It's "Survey Time" - A Little Help For The Rookie

STEVE'S BOGUS SURVEY
Tonight, at the very end of the Costa Mesa City Council meeting, Rookie Mayor Steve Mensinger will have the staff present his scheme to hire a consultant to do a survey of the populace about the future of Fairview Park.  As you know, I think this is a waste of time and resources and is just a stalling tactic to keep from having to face the inevitable - the fact that approximately 90% of the people who have spoken on this issue at nearly 20 months of Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee meetings have said, nay, SHOUTED, that they want Fairview Park to remain in a natural state.

HERE'S A LITTLE HELP
So, to help things along, I hereby offer a little sample survey that The Rookie may find useful.

Question 1 (True or False)
The mayor and many others have described Fairview Park as "The Jewel of Costa Mesa"?

Question 2 (True or False)
There are protected species in every quadrant of the park.

Question 3 (Yes or No)
It is important to continue to protect those species in the park.

Question 4 (True or False)
There are Native American artifacts in many quadrants of the park.

Question 5 (Yes or No)
It is important to protect and preserve those Native American artifacts.

Question 6 (True or False)
According to the most recent census numbers, Costa Mesa's population is aging.

Question 7 (Yes or No)
It is important to assess ALL our parks and open spaces (including school grounds) BEFORE making any decision one way or the other about the future of Fairview Park. 

Question 8 (True or False)
Most advocates for more playing fields have acknowledged within the past several months that the problem is not with the shortage of playing fields, but the shortage of LIGHTED playing fields.

Question 9 (Yes or No)
Any shortage of playing fields could be resolved by better cooperation between the City of Costa Mesa and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

Question 10 (Select any that apply)
Any survey about the future of Fairview Park should include the opinions of the following groups:
      A - People who use Fairview Park regularly
      B - People who use Fairview Park occasionally
      C - People who use Fairview Park infrequently
      D - Registered voters in the City of Costa Mesa
      E - Property owners in the City of Costa Mesa
      F - Members of the Orange County Model Engineers
      G - Members of the Harbor Soaring Society
      I - School children in Costa Mesa
      J - Experts in the field of protected plants and animals
      K - Leaders of the Native American tribes
      L - Officials and parents involved in youth sports
     M - Business leaders
      N - Leaders of the Conference and Visitors Bureau
      O - The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce
      P - State and Federal agencies with oversight responsibilities for the Park
      Q - Every single resident of the City of Costa Mesa
       R - All of the above

THAT'S FOR STARTERS...
So, that's a start.  I know, some of those are "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" kind of questions, but that's kind of the point.  If a survey is approved as recommended, then a consultant will have to be chosen by a - are you ready? - A COMMITTEE!  Yep, another one. 

NO MORE CRONIES!
If that comes to pass, then the configuration of the committee must be made up of those without political ties, with credentials that are impeccable.  No more stacking a committee with cronies.  Heck, maybe we need a committee to select the committee to select the consultant!

ACCOUNT FOR EVERY PENNY!
Tonight, maybe in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, a decision will be made on this issue - an issue that is ONLY about politics, not about the future of Fairview Park.  If it is approved, I want to know EVERY PENNY that is spent on it - staff time, consultant time... every penny.  I don't care if it comes from CEO Tom Hatch's slush fund - it's still municipal dollars that are being spent unnecessarily and I want an accounting of it, unlike the 60th Anniversary debacle.  No excuses... EVERY PENNY!