November 2010 Archives

Tangles Salon is partnering with the Marines in a Toys for Tots program. Drop off an unwrapped gift and you'll get a coupon for a free conditioning treatment. Tangles, at 7945 Vineyard Ave., is opened 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. The salon will accept donations through Dec. 20.

Information: 909-941-6672

Now that your turkey is digested, it's time to think about Christmas.

To help out the less fortunate families in the area, donate a new and unwrapped toy or sports equipment to any local fire station. About 2,000 children in the city typically get Christmas gifts because of the annual Spark of Love toy drive.

You can also donate a gift when the Metrolink Holiday Toy Express comes into town on Dec. 12. The decked out train stops in Rancho Cucamonga at 7:15 p.m. before reaching Montclair an hour later.   

The Cucamonga Valley Water District board is poised to promote the deputy general manager to lead the water agency.

Earlier this week, the board decided in closed session to appoint Deputy General Manager Martin Zvirbulis, right, to the general manager/CEO position contingent on a successful contract negotiation. General Manager Robert DeLoach, left, a former public works director for Pomona who has led the Cucamonga Valley Water District since 1997, is stepping down. Contract talks with Zvirbulis is expected to begin next month.   

Congratulations to Linny Kenney and her horse, Sojourner, on traveling from California to New Hampshire.

Kenney, a San Francisco musician who was featured in the Daily Bulletin in March, set off on horseback on a cross-country trip to her family home. She started on Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar and ended up in Rancho Cucamonga two days later, where the Alta Loma equestrian community welcomed her with a home-cooked meal and a place to stay.

"I can remember the first steps on Foothill Blvd. in Los Angeles," Kenney wrote on her blog. "Every single person who passed by looked at us with their mouths open and most of them with gigantic smiles and I was thinking, 'Well, here we go, Sojer. Five steps down, and about a gazillion to go.'"

Nearly nine months and a gazillion steps later, she has reached her destination.

It's always bittersweet to work on Black Friday.

Bitter because you can't fit into your work clothes and you spend the day wondering why you ate that second piece of pecan pie. Sweet because you get to avoid shopping with your relatives.

May your Black Friday be more sweet than bitter.

Happy cooking, eating and shopping in the next couple of days. May your turkey breast be moist, your favorite football team victorious and the doorbuster deals be plenty and cheap.

Don't head out to Victoria Gardens today because it's closed but by 7 a.m. Friday, the mall will be swarming with sales seekers. Some stores will open even earlier -- JC Penny at 3 a.m., Macy's at 4 a.m. and Bass Pro Shops at 6 a.m.

Gotta go and get that turkey out of the brine. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

The Sacred Heart Church on Foothill Boulevard east of the 15 Freeway will serve a free turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thanks to John Lyons for passing along this information. The meal will be served to anyone who needs one or wants to eat in the company of others. 

Have you seen the city's new website? It's shiny, purple and no longer looks like it was designed in 2003.

The city got its first website in 1996, which featured a mayor's message from a brown-haired Bill Alexander. There were just a few pages of information on that site and you had to read it on Netscape.

Today there are all kinds of features on the new website including My Rancho, which allows you to customize your own page. Create an account for My Rancho and you can win one of two iPads. The first will be given out on Dec. 16 and the other one on Feb. 7 -- kinda like an early Christmas or Valentine's Day present.

99 Ranch opened Nov. 10 and held its grand opening celebrations two days later. It has been crowded ever since.




Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer


I stopped by the 99 Ranch for an afternoon snack over the weekend and met throngs of people wading through a flooded parking lot just to get to the newly opened market. I found the store vibrant and bustling. It seemed shoppers were happy the building is no longer vacant and there's one more spot to buy Asian groceries.

But don't tell that to the naysayers commenting on my colleague Rebecca U. Cho's business story. One person suggested that 99 Ranch would bring crime to the neighborhood. Another person claimed to have thrown up at the market's front door.

Who knew people would get so angry about Chinese food?

I can imagine some shoppers might be put off by swimming fish, whole ducks and other signs that show the meat we eat actually come from animals. But you can also buy familiar items like tomatoes, eggs, white bread.

Councilman Sam Spagnolo, an Italian American, seems infatuated with the new business.

"It's really neat to see all of the produce, fresh fish, meat market they have there," Spagnolo said at last week's City Council meeting. "You don't have to be Asian to go in there and appreciate all the different varieties of food they have there."

 

Kudos to all the winners of the Founder's Day parade on Saturday. According to the city, more people attended this parade than others in the past. The theme of the parade at Victoria Gardens this year was "Once Upon a Time ... fairy tales and nursery rhymes with a happily ever after."

Sons of Italy, whose members worked for days to perfect this scary shark from the Pinocchio tale, pictured above, took the Best Overall Float award. Members of the Italian American group came dressed up as characters of the Tuscan tale -- Pinocchio, Gepetto, the fairy, etc. The waves, represented by cardboard spray painted blue, are actually recycled political signs.

The group Crimson Vixen won the Founders Award for an outstanding entry based on theme, spirit and participation. Cucamonga School District, Girl Scout Troop 1154 and Studio Elite also won in their individual categories.

It was Mayor Don Kurth's last City Council meeting on Wednesday. He will appear briefly on Dec. 1 for the swearing in. During his three minutes of council comments, he thanked the community: 

This is my last full council meeting although I'll be back in two week for the swearing in and handing over of the gavel to our new mayor.

It's been truly a pleasure and a privilege for me to serve this city. It's been an honor really to serve with such a wonderful, supportive council ... committed, dedicated people. I mean the hours that all of the council members put in, unless you're here working with them you wouldn't believe it. It's just a pleasure for me every step of the way. Working with Jack (Lam) and working with all of the city staff you guys are just great. It's been a great experience for me. I didn't think I'd get emotional but I guess I'm a little bit.

And all of the residents, all of the people who get involved. The chamber, the seniors and the different committees ... it's just a great city to be able to serve and I know that every one of you feel the exactly the same way. And all the people who don't give involved, they're part of the city, too. They go to work and go home and raise their kids and they may not be involved in all these things that we do but they're part of the city.

And our newspaper, who sometimes beats us up and other times supports what we do but it's all part of the process. It's just been a wonderful experience for me. I want to thank all of you. It's been truly a privilege and a pleasure. Just a wonderful experience.

Felling lucky this Saturday?

The Rotary Club will host a Texas Hold 'Em tournament to raise money for local charities at 6 p.m. Saturday. Check-in is 5 p.m. at Etiwanda Gardens on 8577 Etiwanda Ave. Buy-in is $150 and includes a buffet dinner. The event will raise funds for an elementary school track meet, leadership camp and other programs benefiting local youth.

Information: 909-223-8216

Of the 10 challengers in the City Council race, five were in the audience at Wednesday's meeting.

One sat in the back and watched quietly, one sat and watched not so quietly. Another worked the room, hoping to get on the good side of the three council members who would have a say in filling the vacancy in December.

Marc Steinorth, who came in second in the mayoral race and is eyeing Michael's seat, told the council he had a "solemn duty" to represent the 13,455 voters who backed him. Bill Hanlon thought this ridiculous since Steinorth ran for mayor, not council. Hanlon likened it to seeking a seat on the water board after losing the mayoral race.

What is this, campaign season?

Why yes it is.

Campaign season version 2.0 brought out former gadfly Leslie Grimes out of the woodwork. Grimes hasn't visited the council chambers since May 2009. (Yes, I keep track of these things.) Grimes is no fan of the council making appointments to fill a vacancy but if they must, she said, they should appoint Steinorth.

Happy campaigning, candidates.

  

Tattoo artist Kat Von D of LA Ink fame will be at the Victoria Gardens Borders at 2 p.m. Saturday.

She's got a new book out, The Tattoo Chronicles.












Information: 909-646-7322 

Remember to slow down while driving through the Foothill Boulevard widening project.

The City Council tonight is expected to amend the municipal code to change the speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph on Foothill between Grove and Vineyard avenues.

Also on the agenda is landscape maintenance district 4. After a re-bid, the city will be able to receive an "A" level of service for landscape maintenance with no additional cost. The council is expected to amend the engineer's report to reflect that. Last year, LMD4 voted for a fee hike to get a "B" level of service.

Meeting starts at 7 p.m. and will be the last one before the new council is sworn in.

The Friends of the Library bookstore at the Archibald branch will have a Christmas sale Dec. 10-12. All Christmas items -- books, CDs, VHS -- will be buy one, get one free.

Both of the libraries' bookstores sell donated items to raise money for library programing. The volunteer-run stores are especially in need of children's books. So dig deep to look for books that your children no longer read. You can drop them off at either of the city's two libraries.

The bookstores are opened 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to 5:30 p.m. on Friday; and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The Biane Library is closed Sundays but the Archibald Library is open 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.     

The folks at Victoria Gardens are seen getting the Christmas tree ready last week in time for the celebrations this Friday.

At 7 p.m., there will be a laser/fireworks display at Chaffey Town Square in addition to the tree-lighting ceremony. They are calling it the "Magical Holiday Wow Experience."















Courtesy of Victoria Gardens

For this occasional feature on comments to my articles, I bring to you today this voicemail from an anonymous caller who read my story last week marking the 50th anniversary of the Nixon/Kennedy election:

"Let me remind you of something, JFK stole the election. I was around then. His dad bought the election. Kennedy's father bought the election 'cause he was a bootlegger in the 20s, he was one of those kinds of guys. ... Kennedy was the most overrated president they've ever had. Really overrated, really overrated. He's like this thing that we got in office now. God! And I'm not a Republican either. Write about Harry Truman if you want to write about a good president. He stopped that war."

The editorial this weekend focused on the City Council's pending decision to appoint the fifth member and gave the opinion that looking at the top candidates -- specifically Marc Steinorth, Chuck Buquet, Jim Moffatt and David Gonzalez -- as opposed to opening it up for a wide application process, is best.

It's a topic addressed in this blog before. The council can't discuss this until Bill Alexander gets sworn in on Dec. 1 so there's nothing to do but talk, speculate and talk some more.

I guess there are those, like on the editorial board, who sees the candidates as runners up. It's as if the council position was a job, the voters are the boss and the top candidate got a different offer so it's time to look deeper in the resume pool as opposed to seeking brand new resumes.

But there are those who see the candidates as losers and rejected by voters so it's time to open up the field. Opening it up, according to the editorial, is "smack of backroom politics."

"Sitting council members might find someone they like better or would find easier to work with if they open the appointment up to everyone in town, but those should not be the criteria. The council's makeup should represent voters' wishes, not other council members' druthers."

Read the rest of the editorial here.

   

I used to be a cell phone hater but I've changed.

In 2002, after about a year of being berated by friends to get a mobile phone, I relented because I broke my leg and was stuck in a phone-less hospital room for a week. When a visitor came to deliver a hand-me-down phone, I felt rescued.

Cell phones help me make plans after City Council meetings, which can end as early as 8 p.m. and as late as the next day. Cell phones inform me when a visitor has arrived so I can open the buzzer-less front gate to my apartment. Cell phones help inform my driver when my flight has landed, when I'm at the baggage claim and how long I've been waiting at the curb.

When I was in the hospital, my first visitors weren't my closest friends and relatives but those who owned cell phones and kept them on.

About 15 percent of Americans do not own a cell phone and I spoke to some of them for
today's article. Although I'm an ardent supporter of cell phones, I can understand the reasons for holding out.

Nobody wants to be that guy. You know that guy. He's self important and talks louder than the rest of us. He wears the phone on his belt and checks it every other breath. He's got a bluetooth in his ear and wears it when he gets the mail and when he uses the bathroom.

Getting a cell phone doesn't make you that guy. But I guess holding out gives you zero chance you'll ever be that guy.

The city has been selected as one of ten finalists for a KaBoom! grant. KaBoom! is a nonprofit encouraging communities to build playgrounds to keep children active.

Rancho Cucamonga was selected among the 1,600 communities that hosted a local play day recently to be in the running for the $10,000 grant. In September, the city hosted a play day at Lions Center that drew 1,000 people.

Here's where you come in. Visit the KaBoom! website to vote for your favorite play day. Rancho Cucamonga is the only California city selected for the grant. The money will go toward improvements to Lions Park.

Rancho Cucamonga is currently in second place. You can vote once a day until Nov. 30.

Rancho de Philo, the cute little winery on Wilson Avenue, opens its doors tomorrow for the annual sherry sale. The winery, run by Janine Biane Tibbetts and her husband, Alan, is opened just one week out of the year to sell its Triple Cream Sherry. The winery is on 10050 Wilson Ave. and is opened 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 21.

Read more of Gino Filippi's story here.

Information: 909-987-4208


Thomas Cordova/Staff Photographer

99 Ranch, which held its soft opening yesterday, will open officially tomorrow. The Asian grocer takes the place of Albertsons, which closed in 2009.

The supermarket is on Archibald and Base Line. There will be goodie bags for the first 500 customers tomorrow. Customers who spend $20 or more this weekend will receive other free items, too.

99 Ranch's hours are easy to remember -- 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Information: 909-942-9999

There will be a composting workshop at 9 a.m. on Saturday teaching residents how to begin backyard and worm composting. The free event will be held at the Frontier Project on 10435 Ashford St.

Information: 909-944-6025   

The Zendejas family is a big one. Tony owns a restaurant in San Dimas. Raul owns a taco truck and is opening a restaurant on Foothill east of Vineyard. Jose owns another restaurant in the Chino Spectrum. They're all called Zendejas.

In the next couple of months, the large and beautiful restaurant on Foothill and Milliken will be turned into Zendejas, now that the Planning Commission has said yes to a request for conditional use and entertainment permits. Jose Zendejas will take over the space once occupied by Las Campanas, which closed about two years ago. I hope Zendejas keeps the heated floors in the outdoor patio despite the huge carbon footprint it leaves.

By the way, happy birthday to Jose Zendejas, who turns 60 today. I guess the Planning Commission gave him a nice gift.

Zendejas is planning to take over the Las Campanas space at the end of the year and the Planning Commission will decide tonight whether to give the restaurant permits for a full bar and entertainment. Zendejas is a chain of Mexican restaurants throughout the Inland Empire, each one owned by a different member of the Zendejas family. The restaurateurs willing to tackle the Foothill and Milliken location also own the restaurant in the Chino Spectrum. 

Congratulations to Alana Glenn and Ramon Chanco, two Los Osos High School students selected to perform at the Rose Parade on New Year's. Glenn, who is a color guard member, and Chanco, who plays the snare drum, will be part of a 300-member Honor Band selected by Pasadena City College.

Next Wednesday will be the last meeting with Mayor Don Kurth. At 6 p.m. on Dec. 1, Dennis Michael will be sworn in, along with Bill Alexander. The former mayor will take the same seat long held by his former political foe Rex Gutierrez, pictured right.

Until December, Gutierrez's seat will remain empty. On the city's brand new Web site, Gutierrez has been replaced by a cluster of grapes.

Michael's seat will be vacant as of Dec. 1. The City Council will have to make a decision on how to fill that seat by the end of the year. Some options being tossed around include selecting one of the candidates from last week's election. The council can also open it up to everyone and go through an interview process. The article in today's paper has more information about those options.

How do you think the vacant seat should be filled?

 

Joseph Machado, the Upland boy who rode his bike across the country for charity, will lead a community ride on Nov. 27 at Central Park through his organization Biking for America. Registration before Nov. 19 is $30; $20 for children 13 and under. A portion of the proceeds go to Casa Colina in Pomona. There will be a 5K-, 15K- and 30-mile ride.

Information: 909-931-1610  

Actually, there's one more thing to do apart from sleeping in and changing your clocks. Change your smoke detector batteries. I know that's a lot for one weekend but you're already up there standing on a chair, changing the clock. Just move it over to the smoke detector.

This week, a family in this city was able to escape from a fire unharmed because the smoke detector woke them up.

"The kind of fires we like are the ones that never happen," Fire Chief Mike Bell tells me. "Or if they do, they don't make the news."  

I am sleepy with election fatigue. Good thing I'll be able to sleep in this weekend.

Daylight saving time ends Sunday morning. Remember to turn your clocks back an hour. I won't have to because I didn't change my clock back in spring.

Veterans Day events begin Sunday with a flag ceremony and 21-gun salute at Alta Loma High School. The event starts 3:30 p.m. on 8880 Base Line.

On Thursday, the city will host a Veterans Day celebration at Central Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Plans to build a veterans reflection area at the park will be unveiled. There will be performances by a local choir. Fallen soldier Ronnie Pallares will be honored.

Also on Thursday, anyone with a military ID can get a free combo meal at Wahoo's on 11561 Foothill Blvd.

At Central Park Nov. 17, a representative from the Riverside National Cemetery will discuss veterans burial benefits during a 10 a.m. seminar. 

The city will celebrate its birthday next Saturday with a Founders Festival community parade at Victoria Gardens. The parade, which starts on South Mainstreet at 9:30 a.m., will feature floats based on the theme of fairy tales and nursery rhymes. A celebration with awards presented to the winners of the parade starts 11:30 a.m. at the Cultural Center.

Information: 909-477-2760

Pancakes, sausages, coffee and orange juice will be served at Applebee's from 8 to 10 a.m. on Saturday to raise funds for the senior center's transportation program. Tickets, sold at the door, are $10. The restaurant is on 10709 Foothill.

I wonder if there was anybody who watched last night's City Council meeting for the first time. That newbie would have wondered, "Why is there an empty seat?"

There was no mention that it was the first meeting since a jury reached a guilty verdict on Councilman Rex Gutierrez's criminal trial. His name plates were gone. The dais seemed more subdued without his pink/purple/blue ties. By 8 p.m., the meeting was over, as if his absence shortened the meeting by two hours.

The only mention of Gutierrez, who formally stepped down last Wednesday, came from John Lyons, who said his thoughts and prayers go to Gutierrez and his family. You may remember Lyons as the gadfly who once led a recall effort against Gutierrez and Councilwoman Diane Williams.

Hardly anybody has been publicly critical of Gutierrez. (Anonymous comments on this blog don't count.) People who once made a habit of slamming him -- Lyons and Bill Alexander, for example -- are now more than kind. Their attitude seems to be: Why kick a man while he's down?    

Tonight's City Council meeting was adjourned in honor of Ronnie Pallares, who died nearly two weeks ago during his first deployment in Afghanistan.

"Yesterday was the day we were able to vote, which is what Ronnie lost his life for," said Councilman Sam Spagnolo.

On Veterans Day next Thursday, there will be a community event at Central Park starting 10 a.m. The city will honor Pallares that day.

 

The last City Council meeting before the elections is typically full of rancor. The first meeting after the elections is totally different. Everybody seems to love each other.

Mayor Don Kurth called his colleagues "mayor-elect Dennis Michael" and "council member-elect Diane Williams."

During the public comment portion, candidates Jim Moffatt and Luella Hairston offered hearty congratulations to the winners (Michael, Williams and Bill Alexander).

Even John Lyons, who once led a recall effort of Councilwoman Williams, called her "queen of Rancho Cucamonga." As the top vote-getter in a field of 10, Williams got upgraded from "library lady" to "queen."

Supervisor Paul Biane released a statement today in regards to his loss to Fontana Councilwoman Janice Rutherford. He said the "politically-motivated accusations" made by the district attorney cost him his Second District seat. His statement follows:

"First and foremost, I want to thank my staff members for giving me the support and tools I needed to accomplish a lot of great things for the residents of San Bernardino County's Second District over the past eight years.

I am also grateful to the elected leaders of the City of Rancho Cucamonga who stood by me during my tenure as supervisor and during this election.

I attribute my narrow loss to the false and politically motivated accusations leveled against me by the District Attorney. In addition, the anti-incumbent rhetoric that was enflamed by the disgusting abuses of public trust in the City of Bell undoubtedly had an impact on the election.

Mayoral candidate Marc Steinorth released a statement today congratulating Councilman Dennis Michael on his win.

According to Steinorth, who ran under the banner of "fresh leadership," the majority of votes cast were in favor of Michael's opponents. Technically, that is true. Supporters of Michael totaled 49.75 percent of the vote. Votes for Steinorth, Bill Hanlon and Robert Ledbetter totaled the remaining 50.25 percent.

This is Steinorth's statement:

"First, I would like to thank the many volunteers and friends who supported my campaign
for mayor. I am humbled to have received so much backing from all over the city. As we can see from reading the results there was in fact a desire for fresh leadership with a majority of the votes cast being in favor of non-incumbent candidates in the race for mayor.

In other election news ...

It's time to toss the top hats; Rancho has a new supervisor. Fontana Councilwoman Janice Rutherford (52 percent) won the 2nd District seat, beating Paul Biane (48 percent), a former Rancho Cucamonga councilman. 

Incumbents Kathy Tiegs (39 percent) and Oscar Gonzalez (28 percent) won the Cucamonga Valley Water District race. Runners up are David Hill (23 percent) and Mark Sanfilippo (10 percent).

In the 63rd Assembly District race, Republican Mike Morrell (58 percent) was the clear winner over Democrat Renea Wickman (42 percent). Congressman David Dreier (53 percent) slid into victory over Russ Warner (37 percent).

In school board races, Rebecca Davies (28 percent), Sandie Oerly (23 percent) and Caryn Payzant (21 percent) won re-election in the Alta Loma School District race. In Central School District, Barbara Rich (23 percent), Marc Ducharme (20 percent) and Hugh Jackson (17 percent) were victors. In the Cucamonga School District, Yolanda Strong Reed (22 percent) ousted Henry Cowles (16 percent). Laura Hendison (26 percent) and Elsie Millet (19 percent) were the other winners. In the Etiwanda School District, Brynna Cadman (23 percent), Cecilia Solorio (21 percent) and Margaret "Peggy" Strom (18 percent) won. 

Will all precincts reporting, Dennis Michael wins the race with 50 percent of the vote.

Marc Steinorth (36 percent)
Robert Ledbetter (8 percent)
Bill Hanlon (7 percent)

Incumbent Diane Williams and former Mayor Bill Alexander win the two open City Council seats with 24 percent and 16 percent respectively.

Chuck Buquet (12 percent)
Jim Moffatt (11 percent)
Rex Gutierrez (10 percent)
David Gonzalez (8 percent)
Luella Hairston (6 percent)
Erick Jiminez (5.3 percent)
Brian O'Connell (5.1 percent)
Alex Mendoza Sr. (3 percent)

Two firefighters are victors in a City Council race that seems to be untouched by the anti-incumbent rage.

Dennis Michael, who grew up in this city helping out with the family citrus ranch and later became the fire chief, looks to be the new mayor. Bill Alexander, a former Ontario firefighter who surprisingly lost his mayoral seat four years ago, will take Rex Gutierrez's seat.

Way ahead is Councilwoman Diane Williams, the longest serving member of the council with a continued strong base of support. Williams received one-fourth of the vote so she's definitely keeping her seat.

With 66 percent of the precincts counted, Michael has 50 percent of the vote to Marc Steinorth's 35 percent. Robert Ledbetter, who pulled out of the race early on, is currently in third place, with 93 more votes than Bill Hanlon.

Williams (25 percent) and Alexander (16 percent) led throughout the night with Chuck Buquet (12 percent) in third place. Buquet could switch places with Jim Moffatt later in the day. The former councilman has just 383 votes more than Moffatt.

Finally, the wild card. It seems that former Councilman Rex Gutierrez has 10 percent of the vote even though he stepped down last week. He's now in fifth place.

Check back later today for updated results.  

   

There are 101 reasons why you should go out there and vote if you haven't already done so. Among them -- Californians are getting a new governor and Rancho Cucamongans (Cucamongians? Cucamongites?) are getting a new mayor.

Click here to find your polling station.

Relatives last Thursday mourned the death of Spc. Ronnie Pallares, who died on Oct. 23 from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Pallares' body will return to a hero's welcome this morning. Friends and family will share memories of him during a 4 p.m. service at Abundant Living Family Church on 10900 Civic Center Drive.

Funeral services, followed by a military burial at Riverside National Cemetery, will be at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Abundant Living Family Church.

To see more photos of the candlelight vigil, click here.

Question: This photo of a young Chuck Buquet was used by the City Council candidate in a mailer. Can you guess what year it was taken?

  Answer: 1984 1982

Politicians, particularly those endorsed by the Daily Bulletin editorial board, like to use the image and excerpts of the paper to promote themselves. Mayoral candidate Marc Steinorth did that with a mailer sent out last week using the front pages of several Southern California papers, including the Daily Bulletin.

This one was a hoot.

It's an attack ad on Councilman Dennis Michael. The newspapers used, all with huge headlines of the Bell scandal, were supposed to somehow link corruption in a small working class city in Los Angeles County to Steinorth's opponent.

Look closely. In the Daily Bulletin, the three-deck headline is about Bell but everything else on the paper shows it's an old copy circa 1990s. The paper is just 35 cents and features a columnist who is long gone from the newsroom.

If you look at The Sun, you'll see that it's actually a copy of the Los Angeles Times with The Sun masthead. The lead photo shows a group of angry Bell residents but the caption describes people mourning at a memorial.