Claire Flynn Bids Costa Mesa A Very Fond Adieu

A LIFE-CHANGE AWAITS
Early last week I got some news that I received with very strong mixed emotions... Costa Mesa's Assistant Director of Development Services, Claire Flynn, is moving on.  Her last day with the city she's served for more than fifteen years will be next Friday, July 8th.  I'm happy for her, but sad for the loss it means to our city.

CANNOT LET HER GO WITHOUT COMMENT
Claire is a very private person and didn't what any kind of hoopla to be made as she leaves.  So, I waited as long as I could, but cannot let her departure go without comment - she's been too important to my city to just watch her fade into the sunset.

A LOCAL STAR
A Costa Mesa High School graduate, Claire came to the City of Costa Mesa from Mission Viejo's Community Development Department in 2001.  During the decade and a half with the City she's held five progressively more responsible roles in planning and development and has been in her current role since 2011.

STRONG GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT
She worked under some excellent leaders - Don Lamm and Kimberly Brandt were among her most influential mentors.  Lamm moved to the City of Westminster as City Manager and currently has his own consulting firm.  Brandt is presently Community Development Director for the City of Newport Beach.  And, of course, during most of her career at Costa Mesa she worked under the guidance and leadership of City Manager Allan Roeder.

WILL LEAVE A VOID
Many of us who follow city issues recognize the huge hole this leaves in the Development Services Department.  Claire has been the rock - the consummate professional who could always be depended upon to provide the right answers at the right time to those decision makers she served.

A REAL PRO
Personally, I've always found Claire to be patient, approachable and professional - always ready, willing and able to provide information on development issues to even the most dense of us.  I'm going to miss her.

BALANCING LIFE AND CAREER
Claire will join a private sector organization where her planning education - she has a Master's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning - and more than twenty-two years experience can be fully utilized and also provide her some time flexibility.  Her goal starting this new chapter of her life is to achieve better balance in her planning profession and family life.

 GOOD LUCK, CLAIRE - AND THANKS
So, as she moves off into the sunset of her Costa Mesa career I want to thank Claire Flynn for her service to our city and wish her all the best.  Her talents will be well-utilized in her new assignment and her young daughter will certainly benefit from more quality "Mom time".

Marking A Milestone

THE BEST LAID PLANS...
Thursday afternoon, July 9th, my sweet and very patient wife and I slipped quietly out of town for a couple days of very much needed decompression.  We had intended to make this little journey to our favorite place on the Central Coast for the Independence Day holiday, but the traffic was so thick - it took us 4 hours to travel a mere 90 miles - that we chucked that plan and returned home to the war zone known as Costa Mesa for that weekend.

...AND WE ALMOST FORGOT
And, because we decided to resurrect our plans this weekend, a special milestone slid right past me, so I'll mention it now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A BUBBLING CAULDRON
Ten years ago - July 9, 2005 - I launched this blog using another host.  From that date until November 1, 2006 I published my little rants unimpeded by comments because that host didn't accommodate that function.  You can find all those entries HERE.

HERE'S THE FIRST ONE
Here's what that very first entry looked like:

Saturday, July 9, 2005
EMINENT DOMAIN AND THE WESTSIDE

The potential redevelopment of Westside Costa Mesa got a whole lot more interesting recently. On June 23, 2005 the United States Supreme Court ruled in a Connecticut case that eminent domain can be used to force property owners off their land so another entity can replace it to generate more tax revenue. However, the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution states, in part, "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation". In this case that term, "just compensation", is just another way of saying, "way below market value".

If I were a business property owner on the Westside of Costa Mesa I would be shaking in my boots about now. It was bad enough when the residential overlay was approved for the entire area that will permit a willing industrial property owner to sell to a developer and facilitate the integration of residential units in the present industrial area. This recent ruling makes it a whole new ball game. Now eager developers can sweet talk our City Council into using the sledgehammer of eminent domain to oust even the most reluctant of property owners. Do I hear the jingle of campaign finance coins in the air?

You're probably saying to yourself, "Nah, our council members would never do that." Well, don't be too sure. It takes lots of money to successfully run for public office. Eric Bever, for example, managed to round up over $50,000 for his war chest in his slim victory last November. He and his pal, Mayor Allan Mansoor, seem likely to run again - Mansoor in 2006 and Bever in 2008 - so developers with jingling pockets will probably start showing up on their doorsteps pretty soon with plans for the "mansionization" of the Westside.

Ambitious Mayor Pro Tem Gary Monahan, who theoretically is termed out of a council seat after his current tour, might be looking forward to higher office - perhaps County Supervisor. I imagine he will have his ear cocked for the sound of jingling coins, too.

Lest you think the ladies on the dais will be left out, I suspect Katrina Foley and Linda Dixon can expect the developers to come calling, too.

If you're thinking to yourself that this won't affect you, think again. If you own a one of those little, old homes on the Westside in an area that falls under the shroud of the residential overlay, you might be getting a queasy stomach right about now. If you had a cocky smirk on your face a couple months ago when the Westside Redevelopment Oversight Committee's recommendations were usurped by Bever's sleight of hand that put the residential overlay over virtually the entire Westside because you thought it would rid you of obnoxious industrial neighbors, think about this: As I understand this ruling, it would be entirely possible for a residential property owner living in a redevelopment zone to be forced to sell his home for "just compensation" so a new, larger one could be built that would generate more property tax. If your little bungalow just happens to sit on a sliver of land that might be a key acquisition for a larger development, we could soon be seeing your taillights as you head out of town, because you sure won't be able to afford another place in Costa Mesa with the proceeds of your "just compensation". 

Are you nervous yet? You should be - especially in this city, where the ruling troika on the City Council has already demonstrated a smug willingness to play fast and loose with the rules.

I, for one, expect to have more than a few sleepless nights about this issue.

2:48 pm pdt

A LOT HAS CHANGED...
There's been a lot of water under the bridge since that time.  A lot has changed in Costa Mesa since then.  The governance has devolved from the inept bumbling of Chris Steel and the deer-in-the-headlights incompetence of Allan Mansoor to our current condition, with the devious, manipulative, ego-centric, heavy-handedness of the carpetbagging political opportunist, Jim Righeimer and his faithful sidekick, Steve Mensinger.  About the only constant has been Gary (What's in it for me?) Monahan.

COMPETENCE AND COOPERATION
During that time we've seen the economy tank and force our municipal leaders to make some difficult decisions.  Fortunately, under the steady hand of City Manager Allan Roeder, they had laid the groundwork in the form of cautious, conservative fiscal management, so there was enough money in the kitty to help the city survive those difficult time.  Everyone in the government pitched in to help.

THINGS ARE NOT BETTER TODAY
Today, though, it's a different story.  Those leaders are being vilified by the current leaders for building up excessive reserves, and for making careful, thoughtful decisions regarding staffing to help bridge those tough times.  We've gone from a time when the employees and the leadership worked as a team, working together to find solutions, to the current situation where the elected leaders consider the employees their adversaries.  They've tried to layoff - illegally - more than 200 employees and the two top elected leaders have sued the men and women charged with keeping us safe - the CMPD.  They've created such a toxic atmosphere at City Hall that several dozen employees have opted to retire earlier than planned or have left to work at other jurisdictions. 

PUBLIC SAFETY SLIPPING...
Today we don't have enough police officers to effectively protect our city.  Crime statistics are up dramatically.  Today we see political opportunism interfere with the implementation of a new fire department deployment model that would dramatically improve that part of our public safety equation and save us a lot of money at the same time.  We see a government willing and eager to put potholes before public safety.  We see leaders willing to change the rules and create ordinances with which to bludgeon long-time businesses so they will reevaluate their operations with an eye to make it easier for their developer-friends to snatch up those beleaguered properties for pennies on the dollar.

STIFLING FREE SPEECH
And, of course, those current elected leaders don't take criticizm very well, so they've found ways to insitutionalize the stifling of critics by bifurcating public comments and barking chiding remarks during and after they speak.  They interrupt and intimidate speakers who offer an opposing viewpoint.  Free speech is an alien concept to them - except when applied to themselves.

LEGAL COSTS HAVE SOARED!
Their actions have resulted in legal challenges unheard of in decades past.  Through those capricious and sometimes malicious acts the City Treasury has been forced to squander millions of dollars on legal fees - money that could have been used to rebuild public safety, for example.

AND WE REPORT...
And through it all we've been here, trying to present our views of these issues for your consideration.

LOTS OF WORDS...
I didn't begin to count the entries at the beginning, but the current blog host does that for me. This will be my 2,715th entry on this site and we've generated almost 2.3 million page views.  Thanks to all of you for that.  And, along the way other organizations have recognized the meager efforts here.  The OC Weekly has named A Bubbling Cauldron as it's Blog Of The Year a couple times and the Daily Pilot has recognized our efforts in their DP 103 list several times.  We are very grateful for that.  In hindsight, I should have figured a way to get paid by the word...  Oh, well...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
My goal when I began writing this blog was to get a few more folks in the community interested in what was happening in their government.  I think it's safe to say that we've met that goal - and then some.

ONWARD...
So, off we go on our second decade.  Thanks, again, to all of you who take the time to read what appears on this site, and especially to those of you who have taken the time over the years to offer your opinions and/or suggestions.  I'm not sure how much longer the old Cauldron will continue to boil - events involving friends and neighbors continue to remind us that life is short and to make every day count.  But, as long as we think it makes a difference, we'll just keep throwing logs on the fire and continue to stir...

The Losses Continue To Mount Up...

HELEN NENADAL RETIRED
A week ago I attended the retirement party for Maintenance Supervisor Helen Nenadal, who also spent the last few years as the President of the Costa Mesa City Employees Association (CMCEA).  Helen retired after proudly serving the city in a variety of roles for thirty-two years.

ONE OF THE TROOPS...
Over the past couple of years I've gotten to know Helen as she became the face of the CMCEA in its strained relationship with the management of the city.  Not a trained negotiator nor a highly educated person, she has been "one of the troops" - a peer they elected to look out for their interests.  She stepped up and addressed the City Council to present their case time after time.  She did that job well.  Her story is a classic "up from the ranks" journey - she began as a part-time recreation staffer and moved on up as opportunities presented themselves.

ROEDER, HAYMAN AND PERKINS
Her party was attended by several dozen people - current employees, former employees, retirees from all levels of the organization and members of the community and her family.  Former City Manager Allan Roeder attended, as did his former Assistant City Manager, Steve Hayman and former Human Resources head Howard Perkins.

FRANCIS, GAZSI AND GENIS
Assistant CEO Rick Francis was there, along with Police Chief Tom Gazsi - many of the CMCEA employees work for him -  and counclwoman Sandra Genis.

BERARDINO, TOO
I also saw Orange County Employee Association General Manager Nick Berardino at the party to wish Helen well in her retirement.

A LABOR OF LOVE
When Helen spoke about her career with the city she was clearly describing a labor of love - one that has been more difficult to manage over the past three years, when the attitude about employees changed at the highest levels of city management.  The current council majority has, for the most part, treated employees like boxes of nails that could be easily replaced by simply calling the closest hardware store.

SHE WAS NOT ALONE...
As I listened to Helen and others speak, praising her, I looked around the patio and realized that she was not the only person to retire within the past few days.  Three other people in the group also retired that day and more were to follow this week.  These are just the most recent to decide to bail out, leaving a tremendous vacuum of talent and institutional knowledge to be filled.  And, every resident of the city will suffer because of this loss.

MORE UNANTICIPATED TEMPS AND CONSULTANTS
I expect we'll be seeing a request for a huge budget adjustment to permit the Public Services Department to fill these vacancies with temporary employees and consultants within the next few weeks.  We've already seen projects slip because there is insufficient staff available to perform them.  We see even more overtime being required of the staff to complete what would have been normal assignments in better times.  And the acrimonious atmosphere continues to fester as the lawsuit between the City and the CMCEA and the suit filed by Mayor Jim Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger against the members of the Costa Mesa Police Department continue unresolved.

 PAY ATTENTION
As we approach the brand new year I hope more of you will begin to pay attention to what's happening to our city.  We all should be concerned when our top elected officials consider litigation just another line item in the budget - a cost of doing business - even when it involves city employees.  We should be concerned when the toxic atmosphere they've created causes folks to retire earlier than might have otherwise been the case and still others to seek lateral moves to other cities.  This is just plain bad for the city and most of it could have - and should have - been avoided.

UNDERSTAND THE REASON...
So, when calls for service - whether for police, fire, building inspections, pothole filling, graffiti removal or almost every other service provided by the city - begin to be delayed due to staff shortages, please remember who is responsible for this.  You elected them and you can certainly show them the door starting in November.

Costa Mesa Finance/Information Technology Director Bails

BOBBY YOUNG LEAVES COSTA MESA FOR PRIVATE SECTOR

The City of Costa Mesa, in an entry on their web page, HERE, announced to day that Bobby Young, Director of Finance and Information Technology, will leave the city on August 23rd for a job in the private sector.

GOOD FOR HIM!
This is NOT good news for the City, but is probably GREAT news for Bobby Young.  He's among the hardest working staffers in the city and, from my perspective, has done an admirable job of trying to keep up with the ever-shifting and sometimes unreasonable demands placed on him and his staff by the current council majority and respond to the inquiries of members of the public.

THANKS, AND GOOD LUCK
We here at A Bubbling Cauldron wish Bobby the very best and thank him for his dedication and professionalism over his 13 year tenure with the city.  He's a good man.

THE LAST OF MANY
Sadly for those of us in the city, Bobby's departure is just the most recent of senior staffers who have chosen to move on.  Starting wherever you like - with City Manager Allan Roeder retiring shortly after this council majority was seated, to Kim Brandt and Terri Cassidy leaving to Newport Beach, Peter Naghavi recently retiring to the south of France and now Young.  There are many more that could be listed - we may do that at a future date.  All that institutional knowledge and skill will be deeply missed.

Peter Naghavi - The Perfect Public Servant

A WONDERFUL TRIBUTE
Last night I was honored to be invited to a little retirement party thrown for Peter Naghavi - the Costa Mesa employee with the longest title in the building.  Currently his title is "Economic and Development Services Director/Deputy Chief Executive Officer".

MORRIS - MASTER OF CEREMONIES
The man who hired Naghavi in the Transportation Department almost two dozen years ago, retired Public Services Director Bill Morris, put this event together and was the Master of Ceremonies.  He invited folks to stand and praise - or otherwise address - Peter Naghavi's long and illustrious career with the City of Costa Mesa. 

ROEDER AND MORE
Among those who stepped up were former City Manager Allan Roeder, former council members Mary Hornbuckle, Jay Humphrey, Sandra Genis and current councilwoman Wendy Leece.  Naghavi's current boss, CEO Tom Hatch, shown below with his wife, Vanessa, stepped up to praise him, as well.

PERRY BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE
Former co-workers like Perry Valantine, shown here with his wife, Pam and Naghavi, stood to share stories about their time with Naghavi.  Valantine brought down the house when he identified himself as an 8-year retiree who has learned to speak in 3-minute increments. 

HELEN BROUGHT UP THE TEARS
Employee association president Helen Nenadal stood and presented what may have been the most serious moment when she thanked Naghavi for "being there for us" during the very trying past nearly two years.  She referred to the events of St. Patrick's Day, 2011 and praised Naghavi for being their rock - always there for them.

FREEMAN TEASED US
Former Segerstrom spokesman Paul Freeman stepped up and shared stories that I'm sure were edited for a "general" audience - there is probably a much more "adult-oriented" version that he really wanted to tell.  Freeman and Naghavi have become great friends through their business contacts.

POIGNANT SPEECH BY HIS SON
Naghavi's son also spoke about life with his father and his friends.

THE CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL
The thread through all the comments made by Naghavi's friends and co-workers was that of a consummate professional - a man of his word that you could count on.  Whether he was your peer, boss or subordinate, the message was the same.

PROUD TO BE HIS FRIEND 
Personally, I've gotten to know Peter Naghavi over the years that I've been paying attention to city issues.  He was always responsive to questions I've had for clarification on one issue or another.  He never turned me away and, based on the comments last night, it sure sounded like that's how he treated everyone.  He's been a cheerful, enthusiastic, honest man to deal with - again, part of the thread of the comments last night.  He may have been the perfect municipal employee.  I'm proud to be Peter Naghavi's friend and wish him every success wherever his post-retirement takes him.  He's much to young a man to simply just pack it in, but I suspect there's a lot of travel in his near future.  He will leave his post with the City in December and will be sorely missed.

(A special thanks to Soraya Julian for the use of several of her photos from the event last night.)

A Bittersweet Morning At City Hall

PASSING THE BADGE
This morning more than 100 family, co-workers and friends (that may be redundant) gathered in the City Council Chambers at City Hall for the "passing of the badge" ceremony for retiring legendary School Resource Officer, Jess Gilman.  I'm sure the event turned out to be everything Jess hoped for and more.

GAZSI AS MC
Police Chief Tom Gazsi, shown here with former Chief Dave Snowden, was the master of ceremonies and recounted Jess' long and illustrious career.  He became a police officer in Baldwin Park - hired by then-chief Snowden.  When Snowden moved to Costa Mesa Jess followed him to our city, where he served in a variety of policing roles.  His biggest impact, though, has been the last thirteen years as a School Resource Officer.

 CURRENT HONCHOS
In addition to Gazsi honoring Gilman, City CEO Tom Hatch, Newport Mesa Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Navarro, Estancia High School Principal Kirk Bauermeister and the aforementioned Snowden also spoke in glowing terms about Jess' impact on our community.

 SLIDE SHOW WAS A HOOT
In addition to the speakers a short, very funny, slide show was presented to the audience that covered his career from beginning to the end.

FAMILIAR FACES
I'm sure I'll miss someone, but among the dignitaries attending the ceremony were retired City Manager, Allan Roeder - looking like retirement agrees with him - School District Trustees Katrina Foley, Dave Brooks and Walt Davenport, Chamber of Commerce honcho Ed Fawcett and many of Jess' Costa Mesa Police Department co-workers.  I also met several people who had worked with Jess before his tour in Costa Mesa.  Clearly, he's a man with many friends.

POLICE FAMILIES SUFFER
As the speakers and Jess recounted stories I noticed many in the audience dabbing their eyes with tissue... it was a very emotional morning.  For me, the most moving part was when Jess - near the end of his speech - looked down at his children sitting in the front row and apologized to them for not being with them as much as he and they would have liked as they were growing up.  I know the toll being a police officer can take on families, so his remarks really hit home for me.  I hope Jess finds a way to make up for that lost time now.

GOOD-BYE AND GOOD LUCK
So, congratulations to my friend, Jess Gilman, on his retirement and thanks to him for his service to our community.  We at A Bubbling Cauldron wish him and his family all the best in the future.  Due to staffing constraints - the current City Council still refuses to permit Chief Gazsi to fill vacancies - there are no plans to replace Gilman as a School Resource Officer.  The impact of THAT decision will be felt for at least a decade if not remedied soon.

*****

MEAN-SPIRITED GLOAT-FEST
In an unfortunate and mean-spirited usurpation of the Gilman ceremony, Jim Fitzpatrick - unemployed president of the Costa Mesa Taxpayers Association, the OC GOP shill organization - held a press conference only a few yards away from council chambers at the same time.  I did not attend his gloat-fest, so I don't know first-hand what he said to the one or two members of the press who attended.  We must assume he chose to, once again, identify the person caught on tape damaging campaign signs last weekend.

 VIOLATING THE RULES - AGAIN
I do know, however, that he flagrantly violated the rules by displaying campaign signs on city property - again.  And, once again, he had to be chastised for it.  This time Hatch did a wind-sprint from his office on the 5th floor of City Hall to Fitzpatrick's location to remind him of the prohibition.  I watched from the Council Chambers porch as he begrudgingly removed the signs - and I smiled.

 SAD IRONY
In an unfortunate bit of irony, members of the Costa Mesa Police Department - including Jess Gilman -  were forced to walk directly past Fitzpatrick and his new lackey, Kent Mora - the temporarily presumed plagiarist - who joined Fitzpatrick at his farce/press conference.  I can only imagine the thoughts going through their minds as they passed that location.  I suspect they might not be suitable for publication here.