Setting The Record Straight On Park Paving
MY PREVIOUS ENTRY....
In an entry last week, HERE, I mentioned that there might be a move afoot to pave over part of Fairview Park - a section that includes protected vernal pools. I identified that section as being near Estancia High School and the Waldorf School. I mentioned that this issue would be on the Parks and Recreation Commission agenda next week.
NOT ONLY 'NO', BUT...
Tuesday I received a return telephone call from Ernesto Munoz, Interim Pu
blic Services Director for the City of Costa Mesa. He assured me that there is NOT a plan to pave over any portion of Fairview Park, especially segments where protected vernal pools are located. He told me unequivocally that no such item is on the agenda for the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting next Wednesday, November 16th - the final meeting of that organization for the year with the exception of a special joint meeting with members of the Newport Beach staff to discuss replanting the median along Irvine Avenue where the eucalyptus trees were recently removed.
SHRIMP SAFE
So, there you have it. The San Diego fairy shrimp - apparently the residents of the vernal pools - are safe. Munoz told me that ANY change in Fairview Park is a major undertaking and requires re-opening the Fairview Park Master Plan, which would involve significant public hearings.
In an entry last week, HERE, I mentioned that there might be a move afoot to pave over part of Fairview Park - a section that includes protected vernal pools. I identified that section as being near Estancia High School and the Waldorf School. I mentioned that this issue would be on the Parks and Recreation Commission agenda next week.NOT ONLY 'NO', BUT...
Tuesday I received a return telephone call from Ernesto Munoz, Interim Pu
blic Services Director for the City of Costa Mesa. He assured me that there is NOT a plan to pave over any portion of Fairview Park, especially segments where protected vernal pools are located. He told me unequivocally that no such item is on the agenda for the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting next Wednesday, November 16th - the final meeting of that organization for the year with the exception of a special joint meeting with members of the Newport Beach staff to discuss replanting the median along Irvine Avenue where the eucalyptus trees were recently removed.SHRIMP SAFE
So, there you have it. The San Diego fairy shrimp - apparently the residents of the vernal pools - are safe. Munoz told me that ANY change in Fairview Park is a major undertaking and requires re-opening the Fairview Park Master Plan, which would involve significant public hearings.Labels: Ernesto Munoz, Fairview Park
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 11/09/2011 01:01:00 AM
32 Comments:
Thanks Geoff. Good to know the real story.
Good to see conspiracy theories running rampant perpetuated by Geoff West.
And did you notice the correction as soon as I got it?
Now the only "endangered schrimp" that has to be worried in CM is the wee little "Irish Scrimp" that hangs out a his dive waterhole on the Eastside....
Geoff blogs on an unfounded rumor, then says, well, when I got a correction I posted it.
Geoff West has claimed many times that the content here is his and it is his decision as to what gets published.
Then he allows the comments about our Mayor to be published.
It is true, I do come here. Not to be informed but to try and balance the lunatic fringe.
I think our City is getting structurally better, has improved and will continue to do so. I think the likes of Geoff West, Tom Eagan, Sandy Genis, Greg Ridge, Billy Folsom, Helen N. (you see the way she dresses at Council … in her best hoodie???), and the rest of the clan are what is wrong with our City.
I am glad to see change occurring. Clearly, it is hard for some. Very much a challenge for an old angry geezer like Geoff West
let gericault know, he has been very critical of this "agendized" item. rightfully so i might add, IF it had been true. if he hadn't decided to alienate Ethan he could have found out the truth right away. but a small price to pay as long as he can disparage someone who does more than varnish furniture. Who origgynated this fabricated story anyway, Genius?
FYI, I received the information from two separate sources. Verified it with each, then posted it. Contacted the City and got their reply and posted it immediately. It's an important issue - or was - that could have affected many users of Fairview Park. If you don't like what you read here just stop clicking on the link. You won't be missed...
Thanks for the update. Parking lots don't belong in nature parks. They belong in urban city parks and next to Costcos and Walmarts.
i would guess one of the sources is the Mesa Verde HOA which does not represent the majority of Mesa Verde and has been hijacked by the looney left and has Leffler, of all people, as their government affairs person. They publish much misinformation to push the Genis agenda. A very closed, self annointed group that often lets truth get in the way. Very different than Halecrest HOA or Mesa del Mar HOA who I find to be non partisan.
To: All Trolls
From: Your Vernal Riggmarshal
Re: Talking Points for 11/9/11
West still old and angry;
Goldman old and angry;
Egans old and angry;
Genis, Ridge, Folsom, Nenandal:
unattractive, dumb, angry for no reason;
Temianka, Fitzpatrick: Great thinkers like Jefferson, have big minds of their own;
Smirkmarshal Mensinger: Great leader like Mike Carona, better hair;
Bever, Monahan: Best tools in Costa Mesa. Look for them on shelf at Ace Hardware, near Harbor/Adams;
Your Riggmarshal:
I am a genius who went to China and you didn't. I am undisputed ruler of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Donald Bren drives me to the buffet every morning.
Joe moronic, not funny.
ready, fire, aim ??
No, Geoff, you didn't just "mention it," you associated yet another incorrect position (see "Grant's Tomb" post) with Steve Mensinger. Oh, but I guess that slipped your mind. So for your benefit and for the benefit of those who take your word as gospel, you wrote the following after your post about paving over the protected pools: "If true, this has the stench of Steve Mensinger all over it. And, if true, this won't surprise me at [all]." You owe him an apology.
According to correspondence I've seen from City engineer Bart Mejia, there HAS been conversation about paving a frequently-used dirt area just to the north of Canyon Dr. that has been used for overflow parking in the past. It is presently delineated with telephone poles on the ground to keep folks from driving or walking into sensitive areas. The staff is considering proposing paving THAT area. In any event, to do so will require opening the Fairview Park Master Plan.
So when are they going to open a beer garden at the stadium? That's probably next...
To: Do the right thing,
Isn't Mensinger for the joint venture restaurant and bar Righeimer wants to do inside TeWinkle Park?
There's always a very similar smell emitted when those two get together. Kind of like the idea to put an assisted living home next to a loud and popular nightclub. They seem to be responsible for one bad idea after another.
J,
For Riggy's talking points,
don't forget,
"Police are good guys but we only need 50 for all of Costa Mesa."
"COLON is the taxpayer's best friend, and has a cool association you can join at at an even cooler dive bar!"
there's a guy who has two cancel the layoff signs in his decrepit yard. He has an illegal shed in backyard against backwall in violation of code (it is higher than six feet). Built in at that. Would somebody get code enforcement on him and make him tear it down please?
I am not involved with any pro or con group; I am neither a Democrat or a Republican and I don't know any of the city council members. Instead, I am an independent thinker with great eyesight, and definitely NOT a follower of anyone, or anything. I've lived in Costa Mesa all of my life and I am a senior citizen.
Cutting to the chase, let me say that there is nothing in life that I dislike more than both Fairview Park, and that butt ugly park bridge across Placentia.
I would love to see a shopping center, the likes of Fashion Island, placed on that ugly property. Fairview Park is NOT a park. It never has been, and it never will be. It is a disgusting piece of weed strewn land that literally destroys the heart of Costa Mesa. I've come to the conclusion that all of you Fairview Park lovers either need to buy a pair of glasses, or you lack sanity.
Vernal pools my foot! Those are breeding grounds for all kinds of bacteria, mosquitos, avian flu pandemics, West Nile virus and Legionaire's Disease.
That park is also a breeding ground for criminals and the homeless. We've already had one teenager murdered in that park, how many more do you want? Panhandlers abound and there is no security around when you approach one with a knife in his hand.
Let's grow a brain, get rid of the Fairview Park expense, and plow all that land under. A beautiful, useful shopping center would be soooo much better, and it would definitely bring the Westside to life.
I don't remember being asked if I wanted "Fairview Park". Let me make it clear, I don't!
Alex: Please don't change the subject. We're talking about an outrageous, unfounded - and now erroneous - charge by Geoff. What's worse, Geoff hasn't got the character to do the right thing and issue a simple apology.
Righeimer and the rest of the council sans Leece should apologize to Huy Pham's family long before Mr. West should apologize for any alleged reporting errors.
Folks, you sound like a bunch of children throwing sand at each other. Why attack folks character, looks, age, ideals, or any of the basic freedoms we all have????? Last I looked at a fashion magazine, hoodies were "in". What is wrong with being angry at the demise of our city? What is wrong with age, you will join us someday if you are lucky? Geoff does a fine job of keeping us informed and letting us know when he is wrong. It is your choice to read or not read his comments. Expecting apologizes for human error is humorous, are u perfect?????? What is wrong with this city is folks who have tunnel vision, do not listen to experts, professionals, advisors, attorneys, and think they are speaking for those who are afraid to come forward so thus agree!!! Was is wrong is so much energy spent on negativity, think what coudl be accomplished, we all became more positive, worked together and came to a degree of agreement and solution.
I don't remember Mensinger apologizing to all the people he falsely accused on Facebook of vandalizing his property. He did finally remove the post, but no apology was forthcoming.
To: Do the right thing,
There is nothing for him to apologize for.
You picked the wrong blog to read if you don't like citizens who like to keep an eye on their government. Righeimer and Mensinger have done some very wrong things in the past. Most of my neighbors watch their every move now and have zero trust or faith in their level of competence running our city.
To checkinonthewhiners: call the City & ask them how many code enforcement staff they have. Probably about 4 or 5 to cover 100,000+ residents combined w/ businesses to enforce codes to remedy blight, broken down cars in driveways, unmaintained yards & fences, transient belongings dumped on public & commercial property, etc, etc. So, it will be hard for this City to start looking better aesthetically without more vigorous code enforcement. Nobody cares until it's your neighbor who looks like the black sheep on the block. Unless you live near so. coast plaza or border newport beach; admit those areas of town are beautiful!! At least the segerstrom's know how to vamp up their portion of the City, or Costa Mesa would really look like Costa Ana.
Sorry, carried off the subject....
Joe,
No apology to Huy Pham's family will ever be necessary.
As Mr. West has reported in this blog thread, he has seen correspondence from city engineer Bart Mejia regarding paving another section of Fairview Park. That action would also require opening the Fairview Park master plan. And then what?
While the whole report could have been based on rumors amplified from the reported discussion, there's another possibility that has occurred to innocent bystanders.
What are the chances that the rumors were indeed trial balloons that got nipped in the bud while absolute deniability was still possible?
Another Possibility,
You are correct, it WAS a shiny object floated to distract Genis and Ridge, meanwhile council has moved two more months down the road in their planning while Genis has had to scrap the 200 pages of EIR reports she was building to stop it. Too bad, so sad.
To Alex, Do As I Say, and anyone else who believes that because others don't own their stuff that Geoff should own his: I had higher hopes for Geoff. I was hoping that he was going to set an example for the others and apologize to Mensinger for linking him to something that was false. Stupid me. I guess on A Bubbling Cauldron, two wrongs DO make a right.
Where there is smoke there was fire, Geoff may have heard thru the chamber and or the parks commission about football fields and parking in Fairview Park. Kurt kalitski mentioned it while on the parks commission, I think he said get ready for football fields. they would have to open the master plan but with 4-1 votes good luck
Thanks Geoff for the preemptive strike
Nevernervous reminds me of "Deep Throat," feeding us tantalizing bits of knowledge and drawing us into a cat-and-mouse game if we want to find out more of what he obviously knows.
It's hard to figure out his motivation. Maybe he's just a politically astute voyeur, stirring up the combatants and sitting back and chuckling at the carnage. I think it's more likely, though, that nevernervous actually wants to help Costa Mesa, and is torn between loyalty to someone on City Council and a growing dismay at the bad, destructive, wasteful decisions that have been made and are damaging the city.
He must have some business sense which screams at the wastefulness of the ill-conceived layoff effort. He surely realizes that all told the whole layoff caper will result in a net loss, not gain, to the city.
He hinted at this when he previously suggested in another comment thread that the principal players acknowledge that they had all screwed up and come to the table and save some jobs.
That suggestion was two-thirds wonderful. The part that wasn't was the suggestion that the job-saving depended on policemen making undefined concessions. That part isn't fair. It looks like the general employees are being held hostage for ransom to be paid by the police department. If the police department doesn't pay up, then they're "responsible" for the layoffs of others. That's not really different from the police saying that they would come to the table and make concessions if the councilmen resigned en masse and a general election were held to replace them. Then it would be the councilmen's fault if employees lost their jobs.
So, nevernervous, here's an invitation for you. If you have any influence with the council, how about about showing them how much money, goodwill, and efficiency are being flushed down the toilet, then urging them to admit--at least to themselves--that they did indeed screw up, and then encouraging them to cancel the layoffs, work on rebuilding trust, and return to sound public management practices.
Nevernervous, Deep Throat saved the nation from corruption at its highest levels by revealing information. You can save Costa Mesa without a single court case or disgrace. Just use the insider knowledge that you appear to have to convince the councilmen to change course. You can do some real good without hurting a soul.
Another possibility?
Fair? Police gets raises and benefits increases when the economy is bomming, because the economy is booming, but refuse to make any real concessions when the economny tanks and other members of the Costa mesa "family" get laid off?
Why don't you detail for all of us just what you have given up, then lets compare it to the jobs lost, programs cut and real concessions made by the general employees.
Dear "Fair?"
I'm sorry that I didn't make myself clear. Thanks for questioning me and giving me a chance to do better. First of all, let me assure you that I support the general employees 100%.
City Council could easily have continued along the path of earlier councils, negotiated as necessary, and maintained employee jobs. They have the money to maintain services, which is made obvious by the councilmen's wasteful spending--I'm sure that you, if you're a city employee, can provide a longer list than I can. Their threat to lay off general employees has nothing to do with the pay of the police department, which, by the way has also suffered reductions.
Here's the heart of what I said: "It looks like the general employees are being held hostage for ransom to be paid by the police department. If the police department doesn't pay up, then they're 'responsible' for the layoffs of others."
What I meant was that the councilmen are telling us that the layoffs are the police department's fault. That's a phony accusation.
Their strategy in this whole maneuver has been to turn working men and women against each other,first people in the private sector who have suffered unemployment and loss of pensions against public employees--and now public employees against each other. In the meantime, money that should be going to the people who do the work will go to highly paid bosses, lawyers, consultants, and an additional layer of supervisors instead.
You seem to assume that I'm in the police department; I am not. I am not an employee of the city at all, nor do I have friends or family members who are. I am simply a long-time resident of Costa Mesa who is horrified by the unfair, cynical, self-serving actions of these councilmen.
Please don't get taken in by their divisive propaganda.
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