Reporter's notebook: and now, the circus begins

Where to begin with this one?

Let's start with the Pasadena Weekly's article on Herbert Simmons vs. the Town Council, with requisite alt-journalism inflammatory subhead ("star chamber!") and a "secret closed session" (which it wasn't -- it WAS a closed session, but there was no secret that it was being held -- a big difference that seems to elude the Weekly).  And we are introduced to a recurring theme: that the Sheriff's Support Group is something like the  Illuminati of Altadena.  "The majority of the people on the council now belong to that group," they quote former councilmember Steve Lamb.  We're checking on that statement, printed without qualification by the Weekly, and will tell you what we find out. 

(UPDATE 11/13: We just found out: Jamie Bissner is the only member of the town council who is also on the Sheriff's Support Group. UPDATE 11/16:  Jamie writes us with even more details, at the bottom.)

Meanwhile, on Simmons' Altadenans website, the beleaguered councilmember is asking for help, calling it "A Call for Justice and Due Process !" A version of this was also emailed to Mr. Simmons' email list.

He begins:

Below is an e-mail, copied verbatim, from the Executive Committee of the Altadena Town Council [Note: it's not -- it's from the Investigating Committee, which is a different beast than the Executive Committee], received on Tuesday, November 10th, at 11:48am regarding the allegations against me. In a Cure and Correct letter dated September 18th, I requested this information in writing to be furnished within 30 days. Only now have I finally received the allegations in writing, many of which had been added after the original Closed Session Meeting on August 18, 2009, almost four months ago [Note: August 18 was less than three months ago, but you knew that].

He certainly has a case that everything should have been done in a more timely manner. He also states:

Has this now become a country in which dissent from the majority equals death? Is freedom of speech no longer allowed?

Hysteria much?  Who is sharpening the headsman's axe?  (Probably the Sheriff's Support Group.) And if anybody's quashing Mr. Simmons' freedom of speech, we're unaware of it -- there seems to be no end to the emails he sends out and additions to his website.  Maybe he means his freedom of speech is quashed  by asking him questions, because he's not keen on answering them (see below).

The letter to Simmons from the council is here and the investigating committee's report is here (pdf documents). 

Quick summary:  we think Simmons might have gotten off with a wrist slap, but the committee took very seriously the cumulative effect of his emails and web page countercharges.  It would also be interesting to see what is in the letters from Supv. Antonovich and Supt. Diaz in light of Simmons' statements that he always represented his school project and fundraising activities as his own, not as something coming from the Town Council.  We've spoken to several businesspeople Simmons has approached who say differently, and the fact that these letters are cited as evidence against Simmons may be telling.

The first comment on Mr. Simmons' page, by "limefire," is, uh, illuminating:

This is outrageous! The Altadena Blog is more or less an arm of the Sheriffs Support group so Simmonds [sic] beats the SSG candidate, their members join together to oppress him for conduct identical to and lesser than what several SSG/ATC members engage in as ATC members on a regular basis. So these SSG members use the Altadena Blog as evidence against Councilman Simmonds [sic]. A loop of self interest tied as a noose!

We think the "loop of self-interest tied as a noose" part is very evocative, but we're still waiting for whatever reward it is that the Sheriff's Support Group gives its minions.  We take PayPal.

For the record, here is the email we sent to Simmons on Aug. 17, and the questions he will not answer:

Herbert:

I'm trying to get a story in before tomorrow's council meeting, so forgive the quick response.  (I'm also going to try to call you if I get a gap in my day!). 

I've been reading the emails and talking to people around town, and would like to get your response to some questions before I publish tonight:

1. How did you get the Community Center meeting room for the Aug. 15 and Aug. 30 meetings?  Are you renting them as an individual, or did you get authorization from one of the building's tenants?
2. Business owners I've talked to who say they've talked to you were surprised that the Student/Teacher of the Month programs were NOT Town Council programs.  Did you make that explicit in your pitch, or were they not paying attention?
   
3. In one of your emails, you stated that the Student/Teacher of the Month programs were operating as a for-profit corporation.  Actually, you said that you'd stated it earlier.  Do you have a letter or email where you actually said this prior to Aug. 14?
   
4. You also stated in your Aug. 14 email that Alice Wessen was attacking you.  Could you be more specific?  How was she attacking you?  You also say she supported Bill Westphal in the election, but I can't find anything in the last election's literature where she publicly endorsed a candidate.  Where did you get this information?
   
5. Did you get a copy of the bylaws and ethics rules governing Town Council members?  Did you try to get a copy either before or after the election, and have you read them?
6. You also said that PUSD Supt. Edwin Diaz and principals of all ten schools were supporting your efforts.  Did they send you a letter, or was it a verbal endorsement of your program?  Did you make it explicit that you were doing this in an individual and not official capacity?
   

And that's all for now!  I appreciate any effort!  Please don't hesitate to call me at 626-201-1023 if that works better for you.  As I said, I'd like to get this out tonight and would appreciate your take on events.

In an email to us Sept. 3 (during Station Fire madness), Simmons wrote:

I felt that the questions you asked me were biased and were not an attempt to reach the truth of the situation. It is amazing, but not surprising, that with your computer-savvy techs, you decided to pick and choose the points of view that suited your opinion. Everybody makes mistakes in life. God forbid that one day you make an error. It is my opinion that you have taken advantage of your position as a journalist to skew the truth about me. You failed to mention one positive point, and that is sad.

It's not that we haven't asked him for positive points about himself, nor offered him the space.  But for someone who tells people to "demand answers," he doesn't seem to like questions.

For added interest, we've also learned that Mr. Simmons has engaged Rene Amy as his attorney.

All we can say -- and not with any satisfaction -- is that it will be an interesting council meeting next week.  Kinda like the old days.

UPDATE 11/16: This message from Jamie Bissner:

S'pose I shoulda done this last week.

 

Yes, I am the only board member of the SSGA on ATC. I am Vice President.

Anyone can be a dues paying supporter of SSGA. I wish everyone was.

 

It is possible that other ATC members are also dues paying members in support of SSGA, I have no idea as the treasurer does not release this information, not even to me. Maybe the lack of disclosure is the foundation of another secret society but I kinda doubt it. I think it's for protection of people's privacy which is a really neat concept along the lines of closed door sessions to consider the validity of allegations & violations before telling the whole damned town. Protection of privacy and reputation are important in the event nothing is validated. A pretty neat concept apparently lost on some folks.

 

Jamie