Beth Krom Wishes Everyone In Irvine A Happy New Year Via A Poisonous Email

Happy new year to everyone. The lone liberal Democrat left on the Irvine City Council also wishes everyone a happy new year, but when you read this email from her to her supporters, one can only surmise that it's gonna be a long two years for her. In the email she says she is all charged up and ready to do battle as an army of one. I think she is mistaking this new found energy with extreme epic bitterness. Maybe it had to do with her losing her best allie Larry Agran along with Melissa Fox and Mary Ann Gaido. You're welcome Beth :) Anyway here's her email in italics along with some commentary by me when it's needed.

Hello everyone...

The holidays have provided an opportunity for me to rest, restore and re-focus. Along the way I got another year older and spent quality time with family. I hope you all had a good holiday and gave yourselves a chance to catch your breath as well. Many of you have asked how you can be engaged, involved and helpful going forward. That's why I'm writing. We all wish the outcome of the recent election had been different. Another 1000 votes or so and I would be on a Council with Mayor Guido and Council member Fox. 1000 more than that and we would have the "super-majority" that the Mayor now commands (that may be a stretch as I do not think any of the four who I sit with on the Council actually like, respect or work well with each other). But for now, "it is what it is."

Bitter much Beth? How about some cheese to go with your whine.

Please read this whole e-mail. I know it's long, but I don't have time to engage everyone individually. If you want to cut to the chase, please e-mail me to confirm your interest in becoming better informed, better engaged, and a force for positive change in Irvine. Do read the whole thing if possible•••and look to the last two paragraphs for a specific call to action.

I know the "better energy" is on our side. That will do a great deal to fortify my spirit as I complete the balance of my City Council term. I will not allow myself to be pulled into the vortex of negativity. I have always focused on "quality of life" issues and believe that the majority of Irvine residents share the vision of a well planned city with multi-modal transportation options, where thinking is creative, intelligence and open mindedness are respected, diversity is celebrated, our environment is protected and sustainable and public safety is defined by more than FBI statistics.

Here's a woman who said at the swearing in ceremony that "woman play nicer in the sandbox"

These are not partisan issues. Our past success was achieved through focusing on people and community priorities, not partisan politics. As the other side has used partisanship to drive their ambitions, we have tried to use the same leverage with "our people." Unfortunately "our people" do not have the same inclination to vote locally based on partisan identification as "their people" do. That's why we need to focus on people to people connections and elevating awareness about local issues. The low voter turnout reflected the distaste voters have for what they see as "negative vs. negative" campaigns and the politics of personal assaults.

Maybe "your people" Beth finally had enough of your friends after analyzing all the news reports from the Great Park Audit. Oh and please don't get sanctimonious on negative campaigning. You and Larry wrote the book on that here in Irvine the last 12 years when you had the majority.

Over the years the narrative has changed from a focus on community vision and a city of "innovation, education and civic participation" to one of power and control.

This woman is so delusional. The whole idea of squandering the $200 million dollars at the Great Park that Larry and you implemented was to payoff all your friends and get kickbacks from it in the form of campaign contributions to keep you in power. It worked great until the money ran out. Giving you guys $200 million to spend was like giving drunk teenagers the keys to a Ferrari.

Those now in power are not appreciated for their intellect and public advocacy, but rather for their slavish loyalty to local developers, political operatives and profiteering business interests. They claim to support kids but endorse a High School site adjacent to a toxic dump and down the road from a jail that is rapidly expanding. They wave the flag, challenge the patriotism of others and claim to support veterans but are secretly working to stop the proposed Veterans Cemetery. They take credit for "finally building the Great Park" while presiding over the greatest give-away of control over public land (AND A PUBLIC VISION) with the 688 acre downsized, privatized and commercialized Great Park plan FivePoint communities now controls.

Unfortunately, people don't know what's happening. I tell people Orange County is the most ignorant, educated place in America. The Orange County Register just named Jeff Lalloway one of the "100 most important" in OC. They dutifully printed fallacious headlines and factually challenged stories as fodder for political mailers funded by developers they are very cozy with. This is what we are up against.It's nothing new, but as the City grows and less people are civically engaged, the "good guys" will have a harder time getting elected.

Beth is very jealous of Jeff getting named "100 most important" in OC by the Register. Let's hope you never get elected to anything ever again Beth.

Our only hope going forward is a massive, coordinated "activation" of Irvine voters around issues that matter to them. Single issue focus will not do. People need to see the bigger picture. They need to understand how the dots connect. The focus needs to be on a better vision for Irvine's future. The planning issues at the center of the recent campaign are a big part of the equation, but as I point out, "buildings don't make communities ...people make communities."

Some of you care more about the environment or gun control. Some want to see Irvine remain an open and inclusive community for faith and culture - where we celebrate diversity rather than use "differences" to polarize and divide people. Some are focused on the impacts of over-development on traffic or support for the arts. ALL these issues are important - but they will cease to be part of Irvine's profile and priorities as long as developers and ideologues are setting the agenda at City Hall.

Because having Larry in control for 12 years worked out so great. Sigh.

The first matter we must tackle is putting truth behind the fiction of the Great Park Audit. Nearly $1.5 MILLION devoted to an effort that has had NO STAFF OVERSIGHT, has been conducted by TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS (Shea and Lalloway) IN COMPLETE SECRECY, that has involved SOLE SOURCE CONTRACTS and expensive CONTRACT EXTENSIONS and which has yielded NOTHING to date but misinformation, innuendo and personal attacks.

Calling our side out for sole sourced contracts is really shameless of her. Uh Forde & Mollrich Beth? As far as secrecy, Christina Shea and Steven Choi had to sue the Great Park Corp to get to read the resumes of potential GP CEOs.

Let's face it, if there had been any "there" there we would have heard about it before the election. Now they're trying to put lipstick on a pig. This could come up as early as the first meeting in January.

People did hear about the "there" Beth and they voted all your cronies out of power! LOL

CALL TO ACTION: WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO READ A DEPOSITION OR IN OTHER WAYS PARTICIPATE IN BRINGING A LARGE, KNOWLEDGEABLE GROUP OF PEOPLE TO SPEAK AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS WHERE THE AUDIT WILL BE DISCUSSED? I WOULD LIKE AT LEAST 25 PEOPLE.

Now she's trying to steal my mojo. I read her and Larry copies of the devastating depositions at the city council meetings last year. I guess that had an affect :) What's the saying..."imitation is the best form of flattery".

There are some 25 depositions that have been taken. None demonstrate any illegal activity. At best, there were power struggles and competing visions. Every contract let was approved at a public meeting. This is about damaging the credibility of those who supported a PUBLIC VISION for the Great Park. A smoke screen for the massive give­ away of development rights and control over 688 acres of public land to developer FivePoint (who put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the recent smear campaign against Gaido, Ag ran and Fox).

E-mail ME IF YOU ARE ON BOARD. I'LL BE ORGANIZING A GET TOGETHER VERY SOON.

I KNOW THIS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. THERE WILL BE OTHER WAYS FOR THOSE NOT INTERESTED IN THIS EFFORT TO BE INVOLVED GOING FORWARD.

I am counting on the "Better Energy" to rise up and challenge the negative, self serving agenda of the Mayor and his majority.It's time to take on the local media and their one-sided agenda as well. Most important, we can only benefit for building a better informed, better engaged community - and reminding people that the power rests with the voters when it comes to choosing candidates who articulate a vision that best serves our City, now and in the future. Thanks. Let me know if you'd like to help "activate" Irvine... Beth

So there you have it. A poisonous call to action for the new year. Happy New Year to you to Beth. I'm looking forward to seeing the reaction on your face when the final audit report is read.