Candidate Forum Video Links

A SECOND BITE OF THE APPLE
Well, we've finished with all the City Council candidate forums for this cycle.  Now it's just about how many signs are placed and stolen and how much political stuff jams into your mailboxes.  So, if you're interested, I'm providing the links to all three of the candidate forums for your viewing pleasure.  I suspect you'll be able to form some pretty solid opinions about the individual candidates as you view them.

EASTSIDE COSTA MESA NEIGHBORS GROUP FORUM
Let's begin with the most recent forum - the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors' Group forum conducted on October 6th at the Neighborhood Community Center.  Terry Wall produced this recording for us to view.  Only three candidates, Sandy Genis, John Stephens and Jay Humphrey, showed up for this meeting but moderator Harold Weitzberg managed to drive right on through the planned agenda and get answers to most of the questions.  In my view, this was the most informative of the three.  Watch it HERE.

 MESA VERDE COMMUNITY, INC
Next we have the forum hosted by Mesa Verde Community, Inc on August 24th.  Four of the seven candidates showed up for this one.  Al Melone, plus the three listed above.  Terry Wall also produced this video, which you can view HERE.  Former Mayor Mary Hornbuckle was the moderator for this event.

FEET TO THE FIRE
Finally, the first forum, the Feet To The Fire Forum, which was held early in the cycle, on August 18th.  Columnist Barbara Venezia and former Daily Pilot Publisher Tom Johnson were the moderators of this event.  The crew from Newport Beach Television did the video recording because the Costa Mesa City Council refused to let Costa Mesa Television televise any candidate forums.  Al Melone attended in the audience, but did not participate.  Mayor Steve Mensinger, former mayor Allan Mansoor and Lee Ramos joined Genis, Stephens and Humphrey on the stage.  It gives you a chance to see those three men early in the election cycle.  You can watch this nearly 2 hour event HERE.

LET THEM KEEP ON TALKING!
I must say that it's very disappointing that some of the candidates chose to avoid some of the forums.  The voters deserve to see and hear their views and compare them to their competition.  Then, again, the slate of Mensinger, Mansoor and Ramos seem to be running a campaign based on lies and misrepresentations, so it's easy to understand why they wouldn't want to have their views stacked against the others.  We have less than a month to go before we cast our votes - plenty of time to sort out the lies from the truth.  Fortunately, the more "Team Costa Mesa" - Dave Ellis' trio of lie-spewers - talk the more they lie.

First Council Meeting Of The Year Promises Controversy

ARE YOU READY?
Are you ready?  I'm ready!  I spent much of the Christmas/New Year holiday banking my sleep in anticipation of yet another year of fun and games in the political whirlpool that Costa Mesa government has become.

SMALL, BUT CONTROVERSIAL, AGENDA
Tuesday, January 5, 2016, the Costa Mesa City Council will meet for their first meeting of the year beginning at 5:45 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall and, although the agenda is relatively small, there are some items that will almost certainly generate some spirited discussion.  You can read the full agenda HERE.  I'll give you a little rundown, beginning with a little peek at the Consent Calendar - items that are anticipated to all be handled in one vote, without separate discussion, unless someone pulls an item for conversation/explanation.

THE $10 MILLION WARRANT
Consent Calendar Item #2, Warrant 2548,  HERE, is full of interesting information made available to us because Mayor Steve Mensinger required it a couple years ago.  The items listed below struck me as interesting, either because of the amounts or the nature of the expense, and are in order as they appear among the list, which represents almost $10 million in payouts by The City over the past month or so. 

Enterprise Counsel Group - $17,136.88 - legal fees
Jones & Mayer - $125,915.01 - legal fees
KOA Corporation - $35,134.11 - 19th Bicycle Trail 8/3-10/4/15
Lonerock, Inc - $449,632.03 - 2 entries for Water Quality and Storm Drain Improvements
Safe Moves - $15,662.16 - Bicycle Education Svcs - Sept 15
Meyers Nave - $1,574.50 - Legal - Fairview Park
Newport Rib Company - $1,113.00 - Luncheon for Homeless Volunteers
City of Huntington Beach - $24,290.00 - Helicopter Svs- Oct 15
Global Power Group, Inc. - $102.390.51 - 2014-2015 Westside Neighborhood Retentions.
Best Best & Krieger, LLP - $1,300.00 - Special Council Legal Svcs
Government Staffing Services, Inc - $9,169.00 - Temp Svcs
Keyser Marston Associates, Inc - $7,287.50 - Consulting Oct 15
Leibert Cassidy Whitmore - $2,391.00 - Legal svcs, negotiations 2014
Meyers Nave - $469.00 - Legal, Fairview Park
Pacific Municipal Consultants - $8,400.00 - Consulting Svs for Group Home
Safe Moves - $7,995.00 - Bicycle Education Svs -  Oct 2015
Costa Mesa Conference & Visitor Bureau - $238,341.21 - BIA Receipts for Oct 2015
Government Staffing Services, Inc. - $15,096.00 - Temp svcs
Blue Sky Outfitters, Inc. - $8,343.14 - Foam Reindeer Antlers and sport shirts
Costa Mesa United - $7,000.00 - 2016 Golf Tournament Sponsorship
Entertainment Contractor - $4,500.00 - 10 tons of Snow
James R. Jordan - $8,250.00 - Holiday Design Consulting
KOA Corporation - $3,675.00 - 19th Bicycle Trail 10/5-11/1/15
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $10,901.05 - Legal, General
CSG Consultants, Inc. - $16,140.00 - Bldg Inspt. Svs
Civil Source - $53,751.25 - Proj. Mgt.
Enterprise Counsel Group - $35,474.78 - Legal svcs
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $21,928.40 - Legal, personnel, general
Blue Sky Outfitters, Inc. - $8,257.83 - shirts
Government Staffing Services, Inc. - $9,058.00 - Temp svcs
Granicus, Inc. - $13,950.00 - Web Sharing Svcs, Plus more
Interwest Consulting Group, Inc. - $11,935.50 - Sr. Bldg Inspct Oct 2015
James R. Jordan - $8,250.00 - Consulting Srvcs for Dec 2015
Johnson Favaro LLP - $2,391.40 - Lib. NCC Architect Plan
Keyser Marston Associates, Inc. - $4,650.00 - Consulting Svcs
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth - $8,698.75 - Legal Svcs, various

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK!
So, let's pause here for a moment before continuing on to take a closer look at just those items above.  This warrant contains nearly $225,000 in legal costs!  We spent more than $33,000 to one agency - Government Staffing Services, Inc. - for temporary services!  And, why did we pay Jim Jordan $16,500 in "Consulting Services"?

MESA VERDE DEVELOPMENT MOVES FORWARD
Sliding on down in the Consent Calendar, on #5, HERE, we find the final Tract Map for the 10-lot development at 2880 Mesa Verde Drive,  You will recall this was originally proposed to be a project with more lots, but the developer met with community members and reduced it to 10 larger lots.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB LEASE RESTATEMENT
Item #8, HERE, is the restatement of the lease agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of the Harbor Area, Inc. for an additional 48 years.  Some may recall that resident Chuck Perry caused a stink at a recent meeting when he suggested that the club was going out of business based on some rumor he heard.

GROWING WEED

Public Hearing #1, HERE, is the first reading of an ordinance necessary for the City to manage
cultivation of marijuana within the City.  If it doesn't have an ordinance in place before March 1 the State of California will control that issue.  We've written about this before when the Planning Commission heard the issue.

TIGHTENING THE SCREWS ON "RESIDENT ONLY PARKING"
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is an ordinance dealing with "Resident Only" parking restrictions on public streets.  The lengthy staff report outlines the current conditions, cites examples of how other cities manage this issue, and makes specific recommendations for changes to the current policy, which significantly tightens-up this program and, potentially, imposes fees.  Here's the summary of the recommendations:

• Require petitions with higher majority (70%) support and eliminate the process of gathering license plate information. 
• Establish permit parking in areas where with the above support, staff can verify that seventy (70) percent of on-street and visible off-street parking available to residents are utilized. 
• Limit the number of permits to two (2) per eligible household to better manage available on-street parking and the number of guest parking permits to 100 per household per year. 
• Incorporate a two (2) year permit expiration and serial numbers to provide an up-to-date database and provide future funding for sign maintenance. 
• Establish parking zones to limit parking accessibility of a permit holder within their parking zones. Permits will be color coded or uniquely marked to identify the parking zone. 
• Establish a reasonable permit fee to provide funding for better signage, permit software, on-line permit processing, and to recover permit costs.

All current permits would expire in 2018.  This could make for an interesting discussion Tuesday night.

COMMERCIAL ORGANICS RECYCLING ORDINANCE
Old Business #1, HERE, is the second reading of a new ordinance of a new ordinance which is in response to two recent state laws, AB341 and AB1826, and involves regulation of commercial handling of organic recycling.  Effective April 1, 2016 new rules go into effect for businesses.  I don't expect much discussion on this one, just as there was not much when it received the first reading in December.

STEALTH MOVE TO QUASH PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Which brings us to the final item on the agenda, New Business #1, HERE, cleverly titled "Changes to the Temporary Sign Code/Policy".  However, as I angrily wrote when I first saw this agenda item last month HERE, it's MUCH MORE than that.   While it certainly addresses the chaos that has been the campaign sign issue during each campaign season, it also includes a little bit of stealth regarding filming of candidate forums - and I'm still angry about it!

YOU MIGHT OVERLOOK IT
Tucked into the middle of the staff report there is this sentence:
"Additionally, concerns regarding City staff filming any of the candidates’ forums and placement of these forum recordings on the City’s website has also been raised."

REALLY - BY WHOM?

OK, raised by whom?  Let me guess... one or more current male council members who don't like tough questions being asked of them at neighborhood candidate forums because the answers they give exposes the real "them".  As I said in that earlier blog entry and HERE, in a commentary I wrote in the Daily Pilot a couple days ago,  "...this is just another of the many attempts by the current council majority to stifle public awareness of how business is being conducted in Costa Mesa.  It's just a predictable extension of actions already taken by this council majority to quash public participation..."

BOGUS ATTEMPT TO QUASH PARTICIPATION
This is a bogus move on the part of certain council members to prohibit those who cannot attend public forums where candidates for City Council are grilled by concerned community members - like seniors, disabled folks and those with work/family issues that prohibit them from personally attending - from being able to make an informed decision at the voting booth.  With the possible exception of the coverage of important council and commission meetings, there may be NO BETTER use of the talents of the award-winning staffers of Costa Mesa Television than their clear, unbiased coverage of these events.  

STEP UP AND SPEAK UP - OR CONTACT HATCH
Folks should speak out on this issue.  Call or write to CEO Tom Hatch or - the best solution - attend the meeting Tuesday and use the three minutes provided to each of us to tell the council how you feel.  You can bet some of their sycophants will attend and tell them to quash the coverage.

SEE YOU THERE - AND THANKS
It's going to be a very interesting meeting Tuesday night.  See you there.  Oh, yes... Happy New Year to you all.  Thanks for making this blog the most read blog in Costa Mesa - and for contributing for your friendly author being named, one more time, to the Daily Pilot 103 - this time at #76!  Muchas Gracias, Amigos.

Candidate Forum Replay Schedule

DON'T MISS THOSE MAGIC MOMENTS!
For those of you who missed the City Council Candidate Forum hosted by Mesa Verde Community, Inc. Thursday evening, the following is the replay schedule for the 2 hour, 10 minute program on Costa Mesa Television, Channel 3 on Time Warner Cable and Channel 99 on ATT U-Verse.

STREAMING VIDEO NOT UP YET
As of this posting the streaming video of the meeting is not yet available.  When it does become available you will be able to find it HERE. 

FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS
You've read what I wrote about it, HERE,  and what Bradly Zint wrote in the Daily Pilot, HERE.  Now view it for yourselves.  Watch each candidate respond to the questions and form your OWN opinions.  Watch Rita Louise Simpson show up late to the podium, then seem perpetually lost during the entire evening.

THE BULLY IN ACTION
Watch your mayor attempt to bully other candidates and talk longer than permitted by the rules.  Sound familiar?  It should - that's his modus operandi - to stifle opposing views and make up his own rules as he goes along.

YOU PICK'EM
Decide which candidate(s) YOU think did the best Thursday evening.  I thought Katrina Foley and Jay Humphrey looked steady and ready.  I thought Chris Bunyan and Tony Capitelli did well - better than I anticipated.  I thought Al Melone did better than two years ago, but still demonstrates an incomplete grasp of important issues.  I thought Jim Righeimer demonstrated the character flaws that he's shown us since he took office.  However, YOU watch and YOU decide.  But, don't look for Lee Ramos - he had better things to do Thursday night.

 FEET TO THE FIRE UP NEXT
 Next stop, the Feet To The Fire Forum on September 18th at Orange Coast College.

First Candidate Forum On Thursday

HERE WE GO!
OK, Sports Fans, it's time to get this campaign season underway!

MESA VERDE COMMUNITY, INC
Thursday, August 21, 2014, our friends from Mesa Verde Community, Inc. will hold the first of several Costa Mesa City Council candidate forums at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue (Lions Park).  The event begins at 6:30 p.m., with a chance to meet and greet the candidates.  The formal part of the forum will run from 7:00 - 9:00.  Their President, Darnell Wyrick, will moderate the event.

THEIR FIRST CHANCE...
This is the first chance to see all the eight (8) candidates in action.  Hopefully, they all will show up and be ready to tell us why they are the best candidate for one of the two positions available this time around.  We may hear them tell us their views on The Charter, Development, Public Safety, Medical Marijuana, Fairview Park and other important issues facing the next City Council.  It will be interesting to see whether the candidates are tossed softballs, or will the questions actually have some heat on them...

FIELD STILL TOO LARGE
The closing date came and went while I was on vacation and the only "surprise" was that Harold Weitzberg decided not to run this time around.  That leaves us with the following roster of candidates:

KATRINA FOLEY - Former council member and current trustee of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.  A lawyer, she can present the meat of issues well and seems to have boundless energy.

JIM RIGHEIMER - Current mayor and architect of many ill-conceived schemes during his tenure on the council.  It will be interesting to watch him spin his performance Thursday evening.

JAY HUMPHREY - Former councilman and dedicated community activist who attends almost EVERY important public meeting in the city and asks intelligent, respectful questions and also provides possible solutions to problems.

LEE RAMOS - My Eastside neighbor - appointed member of both the bogus Charter Committee and the Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee - is a fella about my age.  He says he's lived in Costa Mesa since 1947.  His signs say "Vote for Lee", so I'm confused... is he trying to attract the "large" Asian vote, or is he trying to duck his Latino heritage?   Heck, we just hope he stays awake for the entire event.

TONY CAPITELLI - First time candidate, homeless activist, son-in-law of Newport Beach councilman and Assembly candidate, Keith Curry and employee of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.  He's a nice young fella.

AL MELONE - A spoiler from the campaign two years ago, when his presence on the ballot sucked up valuable votes in a very tight election.  He brings to the race a platform with one plank - the dog park.  He's demonstrated little patience as he addressed the council and commissions in the recent past.

CHRISTOPHER BUNYAN - He ran unsuccessfully in the past, left town for a few years and has now returned to run again.  It will be interesting to get his take on critical issues, since he doesn't show up an any of the important city meetings.  He markets himself as a Banning Ranch activist.

RITA LOUISE SIMPSON - A late addition to the ballot, we don't know much about her except she recently retired from the Auto Club, has lived in Costa Mesa for nearly 30 years and seems aligned with Righeimer's views.  We'll know more, hopefully, by 9:00 p.m. Thursday.

THE BEGINNING
So, now it begins.  This will be our first chance to see all the candidates together, and to get a real sense of what this campaign season is going to be like.  I, and many others, have speculated that it may be the nastiest, most expensive, campaign in city history.  We'll see.

READY?
To get us in the right frame of mind, let's let Michael Buffer kick it off...

Mesa Verde Community, Inc. Candidate Forum Tonight

FIRST FORUM TONIGHT
Just a reminder that tonight our friends and neighbors from Mesa Verde Community, Inc., will host the first of several Costa Mesa City Council Candidate forums.  The event will be held at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue (Lions Park).  Doors open at 6:30 and the formal program is scheduled to run from 7:00 to 9:00.

FIRST CHANCE
This will be the first chance to hear all the candidates in one place at the same time responding to issues that are important to our city.  Here's a list of those candidates in the order in which they will appear on the ballot in November:

John Stephens
Harold Weitzberg
Sandra Genis
Colin McCarthy
Gary Monahan
Al Melone
Steve Mensinger
James Rader (Rader will NOT be at this forum and has withdrawn from the race)

See you there this evening.

First Candidate Forum Wednesday

FIRST FORUM ON TAP WEDNESDAY
Just a reminder to mark your calendars.  The first of five (5) forums that will present an opportunity for the seven remaining candidates for the three Costa Mesa City Council seats available in November to dazzle you will be hosted by Mesa Verde Community, Inc. at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue (Lions Park) beginning at 6:30 on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.

LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT EVENT
Our friends from Mesa Verde usually do a fine job with their forums and we expect this one will be no different.  It is our understanding that the Darnell Wyrick, president of Mesa Verde Community, Inc., will moderate the discussion.


CMTV ON THE CASE
Costa Mesa Television will also be on hand for the evening and will tape the event for later viewing.  I'll let you know when that replay schedule is posted.  It will also be available on streaming video, but not live.
 
NEW ENERGY?
I think this forum may have gotten a jolt of energy that might not otherwise have existed by the recent controversy swirling around Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer's encounter with the Costa Mesa Police Department.  He's not running - but his Charter is - and there's no doubt that it will be discussed Wednesday.

6:30....
So, drag yourselves off the couch and cruise on over to the Neighborhood Community Center Wednesday evening.  A "meet and greet" for the candidates will begin at 6:30 and the formal program begins at 7, as you can see from the announcement I posted above.  See you there.

 Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center

Final Candidate Forum "In The Can"

THAT'S IT - NO MASWell, that's it! The final Costa Mesa City Council Candidate Forum is under our collective belts. And, thanks for the good work performed by my friends of the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbor's Group, Inc., it was worth waiting for. My best guess is that around 160 -180 people attended the event at the Neighborhood Community Center - a good turnout.

STARTED ON TIME
After a half hour of mingling and chatting, the meeting started on time at 7:00 as President Jeff McConville introduced his team, did a little fund raising and then handed it off to fellow Eastsider, Marnie O'Brien Primmer, to moderate the program. She did a great job.

MANAGED WITH PRECISION
The script was followed with precision, the questions were carefully crafted and each candidate was provided just enough time to give a complete answer. It ran so smoothly that when I looked at the clock at 8:30 as they wrapped it up I couldn't believe the time had flown past so quickly.

FIRST THREE QUESTIONS
Each candidate was give time to make an opening statement, then each was asked to respond to three questions:
1) How will they balance business and residential needs;
2) How will they vote if the Triangle Square LED lights issue comes back after the first of the year?;
3) How will they deal with the John Wayne Airport expansion?

BALANCING BUSINESS AND RESIDENTS NEEDS
In response to the first question, Jim Righeimer suggested attracting high quality businesses. Sue Lester urged creating an environment to entice businesses. Chris McEvoy emphasized the need to promote small businesses and to maintain our Westside Industrial area. Chad Petschl suggested an aggressive marketing plan and Wendy Leece, citing Quality of Life issues, said residents must have priority over businesses.

LED LIGHTS AT TRIANGLE SQUARE
The second question was whether they would vote in favor of the LED lights at Triangle Square if that question was brought back for consideration in January, McEvoy stated emphatically he would vote NO if the issue was returned for consideration. Righeimer gave a history of the issue and closed by stating that we don't make such decisions without a public hearing. Petschl was a little vague on this one. Lester also danced around the issue a little before stating she would vote NO. Leece emphatically stated that she wasn't going to support it and that she "didn't need a public hearing to decide it!" That seemed like a curious - and incorrect from a legal standpoint - answer for her to give.

JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT GROWTH
Responding to the third question, about the growth of John Wayne Airport, Leece spoke of her current involvement with community organizations fighting expansion of the airport, but stated she didn't want to see any growth. Lester echoed those remarks. McEvoy also indicated he didn't support ANY growth. Righeimer reminded the audience that growth is already happening at the airport, citing the expanding new terminal, and that it's not just a local problem.

PETSCHL COMMITS HARA-KIRI
Poor Chad Petschl chose this question to display how completely out of touch he is with local issues. It's understandable, considering that he's a very recent resident to the area. However, to say that he "shot himself in the foot" when he answered that he favored adding a couple more runways at John Wayne to generate more business would be a huge understatement. It's unusual to watch a candidate for public office commit virtual Hara-Kiri on the dais, but that he did. You could hear a few gasps when he suggested that we should emulate Las Vegas and encourage MORE flights to and from John Wayne.

NICE GUY - UNPREPARED
I spoke with him later and he acknowledge that his response was a mistake, but he stuck by the logic. He's a heck of a nice guy and I really hope he does stay involved in city business. He's enthusiastic and energetic but completely uninformed about almost every important issue in our city. He could have a future in local civic events if he does his homework and gets up to speed on the issues. Right now most 7th graders on the Eastside probably know more about the traffic and John Wayne concerns simply by overhearing their parents speak about it.

INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS
The questions shifted at this point, with each candidate being asked two separate questions in a random fashion.

LESTER
Sue Lester was asked about Banning Ranch, to which she responded that she was not in favor of ANY development at that site. She was also asked about variances for high density development, to which she indicated a need to work with the Planning Department and said we need more affordable housing.

RIGHEIMER
Jim Righeimer was asked about Recovery homes and how to limit their numbers. He responded that if they are six or less residents we can do very little. He indicated that some control can be exercised at the planning level if potential operators try to add a 5th bedroom - we require a 3-car garage, which increases the cost and affects the profitability of such places. He implied that if a "happy family" made application for that 5th bedroom perhaps the requirement for a 3-car garage would be overlooked. That one snapped my head around, because it sure did sound like he was saying he'd apply the rules differently, depending on the applicant. Makes me nervous thinking about what other rules he would apply so cavalierly. He was also asked about variances to the General Plan and kind of answered it with a mini-rant about lacking infrastructure, pointing to the Westside as an example. I'm not sure he ever actually answered the question.

MCEVOY
Chris McEvoy was asked about the 55 Freeway completion, to which he replied that he expects that the completion would resolve some of the cut-through traffic, also mentioning the Banning Ranch as a large negative influence on the Westside. He was also asked about the recent Orange County Register article that said Costa Mesa stood alone among OC cities by not turning a profit. He replied that he'd heard those numbers were incorrect and that the city had replied to it indicating that a profit, although small, had been made.

PETSCHL
Chad Petschl was asked for his take on the traffic issues in the Eastside, to which he began talking about Banning Ranch and bike trails. He had no idea what the question meant. He was also asked about a "pedestrian-friendly town center" - again, no bells went off in his head. He spoke in generalities, unable to nail down specifics. No cigar on this one.

LEECE
Wendy Leece was asked about visual blight, but indicated that she didn't have an answer for it. She did refer to our graffiti program. She was also asked about the noise battle from the Pacific Amphitheater and talked about the long legal fight, then referred to Triangle Square and the recent noise issues with the Sutra Lounge.

FINAL QUESTION - NUMBER 1 ISSUE?
The interrogation wrapped up by asking each candidate what they felt the number 1 issue would be that they would face if elected.

Wendy Leece led off by addressing the current condition of the labor contracts and indicated that the current contracts are a result of lots of negotiating by several different councils. While they need changing, she said we just can't "eat the elephant in one bite." She said we need to pay employees what they are worth.
Chad Petschl indicated he has only been here a few months, but spoke of being the new guy and how he could bring fresh ideas, then referred to "washed up politicians", making a small gesture toward Righeimer, sitting beside him, then talking about needing to get the city humming again.

Jim Righeimer said the budget was the number 1 priority, indicating that things in the city have changed and that he didn't know if we'd ever get back to where we were. He mentioned needing an ombudsman, then whined a little about being attacked by the police unions. He suggested a "bi-partisan" commission to assess the contracts. I thought at the time it was a strange comment, since our city issues are theoretically NON-PARTISAN.

Chris McEvoy also said the budget was number 1, choosing a "hunker down" approach, taking our time to get things sorted out. He said he preferred a simple community.

Sue Lester also said the budget was her top priority, stressing accountability and "sharing the load." She said something like, "If you want the same old thing, then vote for the same old thing", meaning the same old people.

TERRIFIC FORUMAll in all, I'd have to say this may have been the best forum of the series. Clear questions, with enough time to answer them, an excellent moderator and responsive candidates all contributed to the success.

WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN
For me, one of the highlights were things that DID NOT happen. For example, neither the police union anti-Righeimer sign truck nor the threatened hooligans carrying booking photos of Chris McEvoy showed up. The former had been driven all over town and the latter was just an empty threat by deranged people.


KUDOS TO MY NEIGHBORS
My friends of the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbor's Group, Inc., deserve a lot of credit for presenting an excellent candidate forum. It's just too bad it couldn't have been televised. Oh, well..

OUT ON THE STUMP
Now the candidates will continue with the hard part of the campaign - walking the precincts, knocking on doors and telling your neighbors just why they deserve their votes.


MORE NASTINESS AHEAD
Sadly, I suspect we will see some more hi-jinks from the police union and also those folks who recognize that Chris McEvoy actually has a chance to defeat Righeimer, so they are attacking him. Desperate folks do desperate things. This has been an extremely nasty campaign so far and, with a couple weeks to go, I don't expect to get any better.