http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/index/ Patriotic blog from women's point of view en LBGeorgeEileen@aol.com Copyright 2008 2008-07-25T16:43:00-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/welcome_to_betsy_ross_patriots/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/welcome_to_betsy_ross_patriots/#When:16:57:00Z Welcome to Betsy Ross Patriots! This web blog is dedicated to enforcement of our immigration laws and protecting the sovereignty of the United States. We have a special focus on the illegal day labor site which is currently operating in Laguna Beach, CA. Please be sure to read the below article titled “We Have LOST the Battle of Laguna Beach.” Personal 2008-01-02T16:57:00-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/featured_arti/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/featured_arti/#When:03:43:00Z PHOTO REPORT: Congressman Staffer Witness to Day Laborer Crimes in Laguna Beach 2008-01-02T03:43:00-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/we_have_lost_the_battle_of_laguna_beach/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/we_have_lost_the_battle_of_laguna_beach/#When:16:43:00Z On Wednesday July 23rd the California Transportation Department granted Laguna Beach the right to purchase the California State owned land where they have been illegally squatting and operating a day labor site (which aids illegal aliens) for the last 10 years. Betsy Ross Patriots views this action by the State of California as giving the City of Laguna Beach AMNESTY. The state of CA has forgiven and rewarded the City of Laguna Beach for their illegal actions. In the 1990s the officials of the City of Laguna Beach instructed the city police department to distribute flyers to Day Laborers that stated in both English and Spanish, “You are an important part of our community. We want you to stay here and make lots of money to send home to your loved ones.” City officials also agreed that the INS (now ICE) would NOT be called in to the city on the day laborers and assured the day laborers they were “safe” in Laguna Beach.  (Please see the DOCUMENTS section of this website and read the entire STATEMENT OF FACTS.) The (now retired) police chief issued a statement that the Mexican Matricular card IS accepted as LEGAL identification within the City of Laguna Beach.  There have been many cases where possible illegal aliens have been protected and allowed to commit offenses American citizens would never get away with (See Gallery section of this website for photos of Laguna Beach police allowing a carload of possible illegal alien 15 year olds to drive away after a traffic stop.  Also see Gallery section for photos of possible illegal aliens loitering, gambling, and dashing through heavy traffic. AND view the PHOTO REPORT on the front page of this website for a report of Congressman John Campbell’s representative witnessing many crimes being committed at the day labor site) In 2006 Betsy Ross Patriots discovered the City of Laguna Beach was illegally squatting on State land.  The transportation department ordered the day labor site EVICTED off the land immediately.  The City of Laguna Beach ignored the eviction notice and was able to work out a lease for the land with Caltrans for $420 per month.  Caltrans then appraised the land at $1.2 MILLION and put it up for auction.  CA State law says any state owned land must FIRST be offered to other government agencies BEFORE being opened to the public.  No other government agency made an offer for the land.  Caltrans lowered the price to $950,000 and placed it on Public auction. There were MANY inquiries from the public, with one developer announcing he was willing to offer up to $1 MILLION for the land.  Betsy Ross Patriots was due to make an offer of $200,000.  Hours before the land was to go to auction to the PUBLIC the City of Laguna Beach sent Caltrans a letter stating if the land were to be sold to the public the City would immediately zone it as “open space” and therefore no commercial development would be allowed (There are MANY commercial enterprises along this road. Some within just mere feet of this particular land). Caltrans pulled the auction from the public and spent the next several months reevaluating the value if the land were to be deemed “open space”.  Although State law says Caltrans is only required to do ONE appraisal on state owned land and they are only required to use THEIR OWN appraisers, Caltrans agreed to PAY for a SECOND appraisal and they allowed the City of Laguna Beach to choose the appraiser.  Well Surprise! Surprise! This second appraisal came back that the land was only valued at $18,000.  And ANOTHER SURPRISE is that $18,000 is EXACTLY the amount the appraisers charged for their services.  Keep in mind Caltrans ended up selling the land to Laguna Beach for $18,000 and they also paid out $18,000 for the appraisal. So in the end the State of California made exactly ZERO DOLLARS on this land deal!!!  The land was originally appraised at $1.2 MILLION dollars, but the State of California has made ZERO DOLLARS on the sale!!!!  Why hasn’t anyone in our government investigated this transaction? Please note here that the State of California is in the midst of a $18 BILLION deficit. State employees may have their pay cut to minimum wage, teachers are being laid off and public programs being shut down.  BUT, this land which was valued at $1.2 MILLION dollars is being sold to the City of Laguna Beach for a mere $18,000 and the State of CA is making ZERO $$$ on the deal. Another important point is that the second appraisal stated that the BEST USE of the land would be “Open space”, but also stated that it would be appropriate for a small business such as a seasonal Christmas tree lot, pumpkin patch, OR a drive through Coffee/Shake shack.  (Many developers who showed interest wished to open a drive through coffee/shake/snack shack.) Now that the City of Laguna Beach owns the land, they have announced it will be zoned as “Open Space-Recreation”.  BUT, they plan to continue to operate a day labor site on the land and in fact, they plan to IMPROVE the day labor site in order to make it more comfortable for the workers. So, although this land is being purchased with tax dollars and being zoned for use as a “park” open to the public for recreation purposes NO ONE in the public (except day laborers) can use it as such!!!  What family or group of tourists or Laguna Beach residents will want to go to this area and have a picnic??? NONE!  The “park” will be filled with day laborers!!! Betsy Ross Patriots wonders how the State of California would allow a “park” to be established directly within FEET of a major State Highway (This road is State Highway 133. Please see photos in Gallery and Photo Report to view how close this land is to the state highway).  There have been MANY reports to city officials and to Caltrans of men running through traffic and soccer balls being kicked into heavy traffic.  2008-07-25T16:43:00-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_police_actually_turn_an_illegal_over_to_ice/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_police_actually_turn_an_illegal_over_to_ice/#When:01:37:01Z You may remember when I sent out the email about my encounter with a police traffic stop in Laguna Beach, where I witnessed 4 under-aged (15 years old) Latinos with NO identification on their persons at all, be allowed to get back into their car and drive away with only a citation. You can view the pics here: http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/gallery/category/C27/ I went to the city council the following week and provided each councilmember the photos and a report about what I witnessed.  I asked the city manager, Ken Frank, for a clarification of what the Laguna Beach police policy was and I have yet to receive an answer. BUT, these two incidents were posted in this week’s local Police Blotter.  (maybe someone got the message?) http://www.lagunabeachindependent.com/Current/street_beat/ Broadway - 200 Block Urinating in Public + 5:51 p.m. A patrol officerdriving by saw a man urinating in a parking lot. Marco Antonio Mercado, 27, Rialto, was arrested for disorderly conduct. When it was determined that Mercado didn’t have documentation, he was turned over to ICE. Laguna Canyon Road - 800 Block Traffic Arrest 6:18 p.m. Roselba Rodriguez Garcia, 34, of Dana Point, was arrested for driving without a license 2008-05-30T01:37:01-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_allows_day_laborers_free_parking/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_allows_day_laborers_free_parking/#When:07:42:01Z http://immigration.freedomblogging.com/2008/05/14/laguna-beach-maps-parking-plan-for-day-labor-site/#comment-3893 Laguna Beach maps parking plan for day labor site May 14th, 2008, 4:30 pm · 1 Comment · posted by Amy Taxin Here’s the latest filing from Laguna Beach by the Register’s Christa Woodall: Laguna Beach City Manager Ken Frank said today that workers at Laguna Beach’s day labor center will be allowed to park in a nearby city-owned lot for free. The Act V lot, which opened last summer, sits a few hundred yards up the canyon from the hotly contested site. Frank said he met with the state’s Caltrans director in Sacramento, who expressed concern about workers running across Laguna Canyon Road from where they now park.  To fix that, workers will be able to park in the lot for free during morning hours. The going rate to park in the lot is $10 a day. Day laborers are not the only ones who can park in Act V for free, Frank said. Groups like Laguna College of Art & Design have used it to park guests for events in the past, and groups that charter city buses like Annaliese’s School also park there. “If somebody wanted to park out there and carpool into town, we wouldn’t charge them either,” he said. E Garcia Says: May 15th, 2008 at 12:41 am Ken Frank has announced he will allow the day laborers to park in the Act V lot for FREE! Parking problems and cost have been the number one issue for Laguna Beach in surveys year after year. I don’t get to park for free, you don’t get to park for free, the tourists don’t get to park for free, the beachgoers don’t, the art festival patrons don’t. Why do the day laborers? Ken Frank states here that he will allow them to park for free in the “mornings”. Is free parking going to be restricted to just the mornings? So, what happens when one of the guys gets work for the day and doesn’t return until the evening to get his car? Does it get towed? Ticketed? What? And if he is allowed to park there for the day does that mean everyone gets to park for free? Can beach goers park there the entire day for free? That would be a great deal! Park for FREE, jump on the FREE trolley bus that takes you to the beach. Don’t worry about getting up to feed the meters every few hours. Stay the entire day, jump back on the FREE trolley and pick up your car. What is going to happen when the art festivals open and the tourists have to mingle with the day laborers or the day laborers begin to loiter around the tourist’s cars? Will Ken Frank then section off a special area just for the day laborers? Maybe with velvet ropes or something? Kinda like the way he spent $10,000 of our city tax dollars to install that drinking fountain at the day labor site. I’m sure the ACLU will be notified and there will be a debate as to whether it is legal to allow a select group of people (those that Ken Frank approves of) to park for free. I have a feeling the Act V parking lot will have to be turned into a “Free For All” lot. And of course opening that lot up for free parking will take away one of the city’s revenue generating tools. Is protecting day laborers (most who are in the country illegally) and encouraging illegal hiring THAT important to Ken Frank and the city of Laguna Beach? 2008-05-15T07:42:01-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_may_give_more_freebies_to_the_day_laborers_with_free_parking_i/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_may_give_more_freebies_to_the_day_laborers_with_free_parking_i/#When:00:41:01Z This is an IMPORTANT issue for ALL Americans, but especially for those living and paying taxes in Laguna Beach. Please see a letter from Caltrans to Assemblyman Chuck DeVore regarding the pending sale of the day labor site land to the City of Laguna Beach: http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/Documents/DOT_Letter.pdf In this letter you will find Will Kempton, Director of Caltrans (the same guy who denied the SDMM their Litter Removal sign) states that part of the sale agreement is to address the issue of the day laborers parking across the street on Caltrans land and then darting into traffic to get to the hiring site.  You can see photos of this here: http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/photo_report_congressman_campbells_staffer_witness_to_dl_crimes/ Kempton states that the options to address this are “The City is proposing to use available City parking north of the day labor center site and to restrict on-street parking across the highway. These options will reduce the need for pedestrians crossing Laguna Canyon Road to access the day labor center.” According to State Senator Tom Harman, who met with Kempton, the City of Laguna Beach is proposing allowing the day laborers to park in the Act V City parking lot, (I am assuming they will be allowed to park for free, although that parking lot charges $10 per day to everyone else.) In addition, there was a conversation about the City of Laguna Beach being required to pay for Caltrans to build a “deceleration lane” for drivers approaching the day labor site, to slow traffic in case of pedestrians on the shoulder.  I have spoken with an engineer at Caltrans and have been told this lane will cost the City of Laguna Beach $50,000!!! Surveys conducted in Laguna Beach year after year have revealed the biggest problem for residents and tourists is the parking situation.  The current parking meters charge $1.50 per hour and many residents conduct business in outlying cities due to the strain of finding a parking space and the high cost to park in town. BUT, the City is now proposing to allow the day laborers to park in our city’s Pay-to-Park lot AND quite possibly being allowed to park for FREE!!! There is also the possibility the City of Laguna Beach will pay out an additional $50,000 for the deceleration lane. WHEN ARE THE PEOPLE OF LAGUNA BEACH GOING TO WAKE UP??? WRITE LAGUNA BEACH’S CITY COUNCIL: http://www.lagunabeachcity.net/government/council/officials.htm 2008-05-14T00:41:01-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_sanctuary_city_asking_fema_for_33_million/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/laguna_beach_sanctuary_city_asking_fema_for_33_million/#When:06:12:01Z The city of Laguna Beach will be asking the Federal government (FEMA) for $33 MILLION dollars!!! LAGUNA BEACH IS A SANCTUARY CITY WHO DEFIES FEDERAL LAW, BUT NOW WANTS $33 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT??? The city of Laguna Beach has proven itself to be a SANCTUARY CITY again and again. Not only have they funded a Day Labor site for 10 years that knowingly aids ILLEGAL ALIENS, they spent $75,000 of taxpayer’s money to defend the site in a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch. In addition the city of LB encourages illegal activities at the day labor site as evidence in the following report: http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/photo_report_congressman_campbells_staffer_witness_to_dl_crimes/ The city of LB has proven it is a Sanctuary City, thumbing it’s nose at Federal law by inviting in and protecting illegal aliens. You can see some of this proof in the photo report below: http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/gallery/category/C27/ ACTION MUST BE TAKEN IMMEDIATELY to see that the city DOES NOT receive ONE DIME in Federal money.   If they wish to defy the Federal government by aiding and abetting illegal aliens then they do not deserve Federal dollars! Call or write YOUR Congressman AND Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.  The Congressman for Laguna Beach is John Campbell.   His contact info is below. WE MUST STOP THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH FROM GETTING OUR TAX DOLLARS! Congressman John Campbell Orange County Office: 610 Newport Center Drive, Suite 330 Newport Beach, CA 92660 Phone: (949) 756-2244 Fax: (949) 251-9309 Washington Office: 1728 Longworth Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5611 Fax: (202) 225-9177 NEWS STORY BELOW (You may also leave your comments by going to the link) http://www.coastlinepilot.com/articles/2008/05/07/politics/cpt-landlslidecost050908.txt Landslide costs now at $35M; city may pay up to $9M Repairs almost complete but final tally of costs still undetermined, city manager says. By Barbara Diamond Updated: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 5:41 PM PDT There are No comments posted. Costs to repair Bluebird Canyon after the June 1, 2005 landslide have ballooned to $35 million, and city officials aren’t sure how much of that will be paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The city will submit a request to FEMA for $33 million for the Bluebird Canyon and Flamingo Road restoration, Laguna Beach City Manager Ken Frank told the City Council Tuesday. “It is 99.99% done,” Frank said of the repairs needed to restore the area after the landslide. “The total cost will be $35 million — give or take. FEMA has cleared most of the cost overruns already. Flamingo Road is the only one that has not been cleared and it is the biggest. “We probably will have an announcement by this fall. My best guess is that it will cost the city $2 million. The worst case scenario would be $9 million.” Laguna’s share of the restoration costs will be paid from the Measure A one-half cent sales tax increase approved by voters. Frank said the city would have about $4 million in the bank by June 30. The FEMA decision will be put before the Measure A Oversight Committee, which will make recommendations for the expenditures. — By Barbara Diamond 2008-05-08T06:12:01-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/a_message_from_friends_in_missouri/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/a_message_from_friends_in_missouri/#When:06:58:00Z I recently finished a speaking tour in Missouri, including republican women’s groups and college campuses. I wanted to immediately send you a message about our efforts throughout the country to end race and gender preferences, but specifically to talk about the state of Missouri. Missouri is a hot bed of race preferences including contracting set-asides. Proponents of race preferences are pulling out all the stops; I mean all the stops. The usual cast of characters (ACLU, NAACP, Soros funded BISC and ACORN) are going to extremes to stop petitioners; including intimidation, screaming and stealing petitions. They have even enticed a former ally, Lee Albright - a petition circulation firm that has worked on many Republican campaigns - to defect and lead a disgraceful “blocking” effort. However, what is exciting is that the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative (MoCRI) is within striking distance of ending the obnoxious policies of race preferences. MoCRI needs the help of nationwide supporters to counter the bullying efforts of the opposition. MoCRI needs 25 individuals who are committed to equal treatment under the law to travel to Missouri. All expenses will be paid and there is the potential to earn big bucks to collect signatures. These individuals are essential to the effort, not only for the signatures they gather, but to show there’s a national effort to end the discriminatory policies of race preferences in America. If you know anyone who is interested, please send them the information below. Time is of the essence as signatures are needed now. Please see below for more information. Thank you, Ward Connerly http://www.supertuesday2008.com Petition Circulators Needed Ward Connerly and Missouri Civil Rights Initiative need your help NOW! Now through May 4, 2008 Be a part of the national effort to end governmental race preferences in college admissions, contracting, and public employment while earning extra money! Call to find out how you can have your travel expenses covered. Circulators will have the potential to earn $1,000 per week Contact: National Ballot Access Phone: (314) 963-7474 http://www.missouricri.org 2008-04-17T06:58:00-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/betsy_ross_patriots_joins_absolut_vodka_boycott/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/betsy_ross_patriots_joins_absolut_vodka_boycott/#When:16:26:00Z Please visit this link to learn more about Absolut Vodka Boycott and join the movement. Absolut Boycott Absolutely NO Absolut! 2008-04-08T16:26:00-08:00 http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/my_meeting_with_assemblyman_chuck_devore/ http://www.betsyrosspatriots.com/index.php/site/my_meeting_with_assemblyman_chuck_devore/#When:04:46:00Z This meeting was a nice surprise. I thought I was scheduled for a mere 15 minutes with Assemblyman DeVore, but he spent over an hour and half with me. I know his time is precious, so it was greatly appreciated.  We discussed many issues, mainly the safety consequences of the Laguna Beach day labor site operating on CA state land and right off a major highway. The Assemblyman was quite concerned and vowed to look into the matter with both Caltrans and ICE. (See his recent letter to ICE in the Documents section).  We also discussed the mobile Matricular card giveaways, which seem to be increasing.  I have every confidence in the Assemblyman that he will fight to end illegal immigration to the fullest extent of his office.  One more thing I was impressed with is that Mr. DeVore is a Veteran and he cares deeply about our Veteran’s issues.  Thank You for your time Assemblyman DeVore. I look forward to working closely with your office in the future. 2008-04-01T04:46:00-08:00