Town Hall On Development Issues Thursday

INFORMATION ON IMPORTANT ISSUES
Costa Mesa First (CostaMesa1st.com) and Costa Mesans For Responsible Govenment (CM4RG.org) will be joined by the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance and the Banning Ranch Conservancy as they host a Town Hall Thursday, June 9, 2016, at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  You can read the details of this event in the text of their press release, below.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

PROVIDING FACTS, DISPELLING FALSEHOODS
This should be an informative event, designed to provide facts of very important issues facing the City of Costa Mesa today - and at the ballot box in November.

CM4RG Supports Smart Growth Initiative

DAILY PILOT COVERAGE
As you may have read in Bradley Zint's article in the Daily Pilot tonight, HERE, the activist group Costa Mesans For Responsible Government (CM4RG) has offered their support to the initiative effort recently launched by another activist organization, Costa Mesa First, which has been described by the Costa Mesa City Attorney in the title they ascribed to the petition as, "An Initiative to Require Voter Approval on Certain Development Projects".

PRESS RELEASE
Robin Leffler, President of CM4RG, issued a press release over the weekend announcing their support for the initiative.  CM4RG is a grass roots activist group which represents the views of hundreds of Costa Mesa residents from across the political spectrum and was largely responsible for fighting off the challenge of Jim Righeimer's Charter scheme - twice.  The full text of that press release follows:

Costa Mesans for Responsible Government Supports the Citizen’s Rights to be Heard

COSTA MESA, California, August 15, 2015 - Costa Mesans for Responsible Government (CM4RG) announces their support for Costa Mesa First’s “An Initiative to Require Voter Approval on Certain Development Projects".  This initiative enables the citizens of Costa Mesa to have a voice in developments that do not comply with the established General Plan or zoning codes.  CM4RG's core belief is that a responsible government listens to their citizens. 

This initiative promotes responsible growth.  It does not affect well-designed projects that conform to the established guidelines.  If a developer proposes a project that complies with Costa Mesa’s General Plan and maintains the established zoning, the process remains the same.  If the project requires substantial changes to the General Plan and zoning,  then the citizens will be notified, and the developer will present its project to the citizens.   Projects that add less than 40 residential units, 10,000 square feet of commercial space, or 200 new vehicle trips will not need voter approval. 

The Planning Commission often hears proposals on large projects that violate the General Plan or zoning restrictions.  A large, non-compliant development may be passed by a vote of as few as 3 Commissioners.  It is then forwarded to the City Council where only 3 votes  can change the rules to allow projects that negatively affect residents of Costa Mesa for years into the future. The initiative guards against such circumstances.   

Jay Humphrey,  a proponent of the initiative, says, "If we have to live with the impacts of major development changes in our community, we should have the ability to vote if we want to live with those impacts for the next 40 years or not.  A council is only around for the new phase of what they vote for and are usually out of office when the newness wears off and we get to live with what's left, warts and all."

CM4RG believes a government responsible to its citizens strives to comply with the goals and objectives of the General Plan.  CM4RG supports this initiative because we believe that the citizens of Costa Mesa often have not been heard, and deserve a voice in changes to land use and development that can substantially impact their quality of life. 

For more information about the initiative, see Costamesa1st.com.

SIGNATURES BEING GATHERED NOW
Signatures are being gathered now to qualify the initiative for the November, 2016 ballot.  More than 5,000 valid signatures are required to be collected and verified by early next year.  You can read the ballot summary description HERE and the full text of the initiative HERE.  You can also view an easy-to-understand flow chart on the initiative HERE.

Canalis and Venezia On Costa Mesa Politics

TOM AND LYNN AND JOHN AND BARBARA
In case you missed it, Sunday morning Daily Pilot Editor John Canalis and columnist Barbara Venezia were among the guests on Sunday Brunch with Tom and Lynn on local radio station KOCI-FM on their program that began at 11:30 a.m.  Hosts Tom Johnson (former Daily Pilot publisher) and Lynn Selich (Newport Independent columnist) provided an interesting opportunity for Canalis and Venezia to talk about their up-coming Feet To The Fire Forums later this election year.

DOWNLOAD IT AND LISTEN
If you wish to hear it, click HERE, to download the entire 1:15 minute program.  Follow the instructions to download it.  It will appear wherever you place it on your computer as "Sunday Brunch 030214".  Once you get it downloaded slide the scroll bar across to 33:26, where the Canalis/Venezia segment begins.  If you want to fast forward to some VERY interesting stuff just keep on sliding the bar over to 48:00.

SOME RANDOM CLIPS...
True to form, Venezia provided some very memorable snippets.  This is one reason many folks are very happy to see her return to the Daily Pilot as a columnist on Fridays.  To pique your interest - and make you want to hear more, more, more - here a a few comments snatched from Venezia's part of the conversation discussing the Costa Mesa City Council meetings:
"Cluster You-Know-What"
"Picking a Scab"  
"The rudeness the public has to go through"
"We're not going to ask them softball questions"

VENEZIA THINKS GASZI SHOULD RUN FOR COUNCIL!
When Johnson asked about the Costa Mesa City Council race, talking about the "Righeimer faction" and the "Costa Mesans For Responsible Government" side, he asked what would happen if Righeimer's side prevailed in November.  Venezia replied with the following statement:
"You know, one of the people I still think needs to quit his job and run for office is Chief Tom Gazsi.  I really do believe that.  I think he can do more to save that police department by being on the city council.  I think that if he quit his job there he could probably get hired as police chief anywhere else in the county.  And I think that he knows where the bodies are buried, so it would be very hard to run a negative campaign against him."

AND MORE...
Further, when discussing Planning Commissioner Colin McCarthy's recent scathing letter to CEO Tom Hatch criticizing Gazsi for endorsing Keith Curry - a long time friend - for the 74th Assembly Seat, Venezia said:
"He's a long-time resident.  He pays attention to politics at all different levels.  And what he thinks about someone really does carry some weight.  And I think that Colin McCarthy is way off base on this."

TAKE A FEW MINUTES...
OK, do I have your interest?  I hope so.  Please take a few minutes, download the audio clip and listen to the roughly half hour of discussion.  You'll be glad you did.

Krupp Calls A Press Conference

AUGUST 1ST
Costa Mesa City Council candidate Marshall Krupp today announced a press conference on the steps of Costa Mesa City Hall on Wednesday, August 1st at 4:00 p.m.


HIS REASONS...
In the press release announcing the press conference  titled "Marshall Krupp Initiates Nominations Process for Election to the Costa Mesa City Council", he cites the recent Banning Ranch Mitigation Agreement, the "ill-conceived Proposed Charter" and what he calls "a continuing strategy by the current majority on the City Council to dismantle the Costa Mesa Fire Department and the Costa Mesa Police Department" as reasons for his candidacy.

 IS HE PULLING OUT?
Since Krupp has stated in the past that he would withdraw from the race if he couldn't attract broad support from within the community and since the broad-based grass roots organization Costa Mesans For Responsible Government just announced their support for Sandra Genis, Harold Weitzberg and John Stephens this week, we wonder if this press conference might be to announce his withdrawal from the race.

BRING A SNACK
Krupp has brought a lot of energy to the campaign so far and has some ideas worth considering.  However, none of his messages have been delivered with brevity, so if you plan to attend this event bring a snack... it could be a long afternoon.

CM4RG Announces Candidate Endorsements

CHOICES ANNOUNCED TODAY
In a press release this afternoon the group, Costa Mesans For Responsible Government, announced the candidates they will endorse in the Costa Mesa City Council race.  Their complete press release is at the end of this post. SOLID CITIZENS...
Although they undertook a thorough vetting process to arrive at their endorsements - dozens of their membership voted on this issue - the results really did not surprise me.  The candidates selected are former mayor Sandra Genis, attorney and long-time Costa Mesa resident John Stephens and entrepreneur and activist Harold Weitzberg.  They all are members of CM4RG.  That, in my opinion, does not degrade the importance of this endorsement. 

...FROM A SOLID GROUP

Costa Mesans For Responsible Government has been portrayed by supporters of the slate of candidates that includes two incumbents and a planning commissioner as some kind of a fringe element - a bunch of loose cannons.  That, of course, is far from the truth.  This group, cobbled together more than eighteen months ago in response to their concern for what they saw happening in our city, is made up of hundreds of residents that cover a broad range of political viewpoints - including some of my fellow Republicans.  This group may be a perfect example of the old saying, "Politics makes for strange bedfellows."  I suspect the process they went through to arrive at this list of endorsed candidates may have been very much like herding cats. 

 OPPOSITION CANDIDATES NOT VETTED

It's my understanding that Steve Mensinger, Colin McCarthy and Gary Monahan - the three candidates touted by the Orange County Republican Party - as well as newcomer Al Melone were NOT vetted by the group.  In fact, the first three are a big part of the reason CM4RG exists.

AN INTERESTING SEASON AHEAD
The CM4RG candidates, in my view, are individually strong candidates with their own special skills and history of accomplishments.  I believe they will make this campaign season especially interesting. 


WHAT OF LESTER AND KRUPP?
I'm not sure what these endorsements will do, if anything, the candidacy of Sue Lester and Marshall Krupp at this time.  Krupp has given very strong indications that if he was unable to garner wide, strong community support that he would withdraw from the race.  I guess we'll soon see.  August 10th is the drop dead date.

NO "M"s FOR ME!


From my standpoint this process got a whole lot easier today.  I simply will not vote for anyone with a surname that begins with an "M".

So, let the games begin...

*****

CM4RG PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Costa Mesans for Responsible Government Endorses Three Candidates for Costa Mesa City Council

Costa Mesans for Responsible Government (CM4RG.org), a grassroots, non-partisan organization formed to encourage and promote high levels of openness, accountability, integrity, and responsiveness in our City Government, endorses Sandra (Sandy) Genis, John Stephens, and Harold Weitzberg for Costa Mesa City Council in the upcoming November 2012 election.

"We are pleased to have three strong candidates who oppose the city charter in its current form and who have the ability to communicate the change needed in Costa Mesa city government," said Robin Leffler, President of CM4RG.  "Our endorsed candidates have strong professional backgrounds and thoughtful, common-sense solutions for Costa Mesa.  

We believe Sandy Genis, John Stephens, and Harold Weitzberg will work well together because of their common values, in-depth knowledge of the city's operations, land development, local, state, and federal laws and how they affect residents, taxpayers, local businesses, and city employees.  We understand they will focus on public services to protect the residents and businesses and promote the smooth operations of our city.  They have the experience and willingness to deal with complex budget issues in a collaborative and constructive way. Finally, Sandy, John, and Harold have proven that they will do the right thing for the right reasons.  We could not be more pleased."

CM4RG established a non-partisan, three-tier process to select quality candidates, based on several criteria.  These included prior involvement in Costa Mesa issues and institutions, education and professional experience, ability to win in a highly competitive election, and a high level of agreement with CM4RG’s mission and policy positions.

An elected committee conducted personal interviews.   A panel of dedicated volunteers observed these interviews.   Then a summary of answers from each of the candidates was prepared presented to an appointed group of CM4RG members assembled to represent our broad based demographics, including every major political party and area of the city.  The group of CM4RG's non-partisan, grassroots members was presented with a choice of 5 candidates interviewed.  After group discussion a secret ballot was cast.  The vote was unanimous for Sandy Genis, John Stephens and Harold Weitzberg. 

CM4RG was formed in early 2011 to return Costa Mesa to an open, responsible, transparent government that is responsive and accountable to its people.

For more information about Costa Mesans for Responsible Government and how you can support their efforts, go to www.CM4RG.org. Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/cmforrg and on Twitter at twitter.com/CM4RG.

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Harold Weitzberg In The Race For Council

IT'S OFFICIAL...
Costa Mesa businessman Harold Weitzberg made it official via an interview with the Orange County Register's Barbara Venezia, HERE, that he's in the race for a seat on the Costa Mesa City Council in November.

I GENERALLY AGREE...
I, too, spent some time with Weitzberg recently discussing his candidacy and his views of Costa Mesa today and his plans for the future.  I came away with many of the same feelings expressed in Venezia's column. 
 
CM4RG
He is a member of the grass-roots organization, Costa Mesans For Responsible Government, http://www.cm4rg.org/, and is related by marriage to Robin Leffler, the President of that group.  Leffler's son is married to Weitzberg's daughter.  He is but one of other potential candidates that may spring from that organization as the campaign deadlines draw near.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA...
One issue that will certainly be part of any discussion of his run for office is the fact that his wife ran a medical marijuana dispensary until the Costa Mesa Police Department and the federal government recently shut all of them down in our city.  We didn't belabor that issue, but spent most of our time discussing other much more critical situations in our city - Jim Righeimer's Charter, the I-405 Improvement Project, the rising crime rate and the condition of City/Employee relationships as they exist today.

A STRONG CANDIDATE
In my view, Weitzberg is going to be a formidable force in the upcoming campaign.  He's not a developer, but is a skilled educator and businessman.  He's able to deliver his message crisply, as I suspect we will all see as the campaign season unfolds and forums take place.

HE'S OFF AND RUNNING
He has created a website, http://weitzberg4costamesa.com/, that will provide you with a good introduction to him and his candidacy.  Personally, I like his campaign slogan, Unity, Safety and Prosperity.  He seems to have the right view of what's needed in this city and presents them in the right order.
 
THE FIELD IS FORMING...
So far Weitzberg and businessman Marshall Krupp are the only two announced opponents to the three presumed OC GOP-supported candidates, Steve Mensinger, Gary Monahan and Colin McCarthy.  Only those five have taken out the official papers.   Beginning July 16th candidates may begin collecting the 30 signatures necessary to confirm their candidacy.  Only 20 are required, but the City Clerk requires 30 to be sure the minimum is met.  The official filing period ends August 10th and then the fun begins.

Charter Public Meeting Scheduled For Thursday

INFORMATIONAL MEETING
The grass-roots organization, Costa Mesans For Responsible Government, is holding a meeting on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue, Costa Mesa (at Lions Park) at which Jim Righeimer's Charter will be discussed.

COMMUNITY LEADERS
This group is composed of a broad cross-section of Costa Mesa residents opposed to Jim Righeimer's Charter and is led by President Robin Leffler, a community activist and Mesa Verde resident, plus former Mayor Sandra Genis, former Vice Mayor Jay Humphrey, retired Costa Mesa senior planning official Perry Valantine and others. This group authored the argument against Jim Righeimer's Charter for the June ballot, HERE.

STRAIGHT TALK ON THE CHARTER
I've included their official announcement of this meeting below. (Click on image to enlarge) It seems to me that this may be one of the few places available to residents to get information on this very important issue that has not been spun by the City Council propaganda machine. To whet your appetite just a little, you can read a commentary by Valantine from the Daily Pilot online today HERE. If you can't make the meeting, visit their website, www.cm4rg.org, for more information. It is a repository of valuable information on the REAL impact of Jim Righeimer's Charter that you won't find discussed on official city correspondence. See you Thursday.