Conflict? What conflict?

There are no such things as conflict of interest in politics…and somebody should tell that to the “Rabble Rousers.”

In today’s Bible, the tip of the iceberg in regards to the Sober Living Homes have been exposed. Actually, this is something which has been “known” in the trenches for a while, but now it has become officially “on the record.” But this type of revelation shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, at least anyone who’s been paying attention during the past year. This sober living issue has been bubbling to a point that the State Legislators are proposing Bills (many of which with teeth that will fail), Cities are conducting conferences, and our own City has created an Ad Hoc committee (who the City Council don’t listen to anyway), all to discuss a Multi-million dollar industry. And who can blame those who want to cash in. In yesterday’s Real Estate boom, people were buying up homes and buildings everywhere in hopes to turn a quick, but very substantial, buck. But in today’s slump, they can’t sell and you can’t just rent it out for what the mortgage is, at least to normal people, so who can they rent to? You got it, the cash cows who can afford to pay. And afford to pay big. Normally, this wouldn’t attract any attention, but when you had a Planning Commissioner, and current City Council member, recuse himself not once, but twice, from discussion on a Sober Living Home issue, and then a then-City Councilman and Former Mayor recuse himself from the Sober Living Home discussion because of a financial conflict of interest, eyebrows might raise. Then it is accused that the former City Attorney had a serious financial conflict of interest and add to that, the Former Mayor and 2006 Citizen of the Year represented the Sober Living Home applicants and you get a wonderful myriad of reasons why this Sober Living Home issue will never go away in the City of Newport Beach. And that’s just the stuff that has been on the public record. Who knows what lurks beneath that surface? I, for one, am afraid to even start to look because with that much money involved, who knows what lengths people will go to protect themselves and their investments. After all, nothing makes one more predictable than money. Big money.