A Glorious Day For A Birthday Party!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COSTA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT...
Temperatures in the mid-80s greeted visitors Sunday, December 15, 2013 the Costa Mesa Police Department, as part of the city-wide 60th Anniversary Celebration, celebrated its 60th Birthday with a community party at Police Headquarters on Fair Drive.

 (More than 3 dozen proud retirees attended the party)

A PERFECT DAY FOR A PARTY
Several hundred visitors enjoyed the warm weather and the festivities for five hours in the middle of the day.  I stayed for about half of that time and was very impressed with the preparations.  Food and drink was available, a raffle for helicopter rides was held in exchange for toys for children and tours of the police facilities were conducted throughout the afternoon.

 (Chiefs Dave Snowden, Roger Neth and Tom Gazsi)

GAZSI AT THE CONTROLS
Police Chief Tom Gazsi kicked off the official program and introduced several former Chiefs of Police of the department who were in attendance.  Before that part of the program, though, CMPD staffer Jeanette Chervony sang the National Anthem as the color guard presented the colors for the event.

 

 (Jeanette Chervony belts out the National Anthem)

ROGER STILL HAS IT
Former Police Chief Roger Neth - the first officer hired and our second chief - gave us a fascinating history lesson about the CMPD.  We learned that, over the years, the CMPD has been an innovative and highly-regarded law enforcement agency.  Neth ticked off the many accomplishments - among them Community-Oriented Policing and the A.B.L.E. helicopter program, which was the benchmark after which all other municipal helicopter programs were modeled.  It was great to see Chief Neth again, and to hear those inspirational stories.

SNOWDEN SPEAKS
His successor, former Chief Dave Snowden - who spent more than seventeen years in that role before moving to Beverly Hills a decade ago - stepped up and expanded on some of the stories Neth told us.  He still considers himself part of the CMPD family and attends many events in our city when possible.  He rejoiced in the time he spent as our Police Chief, and bemoaned the difficult times the CMPD now faces, with the loss of A.B.L.E. and the diminished staffing levels.

STAVELEY RETURNED, TOO
Former Interim Chief Steve Staveley, a man who has led many law enforcement agencies over a more than 40 year career, was also on the stage and spoke briefly.  He was the interim Chief twice, filling in the gaps created by the departure of former Chiefs John Hensley and Chris Shawkey, neither of whom were in attendance yesterday.  Staveley held things together during some very difficult times.

THE CURRENT STATUS
Chief Gazsi spoke of the current condition of the CMPD, expressing his gratitude to the men and women of the department for their tireless efforts and spoke of the fact that they are recruiting as fast as is possible and still maintain the high standards established during the tours of the previous chiefs.  There are some members of the City Council who seem to think hiring police officers should be just like finding a gardener.  Such is the condition of the elected leadership in our city these days.

 (New recruits, eager to complete their training)

(Serving with a smile)

 (Kelly Vucinic and Valerie Sorenson keeping things rolling) 

CARS

There were many interesting displays available for the public to inspect.  There were two of our newest police cars plus the car used in the television program Adam-12.

SWAT
Members of the SWAT team were present, along with many of their weapons.  After I left they gave a demonstration of tactics for the crowd at that time.

MISSING A.B.L.E.
There was a helicopter on display on the helipad - a former CMPD Hughes 500D model that we sold to the Hawthorne Police Department when A.B.L.E. upgraded to the Eurocopters.  Former A.B.L.E. pilot Ryan Walker flew it here for the event and is shown chatting with retired CMPD Captain, current CMPD Chaplain and trustee of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, Dave Brooks.  

COPS AND DONUTS
An amusing side note - the donut truck from Sidecar Donuts on East 17th Street was at the event providing free donuts to visitors (and officers, too.)  Shown here is former councilman, current Costa Mesa Sanitary District Director and Chairman of the 60th Anniversary Celebration, Mike Scheafer, with retired legendary CMPD School Resource Officer, Jess Gilman.

CONTINUING THE TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE
The Costa Mesa Police Department has a proud, 60-year-old tradition of law enforcement innovation and excellence.  As I spoke with several of the men and women who protect and serve us today I'm convinced that Chief Gazsi and his team will continue this tradition if provided the resources.  I was very proud to be a Costa Mesan today.

(Kelly Vucinic, Captain Rob Sharpnack and Lt. Mark Manley)

(Captain Les Gogerty and Sergeant Phil Myers)

(Chief Tom Gazsi)

Saying Good-bye To Jess Gilman - Again

ONE MORE TIME...
It was with great sadness that I learned today that my friend, Officer Jess Gilman, a stalwart within the Costa Mesa Police Department for decades and a legendary School Resource Officer, has found it necessary to depart Costa Mesa - again.

SOME HISTORY
Some will recall that Jess retired a little over a year ago.  I wrote about it HERE.  Then, he found a way to come back on a part-time basis a few months later and I wrote about that HERE.

BACK AGAIN
During the summer the decision was made to cancel the Costa Mesa School Resource Officer program, but Jess returned for this semester on a temporary basis.

HIS LAST DAY
Today is his final day and this time it looks like he's gone for good.  His new business interests - which now will be providing School Resource Officers to every school in Beverly Hills - demand more of his time.

VAYA CON DIOS, AMIGO...

One more time, thank you to Jess Gilman, who has defined the role of School Resource Officer in our area.  He was more than a cop just doing his job.  He became a trusted friend to many of the kids he encountered every day and a strong partner in the education process in the schools he served.  Adios, amigo... you will be missed.

Kinder, Gentler - But Still Long - Council Meeting

ONE DOWN AND STILL SMILIN'...

Well, the first Costa Mesa city council meeting of the new year proved to, indeed, be a kinder, gentler event than many in the recent past.  New Mayor Jim Righeimer ran the meeting crisply, with almost the perfect mix of business and humor.  He enlisted the help of his fellow council members and the public to keep things moving briskly.  I don't want to heap too much praise on him or he might get a big head... oh, wait... too late.

OFFICER SMITH PRESENTS A FLAG

The evening began with three VERY special presentations.  Costa Mesa Police Officer Jon Smith - who had been honored on the lawn of the Police Headquarters earlier in the day when the yellow ribbon that had wrapped the trunk of a large ficus tree on the lawn was removed after Smith safely returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan - presented Righeimer with an American Flag that had flown over Afghanistan.

LOCAL HEROES HONORED

Then Righeimer honored two young maintenance workers from the South Point Apartments who saved the lives of two women who had been trapped in a burning apartment building.  Arturo Hernandez and Gerald Rodriquez broke in a door and literally carried the two women to safety.

BELL WINNERS
And then Righiemer and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger presented awards to members and coaches of the Estancia High School Eagle football team for their victory in the annual Battle Of The Bell - the cross-town rivalry with the Costa Mesa High School Mustangs.  Coach Mike Bargas spoke briefly about his team and their accomplishments.


PUBLIC COMMENTS
Fewer than a dozen folks rose to speak during Public Comments on issues as diverse as improving an entrance to Fairview Park; the successful Snoopy House event; the concern of residents of Bethel Towers about the pending renovations; the proposed new Fairview Park parking lot; the pending recall of Mayor Righeimer and the new, more civil attitude, which was punctuated by a word - or maybe it's two words - left hanging in the air by former mayor Eric Bever having to do with bovine excrement.  Apparently some things will never change.

HATCH PRESENTATION

During his segment CEO Tom Hatch brought a full bag of tricks that had accumulated for a month, since the last meeting.  He updated us on the progress of the consultant for the city General Plan update.  He told us that they plan to provide even more specific information on the Warrants that presently appear as part of the Consent Calendar.  He also mentioned that in the special study session on January 29th two important issues will be discussed - the unfunded liability issue and the 2.5@55 benefit enhancement, and invited the public to attend.  I'll remind you.  He then invited Chief Tom Gazsi to make a short presentation on the status of our School Resource Officer (SRO) program.

CHIEF GAZSI ON SRO PROGRAM
Gazsi told us that the CMPD aggressively trains for protection of probable targets - schools, shopping centers, athletic events, etc.  He told us that recently retired SRO Jess Gilman returned on a part-time basis in a reserve officer role.  He also told us that on Monday he hired four (4) new police officers - the first hired since 2008 - and that four more will be hired this month.  He's working closely with Dr. Fred Navarro, Superintendent of Schools for the Newport Mesa Unified School District on SRO plans.

CONSENT CALENDAR

Then, after a little pep talk by Righeimer about what items on the Consent Calendar are supposed to be, members of the council promptly pulled half of the items for separate discussion.  During a discussion of the Warrants Mensinger said, paraphrasing him, that when he requested the Warrants be included in the Consent Calendar he didn't expect them to be pulled for separate discussion.  Gee, I guess that means we want transparency, just don't dare ask any questions about little things like how much we're spending on legal fees.  He mentioned those specifically.  Too late, Steve - you opened that particular Pandora's Box and you're just going to have to live with the consequences.

AGENDA JUGGLING

By the time we finished the Consent Calendar it was 7:55 p.m., nearly an hour after we should have been discussing Public Hearing #1, the item for which most of the remaining crowd was patiently waiting.  But, instead, he jumped to New Business #2, the discussion of the SR-55 Improvement Study - apparently so the half dozen OCTA folks in attendance could get on their way.

SR-55 IMPROVEMENT
Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman made a brief presentation of the history of this project, then turned it over to a representative from OCTA, who explained the remaining process.  From this point forward a detailed technical analysis will be performed, then the process will return to the city to arrive at the "preferred local alternative".  Cost estimates for the four remaining options ranged from $9-14 million for Alternative #2, the Transportation System Management option that included signal synchronization and adding a couple partial lanes to $9-25 million for option #3, Vertical Terminal Enhancement and a whopping $306 - 373 million for the Cut and Cover choice.  And, of all the options, that final one would have the greatest business impact by far.

FINALLY, THE ANCHOR TRAILER PORT CLOSURE IMPACT REPORT!

After a nearly 20 minute break at 8:35 we finally got to the Public Hearing on the proposed closure of the Anchor Trailer Port.  It is proposed to remove the existing mobile homes and trailers and build 40 live/work units ranging is size from 1952 to 2000 square feet.  Representatives of the proposed new owner were present to present their plan for the relocation of the existing residents, more than half of whom showed up for the meeting.  Nineteen (19) people stood to express their concern about the process and their apprehension - distrust, actually - of the plans being proposed.

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN!

Many of us who have been observing council activities for more than a short time remembered back nearly a decade ago when two trailer parks - El Nido and Snug Harbor - were closed by the owner to build a medical office building.  That process was long, late and rancorus over many months.  The presentation by the proposed owners and by Celeste Brady representing The City in this matter as a member of the law firm of Stradling, Yocca Carlson & Rauth was thorough.  Brady made it very clear early on that the council has NO discretion in this matter.  They can only find that the applicant did or did not follow the state law in this matter - which she told us they did and even exceeded the requirements, too.  In fact, they were working with the 24th version of the Closure Impact Report (CIR), each of which were prepared after input by residents and city staff.

REALLY, STEVE?

Still, the conversation went on and on and on and was finally passed after the council squeezed concessions out of the applicant and Mensinger wondered what the penalty would be if they DID NOT pass the action.  I could see Brady flinch when he asked the question.  Well, gee, Steve - I guess that would get us saddled with yet another law suit because of a boneheaded council action!  The guy really is obtuse.  And, as it turns out, he has a friend who is a resident of the trailer park who he apparently is now moved to "help" - whatever that means.  The applicant will offer significant financial incentives and assistance to the residents, including relocation counseling.  The council finally took their vote - 5-0 - at just before 11 p.m., then took a short break while all the interested parties filed out.  The meeting commenced at 11:05.

FAIRVIEW PARK BOARDWALKS

Now we were on New Business #1, the Fairview Park Wetlands Boardwalk Project.  In a nutshell, we have just about finished creating a wetlands area of Fairview Park but most of it would not be visible to visitors from the trails around the perimeter.  So, the staff wants authorization to move forward to plan a series of boardwalks that will enable visitors to walk above the wetlands and safely see the wildlife and plants included therein.  The cost for the planning and design phases is $100,000 and the total project may cost $1 million.  The seven remaining residents in the chambers heard the council approve moving forward with the plan.

SECURITY CAMERAS AT CITY HALL AND LIONS PARK

Finally, at 11:25, the final item on the agenda, New Business #3, Council Authorization for the Implementation of Security Camera System Upgrade and Expansion For City Hall and Lion's Park, was heard.  Among the questions asked were just who the "authorized staff members" are that will be permitted to view these video recordings.  Apparently, in the case of the Lions Park tapes, that would be police personnel.  Some conversation suggested that members of "city management" will be permitted to view the City Hall tapes.  We were assured that none of the cameras will be trained on working areas, only common areas like hallways, parking lots and entrances to the building. 

ALMOST MIDNIGHT - AGAIN!
Finally, at 11:47 p.m., we were done.  So, despite his best efforts, Righeimer was still not able to get us on the road home early last night.

NEXT MEETING NEXT WEEK
The next meeting will be next Tuesday, January 15th.  That's going to be a tough one for the staff, since it only gives them a couple days in which to prepare the necessary staff reports.  Such is life in the new, kinder, gentler City of Costa Mesa.

Officer Jon Smith "Welcome Home" Ceremony

MORE GOOD NEWS
On the heels of the news that SRO Jess Gilman is returning to Costa Mesa on Monday, there is more good "returning officer" news tonight.

OFFICER JON SMITH TO BE WELCOMED HOME
In a press release today the Costa Mesa Police Department announced a "yellow ribbon-cutting" ceremony at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at which Officer Jon Smith will be officially welcomed home from his recent year-long tour of military duty in Afghanistan, during which he was involved in assessing the capabilities of schools, hospitals and police departments.  The event will take place in front of the Police Headquarters at 99 Fair Drive.

CHIEF GAZSI TO HOST
Police Chief Tom Gazsi will host the event and will be joined by Community Service Specialist Jeanette Chervony who was instrumental in providing Smith strong support by gathering, organizing and shipping special care packages to him while he served abroad.

Jess Is Back!

SRO GILMAN RETURNS
In a press release late this afternoon the City of Costa Mesa announced the return of recently-retired Costa Mesa Police Officer Jess Gilman, who will work as a Reserve Officer and School Resource Officer on a part-time basis.  You can read the information from the City web site, HERE.

PART OF A BIGGER PLAN
This is terrific news since, starting Monday,  Gilman will work on both Costa Mesa high school campuses as part of a larger response to the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

COLLABORATION
Costa Mesa Police Chief Tom Gazsi is quoted as saying, "While school security remains the responsibility of the District, the City will continue to support these endeavors in a collaborative, aggressive and proactive way."

FOUR MORE OFFICERS PENDING

The press release also indicated that The City of Costa Mesa expects to hire four police officers by mid-January and will add additional full time and reserve officers shortly thereafter.  This is great news for us all.  Congratulations to Chief Gazsi, CEO Tom Hatch and Newport Mesa Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Navarro for aggressively addressing this issue.

Will Sandy Hook Tragedy Restore Costa Mesa SROs?

A FEW CONCERNS...
Today the Daily Pilot, our local newspaper of record for more than a century, included in the online version a commentary I sent to them recently.  It may appear in print sometime soon.  You can read it HERE.

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
When you read through that piece you'll find several questions, but no answers... those will have to come from the trustees of the Newport Mesa Unified School District and the elected leaders of the City of Costa Mesa.

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
One of my major concerns is, and has been, the removal of the School Resource Officers (SROs) from the Costa Mesa High Schools.  That move - a result of the draconian budget cuts by the former city council - created a huge vacuum in those schools.  Legendary SRO Jess Gilman (shown here at his retirement ceremony with his wife, Rhonda, and Chief Tom Gazsi) was removed from Estancia High School and placed on patrol.  He subsequently retired and is working in a security capacity at a university not too far away.  All reports are that he was an excellent patrol officer, but those close to the issue acknowledge that his best utilization is that of a School Resource Officer based on his experience and history in that role.

AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE EQUATION

As I said in the Daily Pilot piece, during the study session on December 18th at the NMUSD headquarters the common thread throughout most of the discussion was the need for SROs in the schools.  Of course, there were many other issues addressed - I wrote about them HERE - but the question of the missing SROs is a critical element in the discussions and seems to be a pretty easy one to address.  The commitment by the Trustees and council members to fund SROs in the future needs to be reached, but the SROs could be replaced immediately by using some of CEO Tom Hatch's  $1 million slush, er, contingency fund to bridge this fiscal year until funding could be allocated for the 2013-2014 budget.

IGNORANT COUNCIL MEMBERS DON'T HELP THE PROBLEM

Part of the problem is that some members of the current city council seem to not be in touch with the situation.  For example, new Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger - who arguably spends more time at Estancia than other council members because of his strong interest in youth sports there - apparently is oblivious to the fact that we don't have SROs there any longer.  I'm not sure how that level of ignorance can exist, but it does.  The short, 2-minute video clip below - from the last council meeting of the year right at midnight, - confirms it as he attempts to set new council member Sandra Genis straight on the subject.  Perhaps if Mensinger spent more time paying attention, reading the staff reports and not fiddling with his Ipad and phone on the dais he'd actually understand what's going on up there.  Two years is plenty of time for him to grasp the procedures.

YES WE DO!  NO, WE DON'T...