New Council Seated - Foley Elected Mayor, Genis Mayor Pro Tem

PACKED HOUSE SEES THE CHANGE IN COMMAND
Well, it was a glorious evening in the Costa Mesa City Council Chambers Tuesday evening and a packed house enjoyed the proceedings.  I missed the event, dealing with my Christmas cold.  Darn!  So, my sweet and also sniffling wife and I watched the event on good old CMTV.

ADIOS, STEVE AND GARY
Mayor Steve Mensinger and Councilman Gary Monahan were given an appropriate sendoff in their last official acts in those roles.  Monahan is termed out - again - after serving sixteen years on the council.  Mensinger was defeated in his run for re-election after serving six years - two as an appointee and four when he was elected in 2012.

PRESENTATIONS
Among the nineteen speakers was Tim Whitaker, representing Vice Chair Michele Steel of the Board of Supervisors.  He made presentations to both Mensinger and Monahan.

POLITICIANS
Assemblyman Matt Harper also stepped up to the speakers podium to praise both men for their service, and to acknowledge the winners in the election - particularly Allan Mansoor, who preceded him in Sacramento.

NINETEEN SPEAKERS
During Public Comments most of the speakers thanked Mensinger and Monahan for their service to the community and also congratulated the winners - Sandra Genis, John Stephens and Mansoor.  Some of the speakers tip-toed right up to the edge of being disrespectful to Mensinger, who must still be smarting at his defeat, where he didn't even come close to retaining his seat on the council.

There were a couple obvious partisan Mensinger fans who spoke, and more than a few who are not his fans.  That's OK.

BETH COLLINS
Beth Collins is a Mensinger fan, and didn't much like it when some in the crowd reacted to her praise of him.

 JAY HUMPHREY
Jay Humphrey, who ran strong race for City Council and has been a tireless volunteer, thanked all those who supported him and congratulated the winners.  He also thanked all those who worked so hard for Measures Y and AA.

CINDY B.
Cindy Brenneman was nearly giddy with the results of the election.  She thanked Monahan, citing their long relationship, and also thanked Mensinger, but was less cordial.  There was clearly a "don't let the door hit you in the butt" vibe then.  Can't blame her.

WENDY
Former councilwoman Wendy Leece referred to the "In God We Trust" motto hanging on the wall behind the council members, acknowledged all the hard work it takes to be a council member and thanked Mensinger and Monahan for their dedication to the city.  She quoted from Shakespeare, Henry V.

TERRY CROONED
Terry Koken crooned a tune.

TAMAR AND DAN
Tamar Goldmann congratulated Genis for being the top vote-getter, again.  She hoped for a more cooperative relationship with law enforcement personnel. She praised Jay Humphrey for his good run and his tireless dedication to the city.  She also praised Leece for her continuing work on behalf of the residents.

Dan Goldmann thanked Mensinger and Monahan and observed that we all need to participate going forward.

BANNING RANCH
Steve Ray, Executive Director of the Banning Ranch Conservancy, offered congratulations to the winners and hoped his organization might be of help to the council in the future.

CM4RG
Robin Leffler stepped up as the President of Costa Mesans For Responsible Government to thank all the volunteers who worked on the many campaigns.  She observed that it took the efforts of hundreds of volunteers to push to victory, not only for the candidates, but for Measures Y and AA.  Clearly, she was happy.

COSTA MESA FIRST
Cynthia McDonald thanked all who supported Measure Y and mentioned Eleanor Egan specifically for her defeat in court of specious lies on the ballot measure argument.

FAIRVIEW PARK PRESERVATION ALLIANCE
Kim Hendricks, speaking as a member of the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance, thanked the voters and the volunteers who supported Measure AA - an overwhelming 70.9% of the votes cast were in favor of that measure.

STEVE, THE HUSTLER...
Richard Russell, a Mensinger fan, stepped up last and praised him for his efforts.  At one point he observed to him that , "you have been a hustler" - meaning he was always on the go, getting things done.  I smiled when I heard that, because that phrase isn't always a positive description.  Russell and I might agree that it fits Mensinger, but probably don't agree that it's a favorable term.

ELECTION CERTIFIED
City Clerk Brenda Green asked the outgoing council to certify the election, which they did, 5-0.

STEVE SAYS GOOD-BYE
Mensinger and Monahan were given a chance to address the audience.  Mensinger thanked the City Ctaff for their efficiency.  He praised CEO Tom Hatch and his strong right arm, Kelly Shelton, for their support.  He thanked both Police Chief Rob Sharpnack and Fire Chief Dan Stefano... and he thanked the citizens of Costa Mesa.  Then, kind of out of context, he said, "Governing is one thing, criticizism is another."  I don't know exactly what he meant, but he probably didn't like the ongoing criticizm he'd received during his terms.

SO DID GARY, KINDA
Monahan already said his good-byes at the last meeting, so his comments were very brief.

GOOD-BYE GIFTS
Both Mensinger and Monahan then received proclamations and memory books from the City and they were done by 6:45 p.m.

JUDGE ROBINSON ADMINSTERED THE OATHS
Then the administration of the Oath of Office was administered by former Mayor and current Judge Karen Robinson.  That was a VERY special moment for all.  Mansoor lugged his youngest child with him.

FOLEY BECOMES THE MAYOR, GENIS MAYOR PRO TEM
Then came an interesting moment.  It was time to elect a mayor, so Righeimer nominated Genis.  She, in turn offered an alternate nomination - Katrina Foley - which was seconded by Stephens.  Genis then asked that her nomination be withdrawn.  When the vote was taken to elect the mayor the result was 4-1 - Allan Mansoor voted NO!  So, it didn't take long to see how this is going to go with him.  When Genis was elected Mayor Pro Tem the vote was 5-0.

THANKING GRANDMA
Each of the new members made short speeches.  Foley thanked her family and, in particular, her 90 year-old grandmother, who was sitting down front.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS
Genis was grateful for the large turnout and hoped many would continue to be involved in city issues.

STEPHENS' STAND-UP ROUTINE
Stephens took his time and polished up his stand-up comic routine as he thanked his family, business associates, all the volunteers who supported him.  One thing is very clear - this is a VERY different council than the previous one.

MANSOOR
Mansoor thanked his family, specifically his wife, Jannifer and his mother-in-law who cared for their children during the campaign events.  He thanked the city staff for being so professional and supportive.  He thanked Chief Sharpnack for his help and observed that it may be time for another sweep of vagrants in Talbert Park.

FOLEY SETS NEW RULES AND AN AGENDA
Foley observed that the next meeting will be January 3, 2017.  She asked Hatch to amend the agenda so all speakers during Public Comments are permitted to speak early in the meeting - no more trailing them to the end.  She also observed that she wanted to do away with speaker cards.  She also wants to trail Council member comments to the end of the meeting.  That's a GREAT idea, since Righeimer used to speak for 15 or 20 minutes, spewing his mantra and sucking up valuable time.  She also told Hatch that he would be City Manager henceforth, not CEO.  She also asked for a presentation on how to get Fire Station #6 open and fully staffed without overtime.  That's going to mean more firefighters.  She also asked that Chief Stefano bring back early in the year a plan for implementation of the new staffing model that integrates the rescue ambulances for transportation of victims.

IT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING
It's going to be a VERY interesting first few months.  Righeimer seemed collegial enough.  Mansoor is clearly not in step with the majority, so his presence and his inability to clearly articulate his position on issues will complicate the business of the city getting done.  We'll see.

CONGRATS...  NOW LET'S GET MOVING!
Congratulations to Katrina Foley and Sandra Genis on their new leadership roles.  Congratulations to John Stephens on his election and to Allan Mansoor to his election.  Time to move forward...  I thought it was time to present this for your listening pleasure... it seems very appropriate.

Good Turnout For CM4RG Town Hall

PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOBER LIVING DRAWS A CROWD
Somewhere around 100 people turned out for the Town Hall sponsored by Costa Mesans For Responsible Government (CM4RG) Thursday evening at the Neighborhood Community Center.

CANDIDATES WERE ALSO PRESENT
In addition to the presenters of information, city council candidates, representatives of certain initiatives and candidates for the Mesa Water District Board and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board were also present to answer questions and hand out literature.

 Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board Members 

Art Perry and Jim Ferryman, running for re-election.

OMNIPRESENT BARRY FILMED IT
Barry Friedland of Costa Mesa Brief was on hand to record the event, so look for his work product at his YouTube Channel in the next few days.

REICH TO LEFFLER...
Alex Reich, candidate for the Mesa Water Board, acted as the Master of Ceremonies.  He kicked the meeting off at around 6:45 p.m., then handed it over to CM4RG President Robin Leffler, who led the pledge of alligience and then explained a little bit about the organization.

...TO LEECE
Former councilwoman Wendy Leece then stepped up to provide an update from the Orange County Vector Control Board, of which she was a member during her tour on the City Council.  She explained the need for resident diligence due to the growing problems with West Nile Virus and now the Zika Virus.  No standing water.  Contact Vector Control if you suspect a problem.

COSTA MESA FIRE DEPARTMENT DISCUSSED
Next up was Ralph Taboada, Chairman of the Bikeway and Walkability Committee and member of the Pension Oversight Committee, to talk about the Costa Mesa Fire Department.  He explained that the department used to be one of the premiere departments in Orange County - a destination department.  He explained that the members of the CMFD are active in the community, including teaching CPR and making school presentations.  Members of the CMFD are usually pillars of their communities.  He explained the history - 5 Chiefs in six years - and used slides to enhance his presentation.  These are mostly self-explanatory.

SOBER LIVING HOMES
Then came community activist Teresa Drain to speak about Sober Living issues.  She told us also on hand for questions was Robert Mann of the Sober Living Network.  She gave us some statistics that really made you think.  Speaking of heroin specifically, she told us that there have been 1800 deaths due to overdoses in the past five years and the Center for Disease Control estimates 70 lives a lost daily due to addiction.  There are 300,000 addicts in Orange County.  She told us Costa Mesa has 300 licensed liquor dispensaries.

ADDICTION A DISEASE
She then described Addiction as a disease and Sobriety as addiction in remission.  Among the stats she told us was that there is a 86% failure rate with heroin addicts.  She spoke about the 12-step programs, first evolving from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and now used with Narcanon, too.

DUAL PROBLEM - DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
She spoke of the dual problem of alcohol and drugs and mentioned the Orange County Sober Living Coalition as an organization helping with the problems.  She told us that 80% of criminals have drug and or alcohol addiction issues.  She told us that 95% of those incarcerated for drug issues return to the drugs once released.  She told us that treatment and recovery is the solution, not incarceration, which is why so many petty criminals with drug issues are currently involved in Sober Living Homes.

SPADONI DISCUSSES THE CMPD
Mary Spadoni, life long law enforcement officer - she was the first woman police officer to work in patrol many moons ago - next spoke about the Costa Mesa Police Department.  She spoke about the impact of AB 109 and Prop. 47, and told us to oppose Prop. 57 on the November ballot because it just goes one step further in the wrong direction than Prop. 47.  Because of those laws we have many more criminals on our streets.

STAFF SHORTAGES
She spoke about the decline in staffing of the CMPD - how the current council majority issued over 200 layoff notices to city employees in 2011, several of whom were civilian employees of the CMPD.  She spoke of how that act caused a lawsuit by the Orange County Employees Association, which represents the employees in question, and how the city lost that lawsuit and cost nearly $400,000 in legal fees.

HISTORY OF STAFFING
Spadoni told us a little history of the staffing of the department, and mentioned that currently the authorized staffing level of the CMPD is 136, but that we actually have only 113 on the payroll, 10 of which are out on injuries.  We have only 52 officers available for patrol duty and many of the speciality assignments to which officers aspire - Gangs, Narcotics, K-9 - are no longer available, which hampers recruiting and retention of officers.

ATTRITION REPORT
She mentioned the attrition report prepared by former Chief Tom Gazsi more than two years ago which outlined for CEO Tom Hatch the reasons for the departure of so many officers due to retirement and/or moving on to other venues.  That report was never acknowledged.  Much of that turnover was due to the toxic environment created by the current City Council majority.

PAROLEES LOVE COSTA MESA - NO COPS
Spadoni told us of a meeting in 2014 of representatives of the County Probation Department and State Parole organization in which Costa Mesa representatives at the meeting were told that parolees like to come to Costa Mesa because we're understaffed in the CMPD, so chances of them being picked up for crimes is small.  She described our situation as a perfect storm - fewer cops and greater demand.  She said we're "understaffed and overcrimed".

SHARPNACK TRYING, BUT...
She praised Chief Rob Sharpnack for his energy and enthusiasm trying to get the CMPD back on track, but the process is taking a long time - despite what Mayor Mensinger told us earlier this year.  She cited the influx of sober living homes as part of our problem keeping crime down - it's up dramatically.  She said we're not "Costa Mayberry" anymore.  She told us that Costa Mesa has 3% of the county population but 27% of the sober living homes.  She said 63% of our residences are rentals.  She cited the unrealistic positions taken by candidates Mensinger, Mansoor and Ramos on public safety issues.

Q & A
Next came Questions and Answers presented by the audience via note cards.  The panel included retired CMPD Lieutenant Clay Epperson - a long-time Costa Mesa resident; Former man-of-many-hats, retired Interim Chief Fred Sequin and Robert Mann of Clear Path Recovery to answer Sober Living Questions.

CMPD 5 YEARS BEHIND
In response to a question about police staffing, Epperson told the audience that we're 5 years behind.  That we have a hard time recruiting and retaining officers because of the atmosphere within City Management towards the CMPD.

CMFD WORK SCHEDULE
Seguin was asked about work hours.  He explained that the CMFD works a 56 hour work week and that it's not at all unusual for firefighters to work hundreds and even thousands of overtime hours because of the depleted staffing.

MANN DODGED THE QUESTIONS
Mann, didn't really answer many of the questions posed to him.  Most of the time he waltzed around and did a promotion for his industry and his business specifically.  He feigned ignorance of statistics when asked.  He was not the only Sober Living operator in the room.  He was asked, for example, why there was no mechanism to return failed "clients" to their homes instead of just turning them out onto our streets.  He didn't really answer that, except to say his organization sometimes turns those failures over to other organizations.  Kind of an incestuous situation.

CRIME FROM DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE
Other questions were asked about  rising crime.  Epperson told us much was due to drug and alcohol users.

JULY 4TH ENFORCEMENT?
Seguin was asked about July 4th fireworks and how it is enforced.  He said with current staffing levels it's hard to catch perpetrators in the act.  One angry audience member demanded to know how many arrests were made this year - he had no answer.  He did say it's hard to catch those shooting off illegal fireworks because they are masked by legal fireworks.

IMPACT OF OVERTIME
He was also asked about the impact of overtime on the firefighters.  He responded that it was hard on the firefighters AND on their families due to the unanticipated demands for overtime.  He said it's not unusual for a firefighter to work several consecutive shifts without time off.

FIND BARRY'S RECORDING
The meeting ended just after 8:30.  Find the Costa Mesa Brief recording, HERE.  It will be worth your time.

THANKS TO CM4RG
Thanks to the folks at CM4RG and all the volunteers who put this program together.  I think most who attended thought it was time well-spent.  Interestingly, despite some grumbling on certain social media sites, I saw no members of the opposition in the audience.   That wasn't all bad.  One particularly mouthy candidate for a Sanitary District Board seat kept yapping about attending all week, then did a no-show.  No loss.