Loss Of Affordable Housing Protested

VIEWING THE DEMONSTRATION
A funny thing happened on the way to the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting last night!  I stopped on the way to view the peaceful demonstration by members of the Costa Mesa Affordable Housing Coalition and other concerned residents to protest the planned demolition of the 236-room Costa Mesa Motor Inn and in its place erect a 224-room luxury apartment complex, which will result in the loss of some of the few remaining "homes" for very low or low income residents.

POLICE PRESENCE
I perched across the street from the Costa Mesa Motor Inn, arriving just before 5:00 p.m. - the announced start time of the demonstration - and saw a Costa Mesa Police car staged in the exit of the Home Depot shopping center, watching.  He left shortly after I arrived, heading north on Harbor Boulevard for parts unknown.

WATCHING THE GROWING GROUP
I parked in the parking lot adjacent to McDonald's nearby and leaned against a light pole on Harbor Boulevard and began observing the demonstrators as they formed-up across the street.  When I arrived there were already nearly 50 people - men, women and children - lined up along the curb, waving to the passing traffic and holding signs of all shapes and sizes.

BRAD ZINT ON THE SCENE
I noticed Daily Pilot reporter Bradley Zint arrive and begin to chat with folks.  In this image he's talking, or rather, listening to organizer Kathy Esfahani.  You can read his coverage of this event, including interviews with participants and tenants, HERE.  You'll see him in other images I took yesterday afternoon.

MANY FAMILIAR FACES
I spent approximately 30 minutes, standing, watching and photographing.  I think you'll get a flavor for the event as you scroll down through the images I've provided.  I saw many familiar faces - many folks who are concerned enough about civic affairs that they take time out of their busy lives to study issues, write to officials, speak at meetings, participate on committees, run for office and attend events like this one.  You'll probably recognize a few yourself.

WHAT EFFECT WILL THIS HAVE?
I found myself wondering just what effect this demonstration will have on the elected officials that will make the final decision on the future of the planned development on that site.  According to reports from the owner and some residents, things are much, much better now that the owner has instituted what amounts to a "lock down" condition at the Costa Mesa Motor Inn.  And, in theory, he's "taking care of" those residents who pay their rent and keep their rooms serviceable until they are eventually evicted before demolition of the building, sometime next spring or fall.  August was mentioned as the departure date.  He said he will return three months paid rent plus $1,500 dollars to tenants who stick it out until that date under the terms he prescribed.  That's hardly enough to find permanent housing in Costa Mesa, but it might be enough for a starting point elsewhere.

A PERFECT CHOICE
An interesting side note.  At the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, one of the items on the agenda is the request for permission to place a tree, bench and plaque in the memory of Frank P. Forbath, the long-time resident and activist for the downtrodden.  I couldn't help but notice that his widow, Jean, and their daughter, Kathy Esfahani, were among the demonstrators.  They chose to participate here rather than attend the meeting where a memorial to Frank was happening.  It seemed somehow perfectly correct and exactly what Frank would have preferred.  Spoiler alert - the memorial to Frank was approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission.

A SURPRISE ENCOUNTER
As the sun set behind the Costa Mesa Motor Inn and the, by now, around 100 demonstrators, and I was getting ready to depart for the meeting at City Hall, a young couple departing the shopping center behind me on foot stopped to ask me what was going on.  I told them about the demonstration and answered a couple of their questions.  As they left I asked where they were from, since they had the look of tourists.  They said "back east", which I found out meant north of Boston.  I asked where they were staying and was surprised when they told me the name of a sober living facility - and proudly admitted they were here because of heavy drug and alcohol use!  I wished them well and they walked on up the street.  Something's always happening in Costa Mesa....

Community Leader Frank Forbath Passes Away

AN ICON PASSES
It is with great sadness that I write tonight to let you know that the family of community activist Frank Forbath has advised me that he passed away this week at 90 years of age.  He was surrounded by his family, including Jean, his loving wife of 58 years, his seven children and most of his 15 grand children, when he died at home in the early afternoon on Wednesday, September 2nd from prostate cancer.  According to family sources, a proper obituary will appear in the Daily Pilot soon and no services have been scheduled at this time.  In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in his name to:

National Far​m Workers Ministry, P.O Box 10645, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27605

AN INDELIBLE IMPRINT
Through their outstanding compassionate activism  - most notably through the creation of Share Our Selves 45 years ago -  Frank and his wife, Jean, have left an indelible imprint on our community and all of Orange County.  Despite his illness Frank continued to influence issues in the city - most recently speaking out against the current plans to demolish the Neighborhood Community Center and create a new library in its place.

AN OUTSTANDING CAREER
Frank Forbath was an engineer by training and profession.  He held a B.A degree in physics and math from UCLA and a Master's Degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University.  Frank served as a shipboard Naval Officer in World War II.  He held management positions in many of the iconic companies in Southern California, including Hughes Aircraft and Northrop and held engineering positions at the Instrument Division of American Optical and the RAND Corporation.  He has been the President of FJFCo and Harbor Scientific and holds several US and International patents.  And those were just his day jobs!

A FULL LIFE
Frank and Jean have lived in Costa Mesa for more than 53 years, raised seven successful, well-educated children,  have been loving grandparents to fifteen grandchildren and still found time to perform a level of community service that would be hard to match.  This short video clip will give you an idea of that dedication to the community.


CONDOLENCES
We at A Bubbling Cauldron extend our deepest condolences to the Forbath family, to the staff and those served by Share Our Selves, and to the community as well, on the loss of this fine man.  His was certainly a life well-lived and he will be missed.

Long, Painful Night For Sandpiper Motel

CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT REVOKED
In what might have been a fairly short Public Hearing last night - but wasn't - the Costa Mesa Planning Commission unanimously revoked the Conditional Use Permit for the Sandpiper Motel on Newport Boulevard.  The action reduces the total number of units from fourteen (14) to eleven (11) that may be used for long-term housing at the facility.  You can read the staff report, including the draft resolutions, HERE.

FOUR HOURS - SEEMED LIKE SIX
The hearing, which began at 6:12 p.m., stretched on and on and on until the final vote was taken 10:20 p.m.  The decision is final unless appealed to the City Council within seven (7) days.

A COURT REPORTER PRESENT!
This was a unique hearing in that, for the first time in my memory, a court reporter - the lovely Janet Taylor -  was assigned to provide a record of the testimony - hired by our contract attorney firm, Jones and Mayer.  I say "testimony" because much of the time it felt like we were observing a court hearing.

UNUSUAL "SWEARING-IN"
Each member of the staff that would provide information had to be sworn-in, as well as the property owner and all of the folks he brought to speak on his behalf, including employees.

LOTS OF DATA FOR THE COMMISSION
Elena Gehrli, of Jones and Mayer, took the lead and presented the staff report on this issue.  The members of the audience received only a very abbreviated version, without all the exhibits the Planning Commissioners used for their review.  Their binder was about three inches thick - a couple of them held it up during the proceedings.

THE INFAMOUS "ROOM #139"
Much too much time was spent discussing a particular room - #139 - at the Sandpiper Motel.  It was used as THE example of how shabby the place had become, even though a very lengthy explanation of how it happened was delivered by more than one speaker.  It seems the room had been occupied for more than five (5) years by an elderly gentleman who was suffering from dementia over the past couple years.  His room was found to be a "hoarder" site by the city staff who discovered it during an inspection.  On and on the discussion went, chronicling the frequent inspections and photographic evidence depicting the conditions at each one.  Other maintenance shortfalls were promptly addressed.

LAWYER UNPREPARED
During the discussion it was clear that there was more than a little confusion on the issues at hand.  A couple times Gehrli seemed ill-prepared for the evening.  At one point, as Chairman Jim Fitzpatrick and other commissioners were attempting to determine whether the property owner was at fault for not 'inspecting' rooms more frequently, Fitzpatrick asked Gehrli, "What limitations does the owner have on access to rooms?"  That seemed like a pivotal question, since the commission was making the point that he had failed to be diligent in that regard.  Gehrli's answer was, "I don't know what the law is."  She should have - that's why we pay them the big bucks - more than $144,000 for one month on the Warrant that will be approved by the City Council tonight.

DEMANDING INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED
There was also some confusion about the duration of motel stays as prescribed in our code and the conditional use permit.  Commissioner Tim Sesler - a lawyer - tried to grill the owner, Mike Lin - shown here with his lawyer, Allan Calomino -  about documentation of long-term stays.  Lin produced a report for March - all that is required - but Sesler was unhappy that he didn't produce more documentation, even though there is no requirement for him to keep those records.

SUPPORTERS
A half-dozen speakers stepped up to support Lin, including the former owner of the Sandpiper Motel.  Others included his manager and a couple women who worked there plus a resident.

SLIGHT MODIFICATION OF THE RESOLUTION
The commission eventually modified the proposed resolution authorizing the revocation - replacing segment A1 with new language citing Condition of Approval #7, then referring to the remaining other three segments of the resolution. 

ALL PART OF THE PLAN...
One speaker, Kathy Esfahani of the Costa Mesa Affordable Housing Coalition, pointed out during her time at the speakers podium that it was clear what was happening here.  She cited the fact that the next item on the agenda, the report on the Planning Commission 2013 Goals, tied DIRECTLY to this action.  Goal #4 mentions, in part, the Sandpiper Motel specifically in the context of a new ordinance being drafted that would reduce long-term housing in motels to Zero!  She, and speaker Jean Forbath of the same organization, both acknowledged that we should be going the other way - instead of eliminating long-term housing for poor in these motels we should be increasing the number of rooms made available to them.  Those observations fell on deaf ears on the dais.

COSTA MESA MOTOR INN NEXT
Next up is the Costa Mesa Motor Inn, which - according to Interim Assistant Director of Development Services Jerry Guarrancino - will have a report that will be huge compared to the one they dealt with for the Sandpiper last night.

RIGHEIMER'S GOAL - OUST THE MOTELS
Lest you forget, not too long ago Mayor Jim Righeimer told us all from the dais that it was his goal to make the owners of "problem motels" take a more realistic view of the value of their properties by slamming them with code enforcement violations and frequent visits by the Police and Fire Departments.  His goal, apparently, was to have them get their heads straight and sell their properties to developers, who could then re-purpose them as "affordable housing", either by modifying the existing structures or scraping the lots and building new facilities at about 50 units per acre.

MENSINGER OBSERVING
As an aside, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger was plopped down near the rear of the auditorium all evening, sporadically texting away.  I don't know if he was communicating with any members of the commission on the dais or reporting the progress to someone else not present in the building.  What ever he was doing, he was working very hard at it.  Heck, he may have just been posting self-lauditory items on his Facebook page.  I wouldn't know, since he's blocked me.

GOALS
At the very end of the meeting the commission reviewed the progress made on their goals, HERE.  Take a few moments to look that short staff report over.  It will give you a real feel for the kind of things this group and their benefactors on the City Council have in store for the city.

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN FOR THE NEXT ONE
The next Planning Commission meeting is Monday, April 28th.  I won't be at that one... I'll be attending the second Feet To The Fire Forum for candidates for the 2nd Supervisorial District seat being vacated by termed-out John Moorlach.

COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT
Before that, though, is another marathon in City Council Chambers when the council meets tonight.  Ugh...

Homeless Supportive Housing Workshop Thursday (Amended!)

 NOTE:  THE VENUE FOR THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM THE EOC TO CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS!  TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

THURSDAY EVENING...
The City of Costa Mesa will hold a workshop for those interested in its efforts to identify Supportive Housing for Costa Mesa's burgeoning homeless population tomorrow, Thursday, January 16, 2014, from 6-8 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) adjacent to the Police Headquarters at 99 Fair Drive CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.  You can read the agenda for that meeting HERE.

ANGRY NEIGHBORS
Some will recall the firestorm of concern that was generated when the City announced late last year that the Civic Center Park, across the street from Police Headquarters, had been identified as the probable site for a Supportive Housing facility to aid Costa Mesa homeless.  Surrounding neighbors were up in arms - it was one of those "pitchforks and torches" moments.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULES TRIMMED
In response to that outcry TWO workshops were scheduled for this week - today and tomorrow - both in City Council Chambers in anticipation of a huge turnout.  When the City recanted its commitment to use Civic Center Park - they "took it off the table" - the furor died down, the Wednesday meeting was canceled and the one tomorrow was scheduled for the EOC.  Actually, that smaller venue works well if the crowd turns out to be small - 75 or less.

IN THE PRESS
Costa Mesa Homelessness has been in the local media a lot lately.  A few days ago Becks Heyhoe, Director of the Churches Consortium, published a moving commentary on the pages of the Daily Pilot, HERE.

SERVICES LEAVING TOWN
Then, in his own commentary, HERE, Rick Campo addressed the recent departure from Costa Mesa of the Illumination Foundation, an organization attempting to help homeless folks in our city at one of the so-called "problem motels" that Mayor Jim Righeimer seems so intent to destroy.  Apparently, based on published comments by city officials, the mission of the Illumination Foundation didn't blend well with whatever plan the City has for dealing with the homeless.

FORBATH SPEAKS OUT
Last week, Jean Forbath, a highly-respected long-time activist,  member of the Costa Mesa Housing Coalition and former executive director of Share Our Selves, also published a commentary, HERE, addressing the Excessive Use Of Services Ordinance recently passed as another arrow in the City's quiver to deal with homelessness.

WHAT'S NEXT?
So, we'll see what the City and the cadre of local homelessness activists and organizations have in mind as potential resolutions to this issue.  See you there.