Feet To The Fire Forum Tonight
Just a quick reminder that Register columnist Barbara Venezia and her merry band of journalist/interrogators will be conducting the most recent in their series of Feet To The Fire forums tonight, Wednesday, at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue (Lions Park). The doors open at 6:30 and the program begins at 7:00. Barbara tells me that it should wrap up by 8:30 or thereabouts.
THE GANG OF FIVEJoining Barbara as interrogators will be John Canalis, Daily Pilot Managing Editor, Roger Bloom, Managing Editor of the Newport Beach Independent, Jack Wu, Daily Pilot columnist and Frank Mickadeit, Register columnist.
Six of the seven Costa Mesa city council candidates have been invited to attend. It's my understanding that Steve Mensinger, Gary Monahan, Colin McCarthy, Sandra Genis, Harold Weitzberg and John Stephens will attend and be grilled by the panel. Candidate Al Melone was not invited to this event.
I expect this forum to be a little more lively than the one last week. Personally, I'm going to be very interested to see if Mickadeit applies a level hand with his questions since he's a drinkin' buddy of the current power elite in Costa Mesa. We'll know in about 12 hours.
Costa Mesa Television will be on hand to tape the proceedings for later broadcast. I'll publish the replay schedule when it's available.
LIVE ON STREAMING VIDEO, TOOAnother interesting feature is that this one may be available on streaming video via the internet. Venezia has made arrangements for someone to broadcast live from her web site. So, if you can't make it tonight - or just want to stay home and watch the Cowboys play the Giants in the season opener - you may be able to view this meeting on your computer. Just click on her link, www.bvontv.com/. If you do use this feature please let me know how it turned out. Otherwise, see you this evening.
Labels: Barbara Venezia, Colin McCarthy, Frank Mickadeit, Harold Weitzberg, Jack Wu, John Canalis, John Stephens, Roger Bloom, Sandra Genis, Steve Mensinger
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 9/05/2012 09:38:00 AM
15 Comments:
Jack Wu?! What could he possibly be offering to this forum? He lives in Newport Beach and consistently writes in favor of the current council. Why wasn't Jeff Harlan invited as well? This makes me thing this forum was set up to further the views of the current council majority. Very disappointing.
Yea, Mickadeit's an ocgop clone. No worries though, any of the "Better 3" * can handle him.
* Weitzberg, Genis, Stephens
Faye said...
"Jack Wu?! What could he possibly be offering to this forum?"
With most clowns in the USA currently on tour with Ringling Brothers and Circus Vargas, they had to tap the "reserves"..
With a stacked deck, there should be no excuses for the 3M's tonight. After all, Jack Wu was openly hostile toward Stephens and Weitzberg already. Frank Mickadeit gets all his scoops at Monahan's. Roger Bloom is a former Register guy, too.
I think Mike H’s comments are insightful but the conclusion is different.
I think this exposes yet another group that CM4RG does not have a relationship with. The CM4RG candidates have no meaningful endorsements from local leaders. None. And the residents are an ideologically narrow group that many have never heard of, never seen active in our city.
Except for endorsements from the 2 guys at the Sanitation District. But those are the guys who champion no bid contracts?
The CM4RG candidates do not have good working relationships with meaningful and necessary people or organizations. No, no no. Easy Council Critics. We are not talking cronies. I am talking about Council Members in other Cities that they would soon be interacting with on important issues. That means NB, HB, Irvine, Santa Ana. What about the large property owners, folks that would redevelop old apartments in our City and transform them into offerings that would attract the upwardly mobile crowd, and not the overcrowded undesirable rental scenarios. That money will not be enthusiastic.
There is a video going around about Sandy Genis speaking at a Huntington Beach City Council. You will be troubled by it when you see the behaviors and think of what it would be like that having her as a leader working with other leaders.
Or you could find a scapegoat and blame the local media for the issue. At least they stop short of saying the OC GOP and Righeimer controlling the media. Does Noberto Santana talk his marching orders from Scott Baugh? That would be news…
to "CM4RG made me do it " (MM?)
So you're one of the people spreading garbage
about our candidates. I heard about this at Tuesday's
council meeting.
I think I heard you speak that night, also.
CM4RG made me do it...
In my opinion the footage that exists of the current council members and the way that they have treated people speaks volumes. To borrow your words, you should be troubled by it. Or maybe you weren't troubled by the council member who allegedly mispresented himself as a deputy at an airport and got into an altercation.
And Jack Wu was booed ......... rightfully booed. He offered nothing, as suspected, but colorful comments at the Republicans who he does not endorse. I hope he is not at any other forums for Costa Mesa since a) he does not live here and b) he has nothing intelligible to ask of the candidates. As the woman said in the back "ask a question!"
I heard about the video of Sandy at HB council. I haven’t seen it. But I don’t need a misinformed interpreter to tell me what was said; I was there. Background: Because the CM council majority ignored their own attorney’s advice and illegally proceeded to issue Pink slips to 213 employees, the City of became embroiled in a lawsuit that could have easily been avoided. According to law, Costa Mesa could partner with a municipality for shared services, but could not at that point outsource to private contractors unless the layoff notices were rescinded and Costa Mesa followed it’s own policies, contract law and other applicable laws. Members of the CM City council were attempting another illegal end run around the law by partnering with Huntington Beach for services HB intended to outsource to private companies.
Sandy and I went with one goal in mind, to save Costa Mesa from further legal trouble. A second goal was to be a good neighbor and warn HB that they could become embroiled in our legal troubles if they followed the plans suggested to some of their CC members by some of our CC members. HB has a conservative majority, and they listened and understood what we were saying, and voted not to proceed down a foolish legal path. We probably saved Costa Mesa at least another million in legal fees. Some HB council members thanked us.
When I say the decision to issue pink slips was a “fire, ready, aim” decision of the Costa Mesa Council I mean that if they had taken about 2 months to take the steps they needed to take, they could have outsourced as they pleased in about 8 months total time. They could have realized tremendous savings. That is what is so ironic about the whole sad, expensive state of affairs!
A major victory for the "Better 3."
Mensy was outed as the Riggy ponyboy he truly is. Without a sergeant at arms present to stifle dissent, the bully got what he deserved and earned: Boos from the crowd.
This isn't the airport or the Pop Warner field Stevie- you're in the big leagues now and people see what you are.
In the words of your brother Bever, "Go home!"
It was an awesome FTF last night. Genis, Weitzberg and Stephens clearly shined above the others. Mensinger getting "booed" four times. Faye, you're correct. Jack Wu was a lousy interrogator and was simply comical in his attempt. Other than that, I did find one Uh...."difference"... in the responses of Mensinger, I believe. The DEA came to Costa Mesa at the behest of the City Council, who wrote them a letter requesting their help in getting the marijuana clinics out of town. Mensinger said they just showed up...that they knew nothing about it. That was strange.
Talk about destroying the brand of Costa Mesa. Huntington Beach experienced the Costa Mesa lunatic fringe first hand.
Here is the link http://huntingtonbeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=695
City Council Candidate Sandra Genis is at 53:35 “You don’t wan’t to get in the middle of this fight” threatens Genis.
And CM4RG President Robin Laffler shares brand busting comments at 1:20;15
Very disappointing action. It is a do as I say, not as I do crowd.
View for Yourself said...
"Talk about destroying the brand of Costa Mesa"
Leffler and Genis are loyal to Costa Mesa. The 3 stooges are loyal to the ocgop.
GO HOME, Colon, and take your smirking, slouching mug with you, por favor.
View: Sandy and Robin are absolutely right not to want to draw Huntington Beach into our legal troubles. It won't come out well if that happens. Sandy and Robin have integrity. Look that up in the dictionary. Its as close as you will ever got to the meaning of the word.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Thank goodness for all of the good people of Costa Mesa, like Sandy and Robin, and so many others, who ARE doing something! It's called doing the right thing!
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