Full Council Agenda Tuesday - A Long Meeting Ahead
COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY
OK, I've calmed down a little - very little - so let's talk about the rest of the Costa Mesa Council Meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. The agenda is HERE.
CLOSED SESSION AT 4:30
The meeting begins with a Closed Session at 4:30 p.m. - they've been starting earlier lately because many recent closed sessions have been packed with as many as five items, each of which typically require a lot of discussion. As a result, they've been running long and bumping into the start time of the open meeting at 6:00. This Closed Session, however, only has one item on the agenda - a conference with CEO Tom Hatch discussing the labor contract with the CMCEA. I can't imagine this taking 90 minutes, but they've built in some wiggle room.
REGULAR MEETING AT 6:00
The regular meeting begins at 6:00 and I've already written at length in my previous post, HERE, so I won't rehash the chaotic situation that may ensue regarding the Consent Calendar and Public Comments issues... onward and upward.
PLENTY OF INTERESTING STUFF ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR
There are, however, several interesting items on the Consent Calendar that are worthy of mention. There are two Warrants, #2500, HERE and #2501, HERE. It's always interesting to scroll down through those entries - thanks to Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger for insisting that we get a peek at them - to see what we've been paying for.
DOWNTOWN GATEWAY LANDSCAPE
Item #5 is the Downtown Costa Mesa Gateway Landscape Improvements project, HERE, for $554,460.00.
EAST 17TH STREET
Item #6 is the East 17th Street Landscape Enhancement project, HERE, for $776,995.00. Both of those projects are for Horizons Construction Co., by the way.
STARTING OVER FOR BRENTWOOD PARK
Item #7, HERE, is the request by staff to reject all bids and re-open the bidding for Brentwood Park Improvements.
HARBOR BLVD.
Item #8 is the Harbor Boulevard Beautification Project, HERE, for $572,809.95.
SHORT-STAFFED MEANS CONSULTANTS
Item #9, HERE, is a contract with Civil Source, Inc., for $200,000 to provide Professional Engineering Services for staff support on various projects. We just don't have enough staff to complete the work.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Item #11, HERE, is for $58,301 in support services for the City's CAD-RMS system
NEW POLICE VEHICLES
Item #13, HERE, is for purchase and outfitting of ten (10) replacement police interceptor utility vehicles for $443,569.47.
SPENDING YOUR BUCKS
In case you're counting, that's more than $2.5 million in expenditures on the Consent Calendar - without the two Warrants, which total just under $3 million.
SHUT UP!
And, of course, the now-infamous Item #14, HERE, Mayor Jim Righeimer's scheme to disenfranchise folks who actually care enough about city business to take time out of their busy lives to speak to the City Council on issues they feel are important.
GUIDELINE CHANGES MAKE SENSE
There are two Public Hearings on the agenda. The first, HERE, is a modification of the 2005 Residential Design Guidelines that would do the following:
The second Public Hearing, HERE, is a consideration of the extension of the current emergency ordinance that placed a moratorium on new Hookah Parlors throughout the city for a period not to exceed 10 months, 15 days. Theoretically, the Planning Commission and staff will study these types of establishments as possible public health hazards.
...AND GROUP HOMES
Old Business #1, HERE, is the second reading of the ordinance changes to modify the definition of "Single Housekeeping Unit" to facilitate municipal "management" of so-called group homes - drug and rehab facilities that are popping up all over town like mushrooms.
RIGHEIMER PLAYING "SMASH MOUTH"
Old Business #2, HERE, is Righeimer's "Sandy Genis" amendment to the Municipal Code. It eliminates the opportunity for a re-hearing of items previously heard by the City Council. In my view, this is just one more step in his move to eliminate dissent. Some will recall that Righeimer, at the last meeting, used an example of someone "smashing Genis in the mouth" to preclude her from voting on his project. That analogy really angered more than a few folks - including Genis.
MORE CONDOS
New Business #1 is a Master Plan Screening Request for a 37-unit detached townhouse condominium project on Victoria Street, HERE. You can go to that link to see attachments for the location map and other relevant information.
UPGRADING AUDIO/VISUAL CAPABILITIES
New Business #2, HERE, is for $1.6 million in much-needed and long-overdue technology upgrades for the Audio/Visual equipment and broadcast systems related to the City Council Chambers. The award-winning staff - Dane Bora and Brad Long - have kept the current system together with basically chewing gum and bailing wire for several years.
EXCESSIVE USE OF RESOURCES ORDINANCE
New Business #3, HERE, is the first reading of the "Excessive Use Of Resources Ordinance", apparently designed to make operators of "lodging establishments" in the city pony-up for what is considered to be "excessive" use of resources - police, fire and code enforcement calls. During the early discussions of this plan the focus was on ten (10) so-called "problem motels". Now this program will be applied to ALL lodging establishments in the city. See the list,HERE. There are some in the community who feel the implementation of this ordinance may force families presently living in motels in our city out onto the streets, to live out of their cars. Take a few minutes to review the new proposed ordinance, HERE. This is the "red-lined" version, which makes it a little easier to see how this ordinance has evolved during deliberations.
THAT'S ALL, FOLKS...
That should be the final item on the agenda, unless, that is, we find ourselves facing overflow Public Comments and "pulled" Consent Calendar items. Grrrr!
OK, I've calmed down a little - very little - so let's talk about the rest of the Costa Mesa Council Meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. The agenda is HERE.CLOSED SESSION AT 4:30
The meeting begins with a Closed Session at 4:30 p.m. - they've been starting earlier lately because many recent closed sessions have been packed with as many as five items, each of which typically require a lot of discussion. As a result, they've been running long and bumping into the start time of the open meeting at 6:00. This Closed Session, however, only has one item on the agenda - a conference with CEO Tom Hatch discussing the labor contract with the CMCEA. I can't imagine this taking 90 minutes, but they've built in some wiggle room.REGULAR MEETING AT 6:00
The regular meeting begins at 6:00 and I've already written at length in my previous post, HERE, so I won't rehash the chaotic situation that may ensue regarding the Consent Calendar and Public Comments issues... onward and upward.PLENTY OF INTERESTING STUFF ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR
There are, however, several interesting items on the Consent Calendar that are worthy of mention. There are two Warrants, #2500, HERE and #2501, HERE. It's always interesting to scroll down through those entries - thanks to Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger for insisting that we get a peek at them - to see what we've been paying for.DOWNTOWN GATEWAY LANDSCAPE
Item #5 is the Downtown Costa Mesa Gateway Landscape Improvements project, HERE, for $554,460.00.
EAST 17TH STREET
Item #6 is the East 17th Street Landscape Enhancement project, HERE, for $776,995.00. Both of those projects are for Horizons Construction Co., by the way.
STARTING OVER FOR BRENTWOOD PARK
Item #7, HERE, is the request by staff to reject all bids and re-open the bidding for Brentwood Park Improvements.
HARBOR BLVD.
Item #8 is the Harbor Boulevard Beautification Project, HERE, for $572,809.95.
SHORT-STAFFED MEANS CONSULTANTS
Item #9, HERE, is a contract with Civil Source, Inc., for $200,000 to provide Professional Engineering Services for staff support on various projects. We just don't have enough staff to complete the work.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Item #11, HERE, is for $58,301 in support services for the City's CAD-RMS system
NEW POLICE VEHICLES
Item #13, HERE, is for purchase and outfitting of ten (10) replacement police interceptor utility vehicles for $443,569.47.
SPENDING YOUR BUCKS
In case you're counting, that's more than $2.5 million in expenditures on the Consent Calendar - without the two Warrants, which total just under $3 million.SHUT UP!
And, of course, the now-infamous Item #14, HERE, Mayor Jim Righeimer's scheme to disenfranchise folks who actually care enough about city business to take time out of their busy lives to speak to the City Council on issues they feel are important.GUIDELINE CHANGES MAKE SENSE
There are two Public Hearings on the agenda. The first, HERE, is a modification of the 2005 Residential Design Guidelines that would do the following:- Apply the average second floor side yard setback of 10 feet to new two-story residential structures over 2,700 square feet in area;
- Revise the second floor to first floor ratio from 80 percent to 100 percent.
The second Public Hearing, HERE, is a consideration of the extension of the current emergency ordinance that placed a moratorium on new Hookah Parlors throughout the city for a period not to exceed 10 months, 15 days. Theoretically, the Planning Commission and staff will study these types of establishments as possible public health hazards....AND GROUP HOMES
Old Business #1, HERE, is the second reading of the ordinance changes to modify the definition of "Single Housekeeping Unit" to facilitate municipal "management" of so-called group homes - drug and rehab facilities that are popping up all over town like mushrooms.RIGHEIMER PLAYING "SMASH MOUTH"
Old Business #2, HERE, is Righeimer's "Sandy Genis" amendment to the Municipal Code. It eliminates the opportunity for a re-hearing of items previously heard by the City Council. In my view, this is just one more step in his move to eliminate dissent. Some will recall that Righeimer, at the last meeting, used an example of someone "smashing Genis in the mouth" to preclude her from voting on his project. That analogy really angered more than a few folks - including Genis.MORE CONDOS
New Business #1 is a Master Plan Screening Request for a 37-unit detached townhouse condominium project on Victoria Street, HERE. You can go to that link to see attachments for the location map and other relevant information.UPGRADING AUDIO/VISUAL CAPABILITIES
New Business #2, HERE, is for $1.6 million in much-needed and long-overdue technology upgrades for the Audio/Visual equipment and broadcast systems related to the City Council Chambers. The award-winning staff - Dane Bora and Brad Long - have kept the current system together with basically chewing gum and bailing wire for several years.EXCESSIVE USE OF RESOURCES ORDINANCE
New Business #3, HERE, is the first reading of the "Excessive Use Of Resources Ordinance", apparently designed to make operators of "lodging establishments" in the city pony-up for what is considered to be "excessive" use of resources - police, fire and code enforcement calls. During the early discussions of this plan the focus was on ten (10) so-called "problem motels". Now this program will be applied to ALL lodging establishments in the city. See the list,HERE. There are some in the community who feel the implementation of this ordinance may force families presently living in motels in our city out onto the streets, to live out of their cars. Take a few minutes to review the new proposed ordinance, HERE. This is the "red-lined" version, which makes it a little easier to see how this ordinance has evolved during deliberations.That should be the final item on the agenda, unless, that is, we find ourselves facing overflow Public Comments and "pulled" Consent Calendar items. Grrrr!
Labels: CMTV, Free Speech, Hookah Parlors, Jim Righeimer, Problem Motels, Rehab Homes, Sandra Genis, Steve Mensinger
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 12/01/2013 11:41:00 PM
4 Comments:
Three story projects set ten feet back from a single family residences property line is the "new normal" now in Costa Mesa. It has been approved time and again through variances allowed by the planning commission and now is getting codified by council. Decades of efforts by the residents in this city , to try and protect and maintain the quality of life and character of surrounding single family neighborhoods have been bulldozed away. Developers come first in Costa Mesa, the residents can wait at the back of the line.
Looks like things are getting taken care of. The going is good, as our city needs to arm themselves in the battle against scummy landlords.
If the City is serious about this excessive use of resources(police,fire,code enforcement)ordinance at the "problem motels" then they need to look at ALL the businesses in the City and not just the ones that the Mayor has decided to attack.
The City should look at the amount of calls for service at places like Goat Hill Tavern, the Triangle and South Coast Plaza to name a few.
On any given weekend at the Goathill and the Triangle there will be at least 4-5 calls for either police,fire or most of the times both to respond for assaults, drunks, drug overdoses and generic idiots. South Coast Plaza doesn't get calls like the bars and late night places do, but there are still plenety of police and fire calls for theft, disturbances, car accidents, falls, and medical problems.
I even wonder how many times the police and fire department have been out to Gary's fine establishment?
FREEDOM OF SPEECH DELAYED
IS
FREEDOM OF SPEECH DENIED!
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