Miller Named Pilot City Editor & Sanitary District Approves Rate Increase

MICHAEL MILLER NAMED PILOT CITY EDITOR
Veteran Times Community Newsman Michael Miller has been named City Editor of the Daily Pilot, to replace the recently-departed Paul Anderson. This is good news for those of us who value the contributions of the Daily Pilot to our communities and attests to the bench strength of the Times Community News family of newspapers.

LONG, STRONG TIMES COMMUNITY NEWS BACKGROUND
Miller, whose byline will be familiar to Daily Pilot readers, has most recently been the City Editor of the Huntington Beach Independent and has done tours in Glendale and also at the Daily Pilot. He also runs his own publishing company, specializing in poetry. We wish Michael the very best in this new assignment.


COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT RATE INCREASE
I attended the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board meeting Thursday evening, to hear the reasoning behind the 10% rate increase proposed for most residential users of it's services. The meeting was an eye-opener, for sure. Held in the cramped conference at the headquarters on 19th Street - across the street from the DMV - only three non-staffers were present. In addition to myself there was a woman who wandered in on her way home from work because she had never attended any public meeting in her life and was curious, plus the grand daughter of Board Chair Arlene Schafer.

BUDGET INFORMATION FINALLY AVAILABLE
I attended mainly to try to get my hands on recent budget information. When I first heard about the proposed rate increase I wondered why such a large jump was necessary and figured a quick scan of the budget for the Sanitary District might give me a clue. I was flummoxed to find no current budget information available online. That has now been remedied, but I have not taken the time to compare the last two years - those that had been missing earlier - to see how they plan to spend the increase in revenue.

NEW GENERAL MANAGER
I do know that a decision has been made to split the job previously held by General Manager/Chief Engineer Robin Hamers into two distinct positions, with Hamers remaining as Engineer and a new person hired as the GM. Presently Donald McIntyre holds the position of "Interim General Manager". I don't know if this will double the administrative costs and how that works out since Hamers has really been a contractor, with his company providing engineering consulting support, including his presence as Chief Engineer. I don't know if Hamers will take a pay cut or if this new position will involve significant additional dollars - to be paid for every time you flush your toilet.

10% SEWER FEE INCREASE APPROVED
In any event, the board approved the increase as proposed. While a healthy percentage increase, it really only represents around $6.00 per year, per parcel served. Not much to ask to keep the effluent flowing. They received only two protests out of the more than 25,000 connections served. It's obvious to me after having attended that meeting that they could be paving the sewers with gold and no one would care.

MORE TO COME AFTER BUDGET REVIEW
More on the Sanitary District after I've had a chance to review the budgets.

Remembering My Friend, Again

MY BEST FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY
As some of you know, on this date for the past few years I have written a few words to pay homage to my best friend since we were both 5 years-old - Larry Moore. Today would have been his 68th birthday. Larry died in December, 2003 following six weeks in trauma intensive care as a result of a motorcycle accident. Although I stayed at his bedside during that time, trying to get him back, it was not to be and he succumbed to his injuries.

PROUD LAPD OFFICER
My pal was a proud member of the Los Angeles Police Department for more than 31 years - the last half of which he was the Athletic Director at the Los Angeles Police Academy, near Dodger Stadium. Even following his retirement, he remained active in law enforcement athletic events. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the California Police Athletic League - the sponsoring entity for the Western States Summer Games (formerly called the Police Olympics) and also a member and director of the international body that produced the World Police and Fire Games.

BAKER-TO-VEGAS
He and his partner on the job, Chuck Foote (also retired), created the Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay - a gut-busting relay race for public safety officers that has operated for more than a quarter century. The photo above is from a recent cover of a monthly news letter commemorating the 25th anniversary of the race and shows my pal and his partner at one of the events. Following Larry's death Chuck has kept the race on track and thriving.

TOUGHEST COP ALIVE
Larry created another event, which is now part of the "Games" mentioned above, that he called the Toughest Cop Alive (TCA). The passage of time and political correctness caused the name to change to the Toughest Competitor Alive, but the event remains the same. It's a one-day combination of activities designed to test even the toughest person, in which the competitors run, jump, climb, swim, lift and run an obstacle course to determine just who is the toughest. The event is now named for him - "Larry Moore's TCA".

LARRY'S LEGACY IS CLEAR
At my age now - two weeks younger than my pal would have been - I contemplate just what my mark will be when I'm no longer around. Larry's mark is clear and is memorialized by a bronze plaque at the Los Angeles Police Academy. He left a legacy of accomplishment and inspiration for at least two generations of law enforcement men and women, their friends and families. That was driven home to me as I fielded literally thousands of emails and telephone calls expressing concern and offering best wishes to him during his long stay in the hospital.

A "BEST FRIEND" TO MANY
Even more important, he was a man that many considered their best friend.

EXPRESS YOUR LOVE - DON'T WAIT!
So, once again on his birthday, I remember my friend and the impact he had on so many lives. And, I remind you all to tell those you love just how you feel. Don't wait.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMIGO. I MISS YOU...Geoff & Larry

Fair Board Discusses Selling The Fairgrounds

FAIR BOARD MEETING
Wednesday evening I attended the meeting of the Orange County Fair Board, held at the Costa Mesa City Council chambers. The event played to a big crowd - I estimated that nearly one hundred people were in the chambers at one time or another.


FAIR VENDORS DOMINATED THE CROWD
Most of the attendees seemed to be either Fair vendors or staff. Several members of the Costa Mesa hierarchy were in attendance, too. I saw City Manager Allan Roeder, Assistant City Manager Tom Hatch, Mayor Allan Mansoor, Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece and former Mayor Sandra Genis.

ONLY THE OC REGISTER REPRESENTED THE MEDIA
The main item on the agenda was described as, "Governors Initiative to Sell Orange County Fair & Event Center". You can read the Orange County Register's Ellyn Pak's account HERE.

MOST SPEAKERS WERE VENDORS
After Vice Chair Kristina Dodge made a motion to direct staff to hire consultants to facilitate the process the issue was opened up for public comments. Thirteen attendees rose to speak. Of those, all but two were vendors who make a good living from their business activities at the Fairgrounds.

GENIS ASKED SOME GOOD QUESTIONS
Resident and former Mayor Sandra Genis spoke, questioning the wisdom of a "non-profit" organization buying the facility and not being subject to the open meeting requirements. She also pointed out the short-comings of the board by not soliciting public comments in the form of opinion cards, as was done at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. She closed by suggesting the City of Costa Mesa buy the property and lease it back.

STILLER URGED TRANSPARENCY
Resident and former Parks & Recreation Commissioner David Stiller was the final speaker. He encouraged the Board to not be rushed into action and to keep all dealings transparent to residents and other interested parties. He suggested that this was not time for "Government By Ambush". He urged what he called "deliberate speed".

BIDDING COULD TAKE HALF A YEAR
Chair Julie Vandermost suggested that if the process that is about to be launched does not result in a satisfactory bid for the property, then Assemblyman Van Tran is prepared to present a bill to the Assembly quashing the sale plans. She indicated that this process could take six months or longer before bids are reviewed, and that the Fair Board has no say in this process.

CROWD FAVORS KEEPING IT "AS-IS"
Based on the obvious mood in the chambers, it's safe to say that no one in attendance wanted anything at all to change with the Fairgrounds and the activities conducted there. We shall see.

Adios, Mr. Anderson...

Today's a sad day for me. This is the last day at the Daily Pilot for my friend, City Editor Paul Anderson.

A NEW SEGMENT OF HIS LIFE
Tomorrow Paul begins a new and exciting segment of his life when he begins working as the Orange County Bureau Chief for City News Service - a kind of localized Associated Press. He's excited about it, as you can tell when you read in his farewell blog entry HERE.

OLD FRIENDS, WHO JUST MET
Paul and I have had an electronic and telephonic friendship for several years but, until the Daily Pilot "Meet the Editors" evening last week, had never laid eyes on each other. The photo above was taken at that meeting.

"SPIRITED" CONVERSATIONS
Since I have known him we have had some very interesting conversations. A glance at that photo will give you an idea of the generation gap between us. Believe me, that gap has created some boisterous discussions on a variety of subjects - sports, writing, politics and life in general. We disagreed as much as we agreed, but always had fun with it.

A VERY TALENTED GUY
As I've gotten to know him I have appreciated the prodigious talent that resides in that 1970s facade. Not only is he a student of the body politic, he's an excellent writer and very talented sketch artist - a part of his skill set that needs to be more fully utilized.

MY "GO-TO" GUY
Paul was my go-to guy when I had complaints or "constructive criticism" - like when they would "edit" too much of one of my submissions. He was my guy when the Pilot didn't get a story right - which didn't happen very often. And, he was my guy when I thought the Pilot covered a story particularly well and needed to tell someone.

HE WILL BE MISSED
I know Executive Editor Brady Rhoades is going to miss Paul in the newsroom - for many reasons. He's a good editor and an excellent writer. I'll miss Paul for all those reasons, plus, he's a friend.

PAUL AND MONA, SITTING IN A TREE...
So, as my pal, Paul, takes off on this new adventure with his beautiful Mona at his side, I wish him all the best. I'll follow him on his blog and his Facebook page and look forward to seeing his byline again in the future.

ADIOS, AMIGO...

Daily Pilot Editors Get It Right On Aztec Basketball

EDITORS PUT IN THEIR TWO CENTS ON AZTEC BASKETBALL
The editors of the Daily Pilot, our local newspaper of record, used their bully pulpit last Sunday to chime in on the issue of renting the Costa Mesa Downtown Recreation Center basketball court to an outfit called the Aztec Basketball League. You can read that editorial, entitled, "Leave hoops league to city staff", HERE. That league, owned and operated by Sergeant Rigoberto Baustista - a National Guard recruiter - has operated successfully and trouble-free for years out of Santa Ana, but was recently displaced by renovations at their facilities.

BAUTISTA JUST WANTED COURT TIME
Bautista approached the City of Costa Mesa a couple months ago requesting the opportunity to rent our court on Sundays, for which he was willing to pay our top rates. By utilizing the court 8 hours a week - all day Sunday - the Aztec Basketball League would displace fewer than two dozen drop-in players, some of whom are probably Costa Mesa residents, who played basketball and volleyball in the facility. The difference in revenue to the city will be almost $40,000 if the league rents it.

"THE MOUTH" INFLUENCED THE COMMISSION
At first, when this issue came before the Parks and Recreation Commission, it seemed to be getting favorable consideration until one local loudmouth, our old pal, The Mouth From Mesa North, stood and raised the specter of marauding ex-cons invading our city and terrorizing our women and children. When Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Kurt Galitski moved to approve the request you would have thought the remaining commissioners had turned to stone. Not a peep could be heard from them, much less the necessary second to Galitski's motion. The issue died a painfully peaceful death.

COMMISSION PASSED IT UNANIMOUSLY
Then, in response to much community uproar - including comments that their decision, or lack of one, was racially motivated - Vice Chair Mike Brumbaugh brought the issue back for re-consideration at their next meeting. This time Sergeant Bautista was present to plead his case. The short version is that the commission approved the contract unanimously.

BIZARRE BEVER BROUGHT IT UP
Then, for whatever reason he might have had in his strange brain, City Councilman Eric Bever brought the issue to the City Council for review, which launched one of the most bizarre discussions I can recall. For example, as part of his discussion Bever suggested that we should negotiate a higher rate from Bautista, even though he was willing to pay our top rate. What do we call that - a Mexican surcharge?

BAUTISTA HAD NO CHOICE
Mayor Allan Mansoor - already running for Van Tran's Assembly seat - apparently had some contact with Sergeant Bautista and managed to convince him to change the name of his organization. Apparently he was concerned that Costa Mesa residents might feel that they were not welcome into a league that sounded too Mexican. Mansoor proposed that the contract be let to Bautista, who would manage the "Costa Mesa Basketball League on Sundays". Councilwoman Katrina Foley - aghast that the mayor had the nerve to require a business owner to change the name of his business - tried to get the mayor to respond to her questions. He simply - that's the only way he operates - restated his motion.

NOT-TOO-VEILED BIAS
For those of us who have watched Mansoor in action for most of this past decade, his intent was clear. He didn't want a business that reeked of Latino roots to be doing business in our facility. He didn't want Costa Mesa residents to be confused about the name and, hence, their opportunity to participate. This pronouncement was in spite of the fact that many Costa Mesa residents and teams already participate in the Aztec Basketball League.

THE EDITORS GOT IT RIGHT!
In their editorial, the Daily Pilot editors drive right to the heart of the issue. Their last paragraph begins with this sentence: "This is micromanaging on a level that's beyond comic." They finished their piece with this sentence: "Best to leave the management of basketball leagues to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the city staff." I couldn't agree more!

OBVIOUS AFFLICTION
It has become increasingly more clear as time passes that Mansoor - and to some extent Eric Bever and Gary Monahan - have become afflicted with BenitoAcostaPhobia - the fear and loathing of anything sounding Mexican. It's obvious that it continues to cloud Mansoor's judgment, just as it was clouded that fateful evening when he violated Benito Acosta's rights as a speaker before the City Council that has resulted in a lawsuit against him and the city.

WHAT WILL HIS NEW CONSTITUENTS THINK?
I find myself continuing to wonder how his new constituent base in the 68th Assembly District will interpret his anti-Latino actions. Will the large Vietnamese-American group wonder how broad his racial bias goes? They should. The Latinos already know how he feels about them...

CHANGE THE CITY AND OTHER BUSINESSES?
The editors suggested, I'm sure tongue-in-cheek, that, following Mansoor's logic, we should change the name of our city from Costa Mesa to Coastal Table - to avoid sounding too Mexican. In a blog comment in the Daily Pilot I recently wondered if the mayor will require Mi Casa, El Ranchito and Acapulco restaurants to change their names because people might think they are exclusively for people of Latino heritage. This is how ridiculous this issue has become.

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES
The residents of this city are poorly served when it's highest elected official - the mayor - so flagrantly exercises his own racial bias in the conduct of his job. The mayor and his former pal, Bever, should be ashamed of themselves. The voters of this city deserve much, much more from it's elected leaders. It's one thing when they display their stupidity - they can't help that. It's an entirely different story when they blatantly display their racial bias...

Watching Waves and Daily Pilot Raves

Recapping some events that occurred before my sweet wife and I took off for a much-needed relaxing weekend away...

THURSDAY WEDGE RECON
Thursday we grabbed a couple sandwiches and scooted down to The Wedge to see if the promised big waves had materialized. A couple hundred souls stood around the base of the jetty, hoping for some bone-busting boomers, but none of the really big ones had yet occurred. The surf was mild - sets of 4-6 feet - and the high tide at noon brought the water up over the berm, much to the surprise of some photographers.

GILE ON THE JOB
Channel 2 and 9 reporter Michele Gile, shown here intereviewing a Newport Beach Lifeguard Captain, was on hand to get some early comments for their 2 p.m. newscast.

SAD NEWS LATER
We found out later that one unfortunate 50 year-old body surfer from Lawndale lost his life as the unpredictable waves smashed him against the rocks. His story was all over the Los Angeles television news ever since.

MEET THE EDITORS
That evening we attended the "meet, greet and eat" event sponsored by the Daily Pilot. Executive Editor Brady Rhoades and outgoing City Editor Paul Anderson were on hand to answer questions fired at them by a couple dozen loyal readers. You can read Rhoades' blog about the event HERE and Anderson's HERE.

GOOD FOLKS, GOOD FOOD
This was a terrific event, with serious questions posed to the editors. The Egans and Gluecks, local activists and occasional Daily Pilot contributors, were among those enjoying the terrific food served up by the good folks at The Newport Rib Company.

ROB DICKSON JUGGLING EVENTS
Frequent writer and participant on the Daily Pilot blog, Rob Dickson, showed up with his fiance and managed to get in a couple comments before departing early for a prior commitment.

FOLEY FIELDS FACEBOOK QUESTIONS
Ubiquitous Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley made the event, too, and fielded questions from her Facebook Friends and relayed them to Rhoades and Anderson. I'm convinced that Foley is actually triplets, and that she actually can be in three places at once!

GOOD EVENT - WE NEED MORE OF THEM
In my opinion, this event was a rousing success. For me it was bittersweet, though. I finally got the chance to meet Paul Anderson face-to-face at a time when he's about to depart for his new job as Bureau Chief for City News Service's Orange County bureau in Santa Ana. I hope Rhoades finds a way to perpetuate this series, to help him and his editorial staff stay in touch with the community.

Newport Blvd. Widening Dedication Ceremony

GLORIOUS DAY FOR A GREAT EVENT
On a more than typical glorious Costa Mesa afternoon today Costa Mesa city officials, other dignitaries and a few just plain old residents gathered on the plaza of our municipal oxymoron, Triangle Square, to dedicate the completion of the Newport Boulevard widening project and the placement of the historical plaques around town.

A NECESSARY STOP-GAP PLAN
This much beleaguered project - viewed by some as unnecessary and a waste of taxpayers money - was designed as a stop-gap measure to attempt to relieve some of the traffic pressure on Newport Boulevard as it transits from the terminus of the Costa Mesa Freeway to the Newport Beach city limits at 16th Street.

KEEP 100,000 CARS A DAY MOVING
The major thrust of the project was to add on complete outbound - northeast bound - lane for the length of the project and a short, but very necessary, southbound lane adjacent to Triangle Square. Other improvements included intersection enhancements and signal synchronization.

SMOOTH AS SILK
Before the dedication today I drove the length of the project northbound in the new, right-hand lane. Wow! The traffic moved smoothly and the project looked great! When the landscaping is completed and grows just a little bit this stretch of highway will be one of the best in our city.

LEECE PRESIDED
Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece presided over the festivities, with City Manager Allan Roeder carrying the ball most of the time. He thanked Peter Naghavi, Public Services Director, for his patience and tenacity on this project. I spoke with Naghavi briefly and he reported that virtually no complaints had been registered with the city during this project - due mainly to the fact that almost all the work was done from 10 p.m. - 6 a.m. And, as Roeder and Leece pointed out, this project came in on time and UNDER budget - no mean feat these days.

MOORLACH LANDS A ZINGER
Other speakers included Supervisor John Moorlach, a Costa Mesa resident and big fan of this project, who took the opportunity to zing the absent state officials about the budget; Councilwoman Katrina Foley; Ed Fawcett, representing the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce and Margaret Johnson, representing the Costa Mesa Historical Preservation Committee - the group responsible for the creation and placement of the historical marker plaques in the "Old Town" section of town adjacent to Triangle Square and elsewhere. Representative of State Senator Tom Harman and Assemblyman Van Tran also spoke and presented proclamations to the city on this project.

GARLICH ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED
Also honored was my friend, Bruce Garlich, for his leadership on the Downtown and Eastside Ad Hoc Committee, which generated the first kernel of the idea for this project. Garlich, (shown here on the left with long time Westside activist Tom Egan), is a former Planning Commissioner and two-time City Council candidate and heavily involved in many community organizations - the Boys and Girls Club and the Costa Mesa Senior Center, for example.

OTHERS ON THE PLAZA...
I will certainly miss some of the other folks in attendance, but I did briefly see former mayor and current President of the Orange County Transportation Authority, Peter Buffa, Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Kurt Galitski (Shown with Recreation Division Manager Jana Ransom) and commissioners Terry Shaw and Jeff Mathews and a full cadre of city staffers who worked on this project. Also in attendance was long time Eastside resident and activist Beth Refakes (Shown with videographer Brad Long).

THE DAILY VOICE COVERED THE EVENT
It was interesting to note that two Johnsons, Lana and Tom, from the fledgling online newspaper, The Daily Voice, were there to cover the event, but I didn't see anyone from the Daily Pilot in attendance. Tom Johnson is the co-publisher of this new venture with former Daily Pilot editor and Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Lobdell. Their offices are right across the street, so they just skipped across Newport Boulevard to make the event.

FINE FOOD
Great grub was provided to the attendees by the good folks from The Yardhouse and Chronic Taco.

PROJECT ON TIME AND UNDER BUDGET!
In these difficult financial times - we still don't know how we will be able to balance the budget due to the malfeasance of our buddies in Sacramento - it was a real pleasure to see a project like this one get completed in such a timely manner and well within the projected budget.

KUDOS TO ALL - ESPECIALLY ROEDER AND NAGHAVI
Congratulations to all concerned, and especially to Allan Roeder, Peter Naghavi and the staff for their hard work and persistence that got the job done. Every Costa Mesa resident should be proud of this project.

New Basketball League - YES, Aztecs - NO

NEW BASKETBALL LEAGUE APPROVED
It was no surprise to me that the Costa Mesa City Council approved the contract with a new basketball league to use the Downtown Recreation Center, initially for six months, with a possible extension of a second six months period. Eric Bever's attempt to derail this contract was defeated on a 4-1 vote - Bever, of course, voting no.

MANSOOR'S ANTI-LATINO BIAS ON DISPLAY
What did surprise and disappoint me that our mayor, Allan Mansoor, was so willing to display his very obvious anti-Latino bias. During his motion Mansoor indicated that the contract would be between Rigoberto Bautista to manage the "Costa Mesa Weekend Basketball League" on Sundays.

FOLEY PRESSED FOR CLARIFICATION
Katrina Foley pressed Mansoor for a clarification because it seemed like Mansoor was requiring Sergeant Bautista to change the name of his business, Aztec Basketball League, as a condition of approval of his request to rent the facility. Mansoor dodged that question several times and never did answer it question directly, but it was clear to all present what he was doing. In fact, he refused to even say the words, "Aztec Basketball League".

BLATANT BIAS
This was the most blatant example of anti-Latino bias I can remember being displayed by a sitting Costa Mesa council member, much less a mayor. It was obvious from his discussion that he wouldn't even consider an entity called "Aztec Basketball League" in our city.

FESTERING BOIL
I suspect this is a deep-seated bias - one that has been made more obvious by Mansoor's legal difficulties with Benito Acosta. I think the legal action with Acosta is a festering boil for Mansoor and anything that reminds him of it is going to get short shrift during deliberations.

NO SURPRISE - "THE MOUTH" ATTACKS
One speaker, The Mouth From Mesa North, again tried to fan the flames of intolerance on this issue. He also took the opportunity to blast Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Kurt Galitski - a man who has demonstrated that he won't take any of The Mouth's crap.

WHAT WILL MANSOOR'S MINORITY CONSTITUENTS THINK?
Mansoor is in full campaign mode now, gathering cash for his run for Van Tran's 68th Assembly District seat. As I watched him in action last night I found myself wondering how the various minority factions in the District will react to his clear bias. Will they have second thoughts about his assembly candidacy?

Hoop Dreams To Retirement Schemes - We've Got It All

It looks to me as though the City Council meeting tomorrow night will be full of fun.

BEVER'S ANTI-HOOPS DREAM
The first public hearing will be Eric Bever's dredging up of the Aztec Basketball League issue. I guess, based on his public pronouncements, old Eric is worried that a paying customer like this league will inflict unnecessary wear and tear on the basketball floor and other elements of the Downtown Recreation Center. Geez, that's what it's for, Eric! Right now it's severely under-utilized on Sunday and this contract resolves that issue. Do you think it's possible that, because Benito Acosta has taken an Aztec name, Bever doesn't want that word associated with anything in Costa Mesa?

MESSIN' WITH THE PLAN
Then the council will tinker with the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan. This one makes me nervous because this particular council has demonstrated some strange behavior in the past on Westside issues. It doesn't make me feel any better knowing that our municipal racist laureate, our old buddy, The Mouth From Mesa North, will most likely be there, fanning the flames and telling the council to get off their butts and get things changed on the Westside NOW!

CHANGING FILMING REGULATIONS
Then they address permits for outdoor filming in our city... One must assume this was generated in response to the recent Trinity Christian Center dust-up... Passage of this amendment would preclude any organization that has already received a conditional use permit from the requirement of a specific permit to film on a specific date.

SHOPPING CARTS
Under "Old Business" the council will give second reading to an ordinance requiring all vendors who provide 15 or more shopping carts for their customer's use to install a method of guaranteeing that those carts don't stray from their parking lots and litter our neighborhoods with lost carts. Presently we pay a contractor to round up any stray carts to the tune of $48,000 per year.

SWEETENING THE RETIREMENT POT
For the grand finale tomorrow night the council will consider an amendment to our contract with CalPERS to facilitate the proposed early retirement option that is part of the ten-point plan to balance this year's budget. I suspect this item might generate some interesting discussion. It's my understanding that the city hopes that 50 of the 145 people eligible for early retirement under that plan will do so, and that approximately half of those positions would not be filled. I think they may get a much bigger positive response to this plan, which may make life more than a little complicated for those department managers trying to maintain satisfactory service levels.