Report From The Summit

A REALLY BIG DEAL
"Historic" - "Monumental" - "Template for working together on other issues". These were just a few of the phrases used by members of both the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach city councils as they met for the first time in a generation on this last day of September, 2008 in a "summit" of sorts to discuss two issues dealing with John Wayne Airport. You can read Daily Pilot reporter Alan Blank's report HERE.

JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT ISSUES ADDRESSED
In a meeting at the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club, both councils heard presentations discussing the "Go Local" program and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be signed by both cities outlining their obligations in dealing with airport issues.


"GO LOCAL" RECEIVED AND FILED
The hour-long presentation on the "Go Local" program presented by consultants was both interesting and boring, depending on who was speaking. Some of the minutiae of the statistics almost put Newport Councilman Steve Rosansky to sleep at one point. The upshot of the presentation was that the report will be completed, then submitted to each city council. At this point, both councils voted to receive and file this interim report.

MOU APPROVED
The Memorandum of Understanding was thoroughly discussed and approved by both councils. This is truly terrific news for both cities.

A TEMPLATE FOR HARMONY
I must agree. This was, indeed, an historic meeting with monumental impact on the relationship between our cities. As Newport Beach councilman Mike Henn stated, this certainly can be a template for our two municipalities working together on common issues. Those that immediately jump to mind are Banning Ranch and the resolution of the SR-55 traffic problems. As Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder said, "This is an opportunity for us to be working together prospectively" on issues that affect our cities.

VIEWING SCHEDULE ON CMTV
As is usually the case in these kinds of meetings, officials and staff outnumbered residents about 3 to 1. My informal count showed around 20 residents in attendance. The proceedings will be broadcast on CMTV later this week. According to the schedule available tonight, this program will be shown as follows:

10/3/08 at 3:00 PM
10/4/08 at 9:30 AM
10/6/08 at 6:30 PM
10/14/08 at 6:00 PM
10/20/08 at 6:30 PM
10/28/08 at 6:00 PM

MOST COSTA MESA COUNCIL CANDIDATES IN ATTENDANCESeven of the nine candidates for Costa Mesa city council this year made it to the meeting. In addition to Katrina Foley and Eric Bever, who were on the dais, candidates Bill Sneen, Lisa Reedy, Chris Bunyan, Chris McEvoy and Jim Righeimer made a showing and paid close attention to the proceedings. Only Gary Monahan and Nick Moss were absent. Curiously, lame duck council member Linda Dixon was also a no-show. All the Newport Beach council members were in attendance.

***

PREVARICATION ANNEX
Briefly, on another subject. The new blog in town, CM OPEN, is proving to be exactly what I thought it was - another repository for falsehoods, innuendo, fabrication of "facts" and flat out lies. Although the authors have provided a "comment" capability, they edit out those which provide critical observations - and then lie about it. This is certainly just an annex of hypocrite central - the CM Press blog. Some have speculated that it's, in fact, the work of The Mouth From Mesa North in an attempt to provide the facade of support for his insidious views. We will assume this is the case until it's proven otherwise. This, of course, does not surprise me, since The Mouth has demonstrated many times his tendency for devious misrepresentations.

"THE MOUTH" A NO-SHOW
Interestingly, The Mouth was also a no-show at the meeting tonight. This is quite surprising for a guy who fancies himself an investigative reporter - just because he played one (badly) in a terrible movie four decades ago. I guess he must have been busy listening to his scanner, trying to hear about all those dangerous illegal alien criminals being scooped up by the CMPD.

Joint Council Session on John Wayne Airport

IMPORTANT MEETINGS AHEAD
Over the next couple weeks there will be many important meetings in Costa Mesa, most of them having to do with the upcoming municipal election. Beginning next week there will be several more candidate forums and less formal "meet and greet" opportunities where the nine candidates for three open seats on the city council will present their qualifications to interested voters.

PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IS TOMORROW
However, tomorrow, Tuesday, there will be a meeting of historic significance in our city. Tomorrow, September 30, 2008 at 4:p.m. in the Los Lagos Room of the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club, 1701 Golf Course Drive, there will be a joint meeting of the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach city councils to address John Wayne Airport issues.

"GO LOCAL"
There are two items on the agenda tomorrow. First will be a presentation entitled, "Evaluation of Transit Connection to John Wayne Airport/OCTA "Go Local" Program."

MOU ON JWA BETWEEN CM & NB
Of greatest importance, in my opinion, is the second item on the agenda. That item is entitled, "Memorandum of Understanding on John Wayne Airport between the City of Cost Mesa and the City of Newport Beach, California."


A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR EASTSIDERS
This is a really big deal, especially for those of us who live on the Eastside of Costa Mesa and share with our neighbors in Newport Beach the negative impacts of noise, safety and dirt caused by the increasing traffic out of John Wayne Airport.

COWAN QUASHED LEADERSHIP ON EL TORO
Some will recall that our city, under the leadership of then-mayor Libby Cowan, refused to participate in pushing for a new commercial airport at El Toro Marine Air Station. That's when this kind of formal relationship between Newport Beach and Costa Mesa on airport issues should have taken place. Cowan, however, worked for the City of Irvine and would almost certainly have placed her job in jeopardy had she done the right thing for Costa Mesa residents and moved aggressively in support of the El Toro airport plans. While that is water under the bridge, it does leave a very nasty taste in the mouths of many of us on both sides of the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa border.

MOU MAY IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS
This MOU codifies the roles and responsibilities of our two cities on John Wayne Airport issues and forms the foundation for a new level of cooperation between our cities. This is good news, because the relationship between them has been strained, to put it mildly, in recent years. Issues in which both cities have a very significant vested interest - annexation and the Banning Ranch, for example - have increased tensions by residents and leaders on both sides. The spirit of cooperation in this MOU may help heal those wounds... I hope so.

AGENDA AVAILABLE HERE
The agenda for tomorrow's meeting may be found on the city web site, HERE, and includes the staff report and text of the Memorandum of Understanding. Although the meeting begins quite early, those interested should try to attend. My understanding is that it will be taped for replay at a later time on CMTV.

Another New Player In Town

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!
While culling through my Google alert referrals this evening I stumbled upon an entry of yet another brand new blog here in Costa Mesa. This thing is entitled "CM OPEN" - you know, like a golf tournament.

DEFENDING MR. U. KNOW-WHO
I clicked on the link, HERE, and found myself staring at two entries - one published September 5th, whining about an old entry on the CM Truth blog. The second, published a couple days ago, was addressed to me, specifically.

WRITING TO FEEL IMPORTANT
Now, I like to get letters, but would never have discovered this one because I didn't know this blog existed. I guess the author(s) of this new one didn't really want me to read it - they just wanted to write it to make themselves feel important. If they wanted me to read it they could have sent me an email or posted it as a comment right here - or simply let me know that they had a message for me on this new blog. But, nope - they just prattled on and on with absolutely no expectation that I would ever read it.

WILL THEY POST MY COMMENT?
I posted a comment on this new blog, not really expecting that it will be published. At least the author(s) provided the ability to comment, unlike the guy they are trying to defend. He doesn't care what others think about what he writes - there's no debate. Here's what I posted on it this evening:

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise! Yet another defender of the author of the CM Press. Or, since there is no identification of the author, perhaps it IS the author of the CM Press! Is that you, Marty? Or maybe a member of your family?

I'll submit this comment, but don't really expect it to be published. Even though you provide a way to do it, I suspect you'll "moderate" it and it won't appear. I've never called his entire family a "den of snakes" - I've never met any of them. Your attempt to paint me as a bully is more than amusing, particularly in light of the fact that your idol, the author of the CM Press, is precisely that. I don't have a gang of any kind, oh anonymous one, much less "name calling bigots". I don't tell anyone else what to write or say. If you're referring to a couple other local blogs which are rightfully critical of the CM Press you're on the wrong track... I don't know those people... yet. I do, in fact, speak my mind when I oppose his position on issues.

You'll have to speak to him about taking things to a personal level, with Katrina Foley, for example. Or any other person who has spoken out in opposition to his warped views. My advice to others who might be critical of him to do so anonymously is sound advice, particularly since he seems determined to stalk and intimidate those who disagree with him.

Incidentally, I just stumbled across this feeble attempt at blogging this evening. I'd never have know you exist except for some unfortunate luck. I find the title of your blog curious.... CM OPEN... open to what? Open mind? I don't think so. Open mouth? Maybe. You imply that more than one of you are authoring this thing... how many does it take?

By the way, folks (assuming there are more than one of you) you're falling behind in your viewing of the CM Truth blog... there's a new "Mike Diamond" video clip that I know you'll love just waiting for you to view. And, I hope you're following the exploits of the newest blogger, CMunimPRESSed. The author of that one should really make you happy. I know I get a smile on my face whenever I read a new entry over there. If you don't have the link, just visit my blog. Welcome to the blogosphere. I hope your juvenile, pathetic posts improve... perhaps your idol can offer some hints..."

DON'T KNOW AND DON'T CARE
I have no clue about the identity(s) of the author(s) of this new blog. And, unlike the guy at the CM Press, I'm not going to attempt to find out who they are, where they live or where they work so I can attempt to intimidate them. They are entitled to their own little bit of the blogosphere. I do find it amusing that someone finds it necessary to leap to the defense of the guy at the CM Press. I can only assume that, whomever they are, they share the same views and values as their idol. That's a very sad commentary, in my view.

NO LINK HERE
No, I'm not going to post a link to it, as I do not link to the CM Press, either. If you want to read it in the future you're just going to have to bookmark it yourself.

CM PRESS ATTACKS WILL CONTINUE
So, in the heat of our local political campaign, the beat goes on. Certainly, we can expect the author of the CM Press to continue his attacks on any candidate he thinks poses a threat to his chosen troika. He will undoubtedly make the denigration of Katrina Foley a constant drum beat for the next 5 weeks, and also snipe at other candidates he thinks might be able to siphon off enough votes to spoil his plan for complete domination of the Costa Mesa City Council.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO WRITE
So, we will continue to read his rants and comment when we feel it is appropriate. If this new group doesn't like it - too bad. I expect they, too, will continue to write to defend him... Bring it on!

A LESSON LEARNED

TROJANS SLAPPED AROUND BY BEAVERS!
Bummer! I just finished watching USC get it's butt whipped by the Oregon State Beavers in a 27-21 game that wasn't really that close. The Beavers dominated the #1 ranked Trojans most of the night. They dammed up USC's offense and their running game chewed away at the vaunted Trojan defense like an aspen forest.

THE TROIKA
However, that game got me thinking about the Costa Mesa City Council race, in which three heavily-favored characters seem to have no way in which they can lose. After all, you've got an incumbent mayor, Eric Bever; a former 12 year councilman and multi-term mayor, Gary Monahan; and uber-politically well-connected carpetbagger, Jim Righeimer competing for a seat on the dais. All of these men expect to receive major backing by the Orange County Republican Party, which has inserted itself in Costa Mesa politics for the past two elections and seems determined to use our city as a bullpen, where wannabes for higher office are plunked down and told to keep their arms warm while waiting for a "real" opportunity to open up. I don't like that very much...

FOLEY...
With the exception of incumbent Katrina Foley, all the other candidates are either complete newbies or also-rans in an earlier election... seems like no contest, doesn't it?

...SHE'S THE BEST
I wouldn't be so sure, though. Foley has been, and continues to be, the brightest of our current council mob and knows how to run a campaign. She has clearly demonstrated over her term on the council and on the Planning Commission that she cares about the city first. She's smart and tireless - managing to effectively juggle her council responsibilities with those of a parent and business owner. She's got a good chance of maintaining her seat.

That leaves two seats for the other three "biggies" to fight over.... maybe.

SNEEN
Of the remaining candidates, Bill Sneen brings lots of energy and leadership experience to the race. He's probably done more since filing his papers to get up to speed on important city issues than any other candidate. He's been a quick study and brings a maturity and business leadership that will be welcome on the dais. He's not a new guy when it comes to public service, having been very actively involved in school issues while his boys were growing up here in town.

REEDY
Lisa Reedy, a long-time community activist and President of the Mesa del Mar Homeowners Association, also brings maturity and business savvy to the race. However, her campaign seems to have gotten off the ground slowly and has a lot of ground to make up in the next 5 weeks.

BUNYAN
Businessman, author, activist and hair stylist Chris Bunyan, who finished last in the last election, has worked hard in the past two years and immersed himself in city committees and environmental issues. He's at the forefront of the move to preserve Banning Ranch from development, plus purports to have creative solutions to a couple other major problems in our city.

MC EVOY
Chris McEvoy, an educator and a true neophyte in local politics, is using a lot of energy to run a low budget campaign and enhance the debate of important issues. His enthusiasm and candor are quite refreshing, but I'm not sure he really thinks he has a chance in this race. Still, he will provoke debate on issues that might otherwise slide by - that's a good thing.

MOSS
Nick Moss, another young fella operating a bare-bones campaign, seems to be keeping a low profile. It's not clear whether he's been studying up on issues or not. I guess we'll find out soon enough when future candidate forums take place.

TRIO SHARES CLOUT AND BUCKS
The three "biggies" are running as a virtual slate - they share many of the same endorsements and will likely raise money from the same sources. Should even two of the three be successful in November that will result in an "improver" Super majority - an unbreakable majority which will allow it to govern without any kind of effective check and balance system in place. It will be a virtual junta.

UNDER-RATED COME OUT VICTORIOUS
Which brings me back to the mauling USC got tonight at the hands of the Beavers - who slapped them around (pun intended) mercilessly all night. The Trojans were overwhelming favorites over the unranked and generally disregarded Beavers. Still, that young team managed to pull off the biggest upset of the college football season.

LEARN FROM THE GAME
I think our newbies should take this event to heart and work harder than they had planned if they actually think they have a chance to win a seat on the dais. It's not impossible. All they have to do is make the voters understand why they are better candidates than the "biggies", and keep pounding away at it.

CONSIDER WHO SUPPORTS THE TROIKA
There are a few people in this town who view the "biggies" as a slam dunk, and crow about it practically every day. One of these people is infamous in these parts for his racist writings and his attempts to intimidate and control previous members of the city council. He recently portrayed the troika as patriots and the others as zombies on his blog and has denigrated them practically every day since the filing deadline. His support for the troika above should be reason enough for voters to pause and contemplate their choices before marking their ballots.

MORE TO COME
We'll talk more about this as the election nears. There are at least three more candidate forums scheduled between now and the election on November 4th - plenty of opportunities for the voters to meet and greet all the candidates and make up their minds.

READ "CM TRUTH" AND "CM UNIM PRESS ED"
In the meantime, I suggest you make it a practice to read two other blogs here in town. CM Truth and CMunimPRESSed both offer insights into local issues and players that will help readers gain some perspective not otherwise available. Links to each are on the right sided of this page.

Fighting Racism In Costa Mesa

SPARING WITH MR. U. KNOW-WHO
Those who have been paying attention for the past few years know that the author of the CM Press and I have gone round and round - even before I started my blog and before he converted his "little newsletter" into one.

THE ODD COUPLE
Our views differ on most issues - so much so that the editors of the Daily Pilot used to get their jollies by publishing our contributions on the same page. It was great fun, particularly since I knew he - a self-proclaimed member of Mensa - considered me far from his equal as a writer and way below his level intellectually. How do I know this? Well, he's said it many times over the years.

JOUSTING WITH THE JERK
For a long time I considered our little jousts kind of playful jabs in the arm - kind of like junior high school. I'm quite sure he never considered our interactions "playful". In fact, I'm not sure that word is in his lexicon.



THE TONE HAS CHANGED
In recent years, particularly since the evolution of our respective blogs and that of the Daily Pilot, where comments may be posted by interested readers, our interaction has gone from playful to serious to down-right scary. The guy at the CM Press, has named himself Mr. U. Know-Who. I've used several names for him - Your Neighbor and The Mouth From Mesa North, for example. He, in turn, has named me Lonely Old Man and, most recently, two-legged maggot. Lately he seems to have gotten frustrated and a whole lot angrier and vicious. Perhaps it's because he can no longer unleash his tirades, fabrications and out-right lies with impunity. We here at the old cauldron watch and speak out when we see him attempt to obfuscate and manipulate.

PETULANT POUTING PREVAILS
Since the Daily Pilot editors decided to require registration for those of us who post comments Mr. U. Know-Who has gone into a sulk. He used to use several fictitious anonymous names to post comments on the same thread, making it look as though his ideas had wide acceptance. Once registration was required he just slithered back into his hole in Mesa North and pouted - poor baby.

"TRUTH" SHALL BE HEARD
Then, of course, there is the arrival of blogger CM Truth, a link to which can be found on this page. This person, who chooses to remain anonymous, has also taken on the CM Press and publishes real facts on the subjects of gangs and graffiti to refute the fabrications published with such gusto on the CM Press. This only adds to his frustration, which is evident in the things he writes. He's REALLY going to love the fact that CM Truth will soon also be published in Spanish!

NEW BLOG - MORE FUN
Now, most recently, there is another new blog in our area which is aimed directly at the blow hard at the CM Press. This new blog, CMunimPRESSed (love the play on the name) seems determined to poke the CM Press in the eye with a stick. And, of course, the Mr. U. Know-Who is livid. There's a link to CMunimPRESSed over on the right.

RETALIATION?
If recent events are any indication, I guess it might not be a good idea to provoke this guy. There is a person who signs his Daily Pilot blog comments as "BKrochman" and recently has aimed some of his comments directly at the author of the CM Press by name. That REALLY ticked him off - so much so that he's begun stalking BKrochman, trying to find out where he works, which organizations he's affiliated with and, apparently, where he lives.

FAMILIAR HARASSMENT
If this kind of intimidation sounds a little familiar to you, it should. Some will recall that almost a year ago I announced that I was backing off any interaction with or about Mr. U. Know-Who because of not very veiled threats he made against me and my family. Calls to the police department were made to document that situation.

A CHANGE OF HEART
Later, I reneged on my plan and began commenting on him again. That lasted a few months before, once again, there was a good reason to withdraw. It was my intention to never comment about him again. Things change...

ATTACKING NEW CANDIDATES
The current City Council campaign has provided him with a new "playground" in which he mercilessly attacks and belittles candidates that do not fit his idea of the perfect person to hold a seat on the dais. He supports three candidates who, I guess, he feels he can exercise influence over as he's done in the past beginning with the chronically inept Chris Steel and proceeding on to Allan Mansoor, Eric Bever and Wendy Leece.

INTIMIDATION CONTINUES
Too much is at stake to let recent late night telephone calls intimidate me into ignoring his malicious lies and half-truths. I cannot simply stand by without commenting while he maligns the Costa Mesa Police Department for what he apparently perceives their half-hearted efforts regarding illegal aliens.

EXPUNGING BROWN SKINS
Over the years I've chronicled what I believed was a systematic campaign to expunge Costa Mesa of every person of brown skin. I've mentioned many times the many events perpetrated by Mr. U. Know-Who toward that end. Almost everything he proposes has an element included to make the Latinos among us uneasy or flat-out frightened. About the only thing he has not yet successfully pulled off is the closure of the Orange Coast College Swap Meet - a venue for low-end commerce and social interaction by many of our Latino neighbors - but he came close. He and Mansoor tried to use the specter of the invading masses from Santa Ana and the impact on our streets to have it shuttered. What a crock! Fortunately, much wiser heads prevailed - for the time being.

FANNING THE FLAMES OF INTOLERANCE
Mr. U. Know-Who has managed to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment to a fever pitch in this town. The foundation of his hatred for anyone not white is obvious is your read his essays published widely on radical right-wing web sites such as the New Nation and others.


A MESSAGE FOR "THE MOUTH"
So, I guess the message this evening is directed squarely at that racist at the CM Press. Mr. U. Know-Who, if you don't like the notoriety you're getting, that's just too bad. You can't have it both ways. Even though you don't permit comments on your blog, you can't expect to stand before the council and pontificate and wave your three pathetic books around without receiving criticism.

BLOGGERS SHOULD PROTECT THEIR IDENTITIES
Mr. U. Know-Who, I suggest to my fellow bloggers mentioned above that they retain their anonymity, because it's clear that once you know the identity of your critics you go after them with a vengeance. I'm not necessarily suggesting that you would attempt to physically harm them or their families, but threats come in many forms. Why else would you be tracking down a resident like some hungry predator? I also suggest that they continue to point out your many faults and the falsehoods you attempt to foist off on the populace to give interested readers the truth - an alternative to your bigoted spin. As they say in junior high school, "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!"

The Blathering Continues Plus A New Voice

"THE MOUTH" CONTINUES HIS ATTACKS
Well, the blathering continues over at the CM Press, in which the author takes exception with the views of the editors of the Daily Pilot and continues his disparaging tirade against any City Council candidates who are not among his chosen three.

THE PILOT GETS IT RIGHT
The Pilot got it right in their editorials today in which they support the recent council motion - led by Katrina Foley and Linda Dixon - to reject the bogus plan to designate 28 of our 30 parks as "passive" and thus effectively forbid most active recreation our families might choose to participate in at those locations.

TWICE...
They also concur with my view that former Chief John Hensley had it right when he told then-mayor Allan Mansoor and Eric Bever that he disagreed with Mansoor's plan to cross-designate every Costa Mesa cop as an immigration screener. We've discussed this at length before.

FROTHING IN MESA NORTH
So, The Mouth From Mesa North will continue business as usual - openly attacking everyone and everything that disagrees with him.

WELCOME, CMunimPRESSed!
On a much happier note, I'm pleased to welcome a new blogger to the blogosphere. Yesterday a new blog was launched that appears to be a another venue for actual discussion of issues - one that seems willing to accept comments. I've included a link to this new blog - CMunimPRESSed - the thrust of which seems obvious by the clever choice of a name. You will find the link over on the right side of the page.

YET ANOTHER VENUE FOR DEBATE
CMunimPRESSed joins CM TRUTH and this site as a place where discussion can be held on important issues affecting our city. CM TRUTH has had several recent posts that effectively rebut some of the misinformation being foisted off on the populace by The Mouth. The author of that site has indepth, up-close-and-personal knowledge of local gangs and graffiti and has made it a point to counter lies and distortions made on the CM Press in recent months.

THE MORE, THE MERRIER
So, welcome to the new kid on the block. We look forward to yet another voice of reason in the local blogosphere.

THE MOUTH IS ON THE HUNT!

SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE SAID
As reluctant as I am to leave you with something negative as we launch off into another wonderful weekend where eager candidates will come knocking on your door, cajoling and informing you in an attempt to win your votes, there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

POOR BABY!
The Mouth From Mesa North is on a whiny tirade again, this time taking umbrage with comments posted on the Daily Pilot blog that mentions him by name. He utilized his CM Press #490 today to chide and intimidate writer BKrochman, who used the Daily Pilot blog this week to address the issue of passive parks.

HE DOESN'T WANT CONVERSATION
Apparently The Mouth is eager to engage BKrochman in a discussion of his views, which should come as a real shock to anyone who has watched him over the years. His performance in the past indicates that he has no interest in the views of others. If he cared about a real discussion he'd permit comments to be posted on his blog. But, no, he can't be bothered with the opinions of the lowly miscreants who disagree with him. He's like a a two-way radio that's stuck on "Send"! What I suspect he really wants is to berate BKrochman, not debate with him.

THE BULLY
Of greater concern is the apparent lengths to which he seems to be going to hunt down BKrochman, as though he's stalking a wild animal. This should make BKrochman more than a little uneasy. In the past The Mouth has demonstrated a tendency to threaten and attempt to intimidate opponents, and even those he supported, to either knock them back into line or to shut down the voice of opposition. This is typical behavior by any bully, which this character certainly is.

CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS
It's actually amusing when you think about it. Here's a guy who loves the spotlight! He frequently spouts off that he writes to be read and waves his three pathetic books around on the speaker's podium. He boasts of having been an actor - trust me, if you saw his movie you would realize this is wishful thinking, at best - and yet, when he is mentioned by name and given a spotlight he comes even more unglued than normal.

BLACK-SHIRTED PIT BULL
The Mouth has become the attack dog for the current majority on the council and hit man for troika of men he supports in the upcoming election. He gleefully taunts and chides the newcomers in the campaign, especially those who pose a threat to his chosen three. He, of course, is relentless in his taunting and denigrating of Katrina Foley because she takes none of the guff he spews from the speaker's podium and makes the most sense of any of the current council members.

FAMILY VALUES?
In the case of Foley, he takes great joy in chiding her for being a good parent, in addition to being an excellent council member and darn good lawyer, which makes one wonder what kind of a family life he's involved in. Somehow, when I see him scowling and smirking at the podium, and read his many venom-laced essays, the image of him happily playing with small children just never pops into my mind. If I were to bet, I'd bet that life in his home is more like a boot camp than a place of nurturing, instruction and love - but, that's just my guess - I might be wrong.

PERNICIOUS PERFORMANCES
So, dear neighbors, for the next month and a half we can look forward to The Mouth doing his best to discourage and discredit council candidates who are challenging the stranglehold of the current majority so he can have seated more members that are sympathetic to his warped view of the world. I actually hope he continues to puff and rant and attempt to intimidate candidates and other writers. There are those of us out here writing our opinions that will point out his performances as they occur and, perhaps, a few voters will understand just what a pernicious influence he is in this city and reject those candidates he supports.

HAVE FUN IN A PARK WHILE YOU CAN
On that happy note, have a great weekend - it looks like it will a perfect time to take the family out to one of the many wonderful parks in our fair city and just play to your heart's content... while you still can. Take a Frisbee, a football, soccer ball or baseball and bat, grab a few friends and have a friendly pick-up game of the sport of your choice. Thanks to the actions of a few of your neighbors last Tuesday evening, you can still do that in our parks until the grinches of the council majority find a new way to suppress fun in our city.

Hensley's Comments Highlight Mansoor's Faults

SERNA'S REPORT WORTH READING
Daily Pilot crime reporter Joseph Serna has a very informative article in that newspaper Thursday entitled, "Report: Chief against ICE". You can read it HERE and I encourage you to do so.

HENSLEY IGNORED BY MANSOOR AND BEVER
In it Serna quotes former Costa Mesa Police Chief John Hensley, testifying under oath, admit that not only did he not support then-Mayor Allan Mansoor's plan to cross-designate every Costa Mesa police officer as immigration screeners, but that he told Mansoor and Eric Bever as much at the time. According to Serna's report, "most if not everyone in the department opposed the idea with Hensley taking the argument to Mansoor and Bever." According to Serna's quote of Hensley, Mansoor and Bever "respectfully disagreed".

NOT THE ONLY TIME
This admission comes as no surprise to those of us who were paying attention to those events at the time. This was not the only time the Mansoor-led majority ignored the wise counsel of their top law enforcement officers on important issues in this city. This disregard for the best professional advice available to them demonstrates an arrogance that certainly does not serve this city well.

MANSOOR'S POOR JUDGMENT
Mansoor, a sworn law enforcement officer with now some 15 years as a Deputy Sheriff, not only ignores the guidance we pay for in our chiefs of police, but he also exercises exceptionally poor judgment as he carries out his duties for our city - as witnessed by his biased application of the rules in the Benito Acosta case - which may end up costing the city a pile of money once the civil trial is resolved.

"RRIP"PING OFF THE TAX PAYERS
Another perfect example of this arrogance is the current plan to implement the fee waiver plan for the Residential Remodeling Incentive Program (RRIP) and the Build Green Incentive Program (BGIP). As anyone able to suck in a breath in this city knows, the State of California is still juggling it's budget woes - nearly 80 days since it was due. As part of this juggling, the current proposal will require our city, through it's Redevelopment Agency, to fork over some major cash. Additionally, it was reported recently that Costa Mesa will also have to do without more than $300,000 in state funds earmarked for street improvements already planned.

POOR FISCAL MANAGEMENT DEMONSTRATED
At this time of extreme municipal fiscal distress, it shows terribly bad judgment to waive fees for these two programs now. Yes, three previous years RRIP programs have been successful - if you measure success by the amount of residential improvements accomplished - some $36 million. However, during that same time the city coffers were deprived of well over $1 million in fee revenue. It is not unlikely that implementation of the RRIP and BGIP this fall will cost the city something in the area of $500,000 in revenue - at a time when every single penny counts.

CONSIDER JUDGMENT WHEN VOTING
When voters begin to seriously consider how they will mark their ballots on November 4th, among the things to consider is the judgment demonstrated by incumbents. Fortunately, we do have a record of their performance to go by when we make these very important choices.

SANITY PREVAILS

Tuesday night we saw an example of how public participation in the governance of our city can return a small semblance of sanity to the process.

MANSOOR'S ATTEMPT TO SABOTAGE DERAILED
The discussion was almost derailed, though, when Mayor Pro Tem Allan Mansoor tried to get the whole issue continued and deny the several dozen concerned residents the opportunity to be heard on this subject. He did this during the "Council Member Comments" segment at the beginning of the meeting instead of waiting for the appropriate time in the agenda. Fortunately, Katrina Foley headed off this sleazy attempt to prohibit the public from speaking. It did demonstrate, once again, just how little regard he has for opinions of the residents of this city.

CREATING CRIMINALS
The issue at hand was the ill-advised attempt to impose draconian restrictions on the use of 28 of the 30 public parks in Costa Mesa. The City Council was to consider the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Commission to impose the designation of "Passive Park" on those 28, thereby effectively making law-breakers of groups who routinely use a few of the parks for recreation - like families on birthday outings, Boy Scouts on group activities, Home Schooled play groups, etc.

"THE PEOPLE" SPEAK OUT
Fortunately, concerned and articulate residents chose to stand up and speak to this issue - including a couple of City Council candidates who have entered the race specifically because of this kind of overbearing action by the current council majority.

MISGUIDED AND EXPENSIVE
This issue, which has dragged on for years, has caused the expenditure of more than 400 hours of city staff time according to Peter Naghavi, Director of Public Services.




RIGHT PREVAILS
At the end, the council - following a motion by Katrina Foley and seconded by lame duck Linda Dixon - voted to simply receive and file this report. This does not, however, prohibit the Parks and Recreation Commission from considering use restrictions on individual parks on a case-by-case basis.

DUELING ANTAGONISTS
Of course, this issue provided an opportunity for Foley and Mayor Bever - opponents in the current council race - to trade barbs. At one point I thought Bever might reach over and slap Foley - he was really steaming. It made for great theater.

"YOUR NEIGHBOR" STARTED IT ALL
Do you remember how this all started? It was one man, determined to keep Latino men from enjoying kicking a soccer ball around Paularino Park after work, who fabricated a "safety" issue that forced the city to respond. After a couple years of debate and community outreach, the city finally designated Paularino Park as a Passive Park and installed boulders and trees to eliminate any possibility of anyone wishing to kick, throw or bat a ball around anywhere in that park doing so legally.

A CANCER ON OUR MUNICIPAL SOUL
This, sadly, is just the most recent - and most visible - example of this man's influence on the current majority on our city council. He's a clever, manipulative guy who will cajole and harangue the council and make veiled threats of "non-support" for re-election campaigns in order to keep them in line. His cancerous, pervasive, bigoted philosophy has infected the very fiber of this city.

THE PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER
Only a dramatic change in the November elections will keep this from perpetuating. Tuesday's council meeting demonstrated that it is possible to re-capture our city from the extremists who currently have it in a stranglehold.