Monday, November 30, 2015

Free Water Conservation Goodies


"DROUGHT DRIVE-THRU" EVENT
Mark your calendars, you thirsty people!  The Mesa Water District has announced an event that most of us will find attractive.  A week from next Saturday, on December 12, 2015, Mesa Water will hold a "Drought Drive-Thru" event at the South Parking lot of Estancia High School, 2323 Placentia Avenue,  from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

WALK, DRIVE OR BIKE WITH ID...
Show up with proper ID - a Mesa Water bill or California Identification - and you will receive a 2-gallon bucket full of good stuff.  See the flyer below for details.  (Click on image to enlarge)
 WE CAN DO MORE...
Although most of us are already doing a good job of conserving, this bucket of goodies from our friends at Mesa Water will help us conserve even more.

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OK, Here We Go Again...

TIME TO GET BACK AT IT
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  As you could tell, we let the old Cauldron simmer a little while we took some much-needed down time with family and friends for the holiday.  But now we're back and ready for another week full of interesting, important stuff.  Here's what's coming up in Costa Mesa...

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2015
General Plan EIR Scoping Meeting, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers
This very important meeting is the next step in the updating of the General Plan, which guides the physical development of our city for the next decade.  You can read about the process HERE, and about this specific meeting HERE.  Please note that, although the location on that link indicates this meeting is scheduled for the Emergency Operations Center, that has CHANGED, and the meeting will be held in City Council Chambers.  I do not know if it will be televised live or not.  Take a look at the exhibits included in that second link, and the list of items of focus.
 (Click on Image to Enlarge)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2015
City Council Meeting, 5:45 p.m. in City Council Chambers.
The agenda, HERE, for this meeting appears to be brief, but there are very important items to be discussed.  I'll cover those in a separate entry Monday afternoon.  If you want to get a head start, notice the Consent Calendar items that will commit nearly another million dollars to consulting services and New Business #1, the development at Bernard and Charle Streets, in particular.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
Bikeway & Walkability Committee Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Costa Mesa Senior Center
I'll write more about this meeting later, but you can read the agenda HEREThis committee will fine-tune their Goals, Objectives, Policies/Programs for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving To You All

HERE WE ARE AGAIN!
'Tis that time of the year again, when we just step back from the chaos of the local political/government goings-on for a few days to recharge our batteries and enjoy this particular holiday with family and friends.  I wrote about how I feel about this holiday last year, HERE.

SOME CHANGES, BUT NOT MANY
Not much has changed since I posted that entry.  I'm still thankful for all the same people/issues and continue to have hope that things will get better in our city.  We're a year away from the chance to make the changes necessary  - at the ballot box next year.

TO MY FRIENDS.. THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA
So, to all those wonderful, hardworking employees of the City of Costa Mesa who toil short-handed knowing that those who could make the changes necessary to permit them to do their jobs in a reasonable workweek.. I'm thankful for your tireless efforts on my behalf.  I'm sorry so many of you have to try to do your jobs while looking over your shoulders for fear you may offend certain elected leaders by glancing my way.
TO THOSE ACTIVISTS...
To those tireless activists who study issues, gather information and present their views to the City Council, knowing that there's a good chance that they will be ignore at best and interrupted and ridiculed at the worst, thank you.  Some of you realize that nothing will happen positively with the current power structure - you just don't trust them to do the right thing - so you're taking things into your own hands and circulating petitions to produce ballot measures to limit the damage this power elite can do downstream.
MY SWEET SUE
And, to Sue, my lovely and very patient wife - I'm thankful you chose to join me in this journey more than 48 years ago.  Without your love and support this blog simply would not be possible.
AND, THANKS TO THE READERS
So, dear readers, we face a year ahead of us when politics in Costa Mesa may be the most contentious in the history of this city.  Thanks to YOU for visiting this site.  I wish you all a VERY Happy Thanksgiving.

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Saturday, November 21, 2015

More Development For The Planning Commission Monday



MORE, MORE, MORE
The Costa Mesa Planning Commission will meet Monday, November 23, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers to consider even more development in our city.  You can read the agenda HERE.

WILL THIS ONE PASS MUSTER?
The first of four (4) public hearings involves the demolition of an existing medical office building not too far from my home, at 350 E 17th Street and the creation of a smaller multi-tenant building with restaurant uses, HEREThe request involves a Deviation, a Variance, a minor conditional use permit and valet parking as needed.  The staff recommends approval, subject to conditions.
THE PROJECT MORPHS...
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is a second bite at the apple for the folks planning to develop 177 dwelling units on the old Argotech/J.C.Carter industrial site at the corner of West 17th Street and Pomona Avenue.  The address is 671 W. 17th Street.  The purpose of this request is to carve out the originally-approved one-lot condominium map subdivision into four condominium parcels.  Each parcel will contain one product - detached live/work, attached live/work town homes and residential lofts.
MORE CLASSIC CAR REPAIRS
Public Hearing #3, HERE, should be a no-brainer.  It's a request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow motor vehicle repair - a low volume, classic automobile repair business -  in a building area already occupied by similar businesses at 1375 Logan Avenue, Suite J.   In addition to meeting code requirements, but proposed business plans to operate 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., while code would permit 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
(Image courtesy of Shear Performanc, Inc.)
REPLACING ONE OLD HOME WITH TWO
Public Hearing #4, HERE, is for a two-unit common interest development at 217 Cabrillo Street.  The project involves two two-story attached single family residences of approximately 2,190 square feet each, with four bedrooms/three baths and two-car attached garages.  The units will be sold separately.  No color renderings were presented in the staff report, only this type of drawing.

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Friday, November 20, 2015

Streaming Video Of Council Meeting Now Available

WATCH THE VIDEO
Earlier today the streaming video of the last Costa Mesa City Council meeting is available for viewing.  You can find the entire 4:23 minute meeting HERE.

WATCH THE JOUSTING
There are several very important items on the agenda and, in my opinion, none should be ignored or overlooked.  However, many folks in the community are anxious about the heated exchange that occurred between Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer and Councilwoman Katrina Foley - which also involved Mayor Steve Mensinger and City Attorney Thomas Duarte.

YOU'LL HAVE TO DO A LITTLE WORK
Unfortunately, the nifty "jump to" feature on this clip is fouled-up - which apparently happened during a botched transfer of data to Granicus which has delayed the presentation of this video until today.  So, to find that squabble, simply drag the round ball on the scroll bar over to 52:50, which is where Righeimer begins his segment of Council Member comments.

THE CONTRACT
He first speaks about the Veterans Day event at his children's school, then - at 54:00 - he begins to talk about the labor contract between the City and the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Association - the group he and the mayor are suing - something he overtly mentions at the beginning.

ILLEGAL INFLUENCING
Because he and the mayor are involved in a lawsuit with the association they are specifically forbidden to participate in the negotiations.  However, in my opinion, he took advantage of his position on the dais to illegally provide a commentary designed to influence the negotiations by making his statements in front of the three other members of the council who CAN negotiate - Gary Monahan, Sandra Genis and Katrina Foley.

At 55:40 Foley interrupts Righeimer for the first of many times and Mensinger attempts to shut her up at about 55:55

At 56:45 Duarte, responding to a question, opines for the first of many times that Righeimer MUST keep his comments general in nature and must NOT influence the negotiation.

WEILDING THE GAVEL
This went on and on, back and forth, with Righeimer talking, Foley talking over him and Mensinger trying to get her to shut up.  Finally, at 59:05 he pounded his gavel and took a short break.

The break duration is deleted, so on the scroll bar they resume at 59:30, with Righeimer absent.  Mensinger makes his comments, then you see Righeimer walk behind him with a handful of papers.  Seems he made copies of the information available on the city web site and intended to read it.

PERSONAL PRIVILEGE
At 1:01:30 Foley requested a point of personal privilege to respond to the condescending comments Mensinger made following the break. 

At 1:03:15 Monahan attempted to clarify the issue - he had been laying low before that.  He shoved his chair as far back as he could to stay out of the line of fire, so to speak.

At 1:03:50 Righeimer took off again, reading from the papers he brought.  Foley again interrupted him, criticizing him for his tone and commentary. 

"SUE ME"
At 1:04:55, in response to Foley's observation that he was breaking the law, Righeimer said "Listen, I'm gonna speak and if you'd like to sue me at the courthouse, line up."

He goes on and on, reading from documents he brought with him, with Foley interrupting him.  He finished at 1:08:05.

"BLOWING UP NEGOTIATIONS"
At 1:08:08 Foley said the following: "Congratulations for influencing the process and possibly blowing up our negotiations.  Congratulations, Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer.  I hope you feel better about influencing the ability of us to retain and recruit police officers in The City of Costa Mesa when we're down!"

IT'S WORTH YOUR TIME
Take your time.  The few minutes of your time you invest will be worthwhile.  And, of course, I encourage each of you to watch the entire video because the three major issues on the agenda - the Costa Mesa Motor Inn; the Group Home Ordinance and the New Library proposal certainly deserve your attention.

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Parks & Rec. Commission Votes For New Bark Park Rules


NEW PROGRAM RECEIVES UNANIMOUS APPROVAL
At the meeting of the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission Thursday, November 19, 2015, the commissioners voted to approve the staff recommendation about the future of the Costa Mesa Bark Park.  Read the staff report HERE.

EIGHT INTERESTED PARTIES SPOKE
Following a short presentation by Travis Karlen, Recreation Manager, and brief comments by the commissioners, eight (8) people stepped up to the podium to address this issue, most of whom had some concerns.
Costa Mesa resident Janice King, a Bark Park user, was concerned about the proposed rules "dividing" the city and about the technology to be employed.  She also thought a non-residents should have a different fee than residents.
Linda Quan also worried about the fee structure, who will monitor access, the constitutionality of the plan and the discrepancy between the current code which allows a resident to have 5 critters and the plan for the Dog Park which restricts each handler to three dogs.
Claudia, a Santa Ana resident, suggested corporate sponsors to help with the expenses of the park and was concerned about the fees being a burden on seniors.
Helena Roberts, a Newport Beach resident, suggested we follow Santa Ana's lead and go door-to-door to collect license fees.  She was also concerned about a "card system" having a negative impact on businesses.
Shirley McDaniel, a Costa Mesa resident and long-time functionary of the old Bark Park Foundation, said the change was not necessary and expressed that there is no restroom at the Bark Park.
Beth Refakes worried about the cost of the proposed key fob and the installation of the access control point.  She was also concerned about indemnification and diseases from dogs.  She expressed concern about disabling key fobs if persons leave the area or otherwise stop using the park.
Al Melone, who has run for City Council on the Bark Park issue in the past, suggested retaining the limitation on the number of dogs each user could bring and bemoaned the loss of the "old park", which was - in his words - 80-90% green grass and peaceful.  He told us he has used other parks since the city took over operations.
James Simmons, a Costa Mesa resident, uses the Dog Park 5-6 nights a week and opined that every animal using it be spayed or neutered to prevent bad behaviors.

NO ADDITIONAL COST
During the subsequent discussion, thanks to a question by Vice Chair Brett Eckles, we learned that, since EVERY dog using the park will be required to be licensed, there would be NO ADDITIONAL cost for the key fob used for park admittance.  The current license fee is $25.00 for animals spayed or neutered and $80.00 for those not.
RESTROOMS AND MONITORING OF THE PARK
Restrooms are available at the Skate Park and Tennis Center.  Karlen told the commission that Field Ambassadors, Park Rangers and the 20 hour-per-week Maintenance person would monitor park visitors and their behavior.

APPROVED, WITH DIRECTION
At the end, Commissioner Byron De Arakal moved to approve the staff report, including the 3-dog limitation.  His motion also called for the City Attorney to reconcile the incongruities between the new plan and current city code.  The age of dogs requiring licenses and park entrance is different, for example.  Read the staff report for all the details of the current condition of the park, improvements that have been made AND the terms of the changes passed on a 5-0 vote by the commission.  It will now be massaged by the staff to fine-tune it, then be presented to the City Council early next year.
ADULT FUTSAL APPROVED FOR DOWNTOWN ATHLETIC CENTER
Earlier in the meeting the Consent Calendar item regarding the operation of an Adult Sports Futsal program at the Downtown Athletic Center was pulled for discussion.  You can read that staff report HERE.  Basically, Futsal is, according to the staff report, a fast-paced form of soccer which can be played on a hard court surface.  The proposal is like those of other adult sports leagues, which is defined in the staff report.  Long time youth sports leader Mark Arblaster spoke on this issue favorably.  The commission voted to approve this concept, 5-0.
UH, OH - MORE CONTROVERSY INVOLVING SCOTT MAHAFFY
At the very beginning of the meeting, during Public Comments, a man named Bob Servin - self-described 25-year resident with 30 years as a coach and teacher in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District stepped into the well and handed papers to the commissioners, then told them about incidents with the Commissioner of the Friday Night Lights Flag Football program, Scott Mahaffy - behaviors that sounded like bullying to all in the audience and, apparently, to the commissioners, too.  Servin has a son playing in that program and he, Servin, is a coach of his team.
INVESTIGATION TO FOLLOW
Suffice it to say that there was enough concern about the behaviors described that de Arakal, holding up the papers and clearly very agitated, asked staff to immediately investigate the claims made by Servin.
A PATTERN?
Some will recall that Mahaffy is not a stranger to controversy - most recently involving Matt Leinart Flag Football program and the allocation of fields to that program.  It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

POSITIVE REC. REPORT
Karlen ended the meeting with his report, which included affirmation of the creation of a new R.O.C.K.S. after school program at Rea School.

DONE FOR THE YEAR
The Parks and Recreation Commission will not meet in December due to the Christmas holidays. Their next meeting will be in January, 2016.  Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to them all.

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Thursday, November 19, 2015

Parks & Rec. Commission To Discuss Bark Park



SPECIAL MEETING
Just a quick reminder that the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission will meet in a Special meeting tonight, Thursday, November 19, 2015 (rescheduled because of the Thanksgiving holiday next week) and the only item on the agenda is listed as follows:

COSTA MESA BARK PARK RESTRICTED ACCESS ENTRY SYSTEM AND RULES & REGULATIONS UPDATES

READ THE AGENDA, WATCH THE MEETING
You can read that staff report HERE.  Any of you who use that facility NEED to read this report and/or attend this meeting or watch it live on CMTV or on streaming video.  The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers.  I'll report on it later tonight.

Council Meeting Replay Schedule

IN CASE YOU WANT TO VIEW THE MEETING

Because the last Costa Mesa City Council meeting was packed with interesting, controversial items, and because Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer had another intellectual meltdown and probably violated confidentiality laws... and because, curiously, the streaming video of that meeting is not yet available, as a public service I provide you with the replay schedule of that meeting for the next few days.

WATCH THE FUN
It's fascinating to watch Righeimer ignore the rules, and watch Katrina Foley - who knows more than a little bit about the law - try to get him to shut his yap.  It's entertaining to watch Mayor Steve Mensinger unable to control, and to pound that gavel Righeimer gave him to call for a break.  It's interesting to watch Righeimer ignore City Attorney Tom Duarte's admonition about keeping comments VERY general in nature, several times.

IMPORTANT AGENDA ITEMS, TOO
In addition to that entertaining bit of theater, three very important items were on the agenda Tuesday night.  The future of the Costa Mesa Motor Inn was first up, followed by the second reading of the latest Group Home Ordinance and, finally, the proposal to spend $35 million to build a new library, convert the current library to a meeting space and add an acre of open space to Lions Park.

HERE'S THE REPLAY SCHEDULE
The following is the schedule that will play on Channel 3 on Time Warner Cable and Channel 99 on ATT UVerse.  Righeimer's rant begins about an hour and 15 minutes in...



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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Bikeways And Walkability Committee Getting Close


ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE MEETING
At their second meeting of this month Wednesday evening the Costa Mesa Bikeways and Walkability Committee continued to make excellent progress in crafting their Goal, Objectives and Policies.
THEY HAD A QUORUM AND DID THE WORK
Eight members showed up - nine if you count non-voting Chamber of Commerce representative Brent Stoll - and continued to focus tightly on the task at hand.  Under the steady hand of Chairman Ralph Taboada and Vice Chair Cynthia McDonald and the guidance of Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman and his staff and consultant Rock Miller, they carefully sliced and diced the phrases and thoughts.  They reduced six goals to five by consolidating a couple elements and shuffled others around. They fine-tuned the language so the thoughts flow with precision.
THEY APPEAR TO BE ON SCHEDULE
It looks like they will put the finishing touches on this process - only the beginning of their overall task - at their next meeting on December 2nd and, perhaps, be ready to submit this work product to the City Council for inclusion in the General Plan in January.
SMALL CROWD
Once again, a small crowd - if you can call seven of us a crowd - sat and watched the process.  Yes, it's slow to those in the audience, but the result is going to be worth the effort.
KUDOS TO ALL
Again, thanks to those who are participating in this process.  I'm amazed at the civility, tenacity and care with which they go about this job.  It's a pleasure to watch.

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