Like we’ve said before to keep this whole scheme from flying apart, the JC/AOC needs to enlist people with questionable backgrounds (like Ernesto Fuentes) or they need to close ranks, move people around within that little circle of power and ensure that no honest, ethical person makes their way into the inner sanctum.
So in that spirit of maintaining control of the message and the people, Ron “Tonto” Overholt, he who bailed Alameda county after managing a computer boondoggle over there now takes the lead on the CCMS boondoggle as the interim executive director of the AOC.
NOTE: Most positions considered “interim” at the AOC stay that way for less than 90 days before becoming permanent. If you want to protest, protest now and protest vigorously.
Just when you believed that management of the AOC couldn’t get any worse – it did exactly that. The AOC’s newest leader is a narcissistic liar that couldn’t tell even a version of the truth.
http://courts.ca.gov/14874.htm
(Yes, you can hurl now.)
___________________________________________________________________________
AOC Watcher has a Belva Davis / Katherine Feinstein interview in addition to a couple of good threads about the real impacts to San Francisco, San Joaquin & Napa Courts as a result of the Judicial Council’s misplaced priorities.
Right Hand Man Takes Reins at Admin Office By MARIA DINZEO & Courthouse News http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/07/25/38429.htm
Massive Survey Part of Top to Bottom Review of CA Court Agency By MARIA DINZEO & Courthouse News http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/07/25/38442.htm
…
Judicial Council Watcher 
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
“The AOC’s newest leader is a narcissistic liar that couldn’t tell even a version of the truth.”
Not surprising, since Overholt reports directly the Chief “narcissistic liar that couldn’t tell even a version of the truth.”
Long live the ACJ.
Guest
July 25, 2011
Sorry to be right again as I predicted this on these pages last week. My next prediction is the selection of Mike Roddy as the new Tonto and line right up to the next Director after Ron takes his Pers spike into retirement. After the way Roddy defended the Chief and the AOC last Friday is there any doubt that he aced his interview? I anticipate Roddy’s “mom” will give this a thumbs down.
Attractive Dissenter
July 25, 2011
You were right Guest! Roddy’s mom gave you a thumbs down.
Michael Paul
July 25, 2011
The borg collective is expressing disappointment about what is being said about them. I’ve noticed an increase in thumbs downs lately where before they were rare.
I know from others that work in the AOC that this thing is read by concerned management and AOC employees regularly, just as AOC Watcher was before it when I worked there.
Guest
July 25, 2011
Ha. I did a little digging and found out that Roddy has a public relations manager on staff. Highly paid with a generous pension to make him look good. No wonder Roddy wanted to take the cuts. He has enough money to have a tax payer funded PR girl to scan the blogs to see if anyone says mean things about her boss.
Michael Paul
July 25, 2011
The executive office has a person dedicated to finding articles and posts on the internet so that their media machine can respond. He works right outside Lynn Holton’s office.
They’re even dumb enough to contact us and complain about stories. Duh. Rookies.
antonatrail
July 25, 2011
I’ve noticed just lately Wendy Darling, an esteemed, respected blogger here, has gotten an unusual amount of “thumbs down” for innocuous posts (merely pointing to fact). So pimple faced PR people are responsible? Ha ha.
That cow Sheila used to employ someone to go through newspapers and cut out everything that possible could pertain to her for her perusal. If people were simply honest in their employment, why the fear?
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
Hey, look at the bright side . . . at least (presumably) someone in AOC administration can read! If they’re taking time as part of their public work duties, paid for with taxpayer money, to read JCW, just chalk it up to a public service announcement ftom JCW. As for the thumbs down, well, as we already know, they don’t really think before they do things.
Long live the ACJ.
JusticeCalifornia
July 25, 2011
All these people hired to find and report articles saying mean things about their top leadership/sycophant bosses must be really, really busy right about now. And wondering how long they are gonna have a job.
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
Published today, Monday, July 25, from Courthouse News Service by Maria Dinzeo:
Right Hand Man Takes Reins at Admin Office
By MARIA DINZEO
http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/07/25/38429.htm
Prior to the July 22, Judicial Council meeting the following questions were asked:
“Will it be the day that the Chief Justice and the Judicial Council actually act as they have professed they will, and do everything possible to keep the courts open? And not preserve “sacred cows”? Or will it be a day when, yet again, they say one thing but do another, then pass out self-affirming awards to each other for “excellence” in public service, later followed by Overholt’s promotion as Vickrey’s replacement”?
The answers to those questions are now known to all: the Chief Justice and the Judicial Council did not do as they professed, to do everything possible to keep the courts open, and instead acted to preserve sacred cows. They yet again said one thing and did another. And after doing so, laughed and joked with each other , and sure enough – promoted Ron Overholt to replace Bill Vickrey.
The only surprising thing about any of this is that anyone is even surprised by it at this point.
Long live the ACJ.
Mermaid
July 25, 2011
I’m not surprised by this at all. Disgusted, yes, but not surprised.
You know how people repeat things over & over to themselves in an attempt to somehow believe it might actually be truth? Well…….did anybody else notice how the news release has this paragraph in there twice?
““With this appointment, the Judicial Council is ensuring an integrated transition of leadership at the Administrative Office of the Courts and the continuity of excellence in the administration of statewide courts,” stated the Chief Justice, who chairs the Judicial Council, the policymaking body for state courts.”
Yep, they are certainly desiring to ensure an integrated transition…..but my definition of “leadership” and “excellence” seems to be quite different from their definition. Does anyone have a JC/AOC dictionary that I can borrow?
Judicial Council Watcher
July 25, 2011
Self-affirmation. If you say it or read it enough, you might just believe it yourself.
Michael Paul
July 25, 2011
“Goal 2. Independence and Accountability – You are independent yet subject to checks and balances that you seemingly heartily disclaim. That independence is threatened because you have breached your fiduciary responsibility to the people you serve and they know it. You as an institution will do anything necessary to avoid holding anyone accountable, instead choosing to make up some new award and present it to those in crisis. There is no accountability and if there was, I would still be employed and the criminals that are trying to pull the wool over everybody’s eyes with respect to Team Jacobs and CCMS would be out of a job.”
I forgot to add promotions to that letter.
https://judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/letter-from-michael-paul-to-the-judicial-council-ouch/
Judicial Council Watcher
July 25, 2011
Reacting to Monday’s announcement, San Diego Judge Runston Maino said simply: “The AOC needs a new set of tires.”
And new rims.
And a new transmission
And a new engine
And a new interior
And a lots of rust removal and bodywork
And new upholstery
And new glass.
What it got was a 20 year old Yugo with over 200,000 miles on it that was pushed to work for the last 100,000 miles.
Chuck Horan
July 25, 2011
What they really need are a whole bunch of …. pink slips.
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
Or indictments.
Long live the ACJ.
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
Don’t forget a new steering wheel . . . and maybe someone who actually knows how to drive responsibly.
courtflea
July 25, 2011
To quote Albert Einstein:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
I agree with Guest and after Roddy is on board for a time, Ron O the clown will retire. Not soon enough for me but that boy has been rode hard and put away wet one too many times. He is all used up in the effectiveness department (not that he ever was he has just really pissed off a bunch of people). But the AOC is going to have to cough up some big $$ and a big retirement package to get Mr. Roddy. Now lets see, who would be Roddy’s deputy? Ms. Patel? She has been following in his footsteps for quite some time from the SACTO CEO job to the Northern Region Director….huummmm. But I don’t think Ms. Turner would be out of the question either.
And to the CJ: stupid is as stupid does, Forrest Gump. What a political disaster! like she does not have enough troubles in that department!!
Mermaid, no need for an AOC dictionary, they make it up as they go!!
Attractive Dissenter
July 25, 2011
For “diversity” Mr. Roddy’s assistant will be woman. I think Kim Turner passed her interview last Friday as well. From my perspective, Roddy would be good as director even though you may not agree with everything he says. I even believe he has more credibility than Overholt. Case in point, Roddy made his position clear on Friday but did not lie or mislead. Overholt stated a blatant lie to Judge Feinstein’s comment about the AOC hiring. Overholt said that they haven’t been hiring anybody and have replaced no one. I guess he forgot that the AOC just “replaced” Stephen Nash. But Ron said it with such conviction that it must be true. OJ has more credibility than RO.
Mermaid
July 25, 2011
Overholt was merely relying on that JC/AOC “fluid” dictionary that they love so much. You know, the one where you open the pages with eyes closed and point to a page…any page…and spout off whatever it is your finger happens to land on? Pick a definition for the day. Any definition will do because…”we don’t have to explain the meaning to anyone” says the AOC!
It’s clear to anyone who examines the *facts on the ground*, the AOC’s definition of “hiring” and/or “replacing” is different from the rest of the world. Ironically (or then again not?), in the case of Ron being “pushed” up to Director, we all know Vickery isn’t actually being “replaced”….just “copied & pasted” in with a duplicate drone cut from the same cloth, eh?
antonatrail
July 25, 2011
Another kick in the gut for those who desire reform for the good in the third branch.
I suppose it could be worse. Sheila Calabro could have been brought back for the interim filler.
And another committee to be formed! A small one; perhaps a committee of one to edge out any democratization?
Time for the rusty, broken-down AOC vehicle to be towed to the junk yard. The question is, who is able to tow this unethical, bloated beast away?
Jon Wintermeyer
July 25, 2011
This is the typical MO for them, it’s like the Mafia.
You can’t possibly expect them to let any new blood into their corrupt family. This type of scheme has been master planned over many years. That’s the same way that the script was written for CC Court, one CEO announces that he will be retiring and the position was never posted, the votes were already counted before the the annoucement of the retirement was made, so the INNER circle knew the scheduled calendar and players in place would stay on track.
It was like a right of passage that happens in a family owned business, except this is the CA Trial Courts and the Judicial Branch and still nobody spoke out and questioned it ? Nothing in the press ? No, it only needed to be blessed by the AOC and CJ. How does the CA Legislature think this branch is ever going to become accountable to the taxpayers ?
They would never want anyone that would be thinking outside the box, looking beyond the blinders and offering up new ideas or might say “Do you think that this is legal ? You approved that Team Jacobs invoice for $499.00 for changing a single light bulb ?
Nathaniel Woodhull
July 25, 2011
On top of everything else, HRH Minnie-Me just released a new video late this afternoon talking about the wonderful decisions made by the Judicial Council on Friday and how that will result in a new generation of California Courts. Uh…uh….uh…yeah right, that’s what happened, now I remember… (for all you Jon Lovitz fans)
How much are the taxpayers spending for AOC-TV? Are there make-up and hair stylists on staff and available for HRH? I’m trying to get you the video without a trace to me. A little concerning that it appears to be encoded…hmm. There’s a way around that, just take me a little time to get to a real computer.
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
“A new generation of California courts” . . . run by the AOC.
Long live the ACJ.
Judicial Council Watcher
July 25, 2011
For those who are unaware, JCW’s intel partners detected that the AOC began some months ago sending out unique links to individual users. We have advised those individuals of what is happening. The AOC wants to fully trace the source of their leaks be they at the AOC level with their regular internal witch hunts or out in the courts, with uniquely ID’d links to courts and judges.
In essence, they want to know whom of you is communicating with us. Now that AOC Watcher has returned, those security measures and advice will be extended to AOC Watcher gratis because it really takes counter-intelligence to protect you from the borg. Or the Death Star.
concerned
July 25, 2011
The new CJ is so clueless!!!! Does she not know that when it hits the fan, she will be the one that takes the blame? The way things are headed cannot and will not last. Its just a matter of time before it comes to a head. You cannot deny the lies and fraud when its on tape, vidoe and in black and white. It may not happen tomorrow, next week, or next month, but the TRUTH will come out and each and everyone one involved in fleecing the people of this state will be held to answer.
The people right now are not educated as to what is really happening to THEIR courts, but buddy you wait and see what happens when they are educated. From here to Sacramento and in between, all those who did nothing will have to answer for their misdeeds to the people.
Again, where are the unions, media blitz, recalls, lobyist, ect…..?
Are they working behind closed doors and will fill us in at a later date?
As for Ronny O, everywhere he’s been he’s left destruction. Why people didn’t see it years ago is beyond logic. He has to go, and fast!!!!!
What are WE going to do?
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
Published late today. Monday, July 25, from The Recorder, the on-line publication of CalLaw, by Cheryl Miller:
Overholt Named Interim Head of AOC
Cheryl Miller
http://www.law.com/jsp/ca/PubArticleCA.jsp?id=1202506593488&Overholt_Named_Interim_Head_of_AOC&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1
Long live the ACJ.
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
And here’s today’s posting from Legal Pad, the legal blog for The Recorder and CalLaw, by Greg Mitchell, involving public corruption down in San Bernardino, the new home of AOC insider Stephen Nash, and the willing role of the San Bernardino Superior Court’s mediator:
San Berdoo Corruption Scandal Features Balking Lawyers, Willing Mediator
Greg Mitchell
http://legalpad.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/07/san-berdoo-corruption-scandal-features-balking-lawyers-top-mediator.html
Long live the ACJ.
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
And another article publishd late today/early this evening from Courthouse News Service by Maria Dinzeo:
Massive Survey Part of Top to Bottom Review of CA Court Agency
By MARIA DINZEO
http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/07/25/38442.htm
Long live the ACJ.
antonatrail
July 25, 2011
Great article by Maria Dinzeo. In it is the quote: “Anonymity encourages candor” in regards to questionnaires asking about the AOC. Well, then, brave folks working in the courts, as it is encouraged that feedback be given online using the links provided, pause a moment, then beat feet to your local library, for instance, and fill it out there. Don’t use a computer that can be traced back to you. What the heck, if the AOC becomes The Blob, as in the 60s movie, and resurrects itself, growing even more exponentially and squishing through wall grates (my most memorable part of the old B movie), better to be safe in anonymity than sorry for truthful and thoughtful feedback.
It is an interesting turnabout for the high muckie-mucks at the AOC to be asked to justify their existence! I would be interested to hear all about the services and accomplishments of the AOC that have benefited the trial courts that California taxpayers have been paying for all these years. I’m all ears and ready to absorb it all.
Give us your best shot, elitist AOC bureaucracy.
JusticeCalifornia
July 25, 2011
Great. Top leadership is using its tired M.O. of “investigating” itself again, asking the outraged what they think. Just like the Elkins Task Force had that public testimony day (April 6, 2009?), and people came from all over the state to testify about what was wrong with the family courts– and then, what they said did not end up in the Task Force report.
Or just like the NCSC review of the claims of bias in the Marin Court. In 2000 the public was all fired up about people like Verna Adams and the stories that were coming out http://www.sfweekly.com/2000-10-18/news/odor-odor-in-the-court/ .
To put a lid on things, the court brought in the NCSC, telling the public the NCSC would review the bias concerns. (Never mind that Marin’s Kim Turner was trained at the NCSC and had just written a missive for them). Two years later, in 2002, the NCSC report on the Marin family court came out and surprise, surprise– the charges of bias had NOT been investigated, because they were “beyond the scope” of the review. By that time the public outrage had died down– because everyone had thought the Judicial Council/NCSC was “taking care of it”.
(Note that the Marin court cooperated completely with the 2000-2002 Judicial Council/NCSC investigation– but in 2009 Marin Presiding Judge Verna Adams, CEO Kim Turner and the AOC collaborated to block access to Marin family court files and employees, and destroy Marin child custody evidence, while a Bureau of State Audits investigation of the Marin Family Court was pending).
Yes, top leadership has an M.O., and the SEC (which boasts Marin’s document-destroying Verna Adams as a “oversight” member) is simply placating anyone it can, circling the wagons (with wagon master Overholt) and buying time, so a “real” investigation can be forestalled.
Attractive Dissenter
July 25, 2011
Wait a minute. Why is the Chief doing this survey when just today she (reiterated again) announced how AWESOME the Leadership is at the AOC since Overholt is the only one who can continue the EXCELLENT leadership of the branch since he has been so EXCELLENT during his tenure at the AOC? (Sorry, I had to paraphrase)
How open minded can she be with this survey??? Why not save the time and money since your mind is already made up?
Mermaid
July 26, 2011
In this article, I found Los Angeles Judge Robert Dukes’ quote a stark contrast to what is actually happening, and have to agree with him wholeheartedly!
“In my view, we should cut the AOC to the point where they no longer exist before we cut the trial courts.”
Absolutely, this should be top priority instead of our current sad state of affairs of the tail wagging the dog!
On a different note, no amount of committee review, surveys taken or studies conducted amount to a hill-of-beans if the information gathered as a result thereof is ignored, either in whole or in part, or otherwise not acted upon with the priority goal and target of keeping the courthouse doors open!!! (It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out, ya know! UGH!)
JusticeCalifornia
July 25, 2011
Someone said imagine the stupidest thing Rose Bird Two could do, and that will happen next.
A different someone said Rose Bird Two is in the deep end of the pool without floaties, and doesn’t know how to swim.
Stupidity? Inexperience? Or something far worse?
I hope people are calling/writing the governor and their legislative representatives about the lack of oversight of the AOC. I believe it is time for lots of people to start demanding a long-overdue public corruption investigation of the AOC, starting with the CCMS, court construction/maintenance and embezzlement issues. What do you call it when top leadership induces and facilitates trial court dependence and financial ruin (or conversely, corrupt collaboration), and then exploits that ruin and corruption to feather its own nest? What’s that word I am thinking of?
This definition of Racketeering has been posted many times but so what:
From Wikipedia:
“Traditionally, the word racket is used to describe a business (or syndicate) that is based on the example of the protection racket and indicates a belief that it is engaged in the sale of a solution to a problem that the institution itself creates or perpetuates, with the specific intent to engender continual patronage. One example is computer spyware that pretends to be detecting infections and offers to download a cleaning utility for a fee, being itself distributed by the maker of the cleaning utility.
In the example of a protection racket, the racketeer informs a store-owner that a substantial monthly fee will be required in exchange for protection. The concurrent “protection” provided takes the form of the absence of damage inflicted upon the store or its employees by the racket itself.”
How can it be that at this point everyone gets what is going on, but law enforcement is nowhere to be found? Governor? AG Harris? Judge Feinstein and other members of the branch? have you called in the feds? We are talking about what appears to be the choreographed destruction of an entire branch of government — at the expense of the public that is PAYING for all of this.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/corruption
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/white_collar
The San Francisco Division also has its own public corruption hotline for tips: 800-376-5991.
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
Justice California:
Perhaps the word you were looking for was . . . hubris.
antonatrail
July 25, 2011
Yes, as one might say when figuring out the answer to a question in a crossword puzzle:
IT FITS!!
The AOC definitely fits the definition of a racket!
Wendy Darling
July 25, 2011
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartel
A cartel is a formal (explicit) agreement among competing firms. It is a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production.[1] Cartels usually occur in an oligopolistic industry, where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products. Cartel members may agree on such matters as price fixing, total industry output, market shares, allocation of resources, allocation of territories, bid rigging, establishment of common sales agencies, and the division of profits or combination of these. The aim of such collusion (also called the cartel agreement) is to increase individual members’ profits, power, or control by reducing competition.
One can distinguish private cartels from public cartels. In the public cartel a government, or its designated representatives, act to enforce the cartel agreement, and the government’s sovereignty shields such cartels from legal actions. Inversely, private cartels are subject to legal liability under the antitrust laws now found in nearly every nation of the world. There is no evidence that public cartels are less harmful to the general good, and being government backed, they are much more effective and, hence, potentially harmful. In the case of public cartels, the government may establish and enforce the rules relating to prices, sponsorship, output, financial control, and other such matters.
Sound familar?
Long live the ACJ.
Judicial Council Watcher
July 25, 2011
.In our http://www.avxm.com page we detail exactly how the AOC goes about engendering continual patronage and how they leverage people. Any of you can take that information, connect the dots and change your shorts afterwards.
courtflea
July 25, 2011
Forgive me but another Einstein quote:
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.
I think that explains a lot of the handouts at the JC meetings, the doublespeak that is the AOC dictionary and the many know nothings at the upper levels of the AOC.
Roddy is an ok guy personally but yes, indeedee, he has been known to tell a half truth (which if you follow it, in the Non Sequitur comic strip today it is wonderfully defined as a whole lie) or two or three. As expoused here before, the lust for power for some is greater than the truth, virtue, or being ethical. But I guess some think that doing whatever to support a wife and kids is worth it. I’d rather push a shopping cart myself.
unionman575
July 26, 2011
Get me a bucket…
unionman575
July 26, 2011
Corbett was bought and paid for long ago by the AOC. What else is new?