A FEW FACTS AND A LOT OF OPINION
Copyright 2006-2024 - Geoff West
All Rights Reserved
Monday, May 31, 2010
Remembering A Dear Friend
BARBARA JUNE STANFIELD
August 18, 1928 - May 27, 2010
On this glorious Memorial Day holiday weekend, as most of us stop to pay our respects to more than one million fallen men and women who served our country proudly in many wars in far away places and made the ultimate sacrifice, I also pause to remember a dear neighbor who passed away last Thursday afternoon.
FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR FOR DECADES Barbara June Stanfield has been our neighbor ever since we moved to our current home almost 37 years ago. She and her husband, Wayne, have been the best neighbors you could wish for over all these years. We met them the first time on the very first day we were in our new home. I had a clogged shower and interrupted them as they were about to embark on a Model "A" ride to borrow a ladder so I could try to unplug it. Three hours later Wayne - a plumber by trade - had unplugged the drain and launched a great friendship between our families.
BANNING BORN AND BRED Barbara was born in Banning on August 18, 1928 and attended public schools in that community. An outstanding student, she graduates high school at age 16 and briefly attended the University of Redlands. She met her future husband as a child and they were sweethearts since age 13. They married on May 4th, 1947, recently celebrating their 63rd year of marital bliss.
LIKE TWO TURTLE DOVES As I looked through old photos for her family it was almost impossible to find one of her alone. Practically all of them were of her with Wayne, which is not surprising, since they've done EVERYTHING together throughout their married life.
SHE WALKED THE WALK Barbara was a devout Christian who led her life by example, demonstrating to all around her a life of faith, patience, persistence, loyalty and love. Throughout her lifetime she was known as a fun and loving woman, with a quick wit, a luminous smile and a spirit that made you feel welcome, whether a family member, neighbor, friend or simply a stranger.
MADE EVERYTHING AROUND HER MORE BEAUTIFUL With the skilled eye for detail, scale and perspective of a person with an early desire to be an architect and a tireless work ethic, Barbara created a beautiful home for her family and guided friends and neighbors with their own interior design and landscaping challenges.
READY FOR ADVENTURE Always ready for a new adventure, Barbara loved outings with Wayne, their family and extended family of friends and neighbors - including my wife and myself. She and Wayne traversed the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in a wooden dory; explored Lake Powell during the time it was filling for the first time; discovered far away adventures in their motor home and loved touring the desert back-country in their dune buggy with a gaggle of friends in tow.
LAKE HAVASU/COSTA MESA For more than half-century she helped operate the family business, Stanfield Plumbing Company, in Costa Mesa. Her husband and their son did the plumbing and she did the books. Upon their retirement Barbara and Wayne spend much of their time at their vacation home at Lake Havasu, Arizona, where they enjoyed a quiet, yet full life helping neighbors and turning their little getaway home into a showplace. In recent years they returned full time to their home in Costa Mesa, where temperate climate and the embrace of their family awaited.
A LOVING CLAN SURVIVES HER In addition to her devoted husband, Wayne, Barbara is survived by their son, Wayne Kent Stanfield (Theresa) of Santa Ana, daughter Cathy Binnquist (Bruce) of Costa Mesa, four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
WE WILL MISS HER We will miss our friend, who welcomed us into their family and provided us with much joy and wise counsel over the years. We will miss the twinkle in her eye and her example of a life well-lived.
EIGHT DECADES OF LOVE AND DEVOTION Barbara passed away at age 81 at Hoag Hospital Thursday afternoon after a short stay. A celebration of her life will be held at the family home in Costa Mesa on June 2nd. Private inurnment services will be held in Banning at a future date.
(4402 Americans buried at Florence American Military Cemetery, south of Florence, Italy)
WHAT IS MEMORIAL DAY? As we approach this long Memorial Day holiday weekend we here at A Bubbling Cauldron hope you will find some time to stop and contemplate exactly what this holiday is all about. In case your memory is a little vague on the subject, Wikipedia provides you with a little help, HERE.
LIVES LOST To remind you just why we honor our fallen troops, here's a little chart that will give you some perspective. It tallies up more than a million lives lost in combat fighting to defend our country. This weekend please bow your head in gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. REPRISE A couple years ago I wrote about this holiday. I think you may find that entry worth re-reading HERE.
NEVER FORGET Now, let singer LeAnn Rimes help you contemplate this holiday.
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT WEST MEETING Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours with two members of the Facilities Management West team, Guy Lemmon and Kathi Crowley, discussing their firm's participation in the quest to purchase the Orange County Fair and Event Center.
CITY PRESS RELEASE Wednesday the City of Costa Mesa produced a press release outlining the current status of negotiations with Facilities Managment West. Here is the text of that press release:
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Allan L. Roeder City Manager (714) 754-5328
Kathy Crowley Facilities Management West 9949) 433-8207
May 25, 2010
Costa Mesa, California - City of Costa Mesa and Facilities Management West Move Forward on Public Ownership of Orange County Fair and Events Center
The City of Costa Mesa, through the Orange County Fairgrounds Authority, and Facilities Management West (FMW) are moving forward with efforts to secure from the State of California continued public ownership of the Orange County Fair and Events Center (OCFEC) and to meet the schedule set forth by State officials.
"We were encouraged by our joint meeting last Thursday in the Governor's office and are committed to achieve a signed purchase agreement with the State by June 7, and completing the purchase by September 30," said Allan Roeder, Costa Mesa City Manager. A long term lease agreement between FMW and the Fairgrounds Authority is being drafted. The agreement will be structured to achieve the City's and FMW's goal that the OCFEC continue in public ownership.
"We believe that under the proposed public ownership and lease operating structure, existing fair related facilities, venues and community uses can be retained and improved," commented Guy Lemmon, spokesman for FMW. "We are focused on how these many activities can be made more friendly, more modern and more efficient."
Lemmon said that it is the intention of FMW to:
• Maintain and enhance the existing equestrian uses and related community programming on the fairgrounds property;
• Retain Centennial Farms as a park-like use, operated to encourage even broader community use;
• Host the annual Orange County Fair and continue the 50 year tradition of celebrating arts, entertainment, crafts, community service and family fun;
• Preserve the Youth Expo and its widely praised educational, recreational, cultural and social development programs for children and youth;
• Honor and seek to extend existing agreements with surrounding property owners for reciprocal parking and other cooperative joint uses;
• Continue existing arrangements and understandings with the community with regard to functions, events, services and operations; and
• Give existing employees of the OCFEC priority consideration for retention by Ovations-Fanfare, which has been retained by FMW to assist in the operation of the fairgrounds.
Lemmon said that discussions between FMW and the City of Costa Mesa have produced ideas "we intend to explore for new uses of the fairground facilities", including:
• Creating a singe ticketing operation and other operational efficiencies for the OCFEC;
• Expanding the use of the Pacific Amphitheater with improved marketing and booking strategies while remaining a good neighbor to surrounding residents;
• Expanding the use of the facility as an Exposition Center by increasing the number and length of events beyond what now exist;
• Establishing an advisory group of individuals with strong community and OCFEC connections to offer suggestions and counsel to the FMW organization; and
• Operating complementary facilities for the exposition functions and expanded food and beverage facilities.
Lemmon explained that FMW - under the anticipated terms of the long term lease with the Fairgrounds Authority - will retain Ovations-Fanfare to assist FMW in the operations of the fairgrounds and related activities. "Ovations-Fanfare is already well grounded in the real life, day to day operations of the fair as a result of its 15 year history of providing food and beverage services there," Lemmon said.
Ovations-Fanfare operates nine fair facilities in the state of California - including Cal Expo - and has more than 20 years experience in the fair and exposition business. Ovations-Fanfare is a subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor, a national entertainment and event management firm.
Lemmon noted that FMW decided to compete for the fairground operations package submitted to bidders by the City of Costa Mesa because OCFEC represents the kind of long term investment favored by FMW's president, Ken E. Fait, a long time resident of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Additionally, he said, the Fait family and local individuals it brought into the proposal share a genuine affection for the fair and its connection to the county's agrarian roots.
The Fait Family Trust, owned by Ken E. Fait and other members of the Fait family, is a diversified investment firm with interests in numerous companies, including energy, commercial real estate, mobile home communities, engineering, computer software and a cattle operation.
The FMW investment team includes the Fait Family Trust, Richard Dick and David Pyle. Richard Dick, a Costa Mesa resident, has developed a number of successful retail and residential properties throughout Southern California in the past 40 years. Raised on a farm in Illinois, at the beginning of his career he sold agricultural products, kindling a lifelong passion for agriculture and local fairs.
David A. Pyle was also invited by the Fait family to join the proposing team. For more than three decades, Mr. Pyle has been a leader and innovator in the private, postsecondary education community. He is the owner of American Career College and West Coast University with corporate offices in Costa Mesa serving over 7,000 students on six campuses. both schools are health care educators with campuses located in southern California. Pyle is another longtime Orange County resident since his parents bought a home on Balboa Island in 1960. he supports a number of community based education and health care organizations including; the Orangewood Children Foundation's, Kidworks in Santa Ana, Hoag Hospital Marion Knott School of Nursing and "Circle 1000", Newport Heights Elementary School Foundation and Newport Harbor High School Foundation.
"We are honored to have been selected by the City as its partner in the monumental effort to secure continued public ownership of the fairgrounds," Lemmon said. "We are committed to achieving the schedule set by the State and look forward to concluding the process in a positive fashion."
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NEW TIGHT TIMETABLE Perhaps the biggest news from that press release is that the City representatives along with folks from Facilities Management West will, once again, travel to Sacramento on June 7th to achieve a signed purchase agreement with the State.
LATE ADDED STARTER You may recall that Facilities Management West was a late starter in this process. Although one of the original bidders in what may have been the shortest auction in the history of auctions, they were ranked second to American Fairs and Festivals when the City decided to seek partners to purchase the Fairgrounds. Negotiations with American Fairs and Festivals fell apart - some speculate it was because the City couldn't arrive at a satisfactory financial agreement with them.
CURIOUS TIMING In any event, in a curiously abrupt addition to the agenda for a closed session meeting, Facilities Management West was added to the mix and, at the closed session, was selected as the exclusive bidder with whom the City would move forward.
PRESS RELEASE HAS OUTLINE The press release clearly outlines the major pieces of Facilities Management West's proposal, which now includes a public ownership element that was missing previously and may have been the reason they were ranked second. Those were re-emphasized by Lemmon and Crowley during our conversation.
FINANCIAL DETAILS UNAVAILABLE No details of their offer are available at this time. We hope the City will release some of the particulars, as they did with the American Fairs and Festivals proposal, in the very near future. The press release indicates that City officials hope to complete the sale by September 30th. When I mentioned to Lemmon that closing the deal at that late date is going to create big problems re-signing contracts with existing tenants, all of which expire November 1st, he agreed and expressed hope that the deal could be consummated well before that date.
OUR "CONSULTANTS" DID WELL During our conversation Lemmon volunteered that the City's recently added consultants, Jim Righeimer, David Ball and Rick Kapko, were excellent additions to the team. He felt they had the City's best interests at heart and asked some tough but fair questions.
MICKADEIT'S PART ONE I apparently was part of a community outreach effort because yesterday Lemmon met with Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit. The first of his two-part report can be read HERE.
I LEFT ENCOURAGED I left my meeting with the folks from Facilities Management West encouraged by their enthusiasm and their plans as outlined in the press release. Of course, much needs to be done in the week that remains before the next trip to Sacramento. The proof will be in the deal...
MANSOOR VIDEO EXPLANATION In the meantime, there lingers the bitter after taste of Mayor Allan Mansoor's recent "Rule of Law City" resolution. This resolution, which he explained in detail to the Orange County Register in this video clip, has caused a firestorm of controversy.
ANGRY RUMBLINGS BEING HEARD I continue to hear rumblings, some of them from highly placed individuals in state government, that this resolution - clearly a ploy to grab the campaign spotlight with an incendiary issue - has so rankled Latino members of the legislature that there is strong consideration being given to punishing the City of Costa Mesa by not permitting the sale of the Fairgrounds to go through. It seems very likely to me that, if they chose to block the sale, there's not much that could stop them. The legislature is Democrat-controlled, so it would be easy for them to simply lock the essential bill into committee, effectively quashing it. They wouldn't even have to put it to a vote.
BREAKING NEWS:At 2:35 Thursday the Orange County Register posted an article, HERE, that confirms the above apprehension.
WE HOPE GOOD JUDGMENT PREVAILS One would hope that the legislators wouldn't let one stupid, opportunistic, partisan political move by our mayor - one that really changes nothing in our city - cloud their judgment when it comes to the Fairground sale. The City of Costa Mesa, State representatives and bidders have all spent countless hours crafting an acceptable bid that could perpetuate the historical and cultural icon that is the Orange County Fair and Event Center into the future. It would be a shame to have partisan pique block the sale.
WAITING AND HOPING I guess we can only sit and wait, hoping that the City and Facilities Management West can hammer out a deal and present it on June 7th, that the State finds it acceptable and that the legislature will do it's part and process the necessary legislation with dispatch.
TIME FOR A MID-WEEK STRETCH Tired of all the Fairgrounds and Budget drama? Me, too. Here's a little personal story to brighten your day.
WARNING - CAT STORY AHEAD For the past few months there has been a strange cat wandering our neighborhood. The local "cat ladies" were in a tizzy because they suspected "she" was preggers. That sets the scene...
POGO STICKING CAT For a few weeks I've heard "something" jumping over my front gate, right beside my office. Never saw a critter, but suspected it might be a cat or one of the numerous squirrels that inhabit our neighborhood... never gave it much thought. Then, last Sunday, as I interrupted some very important television watching to make a supervisory visit to my wife who was sweeping beside our dormant dune buggy - poor girl needs constant supervision - I saw this cat jump our front gate, see us standing beside the buggy and immediately bounce right on over my neighbor's fence like it was on a pogo stick.
DUH! Well, the light came on for both the sweeper and supervisor and we decided to check the dune buggy. Now, understand, this old Meyers-Manx buggy has been sitting there, covered, for several years. It's street-legal and licensed and insured, but our buggying days are over. So, there it sits, beside the house, all snuggly wrapped in a nice brown plastic tarp - secure from weather and anything else, or so we thought.
KITTIES AMONG THE NUTSHELLS When we carefully pulled off the tarps - there's another one under the brown one - and peeked inside we found four kittens scrunched behind the passenger seat. There they huddled, on the carpet and my half-roll of paper towels, amidst nutshells apparently deposited by squirrels before Momma Cat decided it was a lovely place to drop her brood.
WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO? Well, this event required a convening of the neighborhood "cat ladies", in even more of a tizzy now. Much discussion ensued about what to do with the kitties - I returned to my important television-watching, leaving them to decide, with the admonition that the cats were going, and soon. They decided we should cover up the buggy again because they looked too young to move - 3 weeks old, maybe.
TOO YOUNG TO JETTISON The next day, Monday, my personal sweeper - as a committee of one - inflated her business telephone bill trying to find some entity to take the felines off our hands. No luck. The kitties were too young - Drat!
LOTS OF "GATE" ACTIVITY In the meantime, I kept hearing something climbing my gate during the day. Couldn't see it and didn't want to disturb it if it was Momma Cat coming to feed the kitties. The only thing worse than a litter of critters in my dune buggy would be a litter of dead critters in my dune buggy!
GONE! That evening I got a call from one of the "cat ladies", demanding that I go inspect the buggy. So, since my personal sweeper was out, I was required to stop what I was doing and drag my old carcass outside at sunset and uncover the buggy - fully expecting a protective Momma Cat to pounce on me. Did I mention I'm not a "cat guy"? So, I dragged the covers back and, BINGO!, no kitties! Seems Momma Cat had been moving them, one at a time, from their little nest in my buggy to somewhere else - thank goodness. I'm still trying to imagine her, kitten in her mouth, leaping my six-foot gate and then carrying each one to a new safer place - four times. It took her all day.
FIRST THE KITTIES, NOW THE BUGGY So, with that behind us - and with friends and strangers still calling about wanting one of the kitties - the next step is to finally get rid of the buggy. Know anybody who wants a project buggy? Happy ending all around - I think.
THAT WAS QUICK! After only four months of operation, the fledgling Orange County Local News Network is gone - poof!
SHUT DOWN YESTERDAY WITHOUT NOTICE As reported HERE in the Orange County Business Journal, OCLNN ceased operations yesterday, Monday, May 24th. Calls to their number went directly to voicemail.
YEP, THEY'RE ALL GONE The reported 20 staffers were domiciled adjacent to the Daily Pilot and other Times Community News entities in the Los Angeles Times facility on Sunflower in Costa Mesa. A call to the Daily Pilot confirmed that the entire OCLNN staff was laid off yesterday and that the space they occupied now holds only echoes.
NO REASON GIVEN FOR THE CLOSURE I've followed the OCLNN since it launched earlier this year and thought they were doing a pretty good job of providing timely original content and relevant aggregated local news from other sources. No reason for its failure was given in the OC Business Journal article, although some might speculate that they had difficulties attracting advertising revenue, without which any news organization will fail.
WHAT ABOUT THE NEWPORT BEACH INDEPENDENT? I cannot help but wonder about the future of the former Newport Mesa Daily Voice, which recently morphed into the Newport Beach Independent when former Daily Pilot publisher, Tom Johnson, sold the Daily Voice to an outfit in Laguna Beach and is now operating the Independent. There will be no Costa Mesa component in this modified venture and, based on its new look, it will continue to aggregate content from other sources with a little original content in the form of columnists. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that this venture succeeds.
GENERAL PLAN STRATEGIC MOVE As part of the strategy implemented by the City of Costa Mesa to retain the Orange County Fair and Event Center as it is today, the City Council recently approved a General Plan amendment that locks in the uses for that 150 acre site to it's current - or similar - uses.
NO DISSENTING VOICE HEARD I've lived in Costa Mesa going on 37 years now and I don't recall any issue that has generated such interest and that brought together so many diverse constituencies toward a common goal - keeping the Fairgrounds as-is. Although there were many different paths toward that goal expressed, I don't recall any local voice advocating the sale of the Fairgrounds for anything except it's current basket of uses.
MEASURE "C" IS INSURANCE However, since it only takes three votes of the council to change that restriction and council members come and go like the tides, the current council also approved placing on the June 8th, 2010 ballot a measure - Measure "C" - that, if passed by the voters of Costa Mesa, will further lock in that zoning. Any changes made in the future will require another vote of the people to implement.
BALLOT LANGUAGE The ballot language is pretty straightforward:
"General Plan Designation of Orange County Fair and Event CenterShould an ordinance be adopted confirming the General Plan Designation for the Orange County Fair and Event Center as it is set forth in the General Plan as amended by GP-09-01 which amended the fairground land use designation in the Land Use Element of the 2000 General Plan to describe and maintain current fair and event uses on the site and requiring that further amendment be made only upon majority vote of the electorate?"
COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE Trying to get a broad perspective on this subject for you to consider, I asked several members of the community to give me their take on it. This next segment is a compilation of those views.
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Greg Ridge, Westside Resident and "Derail The Sale" Activist "The Orange County Fairgrounds is a tremendous legacy. We were given this asset from our fathers, to steward and enjoy, until we cold pass it on to our children and their future generations. Unfortunately, that stewardship has been corrupted and found severely lacking from those entrusted with it's care and preservation. Measure "C" will firmly place the future use of the Fairground property into the hands of the voters.
Time and again we have witnessed politicians eyeing the fairgrounds to solve their fiscal over-spending. The current battles being waged over the future of the Fairgrounds were started by politicians and appointed political insiders, in back room deals that completely excluded the community at large. The passage of Measure "C" is how we take it back.
Currently the Fairgrounds is zoned for usage through the city of Costa Mesa's General Plan. A simple majority amendment from the city council could change the future of the Fairgrounds forever. The passage of Measure "C" will take that power from a simple "three vote" council majority and put it back into the hands of the community. Any future changes regarding the zoning and "usage" of the Fairgrounds would have to come before the voters.
Our "public" Fairgrounds will finally be protected by a public majority. That majority will be made up entirely of Costa Mesa registered voters that live, work, travel in around the Fairgrounds everyday.
The city is currently in negotiations with a private entity to purchase the fairgrounds for the state. What that actually means for the future of the Fairgrounds is far from certain. The devil is always in the details. One thing is certain. measure"C" is the most secure mechanism to protect "our taxpayer" owned asset from being sold off by desperate politicians and greedy developers.
Please, get out and VOTE YES on Measure "C"... Keep our Fairgrounds "Public"."
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Chris McEvoy, former and future City Council candidate "Measure C is important for the future of the Orange County Fair and Events Center which is home to the O.C. Fair, the O.C. Swap Meet/Marketplace and many other community treasures.
I believe as do others that Measure C contributed to low bids for the OCFEC auction which in effect put Costa Mesa directly in negotiations with the State for the OCFEC and the 32nd District Agricultural Association and I further believe that the outcome of Measure C will be one of the deciding factors the State must consider in moving forward with the sale.
I like the idea of the Orange County Fair and Event Center not developing into something else, which Measure C accomplishes and I like the idea of Costa Mesa owning the OCFEC, which I believe Measure C helps. For these reasons I will be voting yes on Measure C."
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Sandra Genis, Former Mayor and President of the Orange County Fairgrounds Preservation Society "Measure C puts decisions about future land use at the fairgrounds in the hands of Costa Mesa voters--not politicians. The surest protection we have, not only for the fairgrounds but for our community as a whole, is the informed voter. Vote yes on C!"
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Councilwoman Katrina Foley, Member of City negotiating team "The 150 acres that our community claims as the OC Fair & Event Center is prime real estate. Developers can't help but see its potential development as housing, apartments, hotels, strip malls and the like. That's why locking in the existing zoning and protecting the fairgrounds, marketplace, equestrian center and amphitheater is critical now.
This vote will send a strong message to our current and future leaders about what the residents prefer. Anything less than a supermajority will signal an opening. Don't let it happen. Vote yes on C."
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Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece "Frankly, I don't know anyone who is opposed to Measure C. When I cast my vote, I'll be doing it for my grandchildren and future generations who will be able to know the fun and food our family has enjoyed for many years at the OC Fair."
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Councilman Gary Monahan, Member of City negotiating team "Passage of Measure C is crucial to the preservation of the fairgrounds. Measure C locks in the current zoning as a Fair & Events Center. This provides that housing, high rises, commercial development etc..cannot take place without going back to the voters. It's the strongest statement that the voters of Costa Mesa can make to the State of California that we want to keep and save our fair!"
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OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS Although I was unsuccessful in finding anyone to speak on the record against Measure "C", some opponents may tell you that we don't know what the future holds and that by putting a stranglehold on that prime piece of real estate we could stifle future growth and prosperity in Costa Mesa. After all, they will say, Costa Mesa is a "built-out" city, with very few parcels left available for development.
CIRCUMSTANCES MAY CHANGE They may say that circumstances in the future may make it palatable to consider more diverse development of the Fairgrounds site. Such circumstances as the expansion of Orange Coast College, for example, might make modification of the zoning desirable.
ZONING BY BALLOT BOX They may say, with some validity, that zoning decisions made at the ballot box tend to be bad decisions. I don't disagree with that philosophy in general terms, but this is a little different. The current City Council has had the wisdom to foresee the potential for capricious changes when they voted to place Measure "C" on the ballot.
REGISTER SAYS "NO" The Orange County Register, in both an article and on their editorial pages, recommended a "No" vote on Measure "C". Their reasoning is basically "the state is broke and needs the money", then goes on to attempt to assign blame for the State's fiscal woes in great part to Orange County and it's out-of-control pension plans. That's a real stretch, in my view. The proposed price - $96 million - won't begin to scratch the surface of the State's budget woes. However, if the plan the City presents to them is similar to the one proposed last week, the State will get some cash and a note for a much more lucrative long-term payout.
THE FAIRGROUNDS MEANS JOBS AND CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES The Fairgrounds, with it's wide and diverse range of events, including the Fair itself, has been a venue for cultural and entertainment activities for a half century. Literally thousands of folks make their living from events at the Fairgrounds.
MEASURE "C" PROTECTS THE FAIRGROUNDS Whether the City of Costa Mesa is successful in it's bid for the acquisition of the Fairgrounds or not, it's clear that the State is intent on unloading that property, one way or another. If they reject the City's proposal they will probably immediately put it back on the auction block. Measure "C" insures that any future owner will retain the present mix of events and programs.
IT'S SIMPLE - PROTECT THE FAIRGROUNDS, VOTE "YES" ON "C" Seems simple enough. If you want the Fairgrounds protected from development beyond the scope of the current General Plan, vote "Yes". If you want to protect that site from things like high-rise offices and apartments, outlet malls, casinos, kosher slaughter houses and, as one speaker before the council recently proposed, water slides, a Vatican Library and a Latino Hall of Fame, vote "Yes"on Measure "C".
PRESS RELEASE ON SACRAMENTO TRIP Late this morning the City issued the following Press Release dealing with the trip to Sacramento by City representatives, City Manager Allan Roeder, council members Katrina Foley and Gary Monahan and Guy Lemmon, representative of Facilities Management West, the exclusive negotiating partner now involved with the City for the purchase and operation of the Fairgrounds: WHAT'S THE NEW TIME LINE? Unanswered by this Press Release is any indication from the State as to what time line the City is on in this process. Specifically, what still needs to be done and by when? Is the State continuing to expect our negotiators to continue to run a marathon at a 100 yard dash pace?
WHAT ARE THE TERMS? Also remaining unanswered are questions about the specific terms we are talking about with Facilities Management West. With the previous vendor, American Fairs and Festivals, we were told specific on the terms. I've heard a rumor that the deal with Facilities Management West includes a 55 year term, as opposed to the 40 year term with the previous group.
NERVOUS STAKEHOLDERS Based on comments I've received since the announcement of the collaboration with Facilities Management West, the natives are restless out there. Many of the stakeholders are apprehensive about their future at a Fairgrounds managed by this new group.
APPREHENSION ABOUT "RULE OF LAW CITY" RESOLUTION Also causing some apprehension is Mayor Allan Mansoor's recent resolution declaring Costa Mesa a "Rule of Law City", because some folks think that may not set very well with a Democrat-dominated legislature - which will be required to pass legislation to facilitate the purchase of the Fairgrounds. How pathetically ironic it would be for Costa Mesa to go to all this trouble, spend all this time when the budget and other important issues should be dealt with, only to have Mansoor's personal political agenda cause us to lose our bid for the Fairgrounds.
MICKADEIT ON AMERICAN FAIRS AND FESTIVALS In case you missed it this morning, you can read Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit's view on what happened with the American Fairs and Festivals venture HERE.
STAY TUNED... I'll post more information as I receive it.
WHILE HUMMING THE JEOPARDY! THEME... While we're marking time, awaiting word from our emissaries to Sacramento to report the results of their trip, I thought I'd give you a little view of a very positive event from last Saturday.
MANY VIEWS OF A NEW LIBRARY At a forum hosted by the Costa Mesa Library Foundation, architecture students from Orange Coast College displayed their individual views of how a new Costa Mesa Main Library might look on that chunk of grass dedicated to the facility on Fair Drive near City Hall. More than 20 presentations were made, each one accompanied by a video presentation, and were very impressive.
PHOTOS I've included a few photos of some of the displays, to give you a feel for what these bright young people turned out.
CMTV CAPTURED THE EVENT Brad Long from Costa Mesa TV was there to capture the event for a future item on Channel 24 (99 on U-Verse).
CITY REPRESENTATIVES Local dignitaries were in attendance - Wendy Leece, Tom Hatch, Bruce Garlich, Larry Weichman and many others.
POSITIVE PROGRAM It was a terrific, positive program and gives you an idea of what we might expect if the Costa Mesa Library Foundation. I'm hoping we might see some progress made on a new library, but suspect I won't see it in my lifetime. Unless we find a generous donor to launch this effort in these troubled financial times it's hard to see how enough money will be accumulated soon enough to make this effort a reality.
Just before 8:00 p.m Wednesday evening the City Manager's office sent out the following press release:
CHANGED CONFIRMED BY AMERICAN FAIRS AND FESTIVALS Between the time it was distributed and the time I opened it - about an hour - a source sent me a note relaying confirmation from one of the participants from American Fairs and Festivals confirming that they were out and Facilities Management West was now in exclusive negotiations with the city to try to make a deal to purchase the Fairgrounds.
POSITION CHANGED You may recall that Facilities Management West's original proposal was to purchase the Fairgrounds outright with no public involvement. Apparently, according to the press release above, that position has changed.
FINGERS CROSSED ALL AROUND FOR TOMORROW Tomorrow, Thursday, representatives of the City will fly to Sacramento for an early morning meeting to try to keep this ball rolling. More later.
FUN FOR ALL TONIGHT Tired of all this "city" stuff? Need a little break? Have I got a deal for you!
A HUNTINGTON BEACH GUY Tonight my good friend, Johnny "Ace" Palmer, World Champion Magician, will appear on David Letterman's show. I'm not sure exactly when he will be on, but the show runs from 11:35 to 12:37a.m.
RECORD IT OR WATCH IT LIVE So, set your DVR, VCR or, if you're a night owl, stay up and watch one of the very best up-close magicians you'll ever see.
HE'S THE BEST! To learn more about Johnny "Ace" Palmer check out his web site HERE.
"WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED HERE?! That's what one speaker asked the City Council during public comments tonight. She was frustrated and angry about being blindsided by the report from the closed session that a major change has occurred in the Fairgrounds negotiations - Facilities Management West, the second bidder, was included in the mix and the City negotiating team was charged to negotiate with them as well as the previously exclusive bidder, the American Fairs and Festivals partnership.
IT'S A NEW BALL GAME According to City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow, the council voted in closed session 4-1 (Eric Bever voting "No") to authorize the negotiating team to enter "exclusive negotiations with either American Fairs and Festivals or Facilities Management West". My head spins....
SAW IT COMING I must confess that I saw this coming when, during the two minute preamble to the closed session at approximately 5:15 - when no one else was in the auditorium - City Manager Allan Roeder asked the three council members - Allan Mansoor, Wendy Leece and Eric Bever - for a unanimous vote to change the agenda for the study session and add Facilities Management West as a negotiating party. Apparently Katrina Foley and Gary Monahan were still in negotiations!
NEGOTIATIONS IN TROUBLE It's obvious that the deal with American Fairs and Festivals is in trouble. Roeder explained during council member comments that, even though negotiations have been going on practically around the clock, recent events (meaning late this afternoon) required them to broaden the scope of negotiations to include Facilities Management West.
HOW WILL THEY DO IT NOW? Since the negotiating team will board a plane to Sacramento before dawn on Thursday to present our proposal to the State, I have no idea how they will manage to finalize a deal with the approximately 30 hours they will have from the end of the council meeting until they leave. I've seen Roeder pull rabbits out of hats in the past, but this just doesn't seem possible now.
COUNCIL FORMS JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY Retaining hope that the process will, somehow, be successful, the council - wearing both hats as the council and the public finance authority - voted twice to create the Joint Powers Authority. Lamebrain buffoon, Bever, voted "No" in both cases.
A CLOUD OF GLOOM DESCENDS... I can tell you that I came away from this meeting with much apprehension about the Fairgrounds deal. Adding this new element at, literally, the last minute in the negotiations seems to practically guarantee our plan will fail. Couple that with Bever's persistent negative votes and Mayor Mansoor's on-going expression of concern for the process, I just can't shake the feeling of doom.
COSTA MESA - A "RULE OF LAW" CITY At the end of the meeting, to no one's surprise, Mansoor's resolution to declare Costa Mesa a "Rule of Law" city passed 4-0 - Foley had long since departed from the chambers. As former and future council candidate Chris McEvoy said at the speaker's podium, this is just pure political posturing on Mansoor's part, making sure he gets free press - he pointed to the media present. McEvoy couldn't be more correct. And, sadly, this is just the beginning if you believe Mansoor's words quoted in an early edition of the Orange County Register as reported in my earlier post.
RIDING BIGOTRY TO VICTORY Remember the turmoil and legal difficulties of 2006? Get ready - it's going to happen again this summer as Mansoor attempts to ride the backs of the Latino population of our city to yet another election victory. Without the brown faces in our city he would have no campaign platform at all.
BARBARA JUNE STANFIELD 
