Barrera's Maison Red Tagged By City

OFFICIALS CLAMP DOWN ON BARRERA
Friday afternoon I received a call from friends telling me that there was a "significant" official presence at the location of Roland Barrera's new night club, Maison, at 719 West 19th Street.  You may recall that this venue was the subject of a complaint by neighboring resident Steven Chan at the city council meeting last Tuesday, when he told the council that this site was being renovated into a LiveNation entertainment venue.

RESIDENT COMPLAINT LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION
Chan's comments and subsequent conversations with city officials generated a beehive of activity at City Hall this week, which culminated in the visits to the site today.  According to reports from readers, Barrera was selling tickets to shows at the sight tonight, Friday, and Saturday even though construction was still underway.

(Code Enforcement Officer Apolinar Ramos, Khanh Nguyen and Brad Zint)

OFFICIALS ON SITE AND UNHAPPY
So, I grabbed my trusty camera and drove across town to find Costa Mesa's Building Official, Khanh Nguyen, Code Enforcement Officer Apolinar Ramos and representatives from the Costa Mesa Fire Department on site, inspecting the place.  They were not happy.  Several residents and Daily Pilot Ace Reporter, Bradley Zint, were also there.  The official presence was later augmented by the arrival of Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Diamond, Hazardous Materials Specialist Michelle Rudaitis and Fire Chief Dan Stefano.  New Planning Commissioner Stephan Andranian also showed up later and toured the facility.

(Rudaitis and Diamond with unhappy resident)

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC UNHAPPY, TOO
Members of the community heard about this situation and stopped to tell officials how they felt about it, and to express concern about the frequency of this kind of situation on the Westside.

THE CULMINATION OF ACTIVITY
After spending a couple hours on the site Friday afternoon investigating the venue - which had been preceded earlier in the week with conversations with Barrera in which he was directed to retain the services of an architect, and directing Barrera to make specific changes - Nguyen found the venue was nowhere close to being ready for occupancy earlier in the afternoon.

ARROGANT DISREGARD FOR THE RULES
It turns out that Barrera had completely ignored the rules.  He had neither sought nor received ANY permits of any kind for this operation, including business license, use permit and more than a half dozen building permits for things like plumbing and electrical work being done.

GIVING HIM THE WORD
At 5:00 p.m. Khanh and Stefano finally gave the word to Barrera that, despite all the changes they were making, the building would be Red Tagged, and any occupancy except for workers required to correct deficiencies would be prohibited.

 (Andranian, Stefano, Nguyen, Rudaitis, Barrera and Architect)

RED TAGGED
As Khanh affixed the Red Tag to the wall adjacent to the new entry door being hurriedly installed by workers, members of the band scheduled to play that night arrived to begin their set up.

FINES TO BE ASSESSED NEXT WEEK
It is my understanding that Barrera will be prohibited from any use except the aforementioned construction until next Thursday, when a subsequent inspection will be made.  As mentioned before, he was required to retain the services of an architect to assure the necessary changes were proper and met code.  In addition, Barrera will be assessed fines next week for his failure to acquire the necessary permits.

A PATTERN...
Many of the residents who attended this event expressed concern for the arrogant disregard for the rules in this case.  Mention was made about public safety and references were made to tragic nightclub fires around the country in similar circumstances.  Based on comments from city staff, the fines that will be levied next week - likely less than $2,000 -  really don't seem to be a sufficient disincentive for the gravity of the offense and the flouting of the law.  Barrera has a well-documented history of problems with the legal system.  That's a discussion for another time.

NO SIGN OF ACTIVITY TONIGHT
Later tonight I drove back to the site to see what, if anything, was happening.  The only pedestrian traffic in the parking lot seemed to be coming from the laundromat two doors down.  The temporarily-constructed new door was closed and, on another nearby door there was a notice of the cancellation of the performance.

THE PLACE IS A MESS!
This site is really in disrepair.  There was no evidence of ANY kind of cosmetic maintenance on the exterior of the building.  Graffiti was evident on two sides of the building and the planter area in the front was a shambles.  It is unclear whether Barrera will be required to make improvements on the exterior in addition to the safety measures on the interior.

KUDOS TO CHAN AND OTHERS

So, we learned this week that alert residents willing to speak up can be an effective force within the community.  Thanks to Steven Chan and his vocal neighbors and others who continued to push this item with city officials to be sure the safety of the public was considered and the rules followed.  Kudos to all.

More Vandalism At Model Train Site

EARLIER DAMAGE
As many of you already know, around the first of March there was very significant vandalism done to the site of the Orange County Model Engineers facility in Fairview Park.  Valuable rails were stolen, part of the infrastructure was destroyed and other damage to the tune of around $9,000.

COMMUNITY RESPONDED
A call went out for help replacing the damaged items and the public responded in a big way, offering replacement for items stolen and cash.  Plans are afoot to install a security system at the site, but that kind of installation takes a little time and a lot of money.

MORE DAMAGE
Unfortunately, in the meantime, there has been more damage reported over the past few days.  Picnic tables and benches were destroyed and control boxes were damaged.  And, what appears to be gang graffiti is now being left.

POSSIBLE GANG INVOLVEMENT
Because of this new possible "gang" element to this equation the OCME is very concerned that their site may become part of a gang turf war, which would cause potential harm to visitors.



CMPD GANG UNIT
The Costa Mesa Police Department, of course, has been notified and will be working on this issue.  Sadly, the gang detail is now down to 2 officers from six, when it was especially effective.

STAY ALERT
In the meantime, if you're in the area at night and see activity please immediately call the police. 

PLAYING FIELDS?
As an interesting sidebar, the Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee will soon consider possible options for that segment of the park - the Southeast Quadrant.  There are some on the committee who seem determined to add playing fields to that section of the park.  It will be interesting to see what impact of this vandalism might have on the deliberations of that committee over the next few months.

What's Ahead...

STUDY SESSION TUESDAY...
Tuesday the Costa Mesa City Council will hold a study session at 4:30 in conference Room 1A at City Hall during which they will discuss some interesting items.

GRAFFITI ORDINANCE
1 - Amendments to the Graffiti Ordinance - The council first addressed this issue in March, then kicked the can down the street to "a future study session", which appears to be Tuesday. Theoretically, they will discuss modifications to the current ordinance - we assume to tighten up some areas in question. We'll find out Tuesday.

E-VERIFY
2 - Potential Utilization of E-Verify - Lame duck Mayor Allan Mansoor requested this item be brought forward for discussion. We can only assume this is one of his schemes promised at his press conference last spring and during the council meeting at which the controversial - and meaningless - "Rule of Law City" resolution was passed.

MANSOOR WANTS GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
Based on the staff report, it seems that the mayor wants the federal E-Verify process to be required in the City employment process; be included in future City contracts/agreements for contracts and subcontracts; every employer seeking a new business license and RENEWALS of business licenses and "potentially other alternatives that may be discovered during the staff research.

SEEMS A LITTLE ODD...
I don't know how you feel about this, but for a "less government is better" Republican, as Mansoor professes to be, to be proposing such onerous government interference in private businesses seems mighty strange to me.

RESIDENTIAL WASTE HAULING FRANCHISE FEES
3 - Residential Waste Hauling Franchise Fees - This one is also very interesting, since the City isn't responsible for residential waste hauling in Costa Mesa - that responsibility falls within the purview of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, a separate, distinct organization which was spun off from the City many years ago. The final sentence in the Staff Report says: "However, it will take policy-level direction by the Board of the Sanitary District and the City Council to effect further research and any substantial change." Gee, no kidding!

WHAT ABOUT GARY?
And where, might I ask, is Gary Monahan in all this. Will he have to remove himself from the discussions both as a councilman and a director of the Sanitary District? Seems like it.




...FOLLOWED BY A SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL CLOSED SESSION
Immediately following the Study Session the City Council will move to the council chambers for a special closed session meeting to discuss negotiations with the employee bargaining units. It seems likely that this meeting will only be in chambers for a few minutes - to read into the record the agenda and take public comments. They would then adjourn to another venue - a nearby conference room - for the remainder of the meeting.

URGENT ACTION IS NECESSARY
This special meeting is necessary because four of the five bargaining units are working without a contract since September 1. The City is in dire straits budget-wise - we were told at the last council meeting that we are still over $9 million in the hole for this fiscal year. Without concessions from the bargaining units it is more than likely that even more staff cuts will have to be made. There simply is not enough money to cover all the expenses.

***

THREE MORE CANDIDATE FORUMS PLANNED
At this point there are three more candidate forums scheduled that involve Costa Mesa Council candidates.

NEWPORT/MESA FEET TO THE FIRE MEDIA CANDIDATE FORUM
The next one scheduled was announced the end of last week in articles in both the Orange County Register and the Daily Pilot. This one, scheduled for Thursday, September 30th, at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center in Lions Park, is called the "Newport/Mesa Feet to the Fire Media Candidate Forum" and theoretically will involve City Council candidates for both Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. I don't recall any such forum in the past. We assume the questions will be restricted to areas of mutual interest to both cities - particularly since there may be nine candidates attending and at least five interrogators.

PLENTY OF EGOS TO GO AROUND
This event will involve a panel of prominent local journalists. So far John Canalis of the Daily Pilot, Tom Johnson of the Newport Independent, Frank Mickadeit of the Orange County Register, Gustavo Arellano of the OC Weekly and Norberto Santana, Jr. of the Voice of OC will be panelists and the irrepressible, vivacious Barbara Venezia, columnist for the Register will act as the Mistress of Ceremonies. The event will be from 7-9 p.m., with the doors opening at 6:30.

COSTA MESA UNITED FORUM
Next up will be an even more unusual event. This will be the recently announced forum sponsored by Costa Mesa United at which Costa Mesa Council candidates and Newport Mesa Unified School District candidates will be grilled on items of mutual interest and responsibility - as the flier announcing the event says, Academics, Athletics and Activities. The event, from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 6th, will also be held at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center and will be moderated by Costa Mesa United Board President Gordon Bowley.

EASTSIDE COSTA MESA NEIGHBORS GROUP FORUM
The final forum of which I am aware will be hosted by the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group on Thursday, October 14th, also at the Neighborhood Community Center beginning at 6:30 p.m., although there is some question about the actual venue at this moment.

CMTV WILL COVER EACH EVENT - IF POSSIBLE
If staffing scheduling permits each of the above forums will be covered by Costa Mesa Television (CMTV) for broadcasting at a future date. It is my understanding that they will join the first forum in the rotation on CMTV until after the election on November 2nd. They would also be available for viewing via streaming video on the City web site. None will be televised live unless the venue is changed to the Costa Mesa City Council chambers, where the infrastructure is in place.

Costa Mesa's Upside Down Housing Numbers

RENTALS VS. OWNED UNITS
In my previous post, responding to Colin McCarthy's Daily Pilot commentary from last weekend, I affirmed his view that the housing situation in Costa Mesa is upside down. We have more rental units than owner-occupied units in our city.


SOME INTERESTING NUMBERS
Questions have been asked in the past about our current situation and how it compares to our contiguous neighbors. Well, courtesy of our friends at Yahoo! Real Estate, here's a chart which shows those numbers.As you can see, Costa Mesa's ratio of rentals to owned units is far and away the most out of whack.

LOTS OF DATA AVAILABLE
You can go to the site yourself, HERE, and tinker with the "location" to get numbers from other cities for which you may have an interest.

MORE SINGLES THAN MARRIEDS
I'm not sure how relevant it is, but Costa Mesa, among those six cities, is the only one with more single residents than married.

STILL LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS
These numbers don't provide any solutions, only emphasize the issue. If McCarthy can come up with a creative - and legal - way for us to flip those numbers so they more closely align with some of our neighbors he deserves kudos. In the meantime, the parts of the graffiti equation that we actually CAN work on - enforcement and intervention - should be a priority for our leaders.

McCarthy Paints A Picture Of Graffiti

IT'S OLD NEWS
On Saturday the Daily Pilot published a commentary by Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Colin McCarthy, HERE, in which he bemoans the graffiti problem in our city and outlines his view of "solutions". While accurate, McCarthy's observations are not new - we've heard the same laments in this city for more than a decade.

THREE-PRONGED ATTACK
McCarthy places the needs in three categories - Enforcement, Prevention and Planning.

TOUGHER ENFORCEMENT
He suggests a tougher anti-graffiti ordinance similar to one passed in Santa Ana which nails the parents of offending graffiti artists and taggers for the clean-up costs and penalties.

PREVENTION - WHAT ABOUT INTERVENTION?
He, correctly, postulates that prevention is an important element in the control of graffiti. He did not use the word "intervention", though, which was disappointing. The current council majority has already let us know, loud and clear, that they don't think intervention should be part of the solution. Mayor Mansoor and his cronies feel that enforcement alone should be the solution to graffiti in Costa Mesa, despite the fact that every credible expert on this issue states the opposite view. This is just another example of the prevailing philosophy on the council dais that refuses to be influenced by facts once they have their narrow minds made up.

CAN HE CONVINCE THE COUNCIL?
It will be great news for our city if McCarthy, using all his lawyerly skills, is able to convince members of the council majority that intervention is an important element in reducing graffiti. However, if by ignoring intervention in his commentary, he has joined the council majority view, that is not good news. Until we take positive action to provide alternatives to tagging and graffiti for our young folks, this plague will continue to affect our city.

"GRAFFITI NOT A LATINO PROBLEM"
His final category, Planning, is very interesting because he states, "Graffiti is not a Latino problem or a Caucasian problem; it's a housing problem. Graffiti festers and spreads near our high-density rental housing." He goes on to address the fact that our city is upside-down from a housing standpoint, with too many rental units when compared to owner-occupied homes. This is not a new observation. It's one that Mansoor and others have complained about for years - even though, ironically, Mansoor is a renter in this city.

"THE MOUTH" CHIMES IN...
Well, that comment got the attention of one of his Mesa North neighbors - the guy I refer to as The Mouth - who posted a lengthy tome on his blog once again re-stating HIS solution. That solution is to plow under the apartment buildings that he, and apparently McCarthy, feel are the problem.

SWAMPS AND ALLIGATORS
The Mouth has, for years, ranted and raved about what he calls "slums" in our city and has used the metaphor of draining the swamp (eliminating the apartment houses) so the alligators will leave. Those "alligators" are the members of Costa Mesa's Latino population - roughly one-third of our residents.

MC CARTHY AND "THE MOUTH"
I don't want to demonize McCarthy by lumping him with The Mouth philosophically. My opinion, supported by his writings and actions, is that The Mouth is a flat-out racist who will only be happy when the last non-white person leaves our city. I give McCarthy the benefit of the doubt when it comes to associating him with his neighbor - until he demonstrates otherwise.

WHERE ARE THE SOLUTIONS?
I don't disagree with McCarthy's assessment of the problem, but kind of expected more from him in the way of solutions. Since he's a lawyer who works in the real estate arena, I hoped he might have some new light to shed on how we might legally shift the renters vs. owners imbalance in our city. I suspect that, as long as apartment owners associations continue to pump campaign dollars into local elections it's going to be difficult to actually make the changes.

NO BUCKS FOR APARTMENT REMOVAL
If part of the solution is to rid our city of apartment buildings, that requires lots of money. We need to buy the property and also pay huge relocation fees to the current residents. In these difficult financial times, that's just not going to happen. And, because of the current trends in housing, I expect a greater demand for rental units as opposed to owner-occupied housing in our city for years to come.


ENFORCEMENT and INTERVENTION
In my opinion, the only real solutions available to us are a tightening of our graffiti ordinance and enforcement thereof AND the establishment, with the school district, of a solid intervention program to re-direct the energies and artistic urges of those young people currently or contemplating tagging.

LET "GOD" HANDLE IT

Or, now that we've got Wendy Leece's motto, "In God We Trust", hanging on the wall behind the dais in the council chambers, maybe we can just depend on divine intervention to take care of the graffiti problem.

(photo courtesy of the Daily Pilot)