Costa Mesa Council Race Update

THREE MORE HORSES HEADING FOR THE STARTING GATE
Well, our world got just a little more interesting over the past day or so. First, the Daily Pilot reported today that someone named Nicholas Moss has pulled papers to run for the Costa Mesa City Council this fall. To describe Mr. Moss as a newcomer, as the Pilot did, doesn't even come close. Still, that's not bad - new ideas on this campaign trail will be welcome.

SNEEN AND REEDY
Then, when I checked with the City Clerk, I found out that two more residents have pulled papers - William Sneen and Lisa Reedy.

I don't know a thing about Mr. Sneen, but will assume he's related to former school board member Linda Sneen.

Lisa Reedy is the president of the Mesa del Mar homeowners association and has been an occasional speaker before the city council on issues that affect that community. She always struck me as being articulate and prepared.

A LUCKY NUMBER?
So, we're now up to seven people who have indicated they are serious about a run for city council. These three new people, plus the chance of a few more in the 6 days left to officially file their paperwork, should make for a very interesting campaign season.

THE SHIFTING DEBATE
I don't think more bodies on the ballot will necessarily mean the best three candidates will be chosen. What it will do is provide a breadth of discussion at candidate forums. That may also dilute the number of tough questions asked.

SPREADING VOTES
Of course, Reedy's presence creates speculation about whether she will take votes from Linda Dixon and Reedy's neighbor, Katrina Foley.

This is going to be fun. Stay tuned.

***

FUMING FOOL BLOWS A GASKET - AGAIN
In the meantime, Mr. U. Know-Who, the Mesa North Blowhard, continues to rave like a lunatic at the author of the CMTRUTH blog - must be because he's struck a nerve. The pathetic loser apparently doesn't really like the spotlight, although he's never shunned it in the past. In fact, he's specifically sought it out at council meetings, where he would wave his books around like some kind of a carnival shill. We assume he's angry because he doesn't know the identity of the author of the blog and, as a result, can't personally attack him.

There's a handy link to the CMTRUTH blog over on the right side of the page, if you care to read his take on the guy known in some circles as "Mensa Marty" - a much too generous term, in my estimation. CMTRUTH continues to put a smile on my face...

Recent Death a Painful Reminder

CHRISTOPHER LAURIE'S DEATH A REMINDER
The tragic, untimely and violent death of Christopher Laurie, 33 year-old son of pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, in an automobile accident last week dredged up some very sad memories for me. Laurie, apparently a young man with a history of driving with excessive speed and violating car pool lane rules, drove into the rear of a Cal Trans sweeper train moving at a reported 15 mph while cleaning debris from the car pool lane. We'll probably never know what caused Laurie to crash into the sweeper train at such a speed that, despite the high technology impact barrier attached to the rear vehicle, destroyed Laurie's Dodge Magnum so completely that it was all but unrecognizable. It's a sad loss of a young man with much potential.

INEXPLICABLE ACCIDENTS
Laurie's accident - which may have been a result of inattentiveness, reminded me of the passing of my best friend, Larry Moore, at the end of 2003. Some will recall that Larry, my best pal for 57 years, crashed on his motorcycle on a lonely desert road as he drove home from Las Vegas. We'll never know why he missed seeing the three signs that preceded his accident - a "25 mph" sign, a "RR Xing" sign and a "Left Turn" sign - but he did. Those of us who knew Larry as a safe - almost to the point of being boring - motorcycle rider all his life, including his fifteen years as an LAPD motor officer, this accident was simply inexplicable. The only explanation we can come up with is that he just wasn't paying attention. Maybe he was reaching for a drink of water or tuning his radio.. we'll never know.

AT THE SIDE OF MY FRIEND
Larry lingered for six weeks in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit in a hospital in Las Vegas before finally succumbing. During that time I stayed at his side, helping doctors decide the course of action that, we hoped, would bring him back to us. Finally, when a blood clot in his heart caused cardiac arrest and the doctors couldn't bring him back again, I had to make the decision to have them stop trying. It was the worst moment of the worst six weeks of my life.

LOSS LEAVES HUGE HOLE
As is the case of the death of Christopher Laurie, my friend's passing left a huge hole in the lives of his friends and family. He loved his daughters and grandson and will never know his brand new granddaughter. Larry's legacy included the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, the premiere relay of it's kind in the world where public safety officers from around the world run from Baker to Las Vegas overnight in a test of fitness, tenacity and teamwork. He and his partner, Chuck Foote, created the event while Larry was the Athletic Director at the Los Angeles Police Academy more than a quarter century ago. Through that event, and others he administered, he formed fast friendships with thousands of people around the world.

DON'T WAIT TO SHARE YOUR LOVE
So today, on the day he would have turned 67 years old, I remind you once again that life is fleeting. Don't waste a second of any day and, above all, tell those you love just how you feel. Don't wait - do it now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMIGO
The photo at the top of this entry is the last photo taken of us together - snapped just a few weeks before he died. Happy Birthday, Larry...

DAILY PILOT PUBLISHER TOM JOHNSON RESIGNS!

Photo courtesy of Daily Pilot

BREATHTAKING NEWS!
Tonight, when I cranked up my computer to check email and online newspapers, I almost fell out of my chair when I read the online Daily Pilot banner headline: "Daily Pilot Publisher Resigns". You can read the online article HERE. It took my breath away...

A TRULY GOOD MAN
Over the past few years I've gotten to know, and know about, Tom Johnson as I interacted with him and various members of the Daily Pilot staff. I've always found him to be a bright, fair man with a great sense of humor and outstanding community spirit. He struck me as a man who fully understood the responsibilities and obligations a community newspaper has to the area it serves. It's my impression that he was viewed by his staff as an excellent boss - a man they could trust.

ZELL CREATES CHAOS
As almost everyone knows, ever since Sam Zell bought the Tribune Companies - the parent of the Los Angeles Times and the Times Community Newspapers - there has been chaos in the organization. Despite Zell's occasional assurances that no catastrophic changes would take place, that's exactly what has been happening. The upper management of the Los Angeles Times has been in perpetual turmoil, with senior management turning over like frogs on a hot skillet. The editorial staff of the Times has been disemboweled over the past year or so.

JOHNSON LED THROUGH THE TUMULT
Johnson continued to try to lead the Times Community Newspapers through all the tumult, keeping his steady hand on the helm. Pressure from the top forced layoffs and the discontinuation of publication on Mondays as a cost-savings measure. I don't know what the final straw was that forced him to resign a job he has held for 15 years, but regardless his reason for departure, he will truly be missed.

HYENAS WILL BE HEARD
I have absolutely no doubt that there will be some in our community that will crow about Johnson's departure. Those catcalls will come from those who have perceived themselves to be slighted by Johnson's view that not everything written by every person is worthy of publication in the Daily Pilot - that editorial discretion and good taste will always be paramount.

THANKS FOR THE LEADERSHIP
I want to thank Tom Johnson for his leadership of the Daily Pilot and the other newspapers that formed the Times Community Newspapers, and for his unflagging dedication to fair, accurate, timely and honest journalism. The Daily Pilot story indicates that Johnson has no plans to retire, and that he will pursue another job when he departs from the Daily Pilot. He should have no trouble finding a new assignment - he is a superior leader who just happened to publish excellent newspapers. I wish him, and the loyal and dedicated staff he leaves behind, all the best.

RUNNIN' AND JUMPIN'

ON THE BACK STRETCH
Here we are, half-way through the Costa Mesa City Council filing period, and so far only four candidates have pulled papers at City Hall. Four others have been issued an information packet - without the essential petition - but we don't know if those folks are serious or are just pedestrians passing through.

COZY FIELD SO FAR
To date we have four former or current council members theoretically planning to run, including three former or current mayors. As of this afternoon Linda Dixon, Katrina Foley, Eric Bever and Gary Monahan have all pulled the necessary paperwork, but none had yet returned them.

FILING DEADLINE IN TWO WEEKS
Unless one of the incumbents - Dixon, Foley or Bever - drops out, the filing deadline is August 8th, two weeks from today. The mind reels as I contemplate a campaign with only four candidates for the three seats available. Perhaps some of the names I mentioned earlier view this particular race too tough to tackle, but I hope we do see some new names on the ballot this year.

FIRST CANDIDATE FORUM SCHEDULED
I've been advised that the first candidate forum, hosted by Mesa Verde, Inc., will probably be held on August 20, 2008 at the Downtown Neighborhood Community Center, near the library. Festivities will commence at 6:30 with refreshments being served in a "meet and greet" atmosphere, with the formal program beginning at 7. As I've said before, this forum is usually the best organized and best attended. Candidates are fresh and most of the questions are new.

***

SHARON DAY - OLYMPIAN!
As some may know, Costa Mesan Sharon Day - a student/athlete at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo - has made the United States Olympic Team in the high jump and will compete in Beijing when the Olympics begin on August 8, 2008. There is an effort in Costa Mesa to raise funds to help send her family - her parents, Eugene and Yolanda and sister, Jasmin - to China to watch Sharon compete. This is being facilitated by the Palm Harvest Church and the pertinent information may be found at it's website, www.palmharvest.org. As you will see when you visit the site, they are still well short of their goal, so I encourage any of you interested in participating to visit the website and click on Sharon's image in the upper right corner for details.

MORE LOCAL LINKS
Sharon was recruited to Cal Poly by my friend, Costa Mesan Sheldon Blockburger, a former standout at Newport Harbor and a world-class decathlete while at Louisiana State University and subsequently. As an Assistant Track Coach at Cal Poly, Sheldon saw Sharon's potential. In fact, when he left for a similar job at the University of Arizona in Tucson he recruited Sharon's sister, Jasmine, because she showed similar potential.

DIG DEEP - SEND THE DAY FAMILY TO CHINA
Please look deep into your hearts and support the Day family as they attempt to make it to China to cheer Costa Mesa's Sharon Day on to victory.

Bulldog Bob Graham Strikes Out - Again

TEDIOUS MEETINGS
Sometimes watching city meetings can be a little tedious. Occasionally a city council meeting might run well past the designated midnight witching hour - the time when the council is supposed to, literally, call it a night and move the remainder of the agenda to another meeting. History shows that, once the council begins working into the next day, they seem to have a collective lapse of judgment. Fortunately, that doesn't happen too often.

PLANNING MEETINGS DRONE
Sometimes a Planning Commission meeting will drone on and on about a specific proposed development or issue that is so laced with acronyms and specialized terminology that it's hard to keep one's eyes open. Fortunately, Jim Righeimer usually provides eye-openers in the form of his interrogation of applicants or by angering Chairman Donn Hall, who bats him back in line.

AND THEN THERE'S BOB GRAHAM...
And then there is the Parks and Recreation Commission... Over the past couple meetings, well-intentioned commissioner Bob Graham has set a new low water mark for stubbornness. He's put his quest to build a bridge over the Santa Ana River at 19th Street on hiatus, but he's found a new cause - a proper entrance to Fairview Park at Canary Drive.

"BULLDOG" ON THE CASE - AGAIN
At their previous meeting in June, Graham - bulldog that he is - presented yet another request for the "user-defined" entrance to Fairview Park at the end of Canary Drive to be upgraded to a proper entrance. Presently it's just a steep, dirt path leading from the sidewalk up into the park. (See image above) He went on and on about how dangerous it was, that seniors couldn't make the climb up and, once there, were in real danger of falling when they left down the hill. He showed photographs ad nauseum of the muddy slope following a rainy day.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, BOB
Finally, in frustration because it was clear the commission and staff were not on his side on this subject, he suggested that the access to the park at that point be walled off, prohibiting entry. It was clear that he didn't really mean it, but the commission took his suggestion and ran with it. They directed staff to return at the next meeting - last night - with an analysis of closing that entrance, which they did.

NAGHAVI - "TOO COSTLY"
Predictably, Graham was not happy when Peter Nagahvi, Director of Public Services, advised the commission that it was not fiscally prudent nor technically feasible to close off that entrance to the park. It would require a 12 foot wall with a fence on top of that, which would almost assuredly become a canvas for graffiti and wouldn't keep kids from climbing it to reach the park.

ROBINSON TO THE RESCUE
Graham, even more frustrated than at the earlier meeting, just kept on pounding away at this issue. He attempted to maneuver the discussion back to creating a proper entrance, but that train had left the station last month. It was improper to address it at this meeting - it was not an agenda item. Many speakers stood and spoke on the issue. Finally, former mayor and current judge Karen Robinson - a resident of that neighborhood - took the speaker's podium. In the vernacular, she "took Graham to the woodshed" on this subject. Her anger was evident as she chastised Graham for wasting so much staff time on an issue that would not be resolved until the Fairview Park Master Plan is re-opened - something Graham just couldn't accept. Watching Robinson verbally slice and dice Graham made me happy I've never had to encounter her on the bench.

CAN'T SPIT IT OUT
Even after that, Graham wasn't finished. As Robinson stepped away from the podium he muttered something about "Maybe the Mesa Verde Homeowners Association should buy that little piece of land and take responsibility for it." Poor, clueless guy...

GRAHAM - DEDICATED, BUT CLUELESS
One thing is sure in this city... even the most ponderous of meetings can provide some great theater. Unfortunately, this little drama Graham produced only served to waste valuable staff resources and commission time. I doubt Graham will be considered for re-appointment to the commission following the next election. His passion has overwhelmed his judgment too many times.

GALITSKI WEAK LEADER
Part of the problem last night, and on previous occasions, was the weak leadership provided by current Chairman, Kurt Galitski. He's been in the Big Chair for a few months now, so one expects that he might have a better grasp on the format and procedures by now. That's not the case, unfortunately. In fact, this particular iteration of the Parks and Recreation Commission is more passive than active. I never thought I'd see the day when long-time commissioner Mark Harris would be the one to keep things pointed in the right direction, but that's the case these days. The men on the commission need to step up and tighten their focus on the issues before them.

Saving The Banning Ranch Discussed

SMALL TURNOUT
Five dozen people, half of whom were from Newport Beach - including Councilman Keith Curry - attended a workshop Monday night at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center at Lions Park. The workshop was sponsored by a group of environmentalists and concerned citizens who wished to provide information to interested residents with the avowed hope to recruit more members to their group. Their goal is to have Banning Ranch - 412 acres of oil fields and coastal scrub land - retained as open space in perpetuity.

NO COSTA MESA OFFICIALS IN ATTENDANCE
I found it interesting that no elected or appointed Costa Mesa official found time in their busy schedules to attend this meeting. That seems strange to me, since many of the elected and appointed officials are residents of the Westside, and the Banning Ranch issue will undoubtedly be a campaign issue as we move through the summer and fall. I guess they just don't care what the voters think, nor wish to hear their concerns.

PASSIONATE PRESENTATIONS
Chris Bunyan, former - and maybe future - council candidate, was one of the organizers of the event and ponied up the cost of the room. Several passionate speakers addressed the small group and used slide shows to show the types of flora and fauna that might be in jeopardy should the Banning Ranch be turned into homes and shopping areas. Others spoke about how such open spaces are disappearing and covered with concrete and houses throughout the state.

DEVELOPERS PRESENT
The specter of the proposed development of Banning Ranch by another group - which would place 1375 homes, 75,000 square feet of retail development and a 75 room hotel - was raised to get the audience's attention. Representatives of the potential developer were in the audience taking notes and handed out their own fliers at the end of the meeting.

PRESERVATION COSTS UNCLEAR
No firm numbers are available because this effort to buy and protect the Banning Ranch is in it's infancy. Numbers like $200 million to buy the land and $30 million to mitigate the oil wells and their attendant debris were thrown around. No one really knows how much it would take to buy the land for a permanent park/wildlife refuge. Nor does anyone have a clue about where such money might come from.

COSTA MESA VS. NEWPORT BEACH?
Although the speakers made the point that they didn't want their presentation to be an "us against them" situation - Costa Mesa vs. Newport Beach - it was clear that that is very likely how this will evolve because access to any kind of residential/retail development would almost certainly require the use of Costa Mesa streets. That thought seemed to agitate some of the Westside residents in attendance.

A LONG ROAD AHEAD WITH TIME RUNNING OUT
This effort is a long way from accomplishment. Time is not on the sponsor's side because the development plan for the area will be presented to the city of Newport Beach within a couple weeks. And, of course, that one-foot wide lasso of land which Newport Beach owns further complicates the issue when determining the sphere of influence issue.

CAMPAIGN TAP-DANCING AHEAD
The Banning Ranch will certainly generate a lot of heat during the campaign season ahead. Candidates in both Newport Beach and Costa Mesa will be asked to sign on for one side or the other on this subject. I'm expecting a lot of tap-dancing to go on throughout the fall. Stay tuned....

Only Two Running, So Far

TWO HORSES IN THE STARTING GATE - SO FAR
The last word I had from the City Clerk last week is that, so far, only two candidates had actually pulled the necessary papers to run for City Council in Costa Mesa this year - Councilwoman Katrina Foley and former councilman, mayor and current Costa Mesa Sanitary Board member Gary Monahan.

FOLEY - BACK INTO THE BATTLES
Foley was the highest vote-getter in her run for city council four years ago and, although usually on the short end of many issues because she and Linda Dixon must frequently butt heads with the Mansoor/Bever/Leece majority, Foley continues to force important issues into the arena of public debate.

MONAHAN - FOR HIMSELF FIRST
Monahan - a three-term council member before being termed out in 2006 - will attempt to again elbow his way back to the municipal trough. You may recall that he is the only council member to ever qualify for a municipal pension. Right now that amount would be minimal, but another couple terms would go a long way to make his declining years as a pub owner and father of six more comfortable.

LET US COUNT THE WAYS
When considering candidates this year Monahan makes it pretty easy. All you have to do is remember that he thinks of himself first. Those of you paying attention will recall that a year ago he stood before the council and lobbied hard for the issue of a directly-elected mayor to be placed on the ballot. He was joined by then-mayor Allan Mansoor, who refused to even consider term limits for the position. Wisely, that scheme died on the vine. I think both Mansoor and Monahan envisioned themselves as "mayor for life". You may also remember that he campaigned for his current seat on the Sanitary District board as a guy who saw the need for reforms and would immediately move to make them if elected. Well, he did. He immediately moved to give himself and the other board members a pay raise and you, the rate payers, a rate increase. As I said, Monahan thinks of himself first...

BEVER AND DIXON?
The next few weeks should show us more candidates for the three positions on the city council this year. It is assumed that Eric Bever will run again - more's the pity for the city. His inept attempts at combining the job of mayor with that of a stand-up comic is getting pretty old. Linda Dixon is playing her cards very close to her vest. She may have had enough of having her position on the dais marginalized by the majority that has done everything possible except locking Dixon and Foley out of the chambers to ignore their presence and votes.

FISLER HAS TIME TO CAMPAIGN AGAIN
Rumors persist about Jim (I'm a realtor here in town) Fisler, current Vice Chair of the Planning Commission, occasional commenter here on this blog and part of the self-anointed "improver" group is going to run again. We have to assume he will make that decision within the next couple week. With the real estate market doing as poorly as it has been lately, Fisler will have plenty of time for municipal duties.

BUNYAN, AGAIN?
Former candidate Chris Bunyan has immersed himself in civic activities since he last ran and is presently immersed in saving Banning Ranch. In fact, he's footing the bill for a workshop on that subject from 6:30 - 8:30, Monday, July 21st at the Neighborhood Community Center near Lions Park for that purpose. He's been an off-again, on-again potential candidate. The last word I had from him was that he was not going to run... we'll see...

WHAT ABOUT RIGGY?
And then there's Riggy, the carpetbagging Planning Commissioner and Orange County GOP good old boy Jim Righeimer... we don't know if he's going to toss his hat into the ring this time around. If he does, that would make the election very interesting. He would undoubtedly get a lot of support - that means bucks - from the OC GOP. Riggy has said he's not running. If he did, he'd have to give up his weekly column on the Daily Pilot - a forum he's used to attempt to present "conservative views" to us all - when he's not pillorying applicants before the Planning Commission, that is. (Sorry, a smaller photo wouldn't accommodate his ego.)

NEWBIES?
I find myself wondering if we're going to see any new faces this time around. I hope so, although I'm not sure what a ballot with a dozen candidates will accomplish except to confuse the electorate.

THE FLAG GOES UP IN AUGUST
By the middle of August we'll know for sure who wants to compete for the opportunity to shape the city for the next four years. Then the fun begins... Stay tuned...

White Gangs, Aliens on Bikes and a Windbag

OOPS, THERE REALLY ARE WHITE GANGS IN COSTA MESA!
Despite what you hear from certain venues in the north side of our town, there really are white gangs in our town. One local blogger - an obnoxious windbag who does his literary pontificating from a cave in Mesa North - specifically ignores that fact during his many frequent rants about gangs in our city. I wonder why that is?

VICIOUS BUFFOONS
Daily Pilot reporter Joseph Serna wrote a fascinating story yesterday, HERE, in which he tells us about the arrest of three purported members of Public Enemy Number 1 (PEN1) following an unprovoked attack on a Latino man who was driving along Bristol Street. I'll let you read the story yourself - it's very amusing - particularly the part about how the woman in the trio was apprehended. Obviously, gangsters are not rocket scientists.

IGNORE THE LYING WINDBAG
The point here is that this is just one of many examples of the existence of predatory, vicious white gangs in our city, despite what the windbag says. You will recall that we've written a few times about the county-wide sweep a couple years ago that landed 20 White Supremacists at 17 locations in Costa Mesa. That sweep snagged nearly sixty White Supremacists county-wide. That a third of them were found in our city is very relevant.

MORE "DANGEROUS CRIMINALS" OFF THE STREETS
Further on the law enforcement front, Orange County Register reporter Niyaz Pirani, in his periodic police report, tells us that at 5:20 a.m. on Saturday, July 12th a 37-year-old gentleman named Gerardo Cardenas of Costa Mesa was arrested on suspicion of a traffic violation and riding without a bicycle headlight on Paularino Avenue and is currently being held on an ICE hold.

Looking further in the summary of crimes in Costa Mesa we found Mario Munoz-Tonix, 26, also of Costa Mesa, arrested at 8:40 a.m. on July 9th under suspicion of riding a bicycle without a license and is on an ICE hold.

We also found that 36 year-old Sergio Estrada Estrada was arrested at 10:20 a.m on July 11th on suspicion of riding a bicycle without a license and is currently on an ICE hold.

And, I'm sure we all recall the first "dangerous bike rider", the Sunday School teacher who was snatched up for riding his bike the wrong way on a residential street, taken to the jail and deported.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "DANGEROUS ALIEN FELONS"?
You will recall the hoopla by then-mayor Allan Mansoor a couple years ago when he told us his ICE proposal was intended to remove dangerous alien felons from our streets. You may also recall that I told you at the time that his proposal was just a smoke screen to expunge brown skins from our city. Well?.....

DO YOU FEEL SAFER NOW?
Let me ask you... do you feel a whole lot safer tonight knowing that those dangerous bicycle riders, Cardenas, Estrada and Munoz-Tonix, are off the streets? Will you now be able to walk the streets safely with those men - who were likely riding the bikes to their jobs - incarcerated and awaiting deportation?

WHAT ARE THE CMPD'S MARCHING ORDERS NOW?
I find myself wondering just what the marching orders are that the good men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department are working under that would prompt them to snatch up bicycle riders? And, are they looking at every bicycle being ridden through our city for licensing violations? Do they stop the kids on the way to Newport Harbor High School or Horace Ensign Middle School? I think we know the answer to that question.

POLICE STATE ESTABLISHED
As I predicted, the so-called "improver" majority - Mansoor, Bever and Leece - have permitted this city to become a de facto police state. They, through their actions, have polarized members of he Latino community in our city - egged on by the windbag mentioned above. I'm not proud of the course being followed in our city. I'm not proud that it's been turned into a bastion of intolerance.

***

PROFESSOR WINDBAG BELCHES
As I was about to publish this entry I notice that the windbag mentioned above has posted another rant on his blog. This time he's instructing the Daily Pilot on how to run their business. This "wisdom" was obviously gleaned from his wonderful experience playing - quite badly, by the way - an anonymous reporter in a mid-70s cult movie that sold five or six tickets and may be had for two bucks at Amazon.com.

SELF-SERVING HYPOCRITE
Scattered through his list of suggestions to the management of the Daily Pilot are a few that are quite obviously self-serving. He suggests, for example, that the editors accept "short, anonymous comments" on their articles. Ever since the Pilot began requiring registration this guy - apparently unwilling to be identified with his comments - lost a forum for his vicious, irrelevant mini-rants which he would post under many "pen names", sometimes on the same comment thread, in an attempt to fool readers into thinking his views were widely held.

WANTING IT BOTH WAYS
After embracing anonymity, in the next suggestion he turns around and complains about the Pilot linking to Community Blogs that are published anonymously. These, of course, have been very critical of him and his blog. He can't have it both ways...

DEMANDING "ICE" COVERAGE
And, in his last suggestion, he would require the Pilot to provide more ICE and immigration coverage - no surprise there.

OH, YEAH!
I'm sure the editors of the Daily Pilot will give his suggestions all the attention they deserve...

No "TOT" Increase - Elections Cloud Judgment

GUTLESS "RECEIVE AND FILE"
Tuesday night the Costa Mesa City Council voted unanimously to simply "receive and file" Linda Dixon's request and accompanying staff report requesting that an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) be placed on the November ballot. That means no further action will be taken on this subject this time around - again. That motion was made by Allan Mansoor and seconded by Eric Bever.

BYRON NAILS IT - AGAIN
Byron de Arakal, in his column today on this subject, really nailed it. You can read it HERE.


BRIEF RE-HASH
I won't go into the details of this issue - I covered it in my previous entry and many people chose to provide their comments on it - except to observe that the staff presentation was a shorthand version of the discussion held at the Study Session last week. I doubt that audience members not previously privy to the details of this subject would have understood what this was all about from tonight's presentation.

THE MAJORITY IGNORES THE PROFESSIONALS - AGAIN
Once again, the majority on the City Council have chosen to ignore the wise counsel of their senior city staff, including City Manager Allan Roeder and Finance Director Marc Puckett, on an issue that will have a long-term impact on the future of our city. Roeder and Puckett and their staffs have, for decades, effectively played a shell game with the city's finances, using the Fund Balance from the previous year's budget to balance the new one. Don't get me wrong - that's not a criticism, it's a statement of admiration. It's hard for me to imagine a municipal budget being more effectively managed.

DECLINING REVENUES REQUIRE ACTION
However, with the decline in sales tax revenue and the uncertainty of the property tax revenue stream because of the current worsening loan crisis, it is clear from all indicators that those two segments of our municipal revenue stream will fall well short of their budgeted levels. The two segments combined make up 70% of our municipal revenue stream.

TOT INCREASE WOULD HAVE EASED THE IMPACT
The proposal by Dixon, which was heartily supported by Roeder and his staff, to place before the voters a modest increase in the TOT in November would have - if approved - dovetailed nicely in the spring with the anticipated decline in revenues. The TOT is a tax felt only by visitors to our city and ours is currently the lowest in the county.

POLITICS FIRST
When it was clear that the Bever-led majority was not about to approve placing a TOT increase on the ballot, nor were they interested in tinkering with the business license fees, Katrina Foley and Dixon voted with the majority to blow off this plan. It is an election year, after all... I find it very curious that the city council had such low regard for the opinions of the voters that they wouldn't trust them to make a wise decision on this tax increase in November, so they just refused to place the question before them.

CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST IN THE SPRING
Next spring, as the city begins preparing it's next budget, the chickens will come home to roost. It will be very interesting to see what kind of a waltz our elected leaders do to shrug off the responsibility for the difficult financial times ahead. I'll remind you of their vote tonight when the time is appropriate. As Allan Roeder reminded the council tonight, when revenues fail to materialize it won't be a matter of simply tightening the municipal belt - that's the way he and the staff run our city in the normal course of doing business. No, it will mean deciding which services and improvements will not get done. When unfilled potholes begin occurring on your street, remember this vote.

Transient Occupancy Tax Increase is Overdue

(chart courtesy of City of Costa Mesa)

COUNCIL TO DEBATE TOT INCREASE

At the very end of their meeting on Tuesday, July 15th, the Costa Mesa City Council will consider the question of whether or not to place two tax measures on the November ballot - an increase in the Business License fee and/or an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), also known as the "bed tax". These issues were discussed extensively at the council study session last Tuesday. While both items certainly need serious consideration, I'm going to focus this entry on the Transient Occupancy Tax.

LOWEST "TOT" IN COUNTY
At 6%, Costa Mesa has the lowest TOT in Orange County. Even if you include the additional 2% earmarked for the Costa Mesa Business Improvement Area (BIA), Costa Mesa's TOT is still well below the county average of 10.5%, and has not been adjusted for almost three decades. At it's present level it generates around $6 million in revenue - 5.34% of the total. (See chart above) As an aside, the current Business License fees generate just under $1 million.

IN ONE HAND, OUT THE OTHER
The 2% BIA assessment is collected by the ten member hotels in the city, who remit it to the city. Then the proceeds are funneled to the Costa Mesa Conference and Business Bureau, which uses the money for business development on behalf of the city. A portion of those funds are directed back to the participating hotels for their business development programs.

2% EQUALS $2 MILLION
A modest 2% increase in the TOT could mean an additional $2 million in revenue to the city, which would still retain it's competitive edge by remaining well below the average of other Orange County cities.

SOLVENCY OR NOT?
If the voters in Costa Mesa are given a chance to consider this issue on the November ballot, their response at the polls could mean the difference between solvency and extreme financial hardship for the city. According to City Manager Allan Roeder, "... from a staff perspective, we believe such an increase will be needed to support existing service levels as opposed to adding more personnel or paving more streets or building more parks. I fully understand that isn't very sexy in terms of voter appeal. But as we have pointed out in recent years, the annual cost of operations for existing services already places us in the situation of having to use Fund Balance (revenues in excess of projections & budget savings) to balance the ensuing year's budget. Short term that isn't of great concern but it is becoming a reoccuring "theme" both in good economic times (as we've had for the past 3 to 4 years) and under present day circumstances."

INCREASE NEEDED TO STAY AFLOAT
What that means, folks, is that Roeder and his excellent staff feel we need an increase in the TOT in order to keep levels of service where they are right now. In light of the obvious current economic downturn, and without a way to augment what will almost certainly be a decline in sales and property tax revenues, the city leadership will face some difficult decisions in the years ahead.

PAINLESS PICKPOCKETING
I strongly support an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax, and have done so for many years. This is a virtually painless tax for Costa Mesa residents. We simply reach a little deeper into the pockets of our visitors and drag out a couple more dollars for each night they spend in one of our many lovely hotel rooms. On a $100 per night room that would be $2.00.

50% + 1 MAJORITY OF VOTES REQUIRED
For an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax to be implemented it must first be placed on the ballot by a majority vote of the City Council. Unless the tax increase is specifically designated for a special purpose - the purchase of parkland, for example - passage requires only a vote of 50% +1. If it is earmarked for a special purpose, a two-thirds approval by the voters is necessary.

ROEDER'S ALMOST OUT OF RABBITS
We have not had an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax in almost three decades. Even though Roeder and his staff have done a masterful job of performing magic to keep the city financially solvent over the past several years, it looks like they are just about out of rabbits to pull from the hat. The current economic climate makes it essential to approve a TOT increase now.

INCREASE WOULD DOVETAIL WITH DECLINES
According to city officials, if the TOT is approved in November, additional revenue would likely begin to flow into the city coffers at approximately the same time the impact of declining sales and property taxes - which represent more than 70% of the city's revenue (see chart above) - is beginning to be felt.

SERVICES TO BE CUT?
Without new sources of revenue the city may be faced with reduction of services - fewer police and firefighters, more potholes left unfilled, fewer programs for our kids.

WHICH CANDIDATES OPPOSE IT, AND WHY?
I'm led to believe that some members of the City Council may oppose an increase in the TOT, which really doesn't make sense to me. If that is the case, and any of those opposing it are running for re-election, this will certainly make for some interesting questions at the candidate forums this summer and fall.

IN SUMMARY
1 - Costa Mesa's Transient Occupancy Tax is the lowest in the county
2 - An increase would be invisible and painless to Costa Mesa residents
3 - The almost-certain decline in both sales and property tax revenue will adversely affect our budget
4 - The city needs the additional income to maintain current service levels

NOW IS THE TIME
Unless you are OK with the probable decline in services provided by the city, now is the time for an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax. Now is the time to contact your council members to let them know how you feel. Here's an email address that will get your views to the council: op2council@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us. Write today...

CASPA BOLTS FOR BOLIVIA

photo courtesy of Daily Pilot

RETURNING HOME
One interesting piece of news to hit my desk recently is the departure this week of Humberto Caspa - college professor, activist, former Daily Pilot columnist and author of the controversial new book, "Terror in the Barrio: The Rise of the New Right in Local Government" - for his home country of Bolivia. According to Caspa, he's returning to his homeland for good, to make a new life for his family.

LEAVES CONTROVERSY IN HIS WAKE
Caspa, who had been the President of the Costa Mesa council of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), leaves in his wake no small amount of controversy. During the past few years he has been a frequent voice for the Latino community in Costa Mesa as he worked hard to chronicle the wrongs he perceived being suffered by that demographic group - a third of the population of Costa Mesa. His commentaries in the Daily Pilot evoked much emotion on both sides of the issues he addressed. His departure from that assignment was also clouded by controversy.

HIS BOOK ASSAILED
His book, which only recently reached wide release, received a very critical review from a source that surprised me - the OC Voice. Mainstays of that publication, John Earl and Scott Sink, took Caspa to task earlier this week for what they felt was a "flawed" job of presenting his views. Paraphrasing them, they felt he didn't support his opinions with enough facts. You can read that review for yourself HERE.

FREQUENT SPEAKER
Caspa was a frequent speaker before the Costa Mesa City Council, particularly following the arrest of Benito Acosta during a City Council meeting more than two years ago. His efforts to address and improve the plight of Latinos in our community were not without their admirers.

GRACIAS, AND ADIOS, HUMBERTO
We thank Humberto Caspa for his efforts and bid him a fond adieu. We hope he finds peace and fulfillment in his home country.

Fireworks Fanatics Among Us

KNUCKLEHEAD CONFESSES
In his column today, "Don't Forget To Douse", Daily Pilot writer and self-professed knucklehead Steve Smith goes right to the heart of the fireworks issue in Costa Mesa.


IT TAKES COJONES
I have to give Smith credit for acknowledging his knuckleheadness, particularly since he has been trying to tell us how to live our lives and raise our children for many years. It took guts to tell the Daily Pilot readers of his boneheaded move that resulted in melting his trash can and threatening his neighborhood. It takes real chutzpah to think that, by admitting his stupidity, he can justify continuing the sales and discharge of fireworks in Costa Mesa.

HOLIER THAN THOU
Early in his column Smith pontificates that, because there were so few calls for service to the Fire Department, it demonstrates that fireworks are safe. He says, "If you have opposed the sale of fireworks in Costa Mesa, you should be big enough today to say, 'I was wrong.'" He tells us that we shouldn't punish the "99.99% of law-abiding citizens" for the transgressions of a few who misuse fireworks, including illegal fireworks.

FIREWORKS SHOULD BE OUTLAWED!
Well, I am one who feels we should stop selling fireworks in Costa Mesa and pass an ordinance that specifically forbids the discharge of ANY fireworks in our city - an ordinance that has teeth in it. Several years ago a garage that abuts our property was burned to the ground over one Independence Day holiday by a thoughtless youth with so-called "safe and sane" fireworks. Only the alert response by another neighbor, who hosed down our garage until the fire department arrived, kept that fire from destroying our home.

SAME OLD STORIES
I know we'll hear from those, including many of my friends and neighbors, who feel that shooting off fireworks is some kind of God-given right. We'll hear from those who think that's it's just plain anti-American to forbid fireworks sale and discharge in our city. We'll hear from the parents who, in four days of fireworks sales, earn more than their entire year's budget for their specific youth sports programs. Others will complain that we don't need a law to forbid fireworks - that we have too many laws abridging our freedoms already. I've heard it all before and really do understand those viewpoints.

THINGS CHANGE
It was not too long ago that sparklers, a staple of Independence Day celebrations in my youth, were removed from the list of "safe and sane" items that could be used in our city. The 2000 degree heat generated by a sparkler, and the spitting of hot metal fragments that form the "sparkle", were deemed to be too dangerous to children, so were banned.

SMALL TOWN SOLUTION
My wife and I spent the holiday in a small town on the Central Coast where fireworks are specifically forbidden because of the extreme danger of forest fires. The smallest spark could destroy the town. In exchange for that prohibition this little burg puts on an all-day party at a local seaside park - with music, dancing, games, food and drink - and which culminates in a wonderful professional fireworks show fired out safely over the ocean. This day-long party, sponsored by the local Lions Club, draws residents and tourists alike by the thousands and raises money for many youth programs - and keeps the community safe. That seems like a solution worth pursuing in Costa Mesa.

OUR OWN KNUCKLEHEAD
Smith doesn't have the Costa Mesa knucklehead market cornered. Upon returning home last weekend we heard that our Costa Mesa neighborhood, which held it's own block party again this year, had a damper put on the otherwise outstanding, fun-filled festivities by the knuckleheaded performance of one member of the neighborhood. Anecdotal reports tell us that this person endangered lives and property by misusing what appeared to be illegal fireworks - so much so that many neighbors retreated to their homes for safety. I'd run, too, if I saw Roman Candles being used like shoulder-fired missles! The police were called, but arrived an hour later - much too late to observe the activities. We're led to believe that our neighborhood was lucky to not have had serious injury to persons or property. No child was burned - no house destroyed.

"WHEN", NOT "IF"
In my view, it's just a matter of time until we in Costa Mesa do have a person injured or killed and/or homes destroyed by the misuse of fireworks. I don't think you can effectively police the enforcement of illegal fireworks while still allowing the sale and use of so-called safe and sane products. It's not a matter of "if", it's "when" such a tragedy will happen. Steve Smith has demonstrated that even safe and sane fireworks can be dangerous in the hands of a knucklehead.

HERE'S A DEAL FOR YOU
But, I'll make you all a deal. I'll stop writing about this right now if ALL OF YOU who support the sale and discharge of fireworks will agree to attend the funeral of the child that is killed by fireworks in our city. I'll get off my bandwagon if you agree to visit the child in the hospital who is severely burned with fireworks. I'll stop if you can tell me that ANY youth sports program is worth the sight of a child's eye or third degree burns over his body. That's when I'll stop writing about this.