New Planning Commission Sets The Tone

A MEMORABLE FIRST STEP
Monday night the new Costa Mesa Planning Commission met for the very first time in a meeting that was memorable for more than one reason.

THE SWEARING-IN - WITH HARLAN ABSENT
After Deputy City Attorney Yolanda Summerhill led the room in the Pledge of Allegiance, City Clerk Brenda Green conducted the swearing-in ceremony for the four new commissioners in attendance. New Commissioner Jeffrey Harlan was absent due to a family emergency.

WELCOME ABOARD!
Welcome aboard to Stephan Andranian, Byron de Arakal, Isabell Mayer Kerins and Carla Navarro Woods.

 PUBLIC COMMENTS
Interim Development Services Director/Consultant Jay Trevino conducted the Public Comments portions of the meeting.  Eight (8) speakers stepped up to address the commission.

Richard Russell complained about the previous commissions having been "fired", stating flat out it was a bad idea.  Then he thanked the new commissioners for being there, particularly citing Commissioner Andranian as a returning member who could offer continuity.

Cindy Brenneman welcomed the new commissioners, then cautioned them to be careful doing their jobs, citing the fact that Fire Station #1 is currently being constructed simultaneously with new median work being done nearby in Mesa Verde, which is causing all kinds of traffic problems.

Three unidentified people stepped up to complain about the project at 2068 Maple Street.  Summerhill stopped the third midstream and told him they should speak during the time provided when that item is heard.  All three spoke again at that time.

Jay Humphrey congratulated the commissioners, then corrected a number one of those earlier speakers provided about the number of new units built in the past six years.

An unidentified woman encouraged the commissioners to think independently of the others - to make up their own minds.  She praised Andranian for his previous performance on the commission and reminded them that "what you do is important!"

An unidentified business owner and frequent speaker before the commission and the City Council encouraged the commissioners to do what is right for the community, not developers.  Citing the current condition of traffic in the city, he said if it means more traffic, don't build any more.

 ANDRANIAN NAMED AS CHAIRMAN
Trevino then guided the commissioners through the process of selecting a Chairman.  Harlan's name was offered up by Woods, but a substitute motion was made by Kerins nominating returning commissioner Stephan Andranian as Chairman, was seconded de Arakal and he was chosen on a 3-1 vote, with Commissioner Carla Navarro Woods voting NO.  That was interesting...

DE ARAKAL NAMED VICE CHAIRMAN
Andranian then conducted the process of selecting a Vice Chairman for the commission.  Commissioner Byron de Arakal was nominated and seconded and selected on a 4-0 vote.

KERINS NAMED AS COMMITTEE LIAISON
Commissioner Isabell Mayer Kerins was selected to be the liaison to the Housing and Public Service Grant Committee, 4-0.

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
A short break was taken to juggle chairs on the dais before reconvening for Commissioner Comments.  Woods and Kerins had none.

DE ARAKAL
de Arakal thanked his former compatriots and the staff that supported them on the Parks and Recreation Commission.  He thanked the City Council for their trust in him and offered his congratulations to his fellow commissioners.  He also pledged to weigh the issues and make decisions based the facts and the law, not on personality or politics. 

ANDRANIAN
Andranian thanked the City Council for their trust in selecting him.  He said he signed on previously for a 4-year term and plans to complete that tenure with this assignment.  He said he always listened to the issues and made his decisions considering the property owner's rights and the impact of the decision on neighboring properties.  He also congratulated his fellow commissioners and thanked them for choosing him as chairman.

STRANGE CONSENT CALENDAR SITUATION
Next up was the Consent Calendar, which had a special wrinkle this time.  The only items on the Consent Calendar were five sets of minutes from previous Planning Commission meetings from last year, and the only person on that commission was Andranian.  Deputy City Attorney Summerhill jumped in and told the commissioners that it was OK for them to vote on the minutes if they had a comfort level that they were accurate.  She praised Clerk Julie Colgan and observed that she's very thorough in completing the minutes.  Jay Humphrey stepped to the podium and suggested the commissioners view the tapes before voting on the minutes.  An unidentified woman also addressed this, and observed the minutes contained discussions of Sober Living Homes and agreed with Humphrey about reviewing the tapes.  The commission approved the Consent Calendar, 4-0.

ADDING A SMOG TESTING/REPAIR AT 2059 HARBOR
Next up came Public Hearing #1, the amendment to a planning application to allow automotive service - smog check and repair - at at 2059 Harbor Blvd.  After a 20 minute discussion, including three public comments that opined that this operator should be permitted to run his business, and in which the operator assured the commissioners that the only automotive repair being done at that site would be strictly related to smog compliance with the exception of replacement of catalytic converters, which would be done elsewhere, the commission passed the request on a 4-0 vote.

TIME EXTENSION A SLAM DUNK?  NOPE!
Public Hearing #2, the time extension for a residential project at 2068 Maple Avenue, which should have been a slam dunk, turned out not to be.  The applicants client apparently bought the property and the previously-approved entitlements late last year and was coming to the commission for a one-year extension lest he lose those entitlements on the May, 26th expiration date.  The only issue was the time extension, not the nature of the project - a three-story development with rooftop gardens.

LOTS OF OPPOSITION TO THE PROJECT
Eight (8) residents spoke to this issue, including several who live nearby.  Privacy in their own homes became a large issue because a similar nearby project has sight lines into yards of single story residences nearby.  Several speakers said this project is a corruption of the Westside Residential Overlay, which was concocted and approved a decade ago.

COMMISSION DENYS THE REQUEST
After lengthy discussions by the commissioners in which questions were raised about the applicant's due diligence in acquiring the property with a short time left on the entitlements, and also the fact that there was not financing in place to proceed, the commission eventually voted, 4-0, to DENY the one year time extension.  I cannot recall this ever happening before and may have set the tone for how this commission plans to operate downstream.  The applicant must now scramble to get financing and the tract map approved at the county level, get permits and begin construction - break ground - before that May 26th date or he will lose the previously-approved entitlements.  In my view, this is a really BIG DEAL for the commission and the city.  It will be interesting to see if the applicant appeals the decision to the City Council.

BANQUET/EVENT VENUE AT 3010 RED HILL
The last item on the agenda, Public Hearing #3, was up next.  New commissioner Woods departed, recusing herself for a perceived conflict of interest that was not discussed.  This project will convert an industrial site at the corner of Red Hill and Fischer into a banquet/event venue that will cater mostly to weddings.  There will be alcohol consumption and sales at the site presuming they can acquire the necessary licenses to do so.  Concern was expressed about the security of the alcohol, the parking management of the site and security in general.  Apparently complimentary valet parking will be part of the process - it was specifically mentioned in the discussion before the vote.  de Arakal expressed concern that the site would be made available to promoters and the response was "absolutely not!".  The three remaining commissioners passed the request on a 3-0 vote.

JOINT MEETING WITH CITY COUNCIL IN MARCH
Before Andranian adjourned the meeting to the next commission meeting on February 27th Trevino reminded them to mark their calendars for a joint Planning Commission/City Council meeting scheduled for March 28th at 6:00 p.m.

THOUGHTS....
Some thoughts about this meeting and the new commission...

SMART FOLKS
First, it's not going to take this group long to get settled into their jobs.  This meeting was a good shoehorn for them to begin to figure out where the buttons are on the dais and how the protocols work up there.  It appears to be a strong group.  When Jeff Harlan returns it will be even stronger.  I fully expect to see good, thorough discussions of issues, particularly as the new folks get up to speed in the jargon of the job.

GOOD LEADERSHIP CHOSEN
The selection of Stephan Andranian as Chairman and Byron de Arakal as Vice Chairman was a good move.  Andranian has current knowledge of how things were managed for the past two years.  Certainly, some of that will change, but his institutional knowledge will be very valuable.  de Arakal has demonstrated his skills on the Parks and Recreation Commission for a couple of tours, including as Chairman of that group.  He knows how to run a meeting.  Kerins seems like a very bright woman with a developer orientation, which isn't necessarily bad.  Woods has a strong environmental sensitivity combined with good management skills.  It will take her a little longer to become comfortable with the language of the job - the terms of art that come with any job -  and will likely have to do a little more homework than the others early-on, but she's smart and will bring much to the discussions.  Harlan's presence as a lawyer with a strong planning background will add to the strength of this organization.

THE DARK CLOUD
And now we come to that dark cloud hanging over the Planning Commission - Sandra Genis' voting mistake - and what, if anything, will be done about it. There seems to be no easy "fix" to this - any choice will just add to the confusion and frustration.  I hope we hear about a solution soon - every day that passes with no solution just exacerbates the issue.  In my view, NOTHING should be done about it.  Genis made a mistake, but it is not an earth-shaking mistake.  The City Council has already certified the choices for the three commissions.  They should now just move forward.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
Happy Valentines Day, everybody.  Give your honey a hug today - I already did - mine, not yours.. you get my drift.

Coming Events

BACK TO BUSINESS
I, along with most southern Californians I suspect, have spent the past several days following the manhunt for former LAPD police officer Christopher Dorner, hoping that he's apprehended soon and without further bloodshed.  However, the business of government goes on, so here's a little summary of what's ahead over the next few days in Costa Mesa.

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MONDAY
Monday the Costa Mesa Planning Commission - the "old" commission, since the seating of new commissioners has been delayed until February 19th - will meet at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers for what looks like a fairly short meeting.  You can read the agenda HERE.  Of particular interest will be the fourth item on the agenda, a discussion of Code Amendment CO-12-06, which brings our Municipal Code into compliance with the State Government Code in areas dealing with Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing and Supportive Housing.  You can read that staff report HERE.  Considering the current situation with Homeless folks in our city, you may find this item informative.

FINANCE-ORIENTED STUDY SESSION TUESDAY
Tuesday the Costa Mesa City Council will hold a Study Session at 4:30 p.m. in council chambers to discuss the Mid-Year Budget Review and the Consolidated Annual Financial Review (CAFR).  You can read the agenda HERE and the staff report on the budget HERE, and the CAFR HERE.  As you go through the numbers - most of you won't - you'll find it interesting to see which departments have spent less than 50% of their budgets and which have spent more.  A hint - the public safety organizations have spent less than half their budgeted amounts.  I look forward to the explanations of the budget.

CEO BRIEFING - 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND MORE
Last week the City released the most recent, and improved, version of the CEO Briefing, HERE.  You'll find loads of interesting, timely information, led off with a summation of the planning taking place for the 60th Anniversary Celebration.

SO MUCH GOOD INFORMATION!
Among the other items included are a note about Shaheen Sadeghi, developer of The LAB and CAMP retail centers receipt recently of the Mayor's Award; Plans for a 113-unit apartment complex on Bernard Street; promotion of officers Paul Beckman, Keith Davis and Greg Scott to lieutenants by Chief Tom Gazsi; The public ceremony at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 20th opening the recently-completed Fairview Park Wetlands restoration project; Costa Mesa Firefighters are going "paperless"; The City finished last fiscal year with a $2.5 million budget surplus; The Fish Fry and Costa Mesa Community Run Team Up; Camp Costa Mesa open for President's Day recess plus a calendar of events for the remainder of February.

 SANITARY DISTRICT BOARD VACANCY APPLICATIONS

A reminder that the Costa Mesa Sanitary District is still taking applications for persons interested in serving on the Board of Directors to fill out the remaining almost two years of Jim Fitzpatrick's term following his resignation.  The deadline is Friday, February 15th.  The Board will likely meet on February 19th to review the applications and again on the 22nd to select a replacement, who will be sworn in at their next regular meeting on Wednesday, February 27th.

VALENTINES DAY THURSDAY

Oh, yes.... don't forget that Thursday, February 14th, is Valentine's Day - don't forget your honey!

Public Hearing Without Listening

A WASTE OF TIME
Once again the Costa Mesa City Council held a Public Hearing on Jim Righeimer's Charter scheme Monday night and, despite dozens of speakers offering suggestions for changes, the council demonstrated that "hearing" is not "listening".

FOUR HOURS AND A NEAR RIOT
The meeting, which ran more than four hours if you include the break that was taken right around 8:00 when a near-riot broke out, turned out about as I expected it would. The council took comments from 41 people - nearly 80% of which spoke against the Charter - haggled among themselves about which phrases would be added or deleted, stiff-armed Wendy Leece at virtually every turn and adjourned the meeting shortly before 11:15 with Jim Righeimer's Charter virtually intact. All that remains now is for them to vote to place it on the June ballot at their meeting on March 6th.

AT LEAST SLOW DOWN
Last night speaker after speaker rose to either oppose Jim Righeimer's Charter flat out or to request the council to slow the process down and place the Charter on the November ballot instead of jamming it down our throats. At one point, during his response to that suggestion, Righeimer told the audience that if the Charter failed at the June election it would simply be placed on the November ballot. So, not only is he willing to spend between $97,500 and $123,500 to place it on the June ballot, but he's willing to virtually double-down and spend another $78,500 to $97,500 in November. Of course, it doesn't surprise me that he's willing to spend taxpayer's money like that - he and his pals on the council are spending legal dollars like the proverbial drunken sailor. It won't surprise me at all if the total legal fees this fiscal year top $2 million so far. We budgeted $800,000.

NO MAILER YET
Several speakers reported that they had either NOT received the pro-Charter mailer yet, or received it late Saturday, providing precious little time to become familiar with the issue. According to CEO Tom Hatch, that document was produced by city staff and cost $9700, including mailing. It apparently was sent to every household that receives the quarterly Recreation Report. And, we managed to kill a small forest with the 134 pages of staff report and related documents for the 175+ members of the public who attended the meeting.

PRE-ARRANGED EXTENDED SPEECH
Perhaps the most interesting part of the meeting was the presentation by a fellow named Kevin Dayton, who told us he represented the Dayton Public Policy Institute. This outfit, according to Dayton after he was jeered away from the speaker's podium, is brand new - he had no web site nor business cards - and is apparently just him. You can read Joe Serna's account in the Daily Pilot, HERE. Before he began speaking it was clear that he had pre-arranged for an extended stay at the podium, acknowledged by Righeimer, who was running the show because Mayor Gary Monahan was, again absent.

YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?
As he went on and on, providing "guidance" to the City Council - some of which they eventually folded into their modifications of the current draft of Jim Righeimer's Charter. Eventually, at about the seven minute mark, many members of the audience began to get restless and started to call out "Three Minutes!" and other less flattering comments. Apparently Dayton has a history with some of the union members in the audience. Eventually, at the nine minute mark, things got raucous and Righeimer called for a short break and Dayton exclaimed "Fascism, fascism, fascism" as he left the podium. As he approached his seat - and the police officers converged on his location to maintain order - Dayton spread his arms out wide in a taunting gesture, a "You want a piece of me?" posture, to those several dozen burly, vocal members of the audience who continued to jeer him. I've never seen this kind of activity at council meetings in the past, and, in my opinion, Righeimer precipitated it by allowing Dayton to speak so long, antagonizing an already-hostile audience.

NO SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES
I knew we wouldn't see any substantive changes to Jim Righeimer's Charter last night, but I was surprised that we would get such a clear and obvious example of what life will be like in Costa Mesa if the Charter passes in June. Righeimer ran the meeting with his typical disregard for the rules. His allowance of nearly 10 minutes of speaking time for Dayton was only one example. He tired very quickly of Wendy Leece's attempts to get segments deleted and/or added. He and his cohorts, Eric Bever and Steve Mensinger, just kept on sniping at her and failed to provide a second to her motions. She did succeed in having the Preamble modified, installing segments plucked from Huntington Beach's charter and inserting them in the draft, but only after the intervention of resident Perry Valantine, who had recommended the changes in the first place.

POSTERIOR SMOOCHING BY JIMMY FITZY
A predictable, and pathetic, segment of the meeting last night was when Planning Commissioner and Righeimer/Mensinger lap dog, Jim Fitzpatrick, stepped up to the speaker's podium early-on and heaped praise on the council for their bravery and foresight. The crowd tittered and then grumbled as his shameless pandering continued. When he finally finished I felt like someone should offer him a tissue to wipe that brown stuff off his nose.

TERRY KOKEN CROONS AGAIN
All was not doom and gloom, though. Frequent speaker Terry Koken presented his views to the council in the form of another little ditty that he composed. While he will never be mistaken for Tony Bennett, what he lacks in vocalization skills he more than makes up for in moxey


NEXT STOP, THE MARCH 6TH VOTE
So, now we wait three weeks, until the March 6th council meeting, at which time they will almost certainly vote to place Jim Righeimer's Charter on the ballot. Then the battle begins. There is already very significant organized opposition to this scheme. The group Costa Mesans For Responsible Government is already mobilized and promises to produce a cadre of activists to go door-to-door to inform the public about this disaster. It's going to be a very interesting spring.

*****

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
On a happier note, we here at A Bubbling Cauldron want to wish all you lovers out there a very Happy Valentine's Day. Here's a little something from our pal, Rod Stewart, to help get you in the mood: