Hit Piece On Foley Is Despicable

I AM REALLY TICKED-OFF!
Today in my mailbox appeared a hit piece on Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley in an attempt to discredit her with casual voters - those who only pay attention to local politics during an election season.

LIE-FILLED HIT PIECE
This hit piece, paid for by a group called "Keeping Californians Working" in San Rafael, CA, is so blatantly full of lies that it boggles one's mind.  I've provided images of the front, back and inside so you can see the full extent of the lies involved..

LIES AND MISREPRESENTATIONS
On the inside you will see several newspaper headlines, an attempt to link Foley with the bad news each one portrays.  They are called "bad decisions" by Foley.  In fact, in most cases she was not even on the City Council at the time.  In other cases the situation misrepresents the facts.

NEARLY A MILLION BUCKS ON LIES
I'm told the slimeballs who paid for this piece of trash spent nearly $1 million to distribute their falsehoods to Orange County households.  Their desperation about the possibility of Katrina Foley finishing first or second in the upcoming March 3rd Primary Election is obvious.  There are three (3) candidates for State Senate - Incumbent Republican John Moorlach, newcomer Democrat Dave Min from Irvine and Mayor Katrina Foley.

PRESUMING GOP INVOLVEMENT
We presume my Republican Party is responsible for this crap.  They know that Moorlach will have a hard time holding his seat if he has to go head-to-head with Foley, but he can likely crush Min.

MY PARTY HAS LOST IT'S WAY
I don't know what's happened to my party.  The leadership certainly seems to have lost it's way somewhere since Ronald Reagan's tour as President.  Locally, they continue to shoot themselves in the foot and clearly are no longer in tune with the electorate.

CATASTROPHIC INFIGHTING
You will recall a couple years ago when Scott Baugh tried to eviscerate incumbent Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in the primary race.  The terrible stuff that appeared in our mailboxes about those candidates - particularly those criticizing Rohrabacher -  was awful... and it backfired.  Rohrabacher managed to survive the primary election and was paired up against Harley Rouda, a former Republican-turned Democrat.  Then, in the race headed to the General Election, Rohrabacher failed to debate Rouda and ended up losing the seat he had held for 30 years!

MOORLACH IS A GOOD GUY.... BUT....
I like John Moorlach.  He's a smart man and has a record of accomplishment in county government, but he is very outnumbered in the State Senate, where only 10 of 40 Senators are Republicans.  He has almost NO chance of making a difference in Sacramento.  What I DO NOT like is that he's apparently willing to let surrogates act to defame and flat out lie about Foley in order to retain his seat.

I LIKE KATRINA FOLEY
Foley is my friend.  I've watched her as a City Council member and as a Trustee on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees and admired her dedication to our city for two decades.  She is smart, tireless and has a vision for Costa Mesa that is now coming to fruition.  She is a multi-tour mayor, having been elected by her peers, then - in a purely political move - was voted out of that spot.  She then ran for the seat as the first directly-elected mayor in the city's history and crushed then-incumbent and multi-term councilwoman Sandra Genis - one of the perpetrators of her earlier ouster.

I DON'T LIKE THE LIBERAL AGENDA
As a lifelong conservative I am not happy with the way the liberal majority in Sacramento is taking our state.  I disagree with almost every move they make, from the squandering of public funds to declaring California a Sanctuary State - spitting in the eye of the Federal Government, upon who we depend for funding of many projects.  Am I worried about Foley - another liberal politician - facilitating that which I find onerous?  A little.  However, I've watched her work.  She knows how to build consensus.    I will vote for her in the primary election.

WHY THE LIES?
I retired this blog nearly 3 years ago, but this nastiness has so angered me that I felt it was necessary to write about it.  Each of you will have to use your own judgment on this issue... just know that you are being lied to and ask yourselves why...

Dim Hope For Sober Living Home Invasion

 LOOKING FOR GOOD NEWS - DIDN'T GET IT
A group of elected officials and their surrogates plus a couple of lawyers spoke to more than 150 residents last night at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center on the subject of Sober Living Homes.  The news was not good.

GLOOM
This event, hosted by several legislators, the Association of California Cities - Orange County (ACC-OC) and the Orange County Association of Realtors (OCAR), offered a gloomy picture to those in attendance expecting to hear that the "solution" is just around the corner.  It's not.

FROM HEATHER TO TODD
Moderator Heather Stratman, CEO of ACC-OC, kicked off the evening by introducing Todd Leishman, a lawyer from the firm of Best, Best and Krieger.  He presented the audience with a brief primer on sober living, the local issues, legal challenges and local city ordinances.  He moved briskly through his presentation, which included an admonition to attendees.  He cautioned them to avoid saying things like, "I don't want them living next door to me." when addressing our city councils on this issue because that kind of statement could haunt the city later in court.  He told us, "Don't do anything stupid."  He spoke about the difference between licensed and non-licensed facilities, and how they must be treated differently by law.  You'll get the gist of his presentation by following along on these slides.

MUNOZ UP NEXT
Next up was lawyer Patrick Munoz, with the firm of Rutan and Tucker and the City Attorney for the City of Dana Point.  He also represents the City of Costa Mesa in their current sober living legal battles.  He spoke of the City of Newport Beach's problems attempting to manage sober living homes - an effort that eventually cost them more than $10 million.  He also talked of Dana Point's situation, mentioning that sober living is a BIG business, citing one facility in that city that charges $2,500 per month per bed.  He spoke of the nuisance factor - Red Bull, cigarettes and loud talking. He stressed the "care and supervision" element and mentioned that if you can sort out the bad actors from the good ones it's likely that the bad actors will go out of business.

PANEL OF "EXPERTS"
Next came the panel of legislators and their surrogates.  Seated on the dais were Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, State Senator John Moorlach, State Assemblyman Matthew Harper, former Huntington Beach councilman Joe Carchio representing Assemblyman Travis Allen and Leishman providing his views on Congressman Darrell Issa's pending bill.  Later Munoz and Diana Coronado of ACC-OC joined the group for the Question and Answer period.

DANA BLAMES BAD POLICIES
First up was Rohrabacher, who got everyone's attention when he contradicted almost everything the two lawyers had said earlier.  He said, "It's not about bad actors.  It's about drug addicts and alcoholics in our neighborhoods!"  He went on to describe this situation as a result of bad policies.  He said the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is bad policy. He said the Fair Housing laws are bad policy.  He said the Affordable Care Act is bad policy because it throws a lot of money at the issue.  Perhaps the best way to describe what he was aiming at is to repeat what he told Stacey Butler of CBS News in an interview shown on television later last night.  Rohrabacher said, "They're putting drug addicts and alcoholics right next door to ordinary families which, of course, hurts the values of their property.  But, also, there's some jeopardy that you're put into if you have children right next door to a bunch of drug addicts and alcoholics."  He wants to move sober living facilities into commercial and/or industrial areas.

BEMOANING MINORITY STATUS
Moorlach, after composing himself following the double-take he did as Rohrabacher spoke, bemoaned the fact that he is limited to only 20 bills per year and that both he and Harper are at a big disavantage as members of a minority party in the state legislature.

HARD DRUGS
Harper told anecdotes about neighbors and their problems with sober living homes nearby.  He also emphasized the limitations he has in the Assembly because the "other" party has a super-majority.  He spoke of the proliferation of hard drugs, well beyond Marijuana, expressing concern that kids today are becoming hooked on opiates.  He said, "Once they do that they're gone."  Not exactly what you expect to hear from a legislator discussing sober living homes.  He also spoke of  clustering of sober living homes; proximity to schools; the need to change state laws to permit cities to deal with their sober living issues, but agreed that some level of state oversight and regulation will be necessary. He pleaded for city's to propose legislation that he could push forward.  Funny, I thought that was HIS job.  He also cited the need for volunteers/citizen organizations to spread the word state-wide and put pressure on the governor and legislature.

CITIES NEED TO WORK TOGETHER
Carchio gave some history to previous efforts, citing his own city as just not doing enough.  He looked forward to Costa Mesa making progress, saying everyone is watching.  He said the cities need to work together to get a bill passed, acknowledging that it will be difficult because "there is a lot of money to be made."  Gee, no kidding!

40% OF CALIFORNIA SOBER LIVING HOMES ARE IN OC
Stratman told us the ACC-OC mission is to be a powerful regional voice on important issues, and mentioned that 40% of the sober living homes in California are located in Orange County.  Yikes!

Leishman spoke briefly about H.R. 6070, Congressman Issa's bill, indicating that is will likely have to be re-visited before it can pass.

MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS?
Then the panel began to respond to written questions from the audience.
The first question asked if mental health issues will be impacted by sober living homes.  Moorlach told us that Orange County has only 10 mental health beds for a county of 3.1 million people.

BACKGROUND CHECKS ON OWNER/OPERATORS?
Another asked about background checks for owners and operators of sober living homes.  Munoz said, "sometimes.", citing Costa Mesa litigation.

COSTA MESA ORDINANCE AND FAIR HOUSING LAWS
Another asked if Costa Mesa's ordinance violates Fair Housing laws?  Munoz, answering as an attorney retained by the City, said, "Absolutely not!", with a grin on his face.

HOW TO PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
Another person, apparently from an unincorporated part of the county, cited their tranquil enviornment and asked how they can discourage sober living homes in their area? Carchio said "build a wall."  Moorlach replied that they should contact the county.

HR6070?
Another question dealt with HR 6070 (Issa's bill) and how it would be implemented by the state.  Leishman said it's a federal bill, not a state bill.  Carchio rambled on about it being a problem for realtors.

WHAT ABOUT DISCLOSURE?
That was followed by a question of disclosure of the existence of sober living homes in the case of a home sale. That was interesting to watch, since nobody really had an answer.  Finally Munoz said, "Tell the truth.  The truth will set you free."  Leishman said if he were buying a home today he would ask every question he could about homes in the neighborhood - rentals, etc. - without actually asking about sober living homes.

SOBER LIVING HOMES AND HOMELESSNESS?
What turned out to be the final question asked about sober living homes and their contribution to homelessness.  Munoz observed it is a common complaint, but he didn't have any specific information.  Moorlach spoke of AB 109, Prop. 47 and the recently passed Prop 57, all of which changed the game regarding criminals being released back onto our streets sooner.  At that point Rohrabacher launched into an echo of his earlier rant, citing failed policies.  He ended by stating, "Expect very tough legislation early next year."  He was not specific, but it was red meat for those looking for some light at the end of the sober living tunnel.  It was almost like being at a Trump rally.

NOBODY HAS A HANDLE ON THIS!
I came away feeling that nobody really has a handle on the sober living industry - except those personally involved with it and making a LOT of money.  All I see ahead is many more lawsuits being generated by our attempts to enforce our two existing laws.  I found it ironic that as this meeting was going on the Costa Mesa Planning Commission was meeting to hear appeals of denials of permits from a couple such places.  I know they denied an appeal to a long-time operator - a local businessman who has operated a sober living home on the up-and-up for more than a dozen years.  More on that later.

WHERE WERE OUR LEADERS?
I must observe that the only city officials I saw in the crowd last night were not quite official - John Stephens and Allan Mansoor were in the room, but Mansoor bailed out early.  Stephens stayed to the bitter end, trying to soak in as much information as he could for the tasks ahead of him on the City Council.

WAS IT WORTH IT?
Was it worth attending this meeting?  Well, I guess so, because I really didn't expect to hear solutions presented.  From that standpoint I was not disappointed.  At one point I found myself looking at the men on the dais and thinking that Rohrabacher, Moorlach and Harper had just wrapped up successful re-elections based on the most recent numbers and yet they had nothing approaching a clue about how to manage this problem - and it IS a problem.  I see many more lawsuits facing our city before we get this figured out.

Costa Mesa's Not Alone In The Rehab Battles

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO DEALING WITH REHAB HOMES
Late last night online and in today's print edition the Orange County Register published an article by staff writer Fred Swegles buried on page 4 of the Local Section titled, "San Juan seeks freeze on rehab homes".  Click on that title to read the article.

THE TEXT SOUNDS VERY FAMILIAR
This timely piece summarizes what's been going on in that South County city as it deals with the infestation of rehabilitation homes - a problem exactly like the one Costa Mesa has been wrestling with for a few years now.  Costa Mesa residents have been asking for a moritorium on rehab homes for several years - San Juan Capistrano is poised to do exactly that.

OUR PROBLEM IS SIMILAR, BUT BIGGER
As you read through that article you'll get the sense that you're reading about Costa Mesa, except our city has been mired in this problem longer, and to a much greater extent.  It's been estimated by some that Costa Mesa has nearly one-third of all the rehab homes in Orange County.

RECENT MEETING - DANA CLUELESS
The article also mentions the March 18, 2016 meeting in Irvine attended by many elected officials - Sandra Genis was the only elected official from Costa Mesa based on reports from the scene - in which the issue of the proliferation of rehab homes throughout Orange County was discussed.  And, Congressman Dana Rhorabacher apparently has been quoted as saying something like "I've just become aware of this issue.", or words to that effect.  OK, there are a couple ways you could interpret that.  Since he's a resident of Costa Mesa - a couple blocks from me - it seems virtually impossible that ANY person with ANY political position could actually NOT be aware of this situation.  He is either clueless or not truthful - neither option seems satisfactory to me.

STATE-WIDE SOLUTION SOUGHT
There is a group in San Clemente - San Juan Capistrano's neighbor - that is attempting to generate signatures on an online petition to force the folks in Sacramento to DO SOMETHING about this problem.  A local organization, Take Back Our Neighborhoods (TBON) has been working with the San Clemente group and has provided a link on their web page that will take you directly to that petition.  The TBON page can be found at www.tboncostamesa.com.  The large red alert banner at the top of the homepage includes a link to the petition.

TWO ORDINANCES - NO ENFORCEMENT

Costa Mesa has passed two (2) ordinances in an attempt to regulate the way these rehab homes operate.  The first, pertaining to R-1 residential neighborhoods, is currently unenforceable due to litigation.  The second, for all other residential neighborhoods, should just about be going into effect now.

STAY ALERT AND SPEAK UP
Costa Mesa residents should continue to be vigilant because the proliferation of these homes appears to be adding to the spike in crime in our neighborhoods.  We should continue to require our elected leaders to look for solutions - including lobbying state and federal officials for a comprehensive solution -  and hold their feet to the fire until they do.

The Festering Wound Ripens...

RELIVING THAT MOMENT...
It's been a couple weeks since Mayor Jim Righeimer, in a fit of pique, called me (and four others) out by name during the Council Members Comments segment of the Costa Mesa City Council meeting on April 15th.  If you want to relive that magic moment, click HERE, for the Daily Pilot coverage, including the short video clip of his rant.

LOTS OF REACTION
Since that evening we've seen lots of reaction.  Folks have lined up on both sides of the issue - some pillorying me and others praising me.  The two other grouchy old bloggers in town immediately - after they awoke from their naps - posted critical comments.  No surprise there.  If you want to read what they wrote you'll have to find them on your own.

SOME HISTORY...
I wrote about the experience early the next morning, HERE.  A week later I wrote about dictators, in general, HERE.  I responded to Righeimer's published demand for an apology with a little commentary in the Daily Pilot, HERE.  The original Daily Pilot article has generated more than 100 comments.  My original blog entry had a couple dozen and when I posted it on Facebook that entry generated more than 100 comments, too.  And, a source of special amusement for me, my comment on the Facebook thread that started this whole controversy has seen the "likes" that drove him so nuts double since Righeimer made such a big deal about it.

SCREEN GRABS WORK BOTH WAYS
Even though both men have blocked me, I've seen screen grabs from Mayor Righeimer and his buddy, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger that mention me by name relative to this issue.  Righeimer suggested in one entry that I have smeared his wife and family.  Hmmm. Wonder how he came to that conclusion?  Then, again, he tends to throw them out there as shields for criticism when he's worried about it.  That certainly shows you something about his character, doesn't it?  He also suggested that he and his sycophants pray for me.  I'm trying to imagine that... it makes me smile when I contemplate the difficulty they must be having with that assignment. 

REALLY, STEVE?
Mensinger suggests that I "take a cue from" Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who apparently recently spoke critically of the holocaust.  Now THAT is interesting, since Abbas has been a holocaust denier for more than three decades and has vowed to destroy the state of Israel.  So, Steve, what message would you have me learn from this man, exactly?

PONDERING IT...
Over the weekend, during breaks from chores and quality moments with my lovely and very patient wife,  I occasionally gave this some thought.  Certainly, nobody would like to be compared to the most notorious dictator in modern times.  I understand that.  I certainly didn't say Righeimer was a Jew-killer, just that he acted like a guy who was.

MY STRONGEST MESSAGE
In fact, my opinion is that our mayor behaves like a dictator as he goes about doing what he perceives to be his job as mayor.  When I compared him to another strutting dictator 75 years ago in Germany I was using the strongest message I could think of at the time to define his behavior.  Subsequently, I thought Benito Mussolini might have been a better comparison, since Righeimer kind of looks like him.  That satisfied nobody, apparently.

SHALL WE CONSIDER THIS?
Then, over the weekend, a friend shared a December 31, 1995 archived Los Angeles Times article, HERE,  that seems to have some relevance.  Mentioned in the article are Scott Baugh and Dana Rohrabacher, both of whom are strong supporters - mentors, actually - of our mayor.  Both Rohrabacher and Reverand Lou Sheldon - a HUGE OC GOP supporter at the time - are quoted in that article.  The use of the words "Nazis" and "Gestapo" should evoke the same kind of response by Righeimer, right?  So, let me ask you... is this relevant to the issue at hand?  Shall we consider the fact that folks with whom our mayor walks in lock-step politically conjure up similar images to make a point?  Just askin'...

WHAT SHE SAID...
And, in case you're wondering.... No, I do not intend to apologize to the mayor for what I wrote.  As Anna Vrska told him at the very end of that council meeting - when addressing his rant and her support of my right to make that comparison just before he tried, unsuccessfully, to shout her down - "I suggest you be a big boy and suck it up."  I've got a feeling that before this campaign season is over what I wrote on that Facebook thread may not be the worst thing written about the mayor this year.