Why I'm Considering Leaving Facebook

ORIGINALLY A GOOD IDEA...
I've been giving a lot of thought recently about Facebook. When I joined up I did so mainly because I wanted another way to advertise my blog. I wasn't planning to make "friends" of folks I'd never heard of before.

And, as it turns out, it has been a handy vehicle for staying in touch with distant friends and relatives.

BUT...
However, as each day passes I find it harder and harder to find enough return on my investment of time to make it worthwhile.

MAYBE...
Maybe it's because it gets harder every day to pretend some of those 179 people listed as friends on my Facebook page are actually "friends". Heck, I don't even know many of them, for goodness sake.

Maybe it's because Facebook has diluted that word - friend - to the point where it's practically meaningless.

Maybe it's because the recent changes on Facebook make me feel even more manipulated than before.

Maybe it's because I've found myself spending way, way too much time scrolling through Facebook, gleaning little snippets of peoples lives - and feeling a little like a guy hiding in your closet.

Maybe it's because I've decided that I don't REALLY want to know so much about so many people who are barely acquaintances.

Maybe it's because folks just seem to post whatever stream-of-consciousness thoughts that might float through their heads, ignoring the fact that many strangers are going to be reading them. Even worse, their boss may be reading them.

Maybe it's because I've received the amusingly inconsequential "punishment" of being "de-friended" by a couple boneheads who don't like my take on their role in local politics.

Maybe it's because of this Toyota commercial:



Or, Maybe it's just the case of an old fella not being able to keep up the pace anymore.

ZUCKERBERG WON'T MISS ME
I don't think founder Mark Zuckerberg will miss my presence on Facebook - he's too busy trying to figure out how to spend the billions of dollars Facebook is pulling in these days.

PONDERING...
So, I've decided to give Facebook a few more weeks. We're turning the old cauldron down to simmer for a few days for a little "decompression time". Comments on the blog will be slow to get posted for awhile. As we approach Halloween - maybe sooner - I'm going to decide whether I want to remain a "Facebook Friend" or not. I'll let you know...

Painful Parks Meeting

PAINFUL VIEWING
Last night I watched a snippet of the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. I say a "snippet" because watching ANY of it has become a very painful experience - like pulling teeth. As well-intentioned as those five men may be, none of them have a clue about what it means to run a meeting, including Chairman Jeff Mathews.

NOT DOING THEIR HOMEWORK
It's as though they completely forgot the concept of "homework" from when they were in school. They approach the agenda as though the first time they saw it was when it hit their desks on the dais. None of them seem to have read the staff reports, which is especially frustrating for viewers and, I'm sure, for the staff.

SNAIL'S PACE
One of the problems, as I see it, is that they only meet every other month. Watching an idea run, er, crawl it's course through this commission is worse than watching sap run.


TEWINKLE SPORTS COMPLEX
For example, in August they held a special meeting at which three groups presented their ideas about how they would propose operating the TeWinkle Sports Complex as a commercial entity. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. The upshot was that the Parks and Recreation Commission would propose to the council a Task Force to do community outreach and study this issue, then present their findings.

TASK FORCE PROPOSED
However, that "process", such as it is, only now began to take shape. Last night the Parks and Recreation Commission suggested a 9-person task force and staff will pitch this to the council at an October meeting - maybe the one next week. The way it's going, we wont' see that task force constituted until January.

NEED MORE FREQUENT MEETINGS
In the meantime, our current city council is operating like a Nazi blitzkrieg - blasting through the city, laying waste to what's left of the staff, ignoring policies and laws - apparently hoping to get "things done" before folks realize what they're doing. At it's meeting last week the council directed staff to get those vendors back to make a pitch to the council - ignoring the fact that their appointed Parks and Recreation Commission already had that ball rolling. But, meeting every other month, there's no way it can keep up with the commandments of this council. Perhaps it's time for the Parks and Recreation Commission to go back to monthly meetings.

WHO'S ON FIRST?...
This whole thing reminds me of this old Abbott and Costello routine. Those of you too young to remember these guys from much, much simpler times - just sit back, relax and enjoy...




BACKPEDALING TEMIANKA
In closing, I mentioned after the previous Parks and Recreation meeting that Righeimer sycophant Ethan Temianka, asked the staff to come back with a methodology to require permits for 5 or more persons playing in our parks. He did some fancy backpedaling on that issue, using some actions of the Homeless Task Force as a cover story. I suspect he felt the wrath of the community when he pitched that hair-brained idea. Again, probably didn't do his homework first. This is what happens when you appoint your campaign manager to a commission whose only qualifications for that assignment were that he once played on Costa Mesa fields. Geez!

Costa Mesa Minute

MORE TRANSPARENCY
Interim Communications Director Bill Lobdell announced the creation of The Costa Mesa Minute - a brief, daily video presentation to be presented each weekday morning shortly after 8 a.m.



BORA TO HOST MOST
Video Production Coordinator Dane Bora will be the primary anchor of these very short - 2 to 3 minutes - video clips which will announce recent news snippets or advise us of things to come. You can view the first three by clicking on these links:

9/23/11

9/26/11

9/27/11

EXCELLENT TOOLS
I think these efforts are just one more excellent tool to communicate with the public and to respond to recent questions at council meetings in a very timely fashion. You'll find a link on the city web site.

City Confirms Interim Positions For Naghavi and Munoz

AS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED HERE...
In a press release issued Monday, September 26, 2011, Costa Mesa CEO Tom Hatch confirmed what he announced at the last council meeting on September 20, 2011 - that Public Services Director Peter Naghavi has been appointed Interim Assistant Chief Executive Officer and that City Engineer Ernesto Munoz will replace him as Interim Public Services Director effective on that date. You may recall that I reported these moves last Wednesday, HERE.

GOOD BENCH STRENGTH...
As I said in my earlier post, I believe this is an excellent move by Hatch. Naghavi has been a rock-solid manager since arriving in Costa Mesa more than two decades ago. His presence in this position will take the pressure off Hatch to find someone soon and, perhaps, select the wrong person for the job. Munoz has been Naghavi's strong right arm. In an organization whose management ranks have been decimated in recent months by budget constraints and the hostile work environment imposed by the current City Council, we are very fortunate to have such high quality, competent men available to fill these slots on an interim basis. The text of that press release follows below.

Peter Naghavi named interim assistant
chief executive officer for Costa Mesa

COSTA MESA, CALIF.—Director of Public Services Peter Naghavi has been named the City of Costa Mesa’ s interim assistant chief executive officer and City Engineer Ernesto Munoz has been promoted to interim public services director.

The appointments, effective today, are expected to continue for several months until a permanent assistant chief executive officer is hired.

Naghavi, a 21-year employee of Costa Mesa, served as director of the Transportation Department for Somerville, Mass before being recruited by the City of Costa Mesa in 1990 to serve as the City's transportation manager. He was promoted to the director of the Public Service Department in 2007. As acting assistant chief executive officer, Naghavi will help run the City’s daily operations and take on special assignments.

Munoz, who has previously worked for the City of Cypress, came to Costa Mesa in 1993 as the city engineer. In his temporary assignment, he will run the Public Service Department, which includes the City’s Administration, Transportation, Engineering, Maintenance, and Parks and Recreation divisions.

City Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch made the appointments after an initial search for a permanent assistant chief executive officer didn’t produce the perfect candidate. Another search is underway.

“We are fortunate that throughout our organization, we have people willing and able to step up and help in any way they can,” Hatch said. “Peter and Ernesto will help us get through the next couple of months without missing a step.”

Costa Mesa Recruiting Volunteers for Committees

RECRUITING CALL
The City of Costa Mesa is actively recruiting for volunteers for several city committees. Here is the text from the most recent press release on this issue.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CITY COMMITTEES

COSTA MESA, CALIF. — The Costa Mesa City Council is seeking community members to serve on the following Council committees:

Cultural Arts Committee: This committee works to promote the City slogan: “City of the Arts.” The Cultural Arts Committee has started a Youth Gallery in City Hall and maintains a directory of local artists. The Council will appoint four regular members and two alternate members. For further information, please contact Lisa McPherson at (714)754-5322.

Historical Preservation Committee: The Historical Preservation Committee serves to maintain, preserve, educate and promote the City’s historical resources, and advises the City Council on such matters. The Council will appoint one regular member and one alternate member. For further information, please contact Lisa McPherson at (714)754-5322.

Redevelopment and Residential Rehabilitation (3R) Committee: This committee promotes understanding of, and involvement in, the redevelopment of housing throughout the City and commercial properties within the redevelopment area. The committee serves as an advisory board to both the Redevelopment Agency and the City Council on housing-related and neighborhood issues. Committee members provide input on the eligible uses of Community Development Block Grant, HOME, and Redevelopment Agency funds. The Council will appoint five regular members and two alternate members. For further information, please contact Alma Penalosa at (714) 754-5692.

Investment Oversight Committee: The purpose of the Committee is to review the City and Redevelopment Agency’s portfolio and investment strategies for compliance with the City and Agency’s adopted investment policies. The role of the committee shall be advisory to the City Treasurer. The Council will appoint one committee member and one alternate member. Candidates may either reside or conduct business within the City and should have a background that includes experience in securities trading, financial planning or banking. For further information, please contact Colleen O’Donoghue, assistant finance director, at (714) 754-5243.

Costa Mesa Senior Center Board of Directors: The Costa Mesa City Council is recruiting individuals interested in serving on the Costa Mesa Senior Center Board of Directors. The Council will appoint one director to fill a vacancy and to serve on the board to represent the City for the remainder of a two-year term (to be extended to October 2012). For more information, please contact Donna Theriault, recreation management analyst, at (714) 754-5636 or email dtheriault@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us.

Application Process: Individuals interested in serving on any of the above committees should complete a “Committee Interest Form” available in the City Clerk’s Office or on the City’s website at http://www.costamesaca.gov/docs/commform.pdf. The completed form may be mailed to: Costa Mesa City Clerk, Post Office Box 1200, Costa Mesa, California, 92628-1200; faxed to (714) 754-4942; or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. The City Council will make selections from applications filed in a timely manner. For further information, please contact City Clerk Julie Folcik at (714) 754-5225 or julie.folcik@costamesaca.gov.

Kent Treptow - Walking Across America

CHANGE OF PACE
Today I present to you a palate-cleanser - something with which you can flush your brain and come away feeling very refreshed. Today I give you the opportunity to wander across this wonderful country with my friend, Kent Treptow.



A LITTLE WALK
As some know, Kent - a Daily Pilot photographer for years - began a solitary stroll across the country a little over 100 days ago. He began in Maine and has reached the theoretical center of the country, in Kansas. Along the way he has been providing us with a blog record of this adventure. It has been fascinating reading.

AND A FEW PHOTOS, TOO
Although he's a very skilled photographer, this has not been a photo essay per se. In fact, he didn't post many photos at all for the first month or so. The photo above was borrowed from his blog - I thought it was appropriate and hope he won't mind me using it to lure you to his site.

AN EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL ENEMA
So, flush all this local politics out of your systems - forget about the hostile takeover of our city and the ouster of the Orange County Market Place from the Fairgrounds by vindictive political operatives... forget all the rancor. Spend some time this weekend visiting Kent's site. I've given you the link, HERE, and also on the right side of my home page. I could have just linked to the blog, but wanted you to see some of his fantastic local photos as you made your way there. The trip account link is at the left of his home page. I'll keep my link up until he completes his trek so you can quickly and easily keep track of his adventures.

Here are a few recent quotes from his blog, just to reel you in.

***
Early in my day I meet a couple who have been married nearly 70 years. Outside an old farmhouse on a swinging bench, holding hands, listening to the birds, dangling their feet. He’s humming songs to her, they’re both smiling. Souls woven so so tightly together you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. I think when one passes the other will go quickly, very quickly, because for one to live alone is to not live at all. The face of love is worn and gray, and very beautiful, and it’s smiling out from a porch near Burrton, Kansas.

***

Another day just walking. It starts off in a tiny no-name cafe, where I see the same cowboys I saw yesterday. They’ve all got on the same off-white cowboy hats, just dirty enough to tell they’ve been working and not just strutting down the street. Nice guys, very polite. I ask them what they’re doing today. “Chasing cows.”

***

I don’t think the church was haunted but a great thunderstorm passed overhead in the middle of the night that upped the creepy factor. Of course I had to sneak into the sanctuary to watch lightning flashing through the stained glass windows. Magic.

***

Enjoy...

Breaking News! Fair Board Votes To Oust TelPhil

TELPHIL OUT AT FAIRGROUNDS
Joe Serna at the Daily Pilot, HERE, has reported that the Orange County Fair Board, on a 6-3 vote, has decided to oust TelPhil Enterprises as the operator of the Orange County Marketplace on the Fairgrounds site, severing a more than four-decade relationship.

DODGE VOTES NO!
This story is still developing, but it is reported that former Board Chair, Kristina Dodge, voted NO, along with two newbies - Nick Berardino and Gerardo Mouet. According to reports from the site, Dodge didn't join Chair Dave Ellis and the others in their vote to oust TelPhil because they were not in default of their contract.

ELLIS READY TO SPEND BUCKS ON LAWYERS
According to a couple of sources, Board Chair Ellis said at the end, "Well, that's that! Let the lawsuits begin!" Clearly, he's among those in the Orange County GOP hierarchy more than willing to spend taxpayer money on lawyers.



TELLER FURIOUS
It is also reported that Jeff Teller, the operator of TelPhil, addressed the board with heated, accusatory comments. I suspect Serna will flesh out the whole story in a modification of his brief tease posted in the past hour. Stay tuned...

E-Briefing Subscription

Just a little reminder from Costa Mesa's Interim Communication Director, Bill Lobdell...

SIGN UP ON HOME PAGE
The very popular and successful E-Briefing may be accessed a couple different ways. You may go to the city web site and, up in the right center - beside the City name, enter your email address in the block marked as such as shown in my little image below.
OR HERE
Or, if you want to sign up now, just click HERE and enter your email address in the space provided.

OR BY TEXT
Or, for those of you who live your young lives texting up a storm, you can simply text: EBRIEFING to 22828. I have no idea what that means, but I guess those of you with thumbs the size of ham hocks do, so fire away.

IT'S A GREAT COMMUNICATION TOOL
Personally, I think this E-Briefing feature is an excellent communication tool. Each week it provides, in an easy format to read, loads of excellent information. So, sign up and let the information flow...

More Than 100 Trees Removed Today

KIFF'S INDEPENDENT INITIATIVE
As just about everyone on our part of the planet knows by now, this morning the City of Newport Beach, at the direction of City Manager Dave Kiff, commenced removing more than 100 Blue Gum Eucalyptus trees from the center median on Irvine Avenue from 17th Street/Westcliff Drive to 19th Street/Dover Drive. It was one of these trees that toppled last Thursday and crushed the car in which 29 year-old Haeyoon Miller was driving and killed her. You can read the most recent Daily Pilot article HERE.

MOST WERE REMOVED TODAY
The location of these trees is only a few blocks from my home, so I visited the site this afternoon to observe the removal. By the time I got there - around 2 p.m. - almost all of the trees had been chopped down and removed from the site. I suspect that all had been removed by the time the crews from West Coast Arborists finished for the day. According to one man from WCA with whom I spoke, they will be finished with the job by Thursday afternoon, including grinding the stumps of all the extracted trees.

GOOGLE LOOK AT THE "BEFORE" VIEW
Here's a view taken by a Google Earth flyby from their most recent archive of the area. You can get an idea of the scope of this project and a good idea of the size of the trees. The remainder of the photos are those I took this afternoon, which shows the extent of the demolition, the crews cutting down a tree, stumps being ground and Costa Mesa motorcycle officers standing-by to protect onlookers from injury.

NAGHAVI'S MEETING FOILED
At last night's City Council meeting I spoke briefly before it began with Peter Naghavi, then-Director of Public Works - now Interim Assistant CEO. He told me he had a meeting scheduled with Kiff in the morning to discuss the arborist's findings about the trees. He did not know at the time that Kiff had already made the decision to begin removing those trees first thing Wednesday, today. In fact, after the meeting began one member of the Costa Mesa Police Department present told me that Irvine Avenue was already blocked off.

FITZPATRICK FREAKS OUT
During the meeting Planning Commissioner and Sanitary District Director Jim Fitzpatrick - a fellow-Eastsider who lives only a few hundred feet from Irvine Avenue - addressed the council and, in an agitated state, complained that he shouldn't have to hear about the removal of the trees from the media - that he expected to get that information from our city first. While I don't disagree with him, all the parties who might have provided that information were attending the council meeting. That logic escaped him - no surprise.

KIFF'S LETTER TO MONAHAN
After I visited the site of the tree removal this afternoon I contacted Dave Kiff, who filled me in on what he felt was a very urgent situation based on consultation with four separate arborists. Their consensus was that all the potentially damaging trees should be removed immediately. He had communicated directly with Gary Monahan earlier today and sent me a copy of his 2-page letter outlining his reasoning. I've provided an image of that letter below. If you have difficulty reading the letter just click on each page.


NAGHAVI UNAVAILABLE TODAY
I was unable to reach Naghavi today to find out just what happened from the Costa Mesa standpoint. As indicated in Kiff's letter, a cooperative effort between Newport Beach and Costa Mesa to decide how to replace those trees will be undertaken soon. It is assumed that there will be resident input in this process.

WHAT ABOUT THE REST?
Unknown at this time is the fate of the several dozen trees of the same species that are presently growing along Irvine Avenue in Costa Mesa territory. My neighborhood, for example, was once 20 acres of sweet potatoes and was completely ringed by those trees, which were planted early in the century as wind rows to protect the farms from wind-blown erosion. It appears that most, but not all, are growing on private property. Many of them are in great need of thinning before winter, such as it is in these parts, sets in and we get soaked soil and wind storms.

Another Marathon Council Meeting

ANOTHER LONG ONE
Well, at least the Costa Mesa City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 20th, finished that day. This one only ran five and a half hours instead of two hours longer, as was the case with the last meeting. And, I'd like to tell you that better decisions were made because the clock didn't sneak past midnight - but I can't. There were some highlights, though, so I'll start with those. You can watch the 5 hour, 22 minute streaming video of the meeting HERE.

HAMMETT GETS A PARK
The council codified its decision to re-name a city park for World War II hero, business and civic icon and role model for many in this town - Jack Hammett. Several options were available based on staff suggestions and Eric Bever - finally back on the dais - asked Hammett which one he preferred. Hammett said he liked the idea of the Civic Center Park, across the street from the Police Station, because he has spent so much of his life in and around the Civic Center. This is the potential site of a new Central Library if it is ever funded.

RIGHEIMER CALLS THE SHOTS
However, self-anointed Commander-in-chief, Jim Righeimer, dove in, ignored Hammett's preference and suggested re-naming the Farm Sports Complex for him. I'm not saying that's a bad choice - it's an excellent choice - but it made an almost perfect little ceremony more than a little uneasy, for Hammett and the folks in the audience. And, of course, it demonstrates just how obtuse Bever really is. The city is much better off when he's not on the dais. So, Jack Hammett will receive this much-deserved recognition and the youth of our city may learn a little more about one of the real heroes of our community.

NAGHAVI, MUNOZ PROMOTED- KINDA
At the tail end of the meeting last night, just before 11:30, CEO Tom Hatch that Public Services Director Peter Naghavi has been elevated to the position of Interim Assistant CEO and that Naghavi's strong right arm, Ernesto Munoz, will be moved into Naghavi's slot as Interim Public Services Director. Hatch, apparently, has been unsuccessful in finding a candidate for the open Assistant CEO slot and has decided to re-launch his search. Naghavi and Munoz will occupy those positions for the "next couple months", which I read to mean through the end of the year.

GOOD NEWS FOR US ALL
This is excellent news for the residents and employees of this city. Naghavi - the last remaining member of the senior staff who occupied his position a year ago - is a smart, solid performer and an effective leader. His presence on the 5th floor of City Hall - which has been filled for the most part with "outsiders" - may remove some of the "them versus us" stench that has permeated City Hall lately. And, of course, Munoz is a solid guy with a long track record of achievement in the city. This is a win-win for us, in my opinion.

STEVE STAYED PUT
The other good news is that councilman Steve Mensinger apparently has his texting/bladder problem under control because, except for the break, he only left the auditorium once during the evening. I couldn't tell if he was texting much last night, but I suspect Wendy Leece would have told us - again - if he had been.

GARY, THE JUGGLER
Gary Monahan, titular Mayor, performed another of his agenda juggling acts and ended up shuffling the issues guaranteed to generate the most discussion - the three RFPs - to near the end of the meeting. By the time they got around to discussing these items from the Consent Calendar the crowd had thinned to mostly the "usual suspects", that small group of concerned citizens who take the time and energy to actually study issues and forgo a normal life to address their opinions to the council to help them make informed decisions. You know - those folks who are frequently vilified by members of the council who would just as soon NOBODY questioned their decisions.

JAIL SERVICES
The first of those RFPs to be discussed was the one for Jail Services. Monahan invited folks to speak on that one, and told them to use that time to speak on the issues of general concern about all three RFPs at that time, too. When it got down to specifics real mayor Jim Righeimer took over. He immediately decided that the Evaluation Criteria designed to help review submissions on all three was wrong. Those Evaluation Criteria elements to be quantified were:

1) Qualifications of Firm and Key Personnel
2) Approach to Providing the Requested Scope of Services
3) Price Proposal
4) Innovative and/or creative approaches to providing the services that provide additional efficiencies or increased performance capabilities.

CRITERIA RE-WEIGHTED - LOW BIDDER GUARANTEED
Each of those were to be weighted at 25% for the purpose of evaluation. Righeimer, in a near froth, demanded that they be re-weighted, giving 50% to #3, Price Proposal. The others were weighted as follows: #1 - remains 25%; #2 was re-weighted to 10% and #4 was changed to 15%. This almost guarantees that the lowest bidder, regardless of skills, qualifications, creativity and response to scope of service, will receive the job.

ALL SUBMISSIONS TO BARLOW - FIRST
And, to further add to the intrigue, Righeimer demanded that all submissions be sent directly to former City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow at her office at Jones & Mayer in Fullerton, then subsequently transmitted to Hatch. This reeks of distrust of the city staff, especially since no good reason was given except by outsourced City Attorney Tom Duarte, who muttered something about providing confidentiality. The item passed, 4-1, with Leece voting no. She voted no on the others, too.

VIDEO PRODUCTION
The RFP for the Video Production - which also passed 4-1, with the same provisions installed by Righeimer in the previous one - generated some very complimentary comments about our current team, Dane Bora and Brad Long. These men do an outstanding job, work long hours and are dedicated to providing an outstanding product for our city. In a city staff of outstanding employees, these two men arguably make the most visible positive impact on the residents. It's beyond me to understand why this function would be considered for outsourcing. As former employee and speaker Perry Valantine pointed out, since most of the budgeted costs - $200,000 - are covered by a grant, our current video production organization is the best deal in town - at $66,000 per year. The clue, however, comes in comments from Righeimer and Mensinger. Righeimer continues to yap about costs. It's clear that he doesn't want Bora and Long to be displaced - he just doesn't want to pay them as employees.

OOPS!
Mensinger stepped in a pile of manure when he, twice, suggested that Hatch and Duarte find a way to coach employees about how to become a bidder on outsourcing functions. It remains unclear whether this is an appropriate role for any city official, since no definitive response was given. It does, however, give us a peek into the peculiar mind of Steve Mensinger - who apparently has never met a rule he won't break if given the chance.

MENSINGER'S TRAINING
This man grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth in a shallow pond of a town in the Central Valley - his family ran the biggest building supply outfit in town and his aunt was the mayor. He was sent to USC, where he apparently graduated with a degree in Arrogance - with honors. That's the course where they teach you that you should never hear the word "NO" - EVER! In that course they teach you that the rules are for others, but not you. They teach you the art form of turning the glad hand into a stiff-arm, a pat on the back into a knife between the ribs and that a criticism must always be preceded with faint praise so your victim drops his guard.

BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES
The RFP for the Building Inspection Services also passed 4-1 and also with the same provisions required by Righeimer, although not without several commenters bringing up valid concerns - each of which were ignored.

MENSINGER AND THE RULES - AGAIN
The low points of the evening came during Council Member Comments, which began at 11 p.m. Mensinger led off and, among his comments, he included an indictment of our campaign financing policies. He's chagrined that if a person contributes $250 or more to a campaign, that candidate may not hear or vote on an issue involving that contributor. He described it as "surreal". Again, a rule designed to serve the public interest - but he doesn't like it and asked for our policy to be agendized for potential modification. He used a backhanded slap at Leece during his discussion - once again. A low-class guy is always a low class guy, I guess.

WORRIED ABOUT FOUNDATION FINANCES
He also wants a audit and assessment of the TeWinkle/Estancia and the Costa Mesa High School Foundations and how they spend the money on schools. I wonder if he's as concerned about the finances of Costa Mesa United, of which he is a member of the board? In any event, he asked Hatch to find out about the audit and to post the finances on the city web site so the residents can keep track of those finances.

MORE RIGHEIMER RANTS
Righeimer was next up, although I'm surprised he had any arrows left in his quiver after the several mini-tirades he spewed throughout the evening. His first request was so jaw-dropping that it is almost unbelievable. He asked Hatch to have "this new person who works for the council" - whoever that is - to send out freedom of information requests to EVERY city in the county, including the county, for compensation numbers for EVERY person that works for them! No vote was taken on this item, even though it will clearly take much, much more than 4 hours of staff time to accomplish and maintain this data. And, just what will he - or we - do with this avalanche of numbers?

SELL THOSE CHOPPERS - PRONTO!
His next rant was about getting the A.B.L.E. helicopters sold "right away" because they are a depreciating asset - "like ice cubes melting on the sidewalk on a hot day". He actually seemed surprised that they are not yet sold although three months ago he specifically instructed then-commander Tim Starn to hold off for 90 days before putting them on the market in case they could be used in a public/private partnership.

HYPOCRISY ON DISPLAY - AGAIN
The next item was his complaint about perhaps not recognizing the policy about approval being necessary for use of more than 4 hours of staff time! (See Above!) What a hypocrite! He was referring specifically to Wendy Leece's request for a policy on Ex Parte Communications - which he and Mensinger tried to morph and hijack into a "union only" rule. It failed, 2-2, when Monahan apparently decided to break with them on this issue for the good of the city. In this case, Righeimer wants to change the policy - he asked for it to be brought back - so the majority on the council can not prohibit a minority member from getting the staff time necessary to gather data and do analysis on an issue. On the surface, that sounds like a good idea, but I'm very, very suspicious about his motives. We'll see.

POST THOSE WORKER'S COMP NUMBERS!
He then launched off into a rant about the recent Orange County Register article by Jon Cassidy that outlined Worker's Compensation claim information that was, apparently, leaked to him from someone inside the city. Righeimer demanded that this information be made public so we can know the extent of this situation. He said he didn't want to see names, but I had the impression that somewhere back in his mind the word "yet" was lingering. He asked Hatch to provide that information. This was clearly another attack on union employees.

SAY WHAT?
Finally, he asked that Hatch bring to the next council meeting a method by which the council can enter into an exclusive agreement with one of the vendors for the operation of the TeWinkle Park Sports Complex that had been heard recently by the Parks and Recreation Commission. He says "we've got the cart before the horse" - I had to chuckle at that one, considering how we're handling the outsourcing - and that we need to have an agreement - "not that we'd sign an agreement with them" - from one of the vendors so we "know what's out there". Sure sounds like a guy you'd want to do business with, doesn't it? Geez!

EVERY VILLAGE HAS ONE...
Bever was next, and began by agreeing with Mensinger about campaign reform. He said, "I wasn't tainted by it and I don't believe former member Mansoor was either. I never took a dime of union money." That's really hysterical - that he actually believes that union campaign contributions are the only potential source of campaign corruption. However, he asked Hatch to put campaign reform on the agenda for a future study session.

LEECE PRESENTS POSITIVE INFO - AND GETS SLAMMED
Leece brought up the rear and presented some positive information about the recent Historical Society event at the Estancia Adobe and the very informative newsletter prepared and distributed by Diane Hill and her United Neighbors organization. She also mentioned that some crime numbers are up and gave the numbers. Interesting, both Mensinger and Bever assailed her for that. Mensinger pouted that he didn't have that information and Bever told her that they were incomplete and she should wait to close out the year before presenting this kind of information. What a crock! If our police department tells us certain types of crimes are up - as Leece said, robbery is up 11% from a year ago, burglary is up 5% and larceny and theft is up 12% - that's something that I, as a resident, want to know. I don't want to wait 4 months to hear about it, either.

SHARON DAY
Lest I leave you with too bitter a taste in your mouth, one of the presentations made by Monahan earlier in the meeting was to Costa Mesa native Sharon Day, the United States Heptathlon champion for 2011. Sharon was a multi-sport star while in high school, a national champion in college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has had a stellar professional career. I'm a huge track and field fan and have watched her career since her high school days. Her college coach is a personal friend, so I've followed her career closely. She's a person of whom every Costa Mesan can be proud. Congratulations to Sharon and her family.