Interesting Juxtapositioning of Daily Pilot Letters

CMPA PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT

By now many of you may have discovered the excellent letter by Costa Mesa Police Association President Rob Dimel (shown here with A.B.L.E. Commander Tim Starn) in the Daily Pilot, HERE.  Curiously, this appeared in print before it made the online version Sunday.  Dimel - a long-time Costa Mesa resident and former A.B.L.E. Pilot - takes great pains to define the CMPA and the role the men and woman of that organization play in keeping the city safe.

BOYD EXPECTS RIGHTS TO BE ABANDONED
Dimel's letter in the old Mailbag is accompanied by another,  by David L. Boyd of Costa Mesa.  We presume this is the self-same David L. Boyd who was just re-elected to a seat on the Orange County Board Of Education.  In his letter Boyd pillories the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department for what he has apparently pre-judged as their complicity in the events of nearly two years ago involving Mayor Jim Righeimer, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger and Councilman Gary Monahan.  Apparently he feels that the CMPA should not have exercised its right to appeal a recent decision in the case.  He tells us that he thinks the men and women of the CMPA - who put their own lives in jeopardy every day to keep ours safe - should just shrug off their own rights in the case.  And, I find it curious that, while this case and the issues involved in it have been swirling around for nearly two years, Mr. Boyd chose to submit his letter for publication AFTER his seat on the Board of Education was secured.  Perhaps it's just a coincidence.

LET THE TRUTH PLAY OUT

I don't know the "truth" of the whole Chris Lanzillo/Lackie, Dammeier, McGill and Ether situation.  At this point very few people do.  However, I find it upsetting that anyone should demand that the men and women of the CMPA give up their rights in this case.  If the case runs its course and members of the CMPA are found to be culpable in this situation, then appropriate punishment should be applied.  If not, I expect those who rushed to judgment to apologize.  However, I won't be holding my breath on that one.

Mensinger Claims He Was Electronically Tracked

 MAYOR PRO TEM'S CAR BUGGED?

The BIG news tonight is the claim by Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger that he was tracked by representatives of the now-defunct law firm Lackie, Dammeier, McGill & Ethir using a GPS device attached to his personal vehicle.

 COVERAGE HERE
You can read the local news reports from Gustavo Arellano in the OC Weekly, HERE, Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register, HERE and Jeremiah Dobruck the Daily Pilot, HERE.

UNACCEPTABLE!
If this claim is proven to be true it is an unacceptable and chilling event and those responsible should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  According to the news reports, the FBI is now involved in this case with rumors of racketeering charges being floated around.


MORE NEWS TOMORROW
Apparently a news conference is scheduled for some time Thursday to more fully expand on this story.  That should be interesting.  Stay tuned.