SPECIAL DISTRICT RACES

YEAH, I'M BACK AGAIN...
Yes, there are more races we should address as the 2020 campaign season has now launched - and who really knows what THAT means?  I sure don't!  Are we going to have candidate forums? Are we going to have Zoom debates?  Are we just going to close our eyes and stab at our ballots, then mail them in? Will President Trump emasculate the United States Postal Service so our votes won't make it to the Registrar?  Anyhow, there are more races to be discussed and I'm going to give you my take, early in the season, for whatever it's worth.  HERE is a link to the page on the OC Registrar of Voters web page that gives you some info on each of the following candidates.

COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT
As most know, the Costa Mesa Sanitary District was extorted, just as the City of Costa Mesa and many other municipal entities were, into voting by district.  That required creating districts, then staggering the elections for those districts.  And, of course, the district boundaries are similar, but not the same, as the City boundaries or those of other districts that operate within Costa Mesa.  Yeah, confusion reigns.  This time around the CMSD has two seats being contested.  I'll address each of those individually.

DIVISION 2
This seat, is currently held by long, long time incumbent JAMES FERRYMAN, a man with a very long history of service to our community, including his tour as one of the strong leaders of the CMSD.  He would be my choice, hands down, if I could vote in this race.  He is challenged by BRETT ECKLES, a man with a youth sports orientation and a strong allegiance to the former political regime led by Jim Righeimer and Steve Mensinger.  Two years ago he ran against Andrea Marr for the 2nd District City Council seat and was soundly trounced by her.  I suspect that was because she brought such strong academic and leadership credentials to the race AND he carried the baggage of that previous administration.  He has not lost that baggage and Jim Ferryman has too much experience and leadership to be tossed aside.  Jim Ferryman is far and away the best choice.

DIVISION 4
In this race we have a similar situation.  ART PERRY is a long time community leader and educator.  His experience on the CMSD board has contributed to it being one of the most highly-regarded special districts in Orange County, if not the state.  Under the leadership of men like Art Perry and Jim Ferryman the CMSD has shown just how well such an organization can be run - with efficiency and fiscal responsibility.  Art Perry would be my guy in this race.  He is challenged by MICHELLE FIGUEREDO-WILSON, a woman with zero municipal experience.  She also challenged for a seat on the City Council two years ago, and, despite serious support from the OC GOP hierarchy, was soundly whipped by young newcomer Manuel Chavez.  She gained only 709 votes in that election.  She brings nothing to the table - to academic credentials nor demonstrated leadership experience.  She is a constant complainer via the social media sites and is closely allied with the above-mentioned Righeimer/Mensinger cabal.  Nope.. Art Perry's experience and long-time dedication to our community make him the easy choice in this race.

MESA WATER DISTRICT
It's interesting that, although there are three seats up for grabs, only one will be contested.  The seats held by incumbents FRED BOCKMILLER and MARICE DE PASAQUALE will not be contested - nobody stepped up to challenge them.  However, the Division 2 seat held by incumbent JAMES R. FISLER is being contested.  He is being challenged by newcomer, but home-town boy, ADAM C. ERETH, a member of the iconic Perry clan in town.  He brings an exceptional academic and work background to this race and will be a very refreshing replacement for the onerous Righeimer/Mensinger sycophant, Fisler.  I've watched Fisler over the years and have come away singularly unimpressed with his tours on various commissions and committees.  He's a politician who brings no expertise to any assignment.  I expect this will be a tough race - Fisler is well-connected in that part of town - but Ereth brings a special new kind of energy to this race and would certainly be a breath of fresh air on that board.  If I could vote in this race Adam Ereth would be my guy.

MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT OF ORANGE COUNTY (MWDOC)
There are several seats on this board being contested this time around, but only one with a local connection.

DIVISION 4
This race will be hotly-contested by an interesting mix of people.  There are two people about which I know absolutely nothing about - CHRISTOPHER GANIERE and DANA M. REED.  They apparently have no prior public service experience and will not get my vote.

Mesa Water District manager STACY LYNNE TAYLOR  has a strong Public Relations background at Mesa Water.  I've met her and don't dislike her, but I will not consider her because there is a much stronger candidate on the ballot and she is one more member of the Mesa Water power-hungry hierarchy trying to spread it's tentacles throughout the regional water management infrastructure.

Next is re-tread and termed out Costa Mesa Councilman ALLAN MANSOOR - a guy looking for another public trough to which he can belly-up.  Right up front, I am NOT a Mansoor fan.  Although he is a multi-term councilman, his times on the council were "distinguished" only by his anti-immigrant positions - he wanted to turn every Costa Mesa police officer into an ICE officer, for example.  He was named as an honorary "Minuteman" by the anti-immigrant leader, Jim Gilchrist, for goodness sake!  He has no record of accomplishment here - only divisiveness - or in the California State Assembly seat he held before returning to local politics.  He has been a willing pawn for the local OC GOP power brokers and brings nothing - no demonstrated leadership at any level, no strong academic credentials, no technical expertise, zero - to this particular race.  I strongly suspect that the only thing he knows about water is when he admiringly goes "ooohhh" as he watches it swirl around the toilet bowl when he flushes it.  The last time he ran for public office was two years ago when he ran, as a seated councilman and former mayor,  for the District 5 council seat.  He was crushed by newcomer Arlis Reynolds - making it clear that his neighbors knew him and rejected his brand of politics.  I suspect that will happen in this race, too.

Which brings us to the final person on the ballot - my friend and neighbor, KARL SECKEL.  Notwithstanding the fact that he lives in my neighborhood and I've gotten to know him over the past several years, as an old resume-reader for decades I can tell you that he brings a nearly perfect background for this job.  He has worked for MWDOC for nearly 4 decades and has an outstanding academic, technical and management background for this assignment.  He will retire the end of this year and his presence on this board will provide an extraordinary level of continuity of technical and professional leadership.  He is endorsed by the incumbent, Joan Finnegan.  This is an easy call for me -   Karl Seckel will enthusiastically get my vote.

SCHOOL BOARD?
Maybe next time.  I know nothing about any of the candidates except one.  So, I'll try to do my homework and get back to you - maybe I'll actually read Steve Smith's blog! :-)

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...

Sparse Crowd Sees Organic Recycling Move Forward

OOPS!
Did you every wonder what happens when you throw a party and nobody shows up?  Well, that's kind of what happened Tuesday night at the regular meeting of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board.

BIGGER VENUE, MOSTLY EMPTY
In anticipation of a large turnout to hear the discussion of the proposed Organics Recycling plan and observe the vote on the issue, the Board moved their meeting to the Multipurpose Room at Sonora Elementary School in the Mesa Del Mar section of town.  As it turned out, the meeting could have been held in the cozy confines of the Conference Room at District Headquarters.

ONLY 8 RESIDENTS SHOWED UP
In addition to the Board members, District Staff, representatives of CR&R Environmental Services, Barry Friedland of Costa Mesa Brief (on hand to record the meeting) and Bradley Zint of the Daily Pilot, only 8 residents showed up and only three spoke to the Board on the issue.

BOARD APPROVES THE CHANGE
The short version is that the Board voted unanimously to move forward with the proposal.  The actual launch date will be determined later, but it is presumed to occur between November of this year and January of 2015.  Details of the actual "roll-out" will be fleshed out as they move forward with more informational town hall meetings throughout the year.

THE FUTURE IS NOW
Board President Jim Ferryman indicated that he, personally, would prefer to stick with our current single can system, but times are changing and he felt it was better for the Sanitary District and its ratepayers to be out front on this new plan instead of being caught in the rush to find places to deal with our waste later.

BEST RATE - FOREVER
Board member Arlene Shafer concurred, indicating that it's better to be first-in with a good rate.  Based on the terms of the contract with CR&R, the Sanitary District will always have the lowest rate. Even if they negotiate a lower rate with other municipalities, our rate will be adjusted to match the lowest.

NO DECISION ON PAYING FOR IT
There was no discussion of the cost of this project, although there has been plenty of information made available at the four town halls held over the past few months.  According to Scott Carroll, General Manager of the Sanitary District, discussion of any increase in rates will not occur before early next spring.  Based on what we've been told in previous meetings, this program will cost an additional $500,000 a year and several options are available to the District to cover that cost, including possible use of reserves.  That decision will come at a future date.

NO AUTOMATIC "OPT OUTS"
Carroll was clear when he responded to inquiries by members of the public about being able to "opt out" of the program.  There is NO automatic "opt out".  There may, however, be circumstances that permit a household to have an exemption, but those will be handled on an individual basis.   The process for those evaluations will be determined as we move closer to the roll-out date.

WHERE WAS FITZY?
I was amused that, despite venting his prodigious spleen today with a critical essay as a "guest commentor" on another local blog, former Sanitary District Director Jim Fitzpatrick - apparently a very vocal advocate of plans like this one in the past -  failed to show up at this meeting.  His hypocrisy knows no bounds.

MORE INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS TO COME

Now the Sanitary District will proceed with more informational meetings and hammer out the details of the implementation of this plan.  For details on this program go the Sanitary District web site, HERE, and review the presentations available on the Home Page. 

Sewer Rate Increase Workshop

SLIM TURNOUT
Last night I attended, along with five (5) other residents, the workshop hosted by the Costa Mesa Sanitary District at the Neighborhood Community Center intended to provide information about the proposed sewer rate increase planned for later this year.

DISTRICT LEADERS AND CONSULTANTS
CMSD General Manager Scott Carroll and consultants John Farnkopf and Richard Simonson - hired to provide the study that resulted in the proposed rate restructuring - were joined by Directors Jim Ferryman, Bob Ooten, Mike Scheafer and Arlene Schafer in a free-flowing, casual discussion of the issue with us.

PLENTY OF GOOD INFORMATION AVAILABLE
Handouts included the 25-page Sewer Rate Study, available for review on the CMSD website HERE, and a FAQ sheet, HERE.  Unfortunately, because the study is necessarily founded on assumptions instead of measurable facts, some of the attendees probably left dissatisfied.  I suspect some of you will feel similarly if you take the time to plow through the detail of the report.

SOLVING INEQUITY
The proposed new rate structure will remedy what the consultants perceive as an inequity between what residential users pay versus what commercial users pay to move their sewage.  The rates proposed for beginning with the fiscal year 2013/2014 will theoretically adjust that inequity - single family residential users will carry a greater portion of the burden.  Their rates will go from $69.00 per year to $85.34 - a change of just over 16%.  Here's a chart from their FAQ sheet that displays the changes proposed.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

RIGHT QUESTIONS?  WRONG VENUE
Some attendees attempted to turn the meeting into a budget discussion, questioning District costs, salaries, pensions, etc.  Of course, while the questions may be valid, this was the wrong venue.  We were there to be briefed on how the new rates were established - and we received that information.  The District will be beginning their budget discussions soon and Carroll invited the public to attend those meetings at the District Headquarters.

ONE-TWO PUNCH
Most of us received the required notice of the public hearing proposing these rate adjustments.  And, we also received a notice from the Orange County Sanitary District about THEIR plan to also increase rates.  So, this will be a double-whammy for sewer processing rates.  The hearing on THAT increase will be held later this month.

VIRTUALLY NO OPPOSITION
Residents who oppose the CMSD rate increase may formally oppose it by writing to the District.  At one vote per parcel it will require more than 13,000 parcel owners - half of the total number of parcels covered by the CMSD - to protest and halt this increase.  Based on the turnout last night, I think the chances of that happening are pretty darn slim.

I UNDERSTAND IT...

I looked through all the information provided and listened to the questions and answers last night.  At this point, I think I understand the methodology and the need for the rate increase.  If you review the information on the website and still have questions contact the District.

Schafer Returned To Sanitary District Board

NO SURPRISE
In a move that will likely surprise very few people who have been following the drama at the Costa Mesa Sanitary District for the past couple years, today the Board of Directors selected former director and former Costa Mesa Mayor Arlene Schafer to replace Jim Fitzpatrick for the remaining two years of his term.  You can read the Daily Pilot coverage of the meeting and results HERE.

INTERVIEW PROCESS
At a special meeting today the four members of the board interviewed the six finalists in their process to determine a successor to Fitzpatrick - Schafer, former Costa Mesa Mayor Linda Dixon, former Sanitary District Board member Dan Worthington, Planning Consultant Jeffrey Harlan, Executive Search Consultant Al Morelli and Assistant General Manager of the West Basin Municipal Water District in Carson, Shivaji Desmukh.

UNANIMOUS SELECTION
Following the interviews, where each Director asked a couple questions of each applicant, the directors began the process of nominating candidates.  Dixon was first nominated, but received no second.  Schafer was nominated by President Jim Ferryman and was seconded by Director Art Perry.  When directors Mike Scheafer and Bob Ooten cast their votes for her she was chosen unanimously to fill the job that she held before Fitzpatrick defeated her in the election two years ago.

LET THE SCREECHING BEGIN
This will certainly generate a lot of negative comments from those in the community who felt Fitzpatrick was ousted from the Sanitary District Board.  Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick created his own problem when he intentionally, and against solid legal advice, stubbornly held to incompatible positions simultaneously.  And, he compounded that offense by doing it twice.

ON PAPER SCHAFER WAS THE EASY CHOICE
If you just read resumes Schafer was clearly the most highly qualified. She has served in this role before - for years - is well-known and highly respected in the sanitation management community.  For that reason alone her choice should be no surprise.  She will have virtually no "start up time" - she knows the business and how the Sanitary District operates.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Some will say this is a missed opportunity to bring in a fresh perspective to the Board - a thought with which I agree.  However, that what happened with Fitzpatrick and that went very, very badly.  I don't know whether that played any part in the selection the Directors made this morning, but wouldn't be surprised if it did.

SWEARING-IN ON WEDNESDAY
Schafer will be sworn in to her new/old job at the regular meeting of the Sanitary District Board on Wednesday, February 27th.  Her term will expire in 2014.

Sanitary District Directors Thins The Herd

FROM NINETEEN TO SIX
At a special meeting at 11:00 a.m. this morning the four remaining directors of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board thinned the herd of nineteen applicants for the vacancy created by the resignation of disgruntled director Jim Fitzpatrick to six candidates.  Those six will be asked to present themselves for interviews at another special meeting on Friday, February 22, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. at District headquarters.  The meeting was attended by five visitors - candidates Mark Harris and Al Morelli, activist Jim Mosher, former Water District Director Trudy Ohlig-Hall and your humble correspondent.

FINDING A FAIR SOLUTION
Guided by President Jim Ferryman, the directors - Art Perry, Bob Ooten and Mike Scheafer - arrived at what they felt was a fair way to winnow down the candidates.  Each said they had spent the past weekend reading through the resumes and other application paperwork for all of the candidates and all were impressed with the quality of applicants.  They acknowledged knowing some of the candidates and not knowing others.

THE PROCESS
Their solution to "thinning the herd" was for each director to present a list of their five top candidates.  Those four lists would be compiled by General Manager Scott Carroll.  The candidates who appeared on the most lists - the "highest vote-getters" - would be invited for personal interviews by the board Friday.  The maximum number invited would be five (5).

INDIVIDUAL CHOICES
Here are the lists that were presented in no particular order:
Art Perry - Jeffrey Harlan, Dan Worthington, Arlene Schafer, Richard Kapko and Mark Harris
Bob Ooten - Shivaji Deshmukh, Linda Dixon, Mike Harmanos, Al Morelli and Arlene Schafer
Mike Scheafer - Tamara Allee, Shivaji Deshmukh, Jeffrey Harlan, Al Morelli and Arlene Schafer
Jim Ferryman - Dan Worthington, Shivaji Deshmukh, Linda Dixon, Al Morelli and Arlene Schafer

AND THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE
The tally completed showed the following results:
Arlene Schafer - 4
Shivaji Desmukh - 3
Al Morelli - 3
Linda Dixon - 2
Jeffrey Harlan - 2
Dan Worthington - 2
Mike Harmanos - 1
Richard Kapko - 1
Mark Harris - 1
Tamara Allee - 1

THE FINALISTS
The board decided to invite six (6) candidates back - Schafer, Desmukh, Morelli, Dixon, Harlan and Worthington - rather than arbitrarily attempt to select two of the three candidates who received 2 votes each.  The directors will compile a list of questions to be asked.  Each director will ask two questions of each candidate, for a total of eight (8) questions per candidate.  The order of interviewing will be decided by drawing numbers from a hat or similar device.  Candidates will be sequestered outside the conference room  during the interviewing - but may stay once their interview is completed - to prevent any unfair advantage for those interviewed late in the process.


NEW DIRECTOR TO BE SEATED ON THE 27TH
Once the interviews are completed on Friday the board will select one to fill the Fitzpatrick vacancy.  It will be subject to a background investigation.  It is anticipated that the person selected will be sworn-in and seated at the next regular meeting, on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.

Don't Forget To Vote!

UNDER THE WHIP NOW...
Well, it's almost over.  All the lies, deceit, sign theft and the blizzard of stuff coming from your mailbox is just about over.  Twenty-four hours from now we should have a pretty good idea about how the election in Costa Mesa is going to turn out, although I don't really expect to see the final numbers until the weekend if previous elections are any indication.
 

I'LL POST UPDATES TOMORROW NIGHT
I plan to post the preliminary results tomorrow evening.. I'm not sure how many times I'll post - it depends on how interesting the results are.  The results will be certified by the City Clerk sometime over the next couple weeks and the winners of the City Council races will be seated at the council meeting on December 4th.  I've already gone over my choices, but this is a final reminder for you.

COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL
Vote for the Top 3 on the ballot - John Stephens, Harold Weitzberg and Sandra Genis
These three solid citizens each brings individual special skills to city government and have run an honest, clean campaigns unlike their 3M opponents, who have used lies and deceit to try to capture votes.  It's time to return honest, mature leadership to our city and to reject the Orange County Republican Party's attempt to turn it into some kind of a petri dish for social experimentation.

MEASURE V
Cast a NO vote for Jim Righeimer's Charter scheme - Measure V
This charter is ill-conceived by ONE man - Righeimer - to suit his own, personal political agenda and to curry favor with his OC GOP handlers.  IF Costa Mesa takes the leap as a Charter City, it shouldn't be with THIS charter and it shouldn't be now.  The attempt by Righeimer and his fellows on the council to rush this charter onto the ballot and their unwillingness to even consider improvements to it should make every voter apprehensive about their motives and VOTE NO!

MESA CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT
Vote for Fred Bockmiller, Trudy Ohlig-Hall and Jim Fisler
Bockmiller and Hall have provided outstanding, mature, knowledgeable leadership to the MCWD for decades.  Their opponents - termed-out lame duck Mayor Eric Bever and Righeimer protege' Ethan Temianka - are part of a takeover plot to control and then combine both special districts.  They are marching to the tune of the OC GOP and should be soundly rejected.  Fisler should be chosen over Minuteman Dan Worthington.

COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT
Vote for Art Perry and Jim Ferryman
Both Perry and Ferryman should be returned to their seats.  They've provided superior leadership to the district for decades.  Their challengers, Jeff R. Mathews and Don Harper, are part of that OC GOP plot to takeover the districts.  Mathews is an OC GOP insider who has bought his way to seats on the Parks and Recreation Commission and, most recently, onto the Planning Commission, replacing Jim Fitzpatrick.  They should be rejected.

74TH ASSEMBLY SEAT
Vote for Robert Rush
I covered my reasons for casting my vote for Bob Rush instead of Allan Mansoor and that decision was affirmed today when I saw an invitation from Mansoor to help work the neighborhoods in which he referred to Costa Mesa as "Ground Zero", echoing OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh and Jim Righeimer for the past couple years.  Lock-step lemming Mansoor lacks the skills to do the job.  Rush, a moderate who recently became a Democrat, on the other hand, has the formal training as a numbers guy and the background as a salesman.  Those skills are necessary to do the job in Sacramento. 

PLEASE VOTE!
Please vote tomorrow.  If you don't participate you give up your right to complain...

OC GOP Takeover Of Special Districts?

A BIG DAY FOR THE SPECIAL DISTRICTS
A week from tomorrow, November 6th, voters will make choices that will impact the future of two special districts that serve Costa Mesa and some adjacent areas - and not necessarily for the better.

OC GOP POWER GRAB
In a power grab previously unseen locally, the Orange County Republican Party (OCGOP) has fielded and funded candidates for both the Costa Mesa Sanitary District and the Mesa Consolidated Water District.  If all are elected the result could be, in very short order, those two districts being combined and subsequently folded into the City of Costa Mesa, bringing with them the estimated more than $40 million is cash.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION PENDING
Most of us are familiar with the drama playing out in the Sanitary District, where Director Jim Fitzpatrick is the subject of a legal challenge by the remaining directors, who have two legal opinions that Fitzpatrick is holding his seat illegally.  Some say that, since he stepped down from his seat on the Costa Mesa Planning Commission, the conflict no longer exists.  The response has been that he broke the law and illegally holds the Sanitary District seat  and this needs to be resolved once and for all.  And they are correct.  It is in the hands of the State Attorney General at this point.

 MATHEWS WOULD FIND HIMSELF IN SAME POSITION
This time around recently appointed Planning Commissioner Jeff Mathews - a major contributor to Republican candidates and causes locally and a member of the OC GOP Central Committee who has "contributed his way" to powerful seats on commissions - is running for a seat on the Sanitary District Board.  If successful, he will find himself in the same situation as Fitzpatrick - illegally occupying two "conflicted" seats simultaneously.  This issue needs to be resolved.

CAMPAIGN OF FABRICATION AND HALF-TRUTHS
In the Sanitary District race Mathews and newcomer Don Harper - who's campaign website outlined the plan to combine the two special districts first showed up - are challenging incumbents Art Perry and Jim Ferryman, using as their primary weapon the fact that the Sanitary District has not placed the trash collection contract out for bidding since the late 1940's.  Well, that's a true statement - as far as it goes.  Unfortunately, it's just part of the manipulation of the truth that's going on in too many campaigns this year.

APPLES AND TANGERINES
The Sanitary District was a "self-hauler" for the first forty years.  In the mid 1980s they began using private trash haulers and those players changed as companies acquired others.  They have re-negotiated with those haulers over the years to get the best rates possible and provide superior service to the customers.  The challengers compare Costa Mesa rates to those of Newport Coast, but that's comparing apples and tangerines.  Newport Coast residents must recycle their own trash, which saves work for the hauler and reduces their rate.  Costa Mesa uses the popular one-trash can system - we put all our stuff in the same can.  And, recently the Sanitary District Board approved a more than 5% reduction in rate - which is now reflected on your tax bill that's showing up in your mail.
 

CUSTOMERS SAY "THUMBS UP"
Recently a survey was done of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District's ratepayers, the vast majority of which feel the District is doing an excellent job under the current leadership.  This year it received the "District of Distinction Award" - another reflection of how well the current leadership is doing.

 

SOLID FISCAL MANAGEMENT
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District has NO DEBT.  All district facilities are owned by the taxpayers free and clear.  While most special districts rely on property taxes to subsidize their rates, ours does not.  It receives only $215,000 per year from property taxes - 1.7% of the operating budget.  Only 18% of the District's budget is consumed by salaries and retirement costs.  By any measure, the Costa Mesa Sanitary District is well-run and fiscally sound.

DON'T BE FRIGHTENED INTO MAKING A CHANGE
Art Perry and Jim Ferryman have served the community for their entire lives and have demonstrated their skill as members of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board for decades.  The opposition is fabricating crises - that's the tactic of the OC GOP - to frighten voters into making a change.  Don't let fabricated fear and thousands of outside dollars frighten you into voting for Mathews and Harper. 

Vote for Art Perry and Jim Ferryman to retain sound management and fiscal stability at the Costa Mesa Sanitary District.