Publisher’s Note to former mayor Peggy Breeden: Why on earth do you believe that the “community” should trust Bruen, Strand, Hayman or Blades?

September 27, 2026

Ridgecrest California

Long time police chief and authoritarian city manager Ron Strand has retired, councilman and Groundwater Authority chairman Scott Hayman has finally been termed out, and Eric – FORMER MAYOR – Bruen is quitting Facebook! Can you believe it? See for yourself: https://www.facebook.com/BruenMayor/

Countdown to no more Eric Bruen on Facebook!

Mr. Facebook says his page will be shut down on September 30, 2026, just five weeks before the most important election in Ridgecrest in 25 years. Mark the date Ridgecrest! Throw a Balsam street party and stop worrying about those Flock surveillance cameras for a day of celebration.

We can look forward to no more talk of annexation, Placer.ai, mandatory jabs, vax passports, Flock, “build like hell” growth, $400 million pipelines or importing the most expensive water in the history of mankind.

The problem with Bruen’s history on Facebook is that we all know how devious he and Ron Strand really are. He’s made some mistakes posting there. We also know that Scott Hayman and Kyle Blades are just as devious and cunning, and we suspect that his strong endorsement for Strand, Flock, annexation, AB 1413 and the pipeline are seriously damaging to the reputation and quality of life in Ridgecrest as well as his @follower’s reputations, fans like Peggy Breeden and Steve Morgan (I’ve never met him or heard him speak, but I can tell from the comment below I wouldn’t vote for him).

Bruen, who admitted a few months ago that he’s a “private investor” in Flock, isn’t doing Strand any favors. Strand likely told him to cancel his page after turning it into a Strand Stands campaign informercial. Associating with Bruen and Flock will cost Flock proponent Strand even more votes. Voters turned against Bruen two years ago and Flock surveillance cameras are an 80-20 NO vote. Flock flock flock. Sounds like a chicken calling. We also suspect that Bruen and Strand hate chickens.

Bruen’s been an absolute embarrassment to the city, and his policies are unpopular.

Why would the devious former mayor, Eric “Vax Mandate” Bruen, quit just as he’s promoting Strand for city council and Flock surveillance cameras on every street corner? This with just five weeks before an important election day? We don’t know but will make some guesses that devoting time to his family has little to do with quitting Facebook a full two years after he got booted from the mayor’s chair.

Remember his first meeting as mayor back in January of 2021? Bruen warned that he intended to “control the dialog” and he also stated his intention to be “controversial”. He asked for it.

It’s no wonder that Ridgecrest’s residents used Facebook to pound Bruen into submission. Who’d want to go to a city council meeting with Bruen and Strand running the clown show?

Bruen doesn’t debate anything, he dictates. If you try debating him respectfully, he’ll cut you off with a “You have your opinion and I have mine” closing argument. I know from experience that you’ll never win a debate with Bruen, he’s the type who will accuse you of distorting his record of promoting Flock as a “private investor” while telling you at the same time he has no financial interest in Flock. You’re wrong for taking his words verbatim.

This isn’t a “Publisher’s Note” it’s an Editorial.

Bruen has posted a follow up “apology” for turning the town hall into a Facebook food fight. Well, well, well. This has been one of the biggest issues I’ve had with Bruen since day one. Only now, two years after he was booted from office, will he admit that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong. That’s a big first step for Eric and we should applaud him for confronting his addiction.

I’m sad that Facebook became the Town Hall too. As council watchers are well aware, I’ve been objecting to the City’s and Bruen’s use of Facebook since he first walked in behind Peggy Breeden. Facebook has become the substitute for city council meetings and a reason why nobody goes to council meetings. Bruen and Strand effectively converted the council chambers into a digital social media free-for-all (for members only), where private group censorship, “community” polling and Strand’s propaganda reigned supreme. One of Strand’s last acts was pushing the IWV Groundwater Authority onto Facebook, over many objections from the handful of people that actually know anything about the GA.

I don’t use any social media and never have, with exception of the one time I felt the need to exercise my free-speech rights while addressing Bruen’s and Strand’s horribly wrong policies (vax passports, annexation, groundwater, Placer.ai and license plate readers, to name just a few). I’m not a big fan of militarized police-State surveillance or Facebook. Shoot me. I was promptly permanently banned for making my first and only comment on Facebook, just three-words; “Bruen’s a buffoon”.

I somewhat regret that mistake but am eternally grateful I was forever locked out from Facebook. Zuckerberg won’t even let me past the first step of becoming a member and to this day I ask myself what the hell was I thinking. How much time would I have wasted on Facebook when I could write incisive, long-form commentary and provide fact-based research to the “community” as the Publisher of Roadrunner395.com.

My final in-person council meeting was planned to be a goodbye to Eric Bruen, and if I recall correctly, I suggested, in a very civil manner and modulated tone, that he could “stick it where the sun don’t shine.” (Smiles). I’d still say it that way, but with less seriousness and I’d certainly get more laughs from the three citizens that were in attendance. Can you tell how much I cherish the First Amendment?

Publisher’s Closing Arguments

I strongly object to the City and the GA’s use of Facebook, and I strongly object to the city’s actions last year while violating the Brown Act. Bruen, Strand, Hayman and Blades can’t be trusted.

Regarding the City’s use of Facebook, I’ll say this one more time: Not everyone is a member, and non-members can’t see more than two posts before being blocked by a popup to login. Facebook is not the “public domain” as City Clerk Ricca Charlon says it is, and that has to change. Facebook is for children and grown adults who are commenting on impulse. That’s not good for anyone. I know that I make mistakes and must pick my words carefully.

The city should discontinue their use of Facebook and use their website, email broadcasts or newspaper advertising to get the word out.

The city council should stop hiding behind Facebook while conducting business behind closed doors, especially in the case of their misguided and illegal actions in 2025 regarding AB 1413. This is a very serious matter which impacts the entire state and groundwater rights.

Bruen and Strand are actively working behind the scenes on policies for which they have no public support or agency,

Bruen and Strand have lost the trust of well-over half the town and the people that trust them have been hoodwinked on Facebook. Bruen should resign from his appointed position of Planning Commissioner. The only reason he serves there is because his employee, Solomon Rajartnam, appointed him and he wants to push through annexation on 395. This could be a very costly endeavor with little return, and the people of Ridgecrest don’t know anything about it.

A Conversation With Peggy Breeden on Facebook

Below we see Peggy Bitz Breeden chiming in on Facebook. What did you expect Peggy? And why should the people of Ridgecrest trust any of you? And who’s the disgruntled, non-essential dude named Steven P. Morgan? Spewing “crap” is what councilman and Groundwater Authority big wig Scott Hayman is known for, but he doesn’t spend his valuable time on Facebook. What an idiot.

Publisher’s Note: I’m not taking the blame for the end of Bruen on Facebook Peggy, but I’ll sure as hell take some credit for Eric’s departure and I’ll miss him. What will I write about?

Maybe Bruen is out because they, meaning Strand, Hayman and Blades, have nothing left to sell you. A $400 million pipeline? Strand and Hayman didn’t respond to the Taxpayer’s for Our Groundwater questionnaire, and neither one of them will be able to “control the dialog” on Facebook now that Bruen is gone.

Strand, Hayman, Blades and the city attorney aren’t winning any popularity contests. The voters in Ridgecrest are on to them by now, and so is the Kern County District Attorney. This doesn’t look good for Bruen, and now he’s memory-holing his whole Facebook page.

Apparently, there was a recent Facebook poll that had to do with the Ridgecrest Police Department, and only 10 people voted and Bruen didn’t like the results. We have no idea what this was all about because we’re happily locked out of Facebook forever:

Remember Peggy, Mr. Bruen and Mr. Strand were famous for conducting polls on Facebook while he Bruen was mayor. Brilliant questions like “Do you want quality of life, ice cream and a community pool?” elicited thousands of Facebook responses from children and parolees throughout the city.

Mistakes Have Been Made on Facebook

In 2022, Measure “P” squeaked by with a 878-vote margin when only 44% of the 19,000 registered voters in Ridgecrest turned out to vote. And what about the pool? Those who voted in favor of “P” would get not one pool, but three pools and a total price tag of $20 million, over double the $9 million cost sold to residents during the sales pitch. Talk about deception! This is called under-selling and over-delivering. The entire “community” gets to pay for it.

Remember Peggy, “Build Like Hell” didn’t work, “Turn Right off 395” didn’t either, Bruen doesn’t want to debate anymore, the whole town hates Strand, and Hayman, and the Groundwater Authority’s “Replenishment Fees”, and those jokers kept the city in the dark on AB 1413. Last but not least, the City of Ridgecrest and, we presume, the IWV Groundwater Authority are under investigation for Brown Act violations at the very least.

The list is virtually endless. The city’s residents haven’t even had a chance to debate annexation much less vote on it. Next time the city wants to build a pool and increase the sales tax, don’t promise a $9 million pool that bids out at $20 million after the measure passes.

Facebook @Followers Are Sad and Eric Will Always Be Remembered

You’d think Bruen is dying. He almost did a few months back and spent a week in the hospital. Well-wishers flocked to his page to offer their condolences when he announced his departure from Facebook. (Yes, that’s a pun).

Maybe we should give Eric the benefit of a doubt. He did offer an apology for Facebooking the city, and I can tell you from experience that when you have a brush or two with your mortality, it helps to rearrange your priorities in life. This is the first policy decision he’s made that I can support, and I wish him all the best.

However, here’s a list of “requests” for Mr. Bruen to consider in order for his apology to be accepted:

• Reverse support for Flock license plate readers.
• Reverse support for Annexation without a feasibility study, traffic counts and a plan.
• Reverse support for the IWV Groundwater Authority and their $400 million imported water project.
• Reverse support for bringing back Placer.ai

If he’s not willing to do all of the above, he should step down from the Planning Commission too.

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