Independence Day, 2009

SMITH FORCED MY HAND
Well, I'd planned to wait another day or two before posting anything about neighborhood fireworks celebrations this year, but Daily Pilot columnist and would-be nannie-to-us-all, Steve Smith, forced my hand.

BAD INFO FROM A BAD SOURCE
In his column today, HERE, Smith attempts to give us all some helpful pointers on the use of fireworks in our city. Unfortunately, he took his lead from one of my neighbors here on the Eastside - local high school hero, international track star, self-anointed marketing guru and 4th of July pyromaniac, Brian Theriot.

SPARKLERS PROHIBITED!
In his list of things to do when shooting off safe and sane fireworks - the only kind legal in Costa Mesa - includes the following sentence: "7) Only persons older than 12 should be allowed to handle sparklers of any type." Well, that's just dandy, except for the fact that sparklers of any kind are specifically prohibited in Costa Mesa!

`CITY PRESS RELEASE
The City of Costa Mesa issued a press release on Monday outlining the city policy on the use of fireworks. Within that press release is the following paragraph: "Only fireworks classified as "safe and sane" by the State Fire Marshall can be discharged within City boundaries. Sparklers of any sort are prohibited. Fireworks can only be discharged on the Fourth of July between the hours of 4:00 pm and 10:00 pm. You must be at least eighteen years of age to discharge fireworks. It is illegal to throw, toss, project or position fireworks to come in contact with another person’s body, private property or real property. Possession, use or sale of even one illegal firework or illegal use of just one "safe and sane" firework is a violation of the City's Municipal Code. Violators will be cited and fined up to $500. " The emphasis was mine.

FIRST ILLEGAL FIREWORKS OF THE SEASON - LAST NIGHT!
As I was reading Smith's column late last night I heard the first illegal fireworks of the season, being discharged within a couple blocks of my Eastside home - on June 29th! It's that kind of flagrant disregard for the law that may get ALL fireworks banned from this city in the future.

FIREWORKS ARE TOO DANGEROUS
I've made no bones about my feelings about neighborhood fireworks. While they are fun and exciting, I think they are too dangerous - particularly for children. Take sparklers, for example. One reason they've been specifically banned from our city is that they account for a large segment of fireworks-related injuries to children nation-wide... depending on the report, anywhere from 15% to 35%. The heat generated by a sparkler is the same as a welding torch - over 1600 degrees!

GIVEN UP THE BATTLE, BUT NOT HOPE
My views on fireworks is well known. I'm a member of a very small minority in our city who thinks so-called safe and sane fireworks should be banned. Costa Mesa is one of only 5 cities in Orange County that still permit them. I know the sale of those fireworks form the foundation for funding all measure of youth sports programs in our area. (Click HERE for an excellent map provided on The Daily Voice that shows the sites of all fireworks stands in Costa Mesa this year.) I've given up that battle, but I've not given up hope that those brainless idiots among us who simply must import and fire off illegal fireworks will not ruin the festivities for the rest of you who enjoy them so much.

HAVE A SAFE, FUN 4TH
I hope each of you enjoys your Independence Day celebration on Saturday, and that you do so safely. I hope you'll have the courage to tell your neighbor who shoots off illegal fireworks that he's going to ruin it for the rest of you.

HERE'S A LITTLE INDEPENDENCE DAY GIFT FOR YOU
On that happy note I leave you with this wonderful July 4th fireworks display. Have a safe and sane celebration, neighbors.

Concerts Saved, Plus A Brace Of Buffoons

HEADING FOR THE HOLIDAY
Here we are, in the starting blocks for a short week as we head for the July 4th Independence Day holiday next weekend, so I thought I'd give you a little summary of some things that made the local blogs over this past weekend.

FOLEY SAVES CONCERTS
First, Bill Lobdell over at the Daily Voice, first told us of Katrina Foley's announcement that she's managed to find some funding for the Concert in the Park series. You can read his entry and Foley's comments HERE. It's nice to know that not all of our council members approve of deleting all the family-oriented activities in our city. Let's hope the remainder see the light and vote to restore the concerts at the July 7th council meeting. Congrats to Foley and those organizations who stepped up to save the concerts.

ANOTHER VIEW OF MANSOOR
Then, over at the highly successful Orange Juice Blog, blogger Art Pedroza gave us his take on the announced candidacy of our young jailer (is he?)/mayor for Van Tran's 68th State Assembly seat. You can read that entry HERE. I think you'll find a couple of the comments appended to it to be especially interesting. Has anyone figured out whether Mansoor will have to abandon his job as jailer if he's elected to the Assembly? Wonder if his pension is vested...?

THE MOUTH AND THE AZTECS
Finally, we just can't begin this week without a comment on The Mouth From Mesa North... the poor deluded fellow just can't seem to get over the fact that the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission took up the issue of the Aztec Basketball League again, and passed it. I guess, upon reflection, the members decided that his rant at the previous meeting which seemed to polarize four of them, was just so much hot air - a commodity The Mouth has plenty of and which he spouts all too frequently. So, this weekend, he launched into yet another tirade on the subject - this time chiding the editors of the Daily Pilot for their stand on the issue.

SINKING INTO IRRELEVANCE
I'm afraid The Mouth is rapidly becoming irrelevant in our city. Perhaps we should see if Paul Salata, the creator of Irrelevant Week, to see if he can find a place for The Mouth in his event. The Mouth has decided to turn his previously locally-focused cesspool of a blog into an aggregator, folding in links to a bizarre collection of articles from around the world - most of which have absolutely nothing at all to do with life in Costa Mesa. Many do have relevance to his anti-anything-but-white position, however. I'm sure his Costa Mesa neighbors can hardly wait to read that tripe.

The Newport-Mesa Daily Voice Growing...

FINDING THEIR PACE...
It's been an interesting couple weeks for my friends, Tom Johnson and William Lobdell, since they announced the launch of their new venture, The Newport-Mesa Daily Voice.

"BORROWING" CONTENT
They've been busily snatching news for their online publication from other local sources - the Daily Pilot, Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times and a few others - and have included most of the Daily Pilot bloggers in their blog roll. Curiously, they've chosen not to link to Paul Anderson's very entertaining blog, Supplied To Anderson.

GROWING PAINS
They've generated some breaking news coverage on their own - to be expected from such seasoned newsmen - and launched their daily weather report using neighborhood kids giving a video weather report... very cute. They are making creative use of locally-generated videos, too.

TOO CASUAL?
They were interviewed on Fox News about this new venture. As I watched the video clip I found myself wishing they'd tried to be just a smidgen less casual. I suspect some of the national viewers wondered whether they had just come in from a morning on the golf course for the interview. Don't get me wrong - as anyone who knows me can attest - casual is just fine with me, but I kept wishing they'd worn a dress shirt and tie above their shorts for the interview...

WHAT HAPPENS IF...?
It's way, way too early to tell if this is going to be a successful venture, but it looks like it's got a shot. I keep wondering, however, what happens if local readers abandon the Daily Pilot for the Daily Voice - where will Johnson and Lobdell get their content if they drive their competition out of business? Just wondering...

"LOSING MY RELIGION..." IN 4TH PRINTING
And, it's been an even bigger week for Lobdell, who announced on his blog that his book, Losing My Religion..." is now in it's 4th printing. Way to go, Bill! I've read his book and found it to be a fascinating story of his journey to and from religion. And, since it's really a travelogue of his journey on that path and he's still got a whole lot of livin' to do, I suspect there could be a sequel somewhere downstream. If he, for example, decides Zoroastrianism is an interesting choice of theology, he might write about that. Regardless, Bill's book is worth a read.

Aztec Basketball League Given Provisional Approval

AZTEC BASKETBALL IN - DROP-IN PLAYERS ARE OUT
The Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission, at their meeting Wednesday evening, agreed to permit the Aztec Basketball League to use the Downtown Recreation Center on Sundays, displacing a few folks that have been utilizing that facility in a drop-in basis to play basketball and volleyball.

BIDDERS TO BE SOUGHT FOR NEW LEAGUE
The approval was on a provisional basis, month-to-month, while the staff prepares a Request for Proposals to create a Sunday Costa Mesa basketball league. Aztec Basketball would be allowed to bid on that contract, but would not necessarily be the successful bidder.

COSTA MESA TEAMS INCLUDED
It was interesting to note that the Aztec Basketball League presently has four teams made up of Costa Mesa residents, and could field two more except for space limitations. That kind of deflated the argument made by The Mouth from Mesa North about Costa Mesa residents being displaced.

ARMY VETERAN RUNS AZTEC
I'd would loved to have been inside The Mouth's head when the applicant, Rigoberto Bautista stepped to the podium to present his case in his "work clothes" - an Army uniform. Sergeant Bautista - a 16 year Army veteran - is a National Guard recruiter, who recruits in Costa Mesa. He's operated the Aztec Basketball League for nine years and has glowing references from his former landlords - the City of Santa Ana. His program takes people from age 16 and up and creates a healthy, competitive environment in which they can play and develop basketball skills. The Mouth, as we all know, makes a bid deal of having been a Marine - among other things.

PROGRAM INCLUDES FEMALE PLAYERS
Sergeant Bautista told the commissioners that he's more than willing to include more Costa Mesa teams if the facility is made available. Recreation Manager Jana Ransom told them that his program includes female players, too, and that we currently have no female basketball programs in the city. Bautista also indicated that he will give priority to new Costa Mesa teams if permitted to use the Downtown Recreation Center facility.

"THE MOUTH" BLOWS SMOKE
Undeterred, The Mouth stood and blew a smoke screen about potential parking problems and, since the Aztec Basketball League is a for-profit organization, wondered where the profit went - as if it's any of his blasted business!

STILLER PROVIDES VETERAN GUIDANCE
The only other resident to speak on the issue was former Parks and Recreation Commissioner David Stiller, who made many good points and spoke in favor of approving the request.

A couple of sidebars to the proceedings last night...

"THE MOUTH" RANTS AGAINST GALITISKI
First, during public comments, The Mouth stood and ranted and raved against Chairman Kurt Galitski for his comments appended to The Mouth's recent Daily Pilot commentary defending his position at the previous commission meeting. His demeanor was not just aggressive, it was down right threatening. It was clear that he was trying to bait Galitski into making an inappropriate comment - which he didn't.

BRUMBAUGH BLASTS ME
Of more interest to me, personally, was the tirade launched directly at me by Vice-Chair Mike Brumbaugh for the comments I wrote - also on The Mouth's commentary - in which I suggested that the four commissioners turned to lumps of stone when Galitski moved to approve this item last month. I suggested that they had been influenced by the comments made by The Mouth at that meeting. Brumbaugh didn't like my suggestions one little bit. I really can't blame him too much - no one in his right mind would want to be even peripherally associated with The Mouth.

HE CAN'T TAKE CRITICISM
Well, Mr. Vice Chair, that's just too bad. If you watch the tape, as I have - several times - you can see exactly what happened. The discussion was rocking right along, with no critical comments nor concerns expressed by any of you. Then The Mouth spoke and four of you were struck dumb. Not one of you stepped forward to second Galitski's motion - even for discussion. Not one of you raised any concerns about the proposal - which would have been handled at the staff level and you'd never have had it presented to you except the staff felt you should sign on in the case of a program that would displace a few drop-in basketball and volleyball players on Sundays.

FOUR LUMPS OF STONE
Nope, when The Mouth presented his "hypothetical" scenario involving ex-convicts who might come to town to play basketball and terrorize our young children using the pool or library, the four of you reacted as though someone had torn your tongues out. If you don't care for my characterization of your performance - or lack thereof - simply don't read them.

IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT, MIKE...
Brumbaugh criticized me for not attending meetings to express my views to them, and for not running for public office. Well, Mike old buddy, we each do what we can do toward making this a better city. Yours apparently is participating on the commission and, on occasion, being influenced by speakers before you to the extent that you are frozen in place. My contribution is to observe, assess and report. Criticism comes with the turf you bought into when you accepted the assignment as a commissioner. If you don't like it, maybe you made the wrong choice. Besides, I'm just one guy - what do you care what I think, anyhow?

CONCERTS IN THE PARK CANCELED
Finally, on Wednesday the city announced the cancellation of the first three dates - July 7th, 14th and 21st - of the annual Concerts In The Parks series and mention was made about the cancellations by Ransom at the end of the meeting. The remaining concerts might be retained if some sort of sponsorship arrangement can be made. It's too late for those early in July. This is very sad, indeed, because thousands of Costa Mesa residents look forward to the concerts each summer.

Costa Mesa Sanitary District

THE "SAN" DISTRICT
Remember the Costa Mesa Sanitary District? That's the organization that facilitates the flushing of your, well, you know, down into the sewer system. They maintain the "sanitary" system and keep things "flowing", if you get my drift.


ANOTHER RATE INCREASE? WHY?
At the last Costa Mesa City Council meeting perpetual councilman Gary Monahan made reference to yet another rate increase being proposed by the Sanitary District Board of Directors. If memory serves, we just did that recently, didn't we?

A NEW MANAGER BEING SOUGHT
I wonder what this is all about? I did notice that the Sanitary District recently announced that long time Manager/District Engineer, Robin Hamers, has dropped the manager job and will concentrate on the technical side of things. There is an interim manager in place - Donald F. McIntyre - but my understanding is that the district is searching for a high-powered person to manage it's operations.

RATE INCREASE TO PAY FOR A NEW MANAGER?
So, what does it cost us, the rate payers, to add another very senior manager to that organization? I wonder if this proposed rate increase is due to the addition to another very highly paid manager?

BUDGET, IF THERE IS ONE, NOT AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW ONLINE
Normally, one might refer to the budget for the organization for some clues. However, the Sanitary District Board has not posted a link to their budget since the 2006-2007 fiscal year. Nothing is available for review for 07-08 or 08-09 and absolutely no mention is made of a new budget for the fiscal year about to begin in two weeks.

07/08 FINANCIAL REPORT AVAILABLE
However, there are audited financial reports available for review. The most recent is for the year ended 6/30/08. The report for 06-07 is "in progress", whatever the heck that means. As I scroll down through the 07/08 financial report I found a very interesting paragraph listed as "Related Party Disclosures".

INTERESTING CONTRACT
Here's the text of that segment of the report:
"The District has entered into a contract with Robin B. Hamers and Associates, Inc., to provide management services and engineering services to the District. Robin Hamers, the owner of the Company, is paid a retainer and hourly rate to function as the General Manager and District Engineer. The Company provides other engineering services which are approved by Robin Hamers. The total amount paid to Robin B. Hamers and Associates, Inc. for all these services amounted to $523,105."

IS THIS A GOOD DEAL? HOW WOULD WE KNOW?
This sounds very much like the arrangement the City of Costa Mesa has with the law firm of Jones & Mayer for contract a City Attorney. However, since we have no budget to review for the past couple years, it's difficult to see how this "consulting" arrangement is working out. I wonder, for example, what those "other engineering services" are that Mr. Hamers' organization provides. I looked at the 06/07 Budget worksheet - the only thing available - and found an astounding lack of detail in that report.

DID HAMERS TAKE A CUT?
And, the question hanging right now is, "Has Robin Hamers taken a pay cut since his job has been cut in half?" Seems like a good question to me. Perhaps some concerned citizen could ask the members of the board about it at their next meeting.

NOBODY CARES...
Speaking of which, Monahan implied that no one shows up for those board meetings. Nice - no one paying attention to how our taxes are being spent. No wonder he wanted a seat on that particular board!

FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY BEING MET?
I guess I'm very curious about exactly how well the Board of Directors of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District are fulfilling their fiduciary responsibility to the tax and rate payers of our community. No budget for two years and counting seems curious - and more than a little irresponsible - to me.

NO AGENDAS NOR MINUTES FOR MEETINGS THIS YEAR
I noticed that there is no information at all about the agendas or minutes for any board meetings this calendar year. I could find no information about how frequently the board meets, where and at what time of the day. It seems like much of their work, if it's being done at all, is not done in easy view of their constituents.

TOO MANY QUESTIONS - ASK THE BOARD
This sure does seem like sloppy management, at best. Since there are so many questions, maybe someone should ask the Board members. The Sanitary District web site shows the following names:
Arlene Schafer, President; Robert Ooten, Vice President; Gary Monahan, Secretary; Jim Ferryman, Director and Art Perry, Director. The mailing address is: 628 W. 19th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627. HERE is a link to their web site for more information or, perhaps, more questions.

Aztec Basketball League Is Back!

THEY'RE BACK!
Well, well, well.... it seems that the Aztec Basketball League is back!

DEJA VU
At their meeting on May 24th the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission will, once again, be requested to consider granting a permit to the Aztec Basketball League to use the Downtown Recreation Center each Sunday beginning June 20th.

GOOD FISCAL TRADE-OFF
If granted, they would displace fewer than two dozen casual, walk-in participants who use the facility for pick-up volleyball and basketball games. The city would lose roughly $3,430 in fees from that use and would, in exchange, be paid an annual revenue of $43,000 - actually, the city would realize just over $20,000 for the initial 6-month period that is being recommended - by the Aztec Basketball League.

FOUR LUMPS OF STONE
Some will recall that, at their previous meeting, the commission completely botched this issue. When Chair Kurt Galitski recommended approval the other four commissioners turned to stone - not a second to his motion, no discussion, not a mutter, not a substitute motion - nothing! The proposal died.

"THE MOUTH" AS SHEPHERD
Interestingly, this stony silence came in the wake of one Costa Mesa resident speaking on this subject - our old grumpy buddy, The Mouth From Mesa North. He - internationally notorious racist that he is - jumped to the speaker's podium and raised the specter of ex-convicts and pedophiles invading our city on Sundays under the guise of playing basketball and molesting our children. Apparently, the sheep on the Parks and Recreation Commission fell for his tripe.


ONE MORE TIME...
So, now we get a second shot of providing another revenue source for our city in these trying times. It will be very interesting to see if The Mouth gives an encore performance at Wednesday's meeting, and whether any other resident of this city stands to recommend the plan....

ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE
One thing is for sure - it's never a dull meeting when The Mouth tries to overlay his racial views on activities in our city.

"THE MOUTH" - AN EXAMPLE OF A WASTED LIFE
And, speaking of The Mouth, he took the opportunity on Father's Day to post on his blog a peculiar self-assessment of his own failures as one. Since he's been looking a little sickly of late, and because he seems now to have only fleeting interest in local events - choosing, instead, to sprinkle his pathetic blog with his views of international events and his warped views on race and the purity thereof - I suspect he might be more than slightly off his game. Who knows, this may be signs of early onset dementia. That, of course, is very good news for the rest of us who would prefer our city not be guided by the ravings of a racist loser. Perhaps he's finally stepped back and looked at his life and now realizes that he has managed to squander his prodigious intellect on hopeless racial rants instead of actually using it to make the life of those around him better. How very sad for him - and them.

Father's Day - 2009

I MISS MY FATHER
Once again this weekend brings us the date that we honor and pamper our fathers. Although my father died early, many years ago, he's on my mind all the time - I really miss him. A couple years ago I wrote about him at length and provide, HERE, the link to that entry if you care to read about him.

FATHERS OF THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD
Over here on the Eastside of Costa Mesa, in the best neighborhood in the city, we have many wonderful fathers who deserve all the accolades they will receive on Sunday. I won't try to mention them all, but will tell you a little about a few of them.

JIM, FATHER OF THREE SONS
In no particular order, we'll start with my friend, Jim, the proud father of three wonderful sons. The eldest graduated from college a year ago and is busily launching a career in a city far away. The middle son begins his junior year at Notre Dame and is having a ball even though they don't have much of a football team. The youngest just graduated from high school this year and will start his grand college adventure in the fall. Each of these young men reflect the strong moral values of their parents and the wise and steady hand of their father as he has guided them through this point in their lives.

NEIGHBORS BOB AND STAN
On the same section of street live Bob and Stan - across-the-street neighbors from each other for more than two decades. Both have two adult children - a son and daughter each - who have long flown the coop and are leading happy, successful lives with their own children. Bob and Stan, retired guys who enjoy each other's company at lunch frequently, continue to show love and support for their kids, as they have for more than 40 years.

PHIL, FATHER OF TWO BOYS
Closer to home is my neighbor, Phil - the father of two great sons. The eldest just finished his freshman year in college and the younger his freshman year in high school. Both young men reflect their father's work ethic and his joy of sport. Both give Phil many reasons to be proud of them, and his leadership and guidance in their lives. Both boys seem to have their father's engineering instincts and both will be successful men.

CRAIG, FATHER OF SIX! YIKES!
Looking directly out my window I can see the roof line of my friend and neighbor, Craig's, house. Almost any time now I expect to see two or three of his six wonderful children burst forth to play in the street - riding bikes, scooters, roller blades or just tossing the ball for their dog. Craig's three boys and three girls range from college age to six years old. The two eldest children have been away at college, but are home now. The middle three - two daughters and a son - are in school and the just-turned-six-year-old continues to brighten our street during the day with his laughter. Craig has a half dozen reasons to be filled with joy this Sunday because his children are the happiest, most polite group of urchins I've ever seen. We're glad to have them as our neighbors.

JOE, A GREAT GUY WITH FOUR GREAT KIDS
Around the corner at the end of the street we find my friend, Joe, the father of four of the best kids you'll find anywhere. They were raised while Joe and his lovely and patient wife juggled very active business lives, family demands and still found time to be community activists and civic leaders.The three eldest have finished college and have launched themselves into careers. Each of them show signs of their parent's inclination for community involvement - a great thing for us all. The youngest, a charming, bright and mature daughter in her early teens, demonstrates to us one more time the true value of caring parents. Joe is proud of every one of his children - a feeling that is reciprocated.

KURT, FATHER OF THREE
Our friend, Kurt, has three wonderful children - two boys in college and a daughter who may be the best athlete of the three of them. All three of them perform at a high level, combining a great work ethic and very special personalities. Kurt beams with pride when we talk about each of them.

TARAS, FATHER OF JOCKS
Across the street is Taras, father of two terrific kids. The son, a multi-sport star in high school - is in the home stretch of his college career and the daughter is about to begin hers. Both were star athletes in high school, in great part because of the loving support and encouragement their father gave them.

MY BUDDY, GRANDPA BARRY
Just down the street we find my pal, Barry - father of two grown kids and grandfather of two grandchildren. His children were just tykes when we moved into the neighborhood almost 36 years ago - two of only a half dozen rug rats in this little enclave at the time. We watched them grow into confident, successful adults and can see the results of Barry's guidance every time they come to visit.

PATIENT MIKE
Across the street from Barry is Mike, the perpetually patient and loving father of an extremely active, developmentally disabled teenage son. Mike is his father and friend, and tries to make his son's life in our neighborhood as normal, nurturing and meaningful as is possible - and does so very successfully.

WAYNE, "FATHER" TO US ALL
I cannot close this without a mention of my dear friend and neighbor, Wayne. He's mentioned in the previous entry, linked above, but he deserves special recognition here today. Although Wayne's actually about the age of an older brother to me, EVERYONE refers to him as "father". He is, in fact, a surrogate for my own father - a man to whom I look for guidance and the example of a life well-lived. The father of two, grandfather of four and great-grandfather of 7, he continues to spread his love, wisdom and guidance over four generations of his family. An uncomplicated man, he lives the best example of a "Christian life" that I've ever seen. Without preaching to you he just shows you the way...

I'VE MISSED A FEW...
I know I've missed some other fathers here in the neighborhood - some of the newer ones with small children. For that I apologize, but will comment that those overlooked also have flocks of great children who are growing and thriving by the touch of their father's hands. I love this neighborhood...

YOU ALL DESERVE A GREAT DAY!
So, a very Happy Father's Day to all of my neighborhood fathers and the rest of you fathers out there. Thanks for all you do for your kids as you love and guide them to becoming successful, caring, responsible adults and the framers of the future of our community.

Fork'n Belt Crime Capital of the O.C.

I warn you, don't say that title too fast...

BLEARY-EYED ON THE COMPUTER
Five and a half years ago, while I was pulling 12-14 hour shifts at the hospital bedside of my best friend, trying to facilitate his recovery from a motorcycle accident, I would return to my hotel room late at night, check my email and write to friends about his progress or lack thereof, then log on to the Daily Pilot to keep up with what was going on back home.

A MUCH-NEEDED LAUGH
On November 29, 2003, I came across an article about two boneheaded crooks who were arrested for using a belt and fork while committing a crime. It made me chuckle at a time when I really needed a laugh. You can read that old article - straight from the Daily Pilot archives, HERE.

HAD TO RESPOND
I was so amused by the piece that I wrote and submitted what turned out to be a Mailbag letter addressing that article. It was published December 2, 2003. You can read that letter, also from the Daily Pilot archives, HERE.

WHAT GOES AROUND...
Then, yesterday, I read Joseph Serna's blog entry of 6/17/09, HERE, about the same kind of crime in which the same kind of weapons were used!

CAREFUL - HERE IT COMES AGAIN
I guess, if you sit in one spot long enough, stuff just keeps on rotating around you! So, I think it's appropriate to proclaim Costa Mesa the "Fork'n Belt" Crime Capital of Orange County. Remember, be careful when you say that...

The Price Of A Municipal Heart?

THE GORE HAS CONGEALED
A couple days after the Monahan Massacre at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting last Tuesday night the blood splatter has begun to congeal and the impact of the changes to the proposed budget are being assessed.

MAKING HIS MARK
Although the city staff had presented the council with a balanced budget, Gary Monahan apparently felt it was necessary for him to put his mark on the process by recommending what he initially said would be $600,000 in budget savings. He didn't even get close! When council members Eric Bever, Wendy Leece and Katrina Foley rejected his proposals to chop 1 animal control officer and 2 code enforcement officers from the budget - correctly so, in my opinion - that blocked more than $300,000 of his "savings". That left him with only a few other items that amounted to any significant savings - and not very significant, at that.

POSTMORTEM
Based on the postmortem of the massacre, it appears that all that shouting, name-calling and angst netted a budget dollar savings of around $100,000 - and $36,000 of that came from the city council budget itself by cutting out things like training and meals for the council, commissions and staff before their regular meetings.

THE BODY COUNT
The long term affects of Monahan's mayhem Tuesday night will take a longer time to assess. By cutting out the Mobil Recreation Van - a new piece of equipment, by the way - the city will lose 4 staff members. By cutting out the Teen Center at the Downtown Recreation Center we will lose 3 more. If Monahan's proposal to contract-out the operations of the Neighborhood Community Center and the Downtown Recreation Center are successful, that will mean the loss of 5 full time and 20 part time staffers.

UNNECESSARY BLOODBATH
I was among the many residents of this city that sat with our jaws dropped as Monahan, and his willing accomplice, Allan Mansoor, went about hacking away at an already professionally trimmed proposal. The blood they leave on the floor is that of the youth of this city - mainly the Latino youth on the Westside of our city. By eliminating so many of the successful programs for the youth of this city it leaves those children with few opportunities for positive activities in the afternoons. This opens the door for gang involvement, graffiti "tagging", vandalism and more. You can thank Monahan and Mansoor for that...

CUTS WON'T AFFECT HIS KIDS
I guess I can understand how Mansoor and Bever, who supported many of the cuts, can be so clueless about anything dealing with the children of our city - they don't have any. I couldn't understand how Monahan, with six children of his own, could be so heartless until a friend reminded me that all his kids go to private school and won't be affected by any of these program cuts he enforced. Reflecting on the proceedings Tuesday night, I recall him making statements that implied that parents should be paying for programs - a reference, I guess, to his situation. I guess if it's good enough for Monahan, who splits his time between his bar and two municipal troughs - the city and the sanitary district - then it should be good enough for everyone!

"GOVERNMENT BY AMBUSH"
Because Monahan's draconian recommendations were not specifically "noticed" in the staff report there has been some concern within the community that there might have been a Brown Act violation. According to city sources, that's not the case. The "budget" was noticed and everything is on the table at budget time. While that may be true from a legal standpoint, it still reeks of what a friend refers to as "Government By Ambush". You can bet the farm that if members of this community had been made aware that Monahan was planning to decimate our youth after school and recreation programs there would have been a packed house of unhappy parents to speak against his move.

A HEARTLESS CITY
I agree with councilwoman Katrina Foley. With these cuts Monahan and his heartless majority have torn at the very fabric of our city. He even tried to de-fund our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), for goodness sake! Their actions will almost certainly cause young families to think hard before moving to our city. This city's motto may be, "The City of the Arts", but it will never be considered a city with a heart - Monahan took care of that last Tuesday night.

HE DEMONSTRATED HIS UNTRUSTWORTHINESS
Monahan, early in his presentation, speculated that he was going to make some people angry. Well, Gary, you did that - in spades! You demonstrated to many of those voters who were suckers enough to return you to the dais last fall that you are not to be trusted with the welfare of our city. You've proven, once again, that you are a devious politician, looking out only for his own political future. I hope the voters of this city remember last Tuesday - I'll remind them, by the way - when you trot out your plan for a directly-elected mayor (without term limits) again. Few in this city want to see you anoint yourself as "mayor for life"...

THE PRICE OF A MUNICIPAL HEART...
With the carnage Tuesday Monahan has provided us with the answer to the question, "What is the price of a municipal heart?" The answer is $100,000, give or take a couple bucks.

Monahan Mangles The Budget - And His Reputation

WHAT THE...
What The... Heck?! (I thought better about using that "other" word, although it was certainly more appropriate!) Just when you think you've seen it all, the Costa Mesa City Council provides you with a slap in the face!

RIPPED THE HEART OUT!
At last night's City Council meeting, during the budget discussions, twelve-year councilman Gary Monahan reached right in and ripped the heart out our city! As I predicted earlier, he just couldn't be satisfied with the balanced budget presented by City Manager Allan Roeder and his staff. No, he had to nickel and dime what was left of the budget, much of it coming from the Recreation programs. And the ignorance of the programs that Monahan, Allan Mansoor and Eric Bever displayed was astounding! It's as though they lived in another city!

A NICKEL HERE, A DIME THERE...
Apparently not caring what the residents of this city think, Monahan started off his "surgery" by convincing the other guys on the council to shut down the very successful Neighbors to Neighbors program - which didn't affect the budget one penny because it comes out of Community Development Block Grant funds. He moved forward by recommending defunding all training for the city council - saving $10,000. He also canceled the dinner meeting meals for the council and both commissions and the staff. There's another $12,900 in "savings"! He ignored the fact that many of the staff members that work the council and commission meetings go directly from their work desks to the dinner meeting, then to the council meeting - some of which last 5-6 hours - like last night's for example. I found myself wondering if that move will violate any state labor laws...

SOME MOVES REJECTED...
As he took his meat cleaver on down through the budget some of his most egregious moves were rejected as Bever joined Katrina Foley and Wendy Leece in voting against them. Among those were his plan to fire one of the three animal control officers - a move that very obviously ticked off Police Chief Chris Shawkey. Monahan also wanted to fire two code enforcement officers - another move that was rejected.

CERT PROGRAM SAVED
In a truly ironic move, he suggested folding up the CERT Program - our Community Emergency Response Team. I say ironic because there was an excellent article in the Daily Pilot yesterday that outlined the activities of the CERT group. That was rejected, too. Another boneheaded move was his proposal to attempt to combine unrelated youth recreation programs, even though those he was suggesting be combined were not even slightly related in scope and activities. Fortunately, Bever, Leece and Foley blocked that one, too.

MORE NICKEL AND DIMES...
He also was successful in cutting out funding for Grad Nite, our Sister City Program and youth basketball, flag football and cheerleader programs.

CHANGING PLANNING AND PARKS COMMISSION SCHEDULES
As he kept on rolling, he made some motions for future actions for the staff - those that will be left, that is. Among those was the proposal to consider having the Parks & Recreation Commission meet every other month and the Planning Commission meet only once a month. That followed the proposal that the two commissions be combined into one entity... that item is not dead.. yet.

MICRO-MANAGING THE COPS
He also proposed that the Police Department keep the Patrol Division fully staffed, regardless what other cuts in the department might occur - ignoring all the hard, time-consuming staff work done by Chief Shawkey and his team. I suppose micro-managing is not unexpected by Monahan, if you get my drift.

HE DOESN'T GET IT!
Basically, Monahan - who has 6 kids - seemed not to understand at all how cutting all those recreation programs would significantly negatively impact entire neighborhoods in our city. He tore the fabric of our town to shreds last night. He acknowledged before he began shredding the budget that he might make some people mad. Well, he certainly accomplished that last night. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if his antics don't cost him some business at his pub.

FOLEY AND MANSOOR - TOE-TO-TOE
One of the highlights for me was the heated exchanges between Foley, Mansoor and Monahan. Foley, obviously very frustrated by the flat out stupidity of some of the motions, didn't hold her tongue. In fact, she and Mansoor got into it so often - yelling at each other - that Mansoor later demanded an apology. He didn't get one.

WHAT'S LEFT OF THE RECREATION PROGRAMS?
So now the city staff, and Recreation Manager Jana Ransom, must try to figure out what is left in their budgets and find ways to move forward. Last night's budget debate - if you can call it that - demonstrated why it's important to elect people to the city council that are smarter than your average bear. The combination of ignorance and stubbornness demonstrated by Mansoor and Monahan last night made me fear for the future of our city. If things move forward as directed last night, this town will become a much less family-friendly place. That's a shame.

MANSOOR'S PANDERING ACCOMPLISHED
In other earlier actions, Mayor Mansoor got his resolution about the Vietnamese flag passed. This was accompanied by speeches by several Vietnamese-American politicians and activists and ordinary members of the Orange County Vietnamese community speaking, including a couple members of Assemblyman Van Tran's staff. Did I mention that Mansoor is running for Tran's seat in the Assembly? Don't get me wrong. I really don't have a problem with the resolution that was passed. It just seems very "convenient" for this to come up now - immediately after Mansoor declared his intention to run for Van Tran's seat. It's pure political pandering...

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
The good news is that the Orange Coast College State Champion baseball team was honored by the council. Their performance - especially in this year, with it's own special adversity - was a wonderful accomplishment. All in all, it was a sad night for the residents of Costa Mesa. It demonstrated, once again, how important it is to pay attention when you're voting for elected leaders. Even though Mansoor's term expires next year, the bad news is that Monahan may be destined to be there forever! Watch him try to resurrect the "directly elected mayor" scheme next year about this time - without term limits. I think he wants to be mayor for life - kind of like Idi Amin (Dada)...

Budget Deadline And Other Stuff

Tonight's Costa Mesa City Council should be more than a little interesting.

BIA FUNDS - AGAIN
Right off the top our municipal party people, the folks who represent the Business Improvement Area (BIA), will hear the council approve the 2% assessment on hotel and motel fees for use by the BIA to generate visitors to our city. This is tacked onto our 6% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). Usually this item is at the very end of the agenda, so the party folks will be happy tonight.

IN-N-OUT - IN OR OUT
Then the council will hear two items regarding the proposed In-N-Out restaurant at Harbor Blvd. and the 405 Freeway - the site of the defunct Kaplan's Deli. The applicant appealed both items after the Planning Commission threw them a curve ball. We'll see if the council will permit a 65 foot high sign, viewable from the freeway, or not. The second item involves maintenance of the setback.... Will the council do what is necessary to attract a highly desirable business to a location that has become a blight on that part of town? We'll see...

BUDGET DEADLINE NEARS - APPROVAL EXPECTED TONIGHT
Next are three items having to do with the 2009/2010 municipal budget. In a perfect world, these will move smoothly through the process without a lot of discussion. However, I don't really expect that to happen. I expect that the council - at least a couple of them - will attempt to nit-pick the proposal. Mayor Mansoor, for example, already said he wants some changes in the kind of meals provided to the council at their dinner meeting before the council meeting. He suggested they be cut out entirely. Katrina Foley made an excellent point when Mansoor made that suggestion at the recent study session... she pointed out that many of the council meetings run 5-6 hours, so the council should have some food before the meeting starts to keep up their energy. The point here is that we're dealing with a $19 million deficit and Mansoor wants to cut back to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Great fiscal management at work!

And, I wonder if Gary Monahan plans to try to cut the contribution the city makes to the Senior Center... one could surmise that was in his plans based on his comments at the Study Session...

GOLF COURSE CONTRACT EXTENSION
Then the council will consider the revised contract with Mesa Verde Partners (MVP) to operate the Costa Mesa Public Golf Course and Country Club.

MANSOOR PANDERING - PART DEUX
Following that item they will then consider Mayor Mansoor's request to "recognize the flag of the former Republic of Vietnam as the official flag of the Vietnamese people overseas". There's finally a staff report available which now tells us that Westminster City Councilman Andy Quach requested this item be considered. Based on information dredged up from an internet search by a friend, this item has been around for many years, so it makes one curious just why our mayor - who has announced his intention to run for the 68th State Assembly seat - would choose this particular moment in time to make this request. Don't suppose it could be because the 68th Assembly District has a very large and politically active Vietnamese-American population. What do you think?

All in all, it could be a very interesting evening in the council chambers... we'll see.