Here Comes Riggy!

Well, only one more day until Cinci de Mayo, which will bring with it this year the inaugural front page column in the Daily Pilot by Planning Commissioner and less-than-one-year-Costa-Mesa-resident James (Riggy) Righeimer. I'm excited!

Yes sir, I'm really excited to read Righeimer's first column. I've chided him in the past for his bullying of a recent applicant before the Planning Commission, and I've called him a carpetbagger - correctly so - but I've never said he's not a smart guy. I actually have high hopes for his column tomorrow.

Righeimer has demonstrated that he will do his homework on issues, so don't be surprised if his first column is full of well-researched facts and information. In the announcement of his column the editors said he's going to provide us with comments on conservative issues. It will be interesting to see which "conservative issues" he feels need to be addressed by the readers of the Daily Pilot. Since Newport Beach and Costa Mesa are bastions of conservatism, I think it might be a little like preaching to the choir. We'll see.

Meanwhile, over at the Mansoor-majority house organ, the CM Press, the spinmeister continues to yap and crow about annexation. In his most recent post today he observes that, in the battle for lands abutting both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, that land to the East should be given to Newport and that on the West - including the much-coveted Banning Ranch - simply be given to Costa Mesa. Oh, were it all that easy!

In her article on this subject Daily Pilot reporter par excellence, Alicia Robinson, indicated that Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem was not available for comment. Trust me, this is a good thing. Every time Bever opens his mouth on annexation issues he offends our neighbors in Newport Beach. And now rookie Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach has stuck his nose into the annexation process and is apparently attempting to facilitate an agreement. Moorlach has some impressive credentials so we will now see if they include the proverbial "Wisdom of Job" - that's what it's going to take to get an accord on annexation between Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.