Wassup In Costa Mesa?

MARATHON PREAMBLE
Last night, as anticipated, the Costa Mesa City Council held another marathon meeting - I missed my prediction of a 1:00 a.m. closing time by five minutes!

GOOD STUFF HAPPENIN'...
So, my observations of the meeting will follow in at least one more - maybe more than that - entry.  Right now I wanted to give you a peek at the slides presented by Dane Bora during his Costa Mesa Minute segment.  Each of these reflect an upcoming, or current, event happening in our city.  More info on the meat of the meeting to follow later today.

Another Packed Agenda For Tuesday's Council Meeting

 LOTS OF GOOD STUFF ON TUESDAY'S AGENDA
The Costa Mesa City Council meets again on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 for a meeting full of interesting stuff.  The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers but a Special Closed Session precedes that meeting at 5:00 p.m.  You can read the full agenda HERE.

SPECIAL CLOSED SESSION FIRST
The Special Closed session has two items on it.  #1 is a conference with legal counsel on existing litigation - Timothy Dadey, et al v. City of Costa Mesa.

Item #2 is a conference with labor negotiators - Assistant City Manager Tamara Letourneau, regarding the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association (CMFA).

Any public comments on these two items only will be heard at 5:00 p.m., after which the council will recess to Conference Room 5A for deliberations.

The regular open meeting will commence at 6:00 p.m., or as close to it as possible following the Closed Session.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Following the opening events - National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, Public Comments and Council Member Comments the council will consider the Consent Calendar.  There are seven (7) items on the Consent Calendar Tuesday.  These are items that could be moved in one motion without separate discussion unless a member of the council, staff or public pulls one.  Those items will be discussed immediately following the vote on the remainder.  I'm not going to address them all - just a couple.  You can read all about them on the agenda link above.

MORE CONSULTANTS AND LEGAL FEES
#2 is Warrant #2574, HERE, which shows us how we spent about $4 million of our tax dollars.  I did notice that our list for our Contract Attorney firm, Jones & Mayer, is significantly lower this time around - just over $67,000.  However, combined with other legal charges from other firms, we still spent well over $100,000 on legal fees on this warrant.  And, of course, we continue to rack up large amounts for consultants for Plan Check, Building Inspection, Engineering, Department Management for Development Services and the like.  We also spent another $60,000 for helicopter support by the City of Huntington Beach.  Feel free to go to that link and scroll down to see for yourselves.

COIN HEARING FOR DIVISION MANAGERS
The first Public Hearing, HERE,  on the agenda will be a doozy.  This is the required first hearing under the Civic Openness In Negotiations (COIN) Ordinance for the adoption of the salary and benefits agreement between The City and the Costa Mesa Division Managers Association (CMDMA).  This group has not seen an increase in salary ranges since 2008 and they agreed to increase contributions to CalPERS without a salary increase in 2012, which resulted in a pay reduction.  Recruitment and retention is proving difficult under these circumstances.

OVERDUE CHANGES
The staff recommendation includes salary range adjustments between 2.00% and 15.88 % and has a handy chart to show those changes.  Changes in contributions to the CalPERS plan are included, as are reduction in the vacation cap and Executive Leave.  A Technology Allowance is created and the Car Allowance is increased.  Read the staff report.  It also includes those employees described as "Confidential".

REVISITING THE HELISTOP
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is a request for a retroactive time extension on a Planning Application and Conditional Use Permit for a private helistopat 3132 Airway Avenue that expired last November.  If approved the extension would run until November 3, 2017.  When the original request was approved in November of 2015 it was a split vote, with Foley and Genis voting NO.  This will be interesting.

OVERSEEING FAIRVIEW PARK
New Business #1, HERE, is Professional Services Agreement for Fairview Park Maintenance, Management and Biological Services in the amount of $397,640 for one year.  That number might increase by $30,000 or $60,000 if the council decides to include a Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Program for one or two years.  Read the staff report.

PLACENTIA AVENUE MEDIANS
New Business #2, HERE, is the Placentia Avenue Median Improvement Project between Adams Avenue and Wilson Street.  Depending on which plant palette is utilized, it could result in 140 trees and over 3,000 plants installed in this median.  The Public Services staff secured a grant of $844,200, of which $738,400 is available for the construction phase.  See the full array of conceptual landscape plans HERE.

MORE APPOINTMENTS
New Business #3, HERE, is the final item on the agenda.  This is Appointments to various commissions and the Senior Commission.  The City Council will be asked to appoint forty-nine (49) regular committee positions, four (4) alternate members to committees and one new member to the Senior Commission.  Here we go again...

BIKEWAYS AND WALKABILITY COMMITTEE
The Bikeway and Walkability Committee consists of fifteen (15) members and we received sixteen applications (16).  Membership will be split between 8 for two years and 7 for one year.

CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE
The Cultural Arts Committee, which consists of eleven (11) appointed members, which serve staggered two-year terms, has seven (7) positions available, including one (1) alternate.  Fifteen (15) applications were received.  The newly-appointed members will serve two years.

HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
The Historical Preservation Committee also consists of eleven (11) appointed positions which serve staggered two-year terms.  There are eleven (11) positions available - nine (9) regular and two (2) alternates.  We received nine (9) applications.  Newly appointed members will be  5 for two-years and six for one year.

FINANCE AND PENSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Finance and Pension Advisory Committee, created by combining two other committees will have eleven (11) members, one of which will by the Mayor's designee - Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Genis -  for a two-year term.  Of the remaining ten (10) appointments, four shall have pension knowledge and others shall be residents or other individuals that conduct business within the City and have significant financial background as defined in the staff report.  We received thirteen (13) applications.  Five will be for two-years and 5 for one-year.

HOUSING AND PUBLIC SERVICE GRANTS COMMITTEE
The Housing and Public Service Grants Committee will have ten (10) appointments, nine (9) regular and one (1) alternate and will serve staggered two-year terms.  We received ONLY seven (7) applications for the positions.

SENIOR COMMISSION
The Senior Commission has a vacancy because member Olga Reynolds resigned before she could take her appointed seat.  There are seven members of this commission, four of which serve four-year terms and three serve two-year terms.  This position will have an expiration of 2019.  We received two (2) applications.

HOW WILL THEY BE CHOSEN?
No mention in the staff report is made about the method of selection for these committees and commission.  You will recall the fiasco we had during the last such event.  I'm hoping we will not see a replay of that event.  When you go to the staff report for more information you will find links to all the applications by committee/commission as separate attachments.  Enjoy.

Lions Park Projects On Tap Tuesday (Amended)

A REALLY BIG MEETING TUESDAY
Tuesday March 28, 2017, is an important date for all Costa Mesans because there will be a Special Joint Meeting of the City Council, Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission to discuss the plans for what is being referred to as the Lions Park Projects.  These projects include:

• Improvements to Lions Park and new signage, including building signs and directional/wayfinding signs.
• The demolition of the existing Neighborhood Community Center. Building a new two-story building of approximately the same square footage on the same site to house a brand new, modern library. 
• The renovation and re-purposing of the current round Donald Dungan Branch Library adjacent to the new library as the new Community Center.
• The creation of a new one acre park area on part of the site of the current community center. 
• The construction of a Cafe - Cafe Mesa - on the grounds between the new buildings.  

 New Library elevations

READ THE STAFF REPORT AND ATTACHMENTS FOR DETAILS
The agenda report for this meeting can be found HERE and the staff report, with attachments, can be found HERE.

TO BE HELD AT THE COSTA MESA COUNTRY CLUB
This Special Joint Meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Los Lagos Room of the Costa Mesa Country Club, 1701 Gold Course Drive.  See the map below.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
Following discussions and presentations the staff recommends the following:
Parks and Recreation Commission
1 - Approve the Lions Park Projects Master Plan as proposed

Planning Commission:
1 - Adopt the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration; and
2 - Adopt a resolution to approve Planning Application PA-16-71 for the Lions Park Projects
     Master  Plan, subject to conditions of approval and mitigation measures.

City Council:
1 - Adopt plans, specifications, and working details for the Lions Park Projects Master Plan,
     City Project No. 17-03; and
2 - Authorize staff to advertise the Lions Park Projects for construction.

SITE AND BUILDING PLANS
Attachment #6, HERE, will give you all the proposed visuals in this project, including images of new buildings and site plans.

FUNDING INFORMATION (Amended - See Mayor Foley, below)
In my view, the most important information is contained in Attachment #5, HERE.  This outlines the funding plan for this project and the rebuilding of Fire Station #1 on Adams Avenue at Royal Palm, which is already underway.  When you review this single page document you will find that these two projects will obligate the taxpayers of our city for more than $46 million, with the debt stretching out twenty-five (25) years.  We will pay $12.3 million in interest on a $18.5 million loan to the tune of nearly $103,000 per month.

TRY TO ATTEND
I suspect more than a few of your neighbors will join me at this meeting, to hear the latest presentation by the consultants from Johnson Favaro and the staff, and to hear about this very costly project.  Public Comments will be permitted, but only on this subject.  Please join me, since this will not be televised live.

 MAYOR FOLEY OFFERS CLARITY ON FUNDING
Mayor Katrina Foley saw this entry and posted a long explanation on my Facebook page.  For those who have not seen it, I have copied and pasted it here verbatim.  This clarifies the funding issue.

Geoff West just one correction-- it's not "additional debt." We currently have bond financing related to the Civic Center & Victoria Street improvements & police facility bond refinancing & early pay off. We are simply replacing the beneficiary project of the existing debt obligation. This financing plan will not increase our debt, but stays within the same payment ranges. It's in the staff report: "On January 17, 2017, the City Council approved an agreement with Fieldman-Rolapp & Associates to help develop the debt financing strategy and implement the plan. The financing strategy is under way and includes the goals of keeping the City’s annual debt service payments at or below the current levels, meeting the cash flow needs of the construction contract payment schedule, possible early payoff of the 2003 COP (related to the Civic Center and Victoria Street right-of-way property) and possibly refinancing the 2007 COP (related to the past expansion of the police facility) for additional general fund savings. Staff will return to Council as soon financing options are ready for consideration and selection."

Additionally, we are aggressively seeking grant funding from statewide library & park fund grants. We hope to have those opportunities online by year end to reduce the costs. There is no increase in obligation to the taxpayers and significant improvement to the community, especially the Westside community. The increase in value to properties in the surrounding area and overall quality of life for families in the community far outweighs the cost to build. I refer you to the Costa Mesa High School Performing Arts Center project. It helped transform the school and community, as well as improve the corner of Arlington & Fairview. It cost more than $20 million in 2012-13. We are getting more than double the size and amenities for only $16 million more. We must invest in our community to sustain it as a quality place for families to live, work and play. Investments on the westside are long overdue. I hope you will see the value of this investment after the presentation.

Forbath, Chargers Highlight Council Meeting

'TWAS A LONG NIGHT...
OK, take a deep breath, get comfy in your chair - maybe get a cup of coffee (or something stronger) - because I'm afraid this entry is going to be a long one.  It's going to take a lot of words and images to present what happened last night at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting - all six hours and twenty-one minutes of it!  Yes, the meeting finally finished at about 12:30 this morning!  If you want to view it yourself, go to the granicus feed, HERE, and click on the appropriate video clip.

PRE-MEETING STUFF
So, let us begin with with some of the good stuff....  Before the meeting, as I arrived, I saw former councilman Gary Monahan pushing a cart out of City Hall.  It seems he catered the meal for the council and staff that day.  He hailed me down and we had a very nice chat and we discussed this van in the parking lot.  It apparently belongs to Will B. King - you'll read more about him later.  For some background on him read this, HERE.

HEARING MISS DAISY
Right off the bat Miss Daisy Avila, a student at Costa Mesa Middle School, treated us to her rendition of the National Anthem.  That was VERY special.

PASTOR MIKE
Pastor Mike Decker of Palm Harbor Church provided us with guidance from on high - although during part of the meeting it looked like some folks in the chambers may not have been paying enough attention.

JEAN FORBATH
THE high point of the evening for me was the presentation of the Mayor's Award to Jean Forbath, whose lifetime of service to others has set a very high bar in our city.  Her family and supporters filled a couple rows in council chambers and I thought Mayor Katrina Foley was going to lose it emotionally as she presented the various mementos to Forbath.  There is no more worthy recipient of that award than Jean Forbath.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments several people rose to address the council on a variety of issues.

Businessman Tim Lewis told us of his recent trip to Australia, where their approach to certain law enforcement issues is very different than ours.  He tells us that they purchased guns from the populace to diminish the numbers in private hands, which apparently resulted in less crime.  They also mark youthful driver's cars - I guess so you'll know to stay the heck away from them

Flo Martin spoke of her Wednesday picnics in Wilson Park and asked the council to consider replacing the tables that once were there, but were removed to make it less comfortable for homeless folks. Of course, residents also suffer from that loss.  She also spoke of a heavy police presence near the park on those days.  She said there have been 200 calls for service at that park in more than 3 years, presuming that is a low number for the time involved.

Tiffany Lewis, Principal of Woodland Elementary School, thanked the council for all they do.

Bill McCarty showed a video clip of San Diego Fairy Shrimp in a brand new vernal pool in Fairview Park, and asked that the City find a way to protect that site.  He also commented on a slap taken at him by Councilman Jim Righeimer at the last meeting, commenting on his shirt and calling him a "happy little fella".  It actually was pretty funny.

Will B. King - a name from the past for you long-time residents - stepped up to complain about being tossed out of the Dungan Library.  He says he's been kicked out for 30 days.  Among the comments he made included a suggestion that council members show up in drag to see how folks are discriminated against.  His van, to which he referred, was parked outside the council chambers.

Mary Spadoni spoke about the Small Lot Ordinance, observing that Los Angeles is getting rid of theirs.  She spoke about the recent Planning Commission meeting which saw three Small Lot developments.  She asked for an official review and action on this ordinance.

A tireless activist on Sober Living Home issues, told the council that she had received another threat of a lawsuit by a big Sober Living operator that's coming to town, apparently trying to shut her up.  She read an excerpt from a letter she received which she considers a threat.

Cindy Brenneman again stepped up to complain about the recent appointment process for commissioners, specifically citing Carla Woods' appointment.

Ralph Taboada gave kudos to the council and staff for their recent offsite event.  He also complained about exparte communication between planning commissioners and developers.  He observed about the dramatic increase in costs for the new Lions Park project - it has escalated from $22 million to $37 million - and asked for an explanation.

An unidentified businessman asked for more transparency, complained about the police being called when he visited City Hall.  He also complained about projects with front homes on alleys.

COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS
During Councilmember Comments - the 4 minutes provided in this segment - the following comments were made:

GENIS
Sandra Genis supported protection for the recently-discovered Fairy Shrimp at Fairview Park and also supported looking at the Small Lot Ordinance.  She told us of scholarships available from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).

STEPHENS  
John Stephens told us that he and Councilman Allan Mansoor will be hosting a forum on Homelessness.  The format will provide expert comments and an opportunity for the public to ask questions.  The date is set - Saturday, April 6th - but the time and location are still pending.  He mentioned, in context of the joint meetings held with the Mesa Water District and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, of a program with the CMSD that will pay for a plumber to scope your sewer lateral, give you the image of your line and allows you to get three bids to fix the problem, if any.  He also reminded us of the Joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission next Tuesday, March 28th at the Costa Mesa Country Club.  He observed that the Costa Mesa Fire Department recently hired thirteen (13) new recruits who are now fully-immersed in our local academy.  We have never hired so many firefighters at one time and this is a very good sign for public safety in our city.

RIGHEIMER
Jim Righeimer began by apologizing for denigrating the First Friday Roadshow - referring to it as a "little car show".  He then launched off into a screed about the sentencing of Private Investigator Chris Lanzillo to a year in jail for his role in surveiling Righeimer, former mayor Steve Mensinger and apparently attempting to entrap then-councilman Gary Monahan in some kind of illicit activities.  He said, "That is now behind us.  I want that behind us."  He later said "I'd like it to be behind it in everything."  Yeah, OK, but the lawsuit he and Mensinger filed against the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department is still pending.  If he wants it "behind us", drop the bogus lawsuit, for goodness sake!  He addressed the Small Lot  Ordinance, indicating he had no problem working with Mayor Pro Tem Genis to see "if we need some tweaks on it." He spoke about the Group Homes, indicating that handling them was delayed because "we swapped out the whole Planning Commission".  He also addressed the Fairview Developmental Center, speaking about the changes made in the recent General Plan Update that codified the zoning of that site.

MANSOOR
Allan Mansoor spoke about replacing the rubberized padding at Angel's Playground.  He spoke about Fairview Park and Measure AA.  He complained about the broken asphalt and blamed AA for the loss of a grant to repair the pathways.  He spoke about unintended consequences of ballot measures.

FOLEY
Katrina Foley spoke of their recent offsite meeting, indicating it was very productive.  She gave a brief overview of the issues, refined down to five major issues - Safety, Sober Living Homes, Sound Fiscal management, Homelessness and the Lions Park project.  She mentioned that Sprouts on 17th Street is hiring and the Orange Coast College Foundation is hiring.  She mentioned the Eastside Listening Tour with Genis on April 24th(see the following slide) and spoke of her Friday Office Hours. 

CONSENT CALENDAR
Several items were pulled from the Consent Calendar, but the discussions on those were shoved out until New Business #1, the Los Angeles Chargers issue, was heard.

THE CHARGERS
Which brings us to the love-fest that was the presentation of the agreement between the City of Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles Chargers for the utilization of fields 3 and 4 at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex for a period of ten (10) years.  The staff report indicates the Chargers will pay the City $150,000 or so per year, plus will fork over $50,000 for our new Mobile Recreation Van plus pay AYSO 120 $10,000 for the inconvenience of having to relocate during the first year of the contract.  City Manager Tom Hatch made the presentation, referring the council to specific details in the staff report and assured that The Chargers would be engaging in significant public outreach to resolve concerns.  The Chargers will use the fields for 3-5 months of the year, during the summer when they would normally be dormant - rested.  They will bring fields 3 and 4 up to NFL standards and rehabilitate them each year.  Concerns were expressed by members of the public about traffic and noise impacts on the surrounding neighbors - Mayor Foley had to recuse herself because her home backs up to the site - and about safety issues for young people using summer recreation facilities nearby at Costa Mesa High School.

CONCERNS ABOUT OTHER FIELDS
Concerns were also expressed about the conditions of adjacent Field #2 and also #5 and #6.  There is also concern about the adequacy of the restroom facilities and parking nearby.  Mention was made of planned shuttles.

THE CHARGERS TEAM
The Chargers had a small group, including owner Dean Spanos, in the audience.  Spanos spoke about his gratitude for the professionalism of the staff and how important the training camp is to his organization.  Kimberly Layton Vice President of External Affairs - is a former local who attended UCI and actually worked at The Grant Boys.

JOHNSON AND TEAM
Among the twenty people who spoke was Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce President Tom Johnson and a handful of supporters who cheered whenever given the chance. Johnson raved about the great economic value to the community by having the Chargers call our city home, and spoke about the community outreach they've done in the past in San Diego.   One speaker, Lisa Reedy, briefly welcomed The Chargers, which she referred to as "The Los Angeles Chargers of Costa Mesa".  The audience chuckled.

DISSENTING VOICES
Not everyone was overjoyed about the Chargers using these fields.  Bob Sutcliff, who has lived near this site when it actually was a Farm, spoke of the transition of this site and the attendant noise and disruption by permanent and temporary users - like college teams who have used the site in the past while playing in the Rose Bowl game.

Vince Rodriguez, representing AYSO 120, spoke in favor of the plan.

THE FINANCES
Others were concerned about the flat fee - the same amount for a decade - and suggested that some kind of escalator be included.  It wasn't.

GO HOME, ROSANSKY
Former Newport Beach councilman Steve Rosansky was in the crowd and spoke, advising the Chargers to look him up if "they blow this tonight"!  A sidebar - during the discussions Righeimer crept on little cat feet down from the dais and snatched Rosansky's Chargers ball cap from his head, which he later donned on the dais.

PASSED, WITH MUCH JUBILATION
So, after all was said and done the deal was passed, 5-0, and a short break was taken so photos could be taken with all the council members mugging for the cameras, embracing Chargers brass.  We'll see how this plays out.  Read Luke Money's account of this event in the Daily Pilot HERE. 

CONSENT CALENDAR PASSED
Back to the Consent Calendar.  The aforementioned Will B. King pulled most of the issues and rambled nearly incoherently on each one.  Each passed on a 5-0 vote.

2068 MAPLE AVENUE APPEAL
Next came Public Hearing #1, the de novo hearing on the request for a one-year time extension for a project at 2068 Maple Avenue that the Planning Commission recently denied.  This appeal, which was to address just the request for a time extension and not the project as a whole, took much longer than most anticipated.  It was helpful having two lawyers on the dais.  Both Foley and Stephens couched their questions and comments with their legal training showing through.   The applicant had only purchased the property - and the previously-approved entitlements - in September of 2016.  His entitlement expires near the end of May of this year.  This slide shows the current status of the project.

During Public Comments comparisons were made to an adjacent project - Poet's Place - as one that never should have been approved due to incompatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.  One speaker told the council that he had met with Righeimer and Mensinger who told him, "This won't happen again."  Another speaker quoted Stephens as addressing that project in negative terms.  

APPEAL DENIED, BUT...
As the discussion unfolded it was clear that Righeimer and Mansoor were inclined to overturn the denial due to the time and effort the applicant had invested in this project.  There is only one step left - the receipt of the approved map from the county, which would then be recorded and building permits could be issued.  However, when the final vote was taken the council, on a 3-2 vote with Righeimer and Mansoor voting no, voted to uphold the Planning Commission denial of the time extension.  The developer can still move forward with this project IF he can complete the necessary steps prior to his time running out near the end of May.  

UNUSUAL SITUATION
This is VERY unusual.  Nobody could recall when a request for a time extension had been denied.  Part of the staff report had a list of recent projects for which such requests were made - all were granted.

CUTTING OUT COSTA MESA UNITED
This now brought us to New Business #2, Consideration of Direct Partnership ith the School District for the Sports Facility Improvement Grant Program, which turned out to be the most acrimonious discussion of the evening.  Dan Baker, Assistant to the City Manager, made the staff report.  In a nutshell, the plan is to cut Costa Mesa United out of the process of passing dollars through to the School District for projects in the schools.  There is no short version of this story, but I'll try to find one.

WHO REPLACES THEM?    STAFF...
Costa Mesa United was praised for its diligence in this matter, but the discussion observed that City Staff - likely Baker and Recreation Manager Justin Martin - would play the role that organization plays now.  Questions were raised about the need for a "public benefit" for the funds passed from The City through Costa Mesa United to the School District.

Gordon Bowley, who was instrumental in founding Costa Mesa United and is still the spokesman for the organization, took exception to some of Baker's characterizations.

Vicki Snell, Vice President of the Newport Mesa Unified School District Board, spoke and read a letter she sent to the Board about this issue and the plan to expand the distribution of funds to elementary schools, not just three high schools in the district as is now the case.  She and Foley got into a heated discussion about this issue and a conversation they had about this issue recently.

RIGHEIMER BLOWS A GASKET...
Righeimer blew his top!  He referred to it as "Chicago politics" - something he should certainly know about, since that's the site of his roots.  He described this plan as a "political stunt" and said he's absolutely against any kind of program.

...AND CONTINUES
Stephens moved to approve the recommended action and the discussion continued. Stephens praised Bowley and Costa Mesa United.  He described himself as a long-time supporter and contributor.  During the discussion Righeimer continued in his meltdown, saying, "My advice to the school district is to get as far away from the City of Costa Mesa as you can." and went on to describe this as a "deal with the devil", apparently referring to Foley.  He then wondered why private school would not be included in the distribution.  Genis reminded him that it's against state law.

STEPHENS SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Stephens cited the fiduciary responsibility the council has.  As the discussion further unfolded, in response to Righeimer's earlier claim that this was purely a political stunt, Stephens pointed out that Bowley, as President of Costa Mesa United, was a signatory with Righeimer on several ballot measures and observed, "The argument that Costa Mesa United is apolitical is factually inaccurate."

PASSES
When the vote was called it passed, 3-2, with Righeimer and Mansoor voting NO.  There seemed to be nobody particularly happy with this outcome due to the rancorous tone of the discussion.  We took a break.

NEW COMMITTEES... MORE CONTROVERSY
At 11:20 the meeting commenced with New Business #3, the formation of several committees:
1 - Fairview Park Steering Committee
2 - The Youth Sports, Open Space & Recreation Advisory Committee
3 - Youth Sports Committee
4 - Open Space & Recreation Advisory Committee

ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO COSTA MESA UNITED
This discussion again devolved into some very unpleasant areas because it was a direct challenge to the existence of the Youth Sports Council - a sub-set of Costa Mesa United.  And, again, Bowley and Foley mixed it up regarding her actual awareness of his organization and its operations.  And, again, Snell stepped up and read yet another letter she was sending to the School Board on this issue.

DIDN'T SEE THE NEED
Brett Eckles, former Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission and youth sports activist, cited probable difficulties recruiting members to participate in this new Youth Sports Committee.  He said he wasn't necessarily against the committee, just didn't see the need.

COSTA MESA UNITED WILL CONTINUE
Bowley said Costa Mesa United will continue to operate, as will their Youth Council.  This is when he chided Foley for what he said was a spotty attendance record at Costa Mesa United.

MAYBE...
One speaker said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Righeimer kind of led the discussion, wondering about how many fields are involved, citing he didn't see a need for the Youth Sports Committee.

The Open Space and Recreation Advisory Committee, required by Measure Z, would have 7 members.  The Youth Sports Committee would also have 7.  The combined committee would have 17!

Eventually the council decided to Receive and File both separate issues, which passed on 3-2 votes with Foley and Genis voting NO.  They then launched into a discussion of the combined item and passed it with some minor adjustments, 3-2, with Righeimer and Mansoor voting NO.  This is VERY strange.

STEERING COMMITTEE CONFIGURED AND PASSED
The Fairview Park Steering Committee was passed as a seven (7) person committee with two alternates, on a 3-2 vote with Righeimer and Mansoor voting NO.

END OF A VERY LONG NIGHT
At 12:30 this morning Foley adjourned the meeting and those of us left - including very disgruntled youth sports supporters, dragged our collective bodies home.

OH, YES.... THANK YOU...
Before I publish this I want to take a moment to thank those of you who stopped to say hello and inquire about my health last night.  Many folks I had never met introduced themselves and wished me well.  Some I had not seen for a very long time went out of their way to say howdy.  My little life-changing event last year has caused some adjustment to my schedule - as you can see by the timestamp on this entry.  A year ago this would have been completed early in the morning.  No longer can this old body manage that kind of schedule.  Anyhow, thanks to you all.  We'll just keep on chuggin' as long as we can.  Your kind words were much appreciated.