What Was He Thinking?!

TOM JOHNSON KEEPS ON RATTLING CAGES
Well, if my friend - maybe former friend - Tom Johnson wanted to shake things up in our neck of the woods when he took over running the Orange County Register's The Current recently, it looks like he's off to precisely that kind of a start.

MORE TO COME
You've read about his shredding of me for my characterization of his pal, Frank Mickadeit, on these pages.  Well, the edition of The Current that will be in news racks all over town on Friday will rattle a few more cages.

VENEZIA EVOKES VIOLENCE
In his commentary, HERE - in addition to suggesting he might support new Democrat Bob Rush for Assembly instead of Leslie Daigle or Allan Mansoor - Johnsom alludes to a comment from Barbara Venezia's piece on an adjoining page titled, "Newport Business Task Force On Shaky Ground", HERE.  In that piece Venezia quotes Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce head Richard Luehrs - responding to her question about an interest-free loan allegededly offered to the Chamber to help it out of a huge financial hole -  as saying, "This is highly confidential information and whoever leaked this should be shot in the head. I stressed to our board and executive committee how confidential this was."  Yikes and Double Yikes!


IS THIS LUEHRS' "DICK NICOLS" MOMENT?
I'm trying to imagine a circumstance where a respected member of the community - and a very highly visible one, at that - could possibly make that kind of a statement to anyone, much less to a columnist for a local news outlet.  This is fresh news, so it's unclear if this is going to be Luehrs' "Dick Nicols 'Mexican on the Grass'" moment or not.  Some will recall that then-councilmember Nicols made that unfortunate comment to then-Daily Pilot reporter June Casagrande several years ago and that gaffe stuck with him forever.
 

NEVER BORING IN THESE PARTS
Silly me - I thought the only controversial stuff happened on the Costa Mesa side of our common border.  There's never a dull moment in the land of Newport-Mesa.

Mansoor Frowns and June Brings Smiles

COUNCIL MUSICAL CHAIRS
In case you have not viewed the streaming video or the taped replay of the Costa Mesa City Council meeting from last Tuesday you are not aware that former mayor Allan Mansoor - currently mayor pro tem - was playing puppetmaster during the meeting. When he stepped down and his loyal sidekick, Eric Bever, was elevated to the post of mayor the two buddies switched seats. Bever assumed the Big Seat and Mansoor slid over to Bever's old perch, right next to Wendy Leece.

SHOVING THE OPPOSITION ASIDE
You will recall that Leece was moved over to the far end of the dais by the then-Mansoor-led majority because she "needed to be seated beside City Manager Allan Roeder because she was new and had many questions". Yeah, right! That bit of musical chairs put the minority, Linda Dixon and Katrina Foley on the far right side of the dais - out of the way where they could be, and have been, ignored by the majority.

TWO-HANDED PUPPETEER
Now, with Mansoor sitting between Bever and Leece, he's in the perfect position to orchestrate activities on the dais - which he did continually throughout the last meeting. If he wasn't directing Bever he was leaning over and whispering to Leece. So much for open meetings. If you watch closely you can almost see Mansoor lip-syncing the words as Bever and Leece speak.

ANTICIPATING REAL POLICE WORK
And, throughout it all, he looked particularly angry. Maybe he's worried about losing his real job as a jailer for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Interim - and probable permanent - Sheriff Jack Anderson has said he wants to replace the current sworn deputies that perform the duty of jailer with civilian corrections officers, purportedly as a cost saving measure. This, of course, will create a big problem for Mansoor and his brother, both of whom are in cushy jobs in the jail. Anderson's move would require them to do actual field duties - out there where the bad guys lurk.

REDISCOVERING JUNE CASAGRANDE
On a much happier note, you will notice a new addition to the LINKS section over on the right side of this page. I've added a link to the blog of former Daily Pilot reporter - the Grammar Goddess - June Casagrande. The blog is entitled, "Conjugate Visits", which will give you a clue to the fun ahead. A very accomplished reporter, you might recall she broke the story of Newport Beach Councilman Dick Nichols "Mexicans on the grass" comment. She left the Pilot some time ago and has been doing freelance work and writing books. Her first one is a hoot and her second one is due out very shortly. One would think books on grammar would be boring and dry, but June is very clever and her style makes the presentation fun. She also writes a regular column for the Times Community Newspapers in the Glendale/Burbank area. If you visit the link you will find further links to her web site, which is certain to give you a chuckle. So, slide over there and hit that link - and have fun.