'First 5' Probes for Missing $3 Million (Where is the cash, Meathead?)

LA Times ^ | 4/13/06 | Dan Morain, Times Staff Writer

[BurbankKarl]

California's First 5 commission is investigating the apparent disappearance of nearly $3 million in tax money owed to television stations that aired its recent preschool ads, the commission chairman said today.

Hector Ramirez, First 5 California Children and Families Commission chairman, also called on the Los Angeles Police Department and California Bureau of State Audits to find out what became of $2.8 million given to the Los Angeles public relations and advertising firm Durazo Communications. The firm was supposed to use the money to pay the TV stations.

"What we're going to be doing is just conducting a full investigation on our own," Ramirez said.

Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Ramirez two weeks ago to replace longtime First 5 Chairman Rob Reiner, the Hollywood filmmaker. Reiner resigned amid criticism that he had used the publicly funded ads to build support for a preschool initiative he is championing on the June ballot.

Durazo was a subcontractor to the commission's main ad firm, GMMB, Inc. Durazo has a long client list that includes private firms and government agencies such as the U.S Treasury, Caltrans, the Los Angeles County Tobacco Education Campaign and the California Department of Health Services.

[doug from upland]

You can't make up this stuff.

[Texas Eagle]

Put that man in charge of the Lottery Commission. Let's find out how much Lotto money is actually going to the classrooms.

[ElkGroveDan]

Great. Maybe next year we can get an initiative going to abolish the whole damn commission.

[NormsRevenge]

Meathead
Alert

[jimbo123]

It's prison time for Meat Head. He better remember to bring his soap-on-a-rope.

[VOA]

California's First 5 commission is investigating the apparent disappearance
of nearly $3 million in tax money owed to television stations that aired
its recent preschool ads

Those "First 5" commercials seemed to be airing all the time.
Maybe just a notch or two below the fever-pitch frequency of
adverts in a major election year.

I had guessed the lib management of the stations was running them
for free (or cheap) as a help for Meathead And Co.

[SkyPilot]

Where is the cash Meathead?

Maybe he ate it.

[calcowgirl]

So, they're investigating themselves? Somebody lock the doors and seize all the computers.
Once they are done, all the money will have disappeared.

Hmmmm... I think I'll tell the IRS that I want to do my own audit. I'm sure that will work.

[Fintan]

 

Screw you, Meathead.

[originalbuckeye]

Well, I hope Reiner goes to the pokey on this one. Who do you think is behind all those new commercials, oops, I mean PSAs. 'Mommy, please give me diabetes'. Huh???

[Just another Joe]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Meathead's getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

[CounterCounterCulture]

It's easy to "misplace" money when it's OPP (other people's money)

[Wristpin]

Kids money? Probably schuffled over to keep Air America running, "for the cause".

[SheLion]

Meathead's getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Yep.  And look here:

Rob Reiner Resigns. "It's reasonably clear that there have been taxpayer dollars used for the promotion of a personal political agenda. That's the issue here," said state Sen. Dave Cox, who had called for Reiner's resignation. The audit "is about the inappropriate use of dollars to promote another initiative.

[Chode]

and to think... he wouldn't even of been meathead, if his DADDY wasn't the PRODUCER of the show!!!

HA ha...
and the RATS take another one in the...

[BurbankKarl]

I have finally figured out the Lottery. It is a secret way to make illegal aliens pay for public education without them knowing it.