New Council Seated - Foley Elected Mayor, Genis Mayor Pro Tem

PACKED HOUSE SEES THE CHANGE IN COMMAND
Well, it was a glorious evening in the Costa Mesa City Council Chambers Tuesday evening and a packed house enjoyed the proceedings.  I missed the event, dealing with my Christmas cold.  Darn!  So, my sweet and also sniffling wife and I watched the event on good old CMTV.

ADIOS, STEVE AND GARY
Mayor Steve Mensinger and Councilman Gary Monahan were given an appropriate sendoff in their last official acts in those roles.  Monahan is termed out - again - after serving sixteen years on the council.  Mensinger was defeated in his run for re-election after serving six years - two as an appointee and four when he was elected in 2012.

PRESENTATIONS
Among the nineteen speakers was Tim Whitaker, representing Vice Chair Michele Steel of the Board of Supervisors.  He made presentations to both Mensinger and Monahan.

POLITICIANS
Assemblyman Matt Harper also stepped up to the speakers podium to praise both men for their service, and to acknowledge the winners in the election - particularly Allan Mansoor, who preceded him in Sacramento.

NINETEEN SPEAKERS
During Public Comments most of the speakers thanked Mensinger and Monahan for their service to the community and also congratulated the winners - Sandra Genis, John Stephens and Mansoor.  Some of the speakers tip-toed right up to the edge of being disrespectful to Mensinger, who must still be smarting at his defeat, where he didn't even come close to retaining his seat on the council.

There were a couple obvious partisan Mensinger fans who spoke, and more than a few who are not his fans.  That's OK.

BETH COLLINS
Beth Collins is a Mensinger fan, and didn't much like it when some in the crowd reacted to her praise of him.

 JAY HUMPHREY
Jay Humphrey, who ran strong race for City Council and has been a tireless volunteer, thanked all those who supported him and congratulated the winners.  He also thanked all those who worked so hard for Measures Y and AA.

CINDY B.
Cindy Brenneman was nearly giddy with the results of the election.  She thanked Monahan, citing their long relationship, and also thanked Mensinger, but was less cordial.  There was clearly a "don't let the door hit you in the butt" vibe then.  Can't blame her.

WENDY
Former councilwoman Wendy Leece referred to the "In God We Trust" motto hanging on the wall behind the council members, acknowledged all the hard work it takes to be a council member and thanked Mensinger and Monahan for their dedication to the city.  She quoted from Shakespeare, Henry V.

TERRY CROONED
Terry Koken crooned a tune.

TAMAR AND DAN
Tamar Goldmann congratulated Genis for being the top vote-getter, again.  She hoped for a more cooperative relationship with law enforcement personnel. She praised Jay Humphrey for his good run and his tireless dedication to the city.  She also praised Leece for her continuing work on behalf of the residents.

Dan Goldmann thanked Mensinger and Monahan and observed that we all need to participate going forward.

BANNING RANCH
Steve Ray, Executive Director of the Banning Ranch Conservancy, offered congratulations to the winners and hoped his organization might be of help to the council in the future.

CM4RG
Robin Leffler stepped up as the President of Costa Mesans For Responsible Government to thank all the volunteers who worked on the many campaigns.  She observed that it took the efforts of hundreds of volunteers to push to victory, not only for the candidates, but for Measures Y and AA.  Clearly, she was happy.

COSTA MESA FIRST
Cynthia McDonald thanked all who supported Measure Y and mentioned Eleanor Egan specifically for her defeat in court of specious lies on the ballot measure argument.

FAIRVIEW PARK PRESERVATION ALLIANCE
Kim Hendricks, speaking as a member of the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance, thanked the voters and the volunteers who supported Measure AA - an overwhelming 70.9% of the votes cast were in favor of that measure.

STEVE, THE HUSTLER...
Richard Russell, a Mensinger fan, stepped up last and praised him for his efforts.  At one point he observed to him that , "you have been a hustler" - meaning he was always on the go, getting things done.  I smiled when I heard that, because that phrase isn't always a positive description.  Russell and I might agree that it fits Mensinger, but probably don't agree that it's a favorable term.

ELECTION CERTIFIED
City Clerk Brenda Green asked the outgoing council to certify the election, which they did, 5-0.

STEVE SAYS GOOD-BYE
Mensinger and Monahan were given a chance to address the audience.  Mensinger thanked the City Ctaff for their efficiency.  He praised CEO Tom Hatch and his strong right arm, Kelly Shelton, for their support.  He thanked both Police Chief Rob Sharpnack and Fire Chief Dan Stefano... and he thanked the citizens of Costa Mesa.  Then, kind of out of context, he said, "Governing is one thing, criticizism is another."  I don't know exactly what he meant, but he probably didn't like the ongoing criticizm he'd received during his terms.

SO DID GARY, KINDA
Monahan already said his good-byes at the last meeting, so his comments were very brief.

GOOD-BYE GIFTS
Both Mensinger and Monahan then received proclamations and memory books from the City and they were done by 6:45 p.m.

JUDGE ROBINSON ADMINSTERED THE OATHS
Then the administration of the Oath of Office was administered by former Mayor and current Judge Karen Robinson.  That was a VERY special moment for all.  Mansoor lugged his youngest child with him.

FOLEY BECOMES THE MAYOR, GENIS MAYOR PRO TEM
Then came an interesting moment.  It was time to elect a mayor, so Righeimer nominated Genis.  She, in turn offered an alternate nomination - Katrina Foley - which was seconded by Stephens.  Genis then asked that her nomination be withdrawn.  When the vote was taken to elect the mayor the result was 4-1 - Allan Mansoor voted NO!  So, it didn't take long to see how this is going to go with him.  When Genis was elected Mayor Pro Tem the vote was 5-0.

THANKING GRANDMA
Each of the new members made short speeches.  Foley thanked her family and, in particular, her 90 year-old grandmother, who was sitting down front.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS
Genis was grateful for the large turnout and hoped many would continue to be involved in city issues.

STEPHENS' STAND-UP ROUTINE
Stephens took his time and polished up his stand-up comic routine as he thanked his family, business associates, all the volunteers who supported him.  One thing is very clear - this is a VERY different council than the previous one.

MANSOOR
Mansoor thanked his family, specifically his wife, Jannifer and his mother-in-law who cared for their children during the campaign events.  He thanked the city staff for being so professional and supportive.  He thanked Chief Sharpnack for his help and observed that it may be time for another sweep of vagrants in Talbert Park.

FOLEY SETS NEW RULES AND AN AGENDA
Foley observed that the next meeting will be January 3, 2017.  She asked Hatch to amend the agenda so all speakers during Public Comments are permitted to speak early in the meeting - no more trailing them to the end.  She also observed that she wanted to do away with speaker cards.  She also wants to trail Council member comments to the end of the meeting.  That's a GREAT idea, since Righeimer used to speak for 15 or 20 minutes, spewing his mantra and sucking up valuable time.  She also told Hatch that he would be City Manager henceforth, not CEO.  She also asked for a presentation on how to get Fire Station #6 open and fully staffed without overtime.  That's going to mean more firefighters.  She also asked that Chief Stefano bring back early in the year a plan for implementation of the new staffing model that integrates the rescue ambulances for transportation of victims.

IT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING
It's going to be a VERY interesting first few months.  Righeimer seemed collegial enough.  Mansoor is clearly not in step with the majority, so his presence and his inability to clearly articulate his position on issues will complicate the business of the city getting done.  We'll see.

CONGRATS...  NOW LET'S GET MOVING!
Congratulations to Katrina Foley and Sandra Genis on their new leadership roles.  Congratulations to John Stephens on his election and to Allan Mansoor to his election.  Time to move forward...  I thought it was time to present this for your listening pleasure... it seems very appropriate.

Election Results Now Official

 OFFICIAL RESULTS

THE NUMBERS ARE NOW OFFICIAL
Late today the Orange County Registrar of Voters website was amended to show the following:

NO CHANGES FROM YESTERDAY
Yep... those results we gave you yesterday are now official.  I scrolled down through the important races in our neck of the woods to confirm that none had changed overnight.  You can read all those results again HERE.

KUDOS TO ALL
Congratulations to all of you who worked hard on campaigns this time around.  It was a lot of work, with lots of doors being knocked upon and lots of face-to-face encounters with voters on many issues.

CONGRATS TO SANDY, JOHN AND ALLAN
Congratulations to Sandy Genis for being the top vote-getter in the City Council race, and to John Stephens for trailing her by only a few votes.  Congratulations to Allan Mansoor for regaining a seat on the City Council, defeating Mayor Steve Mensinger by 525 votes.  Adios, Steve.  A little humility is good for everyone.... especially someone with such a big ego.  And, to Lee Ramos and Al Melone - what the heck were you thinking?  Oh, yes... to Dave Ellis... pffffttt!

KUDOS TO COSTA MESA FIRST!
Congratulations to the good folks of Costa Mesa First and all of you who walked precincts to gather signatures and speak to voters in support of Measure Y, the Smart Growth Initiative.  You fended off the misleading counter measure, Measure Z with an overwhelming victory.

AND KUDOS TO THE FAIRVIEW PARK PROTECTORS
Congratulation to the hardworking folks of the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance and all the others who worked tirelessly to gather signatures for Measure AA, and who pounded the pavement to gather votes.  You did an absolutely astounding job, convincing almost 71% of the voters to support that measure.  I'd like to tell you to relax, but I don't think you can... yet.  Thank you for your dedication.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA STRATEGY FAILED - BIG TIME
I cannot decide if the failure of both Measures V and W, the two citizen-generated Medical Marijuana measures placed on the ballot when sufficient signatures were gathered, is good for the city or not.  My first thought is that we're better off without medical marijuana dispensaries - that "medicine is available next door in Santa Ana.  And, since Prop. 64 passed, getting "medicine" on the open market seems to be a moot issue.  I was amused that Measure W ran an expensive campaign, complete with big-time television adds that included Lee Ramos and many others.  I'm also amused that both Gary Monahan and Dana Rohrabacher supported that measure and it lost soundly at the polls.

WHAT DOES MEASURE X REALLY MEAN?
I'm not sure what to think of the passage of Measure X, the so-called counter measure created by the City to fight off the other two Medical Marijuana measures.  This one passed, but has no retail sales element... only manufacturing, distribution, testing, etc. , and restricted only to a very small section of the north part of town.  We're told that wannabe pot mogul Jim Fitzpatrick has been skulking around City Hall, trying to find space in town for his clients.  He'll have plenty of time on his hands now.

ABOUT MEASURE EE - SORRY....
To those of you who voted for Measure EE, the Vote-by-Districts measure that Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer hijacked and turned it into something not a single participant in the outreach meetings preferred - not a single one- I apologize.  They chose a 5-district model, which carved out a Latino district and would have given that demographic a chance at a level playing field.  Righeimer hijacked it and turned it into a 6-district model and included a directly-elected mayor.  Nobody wrote an opposing position for the voters pamphlet.  My fault - I should have done it.  Such is life.  Now we will just have to be sure he doesn't continue to manipulate this process in his favor.

TO THE MESA WATER DISTRICT BOARD... PFFFTTTT!
To those of you who were snookered by the Mesa Water District Board into voting in support of Measure TT, the meaningless advisory measure that posits that it's a good idea to combine Mesa Water and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, I'm sorry you fell for it.  This measure has no weight of law behind it and, although it "passed", it means nothing at all in the grand scheme of things.  Combining those districts is just a power grab - the Mesa Water District Board is spending your ratepayer dollars like a bunch of drunken sailors and can see the cash in the bank at the CMSD.  Don't let them continue to fool you as this moves forward.

BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Both the Coast Community College District and Newport Mesa Unified School District races were won by incumbents.  Personally, I'm OK with the Coast College District results, but am disappointed that we won't see any new blood on the NMUSD Board.

GOOD MOVE FOR THE CMSD
To those who overwhelmingly returned Jim Ferryman and Art Perry to their seats on the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board - good for you!  Their totals certainly reflect a demand by the electorate to move forward with experienced leadership in that organization and ignore the screeches of loud-mouthed losers like Jim Fitzpatrick - who just couldn't shut up prior to the race and has become a mute since -  and worn-out Gary Monahan.  Good move, folks.

HARD TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THE SACRAMENTO "WINS"
I'd like to be very enthusiastic about the victories for Matt Harper in the 74th State Assembly race and John Moorlach in the 37th State Senate race, but it's hard to get too excited when you realize that the California legislature now has a Democrat Supermajority in both houses - which means that they no longer even have to listen to the Republicans voted into office.  Both of those men will have a very difficult time making any kind of significant impact on the process in Sacramento.

AND THEN THERE'S DANA...
 Dana Rohrabacher, who, once again, soundly defeated a Democrat challenger, Dr. Suzanne Savary.  Since Orange County is no longer a sure thing for Republicans, I suspect this might just be Dana's last gasp.  I expect to see a Democrat challenger with real political chops start to surface after the first of the year, and Dana will have his hands full next time.  Heck, he might become Secretary of State in a few days - who knows?  Arrgghh!

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
So, how do we interpret this election locally.  Well, a strong argument could be made for the view that the voters of this city have had enough of the heavy-handed, single-minded, almost dictatorial regime guided by Jim Righeimer and Mensinger - with Monahan the willing dupe and guaranteed third vote.  The overwhelming passage of Measures Y and AA tell us that the voters just don't trust the old majority to do what is right for the community and took it into their own hands to protect our neighborhoods and Costa Mesa's "Jewel", Fairview Park.  And, they said NO to Medical Marijuana sales in our city in an overwhelming fashion.

A NEW ATMOSPHERE ON THE DAIS
So, next Tuesday evening in City Council Chambers at City Hall the new council members will be sworn-in and new leadership on the dais will be elected.  I, personally, have no idea how those elections will go, but I suspect neither Righeimer nor Mansoor will be guiding the city for the next couple years.  That will be good for the city.  We DO need THEIR voices on important issues - each provides a different perspective - and it will be good for the city to actually have real, meaningful discussions on issues for a change.  Righeimer has pledged a more collegial tone.  I believe him.  Let's get on with it...

Why Vote YES On Measure AA and NO on Measure BB

TRYING TO SAVE THE "JEWEL"
Measure AA on the Costa Mesa ballot was placed there by a dedicated group of volunteers obtaining more than 7,100 signatures of registered voters who joined those who wrote the initiative in their concerns about the future of Fairview Park - widely described as Costa Mesa's Jewel.

COUNCIL MAJORITY INTENT WAS CLEAR
The petition was circulated because of actions taken by the current City Council majority over the past nearly six years that implied a clear intention to turn this mostly natural park into something akin to a regional sports complex.

STACKED COMMITTEE
The Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee was created by the City Council and stacked with cronies who apparently followed the party line when creating a process to determine what should be considered for Fairview Park.  They crafted goals and a list of issues to consider.  The original 35-item list included things like hard-surface sports courts, playing fields and much, much more.  The meetings evolved from a couple dozen attendees to well over 100 in some of the later meetings.

DR. MEHREN RESIGNS IN DISGUST
The committee went about discussing the park, quadrant by quadrant, over many months.  The meetings were heavily-attended by concerned citizens and they saw the attempts by the stacked majority to manipulate the process.  Finally, in January of 2015 - not quite two years after the committee was created - the chairman of the group, Dr. Richard Mehren, described by many in the community as the "Father of Fairview Park", resigned in disgust and shortly thereafter the committee was placed on hiatus.

PETITIONS CIRCULATED AND QUALIFIED
Dr. Mehren and a group of dedicated volunteers, the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance, launched their petition drive and, earlier this year, submitted more than 7,100 signatures - more than enough to qualify for the ballot next Tuesday.  Their goal was to protect the park from what they perceived to be a focused effort by some in authority to violate the deed and add "facilities" of all kinds to the park venue.

COUNCIL CREATES CONFUSING MEASURE
The City Council majority, once again ignoring the will of the people and apparently unwilling to simply trust the voters and let this issue be decided in November with a Yes or No vote, cobbled together a bogus competing measure - Measure BB - to confuse the voters.  It implies that no sports fields would be permitted at Fairview Park, but is worded to permit many other kinds of facilities "normally expected in a park".  That left the gate wide open for development.  And, the City Council authorized the City to spend $8,500 on misleading mailers to support Measure BB.

THIS VIDEO TELLS THE STORY
The following video presentation does an excellent job of defining the issue and provides you all the reasons you need to vote YES on Measure AA and NO on Measure BB.

VOTE YES ON MEASURE AA - VOTE NO ON MEASURE BB