The Daily Titan - February 9, 2012

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February 9, 2012

Vol. 91 Issue 6

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RECALL ELECTION PENDING

Injunction limits power of Fullerton street gang

MONEY | City funds

Local funds to go back to state

MARK PAYNE

City agencies eliminated to fill state budget shortfalls

Daily Titan

The image of the city of Fullerton is predominately one of a peaceful, law abiding suburban town. It may come as a surprise to many that Fullerton has one of the most active lawbreaking gangs in Orange County. The gang uses the name Fullerton Toker’s Town, or FTT as they are referred to by their members, and has been around for over 60 years, dating back to the 1940s. Police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich, public information officer for the Fullerton Police Department, said they are one of the highest crime producing gangs in the area. “The Fullerton gang is one of the most prolific gangs in Orange County, and it depends on how you define prolific, but there are more criminal filings against Fullerton gang members than any other gang,” Goodrich said. “They are one of the largest gangs in the county.” The exact number of members in the Fullerton gang is not known, but Fullerton police estimates the number at approximately 350. During 2008 to 2010, the FTT had case filings through the Orange County District Attorney’s Office totaling 711. This number represents the highest total in Orange County for any gang over the three-year period. Fullerton city officials and police felt something extra was needed to help curtail the number of crimes being committed on the gang’s territory, so they asked the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to file for an injunction targeting the gang. It was then issued by the Superior Court of California at the request of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in order to prevent gang members from engaging in selected activities within a public “safety zone.”

The Fullerton gang is one of the most prolific gangs in Orange County. Sgt. Andrew Goodrich Public Information Officer

The safety zone covered by the gang injunction is a rectangle located in the southwest corner of Fullerton, with the 91 Freeway and Orangethorpe Avenue as borders on the south, and Chapman and Commonwealth Avenues on the north. Placentia Avenue acts as the eastern border, and the city limit acts as the western border. Enforcement of the violations listed in the injunction becomes more strict when two or more FTT members are associating together in the safety zone. When gang members are outside of the safety zone, they are no longer subject to the more stringent laws listed in the injunction. The violations listed include everything from felonies such as assault, burglary and robbery down to misdemeanors that include trespassing, open alcohol containers and simple curfew violations (10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for minors and adults). See GANGS, page 3

EZEKIEL HERNANDEZ Daily Titan

ROBERT HUSKEY / Daily Titan Fullerton City Hall has had to face scrutiny from the public since September 2011 when residents began efforts to recall three city council members over the controversial death of Kelly Thomas.

Signatures qualify ballot Signatures collected from more than 17,000 Fullerton residents submitted to the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Status of the recall election will be determined at the city council meeting Feb. 21 ERINN GROTEFEND Daily Titan

Fullerton residents began their efforts to recall three city council members in Sept. 2011, including Councilmember F. Richard Jones, Councilmember Don Bankhead and Mayor Pro Tem Pat McKinley. The movement began after the death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man who died after a confrontation with six Fullerton police officers July 5, 2011. Chris Thompson and Tony Bushala started the push by applying to begin a recall petition at Fullerton City Hall.

Fullerton City Clerk Lucinda Williams said there were a total of 33 proponents who signed the recall petitions to initiate the recall process. “Proponents submitted more than 17,000 signatures. Each petition needs 10,544 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot,” said Williams. According to Williams, Fullerton contracted with the Orange County Registrar of Voters to verify the signatures collected. The next council meeting will determine if the recall petition is officially on the ballot. The

council will also determine if this vote requires a standalone special election or if it can be grouped in the June primaries. If the three council members are not recalled, they will maintain their positions and serve out their terms. Stephen Stambough, chair of the Department of Politics, Administration and Justice said it is difficult to recall almost anything. He explained that a recall consists of putting together a coalition and working with groups to set an agenda. The goal is to have a turnout where supporters of the recall will come out to vote, while

supporters of those getting recalled will not. “One, you have to gather the signatures to get it on the ballot to initiate the recall,” said Stambough. “The second part is you actually have to win the recall election.” According to a Feb. 6 press release, Fullerton was informed that there were enough signatures on the recall petitions to qualify for the ballot. The signatures will be confirmed Feb. 21 during the city council meeting. See RECALL, page 3

Several hundred local development agencies in California closed down Feb. 1 after the California State Supreme Court ruled in favor of upholding a bill that was passed by the State Assembly last year. The measure, Assembly Bill 26, was designed to seize local funds to fill state budget shortfalls by eliminating redevelopment agencies (RDA). It was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown late in June last year, and it required all redevelopment agencies to dissolve by Oct. 1. The ensuing political battle and lawsuits pitted local agencies, chambers of commerce and city halls against Sacramento legislators. Hundreds of cities and underlying agencies, including Fullerton, banded together with the California Redevelopment Association (CRA), who filed suit on their behalf, saying AB 26 is a violation of the state constitution because it allowed Sacramento to raid public funds that were set aside for local projects. Lillian Henegar, director of policy and outreach for the CRA, said her group brought the case to the Supreme Court with the argument that it violated provisions in article 16 of the state constitution, as well as Proposition 22, which was passed in 2010. Redevelopment agencies were common in many cities in California. Many of them funded community construction projects and subsidized building projects in order to attract businesses into the area. After last week, Charles Kovak, the redevelopment project manager for the city of Fullerton, said, “All RDAs must close their doors.” See COURT, page 3

SPORTS | Men’s basketball

Big West rival UCI comes to Titan Gym CSUF and UCI are both currently tied for second place in the Big West BLAKE FOGG Daily Titan

The Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team play their county and conference rivals UC Irvine at Titan Gym tonight. The Titans (15-7, 7-3) got the better of the Anteaters (914, 5-5) the last time the teams met in a tight, 92-84, win at the Bren Events Center Jan. 21. The Titans ran off to a massive 30 point lead in the first half until the Anteaters shot their way back into the contest and got as close as six points before losing. Titan senior forward Omondi Amoke scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Junior guards D.J. Seeley and Kwame Vaughn played well in the game scoring 27 and 25 points, respectively. The Titans are tied for second in the Big West Conference standings with UC Santa Barbara, and a win will give them a half-game cushion. The UCI Anteaters are currently in a three-way fourth place tie with UC Riverside and Pacific. The big news going into the game is the

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injury status of Titan senior forward Omondi Amoke. The 6 foot 7 inch forward suffered a high ankle sprain in Thursday night’s win against Cal Poly. He played 28 minutes Saturday night against UC Santa Barbara and is doubtful for the game tonight. The Titans will take a huge hit in the game without Amoke’s presence on the court. He averages 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds this season. Head Coach Bob Burton will likely start junior forward John Underwood in Amoke’s place. Underwood provides a lot more length in the Titans’ starting five, but has been susceptible to picking up quick fouls during his time on the court. Coach Burton may also give extended playing time to his other two forwards, senior Sedric Martin and junior Bernard Webb. Look for starting senior forward Orane Chin to have a big game tonight. He scored 13 points and logged 37 minutes against UCSB in one of his better games this season, and will need to assert himself in the post for the Titans to have success tonight. See MEN’S HOOPS, page 8

ROBERT HUSKEY / Daily Titan Titan senior forward Omondi Amoke suffered a high ankle sprain in last Thursday’s victory over Cal Poly. Amoke had 23 points and 17 rebounds in the first game against UCI. His status for tonight’s game is unknown.


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