Here is another roundup of some of the most thought-provoking reader comments of the week. Comments are selected by our editors and subject to editing for grammar, spelling, clarity and length.
Click on each topic’s headline to see the article in question.
Robert Citron, Treasurer Who Led OC into Bankruptcy, Dies
Some people remember this big shot as a kooky man that invested in “exotic stock instruments” 20 years ago. He supposedly got most of his investing advice from “psychic” helpers. Really? I think the brokers at Merrill Lynch probably found that story quite convenient.
Nowadays those exotic stock instruments dominate the finance industry in the form of derivatives and hedge funds and other crafted securities.
— Got your back
Convicted of six felonies. Sentenced to a year. Allowed to do that time on work furlough. Sounds about right for one of the connecteds.
R.I.P., big Bob. I wish you well at your final destination.
— Beelzebub
Year-Round Homeless Shelter for Fullerton
[Supervisor] Shawn Nelson wants to know where else it could be built.
I really don’t care where it’s built — but not across the street from an elementary school ! Are they nuts?
— Nathalie
This makes me wonder if these new county decisions are not set up for failure and the continuation of more hostile politics. If the county had any courage at all, they would designate a location in every city in the entire county to open a homeless emergency shelter. Open everybody’s eyes at the same time.
Avoid the not-in-my-backyard excuses and arguments. Do something besides political maneuvering for once. Do something for humanity instead of selfish, capitalistic politics as usual.
— Got your back
Keep a real close eye on who gets paid the commission for the sale of the building and if the profiteer has any connection to the Board of Supervisors or to any of the long-ball hitters in county government. I wouldn’t put anything past these people based upon their histories.
If the market value of the building was $2.9 million, why did they pay $3.15 million? Why do you think the furntiture people sold it? Because it was a great location? Hah! I bet if the county didn’t make the purchase it would be sitting there vacant for the next three years.
But I wonder if any of those who praised the supervisors would praise them if they lived a couple blocks away from the purchased warehouse. Of course not. Each would condemn it if they were on the receiving end.
This story was only publicized in the newspaper and online last week. Probably only a small minority of the residents in the area are even aware that the county is in the process of purchasing that building that will house hundreds, if not thousands, of Orange County homeless. You can put a lot of bodies in a 29,000-square-foot building.
The fair solution would be to scatter homeless shelters throughout the county, not just to drop the homeless bomb on Fullerton.
And for [Supervisor Shawn] Nelson to do that to his own people is disgusting and curious at the same time. It’s not good for him politically. So how was it good for him? I want to know the rest of the story here. What was in it for Shawn?
This is only Chapter 1. Wait until the other chapters are written. I think there’s a nice scandal brewing here.
— Beelzebub