A Busy Few Days Ahead...

JUST AHEAD....
Just a little reminder for you about the next couple days in Costa Mesa.

BIG STUDY SESSION TOMORROW
Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 8th, the City Council will hold a Study Session at 4:30 in Council Chambers.  I wrote about that in a recent post, HERE.  There are three big items on that agenda - the proposed I-405 Freeway expansion in north Costa Mesa; the proposed improvements at the current end of the SR-55 Freeway at 19th Street AND a preliminary peek at the 2012-2013 municipal budget.  I expect there will be much public interest for this meeting, so don't be late.

EASTSIDE IMPROVEMENTS MEETING ON WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, May 9th, at Kaiser Elementary School, 2130 Santa Ana Avenue, the city staff will present a discussion of the pending street improvements planned for the Eastside of our city.  You can read more about it HERE.  This meeting starts at 6:00 in the Multi-purpose room and residents interested in how more than $6 million in Gas Tax and Measure M funds will be spent on our streets over the next few months are encouraged to attend.

LONG COUNCIL MEETING ON THE 15TH
Next week, on Tuesday, May 15th, the council will hold a regularly-scheduled meeting and, although the agenda for that one has not been released yet, based on preliminary conversations over the past couple weeks, it should be loaded.  It wouldn't surprise me to see that one stretch into Wednesday morning.  More on that one when the agenda is available.

A BUSY MONTH AHEAD
So, mark your calendars - it's going to be a very busy May in Costa Mesa.

OC MARATHON A SUCCESS - AGAIN
Oh, yes.. kudos to all who participated in the OC Marathon yesterday.  More than 18,000 runners were out there smashing asphalt and having fun. 

Civility vs. Rudeness On The Dais

KINCAID PLEADS FOR CIVILITY...
During the Public Comments segment at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting on May 1st long-time resident David Kincaid stepped to the speaker's podium and used his allotted three minutes to plea for civility in the discourse of important issues in our city.  He directed his comments to the council and, occasionally, looked over his shoulder at the audience, too.

...AND HE'S RIGHT
Kincaid, of course, was correct.  Since this current City Council took office nearly 18 months ago we've seen civility take a back seat to snide comments and vitriolic rejoinders from some members of the council directed at speakers and their peers on the dais, as well. And, a few speakers have strongly criticized members of the council, both as a group and by name specifically.

BEVER'S "BOWEL MOVEMENTS"
Following Kincaid's plea, some members of the council chimed in and concurred with his observations.  However, it didn't take very long that evening for some of them to fall right back into their old habits of criticizing members of the public who dared to speak out against their actions, sometimes with a coarseness unbecoming officials theoretically providing leadership to our city.  Mayor Eric Bever, for example, chided councilwoman Wendy Leece for demanding accountability for the junket Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer and councilman Steve Mensinger are taking to Las Vegas this month by implying that she wanted a report on their "bowel movements".  That kind of gutter language may be OK when you're tossing back a few cold ones at Gary Monahan's pub or changing clothes in the locker room at the Costa Mesa Country Club, but it's completely inappropriate when spoken from the dais in a public meeting.

YOUNG FOLKS LEARNING BULLYING
I attend most of the meetings and have observed young people - high-schoolers for the most part - who have recently begun attending to either observe as part of a school assignment or to speak before the council to plead their case for a pet project - elimination of Styrofoam carry-out packaging at local restaurants, for example.  I've found myself wondering just what kind of lesson our council is providing for them as they snipe back and forth and take pot-shots at speakers with whom they disagree.  I fear that those eager young people may be learning that bullying and boorish behavior is acceptable - and it's not.

BULLYING IS JUST PLAIN WRONG
Bullying has become a very big issue in schools all around the country lately.  In fact, there is currently an award-winning movie on the subject being shown locally.  What we see from the dais is, in many instances, bullying in its purest form.  Council members take advantage of their position of authority - their bully pulpit, as it were - to chide, vilify and castigate members of the community and other members of the council who express opposing viewpoints.  Not only is this unseemly and rude, but it's just plain wrong.


WE DESERVE AND EXPECT MORE...
Mayor Bever, our part-time, part-time councilman and now the lamest of lame ducks, has shown a reluctance to take part in the governance process of our city in recent months.  He failed to attend several important council meetings and was heard to moan from the dais, "I didn't sign up for this!"  He's also been heard telling one critic addressing a grievance before the council that, "If you don't like it, tough luck!"  And, now that he has a greater obligation to actually attend the meetings, he's becoming a bully.  Residents have every right to expect better behavior from those chosen to lead the city.


BEVER'S BOORISH BEHAVIOR
At the end of that May 1st meeting Bever had so offended Wendy Leece's daughter, Amy Fox, that she stormed up to the dais, ready to confront Bever as he departed.  He went the other direction, but Fox caught up with him and they had a little chat.  He then went directly to Orange County Register reporter Sean Greene - the young fellow who has been doing a terrific job covering the city over the past few months - and got in his face, criticizing him for not contacting Bever on issues.  That's truly ironic because Bever is well-known among members of the media who have covered city issues as being unavailable for comment and not returning telephone calls.  As distasteful as that encounter was, I had to smile knowing that Greene had just attended his final Costa Mesa council meeting.  The next day he departed his job and will begin graduate school at UC Berkeley in the fall.  I'm sure he learned a lot covering our city - probably less about government and more about the behavior of government officials.
 

HOPING FOR BETTER...
Let us hope that Bever and the other members of our City Council will somehow find the maturity to represent the residents of this city with more decorum and civility at future meetings.  No one should have to fear backhanded retaliation when they take the time to study issues and present their views for the council to consider.  And no one should have to fear the wrath of a petulant, infantile, termed-out, gutter-mouthed politician.

Loaded Study Session Planned For Tuesday

FULL STUDY SESSION AGENDA

Next Tuesday, May 8, 2012, the Costa Mesa City Council will hold a Study Session at which three very important items will be discussed.  This meeting begins in City Council chambers at 4:30 and is normally scheduled to run a couple hours.  Unlike regular council meetings, total public comments time is restricted to 15 minutes unless Mayor Eric Bever changes the rule.  Typically it is first come, first served and usually each speaker will get only two minutes.  If you have something to say, jump up early or be left out in the cold

I-405 FREEWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

The first item on the agenda is I-405 Freeway Improvement Project presentation by members of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) staff.  You can read that staff report HERE.  The project involves adding a new High Occupancy lane - perhaps a toll lane - to 405 and 73 freeways where they join in Costa Mesa.  This project has been in the works for a couple of years, as a review of the staff report will explain.  It is my understanding that there is a significant ground swell of opposition to this project from residents living in the north part of our city - the area that will be most directly affected by the lengthy construction.  I expect there to be a significant presence from that group of our neighbors to hear the OCTA presentation and, perhaps, express their views.  Don't be late...

SR-55 FREEWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Second on the agenda is the proposed SR-55 Freeway Improvement Project, Monument Signs Options.  This is another mature project that has been put off in order to better coordinate with the OCTA actions at the present terminus of the freeway at 19th Street.  Staff will be looking for direction concerning landscaping treatments and choices of a Monument Sign.  You can read the staff report, which includes examples of monument signs, HERE.

PRELIMINARY BUDGET REVIEW - WITH NO STAFF REPORT

The final item on the agenda, the Initial presentation of the 2012-2013 municipal budget, presently has no staff report available for review, only a placeholder page in the agenda.  It is my hope that sometime before the meeting a staff report will be made available for the public to review.  This is going to be a very complicated process this year and CEO Tom Hatch has set aside dates throughout the month for on-going budget discussions.  In addition to the meeting Tuesday, he also identified May 17th, 24th and possibly the 29th for additional meetings - maybe more. 

 RIGHEIMER'S WISH LIST

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer, at a meeting earlier this year, pulled numbers out of the air with no discussion by the council as to their appropriateness and has created a "5-year Plan" - a wish list against which they will now demand the staff prepare a budget to accomplish those wishes.  You can view that pipe dream HERE.   Unfortunately, in the case of the first year on that list - 2012/2013 - it looks like we will fall somewhere around $12 million short.  The only place any money can be found is in salaries and benefits of employees.  It's going to be a very interesting budget process this year.  If Finance and Information Technology Director Bobby Young pulls this off I'm going to ask him to turn water into wine next.

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING TO FOLLOW - A CLOSED SESSION
Following the study session there will be a Special City Council meeting - a closed session to discuss labor negotiations.  The public is not invited to that meeting.

Eastside Infrastructure Improvement Meeting

EASTSIDE STREET IMPROVEMENTS

At the last City Council meeting CEO Tom Hatch announced significant infrastructure improvements scheduled for most of the streets in the Eastside of town.  As you can see from the text of a recent notification, these much-needed improvements will use over $6 million in Gas Tax and Measure "M" funds.

PUBLIC HEARING/INFORMATIONAL MEETING WEDNESDAY

Those of my Eastside neighbors interested in this project are encouraged to attend the public meeting to be held next Wednesday at Kaiser Elementary School.  I've included a map to Kaiser Elementary School for you.  At the bottom of the page I've also included an image of proposed improvements, including a key to show the type of improvement in each area, for your viewing pleasure.  Click on the images to make them larger.  The text of the announcement follows:

CITY ANNOUNCEMENT
The City's Public Services Department has completed the construction documents for a major rehabilitation project in the Eastside neighborhoods bounded by 15th Street to the south, 21st Street to the north, Irvine Avenue to the east and Newport Boulevard to the west. The project includes the rehabilitation of  pavements, removal and reconstruction of damaged curb & gutter, sidewalks, driveways and cross gutters.  The work also includes removal of existing asphalt sidewalks and driveways and replacing them with concrete sidewalks and driveways. The construction cost is estimated at $6,305,000. The project is funded entirely from Gas Tax and Measure "M" revenues.

The City will be hosting an open house neighborhood meeting to go over the project details and timelines. 

The public meeting will be held as follows:
Date:   Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Time:   6:00 pm
Place:  Kaiser Elementary School
             2130 Santa Ana Avenue, multi-purpose room,
             Costa Mesa, CA 92627.
If you need additional information please contact Fariba Fazeli at (714) 754-5378.

KAISER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATION

IMAGE OF IMPROVEMENT AREA

OC Marathon On Sunday

HERE THEY COME AGAIN!
It's that time of the year again.  Thousands of runners and supporters will descend on our community Sunday, May 6th, for the running of the Orange County Marathon and its related shorter races.

PLAN YOUR DAY SUNDAY
This is a great event but, as you might expect, many neighborhoods through which the race route is plotted will be a total traffic snarl for several hours Sunday.  For those of us who live near the route of both the full marathon and the half marathon that begins less than an hour later it's important for us to plan our activities on Sunday carefully or risk being stranded or at least severely inconvenienced that day.

SCHEDULE AND MAPS
You can read all about the Marathon and the schedule of events at www.ocmarathon.com.  I've included maps of both the full marathon and half marathon courses for you below.  Just click on the images to make them larger.  You will also find them on the web site, along with very specific details about road closures along the route.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL COMPETITORS
Good luck to all of you participating and those who will line the course to cheer them on.

FULL MARATHON COURSE MAP 

 HALF MARATHON COURSE MAP 

Another Long, Eventful Evening

FINISHED BEFORE MIDNIGHT - AGAIN!
What should have been a relatively short meeting of the Costa Mesa City Council Tuesday night turned out to be another long one, although it "only" lasted until around 11:30.

MY PREVIOUS REPORT
You can refresh your memory about everything that was on the agenda from my earlier post, HERE.  However, here's a summary of what transpired last night. 

KUDOS TO OFFICER KHA BAO
The council recognized police officer Kha Bao as employee of the month for his remarkable accomplishment of arresting 432 drunk drivers last year.  He led a team of CMPD officers in achieving "Century Club" status - snatching up 100 or more drunk drivers for the year.  Officer Bao is shown here with members of the CMPD command staff.  Left to right, Captain Les Gogerty, Captain Allen Huggins, Sergeant Greg Scott, Officer Kha Bao, Chief Tom Gazsi and Lt. Rob Sharpnack.

SMART KIDS
Mayor Eric Bever also presented certificates to members of the Costa Mesa High School Business Academy/Virtual Enterprise teams for recent accomplishments.

MORE NEW HOUSING
The council approved a small-lot residential development at 743 West 20th Street despite numerous and significant variations from the established guidelines.  They also heard the screening request for 40 live/work units at the location of the present Anchor Mobile Home Park on Newport Boulevard near Industrial Way.

 RELAXED RESTAURANT PARKING REQUIREMENTS
They adopted the resolution relaxing parking requirements for certain types of establishments where food and beverages are sold in the city and gave second reading to the ordinance that forbids sex offenders from entering any park or athletic venue within the city.

AN EXPLOSIVE INDEPENDENCE WEEK AHEAD
The council also affirmed the current ordinance about sale and discharge of fireworks.  That means that this year residents will be able to purchase so-called safe and sane fireworks from June 30, 2012 through July 4, 2012 and discharge them from July 2 through July 4th.  Very little discussion was conducted on this item and there were no voices of opposition heard even though there seemed to be no good reason to permit the discharge of fireworks on the two nights leading up to July 4th.  Pet owners beware - it's going to be a long week for you.


FISH FRY, BEER AND WINE AND DEMOLITION
The council made quick work of the two items on the agenda involving the Fish Fry.  They approved moving it from Lions Park to Fairview Park and also approved the establishment of a beer and wine garden - similar to the one approved for the Concerts In The Park last year.  They also approved the demolition of the picnic shelter at Lions Park using $60,000 from the CEO's contingency fund to get it done immediately.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS...
The most fun came during the discussion of sending Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer and his pal, councilman Steve Mensinger to an economic development conference in Las Vegas later this month.  The amount of money was small - probably less than $1,000 (the Convention and Business Bureau is picking up about half the cost) - but the discussion was lively.  Actually, despite the fact that this reeks of a boondoggle, sending those two council members to this particular conference makes a lot of sense.  As Gary Monahan observed, they ARE developers and speak the language, so if we're serious about enticing developers to consider Costa Mesa in their future plans, their presence at this conference makes sense.  The council approved it, 4-0.

ROAD TRIP!
An amusing sidebar was during the public comments on that item.  Resident Terry Koken, who has been known to croon his message to the council in the past, suggested that, because much of the discussion on this subject implied that some folks didn't trust Righeimer and Mensinger in Las Vegas, perhaps Wendy Leece should accompany them as chaperone.  Koken then expressed concern about possible Brown Act violations so suggested an alternate chaperone - ME!  It may have been the high point of the evening.  I later asked Mensinger when he and Righeimer would be picking me up and asked if I could ride shotgun.  Mensinger suggested the Mitt Romney approach - me in a dog crate on the roof.  Sounds like fun...
CALL FOR CIVILITY REJECTED BY THE COUNCIL
Early in the meeting, during public comments, resident David Kincaid suggested the need for more civility in the discourse about city matters.  He wasn't very specific, although he did glance back my way a couple times.  Members of the council agreed with him.  I must observe, however, that the only rancor last night came from the dais when, near the end of the evening, Mayor Bever was his usual snippy self and Monahan criticized the long discussion of the Righeimer/Mensinger trip as "getting personal" against those two men.  He aimed his comments at Leece and the audience.  And, Bever topped it off with another snide remark about Leece that got her daughter, Amy, so angry that she sprinted up to the dais after the meeting closed, ready to confront him.

BEVER THE BOOR
Bever continued his petty, boorish behavior when he dashed down into the audience at the end of the meeting to confront young Orange County Register reporter Sean Greene, raking him over the coals for apparently not contacting Bever for comment on an issue recently.  This from a guy who is notorious for his lack of responsiveness to the media!  Greene, during his brief tenure as a writer for the Register, has done a very good job and this meeting may have been his last - he's off to grad school.  He probably should have told Bever to stick his complaint where "the sun don't shine", but he didn't.  He just stood there and took it, much to his credit.

JUST A WARM UP
So ended another adventure with the Costa Mesa City Council.  And, since May promises to have perhaps another half-dozen meetings due to the budget, I fear this is just the warm-up for this month.

Righeimer Spreads The Big Lie

 RIGHEIMER SQUAWKS ON "SQUAWK BOX"
As mentioned in my earlier post, Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer made an appearance on "The Squawk Box" on CNBC this morning shortly before 9:00 a.m.  Considering what he had to say, I thought the name of the program seemed somehow absolutely perfect.

SPREADING THE BIG LIE... 
Righeimer, apparently in Chicago to celebrate his father's 80th birthday, used a couple minutes of valuable air time to perpetuate the myth of Costa Mesa's supposed insolvency for a national audience.  Granted, it's a small audience - miniscule by national television standards - but an opportunistic politician like Righeimer doesn't care as long as his face is on the screen.

HE'S NUMBER TWO
In the preamble, where the interviewer wanted to identify Righeimer for his audience, he asked him "what's mayor pro tem mean because we don't have a mayor pro tem in Chicago?"  In his reply Righeimer said the following:  "I was elected to the council seventeen months ago and I'm, like, appointed by the council to be the number two person."  Well, that's accurate and, when I think of Righeimer, I certainly do conjure up the image of "Number Two".

A BARE-FACED LIE!
When he was asked how he got elected he dove right into his "pensions are unsustainable" mantra and said, "We have arguably the number one sales tax generating, you know, shopping area, South Coast Plaza, on the planet and we can't slurry seal our streets."  This lie, from a guy who lives in a section of town that just had their streets not just slurry sealed, but completely repaved!  It takes giant cojones to tell such a bare-faced lie.  He probably assumed that nobody back home was watching.  Wrong, Jimbo!

RIGHEIMER WON'T BE AT THE COUNCIL MEETING
The only positive element in his trip to Chicago is that he won't be at the City Council meeting later today.  Of course, that keeps him from having to vote to send himself and his buddy, Steve Mensinger, to Las Vegas on that "economic development" boondoggle.
   
ELEANOR EGAN GETS IT RIGHT
As a reminder of just how pervasive lying has become for some members of the council, I present for your edification a short commentary issued by Eleanor Egan at the last council meeting.  As usual, she gets it right.