EASING INTO CHRISTMAS

 SOLITUDE AND CONTEMPLATION

The house is quiet as the calendar flips over to Wednesday.  I’ve finished my tardy watching my recorded football games - thank goodness for the fast forward feature! - and my sweet Susie has been quietly purring in the bedroom behind me for three hours, getting some completely unnecessary beauty sleep.

THE “NEWS” MAKES CHRISTMAS PLANNING COMPLICATED

This solitude gave me a chance to finish reading my Wall Street Journal from this past weekend - it’s the only remnant of print media we receive regularly these days, but we do subscribe online to several other publications.  The “Journal” is an excellent purveyor of news - I just wish there was more “good news” these days.  It’s difficult to get into the old holiday spirit when we read about violent discontent all over the world and the potential impact of the many draconian schemes announced by the President-elect and his team.  Oh, well…

CANCELLING OUR FAMILY GATHERING

Anyhow, I’ve been contemplating Christmas a lot for the past few days.  This year is a very new experience for us.  As some know, we cancelled our plans to host a family pre-Christmas gathering for the first time in 26 years.  It was always a terrific way to launch the holiday season - family members gathered for some good food and great fellowship, plus some gift-giving.  Our nieces and nephews were just kids when we began this tradition and now several have kids of their own.  Fun fact - in the early years they were relegated to the “kids table” in our den and now, a quarter century later, they refuse to relinquish it to the next generation of children!

DEALING WITH THE DISAPPOINTMENT

Susie and I had been contemplating canceling plans for our gathering beginning early last summer when we each had a double bout of Covid which caused us to cancel an anniversary trip, my birthday celebration and a family gathering.  The more we thought about it, and as the time grew near, we realized that, although we LOVED having the family at our little home, the process has become just too daunting for us geezers.  When we announced our plans to the usual attendees one of our nieces - a lovely, demure,, civilized young woman who just announced to us all that she is pregnant with her first child due early next summer -  provided us with a response that probably captured the feelings of many when she began her note of disappointment with “Well Shit!”  Yeah, we understand…   Well said!

FEWER OUTSIDE LIGHTS

Once we made the decision the whole “Christmas prep” thing became less urgent.  Since we will not be entertaining we decided to not erect our little 4 foot tree and Susie rifled through a dozen boxes of stuff and simply placed a few Christmas decorations around the house.  It’s mildly festive, but pretty spartan by previous standards.  And, since several of my doctors and my spouse remind me that ladders are no longer my friends, we chose to not string lights around the eaves this year.  We chose, instead, to dangle a few strings along the front porch rail.  It works - and is better than none at all.

PLAYING CATCH UP

Much of this malingering is due to nagging health issues on my side of the work detail.  It’s caused things to fall behind, but that’s now behind us.  Thanks to the Superwoman efforts of my sweet wife, the decoration  boxes are all stashed back in the garage, all the Christmas letters are mailed, gifts purchased and mailed to those we won’t be seeing and we’re now receiving Christmas greetings from friends and family.  It is, indeed, beginning to look a lot like Christmas! (No, that's not our tree - it's a piece of a magnificent tree decorated by our good friend, Sharon Van Sickle, several years ago)

A STUMBLING START TO THE SEASON FOR ME

Because of my little inconvenient health issues I’ve not gotten into the whole “Christmas events” thing quickly this year.  I missed our neighborhood “Cookie Exchange” - a wonderful pre-holiday event hosted by different neighbors each year.  We all gather to schmooze, eat some pretty darn good food - chili and other good grub - and exchange cookies - "bring some - take some".  That was scheduled for last Thursday and I had spent that day and the two previous days basically in bed.  The hosts this year - former mayor Joe Erickson and his wife, Alicia - insisted Susie bring me a small tub of wonderful chicken and bean soup they were serving to help me recover.  Yummy!  It seemed to work, because I felt a little better the next day, but not good enough to attend the launch of the City’s Snoopy House event that night.  I was really bummed because this is one of my favorite City events.  However, we did visit the site Saturday and watched jolly old Santa, once he stopped hugging my Susie on the way to his throne,  hold children on his lap for photos.  It was a fun, joy-filled event, although a day late.

A SPECIAL MEAL AT A VERY SPECIAL PLACE

Monday we spent 100 minutes driving through holiday traffic making what should have been a 45 minute drive to Glendale for a holiday dinner with my sister, Cheryll,  and her hubby, Victor, at the Tam O’Shanter restaurant.  Thank goodness for our Express Lane pass or we’d still be on the road!  Our time at The Tam was glorious - wonderful companionship, great food, beautiful decorations and carolers garbed in appropriate attire wandering from table to table singing classic holiday tunes.

FUN AND GAMES WITH OLD FRIENDS

Tuesday we hooked up with old friends - they both were in our wedding more than 57 years ago - for lunch at one of their favorite places in Tustin, then we decamped to their home in Orange for games, cookies and fellowship.  Another excellent pre-Christmas event.

THE CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

Tonight, assuming we’re up to it, we may venture out to watch the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, which kicks off a 5-night run.  We’re told that, in addition to fireworks, there will be drone shows included each night this year.  Considering the drone news of late, that should be fun!

ANTICIPATING FAMILY GATHERINGS

Looking ahead, with fingers tightly crossed for at least satisfactory health, we will join part of Susie’s family at her brother, Rob's, home on Christmas Day, then join her brother, Lawrie, and his family at their home the next day, after his Omaha-son and family arrive Christmas night.  And then, as an exclamation point to the holiday, our niece Ashley has decided to pick up the slack left by our cancellation and will host a post-Christmas, all-comers family gathering and croquet tournament, complete with trophy, hall of fame, etc. on the 29th.  This will be wonderful because we will finally get to meet the two newest members of the clan, Sonny and Wyatt, both young men born this year.

MARKING ANOTHER MILESTONE

Then, to top things off for us, and since we missed celebrating our wedding anniversary in August, we will find a way to celebrate the 58th anniversary of our very first date on New Years Eve. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

With all that in mind, Susie and I want to wish each of you the happiest of holidays - however you celebrate.

COSTA MESA COUNCIL MEMBERS CERTIFIED AND SEATED

SETTING THE SCENE - Thursday evening, December 5th, 2024, the Costa Mesa City Council held a Special Meeting at which the results of the 2024 Municipal Election would be certified and the four council members would be sworn in and seated.

THE RESULTS - The following images show the final results of the Costa Mesa City Council races.  We elected a mayor and three council members.

MY PLAN - Because this was to be the final time Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan would appear on the dais - he was defeated by Jeff Pettis in the election by 82 votes - I planned to attend this meeting and speak during Public Comments.  Alas, circumstances  intervened and I was unable to leave the house.  I did watch the entire proceedings via Costa Mesa TV with great interest.  More about that further down the page.

MY "COMMENTS" - I spent a good amount of time writing, and re-writing and re-writing the words I wanted to say to fit within the 3 minute time provided.  Not unexpectedly, I had much more to say that could be crammed into that short time, so it took a lot of tinkering to make it fit.  Then, I couldn't make the trip to City Hall and chose to NOT call it in.  What follows is the transcription of my planned comments.  And, yes - I could read it in precisely 3 minutes.

                                                  ***

Good evening! 

My name is Geoff West. My wife and I have lived in the same home on the Eastside for more than 51 years. . 

Congratulations to Mayor John Stephens on his re-election. I’m very pleased he will be at the helm for two more years. 

Congrats to Council-member Loren Gameros for his return to the dais

Congratulations to rookie council members Mike Buley and Jeff Pettis for their victories, too.

I was disappointed that Planning Commission Chairman Adam Ereth lost his race. His dedication to the city, education and experience guiding that commission would have been valuable on the city council.  

I was VERY DISAPPOINTED that Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan was defeated. His loss by only 82 votes shows the value of every vote.   I’m grateful to him for his service to our city both as a planning commissioner and as a member of the City Council. His intelligence, professionalism, preparedness, steady hand, wisdom, insight and courteous, calm demeanor will certainly be missed. 

To council members Buley and Pettis - thank you for stepping up to the challenges you now face.  If you do the job we’re hiring you to do, you will do your homework to understand the difficult issues before you. You will consult with our excellent staff to help you.

Those positions up there on the dais are supposed to be non-partisan, so I hope you will be able to park any partisan political agendas you might bring with you at the door and do a good job representing ALL Costa Mesans, not just those in districts 1 and 6, and not just those with whom you share a political party affiliation. 

As a “Reagan Republican” I have longed for a strong, intelligent, conservative voice on the council. I hope you two can become those kind of voices and work with your fellow council members in a conciliatory manner to craft decisions that are best for our city.  Departing council member Harper set a very low bar - we expect and deserve more from you. 

While I don’t agree with everything they’ve done, I must tell you that the most recent Democrat-controlled councils - those led by Mayor Stephens and Supervisor Katrina Foley before him -  have done a terrific job guiding our city through some very tough times. Through their efforts, and those of our excellent city staff, we managed to navigate through the calamity that was Covid, all the while balancing the budget and keeping essential services operating.  When they took over following the previous, disastrous, heavy-handed, Republican-led regime they had a huge job ahead to help restore effectiveness and confidence at City Hall - which they have done. 

During the recent campaign we heard lots of misleading partisan yapping about the poor condition of our city.  We hope that is behind us and that all of you up there will work together to meet the challenges ahead - like how to meet the onerous demand by the State that we plan for 11,760 more dwelling units, for example. 

Many of us will be out here watching and will be offering suggestions and critiques as you guide our city - we hope you listen. 

We know this will be a serious disruption to your personal and family lives. Thank you all for your service. 

                                                          ***

THE PROCEEDINGS - The meeting lasted 2.5 hours and was launched with singing of America the Beautiful and the National Anthem,  the Pledge of Allegiance, a Moment of Solemn Expression and presentations to outgoing council members  Jeffery Harlan and Don Harper.  Lots of kind words were said by City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison about both men, presentations were made by former mayor and current County Supervisor Katrina Foley and State Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris.  Photos were taken.  Proclamations were presented.

OHIO HOUSE - City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow gave a brief comment about the very recent favorable ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the "Ohio House" case, which has been in the legal process for a decade.  Mayor Stephens also addressed it, affirming that the city had spent $20 million litigating this case and, because of the far-reaching impact of the decision, cities all around the country will benefit from this battle.

PUBLIC COMMENTS - A few people stepped up to speak during Public Comments, led off by former council member and activist Jay Humphrey, festively adorned in his holiday shirt. His was the high point.  Others spoke, but the low point was the rant by James Peters, the man who ran against Stephens and lost, badly.  My assessment of him early in the campaign season was that he was a rabid right-wing MAGANUT.  His presentation affirmed my opinion when he basically said the election was fraudulent and if the council certified it they would be subject to legal action.  He ended by threatening  the potential wrath of President-elect Donald J. Trump!  Sadly, several of his sycophants called in to echo his rant.  It was pathetic and the wisdom of the electorate by rejecting him was loud and clear.

OUTGOING SPEECHES - Both Harlan and Harper were given an opportunity to "say goodbye".  Not unexpectedly, Harper used his time to weep about being outnumbered on the dais.  At one point he said he wasn't going to read a list of missteps he thought his council colleagues made - then did!  He demonstrated his partisan incompetence and will certainly not be missed.  Adios!  Harlan, on the other hand, made a very sincere, moving speech, talking about how much he had enjoyed his tour as a public servant.  He mentioned that, unlike Harper, who couldn't wait to get off the dais, he loved it there and loved helping to solve problems for the city.  As I said in my letter, his wisdom will be missed.

INCOMING SPEECHES - Following a short break to evict Harper and Harlan and juggle the seating on the dais, each of the elected and re-elected council members were given an opportunity to speak.  

Mike Buley, who defeated Planning Commission Chairman Adam Ereth for the District 1 seat vacated by Harper, led off.  Unfortunately, a technical glitch produced no sound for a minute or two.  When it finally came on and we could hear him speak he was very impressive.  He thanked many who helped and advised him during his campaign.  Unfortunately, that included former council members Steve Mensinger and Jim Righeimer - two men who nearly destroyed our city almost a decade ago with many ill-advised and illegal actions.   If Buley is "guided" by those guys, he will require close observation.

Loren Gameros, who ran unopposed for his District 2 seat, spoke briefly with gratitude to those who helped him.

Jeff Pettis, who managed to defeat Harlan by a narrow, 82 vote, margin, spoke with much less skill than Buley and affirmed his dedication to District 6.  I only hope he does not prove to be the marginally competent council member that I anticipate.  We'll see.

Mayor John Stephens then spoke about his commitment to our city and thanked his family for their support.  His was a very moving speech.

CHOOSING A MAYOR PRO TEM - The final item on the agenda, now that the new council was seated, was to select from their members a new Mayor Pro Tem to replace the departed Harlan.  Mayor Stephens nominated Councilman Manuel Chavez, Gameros seconded the motion and the vote to choose him was 6-0, with Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds absent.  I've watched Chavez grow during his six years on the council and have no doubt that his selection was a good one.  Congrats to him.

NOW WE WAIT - Now that we have a new council selected and seated we must wait to see what kind of an impact Buley and Pettis make on city governance.  Both men tilt hard right politically, in contrast to their peers on the dais, who lean left.  I have no doubt that Buley is a very smart fella.  I'm not so sure about Pettis - his body of work on his YouTube channel would indicate otherwise.  My hope is they will provide more breadth to the important discussion and decisions made in the future.  Fingers crossed...

THE MEETING VIDEO - Here is the link to the Costa Mesa TV YouTube recording of this meeting.  It's worth a couple hours of your time.  You can fast-forward through the boring parts.

https://www.youtube.com/live/oz1CahOxANI

SENIOR CENTER AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT

EARLY HOUR, SPARSE ATTENDANCE

Tuesday morning (at 9 a.m.!) I joined what turned out to be 26 other residents, mostly geezers like me, at the Costa Mesa Senior Center for the latest presentation by Jamboree Housing on their scheme to build a 68 unit (plus 2 management units) senior affordable project on the parking lot of the Senior Center.  This unusual early hour, mid-week, timing was a result of complaints that previous meetings were scheduled late, making it more difficult for seniors to attend.  I get that…  The number of attendees was surpassed by the number of city officials and consultants, but that’s OK…

CITY OFFICIALS KICKED IT OFF

The meeting was kicked off by Cecelia Gallardo-Daly, Assistant City Manager, who handed the baton to recently re-elected Mayor John Stephens for a brief word.  He stuck around for most of the meeting.  City Council Member Arlis Reynolds, who represents the 5th District, also briefly spoke.  Most of the senior staff from the Economic and Development Services Department attended.  I saw Planning Commission Chairman Adam Ereth in the crowd.

JAMBOREE HOUSING PRESENTS...

The Jamboree Housing presentation was led by Kelsey Brewer, who guided us through a slide show (each image is included below), and a young, energetic fellow named Derick (I didn’t get his last name).  The presentation was crisp and informative, but didn’t really have anything new since the last meeting.

QUESTIONS

Following the presentation a lengthy (but not quite long enough) Question and Answer session was conducted.  Many of the attendees managed to ask pretty darn good questions and most received answers, although a few folks didn’t like them. Attendees had many questions, most of which were carefully crafted well-presented. Among the highlights of the concerns expressed by the attendees, not in any particular order, were:

PARKING - Several speakers expressed concern that the current parking lot would be severely diminished by the housing facility.  We were assured by the consultants that, because the proposed structure would be a “podium” type of construction with the entire first floor used for parking spaces, that the total loss of parking spots would be right at 10 spaces.  We were told that the housing plan would be parked at .5 spaces per unit - roughly 35 spaces - with the remainder being available to all-comers.  93 parking spaces would be allotted to the Senior Center.  In response to a question about multi-story parking (subterranean), Brewer explained that it had been considered, but it would increase the construction costs by several million dollars.

ACCESS TO THE SENIOR CENTER DURING CONSTRUCTION - Several speakers were VERY concerned about being able to retain their current activity schedule at the Senior Center during 22-24 months construction period.  We were assured very few parking spaces would be used following the initial construction of the first floor, after which all construction materials/equipment would be restricted to that footprint.

PARKING DURING CONSTRUCTION - We were told that several solutions would be available while the parking lot was restricted during construction.  They included valet parking and shuttle bus service to and from a remote lot, each of which would be provided at no cost to the users.

WRONG SITE FOR HOUSING - A few speakers expressed strong opinions that the Senior Center parking lot was the wrong place for a housing development.  Representatives explained why this was a good choice.  Other’s suggested that the Fairview Developmental Center was a better choice.  Brewer agreed and practically salivated at the possibilty of building affordable senior housing at that location.  Former Planning Commissioner Diane Russell explained that we’re not going to see much happen at that location for 15 years.  This site gives us an opportunity to build much-needed affordable housing within a couple years.

PROJECT OWNERSHIP - In response to questions about the ownership of this project, Brewer explained that Jamboree Housing would have a 55 year lease to operate the facility.  At the end the property would revert to the City.

SAFETY - Some folks expressed concern about the safety of the area.  Brewer explained that similar projects (of the 100 they’ve done) actually resulted in a lower crime rate.  Specifically, this project would require a key fob for entry and would have extensive, monitored security cameras.  She said that if that proved to be inadequate full-time security guards would be provided.

NEARBY COMMUNITY OUTREACH - Questions were asked about the nearby neighborhoods that would certainly be impacted by the construction and by the loss of parking spaces.  Apparently some neighbors park in the lot after closing time at the Senior Center.  We were assured there had been significant outreach to that part of the community.

WHO QUALIFIES TO LIVE THERE? - Some folks were curious about just who could live in these units.  A comprehensive slide provided data and Brewer expanded on the qualifications.  Basically, folks 55 and older that meet certain income levels can qualify.  The attached chart shows those numbers.

OLGA

Among the attendees was Councilwoman Reynolds mother, Olga, who walked 1.7 miles to the meeting and spoke about the importance of drought-tolerant landscaping and the value of walking.

CARRIE TAI

We were introduced to our brand new Director of Economic and Development Services, CARRIE TAI, who wrapped up the meeting.

WORTHWHILE MEETING

I thought this meeting was valuable, even though it was not heavily-attended.  It’s my understanding there will be more community outreach.  The project still must be presented to the Planning Commission and the City Council for approval.  That should be happening in 2025 with construction to commence the following year.  For more information we were encouraged to visit the Jamboree Housing website at https://www.jamboreehousing.com/.