Larry Agran

Orange County Great Park Gets a $1.4 Billion Puncture in its Balloon

A court in Sacramento today denied the city of Irvine's temporary restraining order request that would prevent the state of California from seizing Orange County Great Park funds. It's part of the city's lawsuit against the state Department of Finance, which has ruled the Great Park is not entitled ... More >>

2011 Bob Dornan Scary OC Hall of Fame Inductee: Barbara Coe!

​No one except Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Friend of the Taliban) in Orange County history has consistently proven to be scarier over a longer period of time than California Coalition for Immigration Reform head Barbara Coe--and even Dana has had flashes of sanity in his Bedlam brain. Shit, ev ... More >>

[UPDATED with Feinstein Fooked!] Kinde Durkee, Democratic Treasurer Accused of Fraud

​UPDATE, SEPT. 13, 11:05 A.M.: U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is the latest Democrat claiming to have been hornswoggled by campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee. Feinstein first revealed her accounts had been totally cleaned out, but her spokesman later corrected that to say the amount of missing funds is c ... More >>

[UPDATED with SJC Spooked:] Banning Pervs in Parks Sweeps OC

​UPDATE, AUG. 17, 11:17 A.M.: It's become so routine it's lost its news value: The District Attorney's office announces it's sending a rep before the latest of the 7,000 city councils in Orange County considering a ban on sex offenders in local parks modeled after the county law co-written by DA T ... More >>

[UPDATED with Early RSM Nod:] Banning Pervs in Parks Sweeps OC

​UPDATE, JULY 29, 9:41 A.M.: The Rancho Santa Margarita City Council voted Wednesday night to move ahead with a ban on registered sex offenders in city parks that is similar to the county law enacted in April.The council agreed that banning only those who have preyed on children would leave kids v ... More >>

Nurses Rally Against Government Healthcare and Social Security Cuts

​Just to be clear, the more than 100 registered nurses huddled around Irvine's Civic Center Plaza at high noon today are not there to implant a conscious into Larry Agran. The RNs are joining community activists to rally against any cuts to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid.

Fred Karger Delights OC Crowd in Presidential Bid

This is Fred​With a sparkling blue Pacific Ocean backdrop at his Laguna Beach house before sunset tonight, Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger delighted a politically diverse crowd with his trademark humor and determination to make gay and lesbian equality an acceptable stance within the ... More >>

Orange County Great Park Corp. Isn't Paying Its Bills?

More money woes at the Great Park​Late this month, a Montclair contracting business filed a lawsuit against the City of Irvine and it's Orange County Great Park Corp. in hopes of collecting $361,000 after creating a "shade structure" for the park's dubious balloon ride PR scheme.According to lawye ... More >>

Federal Judge Grants Partial Victory for Liberal OC in its Pissing Match Against Orange Juice! But Calls Boths Sides "Childish"

​In perhaps the greatest waste of a courtroom in this county since the Rocco trial, a federal judge has sided with the Liberal OC in its lawsuit against the Orange Juice! blog. But U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter was hardly sympathetic to the Liberal OC."This case tells the story of an o ... More >>

Another Reason why the Democratic Party of Orange County is Pathetic: Their Official Party is at Original Mike's

​Although we might come across as a left-of-left lefties, people who actually read the entirety of the Weekly know that we harbor a special animus toward local Democrats, who can boast of supporting corrupt politicians (SanTana Mayor-for-Life Don Papi Pulido, Irvine boss Larry Agran, convicted fel ... More >>

OC's Scariest People

Crypt from the headlines, here are our annual 31 flavors of fiendishness

2010 Bob Dornan Scary OC Hall of Fame Inductee: Orly Taitz!

​After a years-long hiatus, we've decided to bring back Orange County's most prestigious honor: induction into the Bob Dornan Scary OC Hall of Fame! Every year, in conjunction with our annual round-up of the county's scariest people (which you can pick up on newsstands starting today; on-line? Wai ... More >>

Jeff Lalloway: I Was Attacked For Questioning City of Irvine Spending

Lalloway: I'm being sabotaged.​Jeff Lalloway feels sucker punched tonight and his attacker wasn't the media or liberal Democrats who run Irvine, one of Orange County's two Democratic controlled cities.Lalloway, a Republican candidate for the Irvine City Council, says a fellow Republican, retiring ... More >>

What is Craig Reem Hiding at the Great Park?

Shhh! I'm hiding great park secrets.​Crooks and con artists tend to erect ridiculous hurdles for journalists. For example, Mike Carona--our ex-sheriff-turned-convicted-felon--liked to grant interviews to journalists he knew would toss him only softball questions.For other reporters (like me), ther ... More >>

New York Times Gets Orange County Laughably, Stupidly Wrong

Never forget what's in our DNA...​As someone who collects any and all articles, dissertations, and books on Orange County history, this past Sunday's Page One New York Times story on how our fair land "is no longer Nixon country" was the literary equivalent of Rick Bayless talking about Mexican cu ... More >>

Liberals To Target GOP's Irvine Congressional Seat

Libs target longshotBeth Krom finally has a reason to smile.​Politico is reporting this afternoon that Krom, the Irvine Democrat who is challenging incumbent Congressman John Campbell in November's general election, has won the promised support of a liberal group tied to former presidential c ... More >>

OC to Rule UCLA Commencement Speakers Slot Tomorrow

​Tomorrow, I will drive to my alma mater, UCLA, to give the school's commencement speech, a subject I've written about way too much already. Really, the person you should pay attention to is the student commencement speaker, as she's one of our own: Flavia de la Fuente of Irvine.

Burrito Korner

[Hole in the Wall] Liquor, breakfast burritos and sandwiches: What more could you want from Qwik Korner?

OC's Five Least Reprehensible Elected Officials!

Photo by John GilhooleyDevore: OC's second-least reprehensible GOPer?​I was having lunch over the weekend with a pal, a Republican who will never vote for an OC Reep due to their rank hypocrisy. I, as a lefty nut, shared with him my frustrations with the Democratic Party of Orange County, the grou ... More >>

Great Park Balloon Floats Into a Milestone

Courtesy of Orange County Great Park CorporationUp, up and tethered so not to be away.​According to the city of Irvine's Orange County Great Park Corporation, the balloon ride that is the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station's current main attraction reached a milestone in August.

Tale of 2 Police Forces: While Irvine's Fumes, La Habra's Bites the Bullet

To protect and serve . . . for less.​While their counterparts in "Safest City in America" Irvine fume over an employer-proposed wage freeze, officers who belong to the La Habra Police Association seem to have gladly accepted a deal that imposes what is essentially a 5 percent pay cut. "Although di ... More >>

"Press Conference" Against Iran Government Produces No News, Much Political Support in Irvine

Rep. Laura Richardson (inset), Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Rep. Ed Royce, together at last.If the goal of a press conference is to produce a "big announcement" that makes news and warrants coverage--the usual reason one calls a press conference in the first place--then the Iran Sup ... More >>

Great Park, Nearby Farms Produce 100 Tons of Food for Poor

Anyone else have a craving for a fresh orange?The Orange County Great Park at the old El Toro Marine Corps Air Station is just getting started providing thrills, chills and paid-parking revenues, but farming has been continuing out there through it all--much to the benefit of the Orange County Food ... More >>

Cirque du Soleil Confirms 2010 Tour Stop in Great Park

Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil"The Trickster" of Cirque du Soleil's "Kooza."There's not much to the park yet, but the Orange County Great Park in Irvine has been confirmed as a 2010 tour stop for the freaky French-Canadian circus Cirque du Soleil, OCGP chairman Larry Agran announced today.Montre ... More >>

No Ace with Taxes: Santa Ana Mayor Don Papi Pulido and His Family Muffler Shop

Not scheduled for gentrificationThere is perhaps no business more fundamental to an Orange County politico's creation myth than Ace Muffler Shop, on First Street in downtown SanTana and belonging to the family of SanTana Mayor Don Papi "Miguel" Pulido. It was the city's planned demolishing of Ace Mu ... More >>

Former Weekling Pignataro Lives, Writes the Maui Life

The last time the Weekly pimped a book by Anthony Pignataro, it was El Toro Airport Watch: A No-Nonsense Guide to the Controversy Surrounding Orange County's Proposed El Toro International Airport. The title alone is nearly as long as the 54-page book, a staggering work of genius that is not really ... More >>

Did the Other Cleat Just Drop on Odd Man Out?

Friday, I posted my thoughts on a damn fine read, Odd Man Out, which is about lefty washout pitcher Matt McCarthy's experiences as a farmhand in the Angels organization. The post led to a lively debate in the comments section about the accuracy of McCarthy's reporting. Among those who ques ... More >>

An Orange County with Two Democratic Congress Members?

Make room, Loretta Sanchez?TheLiberalOC.com reported today that serious efforts are underway to elect not just Orange County's second Democrat to Congress but also its second female Democrat. Dan Chmielewski, who runs the influential progressive blog and has undeniable insider Democratic Party conn ... More >>

Councilwoman Blames Own Panel for Irvine Sister City's Demise

The Irvine Sister City Foundation--which has helped make Irvine a truly international city thanks to successful partnerships with with Tsukuba, Japan, Hermosillo, Mexico, and Taoyuan, Taiwan--voted to dissolve last night. Despite the denials of Irvine Mayor Suhkee Kang, an Irvine City Coun ... More >>

[This Hole-In-The-Wall Life] Sublime Sandwiches at Joey's in Irvine

I'm Not Dead Yet

Christina Shea had one of those gut-check moments when Orange County Great Park Corp. board clerk Steve Larsen read the roll at this morning's regular meeting at Irvine City Hall. "How come you didn't call my name?" Shea asked defensively. Last month's defeat in the mayoral race against Sukhee Kang ... More >>

If You Don't Support the Great Park Iconics, the Terrorists Win!

Clockwork's Pete Townshendesque ears heard Irvine City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Christina Shea ask the following at Thursday's Great Park Corporation board of directors meeting at City Hall: “If you could put up on the screen the terrorist area.” Now, it is no state secret that Irvin ... More >>

KNOW YOUR PLACE - OC Weekly Archives

Here at the Weekly, we've toiled for over a decade now to bring you the truth about life in Orange County. Some stories have sent people to prison; some have gotten people out. We've warned you of doctors threatening your lives. We've humbled crooked politicians, outed pedophile priests and even hel ... More >>

The Asian Persuasion

Great Asian restaurants, and the Asians (and Chuck Devore) who love them

A Brave New (Yummy!) World

Chakra Cuisine: Irvines present, Orange Countys future

Tea and a Bit of Joe

This Week in Booze Barns

Diary of a Mad County

Letters

State of the Union

Vacation, time to get away

Only God Can Water a Tree . . .

. . . at former El Toro Marine base, where mere mortals dont have clearance

Mars Barred

Letters

Super Suckers

Drinkin for Jesus

And thanks for not hurling on the Indiana Jones Adventure!

This Is War?

Behind-the-scenes ties between El Toro Airport supporters and the countys biggest anti-airport groups have to make you wonder

Don't Leak on Me

Does the anti-airport coalition need a little more internal debate?

Letters

Millennium Plan Madness

Bitten by Celebrity

Who's the star here?