CMPD Chief Sharpnack Holds A Town Hall

PUBLIC SAFETY DISCUSSED
Last night Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack held a Town Hall at Vanguard University, co-hosted by the university, MIKA Community Development and the CMPD.

A SMALL CROWD
Approximately forty (40) members of the community met with Sharpnack as he outlined the current status of the Costa Mesa Police Department and the challenges facing our city and many others due to legislation and other influences.

JOINTLY-HOSTED
MIKA Community Development Executive Director Keturah Kennedy introduced Chief Sharpnack and community activist Walter, the interpreter that would provide Spanish/English interpretation for most of the evening.  Approximately half of the audience appeared to be Spanish-speakers.  I was later told the effort for this meeting was specifically directed to the Latino community.

NEW PUBLIC OUTREACH
Sharpnack was assisted by the new Public Affairs Manager for the CMPD, Roxi Fyad, who also made a presentation demonstrating her recent efforts in community outreach - videos, social media, press releases, etc.  She also mentioned that the CMPD will be resurrecting the Neighborhood Watch Program.  Information about how to apply for the program can be found HERE.

STAFFING
Sharpnack told us the CMPD current authorized staffing level for sworn officers is 136.  Currently they are staffed at 115, but three of those are out injured.  Three (3) new officers will graduate from the academy this month.  Three (3) more just began the academy so it will be around 3 months before they graduate.  He expects to have 5 or 6 more candidates in the next academy class.  When asked how long he thought it would take to get staffed-up, he said that - presuming no departures between now and then, by the end of 2018.  He also told us they have no planned retirements in 2017 and 2018.

LEGISLATION
He spoke about the impact of legislation - AB 109 and Props 47 and 57 - on the community.  These combined to effectively put more criminals back on the streets of our communities.  He told us that since the passage of Prop. 47 in 2014 crime is up 34%.  He did tell us, though, that Part 1 Crimes in Costa Mesa have dipped this year.  In January they were down 5% and in February they were down 7.13%.  You can view the Crime Stats from the City web site HERE.  If you wish to view the Crime Map, go HERE.  Go HERE to the main CMPD site on the City site, which will provide you other links to important pages.  He spoke about the monthly meetings he and his command staff have to analyze crime statistics and plan for staff deployment to "hot" areas.

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR
Regarding AB109, he suggested community members speak to their legislators to try to get that bill amended.

SOBER LIVING HOMES
He also spoke of the impact of Sober Living Homes, which contribute to our growing Homelessness problem, and also in the incidences of crimes of opportunity - car break-ins, burglaries, etc.  He expressed concern about the dropouts who end up on our streets, basically homeless and with addiction problems.

MORE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
He stressed the need for community involvement, expressing the viewpoint that it's critical for the CMPD to build trust within the community.  He asked for the community to be alert to the areas around them.  If you see a crime, or suspect a crime, report it!  "If you see it, say it!"

WHAT ABOUT IMMIGRATION/DEPORTATION?
Sharpnack took many questions from attendees.  One, from a Latina woman, wondered about the Costa Mesa Police Department's policies regarding immigration, citing the current national discussion about immigration/deportation.  He told her that nothing has changed with the CMPD - nobody will be stopped for an immigration question.  Only stops will be made if a crime is suspected.  I wondered if that question would come up because Allan Mansoor is back on the dais now and, during his last tour, the Latino community was terrorized by the specter of ICE raids and Mansoor's placement of an ICE agent in the Jail.

LOCAL CRIMES
A couple community members cited recent crimes involving them or their neighborhoods.

SPECIALITY UNITS
Sharpnack spoke of his goal to re-staff the specialty units that are so vital to the effective policing of our city.  Those will typically be filled as new officers are hired and more senior officers are promoted.  Those units were decimated when the staffing level was cut and officers left in droves for early retirement and other jurisdictions.  These units are Traffic (special events, Fair, etc.); Community Policing (2); School Resource Officers (2); South Coast Plaza (3); Bike Patrol; Gang Unit; Special Investigations Unit; Detective Bureau (currently fully staffed).  He also hopes to staff a K-9 Unit and somehow find a way to get more social worker time with his officers to help with his PERT program - the so-called 5150 stops - mental health issues.  Right now he has the services of one person part time a couple days a week.

STREET CLOSURES
A question was asked about street closures and Sharpnack responded with the story of Shalimar Street, which was closed at one end to stop the drive-by activities.  He said that neighborhood was in peril, but it has changed significantly now.

HOMELESSNESS
He was asked about Homelessness in the city and spoke about being part of the original Homeless Task Force a couple years ago.  He briefly explained some of the efforts of that group - visiting other cities to monitor best practices.  He spoke about the need for transitional housing and praised Assistant City Manager Rick Francis and Muriel Ullman for their work getting homeless folks in contact with family and assisted returning home - wherever that happens to be.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
He also spoke about the Neighborhood Watch program and told us he wants his department to be proactive, not reactive

AIR SUPPORT
Questions were asked about air support.  He explained that since the dissolution of the ABLE program we contract with Huntington Beach to use their helicopter on an on-call basis.  I chimed in that we're spending around $20,000 a month for that service.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Sharpnack addressed Human Trafficking, citing that it is the #2 crime in the world.  He trains his officers to be alert for the signs of that problem and resolve them.

PROP. 64 - MARIJUANA
He mentioned the difficulty with Prop. 64, the legalization of Marijuana in the state.  He spoke of the increase of drug DUI cases and the potency of the so-called "edibles" - brownies, cookies, candies.

DIANE HILL
He acknowledged the contribution of Diane Hill and her United Neighbors newsletters that spread the news about current issues, including crime-related issues, throughout the city.  Here she is shown passing communications from concerned Halecrest neighbors to Sharpnack.

CITIZEN'S VOLUNTEER PATROL
He told us he's going to resurrect the Citizen's Volunteer Patrol program, where civilians are placed in vehicles to do things like vacation checks, etc.

WORTHWHILE
The meeting was worthwhile, although I think the sponsors expected a larger crowd.  The room would have easily held 100 people comfortably.  Well, kind of comfortably... I discovered that the fold up writing desk will not accommodate my expanded girth.  Ah, to be young and a student again!

 THANKS.. KEEP THEM COMING!
When Sharpnack spoke of returning the CMPD to the days when he was first hired - the best police department in Orange County - many in the crowd applauded.  Thanks to Chief Sharpnack, Roxi Fyad, MIKA Community Development and Vanguard University for providing this opportunity to learn more about the public safety issues in our city.  More such events are planned in the near future.

Grateful Model Engineers Say Thanks...

...TO A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY

In a letter distributed this afternoon the Orange County Model Engineers thanked the Costa Mesa community for its tremendous response to their needs in the wake of a wave of vandalism and theft that has happened recently at the OCME facility at Fairview Park.  Here's the letter.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

A BIG "BUBBLING CAULDRON" THANK YOU, TOO!
I want to add my thanks to you all for your outstanding community spirit and support of this wonderful organization.  And, as Dixon Sheldon said, express my gratitude to Diane Hill for her tireless efforts honoring the memory of her husband, Paul with her United Neighbors effort to inform the community of important events throughout the city.

GOOD JOB, COSTA MESA!

Model Engineers Still Need Help

TRYING TO RECOVER
As many of you already know from the article in the Daily Pilot, HERE, the Orange County Model Engineers, who operate Goat Hill Junction at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa, were the victims of vandalism and burglary two weeks ago.  Damages and losses were estimated around $9,000.

DONATIONS
The community has responded. The Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club, that great volunteer organization that puts on the Fish Fry each year for more than a half-century, through their president, Mike Scheafer, made a donation of $1,000 the end of last week.

 POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND
Today, the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association and the Costa Mesa Police Officers Association presented the OCME with $500 each.  Shown here are CMPOA President Rob Dimel and CMFA President Rob Gagne with OCME Vice President of Operations, Dixon Sheldon.

ANOTHER GREAT DAY
I visited Goat Hill Junction this morning.  It was another grand, warm day and lots of families showed up to ride the trains and drop a few dollars in the collection box to help the OCME recover from vandalism and their losses of hundreds of feet of rails and other recyclable metals.

PLENTY GOING ON
There was music playing, food available for purchase and Diane Hill was on hand to train folks in Hands-Only CPR, in honor of her husband, Paul, who passed away a little over a year ago.

CONTRIBUTE IF YOU CAN
The Orange County Model Engineers, a group that has provided free train rides for more than a quarter century,  is a 501C3 charity, so folks who wish to contribute to the OCME may send their tax deductible contribution checks made out to OCME to P.O. Box 3216, Costa Mesa, CA 92628.

Model Train Engineers Need Help

VANDALS ATTACK MODEL TRAIN VENUE
As some may have already heard, overnight on Saturday, March 1, 2014, some miscreants broke into the Orange County Model Engineers (OCME) compound at Fairview Park on the east side of Placentia Avenue, committed acts of vandalism and stole aluminum rails and other items to the tune of at least $9,000 damage.

DAMAGE AND THEFT
According to reports by Diane Hill at United Neighbors and sources in the OCME, the criminals vandalized property, stole lengths of track that were stored behind a locked chain link fence and actually destroyed a signal bridge that spanned the track near the Goat Hill Junction station and stole aluminum segments of it.

WORKING TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE
Volunteers have been working tirelessly since the vandalism, inspecting and repairing as needed segments of the 5 miles of track so the facility will able to serve the public with free train rides next weekend, March 15th and 16th from 10 a.m. - 3:30 pm.

DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEER SKILLS SOUGHT

The OCME is looking for help in the form of donations to help replace the lost and damaged materials, for the acquisition and installation of a security system and for skills in the form of electrical, carpentry and metal working to help with the re-construction of the damaged infrastructure.    They suggest there may be opportunities for  students to earn service credits helping with the many projects necessary at the site.  And, there are many opportunities for Eagle Scout projects, as well.

AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS, TOO
The OCME is also looking for a source of possible donations of metal shipping containers - they are used to store the trains and equipment - because some of their existing storage units are beginning to show significant rust.

A QUARTER CENTURY OF SMILES
The Orange County Model Engineers are in their 26th year of providing free train rides the third weekend of each month.  Typically, more than 2,500 people will ride their trains on a weekend.  According to information provided to me, more than 1,000,000 people have ridden the trains at Fairview Park since they were introduced.

DONATIONS TAX DEDUCTIBLE
The OCME is a 501C3 charity, so all donations are tax deductible.  Checks can be made out to Orange County Model Engineers or OCME and sent to PO Box 3216, Costa Mesa, CA 92628.

FOR INFO...
For more information you can contact Dixon Sheldon at dix4449@msn.com.

Sharing The Good Stories

 A WONDERFUL IDEA
This evening Diane Hill - shown where with her husband, Paul, who passed away a year ago - who publishes the United Neighbors newsletter in Costa Mesa and does so many other volunteer activities in town, sent out a special issue with a very, very special idea that I felt should be shared with those of you who read this blog.

SHARING GOOD STORIES
I've presented an image of her message below.  If you're having trouble reading it just click on the image.  I think this is a terrific idea.  Thanks to Diane for proposing this idea - a way to say thanks to the diminishing number of loyal Costa Mesa employees.

Charter, Jail, Fire Pits, Choir & Saving Lives

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT

So, last night at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting was a mixed blessing.  We escaped early - 10:20 p.m. - but only did so because Mayor Jim Righeimer and his council decided to dodge some of the more pithy, controversial and time-consuming issues

BUSINESS LICENSE FEES TO BE STUDIED 
Except for the minutes of an earlier meeting, only one of the dozen items on the Consent Calendar was pulled for separate discussion - #11, which directed the City's Finance Advisory Committee to study the City's Business License Fee structure.  Wendy Leece pulled that one to explain why she did it.  It passed on a 5-0 vote.  The remainder of the Consent Calendar also passed without comment.  I was surprised that nobody pulled #12, the authorization of the extension of Management Partners contract and the assignment to perform an organizational and operations review audit of the Costa Mesa Senior Center.  So, look out, seniors, Tammy LeTourneau will be all over you in short order.

KICKING THE CAN

They "continued" to a future date Public Hearings #1 and #2, both involving Community Development Block Grant funds and New Business #1, the "live/work" development on Placentia Avenue.

BANNING RANCH TRAFFIC "TABLED"

Then, much to the surprise of recently-retired Economic and Development Director/Deputy CEO Peter Naghavi who had returned to make the staff presentation, the council decided to "table" the issue of the Banning Ranch Traffic Mitigation issue.  More than 30 people who obviously attended the meeting to address this issue seemed to be pleased and surprised as they wandered out of the auditorium following the announcement.

A CHANCE FOR AN EARLY NIGHT!

All of a sudden a meeting I expected would drag on until the wee hours of Wednesday morning looked like it had a chance to actually finish in the same day it began.  And that's just how it turned out.

ALL AMERICAN BOYS CHOIR

In the beginning Righeimer bestowed the Mayor's Award on the All American Boys Choir, which serenaded us with a couple songs.  The first, our national anthem, can be viewed HERE.  Note how long it took the audience to remember their etiquette and stand as the song was sung.


JUST LIKE ANY OTHER KIDS
By the way, in case you're wondering, those talented young men are just like any other group of young boys, as witnessed by this photo I took before they entered the council chambers.

HANDS ONLY CPR 
Then Diane Hill told us of her experience with her recently-departed husband, Paul and the reason she's actively pushing to have Costa Mesans learn Hands Only CPR.  An excellent video was played that demonstrated the life saving technique and Hill also had a table outside the council chambers to demonstrate the procedure.

OCTA REPORT ON I-405 CONNECTOR

Then Sarah King of the Orange County Transportation Authority told us about the work being done at the Orange County line on the I-405 Connector and gave us a link to use, HERE.

 
CRIME STATS
Several speakers during Public Comments addressed the recent FBI report on crime that showed Costa Mesa's numbers were up 15%, and took the council to task for its part in the rising crime level by eliminating A.B.L.E. and cutting the police department headcount.  Righeimer attempted to blame the "problem" motels around town and quoted some statistics about one of them to reinforce his opinion. 

BIA APPROVED

When the third Public Hearing was addressed - the Business Improvement Area (BIA) reauthorization, a recent long, long letter from Newport Beach resident Jim Mosher was discussed and Righeimer said to the staff, "I wouldn't spend a lot of time on it because Mr. Mosher burns up a lot of staff time."  Contract City Attorney Tom Duarte indicated he would respond to Mosher directly, point-by-point, and provide his response to the council.


FAMILIAR NAMES ON THE SENIOR CORP. BOARD
New Business #1, the appointment of three members to the Costa Mesa Senior Corporation Board of Directors took only a couple minutes to handle.  Incumbents Ernie Feeney and Kathleen Eric were re-appointed and Barbara Echan filled the third slot.


RIGHEIMER RANTS ABOUT FIRE PITS 
Righeimer took a long time to explain why he thought it was important for The City to pass his resolution rejecting the SCAQMD's proposed amendment of Rule 444 prohibiting open burning on beaches.  He probably could have accomplished it with many fewer words, but the issue passed, 5-0.


THE CHARTER COMMITTEE, FACILITATORS AND THE SCHEDULE

At 8:00 our attention turned to New Business #5, the selection of Charter Committee members, approval of facilitators and the schedule of meetings for the committee. Read the staff report HERE.  CEO Tom Hatch explained at great length why he selected Estancia High School Principal Kirk Bauermeister and Pastor Mike Decker as his choices to facilitate the deliberations of the Charter Committee.  Eleven members of the community spoke on the issue and were fairly equally split on whether there should or should not be a facilitator, and whether the men chosen were the correct picks.  Eventually they were affirmed and the meeting schedule - every 2nd and 4th Wednesday evening - were passed on a 5-0 vote.  Then the fun began.

FIRST FIVE CHOICES

The council then launched into the selection process for 13 members of the Charter Committee.

  Read the list of 38 applicants HERE.  They followed what I viewed as a flawed process.  Each council member chose one person from the list of 38 applicants.  Their selections were as follows:

• Steve Mensinger chose Lee Ramos
• Sandra Genis chose Mary Ann O'Connell
• Gary Monahan chose Ron Amburgey
• Jim Righeimer chose William Fancher
• Wendy Leece chose Hank Panian

"NOMINATIONS"
Then the council used a "nomination" process to select the next five.  This, in my view, was the bogus part of this process.  Here's how it went:

• Monahan chose Brett Eckles and Steve Mensinger seconded it.  The vote was 4-1, with Leece voting no.
• Righeimer chose Tom Pollitt and Monahan seconded.  The vote was 4-1, with Leece voting no.
• Genis chose Harold Weitzberg and Leece seconded.  He was rejected on a 2-3 vote, with Righeimer, Mensinger and Monahan voting no.
• Mensinger chose Kevin Tobin who was confirmed on a 3-2 vote.  Leece and Genis voted no.
• Leece chose Corinne Stover and Genis seconded.  She was rejected on a 2-3 vote.
• Monahan chose Gene Hutchins, who was chosen on a 5-0 vote.
• Righeimer chose Tom Graham and Mensinger seconded.  He was chosen on a 4-1 vote, with Leece voting no.

NOMINEES FOR THE LOTTERY
The final three members were chosen by a "lottery".  Each council member chose a person remaining in the applicant pool and the names were written on slips of paper.  From those 5 individuals three were chosen by a draw of the Sergeant-at-arms.  The selection went this way:

• Mensinger nominated Kerry McCarthy
• Genis nominated Nina Flores
• Monahan nominated Andrew Smith
• Righeimer nominated Anna Reagan
• Leece nominated Harold Weitzberg

THE DRAW...
The first name drawn was Kerry McCarthy.  The second was Andrew Smith.  Finally, with the final draw, Harold Weitzberg was chosen.

(City Clerk Brenda Green takes a lottery slip from Sergeant-at-arms as Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz looks on)

YOUR CHARTER COMMITTEE IS...
So, the 13 folks who will spend the next six months, meeting at least twice a month, trying to coble together a charter that the voters might find acceptable on a ballot sometime next year will be: Ron Amburgey
Brett Eckles
William Fancher
Thomas H. Graham
Gene Hutchins
Kerry McCarthy
Mary Ann O'Connell
Henry S. Panian
Tom Pollitt
Lee A. Ramos
Andrew B. Smith
Kevin A. Tobin
Harold Weitzberg

They will be "facilitated" by Kirk Bauermeiser, Mike Decker and Kimberly Hall Barlow.

(Chief Tom Gazsi chats with facilitators Mike Decker and Kirk Bauermeister while committee member Lee Ramos speaks with Robin Leffler)
 

OUTSOURCING THE JAIL OPERATIONS

After a short break the meeting re-convened at 9:20 to discuss the privatization of the Costa Mesa Jail Operations.  CEO Hatch went through the relevant high points of the lengthy staff report, HERE,  He addressed several cities that already use G4S - the proposed contractor - the potential savings - over $600,000 annually and, in vague terms, the "transition" anticipated.

MEETINGS UNSUCCESSFUL

Hatch said the staff had met many times - at least seven - with members of the CMCEA and the OCEA to try to find common ground - unsuccessfully.

MUIR CLAIMS BAD FAITH NEGOTIATIONS

Among the four speakers addressing this during public comments was Jennifer Muir, representing the OCEA and the CMCEA.  She told us that the City was trying to sabotage efforts at conciliation - that The City had taken the "It's my way or the highway" approach to negotiation on this issue.  She mentioned an April 16th email to the City requesting a meeting that had gone unanswered.  Not surprisingly, the other speakers also had problems with this plan.

PASSES, 4-1
Eventually, after lengthy discussion by staff and council members, the item passed on a 4-1 vote, with Leece voting no.


BACK TO COURT?  NOT SURE... 
I asked members of the OCEA what their plans are now.  They said they'll wait and see for the moment, but I won't be surprised to see them back before Judge Luis Rodriguez sometime soon for a reconsideration of the Preliminary Injunction that was lifted earlier this year.

NEXT UP... THE BUDGET, AGAIN

So, at 10:20 we adjourned to the budget study session next Tuesday afternoon, June 11th.