Briefings, Finances, Pensions, Celebrations, Cops and Cars

EASY WEEK?  HA!
I thought this was going to be an easy week, hoping for a reduced schedule so I can whip this darn cold.  Ah, but it is not to be.

CEO BRIEFING 

First, The City of Costa Mesa finally released another CEO E-Briefing from Tom Hatch, HERE.  Here's a list of what's on it.  Go to the link above for details:

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday, April 30th, there will be a special City Council Meeting in council chambers beginning at 4:30.  You can read the agenda HERE.  It looks like this one is going to be a closed session, from which they typically don't return to report out, but you just never know.

FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
Before that meeting starts, though, the Financial Advisory Committee will meet in Conference Room 1A beginning at 3:30.  The agenda for that one is HERE.  Of note is council member Sandra Genis' Wendy Leece's request to review Business License Fees.  The public is welcome at these meetings.  Since several members are also associated with the Mesa Water District, which is exploring ways to modify their investment policies to include higher-risk investments, and since our committee is exploring using a middle-man to handle some of our investments, these meetings may be enlightening.

PENSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Wednesday, May 1, 2013, the brand new Pension Advisory Committee meets, also in Conference Room 1A, but at 4:30.  The announcement is HERE, but no agenda is available now. NOTE: Agenda now available HERE.  I suspect they will elect officers and begin to chart a course for the future.  Perhaps they will discuss the recent announcement by Cal PERS that it has approved employer rate hikes of 50% over the next few years, HERE.  They might also discuss recent announcements like the one HERE, in which the San Jose City Council discovered it cannot afford to bail out of CalPERS for current and former council persons - too costly.  And, they will certainly discuss the announcement last week that CalPERS investments have surpassed prior record highs, HERE.  Should be an interesting launch for this group.

60TH ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday, May 2, 2013, at 5:30 in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) adjacent to the Police Station, the 60th Anniversary Celebration Committee will meet again to discuss the fine-tuning of their plans for the launch weekend.  You can read the agenda HERE.  Vice Chair Melinda Lowery will be in charge of this one.

TIPPING A FEW COPS
Also on Thursday and overlapping with that meeting is the Tip-A-Cop event at the Claim Jumper at South Coast Plaza.  From 5-9 p.m. the meals at that fine restaurant will be served by members of the CMPD and all tips provided to them will go to the Special Olympics.  And, no, boys and girls.. it doesn't mean you get to push a cop over - as in a popular pastime back in Jim Righeimer country - cow tipping.

FIRST FRIDAY ROAD SHOW

Friday, May 3rd, is the latest installment of the First Friday Roadshow - the classic and hot rod show in the City Hall parking lot beginning at 6:00 p.m.  As usual, there will be lots of great classic cars, music and food via a food truck - and it's free (the show, not the food).

 ORANGE COUNCIL MARATHON!

And, last but not least, Sunday, May 5th, is the Orange County Marathon!  Go HERE to their website for all the information, start times, road closures, etc.  This should be a very fun event and the weather report calls for a warm weekend, so stay hydrated, folks.

"The Current" Goes 5 Days A Week

IMPORTANT NEWS NEWS
For those of you here in the Newport-Mesa that already subscribe to the Orange County Register, this will be old news.  However, it's important, so I wanted to be sure you knew about it.  Unfortunately, those who don't subscribe 7 days a week won't be able to connect with the link I'm going to provide to you, so I'm forced to provide you with a paraphrased version if this information.

5-DAYS-A-WEEK SOON
So, The Current, which serves the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa on Fridays in print will begin providing a print product Monday through Friday each week beginning a week from today, May 6th.  The link to the announcement is HERE. 

SAMPLE COMING
According to Mary Ann Milbourn's April 25th article, "Non-subscribers will have a chance to sample the new Current for a five-day period late in May when the paper will be delivered to Newport Beach and Costa Mesa households with invitations to subscribe."

MORE IN-DEPTH COVERAGE
The article mentions the competition, The Daily Pilot, quotes Register owner and publisher Aaron Kushner - who has been pouring a lot of money into his print product since he bought the Register last July - and Rob Curley, deputy editor for local news, who indicted that the expanded, 20-page Current will reflect the community, providing more in-depth coverage of the issues and ideas that matter most in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

THEMED CONTENT AND TOM JOHNSON
Milbourn tells us that the "Current will have themed content on a regular basis covering small business, retail, fashion, tourism, technology and communications, heath and nonprofits, and columns by Tom Johnson.  The Register added 10 editorial positions to the staff to provide this expanded coverage."  Geez, we just can't seem to get rid of Tom!  Only teasing...

DAILY PILOT WELCOMES THE COMPETITION

I've spoken with Daily Pilot Editor John Canalis about this ramp-up of the competition and he told me he's looking forward to it.  He said healthy competition by a couple good news organizations will be good for the communities they serve.  I agree.  The Register, including The Current, is already cross-pollinated with former Daily Pilot and Los Angeles Times staffers and the friendly competition in the pursuit of the news is good for everyone - except, maybe, those who might be the subject of the news.  


OTHERWISE IT'S JUST "US"!

I hope this works out, otherwise, you all will be left to get the "news" from a bunch of old guys with too much time on our hands as we sit - to quote one of us - in our darkened rooms, in our underwear, with a single light bulb, wearing tin foil hats - you know, those of us who pretend we're actually journalists.  The closest any of us have gotten is one old grumpy guy who, during a short and undistinguished acting career, played a reporter (badly) for 19 seconds in a truly forgettable movie four decades ago.

LOOKING FORWARD TO IT
I'm looking forward to the expanded coverage in The Current.  This could be fun...

Mayor's Celebration A Great Success

A GOOD EVENING
According to a just-published account by Bradley Zint in the Daily Pilot, HERE, the first annual Costa Mesa Mayor's Celebration was a huge success.

SECOND-HAND INFO
Since I did not attend - still wrestling with a nasty cold - I'll rely on Zint's account and anecdotal reports from the party for my information.

THANKS FOR SHARING
Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to share your observations with me.  One person, for example, sent me a note late last night saying "$125 for a meal and I'm still hungry."  I'm sure it was tongue-in-cheek.

MANY FAMILIAR FACES
Viewing the photos provided by Kevin Chang of the Daily Pilot in their article you'll see many familiar faces - lawyers, staffers, etc.

A HIGH-WATER MARK
One person I know who has been to a lot of events in Costa Mesa and other cities told me this morning that this was a high-water mark for our city.  That made me smile.

A WORTHY EVENT
No word yet on just how much money was raised for the recipients mentioned in Zint's piece.  It was a worthy cause, twice - once to honor Henry Segerstrom and Jack Hammett and also to provide financial support for The Arts in this, The City of the Arts.

KUDOS TO ALL
Congratulations to all who worked hard to make this a success and to Mayor Jim Righeimer for pushing his idea through.

Costa Mesa Police Department Recruiting 20 Officers

TEN FULL-TIME, TEN RESERVE
The City of Costa Mesa announced today that the Costa Mesa Police Department has begun a recruitment process to hire ten (10) full-time and ten (10) reserve officers.  The city has engaged a part-time human resources analyst who will concentrate on this recruitment effort.

INFO AND APPLICATION
More information can be found on the City web site HERE.

COMPENSATION
According to the information provided, Costa Mesa police officers begin with an annual salary of $71,000 and excellent benefits.  Reserve officers make $33 per hour.




 CONTINUE THE TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE

 Chief Tom Gazsi is quoted as saying, "This is a great opportunity for dedicated individuals who'd like to get into law enforcement.  The Costa Mesa Police Department has an excellent and well-deserved reputation around the state, and we are looking for top-quality men and women to help us carry on that tradition."

Senior Center Board Members Sought

3 FOR 3 WAS NOT ENOUGH
Apparently unhappy with the number and quality of the applicants for the three positions open on the Costa Mesa Senior Corporation Board during the last recruitment - there were 3 applicants for 3 positions - the Costa Mesa City Council authorized a new recruitment effort and announced it HERE.

NO LONGER A "BUY IN"...
When the earlier recruitment was announced it included a requirement that any applicant be willing to fork over $500 to the Senior Center if appointed by the council.  This was not a new requirement, since part of what is needed is the ability to help with fund raising for the Center.  That requirement was dropped this time around.

A CHANCE TO SERVE
So, if you're interested in helping to shape the future of the Costa Mesa Senior Center, here's your chance.  You don't have to be a geezer like me, nor do you have to be a resident of the city.  Go to the link I provided and fill out the application and see if your qualifications pass muster with this council.

The Question Unanswered - Why?

ONCE MORE INTO THE BREACH...
Tuesday afternoon the Costa Mesa City Council held a Study Session beginning at 4:30 - before most folks could get off work and attend - to theoretically discuss whether Costa Mesa should, once again, consider becoming a Charter City.  It ended promptly at 6:30 for a Closed Session.  You can read Bradley Zint's coverage in the Daily Pilot, HERE, and Mike Reicher's coverage in the Orange County Register HERE - but you have to be a subscriber.. sorry about that.

ALL OVER AGAIN...
Fewer than 50 people, including staff and members of the media, attended this meeting and I suspect most left with a feeling of deja vu.  A year ago we were in the middle of the same kind of issue.  One person told me tonight it was like being in the Bill Murray movie, "Groundhog Day".  Yep, that's about it.

ONE QUESTION SHORT...
Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow led the discussion, and began by covering the six questions on the first page of the staff report, HERE.  There actually should have been seven questions.  The first one read as follows: "Should the City pursue becoming a charter city?"  The second question should have been "Why?"

THEIR MINDS MADE UP
As the meeting progressed it was clear that the council majority had its mind made up - we WERE going to have a charter, so the only reason for this meeting was to cobble out the methodology for getting there.

NUMBERS HAVE NOT CHANGED

Nineteen speakers addressed this issue and, interesting enough, the ratio that opposed Jim Righeimer's Charter last November - 60% - was very close to the ratio that spoke against this idea Tuesday night.  68% of the speakers opposed a charter.

CONTRITE MAYOR?  HARDLY!
Mayor Righeimer expressed a level of contrition, stating that he learned a lot from the campaign last year.  I had to smile because we're heading down that same path again.

GENIS AND LEECE WANT TO KNOW WHY?
Both Council Member Sandra Genis and Council Member Wendy Leece expressed concern about the way this was being handled - with nobody ever expressing just why it is necessary to change from a General Law City to a Charter City.  Oh, yes, a couple of the people who spoke mentioned that we could "take charge of our lives" and not be under the thumb of Sacramento - but nobody gave specifics.

HOW DOES A CHARTER FIX THAT PROBLEM?
The Unfunded Liability was mentioned, but nobody said how that problem could be fixed if we were a Charter City.

EXPLAIN WHY, OR JUST STOP!
In my opinion, until somebody explains in clear, unambiguous terms, WHY we should become a Charter City, moving forward with this scheme is premature.

BEFORE COUNCIL MAY 7TH
The issue will be on the council agenda for their meeting on May 7th.  We can only hope that somebody will come up with at least one good reason to even consider this change.  Otherwise, it looks like Righeimer's anti-union predisposition and the arrogance of power is forcing him to try this one more time.

NO COMMISSION
It was clear tonight that the council majority has no interest in creating a Charter Commission - it would have to be elected by the people and the earliest that could happen under current law is June, 2014.  And, the council would have no control over what that commission created and placed on the ballot - probably in November 2016.

A COMMITTEE, INSTEAD
So, it looks like the council will appoint a committee - very likely stacked with their pals - to craft a Charter for the city.  Once that job is completed the council will make the final edits.  You know what that means, right?  It means we will be right back where we were in November, 2012 - with a document full of Righeimer's pet projects - like his much-defeated Paycheck Protection Plan, for example.

PREMATURE WASTE OF TIME
I hope more residents will take the opportunity to sign in on this.  Until we know WHY it is necessary, this is just a waste of time.

The Charter Again - Why?

RESURRECTING THE CHARTER QUESTION

As I wrote earlier, tomorrow the Costa Mesa City council will, once again, visit the "Charter City" issue at a Study Session in council chambers at City Hall beginning at 4:30 p.m.  Although we don't know for sure, we assume (nasty word) that the meeting will last a couple hours because there is a special closed session scheduled for 6:30.  You can read the agenda for the meeting, including information provided by the California League of Cities, HERE.  Most of this information is not new, especially for those of us who spent twelve months dealing with this bogus scheme beginning in November, 2011.

WHY?

Let's be clear about this right up front.  Nobody has demonstrated WHY Costa Mesa should become a Charter City since Jim Righeimer first announced his quick pitch scheme in November, 2011.  And, after almost a full year of back-and-forth discussions, public hearings, long, rancorous meetings, tens of thousands of dollars spend on both sides of the issue, the public made it's feelings known by soundly rejecting Jim Righeimer's Charter last November - 60% - 40%!

ARROGANT DISREGARD OF THE VOTERS

Now Righeimer, as he promised immediately after being crushed in the ballot box, in an arrogant disregard of the will of the people he supposedly serves, has brought this bad idea back.  It is unlikely that this process will go quietly into the night.  No, we can probably expect AT LEAST another year of meetings, arguing and fracturing of the city as he tries, once again, to impose his political will on the residents of this city.

PREVAILING WAGE CHANGE IN THE WORKS

This time around there are some changes in the air that will certainly affect this plan.  There are two pieces of legislation floating around Sacramento that will impact the arguments for a charter.  One, if passed, will disembowel Righeimer's main argument for a charter - that we can save a ton of money by not being required to pay prevailing wages on major projects.  During the past battle, beginning about a year ago, we had our council chambers packed with imported partisans on both sides of the issue.  Several unions salted the audience with vociferous folks who spoke against the Charter.  Righeimer imported Kevin Dayton - who can forget his squealing performance before the council when Righeimer gave him 10 minutes, not 3, to pitch his position?  Others, including Dave Everett from the Associated Builders Counsel, also took a turn at the speaker's podium.  Both men wrote commentaries in the local newspapers.

ONLY ON A GENERAL ELECTION

The other element currently in discussion in Sacramento is a change to State Law that would require a Charter to be placed before the voters ONLY in a General Election, not a Primary Election or special municipal election.  Some will recall the latter was the case when the City of Bell became a Charter City - only 450 voters showed up for that one - and the rest is history.

ELECTED COMMISSION?...

IF the council decides to go to battle again - they can't do that at the Study Session tomorrow - they must choose between an elected Charter Commission or an appointed Charter Committee - two VERY different birds.  If a commission is used State law is very clear about how that process must go, including requiring 15 members.  That commission would have to be elected at either a Primary or General election - the next one available is June, 2014, although that legislation I mentioned above might push that out to the November election.  From that point, the commission would have two years in which to craft a charter - including significant public outreach - or it would be disbanded and the process would have to begin again.  And, the city council would be bypassed in the process - they don't get a chance to manipulate the charter at all.

...OR APPOINTED COMMITTEE?

If a committee is used, it can be created the same way others are created - like the Pension Advisory Committee that was created this month.  The council, as they did with the recent appointments, can manipulate the process to stack the deck with their true believers and - most important - gets to decide just what the Charter will look like that would be presented to the voters next year.

SOME REFERENCE MATERIAL

As I thought about this process again I went back and revisited some of the things that were written about Jim Righeimer's Charter last year and earlier this year.  Even though this list is daunting, some of you may wish to revisit some of the things that were said about that scheme.  I've tried to provide both sides of the discussion - except the links to my blog entries.  I may not have given you EVERYTHING that was written, but this list is plenty long.  I've put them in chronological order.. Have fun.

COSTA MESA DOES NOT NEED TO BECOME A CHARTER CITY!

Let me be clear before you tackle this list.  I don't think Costa Mesa needs to become a Charter City!  We've done just fine as a General Law City in the 60 years of our existence.  We've benefited from the protections from abuse and corruption provided by State Law under this system and, quite frankly, I just don't trust the current council majority with the kind of power that is potentially available with a Charter form of government. 

BANKRUPTCY

Only 25% of California cities are Charter Cities, and some of those in deep financial trouble - Stockton, San Bernardino and Vallejo, for example - operate as Charter Cities.  Vallejo and Stockton have declared bankruptcy and San Bernardino is teetering on the brink.

THE LIST

So, here's the list.  Click on any that interest you and you'll be taken to the blog entry or article:

• Righeimer's Bombshell, 11/2/11
• G.Ridge, Council Majority Wants To Pull Wool Over Our Eyes, 12/31/11
• Let's Not Be Hasty, 1/3/11
• Righeimer to Propose Charter Tuesday, 11/30/11
• Anticipating Righeimer's Presentation, 12/5/11
• The Scheme Outlined, 12/7/11
• Informational Meeting Moved Up, 12/21/11
• Apathy Equals Surrender, 1/5/12
• Charter Suggestions, Timetable Correction and RDA Meeting, 1/5/12
• Mini-marathon of Mischief, 1/11/12
• Tardy City Charter Mailer Due, 2/10/12
• The Charter By The Numbers, 2/12/12
• Public Hearing Without Listening, 2/14/12
• Contemplating The Charter Hearing Again, 2/16/12
• The Fat Lady Is Tuning Up, 3/6/12
• Jim Righeimer's Charter Will Be On June Ballot, 3/7/12
• Charter Arguments Posted on City Web Site, 3/10/12
• Charter Might Not Be On June Ballot, 3/13/12
• Excellent Turnout For CM4RG Forum, 3/16/12
• Charter Would Allow Virtual Takeover of C.M., 3/24/12
• Judge's Tentative Ruling Posted, 3/26/12
• Jim Righeimer's Charter Off The June Ballot, 3/27/12
• Breaking News! City To Appeal Decision, 3/27/12
• City Clerk Placed On Administrative Leave!, 3/28/12
• OK, Back To Business, 4/1/12
• Charter Appeal Denied!, 4/2/12
• Petulance, Fabrications And The Long Road Ahead, 4/4/12
• Costa Mesa Plans Charter End Run, 4/9/12
• Is The Special Meeting Legal? (Updated), 4/9/12
• Special Meeting Canceled!, 4/10/12
• Righeimer's Charter, And More, 6/6/12
• P. Valantine-Limited Charter Provides Best Future Growth, 6/12/12
• J. Stephens-Court Decision Illustrates Charter Dangers, 7/6/12
• C. McCarthy-Candidate Is Wrong About Charter Cities, 7/10/12
• Jim Righeimer's charter Moves On - Again, 7/11/12
• E. Egan-McCarthy's Anti-union Piece Missed Mark, 7/12/12
• K. Dayton-Vista Ruling Benefits Local Governments, Residents, 7/12/12
• City Clerk Julie Folcik Resigns, 7/13/12
• C.Mooney-Barlow Spun Instead Of Dispelled, 7/25/12
• Final Vote On Charter Tuesday, 7/27/12
• Costa Mesa Charter On November Ballot, 8/1/12
• Council "Fixes" A Mistake To Fool Voters, 8/9/12
• J.Serna, Dispute Permeates Emergency Council Meeting, 8/10/12
• Why You Can't Trust Righeimer With His Charter, 8/11/12
• No On "V"!, 8/13/12
• J.Righeimer-I Challenge Katrina Foley To A Charter Debate, 8/15/12
• K.Foley-The Charter Is Flawed; I Will Debate, 8/20/12
• K.Dayton-Righeimer's Opponents Clearly Fear The Charter, 8/31/12
• P. Valantine-The Proposed Charter And No-Bid Contracts, 9/3/12
• J.Harlan, Proposed Charter Is No "Constitution", 9/15/12
• K.H.Grams-Costa Mesa's Charter Process Has Confused Residents, 9/17/12
• G.Monahan-Charter Would Free Costa Mesa From State Control, 9/18/12
• J.Harlan-More Questions About Charter Arise, 9/22/12
• League Of Women Voters Opposes "V", 9/27/12
• K.Mora-Charter Would Reduce Sacramento's Hold (Corrected), 10/1/12
• Charter Was Composed In Haste, 10/1/12
• J. Kern-Column Twisted Facts About Charter City, 10/5/12
• J. Harlan-Why Costa Mesa Should Reject The City Charter, 10/6/12
• E.Egan-Questions About The Proposed Charter, 10/9/12
• H. Panian-The Opinion Of A Former Charter Commissioner, 10/10/12
• J. Humphrey-Out-of-town Official Is Wrong About Charter Savings, 10/11/12
• Feet To The Fire Charter Debate, 10/16/12
• J.Fitzpatrick & R.Dickson-Average Costa Mesa Salary Is To High, 10/23/12
• J.Moorlach-Unions Are Trying To Squash Measure V, 10/26/12
• J. Bridges-Measure V Supporters Are Getting "desperate", 11/2/12
• D. Everett-Measure V Would Level The Playing Field, 11/2/12
• J.Harlan-Vote Shows A Need For Compromise, 11/10/12
• Final Election Numbers, 11/30/12
• B. deArakal-Charter Government Suits Costa Mesa's Personality, 12/1/12
• J.Humphrey-Out-of-town Money Supports Measure V, 12/2/12
• Please Tell Us Why Costa Mesa Needs Charter, 12/6/12
• E.Egan-Charter Would Not Free Costa Mesa From State, 12/11/12
• T.Sesler-Controversy Of Mayor Pro Tem Is "Orwellian", 12/13/12
• T.Egan-Are We In Ancient Rome Or Costa Mesa?, 3/8/13
• N.Berardino-There Is Hope This Season For C.M. Employees, 12/13/13
• C. Mooney-A Charter Review Committee Should Be Elected, 3/20/13