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Former Pasadena Mayor now Ventura City Manager Rick Cole wrote today to clear up a colorful story from former PUSD Supe Ray Cortines.

For the record, I was never expelled for mooning, as you apparently figured out yourself. For the record, I was never suspended for mooning. For the record, I have never mooned anyone, leave alone been punished for it. Chris Sutton WAS suspended for his underground newspaper. I was among those who took over for him and dared Ray to suspend us -- in a special edition of the newspaper I personally put under the windshield wiper of his Rolls Royce in his driveway. Ray did not pursue the matter . . .
What Ray has mixed up in his mind is a cover photo of one issue of the underground paper of Chris Sutton and two friends holding various props (I recall a guitar) in front of their otherwise unclothed bodies. One of the friends is now a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, the other is a lawyer in Pasadena. I had nothing to do with that.

Since you didn't reach me prior to publication (did you try?) I'd appreciate either striking the blog entry of at least noting my rejoinder. You can believe Ray's foggy memory or you can believe mine or you can talk to any other teacher, administrator or student who was at Blair at the time. Trust me, mooning by me would be remembered. I was a varsity track letterman, the student body president, vice president and treasurer (the photo on your blog is my "presidential portrait") The closest I got to mooning was running around in track shorts and a sweaty t-shirt.

Fair enough Rick, but why'd you have to go spoil a good myth like that? And I did call over to the VCM office the day Ray told me that story many months ago.

In other news, his blog seems to have gone dark.

Comments

Rick Cole also was never suspended for attempting to heap worldwide scorn and contempt on our city by abusing the position he was given in the Rose Parade as a councilmember to advertise his own personal claim that the Tournament of Roses was a racist organization. He also was never suspended for being a source of a lot of the dysfunction of the worst City Council group in Pasadena's history. He was also never suspended for generally being one of the most arrogant, divisive, disrespectful and politically partisan Councilmembers in Pasadena history.

Posted by: Anonymous | August 23, 2007 11:06 PM

Butt for the record, he must have great bunz if his mooning incident would have been remembered. Or so he says. That's very important.

Posted by: Miss Havisham | August 24, 2007 12:05 AM

Ahh, the first step toward returning to Pasadena as City Manager. Clean up the historical record. Well Mr.Ruiz, if you really want to do some investigative reporting how about looking into Rick Cole's connection to the Black Panther Party and George Jackson's little brother Jonathon Peter Jackson who was a classmate of Cole at the same High School? After Jonathon Jackson was killed in the infamous Marin County Courthouse shooting, Cole wrote a very emotional piece about his relationship with him. Maybe Cole would like to share it with you? While your at it why not also ask him what happened when he got busted at Occidental College?

Posted by: Paul Small | August 24, 2007 4:00 AM

What I love about this town is that old men argue about who was naughty in high school.

Posted by: Anonymous | August 24, 2007 7:37 AM

Well we all know that the Tournament is a racist organization. He just had the guts to call it on the carpet!

Posted by: 91024 | August 24, 2007 9:44 AM

If you really want to do some investigative googling you'd find I already did that story.

Posted by: Todd | August 24, 2007 9:55 AM

Paul Small is NOT Paul Little

Posted by: Paul (that talker guy) | August 24, 2007 10:57 AM

Todd 1 Paul Small 0

Posted by: Aaron Proctor | August 24, 2007 1:07 PM

Mr. Ruiz: How about getting Cole to pledge on the record that he has no intention of returning to the Crown City as the next City Manager? Googled Rick Cole but didn't find anything about the Occidental College bust or the emotional piece he wrote about Jonathon Jackson, only a brief mention in your blog that they were once classmates. When is the Star News going to stop doing puff pieces about Larry Wilson's old roommate? Paul Small 1 Todd 0

Posted by: Paul Small | August 24, 2007 3:39 PM

I'd correct false assertions about who was roomates with whom, (You might be confusing someone else) but I've been around these Internets long enough than to feed trolls. For the non-trolls reading, a Wilson/Cole household never existed.

Posted by: Todd | August 24, 2007 6:40 PM

Gee Todd, aren't we getting a little bit touchy about how the Rick/Larry relationship is described? No one is outing them and calling them domestic partners. Whether or not one left his toothbrush and contact lens case at the others place is besides the point. The fact is that have been very unusually close for decades and that relationship has shaped how your newspaper has covered Rick Cole. Paul Small 2 Todd 0

Posted by: Paul Small | August 25, 2007 8:02 AM

Good stuff Todd ...

Posted by: Anonymous | August 25, 2007 12:27 PM

Nice seeing you at the picnic, Todd.

Posted by: Aaron Proctor | August 26, 2007 9:51 PM

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