Sharpnack Claim Morphs Into A Lawsuit

WAIT!  WHAT'S THIS?
Those of us who pay attention to City Council meetings got a little surprise Tuesday afternoon as the agenda for the Closed Session was read into the record by City Clerk Brenda Green before the council adjourned to a remote conference room to consider the seven items listed.   City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow asked the council to add another item to the agenda for discussion that afternoon - the lawsuit filed by former Police Chief Rob Sharpnack against The City of Costa Mesa - which Barlow had just become aware of shortly before the meeting!

BRAND NEW LAWSUIT
The 38 page lawsuit was dated February 12, 2020 and it's unclear whether the lawsuit had actually been served on The City by Tuesday night when Barlow brought it up.  You can read it HERE, if you wish.

NOPE... NOTHING TO REPORT
The City Council approved adding the lawsuit to the Closed Session agenda and they adjourned to deliberate.  When they returned a couple hours later for the regular session Barlow had nothing to report out of the Closed Session - on that or any of the other seven items on the agenda.

SPADONI SPRINGS THE PAPERWORK
In an interesting sidebar - early in the regular meeting, during Public Comments, resident (and former police officer) Mary Spadoni trundled up to the speaker's podium and proceeded to waive the text of the lawsuit at the council.  Apparently she managed to obtain a copy of it via a public records request and posted the link to it on the Facebook page Costa Mesa Sandbox.  By the time Public Comments had ended two people had contacted me about the lawsuit and had retrieved the text from that Facebook page.  One of them shared it with me since I have been blocked from participating on that site.

TRYING TO RIGHT A PERCEIVED WRONG
Some might recall that Spadoni frequently spoke and wrote about information that was eventually included in the initial Claim Sharpnack made against The City.  Much of that is included in the lawsuit.  Clearly, she is an insider in this process and makes no bones about doing her best to defame those she feels are responsible for Sharpnack's situation, including Mayor Katrina Foley, Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens, current City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, former Acting City Manager Tammy Letourneau and former Acting Assistant City Manager Justin Martin.  The last two now hold positions at the City of Laguna Niguel.

THE TIMING IS CURIOUS
The timing of this lawsuit is very interesting - just two weeks before the Primary Election in which Foley is running for a chance to gain a seat in the State Senate against incumbent John Moorlach and another Democrat challenger, David Min.  Any mud that can be tossed Foley's way will probably go a long way to assuaging the animus felt about her by Spadoni and her pals, particularly if it affects her chances in the upcoming election.

MY SPECIAL INTEREST?
Why am I writing about this?  Well, in his original claim Sharpnack named me as a "witness" - the only non-current or former employee of The City on the list.  It's curious, since I have no first-hand knowledge of any of the circumstances.  Yes, I've written about CMPD issues, including observing about the many, many former police chiefs who have served my city over the past five decades.  This, of course, includes Rob Sharpnack.  I have no idea if I will end up being a part of his lawsuit - I hope not, but we shall see.

HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I HATE POLITICS?
In the meantime, the hit pieces about Foley continue to land in mailboxes all over the the 37th Assembly District and I doubt if it's over with two weeks to go before the election.  And the beat goes on.

A Special Christmas Greeting To Costa Mesa Employees

As I type this it's the last work day of the year for most of the Costa Mesa City employees, although some will work the weekend and even Christmas Day.  So, before all of them take off for the week and enjoy a much-deserved holiday hiatus, I just wanted to send them a little message.

TO ALL COSTA MESA CITY EMPLOYEES

I know many of you personally.  Some of you have become good friends, others just casual acquaintances and many of you probably wouldn't know me if you drove over me in the City Hall parking lot.  I don't recommend that, by the way - thank you very much.

I NEEDED TO WRITE THIS...
Regardless, I wanted to write this to you this evening to remind you that I, and many, many other Costa Mesa residents, are very grateful to those of you who have hung in there these past six years.  We understand what you've been going through.  We understand how difficult it has been for you to feel not only un-appreciated by some of the elected leaders of our city but, in fact, actually despised for the compensation and retirement benefits you earn every day.

FROM THAT FATEFUL DAY...
From the low watermark in our city -  the day those 200+ illegal layoff notices were issued and poor Huy Pham jumped to his death on St. Patrick's Day of 2011 - until the final numbers were counted in this most recent election, you've dealt with more trauma and drama than most could endure.  You've seen many of your senior compatriots depart, either for an earlier-than-planned retirement or for greener pastures at other cities or in the private sector.

LEADERSHIP BY THE WHIP
You've seen the elected leadership of this city treat some of you as chattel, chopping your labor contracts to 1980s levels.  Others have seen the negotiations on contracts stalled for years - some are still stalled.

A FAILURE TO PRIORITIZE...
You've seen the filling of potholes placed before public safety in our city.  You've seen recruitment efforts curtailed for most of a year, causing the Police Department, for example, to fall so far behind in filling holes in the organization that it will take at least another year to get back to proper staffing levels, all the while crime is on the rise due to many circumstances beyond our control.

SHORT-SIGHTED, POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED LEADERSHIP
You've seen elected leaders stall the deployment of the Rescue Ambulances, causing the loss of millions in revenue to our city and stalling the implementation of the new staff deployment model.

YOU'VE SEEN ARROGANT DISREGARD FOR RULES...
You've seen lawsuit after lawsuit drain the city coffers due to the arrogant disregard for the rules by certain elected leaders.  And you've seen your staff leaders hamstrung by micromanagement by those same elected leaders.

YOU'VE SEEN COMPATRIOTS DEPART...
Today you're operating with a third fewer fellow staff members than you were just a decade ago, and most of those cuts have come in the past six years.  And, many of those departures were senior staffers, who took with them not only their institutional knowledge, but their intellectual courage and  leadership, as well.

YOU HAVE STAYED AND PERSEVERED
And, through all that you have stayed and persevered.  You've hunkered down and done your jobs, usually getting faint praise for those efforts.  You've worked overtime beyond normal limits to keep the wheels of city government rolling and the residents, businesses and visitors served.  Many of you have found yourselves being led by contractors with no real attachment to the City except a contract, and, while many of them have been good folks, it's not the same as having solid, vested city employees at your side, providing guidance, is it?

YOU ARE APPRECIATED...
Well, on the cusp of the Christmas holiday I wanted to write to you tonight to tell you that many of the residents out here DO appreciate your ongoing efforts to keep our city running.  We DO understand what you've been facing, trying to do jobs that are challenging enough without unnecessary impediments being placed in front of you.

THERE IS LIGHT...
Following the election last month there is light at the end of the tunnel.  It's clear to me, a resident for more than 43 years and long-time council-watcher, that the new council majority is fully aware of the problems you've faced and is going to work quickly to resolve many of those.  It will take some time to undo some of the issues involved, so I hope you will continue to work hard, knowing that your efforts are appreciated and that things will be getting better for you soon.

THANK YOU...
So, speaking only for my sweet and very patient wife and myself, we want to thank you for your efforts on our behalf.  We want you to know we appreciate every one of you.  As we wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, I think I'll let Mariah Carey tell you how we feel about you.  Happy New Year to you all.

Chief Neth Honored, But...

CHIEF NETH INDUCTED..
Former Costa Mesa Police Chief Roger Neth - Badge #1 and Chief #2 for more than two decades and one of the most innovative law enforcement leaders in California history - was inducted along with fourteen others in the Newport Harbor High School Hall of Fame last night.

MUCH DESERVED HONOR
This honor - for his service to the community, service to his country in World War II and his athletic prowess before and after that war - was much-deserved.  We here at A Bubbling Cauldron wish to add our congratulations to Chief Neth, and thank him one more time for his service to our community.

REALLY?
Reports from the scene tell us that not a single member of the City Staff - including the Costa Mesa Police Department, which he nurtured, molded and built into one of the premiere agencies in the state - were present at this event.  If that's a fact, it's certainly hard to understand... and very disappointing.  If my information is not accurate I hope a credible source will correct me - pronto.

Catching Up With Chief Tom Gazsi

A REAL SUCCESS STORY
File this one under "Local Boy Makes Good".  That's really the only way you can describe the career of Thomas E. Gazsi, Chief of the Los Angeles Port Police.

FROM NEWPORT BEACH TO COSTA MESA
As regular readers here know, Tom Gazsi - a long time resident of Costa Mesa -  had a long and illustrious career in our neighboring city , Newport Beach, before he became Police Chief of Costa Mesa.  We've written many times about the challenges he faced when he took over the department which was under siege by a couple elected leaders.

TOXIC ENVIRONMENT
The toxic atmosphere created throughout the City staff, including the CMPD, caused seasoned officers to depart in droves - retiring earlier than anticipated or leaving to other jurisdictions where their skills and experience were welcomed.  After all, most of them had been part of the CMPD when it was recognized as one of the premiere law enforcement organizations in the county.  And, Gazsi's attempt to restore the CMPD to it's former glory was hamstrung by a hiring freeze imposed by those elected leaders for nearly a year, which put the department way, way behind the curve once given permission to recruit.  Two years ago he gave City CEO Tom Hatch a detailed plan for the resurrection of the department - a plan that was not acknowledged, much less green-lighted.

AN OFFER HE COULD NOT PASS UP
Nearly eighteen months ago Gazsi was approached about a position as Deputy Chief at the Los Angeles Port Police and, despite his affection for the men and women of the CMPD and the plans he had offered to his boss to bring the department back to the "glory days", the opportunity was just too great to pass up, so he retired from the CMPD and accepted that position - a brand new position in the Los Angeles Port Police hierarchy.

NAMED CHIEF IN NOVEMBER
After less than six months on the job the Police Chief, Ronald Boyd, found himself with some legal complications so he stepped aside and Gazsi was appointed Acting Chief in April of 2015.  During the fall Boyd retired and Gazsi was appointed Chief of the Los Angeles Port Police in November, 2015 - less than a year after he left Costa Mesa.

READ THIS PROFILE
To give you some perspective on the scope of Chief Gazsi's job with the Los Angeles Port Police, please click HERE to read a profile on him in the current issue of Seapower Magazine.  This certainly seems to be a perfect way to round out an exemplary career in law enforcement.

New Good Stuff From The City

HOUSEKEEPING
We've been doing a little tidying-up here at A Bubbling Cauldron and wanted to make you aware of some of the recent informational sites made available by the City of Costa Mesa.

HANDY LINKS
Over on the right of this page you'll find a roster of links - many sites I thought might be helpful to you during your quest for information about the City of Costa Mesa and beyond.  The City has recently added some new ones, so I updated my list - culled some dormant links and added new ones.  Most titles are self-explanatory, but there are some new Costa Mesa-oriented sites listed for your use.

• The first one on the list is the City of Costa Mesa Crime Map - that's been there for awhile. 
• Further down you will find "Costa Mesa Connected", a new one which is actually a blog generated by Public Information Officer Tony Dodero, and provides a rolling report on activities and important news snippets.  He tries to update it daily, so it's worth a frequent stop-in to see what's up.
• Next I listed the "Costa Mesa New Resident Guide", which is a new very nifty source of important information for all of us, not just newbies to the City.
• Next is the link to the City of Costa Mesa web page.
• Next is a direct link to the City of Costa Mesa Municipal Code
• And, I even linked to the Costa Mesa Library Foundation site for you, too.

CLICK HERE FIRST AND ENJOY
I encourage you to scroll down through the whole list of links to refresh your memory about what is available to you here.  I think you'll find those sites useful - and you can always find them by clicking here first!  Clever, huh?  More information for you.... and more Page Views for me.  You're welcome.

Images From The 2nd Affordable Housing Demonstration

SIGNS IN FRONT OF CITY HALL

I attended the demonstration in front of City Hall this breezy afternoon in which advocates for affordable housing in Costa Mesa displayed their signs for the drivers heading home from work.

LOTS OF POSITIVE RESPONSES
There were lots of positive responses - thumbs up, horns honking, etc.  This time, at least while I was there, there were no automobile accidents.  Last week some bozo driving past the previous demonstration was too busy giving "the bird" to the demonstrators to pay attention to his driving and crashed into the car in front of him.  A true Karma moment.

SMALLER, BUT ENTHUSIASTIC, GROUP
After about a half hour of demonstrating the smaller crowd - around 50 people this time - decamped to a classroom at Vanguard University next door to view the short video clips - Motel Stories.  I did not attend that gathering - I've seen the clips.  The only member of the press I saw this time was Thy Vo from the Voice of OC, shown here interviewing Kathy Esfahani of the Costa Mesa Affordable Housing Coalition.  The second image is Jean Forbath, long time housing activist and mother of Esfahani.

TUESDAY SHOULD BE INTERESTING
Tuesday the Costa Mesa Motor Inn is on the City Council agenda, HERE, so I expect to see many of the same folks at the meeting to express their views on this issue.  And, I suspect it will get the same response they received from the Planning Commission - their views were ignored.

The City Of Costa Mesa Marks 91101

REMEMBRANCE EVENT TOMORROW
Tomorrow, Friday, September 11, 2015 the City of Costa Mesa will hold a remembrance of the tragic events that occurred on that date fourteen years ago.

Here is the full text of the City announcement.

City to hold a remembrance ceremony to mark 14th anniversary of Sept. 11 terror attacks

 

Posted Date: 9/10/2015

 

This Friday, Costa Mesa Fire and Police Departments will join with city employees and residents to hold an official remembrance ceremony. Each year, Costa Mesa and other fire and law enforcement agencies throughout the region (and the country) gather to honor and pay a special tribute to the members of the uniformed services who perished (343 members of FDNY, 23 members of NYPD, and 37 members of the Port Authority Police) and all of the innocent victims who perished (2,574).

The Costa Mesa Fire and Police Departments will hold ceremonies at City Hall and at all of the city’s fire stations. The gathering area at City Hall will be adjacent to the flagpole from 8:30-9:05 a.m. on Friday. 

Timeline for City Hall ceremony

• 8:40 a.m. - Brief opening comments – Fire Chief Dan Stefano and Police Chief Rob Sharpnack.

• 8:46 a.m. - Representing the time the first plane struck the WTC Tower #1; all fire apparatus will be pulled out on the front apron of the fire stations and all radios will be turned on in apparatus.

• 8:55 a.m. - Everyone will gather near the flagpole for a moment of silence.

• 9:00 a.m. - Uniformed personnel will be at attention and the regional emergency communications center will make a countywide broadcast acknowledging Patriot Day - A Day of Remembrance.

• 9:05 a.m. - End of official remembrance ceremony.

Tony Dodero New Costa Mesa Public Information Officer

GOOD NEWS FOR COSTA MESA

Costa Mesa "leaders" announced today, HERE, that former Daily Pilot Editor Tony Dodero will become the City of Costa Mesa's new Public Information Officer.

OK, BUT...
In that press release no mention about who he reports to directly - one would assume CEO Tom Hatch - nor whom, if anyone, reports to him.  Bill Lobdell - who held a similar job before he bailed out and went to the Irvine Company - had the folks at CMTV reporting to him.  Nobody was around at City Hall who could answer those questions.

SLIM NEWS ABOUT THE JOB
The press release speaks almost exclusively about Dodero's background.  The one line that DOES address his job with The City says, "Dodero will be responsible for managing the city’s media relations efforts and expanding the public’s awareness of special events, programs, services, policies and projects."





STARTS TOMORROW
Dodero will begin his new assignment tomorrow, August 11, 2015.

A GREAT GUY, SKILLED COMMUNICATOR... AND MY FRIEND
A word on this subject.  I've known Tony Dodero for more than a dozen years.  He was the Editor at the Daily Pilot when I first began writing commentaries in that fine newspaper.  He's become a friend over those years and I respect his journalistic skills and his integrity.  I look forward to his contributions to the communications coming out of our city very much.  That being said, if we hire one more manager for that 5th Floor bunker I'm afraid the building will simply topple over from being top-heavy.

YEP...
Good luck, Tony.

A Sad State Of Affairs

QUITE A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

For more than a decade I've written on this blog and elsewhere about Costa Mesa and the politics of this city.  During that time there have been many, many highs and certainly a few lows, too.  For example,

EVEN CLOWNS ELECTED
We've seen people like the chronically-inept Chris Steel elected to City Council after trying nine times before.

THE SEWER OF RACISM
We've seen the political discourse driven, from time to time, by a notorious racist.

BENITO ACOSTA
We've seen a Latino activist dragged from a City Council meeting and arrested.  The costs for the ensuing lawsuit continue to show up on Warrants to this day, ten years later.

THE LEADER OF THE TAKEOVER
We've seen a carpet-bagging political opportunist move to town and almost immediately be appointed to a prestigious commission in repayment for campaign support by a re-elected council member.  That provided him with the political platform to be elected and re-elected (barely) to the City Council.

PROFITS BEFORE SERVICE

He led a cadre of wrong-thinking individuals in a take over city government and attempt to "run it like a business", forgetting that a municipal government IS NOT a business - it exists only to provide services to the populace, not produce a product for profit.

ACTIONS RESULT IN LAWSUITS
That group immediately created chaos in City Hall by attempting to - illegally - layoff nearly half of the members of the Costa Mesa City Employees Association - the so-called Miscellaneous Employees.  That act resulted in one young distraught employee to leap to his death from the roof of City Hall and a lawsuit that remains unresolved to this day, more than 4 years later.

ANTI-PUBLIC SAFETY BIAS

We've seen the two top elected city officials actually sue the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department, while gutting that once-proud department by imposing unrealistic staffing levels and spending hard-earned tax dollars filling potholes instead of providing public safety.  The toxic atmosphere they created caused experienced officers to retire early and/or seek jobs with other venues.  They forced the delay in replacing those officers, putting public safety in jeopardy by reducing staffing levels unseen in this city in more than two decades.

UNNECESSARY COMMITTEES

We've seen those same men create a list of unnecessary new committees and stack them with cronies as payback for political support.  These unnecessary committees sucked up thousands of valuable staff hours performing analysis and reports at a time when their skills were required elsewhere.

THE CHARTER, TWICE!
We've seen them attempt to change the basic structure of municipal government by jamming a Charter down our throats, only to have that scheme overwhelmingly rejected TWICE by the voters.

PLACING BLAME, BUT TAKING NO ACTION
We've seen them vilify municipal employees because unfunded pension liabilities have created fiscal complications, but they refuse to take any positive steps to resolve that issue.

GREASING DEVELOPMENT SKIDS
We've seen ordinances passed that dissolve protections for the residents in favor of greasing the skids for developers, who will build projects then never been seen again, leaving residents to deal with the aftermath of overtaxed infrastructure.

SQUEEZING OUT BUSINESSES
We've seen ordinances passed that penalize business owners for calling public safety organizations to receive protection from unsafe and/or illegal situations at their establishments.  The goal, as stated unequivocally by elected officials, was to force those business owners to take a more "realistic" view of the value of their businesses by pummeling them with fines to encourage them to sell out to developers.

PITTING NEIGHBOR AGAINST NEIGHBOR

We've seen ordinances passed that almost seem designed to turn neighbor against neighbor.  Simultaneously, they have created and implemented a smart phone app that encourages that same behavior.  In fact, one of our top elected officials may be the biggest proponent of this app and regularly snaps photos and reports folks who have allowed their lawn to grow too long and other similar minor infractions.

SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT CADRE

They created a cadre of special Code Enforcement officers outside the normal structure who report directly to the Executive Offices, and they've been used as a personal enforcement unit by the City Council majority.

VILIFICATION AND THREATS

During recent years we've seen political discourse sink to, perhaps, the lowest level in any one's memory.  We've seen critics increasingly step up during meetings to present opposing views, only to be chided by members of the City Council.  We've seen members of the public admonished and threatened by officials for speaking out.  We've had members of the public warned against speaking out by staff members.

FREE SPEECH QUASHED

We've seen Freedom of Speech placed in jeopardy by procedures implemented which are specifically designed to discourage participation by the public.  They have institutionalized stifling of dissent.

STRANGLING DISCUSSION
And, this stifling of dissent has spread beyond the walls of City Hall.  A social media site has been created that crows about being the "best source of news about Costa Mesa" and invites all-comers to join in the discussion.  Several elected and appointed community leaders actively participate in the discussions, expressing their opinions on important issues and openly criticizing opposing views.  But the out-of-town rabble-rousers - with no vested interest in the future of Costa Mesa - who administer it block dissenting voices by either refusing to admit them to the site or by ousting those already on board if they dare to express an opposing viewpoint.  In addition, they troll other competing sites and expel members from their site if they dare to post a critical comment.  And, despite their claim of being a superior news site, non-members may not even observe and read that "news", much less particpate in the discussions.  It is a site for insiders only, where like-minded individuals chatter back and forth, agreeing with each other and presuming their views on important issues are the correct views.  This kind of strangulation of public discussion reeks of WWII Germany.  It shouldn't be too surprising, since the aforementioned racist is a major driver of conversations on the site.  How very sad for those folks who joined up expecting more, only to find discussions framed by an internationally notorious Nazi sympathizer.

A NEW LOW
This weekend, though, we may have seen the bar set at it's lowest point.  It has been widely reported that during what has historically been the City's favorite family event, the Lion's Club Fish Fry at Fairview Park, two prominent members of the public - one a former elected and appointed official and the other an activist and former candidate for City Council - got into a heated disagreement that ended with one spitting in the face of the other after being mocked about his disability.  The other man then retaliated with what was described as a "sucker punch" to the face.  We are told that it ended at that point.  To our knowledge, although there apparently were several witnesses to the event, no charges have been filed.

A SAD COMMENTARY

From what I know of this situation, there likely was fault on both sides and was the result of long-simmering animosity between the two participants, but there is no excuse for that behavior.  Unfortunately, this only further demonstrates how the political process and attendant discourse has declined in our city during this current regime.  The incivility on social media comment threads, including the threads on our two local newspapers, seems to have emboldened bad behavior on both sides of the important issues facing our city.  That bad behavior finally manifested itself in physical confrontation this weekend.  It's a sad, sad commentary on political life in our city.