The Charter Again - Why?

RESURRECTING THE CHARTER QUESTION

As I wrote earlier, tomorrow the Costa Mesa City council will, once again, visit the "Charter City" issue at a Study Session in council chambers at City Hall beginning at 4:30 p.m.  Although we don't know for sure, we assume (nasty word) that the meeting will last a couple hours because there is a special closed session scheduled for 6:30.  You can read the agenda for the meeting, including information provided by the California League of Cities, HERE.  Most of this information is not new, especially for those of us who spent twelve months dealing with this bogus scheme beginning in November, 2011.

WHY?

Let's be clear about this right up front.  Nobody has demonstrated WHY Costa Mesa should become a Charter City since Jim Righeimer first announced his quick pitch scheme in November, 2011.  And, after almost a full year of back-and-forth discussions, public hearings, long, rancorous meetings, tens of thousands of dollars spend on both sides of the issue, the public made it's feelings known by soundly rejecting Jim Righeimer's Charter last November - 60% - 40%!

ARROGANT DISREGARD OF THE VOTERS

Now Righeimer, as he promised immediately after being crushed in the ballot box, in an arrogant disregard of the will of the people he supposedly serves, has brought this bad idea back.  It is unlikely that this process will go quietly into the night.  No, we can probably expect AT LEAST another year of meetings, arguing and fracturing of the city as he tries, once again, to impose his political will on the residents of this city.

PREVAILING WAGE CHANGE IN THE WORKS

This time around there are some changes in the air that will certainly affect this plan.  There are two pieces of legislation floating around Sacramento that will impact the arguments for a charter.  One, if passed, will disembowel Righeimer's main argument for a charter - that we can save a ton of money by not being required to pay prevailing wages on major projects.  During the past battle, beginning about a year ago, we had our council chambers packed with imported partisans on both sides of the issue.  Several unions salted the audience with vociferous folks who spoke against the Charter.  Righeimer imported Kevin Dayton - who can forget his squealing performance before the council when Righeimer gave him 10 minutes, not 3, to pitch his position?  Others, including Dave Everett from the Associated Builders Counsel, also took a turn at the speaker's podium.  Both men wrote commentaries in the local newspapers.

ONLY ON A GENERAL ELECTION

The other element currently in discussion in Sacramento is a change to State Law that would require a Charter to be placed before the voters ONLY in a General Election, not a Primary Election or special municipal election.  Some will recall the latter was the case when the City of Bell became a Charter City - only 450 voters showed up for that one - and the rest is history.

ELECTED COMMISSION?...

IF the council decides to go to battle again - they can't do that at the Study Session tomorrow - they must choose between an elected Charter Commission or an appointed Charter Committee - two VERY different birds.  If a commission is used State law is very clear about how that process must go, including requiring 15 members.  That commission would have to be elected at either a Primary or General election - the next one available is June, 2014, although that legislation I mentioned above might push that out to the November election.  From that point, the commission would have two years in which to craft a charter - including significant public outreach - or it would be disbanded and the process would have to begin again.  And, the city council would be bypassed in the process - they don't get a chance to manipulate the charter at all.

...OR APPOINTED COMMITTEE?

If a committee is used, it can be created the same way others are created - like the Pension Advisory Committee that was created this month.  The council, as they did with the recent appointments, can manipulate the process to stack the deck with their true believers and - most important - gets to decide just what the Charter will look like that would be presented to the voters next year.

SOME REFERENCE MATERIAL

As I thought about this process again I went back and revisited some of the things that were written about Jim Righeimer's Charter last year and earlier this year.  Even though this list is daunting, some of you may wish to revisit some of the things that were said about that scheme.  I've tried to provide both sides of the discussion - except the links to my blog entries.  I may not have given you EVERYTHING that was written, but this list is plenty long.  I've put them in chronological order.. Have fun.

COSTA MESA DOES NOT NEED TO BECOME A CHARTER CITY!

Let me be clear before you tackle this list.  I don't think Costa Mesa needs to become a Charter City!  We've done just fine as a General Law City in the 60 years of our existence.  We've benefited from the protections from abuse and corruption provided by State Law under this system and, quite frankly, I just don't trust the current council majority with the kind of power that is potentially available with a Charter form of government. 

BANKRUPTCY

Only 25% of California cities are Charter Cities, and some of those in deep financial trouble - Stockton, San Bernardino and Vallejo, for example - operate as Charter Cities.  Vallejo and Stockton have declared bankruptcy and San Bernardino is teetering on the brink.

THE LIST

So, here's the list.  Click on any that interest you and you'll be taken to the blog entry or article:

• Righeimer's Bombshell, 11/2/11
• G.Ridge, Council Majority Wants To Pull Wool Over Our Eyes, 12/31/11
• Let's Not Be Hasty, 1/3/11
• Righeimer to Propose Charter Tuesday, 11/30/11
• Anticipating Righeimer's Presentation, 12/5/11
• The Scheme Outlined, 12/7/11
• Informational Meeting Moved Up, 12/21/11
• Apathy Equals Surrender, 1/5/12
• Charter Suggestions, Timetable Correction and RDA Meeting, 1/5/12
• Mini-marathon of Mischief, 1/11/12
• Tardy City Charter Mailer Due, 2/10/12
• The Charter By The Numbers, 2/12/12
• Public Hearing Without Listening, 2/14/12
• Contemplating The Charter Hearing Again, 2/16/12
• The Fat Lady Is Tuning Up, 3/6/12
• Jim Righeimer's Charter Will Be On June Ballot, 3/7/12
• Charter Arguments Posted on City Web Site, 3/10/12
• Charter Might Not Be On June Ballot, 3/13/12
• Excellent Turnout For CM4RG Forum, 3/16/12
• Charter Would Allow Virtual Takeover of C.M., 3/24/12
• Judge's Tentative Ruling Posted, 3/26/12
• Jim Righeimer's Charter Off The June Ballot, 3/27/12
• Breaking News! City To Appeal Decision, 3/27/12
• City Clerk Placed On Administrative Leave!, 3/28/12
• OK, Back To Business, 4/1/12
• Charter Appeal Denied!, 4/2/12
• Petulance, Fabrications And The Long Road Ahead, 4/4/12
• Costa Mesa Plans Charter End Run, 4/9/12
• Is The Special Meeting Legal? (Updated), 4/9/12
• Special Meeting Canceled!, 4/10/12
• Righeimer's Charter, And More, 6/6/12
• P. Valantine-Limited Charter Provides Best Future Growth, 6/12/12
• J. Stephens-Court Decision Illustrates Charter Dangers, 7/6/12
• C. McCarthy-Candidate Is Wrong About Charter Cities, 7/10/12
• Jim Righeimer's charter Moves On - Again, 7/11/12
• E. Egan-McCarthy's Anti-union Piece Missed Mark, 7/12/12
• K. Dayton-Vista Ruling Benefits Local Governments, Residents, 7/12/12
• City Clerk Julie Folcik Resigns, 7/13/12
• C.Mooney-Barlow Spun Instead Of Dispelled, 7/25/12
• Final Vote On Charter Tuesday, 7/27/12
• Costa Mesa Charter On November Ballot, 8/1/12
• Council "Fixes" A Mistake To Fool Voters, 8/9/12
• J.Serna, Dispute Permeates Emergency Council Meeting, 8/10/12
• Why You Can't Trust Righeimer With His Charter, 8/11/12
• No On "V"!, 8/13/12
• J.Righeimer-I Challenge Katrina Foley To A Charter Debate, 8/15/12
• K.Foley-The Charter Is Flawed; I Will Debate, 8/20/12
• K.Dayton-Righeimer's Opponents Clearly Fear The Charter, 8/31/12
• P. Valantine-The Proposed Charter And No-Bid Contracts, 9/3/12
• J.Harlan, Proposed Charter Is No "Constitution", 9/15/12
• K.H.Grams-Costa Mesa's Charter Process Has Confused Residents, 9/17/12
• G.Monahan-Charter Would Free Costa Mesa From State Control, 9/18/12
• J.Harlan-More Questions About Charter Arise, 9/22/12
• League Of Women Voters Opposes "V", 9/27/12
• K.Mora-Charter Would Reduce Sacramento's Hold (Corrected), 10/1/12
• Charter Was Composed In Haste, 10/1/12
• J. Kern-Column Twisted Facts About Charter City, 10/5/12
• J. Harlan-Why Costa Mesa Should Reject The City Charter, 10/6/12
• E.Egan-Questions About The Proposed Charter, 10/9/12
• H. Panian-The Opinion Of A Former Charter Commissioner, 10/10/12
• J. Humphrey-Out-of-town Official Is Wrong About Charter Savings, 10/11/12
• Feet To The Fire Charter Debate, 10/16/12
• J.Fitzpatrick & R.Dickson-Average Costa Mesa Salary Is To High, 10/23/12
• J.Moorlach-Unions Are Trying To Squash Measure V, 10/26/12
• J. Bridges-Measure V Supporters Are Getting "desperate", 11/2/12
• D. Everett-Measure V Would Level The Playing Field, 11/2/12
• J.Harlan-Vote Shows A Need For Compromise, 11/10/12
• Final Election Numbers, 11/30/12
• B. deArakal-Charter Government Suits Costa Mesa's Personality, 12/1/12
• J.Humphrey-Out-of-town Money Supports Measure V, 12/2/12
• Please Tell Us Why Costa Mesa Needs Charter, 12/6/12
• E.Egan-Charter Would Not Free Costa Mesa From State, 12/11/12
• T.Sesler-Controversy Of Mayor Pro Tem Is "Orwellian", 12/13/12
• T.Egan-Are We In Ancient Rome Or Costa Mesa?, 3/8/13
• N.Berardino-There Is Hope This Season For C.M. Employees, 12/13/13
• C. Mooney-A Charter Review Committee Should Be Elected, 3/20/13

Shouting Match And Other Weirdness

THE NASTY EXCHANGE
In an earlier post I mentioned an unsavory exchange between activist/council candidate Harold Weitzberg and a grumpy old fella from Mesa North - a guy I've referred to variously as The Mouth From Mesa North and Costa Mesa's racist laureate.  Well, here's a little 3-minute video clip that shows that exchange from last Tuesday's council meeting.



WHAT STARTED IT ALL
And, just so things are clear, here's the just over 9 minute tape of the imported shill for Jim Righeimer's Charter, Kevin Dayton, that started this whole thing.


IGNORING THE BUFFOON
I don't talk much about The Mouth's pathetic blog.  Although, if I wanted a one-stop-shop for news about black on white crime world-wide his is the place to visit.  He's become a major cheerleader for the 3Ms - there are actually 4 Ms on the ballot, but everyone is ignoring Al Melone.  The Mouth puffs and pontificates, extolling the virtues of his favored three - which is his right, as misguided as it might be.

MORE THAN A LITTLE STRANGE...
Recently, though, I've become more than a little concerned about him.  He seems to be distracted by a strange attraction to me.  He posts photos of me frequently on his blog and stalks me around public venues trying to get more.  I speculated recently that he might "have a thing" for me - you know, a man-crush.  How else does one explain such bizarre behavior?  In fact, today he posted what apparently is one of his favorite photos of me - he uses it frequently -  and told his readers that he was trying to imagine me 'in tights'.  Too weird!  Especially from a guy who frequently extols the virtues of plural marriage on his blog.  I guess you just never know, huh?  Sometimes you can't tell the book by his bluster...

NO, THANK YOU!
So, to set the record straight - so to speak - I find these bizarre shows of attention from this chest-thumping Neanderthal bully to be completely unwelcome.  I'm a VERY HAPPILY married - 45 years and counting - heterosexual man.  The Mouth will have to visualize someone else in his "Deliverance-on-the-log" fantasies.  Ewwwww!  He will have to find another subject of his pent-up, prurient passions - perhaps in the back woods of West Virginia.

WHERE'S THE LYSOL?
Now, if you'll excuse me, after having written about him, I have to go disinfect my entire blog!

They're Back! (Amended)*

ONCE AGAIN...
You will recall that, back in May, I told you about a probable infestation of our City Council meeting by outside agitators from the Orange County Young Republicans, HERE.  We'll, they're back at it again.

CALL TO ACTION
In an Action Alert sent out this week those rabid young misguided folks are being asked, once again, to flood our city council chambers at the meeting tonight - when the council WILL vote to place Jim Righeimer's Charter on the November 6th ballot.

IMPORTING YOUNG ELEPHANTS
This time the flames of this Action Alert are being fanned by a guy named Dave Everett, HERE, who apparently recently left his position as Executive Director of the OC GOP for a position with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).  In correspondence provided to me he exhorts the troops to rally at City Hall at 6:30, luring them there with the promise of pizza and a chance to visit the Fair.  Well, the Fair is dark on Tuesdays, so these gullible, easily-manipulated young folks will be disappointed.  That's a lesson they'll learn more than once in their young lives if they don't begin thinking for themselves instead of following the OC GOP script.
 
LEAVE BRAINS AT HOME
Speaking of which, in his correspondence Everett asks these young people to wear RED shirts in a show of solidarity - they wore black last time - and tells them that he will provide them with SCRIPTS to read to the council.  Oh, yeah, Young Republicans... just leave your brains at home... we'll provide everything you need - pizza and a script!

"TRANSPARENCY" AT WORK HERE
In his correspondence Everett says, "For ABC, we are trying to get charter's up and down the state for cities, so that our members are not excluded from bidding on contracts for those cities...".  It looks to me like Everett has become the reincarnation of Kevin Dayton - the shill for the ABC who almost incited a riot in council chambers back in February, HERE and HERE.
 
MARCHING ORDERS ARE CLEAR
I've mentioned many times that the changes being attempted in Costa Mesa by Jim Righeimer and his pals on the council are actually being guided by marching orders from Scott Baugh and the OC GOP.  Here is yet another example of them trying to influence the APPEARANCE of broad public support for these schemes.  One could interpret this as a recognition by the current council majority that this bogus scheme does NOT have broad community support so they're trying to stack the deck purely for appearance purposes - to make it appear that folks who will actually be impacted by Jim Righeimer's Charter are supportive of it.  Personally, I find it offensive that these guys think it's necessary to import agitators with no skin in the game - especially when NOTHING that will be said tonight is going to change the fact that the four members of the council WILL vote to place the charter on the ballot.

ARRIVE EARLY
If you plan to attend the council meeting tonight - it begins at 7:00 p.m. - I suggest you plan to arrive a little early if you want to have a seat.  Everett has rallied his young troops for 6:30.

MY CHUCKLE FOR THE DAY
I had a chuckle when I read the Action Alert mentioned above because they linked to two of my previous posts and referred to my blog as a "liberal blog".  Me, a lifelong Republican, being painted by the FAR RIGHT wing of my party as a liberal makes me smile.  These guys just keep doing the same things over and over again, failing every time, and getting closer and closer to the cliff of irrelevancy.  If they don't soon change their tactics the Republican Party in California will be only a memory - and that's not a good thing for any of us.

I'll report on the meeting later tonight.  See you there.


*STILL NOT SHOWN ON WEB SITE!

By the way, despite several telephone calls,  at 1:30 Tuesday afternoon - less than 6 hours until the Charter meeting time and less than 5 hours for the Special closed session at 6, the City still has NOT shown the two council meetings on their schedule of events on the City home page.  Instead, they continue to show the following image.  So much for transparency, huh?

Imported Opinions

MORE EQUINE FLOGGING
At the risk of being accused of beating a dead horse to a pulp, let us revisit last weeks Special City Council meeting - the final public hearing on Jim Righeimer's Charter - to provide a little more clarity.

GRACIAS
A tip of the hat to all of you who posted comments on my previous entries... diversity of opinion is welcome here. I'm always grateful for the thoughtful, researched comments presented by some of you. And, those of you who choose to just flame other commenters are also welcome - those kind of comments make a point, too. Now to business...

KNOTS OF UNFAMILIAR FACES
At the meeting last week it became clear to me early on that it was going to be very special. There were folks arriving to grab seats more than an hour before the 7:00 start time and most were unfamiliar faces. They arrived in little knots - twos, threes and fours - and sat in these little clusters throughout the auditorium. I expected there to be folks representing organized labor because Jim Righeimer's Charter, if passed as proposed, is a huge threat to them. Silly me, though, because I didn't expect the "other side" - Righeimer's side - to be represented by similar little groups. Wrong!

DAYTON'S PRESENTATION
We've written about Kevin Dayton's presentation and provided you with his little video clip - 9:11 - for your viewing pleasure. I'm not linking to it again - twice is plenty - but you can go back and view if on the previous links if you wish. Reader Terry Koken - the gent who crooned to the city council at the meeting - took the time to transcribe Dayton's presentation and sent it to me for publication if I chose to do so. Well, as much as I appreciated that effort, it's just too darn long. Not his fault - it's over nine minutes of dialogue. Unless there is popular demand I won't publish it. Thanks, anyhow, Terry.

DAYTON'S COMMENTARY AND CHRISTEN'S COMMENT
Dayton submitted a Community Commentary to the Daily Pilot which was published last week, HERE. In the comment thread there is high praise from Eric Christen, who was also a speaker that night. I began to wonder about these guys and found that they travel around the country like two guys joined in a 3-legged race to spread the word about the evils of the Prevailing Wage contracts. You can view Christen's 3:11 comment before the council below. An interesting sidebar is that Righeimer apparently didn't turn on the timer when Christen spoke because the one-minute warning light never went on. I guess he was ready to let Christen stretch out as long as he wanted - a preamble to Dayton's long rant which came about 5 minutes later.



WHO IS THAT GUY?
So, I did some digging about Eric Christen. Here's an excerpt from his personal web site, HERE:

"After graduating from college Eric taught in public schools for four years in Oregon. In 1996 he was asked to help run the campaign of a local congressional candidate in Oregon's 1st Congressional District and has been involved in politics ever since. In 1998 Eric was the state field director for Proposition 226 (Paycheck Protection) which would have compelled unions to get permission from their members before money was taken out of their paychecks and used for political purposes. It narrowly lost after being outspent more than 5 to 1. In 1999 Eric was put in charge of the signature gathering process for Proposition 22 (Defense of Marriage Act) which was overwhelmingly passed by the voters of California. In 1999 Eric was hired as the Executive Director of the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction (www.stoppla.com) and since then has been working to see that the rights of all California contractors, and their workers, are protected from discriminatory and unfair Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). Since joining CFEC Eric has grown the group from 50 companies to over 300. Eric has helped to create 7 regional coalitions to more effectively fight PLAs at the grassroots level. Successes to date include the formation of these local groups and the over $3 million they have raised for various candidates and elected officials. Eric was instrumental in helping to pass a first-of-its-kind ordinance banning PLAs in the City of Fresno and in defeating over three dozen PLAs throughout the state since being hired. In 2002 Eric was named as one of the �40 under 40� by the East Bay Business Times, a recognition given to young professionals making an impact in California. In 2003 Eric was elected to the largest school district in Colorado Springs, CO. where he led the school district to a number of reforms in an effort to turn around that poorly performing district. In 2000 Eric raised over $25,000 for President George W. Bush and in the most recent election cycle has already raised over $100,000 for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger."

AH, HA!
Please note the section highlighted in red. If that rings a bell with you, please recall that Proposition 226, the Paycheck Protection Act, was Jim Righeimer's baby. "Ah, ha!", he says, as the light goes on....

CURRENT HISTORY
Then please go to Christen's biography on the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction (CFEC) website. He's the Executive Director of that organization. You can read his bio HERE.

HIS FORMATIVE POLITICAL YEARS
A little more digging into his background turns up his activism while living in Colorado Springs. Two excerpts from articles in the Colorado Springs Independent turn up some interesting quotes and gives us a little clue about the man who traveled from Sacramento last week to praise Jim Righeimer's Charter scheme.

"EXCITABLE BOY" WAS AN IRRITANT
For example, in an article from February 19, 2004 titled "Excitable boy - Eric Christens path to public office", HERE, you'll find this quote: "...no one else has rubbed as many people th wrong way as has board member Eric Christen." Or HERE, from an entry in 2005, you'll find this quote about Christen: "D-11 board member Eric Christen is well-known for his bombastic flame-throwing at fellow board members, administrators and even teachers during televised meetings. Thanks in large part to Christen, board meetings often have degenerated into a theater of the absurd."

RECALLED
In 2006 Eric Christen was recalled by the voters and removed from his elected seat on the Colorado Springs District 11 (D11) School Board.




UNEVEN APPLICATION OF THE RULES
I guess I understand Righeimer's tactics. He imports shills from advocacy groups to bolster his position, just as organized labor imports folks to step up and speak on the other side of the issue. In a perfect world - where a Charter for our city is created by the collaborative efforts of an elected commission as is prescribed for in state law - such diverse viewpoints would certainly be heard, probably in a Town Hall kind of setting. Instead, when Righeimer personally writes the Charter with his personal agenda clearly in mind, these views are presented at the last possible moment - and given extended time to do so. Only AFTER the outcry and turmoil following Dayton's presentation - and the break called last Monday night to restore order in the auditorium - did Righeimer offer extended time to other speakers. And, then, he ONLY offered it to those representing organized labor, not the residents who have the most to lose if his Charter is passed. It is this uneven application of the rules that scares many residents of Costa Mesa. With Righeimer being able to write HIS OWN RULES, there is no end to the corruption that is possible once HIS Charter is adopted.

MARKING TIME UNTIL MARCH 6TH
So, now we wait until March 6th, to see what Jim Righeimer's Charter looks like in final form. The voters will make a choice that will set the tone for the way our city is governed for the foreseeable future.

Imported Shill Speaks Out

AND ON, AND ON, AND ON...
Monday's Public Hearing on Jim Righeimer's Charter is a gift that just keeps on giving.





DAYTON IN THE DAILY PILOT
Today, imported shill Kevin Dayton - the guy who almost incited a riot - produced a commentary that is published online in the Daily Pilot, HERE, and will also appear sometime in the next couple days in print, according to the editors.

I AGREE WITH HIS LAST PARAGRAPH
I think clarity would be best served if you read his commentary yourself rather than me being accused of trying to spin anything he wrote - even though much of it is ripe for spinning. I will say, though, that I agree 100% with his final paragraph:

"To the Costa Mesa police force: Thank you for your professionalism during the "near riot." You balanced the rights of the people with the need to restore order. The city should be proud of you."

CMPD STAFF WERE REAL PROS
We SHOULD be proud of the officers in the auditorium that night because they displayed professionalism and restraint in a situation that could have gotten very nasty.

AFTER YOU READ IT, WATCH HIM AGAIN...
So, after you read Dayton's epistle, take 9 minutes again to watch him in action at the council meeting Monday night. Pay particular attention to the last few seconds of this clip. What you don't see is his antagonistic posturing as he approached his seat. He looked EXACTLY like the critter in the image I've provided for your viewing pleasure. Clearly, this is probably not the last we've heard from him as he pontificates on issues in which he has no vested interest from the safety of his bunker in Sacramento.

Contemplating The Charter Hearing Again

WHERE WAS GARY?
Last Monday evening 4/5ths of the Costa Mesa City Council - Mayor Gary Monahan apparently made a tactical decision to stay home or at his bar while Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer orchestrated the evening - went through the charade of "hearing" what the public had to say about Jim Righeimer's Charter scheme for the final time.


PASSIONATE AND VOCAL CROWD
More than 40 people stepped up to the speaker's podium to address the issue, most of whom were Costa Mesa residents - or said they were. Most spoke with passion and some actually presented solid facts and suggestions for modifications to Jim Righeimer's Charter. If you're interested in just how the evening went from start to finish, you can watch it HERE, or you can watch it on Channel 24 (Time Warner Cable) or Channel 99 (ATT U-Verse) at the times shown below through the rest of the month.

WATCH PERRY'S COMMENTS
There were MANY excellent speakers - too many to try to provide clips for all here. However, I think resident Perry Valantine may have captured the essence of many speaker's comments with his three minutes before the council. Please take those three minutes and watch this clip.






KEVIN DAYTON - PROFESSIONAL ANTAGONIST
The most controversial segment, as was reported broadly in the "real" media and here, as well, was the extended presentation by Kevin Dayton, who described himself as being from the "Dayton Public Policy Institute" - an organization that is either too new to have ANY presence on the web or else it just exists in his head. According to Righeimer, he "contacted us" earlier and asked to make a presentation on the subject of Prevailing Wage. And with that Righeimer let him launch off into what turned out to be nearly 10 minutes, which culminated in him being jeered from the speaker's podium, shouting "Fascism! Fascism! Fascism!" as he stepped away. Not visible in the video clip below was his antagonistic posturing as he returned to his seat, which I described as a "You want a piece of me?" pose.

WHO IS THAT GUY?
It turns out that Dayton, as has been widely reported elsewhere since the meeting Monday night, is a lobbyist for the Associated Builders and Contractors and is associated with the Pacific Research Institute. Tip of the hat to readers Tamar Goldmann and Eleanor Egan for digging up this information. Egan provides us with a brief biographical summary from the PRI web site that reads as follows:

Kevin Dayton is Vice President of Government Affairs for the Golden Gate Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

Since January 1998, Mr. Dayton has developed and implemented strategies for Northern California construction companies to advance free enterprise and open competition. From 1995 through 1997, Mr. Dayton managed the Political Action Committee and grassroots programs at the Associated Builders and Contractors headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Dayton was a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Representative Gary A. Franks (R-CT) from 1992 through 1994. He is a graduate of Yale University.

WATCH THE CLIP
As he spoke Monday night it became clear that he had a "history" with some of the more vocal members of the audience. To get the feel for that part of the evening, which resulted in Righeimer calling a time out - a 10 minute recess - please watch this short, 9 minute clip.



NOW ONLY DELETIONS ARE PERMITTED
As I said in my earlier summary of events from that evening, it was clear that Righeimer was NOT going to let any substantive changes be imposed on HIS Charter. He permitted a modification to the Preamble, which was nice but benign. The rest was just window-dressing. The proof will come on March 6th, when the council votes to place Jim Righeimer's Charter on the June, 2012 ballot. We have now passed the point where any additional safeguards can be added. On March 6th only items can be deleted from the draft charter. That is not going to happen. We should see the latest version online today or tomorrow, according to what city staff tells us.

READ IT AND WEEP...
So, take some time over the weekend or next week and view the tape, read the final version of the Charter and you'll understand why this is such a bad idea.