COSTA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT STANDS TALL

TO THE MEN AND WOMEN (AND DOGS) OF THE CMPD
For the past few months our nation has been racked by violence unseen for a half-century.  The deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers has ignited demonstrations, riots, looting, arson and murder to the point where many Americans wonder what has happened to their country, and what the future holds.  The demonstrations in the name of men -  convicted criminals - who were apprehended for yet another crime and refused to follow the instructions of police officers on the scene and subsequently died as a result of their belligerence are, at best, misguided and, most likely, politically motivated by well-funded anarchists.

NOBODY SAYS THANKS

At the same time the deaths of police officers of all races have gone relatively unnoticed.  Nobody will paint a wall in their city with their likeness even though they gave their life to protect the citizens of that city.  Nobody will thank the officers responding to the riots for trying to maintain peace while not receiving support from their local or state officials.  Nobody will explain why they were ordered to abandon a police station to rioters who burned it to the ground.  Nobody will thank them for dodging bricks, rocks, bottles of water and condoms filled with feces as they try to protect lives and property.  Nobody is marching in their memory.  It tears my heart out.

THEY HAVE STOOD TALL
Through this all the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department have followed their training and their leadership and maintained relative calm throughout our city.  Regardless the number of people at demonstrations, the men and women of the CMPD have stepped up, held their ground and used outstanding judgment to resolve the issues.  The "law" would have permitted them to approach these situations much more aggressively - to issue citations, book violators, etc.  Instead, they choose, generally, to be the face of calm authority.  They chose to advise the demonstrators of the rules and encouraged them to follow them.  In most cases that mature approach worked.

HONORED TO KNOW THEM
I have been honored to know many members of the CMPD and their leadership.  I am proud to say the I'm personal friends with many of them and know what it takes for a law enforcement family to survive and thrive.  I know a little of the history of the organization and the trail of good men who have led it - and some who were not so good.  As a long-term resident I am proud of the leadership over the years that was forward-thinking - the A.B.L.E. helicopter program certainly comes to mind.  I'm proud that, for many years, the CMPD was the go-to place to work for good cops.  I took the photo at the bottom at the 60th anniversary celebration a few years ago.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
We don't know what the next couple months hold for us as the rhetoric ramps up in anticipation of the November 3rd elections.  We don't know how much the Trump/Biden rancor will spill over into local races.  We don't know whether we will see more boneheads chanting at Mayor Katrina Foley from her driveway, as has been done at least 3 times as I write this.  We don't know whether this tactic - by imported, well-funded outsiders intent on impacting our elections - will be expanded to the front lawns of other elected leaders or the steps of City Hall.  We don't know if the demonstrations in our city will degenerate into the kind of things we've seen in Seattle, Portland, Kenosha and other cities.

WHAT WE DO KNOW
What we DO KNOW is that the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department will continue to do their job to keep us safe.  Despite being understaffed by at least 20%, despite having a city leadership in recent years past that despised the men and women of the CMPD and did everything they could to cripple and discourage their members and despite having had leadership changes over the past couple decades that hampered their effectiveness, we know they will honor their motto to "protect and serve" us.  We know the current CMPD leadership is strong and supportive.  We know the current city leadership supports the CMPD 100% and, as budget constraints permit, will recognize that support in a more tangible way.  I just want them all to know that we appreciate them and support them... and to say THANK YOU for strapping on that belt, pinning on that badge and and honoring their oath of office.

Coyote Management Town Hall On Tuesday

A "MUST SEE" MEETING
The City of Costa Mesa announced a Town Hall on Coyote Management to be held Tuesday, April 25, 2017 from 6-8 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall.  See the announcement HERE.

A RESPONSE TO RESIDENTS CONCERNS
Many residents have continued to express concern about marauding coyotes throughout the city, not just areas adjacent to parkland, and have provided information about lost pets and concerns for small children.

MULTI-AGENCY PRESENTATION
According to this announcement, members of the CMPD, California Department of Fish & Wildlife and a coyote researcher from the University of California will be on hand.

PLUS A NEW VIDEO
And, a new video created by the skilled folks at Costa Mesa Television will be introduced for the first time.  This video will become available for viewing on CMTV and streamed on the city web site.

CMPD NOT TELEVISING NOR RECORDING
Unfortunately, this meeting will NOT be televised live, nor will it be recorded on CMTV for later viewing.  However, CMPD Public Affairs Manager Roxi Fyad informs me that she will be streaming it via Facebook Live, so those with access to that technology will be able to view it that way.

TRY TO BE THERE
This should be a fascinating presentation, so you should try to attend if possible.

Crime Close To Home

BELATED HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL
We hope you all had a great Easter weekend, filled with family fun and lots of candy.  Here's a story about how we spent part of our weekend.

CONCERNS ABOUT CRIME
Many Costa Mesans have been concerned about the increase in the crime rate in our city for the past few years.  Those of us who follow municipal issues understand some of the reasons for this increase, a few of which date back six years when the new Council majority arbitrarily chose to slash the Police Department staffing levels - ignoring the recommendations of the consultants who just completed a study of the CMPD - then refused to permit then-Chief Tom Gazsi recruit to fill vacancies created by the toxic workplace the council had created.  We're still digging out of that hole.

NEW LAWS EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM
And then there is the legislative triple-whammy laid on us by the State - AB 109, Prop. 47 and Prop. 57 - which mandated actions which placed criminals back on our streets.

HOMELESSNESS
And then there's the homelessness issue, which  - while some progress has been made - seems very much like we're bailing out a sinking boat with a teaspoon.

SOBER LIVING HOMES
And then there's the Sober Living Home issue - Costa Mesa has more than 80 of the 108 state-licensed facilities in Orange County and at least 200 more unlicensed sober living homes.  Many of those homes just toss failed clients out onto our streets with no means of support, adding to our homelessness problem, and some of those resort to crime to survive.

CRIME IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Which brings me to the real subject of this entry - a crime that occurred in my neighborhood the end of last week...

NEIGHBOR ROBBED
We have a neighbor, a very successful single woman with a job that requires some travel, who has lived in our neighborhood a couple years.  Late last Thursday night, while she was in the Far East on business, two hooded hooligans broke into her home and robbed her, taking mostly jewelry.  And, a frustrating element of this event was that she actually watched this happening while on a layover  through the technology she had installed, but couldn't do anything about it from half-way around the world.

CMPD ON THE CASE
We got involved when her boyfriend called us Friday morning while we were discovering the nature delights of the Bolsa Chica Nature Preserve to tell us of the robbery.  By the time we got home a couple hours later and investigated we found that, indeed, our neighbor's home had been burgled.  We called the Costa Mesa Police Department and two of our finest - officers Kris Cover and Dana Potts - promptly arrived, assessed the situation and began their investigation.  It took them more than 3 hours to examine the crime scene and dust for prints - they got some good ones.  Our neighbor arrived home from her trip about the time they had finished that investigation, so she was interviewed.  Officer Cover has returned at least once more to continue the investigation.

ALARM SYSTEM DISABLED
My neighbor's house had an alarm system - which was triggered by the robbers after they had already grabbed the jewelry - plus some motion sensor cameras.  The alarm was not audible outside the home, but they ripped the keypad off the wall and found the site of the alarm and tried to rip that off the wall, too, but failed.  What they did accomplish was disabling the system that would have alerted the alarm company and resulted in an immediate contact with the police.

SMASHED WINDOW
The crooks entered her home by smashing out a plate glass window beside a French Door in her den.  Glass shards were everywhere.  They immediately ransacked her bedroom and closet and found the jewelry and also appeared to be looking for drugs.  They apparently didn't take anything large - like a computer, for example.  They exited through the front door sometime around midnight.

SHE DID WHAT SHE COULD
Our neighbor did what she could to secure her house - she had a lock system on the side gate, and she had a security system from a reliable company.  It's unclear how the crooks knew she was gone, but apparently they did.  We presume they had cased the neighborhood, which makes all of us here more than a little nervous.

MORE SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR
And, Thursday morning another neighbor saw someone on a bike wearing a hoodie cruising around our neighborhood and confronted him.  He was told by the guy on the bike that he was waiting for a friend on an adjacent street.  Our neighbor followed him and he rode out of our neighborhood, not to the street he spoke of earlier.

AND MORE
The night after the robbery another neighbor discovered a guy pounding on the front door of his next door neighbor - an elderly gentleman - at 10:30 p.m. and confronted him and that guy skidaddled, too.

NO CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS?  WHAT?!
As Officers Cover and Potts began their investigation I asked when the Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) would arrive and was told, much to my chagrin and surprise, that we don't have any CSIs!  Nope, we do have a supervisor, but no actual investigators - apparently those positions are vacant, but some candidates are in background check now.

WELL BELOW STAFFING LEVELS
Some will recall that Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack recently told us we probably won't be fully staffed in the CMPD until the end of 2018.  This staffing short fall manifests itself in situations like this, where patrol officers must take their valuable time to perform the investigation function.  It's  my understanding that we have finally dropped the vacancy level in sworn officers below 20, but the overall vacancy rate in the CMPD still hovers just below 40, including three vacancies for CSIs.

WE NEED MORE COPS!
We live in a safe neighborhood, but such incidents are becoming much more frequent, just as they are throughout the city.  Despite what Jim Righeimer says, more cops on the street WILL mean less crime in our city.  He is personally responsible for our current situation, so you can expect him to take that position.... and he's wrong.

STAY ALERT!  IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!
So, my message to you is to stay alert.  As the folks at the CMPD tell us - If you see something, say something!  Be alert for cars that don't seem to belong in your neighborhood.  Watch for folks on bikes cruising your streets.  Lock your cars and keep valuables out of sight on the street or in your driveways. When in doubt, call 911 - the cops want to know!  Until we get fully staffed we ALL are going to have to be more alert.  Learn from my neighbor's situation and don't become a victim of crime.  Click HERE, for a list of Home Security tips provided by the CMPD.

 "THANK" RIGHEIMER - IT'S HIS FAULT
And, you may wish to thank Righeimer for this situation the next time you see him.  And, keep the pressure on our City Council to do what it takes to get the CMPD back up to proper staffing levels quickly so they can protect us.

CMPD Chief Sharpnack Holds A Town Hall

PUBLIC SAFETY DISCUSSED
Last night Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack held a Town Hall at Vanguard University, co-hosted by the university, MIKA Community Development and the CMPD.

A SMALL CROWD
Approximately forty (40) members of the community met with Sharpnack as he outlined the current status of the Costa Mesa Police Department and the challenges facing our city and many others due to legislation and other influences.

JOINTLY-HOSTED
MIKA Community Development Executive Director Keturah Kennedy introduced Chief Sharpnack and community activist Walter, the interpreter that would provide Spanish/English interpretation for most of the evening.  Approximately half of the audience appeared to be Spanish-speakers.  I was later told the effort for this meeting was specifically directed to the Latino community.

NEW PUBLIC OUTREACH
Sharpnack was assisted by the new Public Affairs Manager for the CMPD, Roxi Fyad, who also made a presentation demonstrating her recent efforts in community outreach - videos, social media, press releases, etc.  She also mentioned that the CMPD will be resurrecting the Neighborhood Watch Program.  Information about how to apply for the program can be found HERE.

STAFFING
Sharpnack told us the CMPD current authorized staffing level for sworn officers is 136.  Currently they are staffed at 115, but three of those are out injured.  Three (3) new officers will graduate from the academy this month.  Three (3) more just began the academy so it will be around 3 months before they graduate.  He expects to have 5 or 6 more candidates in the next academy class.  When asked how long he thought it would take to get staffed-up, he said that - presuming no departures between now and then, by the end of 2018.  He also told us they have no planned retirements in 2017 and 2018.

LEGISLATION
He spoke about the impact of legislation - AB 109 and Props 47 and 57 - on the community.  These combined to effectively put more criminals back on the streets of our communities.  He told us that since the passage of Prop. 47 in 2014 crime is up 34%.  He did tell us, though, that Part 1 Crimes in Costa Mesa have dipped this year.  In January they were down 5% and in February they were down 7.13%.  You can view the Crime Stats from the City web site HERE.  If you wish to view the Crime Map, go HERE.  Go HERE to the main CMPD site on the City site, which will provide you other links to important pages.  He spoke about the monthly meetings he and his command staff have to analyze crime statistics and plan for staff deployment to "hot" areas.

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR
Regarding AB109, he suggested community members speak to their legislators to try to get that bill amended.

SOBER LIVING HOMES
He also spoke of the impact of Sober Living Homes, which contribute to our growing Homelessness problem, and also in the incidences of crimes of opportunity - car break-ins, burglaries, etc.  He expressed concern about the dropouts who end up on our streets, basically homeless and with addiction problems.

MORE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
He stressed the need for community involvement, expressing the viewpoint that it's critical for the CMPD to build trust within the community.  He asked for the community to be alert to the areas around them.  If you see a crime, or suspect a crime, report it!  "If you see it, say it!"

WHAT ABOUT IMMIGRATION/DEPORTATION?
Sharpnack took many questions from attendees.  One, from a Latina woman, wondered about the Costa Mesa Police Department's policies regarding immigration, citing the current national discussion about immigration/deportation.  He told her that nothing has changed with the CMPD - nobody will be stopped for an immigration question.  Only stops will be made if a crime is suspected.  I wondered if that question would come up because Allan Mansoor is back on the dais now and, during his last tour, the Latino community was terrorized by the specter of ICE raids and Mansoor's placement of an ICE agent in the Jail.

LOCAL CRIMES
A couple community members cited recent crimes involving them or their neighborhoods.

SPECIALITY UNITS
Sharpnack spoke of his goal to re-staff the specialty units that are so vital to the effective policing of our city.  Those will typically be filled as new officers are hired and more senior officers are promoted.  Those units were decimated when the staffing level was cut and officers left in droves for early retirement and other jurisdictions.  These units are Traffic (special events, Fair, etc.); Community Policing (2); School Resource Officers (2); South Coast Plaza (3); Bike Patrol; Gang Unit; Special Investigations Unit; Detective Bureau (currently fully staffed).  He also hopes to staff a K-9 Unit and somehow find a way to get more social worker time with his officers to help with his PERT program - the so-called 5150 stops - mental health issues.  Right now he has the services of one person part time a couple days a week.

STREET CLOSURES
A question was asked about street closures and Sharpnack responded with the story of Shalimar Street, which was closed at one end to stop the drive-by activities.  He said that neighborhood was in peril, but it has changed significantly now.

HOMELESSNESS
He was asked about Homelessness in the city and spoke about being part of the original Homeless Task Force a couple years ago.  He briefly explained some of the efforts of that group - visiting other cities to monitor best practices.  He spoke about the need for transitional housing and praised Assistant City Manager Rick Francis and Muriel Ullman for their work getting homeless folks in contact with family and assisted returning home - wherever that happens to be.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
He also spoke about the Neighborhood Watch program and told us he wants his department to be proactive, not reactive

AIR SUPPORT
Questions were asked about air support.  He explained that since the dissolution of the ABLE program we contract with Huntington Beach to use their helicopter on an on-call basis.  I chimed in that we're spending around $20,000 a month for that service.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Sharpnack addressed Human Trafficking, citing that it is the #2 crime in the world.  He trains his officers to be alert for the signs of that problem and resolve them.

PROP. 64 - MARIJUANA
He mentioned the difficulty with Prop. 64, the legalization of Marijuana in the state.  He spoke of the increase of drug DUI cases and the potency of the so-called "edibles" - brownies, cookies, candies.

DIANE HILL
He acknowledged the contribution of Diane Hill and her United Neighbors newsletters that spread the news about current issues, including crime-related issues, throughout the city.  Here she is shown passing communications from concerned Halecrest neighbors to Sharpnack.

CITIZEN'S VOLUNTEER PATROL
He told us he's going to resurrect the Citizen's Volunteer Patrol program, where civilians are placed in vehicles to do things like vacation checks, etc.

WORTHWHILE
The meeting was worthwhile, although I think the sponsors expected a larger crowd.  The room would have easily held 100 people comfortably.  Well, kind of comfortably... I discovered that the fold up writing desk will not accommodate my expanded girth.  Ah, to be young and a student again!

 THANKS.. KEEP THEM COMING!
When Sharpnack spoke of returning the CMPD to the days when he was first hired - the best police department in Orange County - many in the crowd applauded.  Thanks to Chief Sharpnack, Roxi Fyad, MIKA Community Development and Vanguard University for providing this opportunity to learn more about the public safety issues in our city.  More such events are planned in the near future.

Lots Happening In Costa Mesa Tomorrow

ANOTHER BUSY DAY
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, will be marked by lots of official activity in The City.

SENIOR COMMISSION SWEARING-IN CEREMONY
First, the brand new Senior Commission - 6 of 7 at least - will be sworn in by City Clerk Brenda Green at the meeting which begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th Street, HERE.   Following the swearing-in ceremony the commission will select a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson.  The only business on the agenda is a review of Goals & Objectives.

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING AT THE HILTON HOTEL
Then, beginning at 4:00 p.m., the Costa Mesa City Council will meet in a Special Meeting offsite - at the Hilton Hotel, 3050 Bristol Street, Bristol Room 1, HERE,  for a quasi-team building exercise at which Goals and Objectives will theoretically be discussed.  We have no idea how long this meeting will last, but rookie Councilman John Stephens tells us the City will validate parking for attendees.

CMPD PUBLIC SAFETY TOWN HALL AT VANGUARD UNIVERSITY
Finally, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack will host a Town Hall meeting on the campus of Vanguard University, 55 Fair Drive (next door to City Hall) in the Heath Academic Center, Room 109 (#26 on this map).  Sharpnack will brief the public on the current status of the Police Department, Crime Stats and have plenty of time for Questions and Answers.

WILL ATTEND AND REPORT
It's going to be a long day, but your humble correspondent plans to attend all these meetings and report back to you.  Hope to see you at one or more of them along the way tomorrow.

Perspective On Public Safety Pensions

 A PROBLEM WITHOUT A VISIBLE SOLUTION
Public Employee Pensions, and the unfunded liability involved, continues to resonate around Costa Mesa.  The past council majority did virtually nothing about it.  They appointed a committee to "oversee" the issue.  They met frequently but offered no viable solution.  That committee will now be blended with the Finance Advisory Committee and the joint group will have a new, as-yet undefined, charter.

FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE
In the meantime, public employee pensions continue to be the topic of conversation nationwide.  I present to you this link, HERE, to an entry recently published by the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs that discusses recent events in San Jose and Dallas.

CONSEQUENCES
Tinkering with pensions previously promised has consequences.  We saw that in a smaller scale with the CMPD when it wasn't really the pension issue alone that cause more than 50 officers depart - either through earlier-than-anticipated retirements of off to greener pastures at other jurisdictions - an event that was compounded when Jim Righeimer and Steve Mensinger refused to let then-chief Tom Gazsi recruit to fill those vacancies for most of a year.  That placed us in a hole we are still trying to dig out of.  And our crime rate continues to climb...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
I offer no solution to the pension unfunded liability issue.  I do offer this article for you as perspective - food for thought. 

THANKS...
And, I offer my thanks to the men and women of the public safety organizations that serve our city - the Costa Mesa Police Department and the Costa Mesa Fire Department - for their unwavering service and dedication to the residents of this city.

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.