COSTA MESA COUNCIL MEMBERS CERTIFIED AND SEATED

SETTING THE SCENE - Thursday evening, December 5th, 2024, the Costa Mesa City Council held a Special Meeting at which the results of the 2024 Municipal Election would be certified and the four council members would be sworn in and seated.

THE RESULTS - The following images show the final results of the Costa Mesa City Council races.  We elected a mayor and three council members.

MY PLAN - Because this was to be the final time Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan would appear on the dais - he was defeated by Jeff Pettis in the election by 82 votes - I planned to attend this meeting and speak during Public Comments.  Alas, circumstances  intervened and I was unable to leave the house.  I did watch the entire proceedings via Costa Mesa TV with great interest.  More about that further down the page.

MY "COMMENTS" - I spent a good amount of time writing, and re-writing and re-writing the words I wanted to say to fit within the 3 minute time provided.  Not unexpectedly, I had much more to say that could be crammed into that short time, so it took a lot of tinkering to make it fit.  Then, I couldn't make the trip to City Hall and chose to NOT call it in.  What follows is the transcription of my planned comments.  And, yes - I could read it in precisely 3 minutes.

                                                  ***

Good evening! 

My name is Geoff West. My wife and I have lived in the same home on the Eastside for more than 51 years. . 

Congratulations to Mayor John Stephens on his re-election. I’m very pleased he will be at the helm for two more years. 

Congrats to Council-member Loren Gameros for his return to the dais

Congratulations to rookie council members Mike Buley and Jeff Pettis for their victories, too.

I was disappointed that Planning Commission Chairman Adam Ereth lost his race. His dedication to the city, education and experience guiding that commission would have been valuable on the city council.  

I was VERY DISAPPOINTED that Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan was defeated. His loss by only 82 votes shows the value of every vote.   I’m grateful to him for his service to our city both as a planning commissioner and as a member of the City Council. His intelligence, professionalism, preparedness, steady hand, wisdom, insight and courteous, calm demeanor will certainly be missed. 

To council members Buley and Pettis - thank you for stepping up to the challenges you now face.  If you do the job we’re hiring you to do, you will do your homework to understand the difficult issues before you. You will consult with our excellent staff to help you.

Those positions up there on the dais are supposed to be non-partisan, so I hope you will be able to park any partisan political agendas you might bring with you at the door and do a good job representing ALL Costa Mesans, not just those in districts 1 and 6, and not just those with whom you share a political party affiliation. 

As a “Reagan Republican” I have longed for a strong, intelligent, conservative voice on the council. I hope you two can become those kind of voices and work with your fellow council members in a conciliatory manner to craft decisions that are best for our city.  Departing council member Harper set a very low bar - we expect and deserve more from you. 

While I don’t agree with everything they’ve done, I must tell you that the most recent Democrat-controlled councils - those led by Mayor Stephens and Supervisor Katrina Foley before him -  have done a terrific job guiding our city through some very tough times. Through their efforts, and those of our excellent city staff, we managed to navigate through the calamity that was Covid, all the while balancing the budget and keeping essential services operating.  When they took over following the previous, disastrous, heavy-handed, Republican-led regime they had a huge job ahead to help restore effectiveness and confidence at City Hall - which they have done. 

During the recent campaign we heard lots of misleading partisan yapping about the poor condition of our city.  We hope that is behind us and that all of you up there will work together to meet the challenges ahead - like how to meet the onerous demand by the State that we plan for 11,760 more dwelling units, for example. 

Many of us will be out here watching and will be offering suggestions and critiques as you guide our city - we hope you listen. 

We know this will be a serious disruption to your personal and family lives. Thank you all for your service. 

                                                          ***

THE PROCEEDINGS - The meeting lasted 2.5 hours and was launched with singing of America the Beautiful and the National Anthem,  the Pledge of Allegiance, a Moment of Solemn Expression and presentations to outgoing council members  Jeffery Harlan and Don Harper.  Lots of kind words were said by City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison about both men, presentations were made by former mayor and current County Supervisor Katrina Foley and State Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris.  Photos were taken.  Proclamations were presented.

OHIO HOUSE - City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow gave a brief comment about the very recent favorable ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the "Ohio House" case, which has been in the legal process for a decade.  Mayor Stephens also addressed it, affirming that the city had spent $20 million litigating this case and, because of the far-reaching impact of the decision, cities all around the country will benefit from this battle.

PUBLIC COMMENTS - A few people stepped up to speak during Public Comments, led off by former council member and activist Jay Humphrey, festively adorned in his holiday shirt. His was the high point.  Others spoke, but the low point was the rant by James Peters, the man who ran against Stephens and lost, badly.  My assessment of him early in the campaign season was that he was a rabid right-wing MAGANUT.  His presentation affirmed my opinion when he basically said the election was fraudulent and if the council certified it they would be subject to legal action.  He ended by threatening  the potential wrath of President-elect Donald J. Trump!  Sadly, several of his sycophants called in to echo his rant.  It was pathetic and the wisdom of the electorate by rejecting him was loud and clear.

OUTGOING SPEECHES - Both Harlan and Harper were given an opportunity to "say goodbye".  Not unexpectedly, Harper used his time to weep about being outnumbered on the dais.  At one point he said he wasn't going to read a list of missteps he thought his council colleagues made - then did!  He demonstrated his partisan incompetence and will certainly not be missed.  Adios!  Harlan, on the other hand, made a very sincere, moving speech, talking about how much he had enjoyed his tour as a public servant.  He mentioned that, unlike Harper, who couldn't wait to get off the dais, he loved it there and loved helping to solve problems for the city.  As I said in my letter, his wisdom will be missed.

INCOMING SPEECHES - Following a short break to evict Harper and Harlan and juggle the seating on the dais, each of the elected and re-elected council members were given an opportunity to speak.  

Mike Buley, who defeated Planning Commission Chairman Adam Ereth for the District 1 seat vacated by Harper, led off.  Unfortunately, a technical glitch produced no sound for a minute or two.  When it finally came on and we could hear him speak he was very impressive.  He thanked many who helped and advised him during his campaign.  Unfortunately, that included former council members Steve Mensinger and Jim Righeimer - two men who nearly destroyed our city almost a decade ago with many ill-advised and illegal actions.   If Buley is "guided" by those guys, he will require close observation.

Loren Gameros, who ran unopposed for his District 2 seat, spoke briefly with gratitude to those who helped him.

Jeff Pettis, who managed to defeat Harlan by a narrow, 82 vote, margin, spoke with much less skill than Buley and affirmed his dedication to District 6.  I only hope he does not prove to be the marginally competent council member that I anticipate.  We'll see.

Mayor John Stephens then spoke about his commitment to our city and thanked his family for their support.  His was a very moving speech.

CHOOSING A MAYOR PRO TEM - The final item on the agenda, now that the new council was seated, was to select from their members a new Mayor Pro Tem to replace the departed Harlan.  Mayor Stephens nominated Councilman Manuel Chavez, Gameros seconded the motion and the vote to choose him was 6-0, with Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds absent.  I've watched Chavez grow during his six years on the council and have no doubt that his selection was a good one.  Congrats to him.

NOW WE WAIT - Now that we have a new council selected and seated we must wait to see what kind of an impact Buley and Pettis make on city governance.  Both men tilt hard right politically, in contrast to their peers on the dais, who lean left.  I have no doubt that Buley is a very smart fella.  I'm not so sure about Pettis - his body of work on his YouTube channel would indicate otherwise.  My hope is they will provide more breadth to the important discussion and decisions made in the future.  Fingers crossed...

THE MEETING VIDEO - Here is the link to the Costa Mesa TV YouTube recording of this meeting.  It's worth a couple hours of your time.  You can fast-forward through the boring parts.

https://www.youtube.com/live/oz1CahOxANI

FILING CLOSES - LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

CANDIDATE FILING CLOSED FRIDAY, AUGUST 7TH
I know... I'm supposed to be retired, but this issue is just too darn important to remain mute.  This local election - November 3, 2020 - will be the second time Costa Mesa elects a mayor by direct election AND it will be the first time that council members will be selected directly by the voters in voting districts 1, 2 and 6.

AN ELECTION SEASON UNLIKE ANY OTHER
So, I thought it might be appropriate to give you my take as we begin this campaign season - one that will be unlike any other in City history.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic it is highly unlikely that any kind of face-to-face candidate forums will be conducted.  I wonder if there will be creativity shown and Zoom-style forums be attempted?  Right now, my opinion is that the City should sponsor forums of some type.  Perhaps they could be conducted the same way council and commission meetings are done using CMTV as the platform and retained on the CMTV YouTube site.

MY OPINION, BASED ON INFORMATION AVAILABLE AND OBSERVATIONS
So, with only the information I have available to me via the completion of ballot statements and the ballot designations for each of those candidates who have qualified for the ballot - plus my own personal knowledge from observations of incumbent and former council members - I'm going to give you my take.  You can agree, disagree, or none of the above, but it's a place to start.  Incidentally, you can view each of the aforementioned official forms by going to the city page, HERE.

ONE RACE AT A TIME, IN ORDER
So, let's take each of the four races to be contested in order and I'll give you my opinion of each candidate.  I'll go in the order they appear on that page I linked to above to make it easier for you to bounce back and forth if you choose to do so.

MAYOR
KATRINA FOLEY
Disclosure:  Katrina Foley is a personal friend.  I've known her for two decades and have had a chance to watch her in many roles in which she served our community.  I have not always agreed with her, but I have always admired her intelligence, energy, organizational and oratorical skills and her unceasing willingness to serve our community.
She is the incumbent and the first directly-elected mayor in Costa Mesa history.  In her race two years ago she brought a wealth of experience as a council member (including a tour as mayor a year earlier), Planning Commissioner and Trustee on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.  She has often been at odds with the OC GOP power brokers that have run the city in the recent past.  She had been chosen mayor by her peers on the council, then de-frocked a year before the last election and replaced by multi-term council member, former mayor (and current candidate) Sandra Genis, the woman who was a co-conspirator in Foley's ouster.  In the last election Foley crushed Genis, setting the tone for a sea change mandated by the voters in the way Costa Mesa is governed.  Awkwardly, Genis remained on the council and her term expires with this election.  Foley's performance and leadership during the triple-crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic collapse and the nation-wide plague of civil unrest, has been outstanding.  She and Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens set the pace for the council and staff, all of whom have done an exemplary job of managing these issues, even though often facing painful choices.  It will come as no surprise to learn that I will enthusiastically support Katrina Foley for mayor in this election.

AL MELONE
Melone, whom I refer to as "Dog Park Al Melone", is a perennial also-ran and brings nothing to the race except for a love of dogs.  He will suck up a few votes, but really shouldn't get any.

QUENTIN "Q" PULLEN
Pullen is a new guy on the political scene.  I had never heard of him until he pulled his papers.  Since then he has become a Facebook friend and I've learned a little bit about him.  He's a fitness trainer and former Marine.  If being on the City Council included feats of strength - tug-of-war, for example - he might be my guy.  But it does not, and he is not.  I've asked him just why he is running and he told me he wants "change", but was unable to come up with a single thing he wanted to change.  He seems like a well-intentioned good guy and, based on the huge banner he has in his garage gym, a supporter of Black Lives Matter.

SANDRA L. "SANDY" GENIS
Genis, as mentioned above, is a multi-term council member who's service to our city stretches back three decades.  She's a land planner by profession and has a long history of being on the right side of issues - until recently.  When she participated in the ouster of Foley as mayor - the first time in our history that a sitting mayor was voted out by her peers - it was a purely partisan move.  This makes her claim on her ballot statement of being a "non-partisan" candidate ring hollow.  I thought it was interesting that, even though she's been a fixture on the Costa Mesa political scene for 3 decades, she apparently felt it was necessary to tell us on her disclosure form that she was a "female".  Curious.  During her recent tour on the council, when she and Allan Mansoor have often represented a minority view, she has been an obstructionist on many important issues.  Her disjointed, long-winded near-filibuster rants during discussions of important issues have contributed to many meetings running very long.  She now seems unable, or unwilling, to concisely craft her opinion.  Although she still has a cadre of supporters in the city, she will not get any support from me.

WENDY BROOKS LEECE
Wendy Leece has also served our community on the City Council and as a Trustee on the NMUSD Board.  I was not a Wendy Leece fan many years ago, when she ran as a Republican ticket with Allan Mansoor.  A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and she was misused, ignored and abused by the OC GOP over those years.  As far as I know she's still a Republican, but probably painfully so.  When I heard she was running I contacted her to find out why, since she has been a supporter of Foley in the past.  She told me she wanted to give the voters a choice.  When I pressed her about what kind a choice she meant, she implied a choice other than Foley and Genis.  Well, she gave me no clue about what she would change - except maybe she is unhappy with the current mask rules because it hampers her exercise of her religious services.  Anyhow, much as I like and admire Wendy for her service to our community, she will NOT get any support from me.

DISTRICT 1
JOHN B. STEPHENS
Another disclosure.  John Stephens is a friend.
Stephens is the current Mayor Pro Tem on our City Council.  He and Katrina Foley make a strong team and have provided leadership for the newer council members over the past couple years.  His district is a hotbed of supporters for the previous regime, so this race could be interesting.  He has demonstrated a steady hand during his tour on the council.  He, like Foley, is a lawyer by profession and those skills are demonstrated frequently as he helps navigate complex issues from the dais.  He is a smart guy with skill in building consensus - something essential during these very troubled times. If I could vote in District 1 John Stephens would certainly be my choice.  His skills and experience are far and away superior to his two challengers.

DON HARPER
Harper is a familiar name to some.  He has served the city as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner with no distinction and has also served on the Finance Committee and on youth sports groups.  He is tightly aligned with the former GOP regime and will certainly get support from those folks.  I watched him while he was on the Parks and Recreation Commission and seldom did he contribute anything to discussions on those issues.  Even if Stephens was not in this race he would not be my recommendation.

JASON KOMALA
He is also a new name - I'd never heard of him before he filed for this position.  He identifies himself as an ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE CONSULTANT - whatever that is.  He apparently works for Target Corporation.  We have little information about him.  We are unaware if he has had any kind of involvement in civic activities in our city in the past.

DISTRICT 2
BEN CHAPMAN
Chapman describes himself as a PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT with 11 years experience.  We do know he's the darling of the OC GOP.  I know very little about him, although I did see him and his husband, a former Episcopal Pastor, speak before the city council back when we actually had meetings at the Senior Center.  I expect he will get lots of support from the OC GOP in this race.  He would not be my choice if I could vote in this district.

LOREN GAMEROS
He, also, is a new guy on the political scene.  In contrast to Chapman, he describes himself as a "boots-on-the-ground" kind of guy with strong family values.  He's a 40 year resident of Costa Mesa with a very strong, lengthy background in labor organizations.  He also is now a Facebook friend, so I've learned a little bit about him - we apparently share a love for off-road activities. If I could vote in District 2 he would likely get my vote, but I'd like to see how he handles interaction in the form of forums, etc.  I have no way of measuring his knowledge of civic affairs yet.

GARY PARKIN
He's a retired engineer, active in the Costa Mesa Historical Preservation Committee and also served on the Senior Commission.  He occasionally speaks before the City Council on issues related to those activities.  He seems like a good guy, but, in my opinion, does not bring the strength, energy nor awareness of important issues to be taken seriously as a candidate.

DISTRICT 6
This race will have four candidates - two potential contenders failed to qualify today.
HENGAMEH ABRAHAM
This woman is also a brand new face in local politics.  She says she's a wife, mother of two children and a wellness coach.  I see nothing in her background to tell us that she has a clue about important municipal issues.  She may be a very nice woman, but she is the weakest candidate, by far, in this race.

JEFFREY HARLAN
Another disclosure: Jeff Harlan is my friend.
Harlan is currently the Vice Chair of the Planning Commission, a lawyer with a strong background in land use issues.  His experience on the City Council will be invaluable at a time when the State expects us to create housing opportunities out of whole cloth.  Over the years I've had a chance to watch him in action.  He's a very smart, very steady guy who makes good, thoughtful, well-reasoned comments every time he speaks.  He is far and away the best candidate in this race.  No other candidate comes close to bringing the skills he has to the council seat for District 6.  He will get my vote.

JEFF PETTIS
He is another person about whom not much is known.  He describes himself as a NURSE MANAGER and a Mental Health Board-Certified RN.  I would probably like him, but I can see nothing in his background that prepares him for a seat on the council, even though it appears he has a job for which we critically need good management.  He will not get my vote.

LEE RAMOS
Last, and in my opinion least, is this man.  He's a multi-time candidate who, in years past, apparently had trouble with his identity.  At one time his signs said "Vote for Lee", apparently going after our small Asian community vote.  He also attempted to use his Latino heritage to appeal to our burgeoning Latino population - and failed miserably.  In his ballot statement he fails to mention Sober Living issues as problems with which we should deal - perhaps because he has been snuggled up to those folks for years.  I've had a chance to watch him on the various commission and committee assignments he's held and came away completely unimpressed.  He seemed to be having difficulty crafting a cogent thought.  He has never been a good candidate for a City Council seat and, now that his neighbors - those who know him best - will have a chance to address him specifically as a representative for our neighborhood, I expect him to finish well down the ballot again.

THERE YOU GO... 
So, there you have it... The opinion, at the very beginning of this race, of an old guy with too much time on his hands, but who actually does still pay attention.  You can weigh these opinions for whatever you feel they are worth.  I do encourage you to click on that link above to read the statements by each candidate - the Ballot Statement and Disclosure Statement.  If you choose to comment, one way or the other, you will have to migrate back to my Facebook page to do so.  I no longer accept comments on this blog.  I get two votes this time around - for Mayor and for District 6. Fortunately for me, those races are easy calls.  I will vote for KATRINA FOLEY and JEFFREY HARLAN.

Parks and Recreation Commission Finally Meets Again

A FULL AGENDA AHEAD
The short-handed Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission meets for the first time since March and has a full, meaty agenda ahead of them, HERE.  The meeting begins Thursday, May 26, 2016 in City Council Chambers at City Hall at 6:00 p.m.

NO REPLACEMENT FOR HARPER YET
No replacement has been selected for Don Harper, who resigned a couple months ago, and the April meeting was canceled.  There has been no word when a replacement for Harper's remaining few months on the commission will be chosen, so the group, under the leadership of Chairman Brett Eckles, will operate with four men on the dais.

HERE YOU GO....
So, taking it from the top, here's what you can expect to see if you attend or watch live or on streaming video on Costa Mesa Television.

TREE AND PLAQUE DONATION
There will be a donation of a tree and plaque at Lions Park in honor of the Harbor Mesa Lions Club, HERE.

TWO TREE REMOVAL REQUESTS
There are two requests for tree removals - at 2069 Swan Drive, HERE, and 3260 Idaho Lane, HERE - both of which the staff is recommending denial.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGETS
The commissioners will review the proposed Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Year 2016-2017 through 2022-2023, HERE, including a specific review of the 2016-2017 Capital Improvement as it relates to Parkway Median Improvement, Fairview Park, Curbs and Sidewalks, Park Maintenance and Park  Development.  According to the staff report, their review will also include the 7-Year Capital Improvement Program as it pertains to Curbs and Sidewalks and Community Health and Environment.

ARLINGTON DRIVE LANDSCAPE PALETTE
Next on the agenda will be the proposed Landscape Palette for Arlington Drive between Fairview Drive and Newport Boulevard.

AB 2496 IMPACT ON YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAMMING
Perhaps the most controversial item on the agenda is Assembly Bill 2496, which will significantly impact youth sports because it proposed to eliminate Daylight Savings Time.  This move will dramatically impact the shortage of lighted fields throughout the city and add pressure to use temporary and/or permanent lighting on many school fields.  You can read that staff report HERE

APPOINTMENT OF TWO COMMISSIONERS

 The final item on the agenda, HERE, is the appointment of two (2) commissioners to the Streetscape & Median Development Standards Committee.

A LOT ON THEIR PLATE...
For the first time in a long time this commission will have its hands full, exacerbated by being down one member.  I don't expect this to be a short meeting, particularly since there are several items that may draw out public comments - Capital Improvements in Fairview Park, for example.  We plan to attend and will report tomorrow night.

Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Cancelled

TERSE, LATE ANNOUNCEMENT
In a terse announcement distributed late this afternoon The City of Costa Mesa announced the cancellation of the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.

HERE'S HE AGENDA
I wrote about the agenda for this meeting HERE, and apparently there was nothing that couldn't wait another month.

TRUMP RESPONSIBLE?
I find myself wondering just how much impact the hastily-planned Trump rally at 7:00 p.m. across the street at the Orange County Fair And Event Center had on this decision.  Then, again, it could have been a shortage of commissioners, which are already one down with Don Harper's resignation.

A NIGHT OFF!
So, I get the night off and the Trumpfest can proceed without conflict... HA!

Tardy Parks & Rec. Commission Wrap

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER...
Last week, on Thursday, March 24, 2016, the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission under the guidance of new Chairman Brett Eckles met to discuss a small, but interesting agenda.  You can watch the streaming video replay of the meeting HERE.  Commissioner Don Harper was absent for the third consecutive meeting with no explanation given.  I was also absent, traveling to an exotic location to help my wife celebrate her birthday, hence this tardy report.  Better late than never, right?  If you want to read the agenda for that meeting go HERE.

SOBER LIVING PETITION
During Public Comments an unidentified person reminded all of the petition being circulated to place an initiative on the November ballot to prohibit development of Fairview Park.  She also told the commission of an effort by a group in San Clemente to generate state action on Sober Living Homes.  She referred us to the site for her local group, Take Back Our Neighborhoods (TBON) at www.tboncostamesa.com, which contains a link to the online petition involved.

EXTEND SKATEBOARD HOURS
Skateboarder Rocky Evans again asked for extended hours at the Volcom Skate Park.

FAIRVIEW PARK EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
The first item on the agenda under New Business, HERE,  was a new Instructional Class Proposal presented by Interim Recreation Manager Justin Martin.  This is a fascinating new program, to be conducted beginning in June at Fairview Park.  Read the staff report.  The meetings will be on Saturdays, not on Thursdays as previously suggested.  Commissioner Byron de Arakal seems to be the prime mover on this issue.  The four-week program, which was described as a first step - a pilot program for broader application if successful.  de Arakal mentioned Canyon Park and Talbert Nature Preserve as other possible venues.

The titles of each module are:  
Week 1 (June 4) - Identification Tour 

Week 2 (June 11) - Native Seed Collection 

Week 3 (June 18) - Invasive Removal  

Week 4 (June 25) - Planting. 
See the staff report for more details.  The instruction will be conducted by members of the Institute for Conservation, Research and Education (ICRE), a non-profit that has conducted similar programs in the Newport Beach Upper Bay.

PARTICIPATION LIMIT NOT FIRMED-UP
Although the staff report says the number of participants will be 10 - 25, that limitation is not firm and may be more flexible, depending on the community response.  Although designed for an older demographic, the dates were changed to Saturdays to accommodate school-age children, too.  More information will be forthcoming in the city Recreation Guide in the near future.  Only one member of the public addressed this issue, former councilman Jay Humphrey, who heartily supported the concept.  I was surprised more Fairview Park activists didn't show up for this meeting.  The commission moved it forward on a 4-0 vote.

OUTDOOR MEETING AREA
The second item under New Business is the proposed plant palette for the new outdoor meeting area adjacent to the old Print Shop - which will be converted to a meeting room - behind City Hall.  After a short discussion in which the suggestion to have a confer process with the landscape maintenance organization on the plant appropriateness, the commission moved this forward on a 4-0 vote.

ONE TREE REMOVAL REQUEST DENIAL...
The commission voted 3-1 with de Arakal voting NO, to DENY the request to remove two trees at 3140 Jefferson Street.  The property owner was not present to plead the case for removal, which apparently swayed the decision of at least one commissioner.  The applicant can re-apply again in a year.

AND MORE...
They also voted unanimously to vote to deny the removal of trees at 1881 Maui Circle, 1883 Maui Circle and 216 Flower Street.

AWARD-WINNING PERFORMANCE
Martin provided a summary of the Recreation organizations achievements during the fall and winter months, including the receipt of a prestigious award for the Ranch Program.  The Award of Excellence was presented by the California Park and Recreation Society at a recent expo.  Kudos to Martin, Assistant CEO Tammy Letourneau and the Recreation staff for the program excellence.

AB2496 - ELIMINATION OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
During Commissioner comments de Arakal expressed angry chagrin about a new bill being proposed in Sacramento by a San Jose assemblyman - AB 2496, which proposed the elimination of daylight savings time in California.  He stated this is will require a tremendous increase in lights on fields throughout the city.  He asked for a brief report on the impact and to have it agendized in April.  He described it as the "dumbest piece of legislation I've seen in a long time."   Chairman Eckles agreed wholeheartedly, with no small degree of anger, too.  He described it as "a disaster".

WHERE IS EVERYBODY?
As he prepared to close this meeting Chairman Eckles expressed disappointment that nobody showed up for the meeting.  Of course, some of the tree removal applicants were there, but bailed out immediately after being rejected.  I, too, was surprised that nobody except Humphrey showed up to discuss the Fairview program.  Regular attendee Beth Refakes was at Camp Pendleton, distributing easter goodies to the children of the 1/5 Marines and your humble correspondent was heading that direction to begin my wife's birthday celebration trip.  To be honest, the Parks and Recreation Commission meetings are the most sparsely attended of all the commission meetings - including the Senior Commission.  Perhaps the April meeting, with the Daylight Savings issue on the agenda, might evoke more participation.

Eckles and Graham To Lead Parks Commission

NEW LEADERSHIP
A half-dozen residents attended as the Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission met Thursday evening for what I thought would be a short meeting - it wasn't - and elected Vice Chairman Brett Eckles as the new Chairman and long-time commissioner Bob Graham as Vice Chair.  Commissioner Don Harper was absent for the second meeting in the row.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments both Kim Hendricks and Cindy Black spoke about the latest initiative for which signatures are being circulated.  A group called the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance has launched this effort and will be gathering signatures at Fairview Park, and elsewhere, each weekend.  Hendricks displayed a new shirt with the logo of the group which apparently can be purchased for $20.00 and Black presented a slide announcing the signature-gathering effort for this weekend.

Beth Refakes reminded us again of the Eggstravaganza - the collection of candies, toys and plastic Easter Eggs in which they will be place for the Easter Egg Hunt for the children of our adopted Marine group, the 1/5 at Camp Pendleton.  Collections of toys, small, individually-wrapped candies and plastic eggs will continue until March 18 and may be deposited in the footlocker in the City Hall lobby.  Those wishing to donate cash instead can email Dan Baker at City Hall, or call him at 714-754-5156.

Skateboard enthusiast Rocky Evans once again showed up to plead with the commissioners to find a way to extend the hours at the Volcom Skate Park and also to seriously consider a second skate park for the city. 

Jay Humphrey congratulated the new officers and thanked the outgoing Chairman Kim Pederson for his leadership this past year.  He also referred to the Fairview Park initiative, indicating that the acquisition of Talbert Nature Preserve would NOT be prohibited by the initiative.

THE NEW LIBRARY PLAN UPDATE
Next up was the presentation by Architect Steve Johnson of Johnson Favaro, the firm working on the project that will replace the existing Neighborhood Community Center at Lions Park with a brand, new two-story library and convert the existing round Donald Dungan Branch Library into a community meeting venue.

LOTS OF INFORMATION
Johnson showed us several dozen slides demonstrating the various steps and iterations of this project.  Presuming all continues as planned, the project will proceed beginning next year and be completed in 2020.  The existing NCC will be demolished and the new library building built nearby.  Then the rest of the project will commence - including the re-skinning and re-configuration of the old Dungan building and the creation of re-configured parking and new park space.

LOSING MEETING SPACE
According to the plans, we will loose a couple thousand feet of meeting room space, but their analysis says that won't be a problem if we utilize it better.  We were told that every time they do a new library facility the use quadruples.  Commissioner Byron de Arakal asked if that growth was sustained beyond the original launch and was told that use tailed off slightly, but not much.  de Arakal was concerned that we were only adding one parking space while theoretically increasing the use.

"ONLY" $34.5 MILLION!
We will pick up an additional acre of park space onsite, plus add one (1) additional parking space.  And this little project will only cost us $34.5 million!  He did not discuss the financial elements of this plan with the commissioners, but apparently did make a presentation to the Finance Advisory Committee and, according to folks who heard that presentation, a few of the committee members were not thrilled with the cost nor the plans.

JUST A FEW SLIDES
Lucky you, I only included a few of Johnson's slides, but my understanding is that his entire package will be available on the city web site.  One of the nifty features of the plan, shown above, is a food concession outside the buildings, but contiguous to one of them.  It is presumed this would be a coffee/take-out food dispensary.  If you want to see all of the presentation, check out the streaming video on the city web site or on CMTV.

LIAISON APPOINTMENTS
The final business item on the agenda was the appointment of liaison members to two committees.  The results of that selection process resulted in Byron de Arakal retaining his role as primary liaison to the Newport Mesa Unified School District, with Chairman Brett Eckles chosen as his alternate.  Bob Graham was retained as the liaison for the Fairview Park Citizen's Advisory Committee, with member Kim Pederson chosen as alternate.  Before the selection for that committee was completed Parks Project Manager Bart Mejia was asked how long the committee will remain dormant, to which he replied "Until the Parks Master Plan is completed."  That is a date-uncertain right now.

DROUGHT PROBLEMS AND MORE
Maintenance Services Manager Bruce Hartley provided us with a lengthy description of the impact of the drought on our urban forest.  He also told us of the recent accomplishments by his group, and of the pending and current projects.

LOSING TREES FASTER THAN WE CAN REPLACE
Regarding the drought, he told us that we are seeing a net loss in trees - we're losing them faster than we can replace them.  During the discussion he disclosed that there is no longer a source for reclaimed water - that their supplier prefers to dump it back into the aquifer rather than sell it for use on plants.

OUTSOURCING STRIKES AGAIN!
Perhaps the most interesting part of his presentation was the disclosure of a Request For Proposals for the outsourcing most of his organization that's in the works!  Right now his group is diminished from 31 positions to 21, and of those, 8 will be exempt - two people who remove graffiti and six people who will oversee the outsourced work.  The remaining thirteen individuals are being, or will be, absorbed into other city positions.  Hartley told me NOBODY will lose their jobs due to this outsourcing.  Apparently this arrangement was negotiated with the Costa Mesa City Employee Association.

AWARD-WINNING TEAM
During his brief Recreation Manager's Report Travis Karlen told us that he and his staff will be attending a conference in Long Beach next month at which they will receive an award for their "Ranch Program".

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
During Commissioner Comments Pederson said he was looking forward to the completion of the update of the Master Plan.  He also reminded us of the opening of youth sports season this weekend - little league baseball starts Saturday and soccer begins the following weekend.

Graham told us he still thought we should name the pools in Fairview Park - like the Great Lakes are named - and proceeded to present an "educational" experience for us using overhead slides showing how the Great Lakes work.

de Arakal was concerned about the net loss of trees and the unavailability of grey water.  He also opined that he wanted to get the Fairview Park Citizen's Advisory Committee back to work soon.

Chairman Eckles also mentioned the youth sports events and asked about including school kids in a future meeting.  Recreation Manager Travis Karlen told us that there's a "Youth In Government" program in the works.

The meeting ended at 8:20 p.m., adjourned until the next meeting on Thursday, March 24th.