New Fees On Council Agenda

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON THIS WEEKEND
The agenda for Tuesday's Costa Mesa City Council meeting is now available for viewing, HERE. It's full of stuff that could generate some significant resident interest - if they're paying attention.


THREE NEW FIRE DEPARTMENT "REVENUE SOURCES"
For example, there are three items submitted by the Fire Department that are revenue-generators at a time when we certainly do need new sources of income. However, each of these items reach directly into the pockets of Costa Mesa residents for "fees" at a time when most can probably not afford them.

Emergency Medical Services - This fee, which will now charge residents and non-residents alike, is supposed to generate $543,900 in additional revenue to the city by charging fees for services provided when a person receives medical attention and is transported by an ambulance. Currently, residents don't pay these fees. This fee is kind of like picking your pocket as you lay bloodied and battered on the gurney.

Fire Department Fire Prevention Fees - These fees, to be assessed against businesses who receive fire prevention visits by members of the Fire Department, are supposed to generate an additional $500,000 in revenue to the city. Theoretically, these fees will represent 100% cost recovery for providing these services - which businesses don't have an option to accept or decline. The firefighters just wander in, check out your business, then send you a bill.

Fire Department Costs Recovery Program - These nifty new fees will supposedly generate more than $180,000 in new revenues for the city. They cover the costs of responding to an automobile accident within our city and could really mount up if, for example, the scene of the accident isn't promptly cleared by the police in attendance. They are based in great part by the kind of vehicle that responds, and are charged for increments of an hour, with 15 minutes being the shortest time. The proposal says we will contract with an outfit called EF Recovery, who has apparently convinced our staff that, for 14% of the fees collected, can recover 98.5% of such insured fees. I went to the web site for this company and there is absolutely nothing there that indicates they are even in this business. On their site they appear to be marketers of consumables used at accident sites and otherwise by public safety organizations. It makes me curious about their claim of 98.5% success rate when they don't even mention being in this business on their site.

NEW "FEES" TOTAL $1.2 MILLION
So, these new ordinances - with which the Fire Department will stick their hands directly into the pockets of residents - are projected to generate around $1.2 million in additional revenues for the city beginning July 1, 2009.

REMEMBER LAST YEAR?...
Last July 15th, during their deliberations of the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) and Business License Fees, the city council decided to "receive and file" the proposal to put those two items on the ballot for the residents to consider. As a result, we missed the boat for another two years before either item can be considered again. The short-sighted council missed the chance to increase the TOT by a couple points - which would still have left Costa Mesa among the lowest in the state - and thereby probably cost us an estimated $2 million in increased revenue. Had the voters approved that modest change we would not be looking at having our pockets picked with these new fees. The TOT affects only visitors to our city, not the residents. And, there was no one from the hospitality community that spoke against a possible increase in the TOT last year.

BUSINESS LICENSE FEES
Our Business License Fees are laughably low. As councilwoman Katrina Foley mentioned during a recent meeting, her small law firm in Newport Beach pays more for it's business license than Nordstrom does at South Coast Plaza! Even a modest adjustment to those fees would have generated significant increases in revenue for our city. Again, no one from the business community spoke on this subject last year.

LAME (BRAIN) LEADERS TO BLAME
So, once again the narrow-minded, lame-brained knee-jerk majority on the city council has demonstrated clearly why it's important to elect people to the council that have more than half a brain between them. By digging in their heels in their anti-tax posture they have caused great harm to the residents of our city.

MORE FUN ON THE AGENDA
Also coming before the council Tuesday are some items that generated a lot of interest within the community. It will be interesting to see who shows up Tuesday to speak on them this time around. Those items are:

Off-street Parking Standards
Residential Driveway Widths
Modifications to our Fireworks Ordinance making offenses administrative citations
The bogus and inconsequential 5% pay reduction for the city council members - which cannot take effect until after the 2010 elections.

I wonder how many passionate residents will show up Tuesday night to discuss these issues.

2009 OC Marathon This Weekend!

Well, folks, the 2009 Avia Orange County Marathon is upon us! You can read all about it HERE.

THREE DAYS OF FUN AND EXCITEMENT
This fun-packed three-day event occurs this weekend, beginning Friday, May 1, with a Health, Fitness & Nutrition Expo, Event Registration and merchandise sales.

Saturday there will be more of the same but will also include the Kids Run the OC event at the Orange County Fair and Event Center.

Sunday is the big day, with races scheduled to begin in the early hours - around 6:30 a.m.. You can read the complete Schedule of Events HERE.

Parking and Directions information can be found HERE.

Maps and descriptions of the courses can be seen HERE.

Frequently Asked Questions will be found HERE.

MAKE A DAY OF IT!
This promises to be an outstanding, world-class event and I encourage residents to find a special viewing place along the course, bring some sun screen and make a day of it.

PLAN YOUR TRIPS AND BE PATIENT
Take some time to review the course layout because this event promises to make a snarl of traffic in our cities for a big part of Sunday. Plan your trips ahead of time and be patient.

A BIG THANKS TO RIGHEIMER
I would be very remiss if I didn't thank my favorite carpetbagger, Jim Righeimer, for playing a huge role in getting the OC Marathon to Costa Mesa. Even though the big races begin at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and wind their way through Newport, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, the races end at the Orange County Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa. This is quite an accomplishment and we owe much of this to the efforts expended by Riggy. Thanks, Jim.

Riggy And Power

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission meeting Tuesday night was an interesting event.

"THE MOUTH" SPEAKS - WHAT'S NEW?
First, The Mouth From Mesa North stood at the speaker's podium and gave the commissioners a pep talk - God save us all! Among other things, he encouraged them to "call in some chits" with their development buddies and encourage them to come to Costa Mesa to do projects. I have to agree with one thing he said, though, when he told the Planning Commissioners that they were not getting good communication from the City Council. That fact was painfully obvious during the city council meeting last week.

PATTING HIMSELF ON THE BACK
In the "commissioner comments" section, Chairman Jim Righeimer spent a long time addressing what happened at that meeting, when the council rejected the commission's proposals on neighborhood parking and related ordinances.

"WE WORK HARD FOR OUR MONEY"
During his long speech he mentioned that someone had asked him why none of the commissioners were at the council meeting to address the issues in question. He told the audience that "these people work very hard up here", meaning his fellow commissioners, and that they all have full time jobs and have to work their schedules around to make the commission meetings. Yeah, OK, Riggy, but that's what you all signed on for.

THEY HAD THEIR SHOT
Personally, I don't think it's appropriate for a sitting commissioner to come before the council and plead his case on an issue that has been appealed to it. The commission had it's chance to make it's views known during their deliberations. They've had the opportunity to compose their "findings" on the issues. Those deliberations are clearly recorded and the staff presents to the council their summary of the circumstances.

RIGGY LIKES THE POWER
I think what's happening is that Righeimer likes the taste of power he has as Chairman of the Planning Commission. I think he's trying to show us that he's a "mayor-in-training". Now that he's in control of his little domain he's showing even less patience than in those days when former Chair Donn Hall would take him to the woodshed for his antics. Now there is no one to rein him in, so he just continues to go off on whatever tangent he feels is appropriate.

MC EVOY MAY BE RIGHT
Young Chris McEvoy, who ran for city council last fall, recently wrote in the Daily Pilot that he thought Riggy is bad for Costa Mesa. Even though I voted for Righeimer in the last election, I must agree with McEvoy. Riggy demonstrates a tendency to just charge ahead like a bull in a china shop. As each meeting passes it becomes much more clear that his vision for Costa Mesa is not shared by a large portion of the population, including many of the council members.

MIXED MESSAGES
I think it's time for the council and the Righeimer-led planning commission to hold a joint study session to be sure they all are on the same page. If they don't, Riggy is going to continue to try to form city policy and direction on his own.

THE ALTERNATIVE - RIGGY OUT!
Of course, there is always the alternative - alluded to by Righeimer during his speech - for a majority on the council to ask him to step aside and appoint someone else to the commission. That's not going to happen, though. Riggy is too tight with the Orange County Republican Party hierarchy and members of our council majority are beholden to the OC GOP for their political fortunes.

Sign Spinning, Skosh Singing & Wendy Self-Serving

Tonight the Costa Mesa Planning Commission will address a couple interesting issues.

SIGN SPINNING DISTRACTIONS
First, they will consider a complete ban of "commercial mascots", including those obnoxious "sign spinners" who annoy and distract drivers as they try to attract buyers to their locations. This might make for an interesting discussion. Previously, such bans had been viewed as perhaps infringing on first amendment rights, but several other Orange County cities have recently passed ordinances either completely banning such signs or significantly limiting their use.

BAD SINGING AT SKOSH'S
Then former mayor, current Daily Pilot columnist and current Orange County Transportation Board President, Peter Buffa, will shill for the property owners at the location of councilman Gary Monahan's restaurant (Skosh Monahan's) for permission to allow live entertainment consisting of singers with acoustic guitars and a karaoke machine. What's next - Michael Flatley and his Irish dancers?

Buffa is no stranger to Skosh Monahan's. He narrated at least one of Gary's cable television commercials in recent years.

DAILY PILOT COMMENTS
Speaking of the Planning Commission, Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece wrote a long, self-serving commentary in the Daily Pilot Sunday, HERE, and former council candidate Chris McEvoy wrote a piece condemning Planning Commission Chairman Jim Righeimer, HERE. I find myself wondering if Riggy and his band of merry compatriots will mention the summary rejection they received by the City Council at last week's meeting.

The Mayor, The Newcomers and The Senior Center

TOO HARSH WITH THE MAYOR?
It has been brought to my attention by someone whose opinion I value very much that I may have been too harsh in my judgment of our young jailer/mayor's decision to ask for an immediate pay cut at the council meeting Tuesday night. I criticized him for proposing a pay cut that wouldn't affect him because he will be termed-out before it can be implemented following the next municipal election. I then chided him for springing forward like a jack-in-the-box to ask the City Manager to immediately begin docking his pay 5%.

LEADERSHIP (AND GRANDSTANDING)
Well, I think asking for an immediate pay cut was showing leadership - I give him that. If the other council members follow his lead they will be able to say to the bargaining unit leaders that they, in effect, feel their pain. I still feel that it was a grandstanding move, but that's just my position - one apparently shared by Councilwoman Katrina Foley and others, too.

KEEPING A STRAIGHT FACE
However, each of the council members, including the mayor and Foley, are employed elsewhere - their council stipend is not their only source of income. I'm not sure how they will keep a straight face as they sit across the table from the negotiators who will be asking their rank and file to take a big hit to their ONLY source of income. Since each of them have "day jobs", a stronger statement would have been to reduce their pay by 90% or more for the duration of the crisis, beginning immediately. I noticed that they didn't change their benefits allocation or timing of increases.

***
IS THE MAYOR STILL WORKING?
By the way, there is a rumor churning around below the surface that our young jailer/mayor may not, in fact, be working as an Orange County Deputy Sheriff in one of the county jails these days. This rumor, which I've heard from a couple unrelated sources, indicates he may be on some kind of leave of absence. Since I know he and his posse read this blog from time-to-time, let's ask him...


QUESTIONS FOR ALLAN MANSOOR...
Mr. Mayor, are you currently going to work these days, or are you staying at home plotting your political career? Are you on a leave of absence? Is it a PAID leave? Is the leave due to personal reasons or for performance issues? Do you plan to return to work, and if so, when? Inquiring minds want to know.

OPPORTUNITY TO REPLY - UNEDITED
To avoid further speculation, perhaps the mayor could let us know. I'd be happy to provide him the forum here to explain. And, I guarantee him that I will publish his response verbatim - no editing. That's a deal he won't get from any local newspaper. All he has to do is call me to arrange the publication - he has my number, so to speak.

NOT HOLDING MY BREATH
Quite honestly, I don't expect Mayor Mansoor to take me up on this offer. I'm still waiting for a reply to the last letter I wrote to him - several years ago.

***

WELCOME, NEWCOMERS!
I saw an interesting little piece in the Orange County Register today mentioning that Costa Mesa is one of the most frequently named destinations of incoming U-Haul trailers being used to move folks into the state. This is good news. It's good news because the thrust of the article was that incoming trailers now exceed outgoing units. Until very recently, that was not the case - people were fleeing the state in record numbers. So, to all those blue-collar workers (that's how the Register article described them) dragging those U-Haul trailers to a new life here in Costa Mesa, Welcome! We want you to move to our city, buy our houses - much more affordable these days - educate your kids in our excellent public schools and spend your hard-earned cash in our stores. We want you to become active in the PTA and other civic activities. We want your energy, intellect and dedication to enhance the lives of all our residents.

***

"THE MOUTH" JOINS THE PACK
The yapping hyena over at the CM Press has picked up a pitchfork and joined Wendy Leece's witch hunt at the Senior Center. He wrote a bit of drivel today in which he perpetuates the lies of senior abuse and financial mismanagement at the center. This doesn't really surprise me, since he and his fellow-travelers in the self-named "improver" group don't like the fact that the Senior Corporation Board of Directors includes former political foes of Mansoor, Bever and Leece. Well, those rabble-rousers need to be careful what they ask for or it's possible they will find the Senior Center dropped in the lap of the financially-strapped city to run. The phony charges being trumped up by one or two malcontents and, assuming they were true without investigation, publicized by Leece, have hampered fund raising activities and destroyed the morale of the center staff.

ON A MISSION FROM GOD?
I'm sure Leece thinks she's doing "God's work" in this issue, but she seems unable to filter personal gripes from real problems. This has deteriorated to the point where she no longer will deal with the Executive Director of the center, Aviva Goelman. Her personal animosity toward Goelman makes one wonder about the foundations of this ill feeling. Leece has a history of trying to overlay her own personal religious beliefs on issues - as witnessed by her tumultuous tour on the school board. Is it possible that she now refuses to deal with Goelman because she is Jewish? Whatever the reasons for her feelings toward Goelman, having a City Council liaison to the Senior Center who will not deal with the Executive Director is unworkable and unacceptable. For the welfare of the seniors, and the Senior Center, something has to change.

A Long Night In Costa Mesa

ANOTHER MARATHON MEETING
What did we learn while watching the long, long Costa Mesa City Council meeting last night? I mean except the fact that our leaders remembered how to use up an entire night - the meeting finally ended at 11:59 p.m.

BUFFOON BEVER RETURNS
Well, one thing remains clear - Eric Bever's presence on the council does not guarantee the debate of issues will be enhanced. Quite the contrary. Early in the meeting he struck out at critics who had wondered openly about his absence from the last meeting - one of the most important in recent years. He spat venom directly at Katrina Foley, making an irrelevant and inaccurate comment about her campaign contributions. Watching him in action is just like watching a spoiled little kid who pouts and stomps his little feet when he doesn't get his way. Last night he demonstrated once again that he is a petulant, petty buffoon - a clown unworthy of the seat he holds. I've had some personal experiences with him and, as do many people, came away from those encounters simply shaking my head at what a crude, clueless, infantile clod he is. The sparks that flew between Bever and Foley again last night was kind of like watching a lightning storm! Bever combined hostility with stupidity, so it was entertaining to watch him get batted around a little.

RIGGY RIPPED BY SPEAKERS
Perhaps the biggest lesson we learned last night, though, is, "Don't Mess With People's Private Property!" Are you listening, Riggy? Yep, the Planning Commission, currently chaired by the carpetbagger, Jim Righeimer, stepped in it up to it's knees when they sent three items modifying residential parking rules to the council for approval. Those items dealt with city-wide ordinances on parking in and around residential driveways. Dozens of people spoke passionately against the proposals - no one spoke in favor. Speaker after speaker asked, "Whose idea was this, anyway?" Good question. You can read the Daily Pilot coverage of the subject HERE.

TURNING COSTA MESA INTO STEPFORD
Seems that Riggy and his pals were intent on trying to turn Costa Mesa into Stepford or, even worse, Irvine - or so the majority of speakers opined last night. Of course, it's easy to understand how Riggy could misread the residents of Costa Mesa so badly - he's only lived here for a couple years. As a developer, he's used to seeing and building pristine new, cookie-cutter projects, so Costa Mesa's eclectic mix of neighborhoods must drive him nuts. My suggestion to him - and based on the sentiment of many speakers last night, I'm not alone - is that Old Jim pack up his carpet bag and look for another nest. Heck, if he moved to Irvine he'd really stand out in the crowd. He might be the only Republican in the entire city!

"FIRST-TIME CALLER..."
The discussion of those parking issues took more than 4 hours, but the time flew past as the speakers sprinted to the podium to have their say. It was fun to watch. Many first-time visitors to the council chambers arrived with a full head of steam and used the opportunity to vent their spleens. Based on their collective attitude, one almost expected to see their pitchforks and torches parked outside...

MANSOOR GRANDSTANDING CONTINUES
I was also interested to see how the council would handle our young jailer/mayor's suggestion that they all take a pay cut. The two issues - the other involved a re-scheduling of benefits increases - actually got very little discussion. The council approved a motion to reduce their pay by 5% - something that cannot happen until after the next council election in 2010. Mansoor, once that vote was cast, jumped right in. He leaned over and looked at City Manager Allan Roeder and told him that he, Mansoor, wanted to take an immediate 5% pay cut at the earliest time possible. Roeder said OK, and that they would implement it based on the requests of the individual members. Leave it to Mansoor - when he's in a grandstanding mood, he just keeps bleeding it for all it's worth.

BENEFITS ADJUSTMENT STAYS THE SAME
Mansoor couldn't get a majority to make changes to the timing of their benefits payout, so the issue was eventually "received and filed", which means it stays the same - their benefits will get annual adjustments in January of each year. So much for "sharing the pain".

SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP
An interesting sidebar to that little drama was when Bever asked Mansoor if he wanted the pay reductions to go into effect only if the employee unions agreed to something similar. Mansoor said no. Bever said that he'd brought this forward a few months ago and was trying to act in the spirit of unity with the staff. Mansoor, with a perfectly placed backhand, said, "I'm acting in the spirit of leadership". Leadership, of course, is an alien concept to Bever. What a schmuck.

SENIOR CENTER ATTACK CONTINUES
During public comments early in the meeting Senior Center rabble rouser Ernie Feeney again prattled on about the up-coming gold sale fund raiser planned at the center in the near future. She worried about the city's liability if relatives of seniors who took gold and other precious metals and diamonds to the center for their "gold sale" function later complained that their loved one had been ripped off. Feeney, and her equally obnoxious husband, John, seem to be carrying Wendy Leece's water in her witch hunt at the Senior Center lately. When asked, the City Attorney affirmed that there was very limited liability for the city.

LEECE - "SCHEAFER SAYS BOARD SHOULD WITHDRAW"
During her comments time Leece mentioned a presentation by former councilman and Senior Center Board member Mike Scheafer at the Senior Center Board meeting earlier that morning. Scheafer apparently addressed the board and told them that if their critics (I'd read that Leece and her posse) continued their harassment and interference with their fund raising efforts, perhaps it was time for the Board to step aside and turn the operation of the Senior Center over to the city. That, in my view, would be a very unfortunate development, since the city currently only contributes a portion of the operating costs of the Center. It would almost certainly result in a reduction of services to the seniors in our city and could, in these dire financial times, result in the closure of the center.

So, the beat goes on...

The Week Ahead In Costa Mesa

AVALANCHE OF MEETINGS
Tomorrow we'll have our third council meeting in a row on consecutive Tuesdays this month. This one has the potential to provide some interesting discussions, for sure. We just hope member Eric Bever will find the time in his busy social schedule to make this meeting.

TO PARK OR NOT TO PARK...
Among those items to be considered are three changes in off-street parking ordinances in residential neighborhoods. As these subjects made their way through the planning process there was some spirited debate by the Planning Commission. We'll see how many residents show up to express a view on a subject that could severely impact their ability to park their long cars on short driveways.

MORE FIREWORKS CHATTER
Also being discussed again will be the revised fireworks ordinance. The presentation in the staff report indicates that it's simply a codification of a definition in the code. I really don't expect to see anything significant to come out of this issue. The heavy lifting was done at an earlier meeting. Unless some kind of huge public outcry occurs, this will simply be a 5-0 rubber stamp of the ordinance.

GRANDSTANDING MANSOOR
The most fun for me will be the agenda item requested by our young jailer/mayor in which the salaries and benefits for council members is discussed. As you may know, in an act of pure grandstanding, Allan Mansoor proposed that the City Council salaries be reduced in these troubled times. Similarly, the amount provided for benefits would also be reduced. What a crock! You could quit paying the five-member council all together and not make a dent in our budget dilemma! And, anything they decide to do today will not be able to be implemented until immediately after the November 2010 city council election because immediate changes in council salaries, up or down, are prohibited by law! And, of course, Mansoor is termed-out in 2010 and will be running his little legs off trying to win Van Tran's Assembly seat, so he won't be affected at all.

MEANINGLESS GESTURE
It's clear to me that Mansoor just wants to be able to say to the four employee associations, "Hey, look at us! We're willing to share the load of this budget crisis, too!" If he really thinks they will buy that load of manure it's an insult to the intelligence of every single city employee. He must think every city employee is as gullible as he is, for goodness sake.

IF THEY'RE SERIOUS, HAND IT BACK
As I've said before, if Mansoor and the council are REALLY serious about participating in the pain of fiscal constraint, they can simply endorse back to the city every paycheck they receive from now until the budget crisis is ended. Think that will happen? Nah, neither do I.

WILL "THE MOUTH" SPEAK OUT?
Speaking of the calendar, tomorrow is Holocaust Remembrance Day and I found myself wondering of Costa Mesa's own racist laureate and resident Holocaust denier, the yapping hyena over at the CM Press, will trudge down to the speaker's podium and regale us with his "wisdom" again. He's been missing in recent weeks. Note that I didn't say "missed".

NO CAKE?
Actually, since today is Adolph Hitler's 120th birthday, I half-expected him to remember the day on his blog or with another pithy essay on the New Nation News. I guess the one he wrote last week, the title of which is "Your Mission and Purpose In Life", in which he exorts you to "breed and breed true", will just have to do. You can read it HERE. Personally, I do get some solace on this date knowing that old Adolph has spent the past half-century roasting in the fires of Hell. Happy Birthday!

"NEW LOOK" DAILY PILOT OPEN HOUSE WEDNESDAY
A highlight of the week for me will be the Earth Day open house at the Daily Pilot offices Wednesday at which they will provide attendees a peek at the "new look" Daily Pilot, to be launched in May. The fact that it falls on Earth Day has nothing at all to do with anything except, perhaps, to acknowledge that the Daily Pilot and all other members of the print media fraternity are responsible for fewer trees being ground into news print these days.

Mansoor To Run For 68th Assembly Seat - Big Whoop!

THE "TERM LIMITS" TWO-STEP
Here in Costa Mesa our young jailer/mayor announced recently that he's going to be a candidate for the California State Assembly seat currently occupied by Van Tran. That seat, which represents the 68th District, will be vacated because Tran is termed out in 2010. Mansoor is termed out of his Costa Mesa city council seat at the same time.

NO SURPRISE - ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT
Those of us who keep an eye on Mansoor are not surprised by this announcement. He actually made it in a taped interview on Costa Mesa Television, Channel 24, last month. There had been much speculation over the past couple years about Mansoor's political future at the end of his term in Costa Mesa. Some of us who have watched him closely ever since he was first elected to the city council hoped he would pack it in and not infest yet another political position with his presence. Alas, it is not to be.

NO SLAM-DUNK
Mansoor is no slam dunk for the 68th Assembly seat. Even though he's been the darling of the Orange County Republican Party hierarchy ever since he decided to mount an anti-immigrant campaign in Costa Mesa, the constituency he would represent in the 68th has a much broader ethnic diversity. He will almost certainly be opposed by at least one strong candidate from within the Vietnamese-American community in the district. It also has a significant population of Latino voters, which will cause him some trouble.

INFLEXIBLE BIAS ON DISPLAY
An Orange County Deputy Sheriff in his "day job", Mansoor has demonstrated an inflexibility and cultural bias through his actions over the past almost 7 years. He became a national poster boy for the anti-immigrant sentiment that swept across the country a couple years ago. His smiling face was all over the media, where his mantra gave folks all over the country the impression that Costa Mesa was a haven of redneck bigots, intent on running every brown face out of town.

WACKO-ATTRACTOR
So strong was his presence in that movement that he was anointed an honorary "Minuteman" by the Grand Pooba of the Minuteman Project organization, Jim Gilchrist, who also became a major player in Mansoor's run for re-election. He, and other frothing Minuteman activists stood before the Costa Mesa City Council meeting after meeting, praising Mansoor's "brave" stand. Wackos from Alta Loma, Upland and other parts of the hinterland trekked to Costa Mesa to support Mansoor's philosophy.

BOIL BURSTS IN JANUARY, 2006
That festering boil came to a head at the City Council meeting on January 3, 2006, when Mansoor violated the rights of Latino activist Benito Acosta by cutting his time short of the normal 3 minutes, not permitting him to finish his comments and by refusing to permit his followers to stand and be recognized - a courtesy he had afforded Gilchrist just a brief 30 minutes earlier. The meeting deteriorated as Mansoor called a recess and then-police chief John Hensley directed that Acosta be dragged from the podium and out of the auditorium. Criminal charges were filed against Acosta, but were subsequently dismissed when the city attorney botched his job. The civil trial ACLU filed on Acosta's behalf is pending, scheduled now to begin in July. That case could end up costing the city a judgment in 6 or 7 figures.

STUBBORN FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY
Mansoor has demonstrated a stubborn, irresponsible anti-tax streak which, while admired by some, has put the city into a terrible financial condition. Last year he led the majority on the council as they chose not to present to the voters on the ballot a chance to increase the city's Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). Presently, at 6%, Costa Mesa is far and away the lowest in Orange County and the state. The average TOT charge in Orange County is just over 10%. By bumping the tax to that level the city could have realized an increase in revenue of around $4 million annually. That number would have made our current budget crises a little easier to manage.

REJECTED BUSINESS LICENSE FEE INCREASE, TOO
He also brushed aside discussions of increasing the city's business license tax, currently also among the lowest in the county. Right now the business license fee is capped at $200 - a laughable number when compared to neighboring cities. Even local business owners chuckle when they think about it.

HE GREASED THE SKIDS OF OUR FINANCIAL CRISIS
His short-sightedness has greased the skids of financial instability for our city and certainly raises questions about his worthiness for even higher office.

HISTORY OF INTOLERANCE
Mansoor has shown signs of intolerance for years, beginning when he, as a member of the city's Human Relations Committee, posted controversial anti-gay entries on a local web-based bulletin board. So vile were some of the posts on that site that the Orange County Human Relations Commission got wind of it and stuck it's nose under the tent. They began monitoring the posts on that site and, when combined with a three-part series about the site by the Daily Pilot, the operators of the site couldn't take the light of day and decided to shut down.

"HUMAN RELATIONS" UNIMPORTANT TO HIM
Subsequently, as a member of the city council, Mansoor spearheaded the disbanding of the Human Relations Committee - a group of volunteers who had served the city with distinction for nearly two decades. The council first de-funded the committee, then - without notice or a simple "thank you" for the service provided - disbanded the committee.

DON'T BOTHER HIM WITH REPORTS
Each year the Orange County Human Relations Commission reports to the City Council on the status of intolerance within the city. This is simply an advisory presentation, usually made to the council at the beginning a meeting. Following the most recent presentation Mansoor stated emphatically from the dais that he wasn't interested in hearing any more of those reports. Such is the mindset of our young jailer/mayor.

MANSOOR AND LOYALTY? HA!
Today the City of Costa Mesa sent out a press release telling us that Mayor Mansoor has proclaimed May 1st as Loyalty Day in Costa Mesa. This is a day when residents are encouraged to reaffirm their loyalty to the United States and recognize the heritage of American freedom. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help but smirk as I read Mansoor's name in the same sentence with "loyalty". This is the same guy who, following his re-election, turned his back on loyal "improver" foot soldier Paul Bunney who had applied for a seat on the Planning Commission. Instead of appointing Bunney - a long-time supporter - he rejected his candidacy not once, but three times and then appointed carpetbagger Jim Righeimer instead. Righeimer, some will recall, had only moved to Costa Mesa a few months earlier and was a good buddy of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher - a huge supporter of Mansoor's re-election campaign. It was a profound act of political pay back and a clear act of disloyalty to a long-time friend and supporter.

FAULTS AND ALL?
I, for one, think Mansoor's candidacy for the 68th Assembly seat will be an interesting race to watch. Will the OC GOP - assuming they've got a malleable, not-too-bright guy that they can manipulate whenever they choose - overlook his limited education, lack of intellectual horsepower, questionable judgment and poor political instincts and still lavish him with support? It will be interesting to see. I suppose there will be things to write about on this race over the next couple of years.