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/.

REMEMBERING THE PAST AND CONTEMPLATING THE FUTURE

CONTEMPLATING THE PAST - AND THE FUTURE

As I sat on my front porch on another perfect Southern California afternoon contemplating life and awaiting hoards of trick or treaters on this glorious Halloween day, I was having very mixed feelings.  

A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR A GREAT LIFE

I’ve had a wonderful life!  I grew up in a loving family with hardworking, honest,  parents who guided my sisters and me in preparation for life ahead.  I have many valued friends from those early years and still have contact with some of them.  They helped form the foundation of my life.

EXPERIENCE AND PROUD SERVICE

I’ve had a variety of work experiences, sprinkled in among my college days.  I worked as a shipping and receiving clerk, box boy and lifeguard.  I baked baseball bases, put sticks in popsicles, was a carpet layer’s helper,  pumped gas at a marina and learned something about life and myself in every assignment. I was a very good competitive water skier and a darn good teacher of that sport.  I taught hundreds of people to ski. Although I had no competitive swimming experience in my youth and had only seen one water polo game, I competed in both sports in college.  I proudly served my country during the Vietnam War era.  I flew helicopters for awhile - but didn’t see combat.  I’m grateful for that.  I learned a lot about myself as a leader during that time.

MY BEST CHOICE

I met my Sweet Susie, the love of my life, more than 58 years ago and have been married to her for 57 of those years - and counting.  That union made me part of HER wonderful family.  Her parents had a very different background than mine - they were World War II immigrants - but they had the same family values and it shows in their offspring.

A LITTLE LUCK AND A LOT OF HARD WORK

I’ve had a wonderful career - a couple of them, actually.  When I mustered out of the Army I lucked out and found a job with a terrific company that provided fantastic opportunities for advancement.  During my seven years with them I worked in six different cities in progressively more responsible jobs.  My Susie and I followed a gypsy life - we drove across the country for a promotion a week after we were married - and were living the American Dream, in which our hard work paid off.

THE FAST TRACK TO THE FROZEN EAST

When it became clear that the only place we could end up with that company was on the East Coast - two winters were enough - I left them and we moved home - south from the Bay Area back to Southern California where, once again, I was very fortunate to land a job with another wonderful company.  During my six years with that company I held several positions that provided me with exposure to sophisticated, cutting edge technology and gave me more depth in my career as a Human Resources professional. 

OOPS!

When the lack of a college degree became an artificial roadblock for further advancement I changed jobs - this time for a very short 6 weeks - to a position with a company that was NOT the kind of place I wished to work.  I began seeking another job on my second day.

RUNNIN’ AND GUNNIN’

Then I became the Employment Manager of a high-tech company that was, at that time, the fastest growing company in Southern California. That was lots of fun - fast paced in a very creative environment where the staff I managed developed new techniques so essential to quickly and efficiently filling those positions.  And, oh, yes - it was also financially rewarding.

A VALUED CONSULTANT

After a couple years I chose to strike out on my own and created a consulting practice, specializing in Executive Search and Team Building.  Among my client companies, in addition to a couple previous employers,  were small start-up organizations that needed help building a management team and guiding their organizations through their early days.  I never advertised for work - word of mouth as a result of my efforts was all it took.  I loved that job!  I was pretty good at it and made enough money to retire after 20 years.  

LIFE-MATE, SOUL-MATE AND PARTNER ALONG THE WAY

Through this all my dear wife stayed at my side, pulling more than her weight with every oar stroke as we navigated our life together and supporting me every step of the way.  She is the best thing that has happened to me in my life.

WRITING OPINIONS

After retiring I began paying attention to the world around me - particularly local issues.  I wrote the occasional letter to the editor to local newspapers, offering an opinion or observation on local happenings - usually political issues.  Over the years the Daily Pilot (our local “newspaper of record”) offered me the chance to write a regular column for them - 12 times.  Each time I politely declined - I didn’t want to write “on assignment”.  They continued to publish my contributions - sometimes  as many as 3 of my letters a week.  Similarly, the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times published my contributions and also offered me regular space on their pages.

THE BLOG

Then, nearly 20 years ago, I decided I needed more space to express my views.  By that time I was attending almost every important city meeting and event, so I started my blog, A Bubbling Cauldron.  After 18 months and nearly 180 posts I changed hosts so I could include photos and comments.  Since then, after posting nearly 3,500 entries, I’ve throttled back on that effort in recent years, but the blog still receives upwards of 10,000 pageviews each month!  As of this date the blog has recorded 3.8 million pageviews on the current host site.  I had no way to measure traffic on the other site.  Over those years the blog was chosen as the best blog in Orange County - twice - and I was selected by the editors of the Daily Pilot as one of their "DP 103" people who positively influenced their communities - 9 years in a row.  I certainly appreciated that recognition and I’m grateful for the continuing interest in what I’ve written over all these years.

MY POINT - SOCIETAL DECAY

All this background is slowly dragging me to my point - the societal decay I see these days!  It deeply saddens me to watch as the level of political discourse has degenerated to something akin to a bar fight!  I guess I can attribute much of this to the evolution of Donald J. Trump as a political force in our country.  He has lowered the bar for statesmanship, conducting himself as a pre-pubescent teenager might in junior high school.  His example has encouraged many elected leaders to follow his lead, which hamstrings progress.  His mere presence has coarsened our society to the point where fans at college football games feel it’s appropriate to lob water bottles on the field when they disagree with decisions made by officials.  This decay was most recently exhibited by two “fans” at the New York Yankees/Los Angeles Dodgers World Series game at Yankee Stadium when they yanked a ball from the glove of Dodger Mookie Betts in an attempt, apparently, to help the batter achieve a home run.  One of those idiots - both of whom were ejected from the game -  proclaimed when asked during a post-game drinking binge at his favorite bar,  why he did it, he proudly said that he was just “providing some D” for the team.  

IGNORING THE RULES

In our broader society we see more evidence of the decay.  We see more and more people completely ignoring the rules of the road.  Speed limits are apparently viewed as mere suggestions and stop signs are consistently ignored, for example.  They just blow right on through them - a trait many of the children driving E-bikes now emulate.  

COARSENING OF DISCOURSE

No longer is it sufficient to simply disagree with someone and move on.  Today, thanks in great part to Trump,  his acolytes and the anonymity provided by social media sites, it is becoming more a standard practice to attempt to demean and belittle those with whom we disagree.  Civility is disappearing.  Courtesy is a dying art.

FEARING THE FUTURE

I join many Americans in fearing for the future of our country, regardless who wins the election next week.  While I agree with some of the policies he advocates, Donald Trump has clearly shown that he possesses neither the intellect nor character to be entrusted with the job of the most powerful man in the world.  Kamala Harris is completely unqualified for this job, so we voters are left with the choice of, according to outstanding Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, between ”empty and awful”.

WHAT’S NEXT?

So, what do we do?  Well, I did not cast a vote for President of the United States when I completed my ballot two weeks ago.  I did focus on the down-ballot measures and candidates and, although I no longer attend meetings, I do pay attention to local issues and do still comment occasionally when the spirit moves me.  I can do very little on national issues, but I know I can provide input to my neighbors on local issues and, sometimes, influence the outcome of important decisions made by our local elected leaders.  Although I no longer have the energy I did two decades ago, I will continue to be a voice in my community and let others judge the value of that voice.

RE-DISCOVERING CIVILITY

In the meantime, I think it’s very important for our society to re-discover civility.  We need to take a collective remedial course in civil conversation - something we could observe in the mainstream media in years gone bye.   Not so much today.  The examples set by Walter Cronkite and Huntley and Brinkley are long gone.  Our children - your children - need better boundaries and need to learn and to understand and follow the rules.  We ALL need to include a lot more “Please” and “Thank You” in our daily lives.  We need to do a lot more “listening”, not just hearing, the other side of arguments.  We need to be willing to make intelligent, well-reasoned choices and compromise for the better good when necessary. 

THE GREATEST GENERATION

My parents generation, the so-called “Greatest Generation”, had gone through years of sacrifice to make happy lives and keep our country safe, first during the Great Depression when they were teenagers and then through World War II when they sometimes worked two jobs for the duration of the war.  They learned to ‘make do” and to ‘do without”.  They developed frugality into an art form.  In those years our society pulled together for the common good.  Today we are so factionalized that we seem to be pulling against each other, shouting each other down instead of having a meaningful dialogue to resolve issues.  When our leaders behave like children, using denigration and name-calling as a staple of their dialogue, it diminishes us as a people.  We simply MUST change.  We MUST re-learn to work together to resolve the problems facing our society today.  As long as our elected leadership practices and encourages divisiveness our form of government is in peril.  We MUST demand better.