Bike Committee Shifts Gears, Applies Brakes

THEY MET AND RE-CONSIDERED THE PLAN
Last night the Costa Mesa Bikeways and Walkability Committee met briefly at the Costa Mesa Senior Center and, according to reports from the scene, decided to not create a sub-committee to prioritize their earlier work product, chosing, instead, to use the wisdom, enthusiasm and talent of the entire membership toward that end.

PROCESS TO BE CONSIDERED IN JULY
It's my understanding that this process will be discussed at greater length at their next meeting, in July.

Busy Night At The Senior Center Tonight

 DUELING MEETINGS
As mentioned earlier, tonight will be a busy one at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 West 19th Street.  Two separate meetings, both beginning at the same time - 6:30 - and both with important agendas.

ESTABLISHING A SUB-COMMITTEE
First, the Bikeways and Walkability Committee will meet again - read the agenda HERE - in what I'm told will be a very short meeting.  Apparently the committee wishes to form a sub-committee to review their recent goals, objectives and policies, er, recommendations, to help prioritize them for advice to the City Council as to how to proceed.  This one could be over quickly.

OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN WORKSHOP
Meanwhile, a few yards away in the larger auditorium room and also beginning at 6:30 there will be the first of two community workshops to glean from members of the community their views on the City's needs for Parks and Open Space.  See the flyer below(click on the image to enlarge).  The second workshop will be held next week at Lindbergh School.  I'll write about that one later.

 A "MUST ATTEND" EVENT
This particular meeting is a "must attend" for members of the community with even a passing interest in parks and open spaces in our community.  This is a chance to be heard on these issues in a non-threatening, free-form setting.  See you there.

Bikeways and Walkability Committee Meeting Wrap

SPARSE CROWD ATTENDS THE MEETING
The Costa Mesa Bikeways and Walkability Committee met Wednesday evening at the Costa Mesa Senior Center before a very small crowd - four visitors joined the committee this time.  Ten of the twelve members remaining on the committee attended.  Leah Ersoylu and Tony Capitelli did not attend.  Nor did council liaison Katrina Foley and NMUSD liaison Dr. Kirk Bauermeister, both of whom are out of town, or Chamber of Commerce liaison Brent Stoll, who is dealing with family issues.

BOB'S BACK...
During Public Comments Parks and Recreation Commissioner Bob Graham stood to ask the committee to push forward to have the existing Bike Map modified to show potential routes.  He also, once again, brought up this idea of opening up the pathway along the Greenville-Banning channel for bicycle and pedestrian use.  When he brought this up to this committee the last time a couple months ago more than 30 neighbors along that channel attended and spoke out strongly against that plan, citing privacy and safety as the main reasons.  Graham is persistent, though.  After he finished Chairman Ralph Taboada said he would ask the committee to discuss putting it on a future agenda at the end of the meeting.  More on that later.

COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
During Committee Member Comments, Rick Huffman stated appreciation for the Greenville-Banning Trail, but also recalled the vehement rejection of the idea by neighbors.
John Merrill spoke on the "Go Human" campaign.  Jim Kerins complimented the staff.
Jim Erickson mentioned the Costa Mesa Community Run, which is coming up and wondered how he could help represent the committee at that event.  He then showed a brief video clip of a Bike Park in Irvine, which includes a resting place and permanently-installed tools.
James Kane, referring to the Greenville-Banning Trail, referred to the "negativity from the NIMBYS" - the neighbors who spoke out at the earlier meeting.  He suggested a large wall could be buile and motion-detector lights installed.
Flo Martin showed slides of a homeless person receiving a citiation from a Costa Mesa Police Officer - perhaps a Park Ranger - for not having her bicycle in a proper bike rack at Wilson Park.  Martin suggested that the adjacent rack was full at the time, which launched a long discussion of bike racks in general.  The city is sorely in need of bike racks in most, if not all, public areas.  Ernesto Munoz suggested this is the time to lobby the city council on that issue since the budget is in the midst of being prepared.
Cynthia McDonald told the group of a Cyclovia in Lynwood/South Gate on May 15th.
Taboada said he will be speaking to the council at the next meeting about bike racks.
Andrea Marr mentioned the "Action Arts In The Park" sponsored by the Cultural Arts Committee, to be held in TeWinkle Park in the afternoon of May 14th.

BICYCLE EDUCATION
The first New Business item was a presentation by Pat Hines, founder of Safe Moves, a bicycle education program currently being used in Costa Mesa elementary schools and is funded by the city through a grant by the Orange County Transportation Authority.  Hines formed this business more than three decades ago after her best friend was killed in a bicycling accident.  Since then she and her team have worked with thousands of children all over the state.  The following slides will capture the essence of the program.

HARBOR BLVD. BIKE TRAIL
Next up was a briefing by Director of Public Services, Ernesto Munoz, on the status of the new Harbor Boulevard Bicycle Trail.  The following slides will help you understand the scope of the project.  Basically, it's providing a 12 foot wide multi-purpose trail removed from the vehicular traffic by landscaped areas and will be lighted with bollard lighting for safety.

GRANT PROJECTS
Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethruaman provided an update on Grant Projects and explained the status of the project for a signal on Placentia Avenue at the bottom of the hill from Adams Avenue at the northern border of Fairview Park.  That will be installed soon.  Additional funding is being sought for the 19th Street Bicycle Trail to accommodate the processing through the Coastal Commission.  The construction funds are secure.

COMMITTEE SAYS NO TO GRAHAM
During the discussion of items for the next meeting agenda Taboada, as promised, opened up the Greenville-Banning path for discussion.  After several minutes of discussion, the commissioners chose NOT to place it on the next agenda, citing the overwhelming negative outcry the last time a couple months ago.  Graham was not happy with that turn of events and grumbled about the residents who showed up at that previous meeting, referring to them as a mob.  Since Graham doesn't like to hear "no", I suspect he will find some other way to get this issue into the municipal discussion.

The committee meets next on May 4th.

Large Crowd For Bike Committee Meeting

LESS-THAN-FULL COMMITTEE MET ANYHOW
The Costa Mesa Bikeways and Walkability Committee met again last night at the Costa Mesa Senior Center.  And, again, they were without a full compliment of committee members.  City Council liaison Katrina Foley and Chamber of Commerce member Brett Stoll were absent, as were regular members Brian Valles and Jim Kerins.

SRO CROWD!
Most of the time these committee meetings play to a "crowd" of around six people, including your humble correspondent.  Last night a Standing Room Only crowd of around 40 residents filled the small room at the Costa Mesa Senior Center and overflowed into the lobby area, among them Patricia Johnson.

ANOTHER GRAHAM PIPE-DREAM
The crowd was motivated to attend by something that occurred at an earlier meeting, when Parks and Recreation Commission Vice Chairman Robert Graham coaxed committee Chairman Ralph Taboada into making a brief, unagendized pitch to consider re-opening the discussion of gaining access to the Greenville-Banning Channel trail.  The group that attended last night represented most of the 46 neighbors that are contiguous to that trail and who have successfully fought off the access issue in years past.

LOADED FOR BEAR
In fact, some of the attendees carried with them folders full of correspondence - some dating back twenty years -  from previous encounters with members of the City staff during which it apparently was agreed to NOT attempt to get this trail open to the public.

EPPERSON
Of those who attended, a dozen spoke during Public Comments, including retired Costa Mesa Police Lieutenant Clay Epperson.  He led off and spoke of the historical opposition to this trail.  He explained that it was a buffer from criminal elements, it was unnecessary since there are already three roads and two trails nearby.  He said there is zero demand for this trail, and cited that fact that Graham is the only person who seems interested in this, but that he's out of touch with the facts and "Doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."  Graham was sitting nearby.

Most of the others who spoke were long-time residents who have had this battle before.  Most expressed a desire to never hear about it again.

NO PLANS FOR ACTION
Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman explained to the group that there are NO plans to do ANYTHING with that trail, and that it would take a decision of the Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council - which would be a long process.  The neighbors seemed not to be satisified with that explanation.  In any event, they came, said their piece, then most left after Public Comments were over.  By the time the final item on the agenda was discussed there were only eight of us remaining.

OUTREACH SUB-COMMITTEE
After approval of the minutes of the previous meeting they moved to Old Business - the discussion of the Outreach Sub-committee.  Leah Ersoylu volunteered to become a member of that sub-committee, joining Chairman Ralph Taboada, Vice Chair Cynthia McDonald, Rick Huffman and Jim Erickson.  Member Andrea Marr suggested some outreach be conducted to see about participation in "Action Arts In The Park", an event hosted by the Cultural Arts Committee occurring on May 14th.  Erickson passed around a calendar for members to use to enter known events.  A master calendar hosted by the City website was suggested and will be assessed by the staff.

GENERAL PLAN TO BE RELEASED FRIDAY
Sethuraman advised that the General Plan will be released on Friday and should be available for review sometime shortly thereafter.  Taboada advised that the final Goals and Objectives - fine tuned following presentation to the City Council - will be sent to the members.  It's also available on the city website.

ORANGE COUNTY BIKE COALITION
Stacey Klein from the Orange County Bike Coalition made an excellent 64-slide presentation that emphasized safety elements of bicycling.  She offered to conduct a training session for the committee at some point in time, and has made many of their materials available to the committee.   Details of their program can be found HERE.

BIOSWALE
Sethuraman then made a brief presentation on the Arlington Drive Bioswale Project.  Details appear on the following slides.  He said engineering is being done now and construction should start later this year and be completed next year.  No construction will take place during the Orange County Fair.

PEDESTRIAN OPPORTUNITY ZONES
Then there was a brief discussion of the Pedestrian Opportunity Zones - more "walkable" zones around some of the major arterials in the city - which is part of the Circulation Element of the General Plan.

 

VACANCIES AND MEETING SCHEDULE
The group agreed to continue meeting only once a month.  They had been meeting twice a month in order to finish their Goals and Objectives.  There are three (3) vacancies on the committee presently and those will be filled by the recruitment effort that just finished.  New members will be selected by the City Council and will probably be seated by May.  The next meeting is in April.

Bike Committee Meets Tomorrow Night

 MEETING AT THE SENIOR CENTER AGAIN
The diminished Costa Mesa Bikeways and Walkability Committee, led by Chairman Ralph Taboarda, meets again Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the now bug-free Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 West 19th Street.  The agenda can be viewed HERE.

HEAVY-LIFTING DONE
Now that the very heavy lifting of the creation of Goals, Objectives and Policies, er, Recommendations is complete, the committee will be moving forward with other, more fun, issues.

INTERESTING AGENDA
On the agenda tomorrow night will be:

• A discussion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
• A presentation by the OC Bike Coalition
• A presentation on the Arlington Bioswale Project
• A staff presentation on Pedestrian Opportunity Zones Map.

AN EFFECTIVE GROUP
Each of those should be interesting and probably worth your time if you have any interest in the future of Costa Mesa becoming more Bicycle friendly and more walkable.  This group has been very productive in the past months and I anticipate this spirit of teamwork to continue.

City Seeks Committee Volunteers

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT
The City of Costa Mesa is currently seeking several residents to serve on the following committees:

Bikeways and Walkability Committee
Cultural Arts Committee
Historical Preservation Committee
Finance Advisory Committee
Housing and Public Service Grant Committee
Pension Oversight Committee

FOR MORE INFO...
For more information visit the city website HERE, for complete details on the duties for each committee and the number of vacancies on each.  The deadline for applying is 5:00 p.m., Friday, February 19, 2016.

Bike Committee Had A Full Meeting

NOT A FULL TEAM AGAIN
The Costa Mesa Bikeways and Walkability Committee met again Wednesday evening at City Hall and managed to fill the time provided with productive discussions.  The committee membership is down to twelve (12), plus Brent Stoll and Dr. Kirk Bauermeister.  Two members and Stoll were absent last night.  Three positions will be filled with the current recruitment effort for this and several other city committees.  Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m., Friday, February 19th.

TAXING CARS FOR BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE
Member James Kane did more work on an analysis of Senate Bill 1183, HERE, which theoretically provides for up to $5.00 per vehicle annually to be assessed by cities, counties or other park districts to fund bicycle enhancements within their boundaries.  The following slides outline what he found out.

Apparently, there are NO jurisdictions who have taken advantage of this bill.  It would apparently take a local vote to enact the process and there are few politicians willing to impose a new tax.  It's an interesting concept, though.  According to the data Kane provided, it could provide net revenue of more than $400,000 annually for such efforts.

WEST 19TH STREET BIKE TRAIL PROJECT
There was a presentation by Min Zhou, Project Manager for KOA Corporation, the consultants working on the 19th Street Bike Path project.  They gave an overview of the project to the committee and answered several questions.  This plan will be presented as a community outreach effort in the near future, so members of the community nearby or with special interest can attend in a larger venue to hear the plans and offer comments.

 PRESENTATION OF GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND.... "RECOMMENDATIONS"
Chairman Ralph Taboada and Vice Chair Cynthia McDonald briefed the committee members on their presentation of the Goals, Objectives and Policies presented to the City Council at a recent meeting.  Much discussion revolved around the negative reception their work product received, and the demand by Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer that the "policies" be modified to be called "recommendations", even though the format is the preferred style for the General Plan update.

I sat through most of the meetings where this committee met and hammered out this excellent piece of work on a rushed timetable.  I, too, was surprised and disappointed with Righeimer's reaction to it.  Yes, there were a lot of words, and, yes, it took some time to carefully craft the document - but that was their charter.

RIGHEIMER'S MOTIVATION
Personally, I think there's more at play here.  I think that Righeimer realizes - although he didn't say it - that the "rules" provided by the "policies" might negatively impact some future developments by his pals.  By calling them "recommendations" the staff can be instructed to simply not enforce those Righeimer finds objectionable.

THE REVISED MAP
There was also a lengthy discussion of the completion of the Bicycle Map for the Master Plan.  An example of a conceptual map was reviewed and, after discussion, it was agreed unanimously to put that map forward.  There was significant discussion about the method of presenting this map, with some members favoring approaching individual members of the council, while others strongly suggested to not use that tactic.  The committee will present the map to the council as a whole.

 NO TAKERS FOR CICLOVIA SUBCOMMITTEE, BUT...
Also on the agenda was a opportunity for the creation of a ciclovia subcommittee.  I wasn't at the meeting where this was proposed as an agenda item, but it seems like the plan was to form a smaller group to move forward with all elements of a possible ciclovia event similar to others held elsewhere.  When it came time for volunteers for this committee nobody stepped up.  The subsequent discussion resolved that it may be too soon for such an effort for this fledgling committee.

...AN OUTREACH SUBCOMMITTEE WILL BE FORMED
So, the conversation then turned to the creation of a broader Outreach Subcommittee, to begin with smaller steps.  Four members stepped up for this group - Chairman Taboada, Vice Chair McDonald, Rick Huffman and Jim Erickson.  The committee will wait until the next meeting, when a couple more members may be present, to fill out the five-person subcommittee and tighten the focus of its activities.  Discussions revolved around creating a presence at currently-existing programs in the city - like the Fish Fry and the Community Run - to launch greater awareness of this group and their efforts to improve bikeability and walkability in the city.

LOCKED GATES ON GREENVILLE-BANNING CHANNEL TRAIL
There was a brief slide presentation requested by Parks and Recreation Commissioner Bob Graham, who was in the audience last night, regarding the possibility of finding a way to open two locked gates on the trail that parallels the Greenville-Banning Channel on the Westside of town to provide access to walkers.

NEXT MEETING IN A MONTH
The next meeting will be held on March 2, 2016 at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, which is undergoing termite treatment.  The meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m. and the 9 members of the public in attendance departed.

Bikes, Speed Bumps, Freeway Aesthetics And More...

THE REST OF THE STORY...

Well, there was a lot more happening at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting besides Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer demonstrating that he's a liar.  We covered that part in my earlier post, so let's address the rest of the meeting - the parts that occurred while it was still Tuesday.

PAY ATTENTION, STEVE!
The meeting began on a pleasant note, with three presentations, although I was a little concerned when Mayor Steve Mensinger - not the sharpest knife in the drawer - prepared to call everyone to order, but observed that they didn't have to hurry because they still had a few minutes.  This was at 5:52 p.m. - past the new starting time of 5:45 he imposed.  He must have had a brain burp - which was kind of an omen of things to come.

PRESENTATIONS
Anyhow, back to the presentations.  First the City recognized a handful of Orange Coast College soccer players for their outstanding play this year.  Then a herd of young Aussies from our sister city of Wyndham were welcomed and presented with goodies.  Their local hosts, the principals from Newport Harbor High School and Estancia High School spoke.  And then a nice woman from Cal Trans told us about the upcoming renovation of the I-405/Red Hill overpass.  That project will begin "soon" - a date uncertain, but probably this month.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments nine individuals rose to address the council on a variety of issues.

• Tamar Goldmann stepped up to criticize the council for their recent decision to not permit Costa Mesa Television to record candidate forums for replay.  She spoke of the Smart Growth Initiative and even gave a promo for this site - thanks to Tamar for that.
• Robin Leffler spoke on a recent survey, which she described as a "push poll" that posed very specific questions about Fairview Park.  
• Al Melone, former (and maybe future) city council candidate stepped up to speak on his only issue - the Dog Park.
• Tea Party Tom Pollitt apparently slipped his leash and spoke on the World Economy, a comment that managed to morph into a criticism of the pension issue.
• Mary Spadoni told the council about the practice by the Coastal Commission of permitting folks in the audience to show support or lack thereof by quietly using hand signals.  She also rebutted some of Pollitt's comments.
• Kim Hendricks spoke about the new initiative for which petitions are being circulated for placement on the November ballot to protect Fairview Park from development.
• Ann Parker, referring to the passing of the Eagles Glenn Fry, told the council about the sober living outfit, Hotel California, on the Eastside.  She also tried to segue into another entertainment reference when she complained about the lack of Code Enforcement by saying "May the Code Enforcement be with you."  Mensinger suggested she share her information with the staff, to which she replied that she'd already done that - many times.
• Former Councilwoman Wendy Leece bemoaned the failure of this council to hold study sessions, meetings during which a few items would be vetted in a casual atmosphere. 
  
  She also criticized the council for beginning the "silly season" - the campaign season - by using new Public Information Officer Tony Dodero to write a recent commentary for Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer.
• Businessman Tim Lewis told the council about property ownership issues with a piece of property that's in development near his business on Harbor Blvd. 

COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS

During Council Member Comments Righeimer, indicating he wasn't going to speak, then launched off on a mini-rant about some of the public comments.  Addressing concerns about possible development at Fairview Park, he said, "Nothing's happening - nobody wants to develop it."  On Sober Living homes, he referred to a "stay" placed on enforcement by legal action.  He spoke about Fire Station #6 - the one he and Mensinger co-authored a commentary about recently - indicating that it didn't "have the calls", which is why it was considered for closure.  He then complained about some of the comments, stating, "We don't want to have more divisive issues in the city."  Curious, since he's usually the source of those issues.  He spoke about the Costa Mesa United Golf Tournament and just casually mentioned that his sidekick, Mensinger, received the Costa Mesa United Leadership Award (my eyes rolled back in my head!).

Mensinger spoke about the golf tournament, indicating it was a nice event with "no politics".  I nearly choked when he said that.

Katrina Foley, addressing the recent survey that was conducted as part of the update of the Master Plan of Parks and Open Space, asked for a copy of the questions that had been asked because of complaints made about it being a "push poll".  She also asked City Attorney Thomas Duarte for a clarification of an issue about the Sober Living R-2 zone ordinance dealing with the density of such facilities because there is apparently confusion among staff members.  She also cited recent turmoil at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and encouraged us all to pay attention to what's going on over there because, as she said, "Something's not right."

Sandy Genis mentioned a recent Economic Summit she and Dan Baker attended.  She said it was a good news/bad news situation.  She said jobs are coming back, but they are lower-paying jobs.  She spoke of recent information from the California League of Cities on group homes, indicating that Orange County has the highest number, and within Orange County, Costa Mesa has the highest concentration.  She also said Fairview Park should be "kept off the table" for development.

In a rare instance, Gary Monahan actually had something to say.
He expressed concern about lack of handicapped access to areas of Fairview Park... muffled murmurs were heard in the crowd.  He also acknowledged Wendy Leece's concerns for free speech - but I'm not sure if he said that tongue-in-cheek or not.


HATCH

During his time CEO Tom Hatch spoke of recent hires in the Costa Mesa Police Department - three from the recent Academy class and one lateral from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.  He told us that "our" Academy graduates are excellent - at or near the top of the class.  He also told us that all Code Enforcement slots are now filled, giving us nine (9) Code Enforcement officers.  He also spoke briefly about the recent survey of parks.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Only one item was pulled from the Consent Calendar - #2, the Warrant.  This should have been heard at that time instead of making Tamar Goldmann sit through the entire meeting until 1:10 a.m. to present her concerns about the $3,000 rocker/recliner we apparently purchased.  Bad judgment on Mensinger's part on that one.  Add it to the list.

MARIJUANA CULTIVATION

Old Business #1, the second reading of the marijuana cultivation ordinance, took less than one minute to pass on a 5-0 vote.

RESIDENT-ONLY PARKING
Old Business #2, the new Residents-Only parking ordinance, took a little longer.  Following a very brief discussion and comments by a couple residents, it passed, 5-0.

I-405 AESTHETICS
New Business #1, the I-405 Improvement Project Aesthetics discussion took longer.  Jeff Mills from the OCTA provided a history of the project, which will add lanes to the I-405 from the 73 Toll Road to the I-605 at the Los Angeles County Line and was not viewed favorably by residents and elected officials in Costa Mesa.  It will require the demolition of our new Fairview Road Bridge to accommodate the greater width of the new freeway lanes.  This discussion involved the "look" of the roadway as it passes through our city and focused on decorative walls.  Four people stepped up to express opinions on issues like the proximity to Moon Park, the intrusive Fountain Valley Freeway sign, the fact that we were ignored in the planning process and that the decorative walls would be a distraction to drivers.

PICKING THE BIRD
Concerns were expressed by council members about the potential for graffiti damage to the walls and as to which graphics to be used.  In the end they agreed to reject the opinion of the Cultural Arts Committee to use the "Least Terns" graphic because it represented Newport Beach and voted to recommend the White-tailed Kite because those birds are often seen in Costa Mesa.

CDBG GRANT CHANGES

Next up was New Business #2, the revisions to the Community Development Block Grant Public Service Grants rating criteria and related policies and procedures.  One of the big changes is the number of agencies to be considered.  It was reduced from a maximum of 20 to 10, and the minimum amount was increased from $5,000 to $15,000.  Several changes were made to the grading criteria, too.  During the public comments Wendy Leece expressed concern that this committee had changed from a standing committee to an ad hoc committee and was curious about how one might apply to be part of it.

SPEED HUMPS APPROVED!

New Business #3 was the request for Speed Humps on Saint Clair Street.  The staff recommendation was to deny the request.  However, after Jay Litvak and several other members of the neighborhood involved spoke describing the situation the council voted, 4-1, with Righeimer voting NO, to direct the staff to install the speed humps bring back an evaluation of the process by which speed humps may be requested.

BIKEWAYS AND WALKABILITY COMMITTEE REPORT
New Business #4 was the report by the Bikeways and Walkability Committee on their Goals, Objectives and Policies, which were prepared to be included in the General Plan update.  Chairman Ralph Taboada and Vice Chair Cynthia McDonald made the presentation to the council, describing the process they followed since the committee was created in April.  They had their first meeting in June and, in September, decided to double-up the number of meetings to meet the deadline.  I attended most of those meetings and have frequently written about how effectively they worked together.  I saw the sometimes tedious process work as they carefully crafted the document they presented to the council last night.  I observed the give-and-take and the collaborative process in action.

TOO MANY WORDS AND "POLICIES"

So, when Righeimer reacted negatively about the work product - he basically thought there were too many words - I was surprised and disappointed.  That feeling was shared by the many members of the committee in attendance last night.  Righeimer was concerned about the "policies", even though he was told several times that the format used followed the General Plan format intentionally.  Despite the explanations by staff and liaison Katrina Foley - this committee was her idea - Righeimer had it stuck in his craw.  Four people spoke to this issue, including members of the committee and regular attendees to the meetings.  At the end, after a significant discussion about "policies" and the General Plan, the council voted to approve the document with the proviso Righeimer demanded that the "policies" be re-titled as "recommendations".  They took a break, then returned at 9:37 to commence New Business #5, the subject of my angry earlier post.

I'M STILL TICKED-OFF!

Let me close this by stating, once again, that the meeting Tuesday night/Wednesday morning was one of the most disappointing I can recall.  I don't know what the future holds for the Costa Mesa Fire Department, but I suspect there were few happy firefighters in our city today.  That's a shame.  We'll talk more about that as time goes on.