffected and straightforward nature of his character.
Slobodan Dimitrov, can you please provide examples of the “tireless work he’s been doing?” I’ve been around for a couple years and, while I may be mistaken, I do not recall a single neighborhood issue Mr. Orton has been involved in before he announced his City Council candidacy.
Furthermore, was Mr. Orton PAID to do that “tireless work?” Because I can name at least 50 people who VOLUNTEER and actually do “tireless work” for their community.
I’m tired of political nobodies throwing their hats into the election ring to advance their personal political careers when they haven’t actually done anything for their community. If Bill Orton has been involved in community issues, lets hear about it. If Bill Orton has positions on issues, let hear about it. Because so far, the only awkward positions I’ve read from Mr. Orton’s comments involved butt kissing Mayor Foster and Councilman DeLong.
A correction from above. I started at CSULB in 1980. It took me awhile to complete the degree, so formal graduation would be 1991.
As to the demand to list achievements and credentials, I’d say that since I have genuinely NOT made a decision to run, I will steer clear of glossy bio pieces, and say that my first life achievement is to have, thus far, seemingly raised a good kid. She is finishing her senior year and has learned that it is her own hard work that will best get her ahead in life. Polite, smart, funny, cares about animals. That makes me feel hope for the future.
Civicly, I’m proud to have spent 11 years with the local non-profit that runs the Sunday farmers market over in the marina. I made the original motions to start that Sunday market, as well as the Saturday market in Cerritos and the Thursday Bixby market. During that time, I also volunteered each week to bring food from the farmers to a bunch of homeless kids, at the Mary McLeod Bethune school. People can think what they like of homeless adults, but the kids are complete innocents. The market donated the money. Farmers gave generously for the kids. And it was 100% to the kids.
Correctly pointed out earlier that (1) Slobodan is my friend and (2) I’m a staffer. Thanks for he and citygirl (who I dont think I know) for graciously stepping forth, but it is correct that the tireless crew is many fold, and I am never anywhere but the middle of such a list. That said, having been a staffer to five state lawmakers, I am pleased to have actually gained both some knowledge and some skills that I think have bearing for the work of council, should I choose to stand for election.
Oh, not a qualification upon which great careers are built, but I am proud to now be putting to use skills gained as a child delivering the Huntington Beach Independent, as I am not the chief paperboy for my neighborhood association. No need to draw attention to a volunteer effort, really, but since the association ties were a question.
And, no, Pokey was not on the ballot. Lorene Morgan won the presidency. I came in 4th, with 810 votes. Had I gotten 870, I would have made the run-off to face Lorene, but she went on to then appoint me as her representative to the faculty’s Academic Senate, where I had just completed three years as a student Senator… and typically was the only student among the five AcaSen seats we held to show regularly. To her great credit, Lorene Morgan attended not just Academic Senate meetings, but filled appointments of students to other boards and we had a full compliment to faculty and administration panels, truly a rarity. The lesson I gained was that issues and personalities may shift, but showing up and doing the work is important, in and of itself.
Pardon… in re-reading… should read… “i am NOW the chief paperboy…” rather than NOT…
Next question. With the knowledge and skills garnered while gainfully employed by lawmakers, what have you done to demonstrate you should be paid to represent your community?
Not in favor of carpetbagger in the 4th district who moved in earlier this year according to Mike in LB.
@Sally, do not be alarmed about that 4th district carpet bagger, she doesn’t stand a chance in this district. People who have lived in the 4th know who will win. That person has not officially announced their candidacy. In fact, the Teabagger Watkins doesn’t stand a chance either.
I would like to publicly thank Mike Ruehle, whose questions on this exchange have been both relevant to the question Dave Wielenga initially asked, and which has helped me to draw closer to a decision. I expect to make a final answer known before Halloween.
WRAPPING UP THE EXPLORATION… I am opting to end my exploration of a race for city council. I’m pleased with how things have turned out. The issues raised in my exploration represented the mainstream views of residents. But now simply isn’t the time for me. Thanks to everyone for your interest, support and friendship. — Bill.