Righeimer Unleashes His Pit Bull

CHECKED YOUR MAIL LATELY?
When was the last time you received a surprise in your mail? Was it an unexpected birthday card? Your final release from military service? The deed to your house marked "Paid in Full"? Well, I've received all of those things - unexpected pleasures - in the mail over the years. What I received yesterday was NOT one of those.

SURPRISE!
Yesterday I received a letter in the mail from a law firm named Bucher& Palmer, L.L.P. in Irvine. Recognize any part of that name? Hang on, you soon might. Here's a hint: the caption of the letter said, "Re: James Righeimer". The letter was signed by Mark W. Bucher, Esq. who, as it turns out, is Righeimer's close political ally and brother-in-law.

SHUT UP OR ELSE
The gist of the two-page letter was to warn me not to write about any or all of three forbidden topics related to Mr. Righeimer, which Mr. Bucher says are "demonstrably false and defamatory". He later went on to make this statement, "Some of these same statements were made the last time Mr. Righeimer ran for office but, as you may know, publishing a false and defamatory allegation under the guise that the statement as previously made is itself actionable."

PREEMPTIVE STRIKE - FREE SPEECH QUASHED
OK, I got it. This is a preemptive strike to keep me, and probably others, from openly criticizing Righeimer before the election. Yes, the letter is directed specifically at the three forbidden topics, but, when the word gets out, it will likely cause more than a few of Righeimer's many critics to pause before they rise to speak against him on any subject. It seems that Righeimer and his lawyer are quite content to trample on the rights of free speech guaranteed to us by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

YOU'LL HAVE TO SPECULATE
I can't tell you what the three forbidden topics are because a lawyer friend suggests that by doing so I might violate the warning sent to me by Mr. Bucher. Keep in mind that I've NEVER addressed two of the three forbidden topics - heck, I didn't even know the issues existed - but wrote two years ago about the third after a long conversation with Righeimer. I understood his view and was satisfied that he answered all my questions and have not written about it since. Because I've been forbidden to write about those three topics I guess you'll just have to speculate among yourselves what they might be - I can't help you.

GENERIC THREAT
The letter, which may have been a kind of form letter, seemed to be aimed at a broader audience than just little old me. I've since learned that others have received the same or similar letter. It's my understanding that the Daily Pilot is investigating the issue and will soon have a report posted online.

"SLAPP" LAWSUIT COMING?
The letter I got may be a preamble to what is known in the legal trade a SLAPP lawsuit. That acronym stands for "Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation" - a tactic used to quash criticism. Fortunately, California has enacted a law that protects folks like you and me from that kind of expensive legal harassment - Code of Civil Procedure Section 425.16, which was enacted in 1993. According to some online resources on the subject, folks like you and me have been sued for things like simply writing a letter to the editor; circulating petitions; reporting police misconduct or speaking at a public meeting. That's why the law mentioned above was enacted.

MY OPINION OF RIGHEIMER IS WELL-DOCUMENTED
I've written many things about Jim Righeimer ever since he was appointed to the Planning Commission shortly after moving to Costa Mesa. I've written about his behavior on the Planning Commission - about his bullying tactics with applicants. All of that is well-documented.

THUG-LIKE TACTICS, DESIGNED TO INTIMIDATE
However, this incident only affirms for me why Jim Righeimer is bad for our city and unworthy of a seat on the City Council. His willingness to unleash his lawyer to intimidate individuals in our city - including public employee groups - who are openly critical of him should send a chill down the spine of every single person who stands at the speaker's podium to offer criticism, writes letters to the editor, posts comments on blogs and newspaper comment threads or the social networks like Facebook. Every Costa Mesa employee should be concerned for their future. These are the tactics of a bully and a thug - as so accurately described by police union president Allen Rieckhof recently. If this is how Righeimer acts BEFORE he's elected, just imagine how he's going to govern our city once he's seated on the dais!

ONE MORE REASON I WON'T VOTE FOR RIGHEIMER
There are many reasons why Jim Righeimer has never been elected to public office - this is one of them.

Barlow Releases Righeimer Tapes (Updated)

BARLOW RELEASES THREE TAPES
In response to my Public Records Request a week ago, this afternoon Costa Mesa City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow released three audio tapes from the encounter Costa Mesa Planning Commission Chairman (and City Council candidate) Jim Righeimer had the evening of September 16th, 2010 at a DUI checkpoint on Harbor Blvd. near the 405 Freeway. The tapes were also released to Daily Pilot reporter Joseph Serna who published a report just before 3:30 this afternoon, HERE.

TWO ARE NOT HELPFUL
One of the tapes is only 4 seconds long and has no audible voices on it. The second is 47 seconds long and seems to be recorded from near proximity to the conversation captured on the third, but with much less clarity.

ONE GIVES A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT HAPPENED
The third tape, which is one minute sixteen seconds long, contains what appears to be a segment of a conversation between Righeimer and as-yet unidentified police officer and appears to begin shortly after the two began talking. There are a couple segments that, despite repeated replaying and fiddling with the sound quality, I'm still not 100% sure of what was said. I've indicated those segments in the transcription below.

WOULD RATHER HAVE HAD VIDEO
As I listened to the tape it's clear that Righeimer was agitated and unhappy. That's understandable, since he'd spent some time in the checkpoint and, although he didn't get flagged, he was off his schedule to attend the Estancia High School football game that evening. However, he still took the time to encounter the officers conducting the checkpoint, so he couldn't have been too concerned about his tardiness at the game.

THROWING HIS WEIGHT AROUND?
There is one segment, at 0:21, where Righeimer greets someone (unidentified loud voice), identifying himself as "Jim Righeimer, planning commission". That voice was identified by Serna as Sergeant David Makiyama. My calls to Sergeant Makiyama for confirmation this afternoon went unanswered.

***SPECIAL NOTE: Late this evening Daily Pilot Web Editor Jamie Rowe provided a link to the actual audio tape. You can reach it HERE.***

MY TRANSCRIPT
0:01/0:02- Righeimer - I understand sir, I was stacked up onto the freeway.

0:02 - Officer - Uh-huh

0:02 - Righeimer - This is not a good idea...

0:05 - Officer - OK

0:05/0:13 - Righeimer - OK? Who do I have to talk to? Shawkey or who? This is unbelievable. I cannot believe at this time of day in rush hour traffic.

0:14 - Officer - (garbled) we're trying to educate people

0:16 - Righeimer - But this is not education. This is blocking traffic all the way back...

0:21 - Righeimer - (greeting someone) Jim Righeimer, planning commission.

0:22 - Unidentified loud voice - Hey, how ya doin' ?

0:23 - 0:29 - traffic noise, officer in the background (muffled)

0:30 - Righeimer - We need, we need to talk... we need to have a meeting tomorrow.

0:32 - Officer - I'm off tomorrow.

0:33 - Righeimer - OK, when can we have a meeting?

0:35 - Officer - Ah, I have to check my schedule

0:36 - Righeimer - OK, let me, give me your card?

0:40 - Righeimer - This is not gonna happen anymore.

0:43 - Righeimer - This is ridiculous.. closing down (muffled) traffic right after rush hour.. Friday night, Saturday night is understandable.. this is outrageous.

0:51 - Righeimer - It's not your fault, you're doing your job, I understand..pardon?

0:55 - Officer - (muffled)

0:56 - Righeimer - Thank you

0:58/1:16 - street noise - no audible voices.

WHY DID RIGHEIMER STOP?
The questions remain... should Righeimer have interfered with the police officers at the checkpoint? Apparently none of the other 3,200 other drivers felt so motivated.

WHY DEMAND A MEETING?
What makes him think he needs to demand a meeting with the officer - or Chief Shawkey and Allan Roeder, as was the case - in any event? That meeting, which Righeimer mentioned in his Daily Pilot commentary, was canceled. Good move on the city's part.

WAS THIS JUST PART OF A POLITICAL PLAN?
Was Righeimer just looking for an opportunity for a confrontation with the CMPD because he knew their union was actively campaigning against him? Was this actually a set up by Righeimer to get positive publicity for his campaign?

OR...
Or, was Righeimer simply a concerned citizen with no particular ax to grind?

LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS INTERROGATION TOMORROW
If I was not so technologically-challenged I'd figure a way to attach the audio clip on this site so you an hear it for yourselves. Perhaps one of those stalwart news hounds on the panel at the Feet To The Fire Forum tomorrow evening will get Righeimer to shed more light on this subject.

Feet To The Fire Forum Tomorrow

CAMPAIGN SEASON "HEATING UP"
The Newport-Mesa campaign season will "heat up" (sorry, couldn't resist) Thursday, September 30th at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue, Costa Mesa (Lions Park), when local media personalities grill city council candidates from both Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

MEDIA EGOS ON DISPLAY
The candidate forum, cleverly called the "Newport Mesa Feet To The Fire Forum" will have a panel comprised of representatives of local media outlets. Expected to participate are Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit; Daily Pilot Editor John Canalis; Voice of OC Editor Norberto Santana, Jr. and Newport Beach Independent Editor Roger Bloom. Vivacious Register columnist Barbara Venezia will act as mistress of ceremonies.

JOINT FORUM FOR THE FIRST TIME
To my knowledge there has never been a candidate forum that included hopefuls from both cities together, so this should be very interesting. According to information provided, topics will be those for which there is, or should be, joint interest by both cities. For example, expect to hear questions about Banning Ranch, John Wayne Airport, the school district, the 19th Street Bridge and others. I suspect the panelists are drawing straws for the chance to interrogate Jim Righeimer about his recent gaffe at the DUI checkpoint.

EVELYN HART LEADS PLEDGE
We're told that long-time Newport Beach community activist and council member, Evelyn Hart, will kick it off by leading the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

NO TIES ALLOWED!
The forum, a "casual affair" according to Venezia, will begin at 7:00 p.m. - 9:00, with doors opening at 6:30. We're told that any neckties worn by gentleman participants will be snipped off with great hoopla. We'll see...

NBTV TO COVER
Newport Beach TV will cover the event for showing later on their cable channel. They will also provide a copy of their tape to Costa Mesa TV for showing on CMTV, channel 24 (99 on ATT U-verse)

MEET, GREET AND FIND A SEAT...
Be there early meet and greet the candidates and find a seat in what will likely be a packed house. See you there...

It's Official - Eric Bever Is An Idiot!

HERE'S THE DEFINITION
According to Dictionary.com - Idiot: an utterly foolish and senseless person. Now, I ask you - doesn't that describe Eric Bever to a "T"? And, his performance at the Special City Council meeting on Monday demonstrates this fact perfectly.

DON'T BELIEVE ME? WATCH THE TAPE
But don't take my word for it. Take a look at the short - 15 minute - video clip from the beginning of yesterday's Special City Council meeting, HERE. Under normal circumstances this would simply be going through the motions - taking roll, reading the closed session items into the record and soliciting questions on those items only. They would then typically adjourn to the closed session for deliberations.

RIECKHOF REQUESTS TRANSPARENCY
However, it began with an aberration - police union president Allen Rieckhof stood and again requested a fair and transparent investigation into the Jim Righeimer/DUI checkpoint issue. Although his comments were inappropriate for this particular meeting, Mayor Allan Mansoor permitted him to speak.

REGISTER ARTICLE ANGST
From that point on Bever used his time to comment first on his concern about the recent Orange County Register article by Watchdog Teri Sforza regarding city finances that placed Costa Mesa at the bottom of that particular list for Orange County cities. You can read Sforza's article, HERE. If you DO go to that link, be sure to read the clarification at the bottom, published after all the hub-bub about Costa Mesa occurred. It was the original, un-modified, article that gave Bever an emotional wedgie.

SIMPLETON DEMANDS SIMPLE REPORT
During his little speech on that subject he attempted to get City Manager Allan Roeder to present, from memory, budget details - not Roeder's style, for sure. Bever was asking him questions that would have been impossible to answer because the current budget, although approved, is still a work in progress and fully dependent upon how the negotiations go with the employee bargaining units. He demanded a "simple" report from Roeder at a future date. I'm sure that's the only kind Bever could understand.

BEVER BOYCOTTING, DESCRIBES HIMSELF
Which led Bever to his real purpose - to announce to the world that he's going to boycott any further contract negotiations with the city's employee unions because a "majority on the council have conflicts". I'll let you watch the tape for yourselves, but he actually did get off one perfect phrase. When referring to continuing the negotiations he said to do so was "outstandingly stupid". Let me tell you, he couldn't have described himself any better if he tried!

WON'T LET FACTS CONFUSE HIM
Despite attempts by Wendy Leece and Katrina Foley - Gary Monahan was absent and never did show up at the closed session - to help Bever understand just what was at stake with his position, he apparently held firm and later bugged out of the closed session when the subject of the negotiations began. Come to think of it, "idiot" is a generous description of Eric Bever. In the words of General Honore in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when describing some of the things that had happened in New Orleans, some people are just "stuck on stupid". That's Eric Bever.

Bever Bails - Negotiations In Jeopardy?

BEVER LEAVES CLOSED SESSION IN A HUFF
Word around town tonight is that Costa Mesa City Councilman Eric Bever abandoned the closed session meeting Monday evening as negotiations with the employee bargaining units were under discussion. Although it's not clear what was on his alleged mind, we're led to believe he plans to boycott further negotiations "because there is an election pending". What? The election is five weeks off and the new council won't be seated for several weeks after that! Is he trying to stall the process until a new council is seated?

THIS ACT TAKES THE CAKE!
During Bever's almost 6 years on the City Council, and his time on the Planning Commission before that, we've seen him do some goofy and just plain stupid stuff, but this one takes the cake! Without further information we are left to engage in my favorite past time - speculation!

WHY, ERIC?

Let's try to figure out just why Bever would turn his back on his municipal responsibility. The city - in the midst of the worst financial crisis in it's history - is currently trying to negotiate with the employee unions to help solve the $9 million plus shortfall we will have in the 2010/2011 budget. Last year at this time, through intense negotiations, the employees agreed to furlough days to help the city through that time. This year our municipal predicament is even worse. Without a new contract the previous one continues on - a major problem for us budget-wise.

RIGHEIMER BEARING DOWN ON THEM

And, there is the specter of that runaway freight train, Jim Righeimer, heading down the track toward the employees with the promise to "do something" about what he perceives to be excessive salaries and benefits. I'm sure it's difficult for the employee representatives to stay focused on the business at hand with the thought of Righeimer on the other side of the bargaining table soon.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR HIM?

If Bever has, indeed, decided to abandon his responsibilities as an elected councilman, we wonder why? What's in it for him? He's only got two years left on his term in office. Is it possible that he might be maneuvering for some kind of consideration once he leaves the city council? After all, Righeimer has LOTS of connections in the Orange County Republican Party. Might there be a seat on the OCTA Board in his future, for example? Gives us all something to think about.

EXPLAIN AND/OR RESIGN

In the meantime, I think Eric Bever owes us all an explanation for his actions. If he's unwilling to perform the requirements of his job, then he should just resign - the earlier the better, thank you very much.

Brand New Blog In Town

NEW BLOG
Via one of my Facebook friends I was just made aware of a brand new blog in town - Costa Mesa Westside Community Group.

GERICAULT'S BABY
Created by Westside resident and frequent blog commenter Gericault (Eric Bever already told you his name) it kicked off yesterday with a little video clip which I've embedded for your viewing pleasure.

REFRESHING COUNTERPOINT
I suspect you'll enjoy this new blog - it's a very refreshing counterpoint to some of the stuff we've been told about the Westside of Costa Mesa for the past decade.  Please take the time to visit and, especially, to read the first entry - The Wild, Wild West... - on the site.  There is a link just below the new Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbor's Group link over on the right of this page so you can visit frequently.

CONGRATS
Congrats to Gericault on the launch of his site.  We're looking forward to great things from it.

This Week Could Be Memorable

URGENT CLOSED-SESSION MEETING MONDAY
We begin what might be a very memorable week on Monday, with a hastily-called City Council meeting, scheduled for an unusual time - 5:30 p.m. - which appears from the announcement to be a closed session-only meeting.  The agenda is, so far, the negotiations with the various employee bargaining units on new contracts.
  
HOW DOES RIGHEIMER'S SHENANIGAN'S INFLUENCE  NEGOTIATIONS?
One must assume there has been significant reluctance on the union's parts to give much in the way of concessions, particularly in light of the public posture probable city councilman Jim Righeimer has taken in recent weeks.  The employee groups correctly assume that Righeimer is going to come after their wages and benefits - their pensions in particular - if elected on November 2nd.  I suppose if I were them I'd be stubborn about any kind of givebacks right now, even though the result might mean even more staff reductions to balance the budget.

BARLOW'S INVESTIGATION
Also pending Monday is a response from City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow regarding her investigation of the Jim Righeimer/DUI confrontation.  That event took place on Thursday, September 16th and we know she had it in her hands no later than the city council meeting of the 21st.  We're still waiting.


RIGHEIMER/ROEDER/SHAWKEY ON DUI CHECKPOINTS
This gets even more dicey because in his commentary to the editors of the Daily Pilot - published online in the OC Now blog on Friday, September 24th around 4:30 p.m. and online in the Daily Pilot about a half-hour later - which finally made print Sunday, Righeimer tells us that he's got a meeting scheduled for Monday, the 27th, with Police Chief Chris Shawkey and City Manager Allan Roeder at which the three of them will hammer out guidelines for future DUI checkpoints.

INAPPROPRIATE WHILE HE'S UNDER INVESTIGATION
I must tell you that, in my view, such a meeting while Righeimer is under investigation for inappropriate behavior which might even have been criminal - interfering with police officers in the performance of their duties - is completely unacceptable!  It's bad enough that he thinks he can demand such a meeting simply because he was inconvenienced for a few minutes while waiting to pass through the checkpoint - along with more than 3,200 other drivers that night - but it's worse that Shawkey and Roeder are going along with it.  NOTE: Shortly after 8:30 a.m. Monday morning I received a note from City Manager Allan Roeder informing me that the meeting today between him, Chief Shawkey and Righeimer has been cancelled.  He told me that even though the meeting was to discuss the requirements that go into establishing DUI checkpoints, and that it was expressly clear that NO discussion would be held about the investigation of the events of September 16th, Roeder felt it "was clearly in everyone's best interest" to cancel the meeting.  As is usually the case, Roeder made the correct decision.

RIGHEIMER'S AMENDED COMMENTARY
I've linked to Righeimer's commentary in my previous post, so you probably have read it.  If not, you can read it HERE.  If so, you noticed that the editors permitted him to correct the record in the first paragraph in which he misrepresented the date of the checkpoint.  However, we know the truth - I've made a copy of his original published commentary.  And, of course, that wasn't the only false statement in it...

UNION PRESIDENT SPEAKS
For a different view of Righeimer's performance at the DUI checkpoint you may find this video clip of Costa Mesa Police Association President Allen Rieckhof's comments to the City Council at their meeting Tuesday, September 21st.


BARLOW MUST ACT WITH HASTE
Ms. Barlow must know that this issue requires haste in resolving it.  She needs to get into her best Angela Lansbury mode and investigate the incident and report to the public her findings.  We're waiting, and not very patiently.

MEDIA INTERROGATORS MUST BE SALIVATING
Then, on Thursday, September 30th, we have the much ballyhooed "Media Feet-To-The-Fire-Forum" at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center - doors open at 6:30 p.m. - at which many local media types will interrogate not only Costa Mesa politicians, but those running in Newport Beach, too.  I imagine they're either drawing straws or arm-wrestling each other for the chance to grill Righeimer on his DUI situation.  This is going to be wonderful theater.

DEADLINE FOR FAIRGROUNDS BIDS

That same day, Thursday, is the deadline for submission by interested parties any bids for the Orange County Fair and Event Center based on the second Request for Proposals issued last month.  Because the State budget is still pending as I write this, and because we've had no word about a bill enabling the Costa Mesa sale to be completed, we assume there will be several bidders for the Fairgrounds under the new RFP.  I wouldn't be surprised to find Facilities Management West among those who have presented an offer.  And, of course, we have even more drama on that subject created by the current Fair Board, who has taken the position that the State may not have the right to sell the property in the first place, and if they do, they may have to split the proceeds with the 32nd District Agriculture Association (Fair Board).  The State's Department of General Services, through it's acting Director, has advised the Governor to ignore that little tidbit and move forward with the sale.  Ya gotta love it!

SO MANY QUESTIONS.
So, will we see Righeimer in handcuffs this week?  Will he assert the power he thinks he has as an appointed commissioner and go forward with his meeting with Roeder and Shawkey?  Will the media types at the forum Thursday shred him like cole slaw?  Will a bidder offer the Governor a price he can't refuse for the Fairgrounds?  Guess we'll find out...

Righeimer's Outlandish Obfuscation(Corrected)

SORRY - GOTTA SAY IT!
I was going to let my two previous posts Friday ferment over the weekend so you could just relax and not worry too much about your blood pressure. Then, late that afternoon, the editors of the Daily Pilot published a commentary by Costa Mesa Planning Commission Chairman Jim Righeimer, first on the OC Now blog, then shortly thereafter on the Daily Pilot blog. It will appear in print in the Daily Pilot Saturday morning. You can read the full text from the OC Now blog HERE, which includes my knee-jerk reaction in the form of a comment.

SELF-SERVING OBFUSCATION
Before I dissect Righeimer's drivel for you I must make a general comment. This is the worst piece of self-serving obfuscation I've ever seen published by a local public official. It's clear from reading Righeimer's rant that he's throwing up a smoke screen to try to distract Costa Mesa voters from his misbehavior at the DUI checkpoint a week ago. That being said, let us move forward.

HE STARTS WITH A LIE...
Right off the bat Righeimer begins with a lie. He states, "At 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23, 3,200 commuters sat in an unnecessary traffic jam because the Costa Mesa Police Department decided to run a sobriety check point at a primary intersection to the off-ramps of the San Diego (405) Freeway at Harbor Boulevard." Well, Righeimer had the date off by a full week! That DUI checkpoint occurred on Thursday, September 16th, 2010. And his assertion that it was "unnecessary" is not for him to say - it's up to the city management and the police department, not some frustrated, multiple-loser hack politician. NOTE: I received a telephone call from the editor of the Daily Pilot at 9 a.m. Monday informing me it was THEIR fault that the date was incorrectly stated in Righeimer's article. Righeimer apparently said "last Thursday" in his submission and the Associated Press Style Book requires them to use the actual date, so the editor got it wrong. I apologize to Righeimer for saying he lied about this date.

THE ONLY ONE WHO CONFRONTED POLICE
He goes on to gripe about being delayed getting to the Estancia High School football game, which I can certainly understand. However, he didn't have a son playing in the game and his inconvenience that evening was no greater than the other 3200+ drivers slowed by the checkpoint. And yet, he was the only one who felt he should attempt to exert his "authority" by jumping out of his car and confronting the officers on duty there at the time.

ARROGANT ABUSE OF AUTHORITY
In his fourth paragraph he states, "I decided to ask some difficult questions of the officers conducting this ill-advised check point. They are not used to citizens questioning their authority, which I think is a healthy thing to do." Just who does Jim Righeimer think he is, for goodness sake? That paragraph alone - and there are many more to come - demonstrates an almost unbelievable arrogance. Sure, if a resident is upset at an event like the checkpoint he can certainly make his views known through the proper channels - which does not include haranguing officers on duty. He can contact the Watch Commander or the Chief of Police and vent his spleen, but for him to interfere with officers performing their duties is well beyond any authority his warped little mind perceives himself to have. He's the Chairman of the Planning Commission, not the heir to a throne! He's lucky the police didn't slap cuffs on him for interfering with officers in the performance of their duty and throw him in the back of a police cruiser!

DEFLECTING BLAME
Then he says, "My concern for the public's safety has become a political toy for our police union." Horse manure! The police union representatives have every right to call him out when he interferes with operations in progress.

SMOKE SCREEN
Then Righeimer begins to blow the smoke. He tries to convince us that he's being persecuted by the Costa Mesa Police Unions because he's against their salaries and pensions. Clearly, this is an attempt to deflect attention to his transgressions that evening.

NO ACCIDENTS REPORTED
He tells us that he "received dozens of calls and emails from people who were tied up in the traffic jam. They witnessed near-collisions of automobiles." Well, according to the police logs for that evening, there were NO traffic collisions at that site during the checkpoint.


I KNOW DAVE SNOWDEN, AND...
He asks, "If former police chief Dave Snowden had pulled over to question a DUI checkpoint at rush hour next to the freeway, do you think we would be having this conversation?" Well, of course not! Chief Snowden is an outstanding law enforcement leader, held in high regard for his nearly 20 years of service in Costa Mesa who now holds the same job in Beverly Hills. He wouldn't charge up to officers doing their job and start yapping at them. Trust me, Mr. Righeimer, I know Dave Snowden and you're no Dave Snowden!

ANOTHER LIE...
Further on he asks, referring to Police Union President Allen Rieckhof, "Would Rieckhof have orchestrated a bunch of cops at last week's council meeting to speak out against me?" Yet another lie from Righeimer! Rieckhof spoke to the council about Righeimer's behavior and the Vice President of the Police Union, Dana Potts, delivered a very touching account of his painful, personal loss - of his fiance and their unborn daughter - to a speeding drunk driver two decades earlier. That's it - TWO police officers spoke on this issue, not "a bunch". Yes, there were around a hundred officers in the auditorium, but they were there, dressed again in white t-shirts, to show solidarity during the current budget negotiations. You can watch the streaming video of that meeting by clicking HERE, then selecting the City Council meeting of September 17th. Rieckhof's and Potts' comments come early in the "public comments" segment.

MEETING WITH ROEDER AND SHAWKEY
Righeimer then tells us that he has a meeting scheduled with the City Manager AllanRoeder and Police Chief Chris Shawkey Monday morning to "find a solution for when and where to place DUI checkpoints that are both safe and productive." Talk about nerve! What gives him the authority to demand such a meeting and, particularly, since the City Attorney is investigating his behavior at the checkpoint at this time? It seems to me that the City Manager and the Police Chief need to cancel that meeting until the full facts of the incident at the checkpoint are sorted out. Otherwise, it certainly looks like Righeimer is getting preferential treatment - something he obviously expects.

A TOWN HALL MEETING INSTEAD
It is a truly bad idea for Roeder and Shawkey to meet with Righeimer on this issue. Instead, based on the volume of comments on that particular DUI checkpoint that have been published in the local media, I suggest that a Town Hall meeting be held, open to all Costa Mesa residents who wish to express their views on the subject in general - to provide guidance to our elected and appointed leaders. Righeimer's voice is no more valuable in this discourse than yours and mine. Clearly, many of the other 3,200 people delayed in that particular checkpoint will have a view to present.

AUTHORITY NOT A BIRTHRIGHT
He goes on to tell us of his familial connections to law enforcement - as if that might somehow mitigate his behavior. Sorry, Mr. Righeimer, you have to earn the authority you seek - it is not some kind of Midwestern birthright.


OUTLANDISH ACCUSATION!
Then, after a couple paragraphs providing more smoke in the form of alleged pay and pension numbers, and considering that we're talking about a DUI checkpoint here, he begins another paragraph with this outlandishly ironic sentence: "Someone must have been drunk when they negotiated Costa Mesa's current pension deal." Now, that might be something he'd mutter to a crony while sucking suds at Gary Monahan's pub, but for a city official to make such an outlandish, demeaning published public statement only demonstrates the desperation he's feeling and the complete lack of common sense, maturity and responsibility one expects - no, demands - from a person in his position. Shame on you, Jim Righeimer.

MORE EQUINE EFFLUENT!
Before blowing more smoke about pensions costing after school programs he says the following: "Here is the bottom line. This is not about a DUI checkpoint. It's about the public employee benefits and overtime and out-of-control pensions." Again, horse manure! This issue IS about the DUI checkpoint. Righeimer is only trying to cover up his actions by changing the focus of the discussion.

RIGHEIMER'S RHETORIC ONLY COMPLICATES NEGOTIATIONS
I know we have problems with our current municipal budget. Negotiations continue - and a special city council meeting has been called for 5:30 Monday, September 27th, for a closed session discussion by the council on that very subject. The city is in a very deep hole again this year - we are more than $9 million short of balancing the budget. All the meat has been trimmed from our municipal skeleton and now we are forced to decide the painful question of which extremities must go - an arm, hand, foot, leg - to keep our city solvent. Righeimer's self-serving, dishonest and inflammatory rhetoric at this point in time only makes those negotiations more difficult.

RIGHEIMER IS UNWORTHY OF OUR TRUST
This whole "DUI" issue, and Righeimer's response to it, only drives home more clearly just why voters in this city and others, election after election, have found him unworthy of being elected to public office. Even though the candidate pool for the Costa Mesa City Council race is thin this time around, I will NOT vote for Jim Righeimer. I'd much rather take my chances with a smart, honest, dedicated, hard-working neophyte like Chris McEvoy than a self-serving, conniving, dishonest, carpetbagging political hack like Jim Righeimer, who feels somehow entitled to a seat at the big table because he's part of the Orange County Republican hierarchy, is Dana Rohrabacher's sidekick and was a supporter of Mayor Allan Mansoor. Nope, Righeimer's delusions of grandeur and his arrogant abuse of power are not for me, thanks.

WHAT, NO PHONY BADGE AND SIDE ARM?
I'm about half-surprised Mr. Righeimer didn't flash a bogus "Mike Carona sheriff's badge" and pull a gun on the police that night and demand they withdraw from the checkpoint. I know he used to have a concealed weapon carry permit at one time, plus was one of Carona's badge-carrying "favored few".

ME TO RIGHEIMER: GET OUTTA DODGE!
My suggestion to Mr. Righeimer is to take his lovely wife, beautiful daughters and warped visions of a political dynasty and haul his political gypsy caravan out of Costa Mesa. He needs to find a place where he thinks he can get away with public misbehavior, lying to the public and abuse of power and bulldoze his way to a seat of authority there.