Homeless Workshop, Mensinger Accused and Christine Cordon Is Back

Life is change, so tonight we can talk about some of the changes happening in Costa Mesa now.

HOMELESS WORKSHOPS DOWN TO ONE
First, although no official notification has been sent by The City yet, we are advised that the Workshop on Supportive Homeless Housing scheduled for Wednesday, January 15th, has been cancelled.  A check of the City Calendar on the website does, indeed, show that item has been deleted.  However, there remains one similar workshop the next day, Thursday, January 16th, HERE, scheduled from 6-8 p.m. in City Council Chambers.  This appears to be a moving target, so check back often to see if other changes are in the wind.

MENSINGER ACCUSED MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS
Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 7th at approximately 5:40 p.m., there will be a press conference called by resident Mike Harmanos to announce the presentation of facts to the Orange County District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, alleging that Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger may have caused The City to incur costs that were appropriately those of a private organization - Pop Warner Football.  He asked the District Attorney to investigate the issue and will present evidence he says validates his claim.  This event will be held on the steps outside council chambers just before the regularly-scheduled meeting begins.

CHRISTINE CORDON BACK ON THE JOB
And, we have received word that Christine Cordon, who had been placed on administrative leave last fall, has returned to work at City Hall.  You will recall that she and Public Affairs Manager Dan Joyce were both placed on leave, apparently while questions regarding the 60th Anniversary Celebration costs were investigated.  We have no more information than that.  Her return was confirmed by Cordon.

The 60th - Big Numbers and Big Questions

SO MANY QUESTIONS
Yesterday, Sunday, the Daily Pilot ran a HUGE story on the Costa Mesa 60th Anniversary Celebration costs.  The headline - which ran at the top of the print page, immediately below the banner, read: "Documents: 60th party cost nearly $400k".  Unfortunately, the story didn't appear online until this morning, hence my delay in writing about it.  You can read the story written by Jeremiah Dobruck, with big assists by Bradley Zint and Jill Cowan, HERE.

STIFF-ARMED BY THE CITY
This information has been long-awaited.  Activists and elected leaders have been stone-walled in their requests for information about costs and procedures almost since the end of the 3-day street fair  six months ago.  The excuse that was frequently given was that "There's a personnel investigation underway, so we can't comment."  Well, I understand about that, but they just kept on paying SOME invoices, but wouldn't provide information on those.

FIRST COMMENT
Take some time to read the entire article - I'm not going to attempt a verbatim re-hash here.  I will, however, transcribe the first comment to appear online because it captures the frustration of many people throughout the community.  Mary Ann O'Connell, a member of the Charter Committee, published this comment:

"Finally - some information has been brought to light and I, for one, appreciate the effort. The citizens who have made repeated requests for information were stonewalled. As I read this there are three nagging questions: 

1) Why a 60th in the first place? I never understood the push for this particular anniversary celebration - 50 made more sense. Whose idea was this in the first place?

2) Where was the CEO's oversight? How could all these commitments have been made with no executive oversight? Was Mr Hatch asleep at the wheel?

3) Why has the council been rubber stamping these payments? I understand paying the uncontested bills (despite the budget concerns) but if there questions about others, why have they been paid?

Thanks to the Daily Pilot's staff for staying on this story and helping us get a glimmer of what the mess really is."

THIS WON'T BE THE ONLY COMMENT, EITHER
I suspect we will see a growing comment thread on this article that will amplify the frustration and concern members of the community have on this issue.

WHY THE COST OVER-RUN?
Based on the analysis performed by the Daily Pilot staffers, it appears that the 60th Anniversary Celebration exceeded the original estimates by nearly $80,000 - a total of over $400,000 - so far!

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?
Public Affairs Manager Dan Joyce and his assistant, Christine Cordon, were placed on administrative leave with pay in August for, as stated in the article, unspecified reasons.

WHO ELSE IS INVOLVED?
There were, and are, questions about the deal for the food presentation at the street fair, which was apparently presented to the hand-picked 60th Anniversary Celebration Committee by Joyce as a done deal.  That arrangement involves a company linked to OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh - a good buddy of Mayor Jim Righeimer.

AND WHAT ABOUT BARRERA?
One of the consultants tasked with providing entertainment for the event was Roland Barrera, who has subsequently been accused of participating in a Ponzi scheme unrelated to the 60th Celebration.  According to the Daily Pilot article, more than $127,000 was paid to Barrerra - more than the entire amount the City Council authorized for the entire event!

 WHO WAS HIDING WHAT?
According to the article, 60th Anniversary Celebration Committee Chairman Mike Scheafer was shut out of the approval process.  Why?  Who made that decision?

WE NEED ANSWERS!
Again, read the article.  In 1760 words the authors provide the framework for wide community debate.      We hope the publication of this information will jog the City to finally provide answers to so many questions that continue to swirl around this issue.

60th Anniversary Entertainment Supplier Named In Ponzi Scheme

THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY QUAGMIRE GETS DEEPER
A tip of the hat to a loyal and alert reader who connected the dots and brought to my attention this weekend an article published behind the Orange County Register's paywall Friday, December 6th, indicating that Roland Barerra - Costa Mesa club owner and supplier of entertainment for the Costa Mesa 60th Anniversary celebration - was named in a civil suit accusing him of being part of a Ponzi scheme.

READ THE STORY...
The article by Eric Hartley, HERE, for those who subscribe, states that Barerra, shown in this photo from The SUN Group website, was among several other people who recruited investors for a scheme involving oil and gas investments.  If you can't reach the Register article you can read this story on the official U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) site, HERE.

MORE INFO ON THE COMPANY
For a little more information on Bacerra's local company, The SUN Group, LLC, read an article from the OC Weekly from September, 2010, HERE, and from its website, HERE.

DAN JOYCE OBTAINED SUN GROUP FOR 60TH EVENT
According to information about the 60th Anniversary Celebration Committee meeting minutes available from the City of Costa Mesa web site, HERE, HERE and HERE, Dan Joyce - Community Affairs Manager, currently on Administrative Leave - introduced Barerra as the supplier of entertainment for the planned gala.  The official web site for the 60th Anniversary Celebration, HERE, also identifies The SUN Group as such.

PAYMENTS LISTED
A quick search of recent Warrants - lists of items paid by the city that are typically approved as part of the Consent Calendar during City Council meetings, revealed that The SUN Group, LLC was paid more than $62,000 from May until August:

Warrant 2473, 5/21/13, HERE - $2,000
Warrant 2476, 6/18/13, HERE - $13,550 (2 items)
Warrant 2478, 7/2/13, HERE - $5125 (3 items)
Warrant 2479, 7/2/13, HERE - $39,476.40 (2 items)
Warrant 2482, 8/6/13, HERE - $1,900

ON-GOING INVESTIGATION INTO 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FINANCES

The finances of the 60th Anniversary Celebration are under investigation and Joyce, along with his assistant, Christine Cordon, were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of that investigation.  Men with official-looking garb were observed hauling boxes of materials and computers from the 5th floor City Hall offices occupied by Joyce and Cordon to Police Headquarters  last summer.  Repeated requests by concerned citizens for information regarding the investigation and for copies of bills related to the 60th Celebration have been stone-walled for months, citing the on-going investigation.

MORE QUESTIONS
I have no idea whether anything is amiss with the arrangements made by Joyce with Barerra and his SUN Group organization, but this latest revelation certainly does raise eyebrows and cast even darker clouds over the scandal swirling around the 60th Anniversary Celebration.

WE NEED RESOLUTION SOON...
We hope this issue is resolved soon so the taxpayers and voters of Costa Mesa can ascertain where the fault, if any, lies in the letting of no-bid contracts for services during the 60th Anniversary Celebration.  The silence from City Hall only creates more distrust.  As Mayor Jim Righeimer recently protested from the dais on another issue, "the silence is deafening"...  We agree.  To use his words, we are "shocked and appalled" about this issue and hope he will use his influence to accelerate a resolution to it soon.  We're not holding our breath...

Last Week Plus A Note From Allen Huggins

 MEMORABLE!
Well, the past week was certainly one for the books!

FIRST, MY ANNIVERSARY!
Last Monday I celebrated my 46th wedding anniversary, which turned out to be the high point of the week by far, HERE.

CRAPPY CONTRACT
Then, on Tuesday, the Costa Mesa General Employees (CMCEA) was sucker-punched with an offensive contract offer, which we wrote about HERE and again, with the text of the offer, HERE.

 STAFFERS PLACED ON LEAVE
That same afternoon, just before the City Council meeting began, Public Affairs Manager Dan Joyce and his assistant, Christine Cordon, were placed on administrative leave, HERE.

POLICE RECRUITMENT
Then the Daily Pilot published an excellent article outlining the difficulties the Costa Mesa Police Department has been having recruiting new officers, HERE, which I wrote about HERE.

MOVING BOXES
And, finally, on Friday around noon a group of men were seen removing carts full of files, computers and other stuff from City Hall to the Costa Mesa Police Department headquarters, HERE.

JUST A LITTLE TENSE, YOU SAY?
Word has it today, Monday, that things were particularly tense around City Hall today.  Gee, I can't understand why! ;-)

A VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES
In my post about the Police Recruitment I asked for responses from police officers.  So far, nothing.  However, today recently retired Captain Allen Huggins posted a multi-paragraph comment on the Daily Pilot article.  I wrote to him for his permission to reproduce it here because it provides us with a special perspective of a man who served our community with pride and distinction for 27 years and was here through the beginnings of these difficult times.  Here is his comment just as he wrote it:

Allen Huggins · Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
I have refrained from commenting on the inner workings of the City and the Police Department for many months since I retired. To be honest, I didn’t want to subject my family to the mudslinging that is all too common in Costa Mesa today. With that said, and in my opinion, the latest comments from Righeimer and Mensinger are misleading and I think the record needs to at least be accurate.

There is a significant issue with attracting quality personnel to the Department, and there has been shortly since the Righeimer and Mensinger were elected and appointed, respectfully. The Department has also been experiencing an exodus that is unprecedented. While there are a variety of reasons, it would be unreasonable to believe there isn’t a connection between the tenor the City Council has set, under the tutelage of the current majority, and the personnel difficulties the Police Department has been and is facing.

To provide some basic background, I have been a life-long Republican, and I recently retired after over 27 years of service to the City. I also am a realist and recognize that the economic issues have necessitated changes in the salaries and benefit packages. It is not the changes in the salaries and benefits that is causing such a huge exodus of experienced personnel and the lack of quality lateral officers and applicants, it is the rhetoric filled comments by members of the City Council that many times are lacking the veracity expected of elected officials. The employees are not the enemy of the City or the people who live, work and play in Costa Mesa. They are, for the most part, dedicated, hard working people who are doing what they were hired to do. Rhetoric calling them “union thugs” and worst is uncalled for and unproductive.

In my former life, I had direct knowledge of the quality of people who were applying to be officers. While there were some good applicants, there were many more that had too many questions to hire in a position of a police officer, which requires significant community trust. The hiring standards are and were not too high, as alleged. If anything, the standards were relaxed as much as is reasonable. I don’t believe that the Police Department should ever deviate from insisting that integrity, honesty and proper values be a cornerstone of what makes up a new officer. The rigors of the job can be challenging enough, even with the proper cornerstone. Does the Costa Mesa community really want the police department to reduce the standards of the police officers it hires?

As I indicated previously, the economic environment dictates that all expenditures be reviewed, including salary and benefit packages. What isn’t necessary is the rhetoric the City Council majority likes to inject into discussions. Other cities, like Newport Beach for example, have been able to accomplish salary savings without all the “union thug” accusations and demeaning, unproductive comments. The frequent accusations accomplish nothing but resentment. Now I know that the Council majority will say they like the employees and they are good people, but that is not how they treat them. Watch closely what they do.

Costa Mesa used to be a place of destination. It may be again, in the future, but it is not one today. Facts are facts and the significant exodus of police officers is just a glimpse of the personnel issues facing the City. With the cost to hire and train a new officer well into the six figures, doesn’t it make sense to figure out the “why” and fix the problem?

The community doesn’t need divisive leadership; they need leadership with integrity so they can begin to once again make Costa Mesa a place of destination. One important trait that all good leaders know is to have the integrity to admit what they don’t know, and to reach out for assistance from those who do. While I don’t know how to be a successful developer, and freely admit that, I do know what good city leadership looks like, and what it doesn’t look like, and it doesn’t look like the current majority is providing. The Costa Mesa community deserves better than they have been receiving.

I’m not bitter, nor did I leave on any terms but my own. In fact, I was truly honored to serve the Costa Mesa community for most of my adult life. I want the best for the community and City departments. In my opinion, the various misstatements from the Council majority are beneath what the people of Costa Mesa deserve.

Thanks to Huggins for his comments.  Much appreciated.

GRIPES INSTEAD OF CAKE!
So, with only one meeting this week - the Charter Committee meeting on Wednesday, at which Tea Party Tom Pollitt will probably whine again about not being able to pray - it's almost like a vacation.  In fact, if it wasn't for that meeting my sweet and very patient wife would be taking me out to dinner for my birthday.  Instead, I'll spend three hours listening to gripes about the way the government runs and watch folks being facilitated.

What Was Removed From City Hall Friday?

WHAT'S UP?

Several sources have confirmed that, around the noon hour on Friday, August 9th, an unidentified group of men were observed making multiple trips removing boxes of "stuff" - files, computers and other items -  on carts from City Hall and rolling them to the adjacent Costa Mesa Police Headquarters building.  It is not known whether this movement of materials is related to the placement of two employees on administrative leave last week, nor is it known whether those men moving the materials were city employees or representatives of an outside investigative organization.  Local media outlets have previously reported that the circumstances of those administrative actions would be investigated by an outside organization.

5TH FLOOR ITEMS?

It is presumed, but would not be confirmed by City officials, that this "stuff" was the contents of Public Affairs Manager Dan Joyce and his assistant, Christine Cordon's offices on the 5th floor.  I spoke with persons known to be present in the 5th floor Executive Offices at the time, but they would not "confirm" our presumptions.  I had the impression that, under the circumstances, they wouldn't confirm the sky was blue.  Such refusals to confirm the obvious are not unexpected when an investigation is on-going.  If, for example, this was a routine "destruction of records" procedure nobody would feign ignorance - they would admit it and defuse this issue.

EVIDENCE PRESERVATION?

If, in fact, the items removed to the police department were from the Public Affairs offices and, perhaps, elsewhere on the 5th Floor, one might presume they were taken to preserve whatever evidence might be contained therein.  That's just speculation on my part.



MORE SPECULATION

In fact, most of us will speculate that now - even more than we already have since Joyce and Cordon were abruptly placed on leave last Tuesday afternoon - it appears a serious investigation may have been undertaken.  And, if recent history is borne out, we will hear virtually nothing from city officials on this matter - even after it is closed.

HOW FAR UP?

If this issue, as some are speculating, involves misuse of public funds, mistreatment of volunteers and/or violation of rules and ordinances, I have a BIG problem with not disclosing to the public the results of the investigation.  And, if the investigation of this issue leads further up the food chain at City Hall, we are entitled to know about it.  Everybody in that building - including elected officials - works for US, the taxpayers of this community.
   
A FATAL INFECTION?

The longer information is withheld, the more this issue will fester and, continuing the nasty health metaphor, could lead to a fatal infection in the organization.  While a fair, impartial assessment of the facts is very important, timely disclosure of the facts to the public is also important.  We hope those in charge will listen before it's too late.

More Trouble Brewing At City Hall?

SENIOR STAFFERS PLACED ON LEAVE

Sources have confirmed that Public Affairs Manager Dan Joyce and his assistant, Christine Cordon, were placed on administrative leave late Tuesday afternoon. No information was given about the reason for these actions.


NO MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE NOW
Because this is a personnel matter, no further information is available at this time and all questions have been referred to Assistant Chief Executive Officer Rick Francis, acting on behalf of the vacationing CEO Tom Hatch.

CURIOUS COINCIDENTAL TIMING

The timing of this situation is interesting, because at about the same time Joyce and Cordon received the word, resident and 60th Anniversary Committee member Sue Lester was speaking out during Public Comments at the council meeting last night, expressing concerns about possible violation of City rules, requesting contract and other financial information about the 3-day 60th Anniversary event and addressing other failings she perceived during that event involving treatment of volunteers.


THE CHAIRMAN WAS SURPRISED

I've spoken with 60th Anniversary Celebration Chairman Mike Scheafer about this issue.  He was surprised to hear of the personnel actions and said he had not been contacted about it.


WILL WE EVER KNOW?
So, more drama at Costa Mesa City Hall.  We can now all speculate about what went on, whether there is a financial scandal brewing and how far up the food chain at City Hall it might reach, but will likely not know all the facts, even if there is an investigation.  That's a shame, particularly if the issue involves use of public funds.

60th Anniversary Committee Holds A Post-mortem

RE-HASHING THE CELEBRATION
Thursday evening the Costa Mesa 60th Anniversary Celebration Committee, chaired by Mike Scheafer, held a meeting to discuss the recent 3-day event that was held the end of June.

OFFICIAL RECOGNITION
However, City Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch hijacked the meeting to present awards and mementos to the committee members present in honor of their good works on that celebration.  It was an unanticipated part of the meeting, but a very nice though.  Hatch also mentioned that the City Council will also wish to have a more formal recognition at a future date.  And, later in the meeting, Scheafer mentioned that he hopes all hands can make it to the Concerts In The Park on Tuesday, July 30th, when the committee members will be honored.

HOW'D WE DO?
This meeting, held in council chambers, was an opportunity for committee members to take a deep breath and provide a quick summary of their opinions of the celebrations.  Segments receiving high praise were the Art Walk, the food vendors, the car show and the great variety of things - something for everyone.  A questionnaire will be distributed to them, and to vendors and others involved to provide more formal feedback.  Scheafer asked each member present to present to the city staff a brief summary of what they thought the pros and cons were of the event, and to have it to the staff within 10 days.  The next meeting of the group will be on August 8th, at which time it is anticipated that all the financials will be sorted out and made available.

SOME NEGATIVE STUFF, TOO
Bradley Zint of the Daily Pilot was present and published his version of this meeting, HERE.  He mentions some negative issues - some that did not get thoroughly fleshed out.  I did see a couple committee members leave abruptly when it was clear they were not going to be able to vent about issues important to them at that time.  It's my understanding that there will be an opportunity to provide a thorough analysis of the event in the near future.  I hope they will return to add their views to the mix.

A WONDERFUL EVENT!
Yes, I'm quoted in Zint's piece and, yes, I did mumble those words - and more, too.  I told the group that my wife and I had a great time during our visit to the celebration, and that I didn't see a single unhappy person over the six or so hours we spent there.  The entire committee and their leadership, plus Dan Joyce and Christine Cordon of the city staff, should be commended for pulling off an outstanding event in such a short time.  Kudos to all.

COMING EVENTS
On July 26th there will be a symphony at the Segerstrom Center.  On the 30th the Concerts In The Park mentioned above.  July 31st is Costa Mesa night at the Orange County Fair, which opens today.  On August 3rd it's Costa Mesa night at Anaheim Stadium and also Mike Trout jersey night.  Plenty of tickets are still available for that game through Christine Cordon at City Hall at 714-754-5121.

SCARECROWS COMING UP
In October there will be a scarecrow event throughout the city, which should be a lot of fun.  More on that later.