Council Meeting Replay Schedule

IN CASE YOU WANT TO VIEW THE MEETING

Because the last Costa Mesa City Council meeting was packed with interesting, controversial items, and because Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer had another intellectual meltdown and probably violated confidentiality laws... and because, curiously, the streaming video of that meeting is not yet available, as a public service I provide you with the replay schedule of that meeting for the next few days.

WATCH THE FUN
It's fascinating to watch Righeimer ignore the rules, and watch Katrina Foley - who knows more than a little bit about the law - try to get him to shut his yap.  It's entertaining to watch Mayor Steve Mensinger unable to control, and to pound that gavel Righeimer gave him to call for a break.  It's interesting to watch Righeimer ignore City Attorney Tom Duarte's admonition about keeping comments VERY general in nature, several times.

IMPORTANT AGENDA ITEMS, TOO
In addition to that entertaining bit of theater, three very important items were on the agenda Tuesday night.  The future of the Costa Mesa Motor Inn was first up, followed by the second reading of the latest Group Home Ordinance and, finally, the proposal to spend $35 million to build a new library, convert the current library to a meeting space and add an acre of open space to Lions Park.

HERE'S THE REPLAY SCHEDULE
The following is the schedule that will play on Channel 3 on Time Warner Cable and Channel 99 on ATT UVerse.  Righeimer's rant begins about an hour and 15 minutes in...

City Fails Another Transparency Test

GOOD GRIEF!
Geez, a guy can't take a couple days off to enjoy the holiday made possible by the labors of others without the wheels coming off here at home!  I'll address the Barbara Venezia column in a separate post.

A HUGE DECISION BY THE CITY
First, and most important, is the decision by the City of Costa Mesa to NOT televise and replay the City Council Candidate Forum to be hosted by the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group on October 2nd.

CONVOLUTED RESPONSE
Last week I wrote to City Communication Director Bill Lobdell, asking whether Costa Mesa Television (CMTV) would be recording the two remaining candidate forums this cycle - the Feet To The Fire Forum on September 18th and the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group forum on October 2nd.  The answer he sent me - as I was literally walking out the door for a long holiday weekend on Thursday - reads as follows:

Earlier this year, the city agreed to use public resources to record and broadcast the Mesa Verde Community, Inc. and Feet to the Fire City Council debates.

After the city made those commitments, Mal Richardson, special counsel in charge of election issues, advised that the city needed to be politically neutral, and, therefore, it should not utilize public resources for the recording and broadcasting of political debates hosted by private entities.

In addition, Richardson—who is with the law firm of Best, Best and Krieger—expressed concern that once the city agreed to participate in one political debate, it would have legal difficulty declining the request of any other group wanting the city to record and broadcast its debate.

City officials decided to honor their previous commitments to Mesa Verde Community, Inc. and Feet to the Fire, but, on the advice of counsel, will not participate in any political debates going forward.

BETTER LATE...

It was too late for me to do anything about that except to reply to him that I thought it smelled of politics and I hoped the City would reconsider.  I didn't have the technology available to me over the weekend so didn't write about it until now.  Segments of the note have been referred to elsewhere, but I thought you should see it verbatim.

ZINT COVERED - RAMOS DECLINES TO SHOW, AGAIN

In the meantime, Bradley Zint wrote about the issue in the Daily Pilot, HERE.  Some of the quotations he included, and later added to, made me smile.  I particularly enjoyed Lee Ramos' comment that he wasn't going to attend the Eastside Forum - stiffing them just as he did for the recent Mesa Verde Community, Inc., forum, but "I have many friends on both sides.  I have no disrespect to them at all."  Really, old fella?  Now he's managed to alienate TWO powerful, active community organizations, including one that represents the neighborhood in which he, and I, live.  He told Zint that his campaign committee decided "some time ago" to not have him participate in those two - only the Feet To The Fire Forum.  Seems like strange advice, unless they suspected he might shoot himself in the foot at the others.  Funny - it seems like he's already done that.

WHINING AND BULLYING

At the last forum conducted by my Eastside neighbors two years ago Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger was VERY unhappy about the questions and his buddy, Mayor Jim Righeimer, accosted members of the leadership of the group and the forum moderator immediately following the event, berating them for what he thought were "unfair and slanted" questions.  As others have mentioned, this tirade happened in front of his daughter.  Nice life lesson!  Bullying 101!

ANTI-EASTSIDE GROUP BIAS

It's obvious from this, and other recent events, that the current power elite in this city are very unhappy with my friends in the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group and are clearly using their political power to disenfranchise them during this election cycle.  Another example of that attitude is Planning Commission Chair - and council majority lapdog - Jim Fitzpatrick's recent calling out of the President of the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group, real estate agent Jeff McConville, at the last commission meeting because he didn't do back flips supporting a proposed development on the Eastside.

THE EASTSIDE FORUM MUST BE COVERED!

The note from Lobdell, above, is more than a little contradictory, but it is clear what should happen.  Because CMTV has already taped and replayed the Mesa Verde Community, Inc., forum, and plans to do the same for the Feet To The Fire Forum, they ABSOLUTELY MUST provide the same coverage for the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group! 

MORE RIGHEIMER POSTURING

In an added comment in his article Zint quotes Righeimer as committing to pay half the cost of recording and broadcasting the Eastside forum.  We think that "offer" is just so much political posturing.  We're presuming he'd try to get his buddy,  majority supporter Barry Friedland of Costa Mesa Brief, to do the job, then do an editing job favorable for his side.

ONE MORE ATTEMPT TO STIFLE DISCUSSION

Righeimer is  quoted as saying, "I'm hoping my fellow council candidates will join me in this effort to make sure Costa Mesa voters are as informed as possible before casting their votes in November."  I agree, and the best way to do that is to have Costa Mesa Television cover the event and provide the replay via their normal outlets on CMTV and streaming video.  Anything less would demonstrate to the voters of this city that this is just one more way for the mayor and his pals to stifle public participation in the political discourse in our city.

WRITE TO HATCH

Since we have a little time, I suggest those of you who feel the same way take a few minutes to drop a little note to City CEO Tom Hatch, HERE, and request - or demand - that this bogus decision be reversed and that he instruct Dane Bora and Brad Long of Costa Mesa Television to cover the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group candidate forum on October 2nd.  AND, I hope all of you will join me at that event - in recent years it has been the best of the bunch.

CMTV 24 Wins Again

LOBDELL ANNOUNCES CMTV 24 AWARDS
Interim Communications Director Bill Lobdell just sent out the following Press Release announcing yet another basket of awards for Costa Mesa Television - CMTV 24.

Kudos to Dane Bora and Brad Long for their continuing excellence and outstanding service to our community.

CMTV 24 wins three awards for excellence in programming

COSTA MESA, CALIF.—Costa Mesa Television Channel 24 (CMTV 24) earned three top place awards this week at the 15th Annual STAR Awards presented by the California and Nevada chapter of the National Assn. of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

“City Talk” received the first place Talk Show STAR Award for the fourth time in the past five years. “The Community Report” was recognized as the best magazine show for the second time, and CMTV 24 was honored for the third time for overall excellence.

“The well-deserved awards confirm what Costa Mesa residents already know—that CMTV 24 is a community treasure that keeps us informed on a wide variety of City matters,” Mayor Gary Monahan said. “And I personally congratulate the dynamic duo who run CMTV 24—Dane Bora and Brad Long—for all their hard work and dedication to Costa Mesa.”

The City-run television channel has now received 13 first place STAR Awards since 1997, including 10 in the past six years. Additionally, CMTV 24 has earned numerous second and third place honors in a variety of categories over the years.

The STAR Awards recognize excellence in government programming by facilities serving California and Nevada communities. Entries are judged on the basis of creativity in achieving stated objectives, technical proficiency and diversity of programming.