FILING CLOSES - LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

CANDIDATE FILING CLOSED FRIDAY, AUGUST 7TH
I know... I'm supposed to be retired, but this issue is just too darn important to remain mute.  This local election - November 3, 2020 - will be the second time Costa Mesa elects a mayor by direct election AND it will be the first time that council members will be selected directly by the voters in voting districts 1, 2 and 6.

AN ELECTION SEASON UNLIKE ANY OTHER
So, I thought it might be appropriate to give you my take as we begin this campaign season - one that will be unlike any other in City history.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic it is highly unlikely that any kind of face-to-face candidate forums will be conducted.  I wonder if there will be creativity shown and Zoom-style forums be attempted?  Right now, my opinion is that the City should sponsor forums of some type.  Perhaps they could be conducted the same way council and commission meetings are done using CMTV as the platform and retained on the CMTV YouTube site.

MY OPINION, BASED ON INFORMATION AVAILABLE AND OBSERVATIONS
So, with only the information I have available to me via the completion of ballot statements and the ballot designations for each of those candidates who have qualified for the ballot - plus my own personal knowledge from observations of incumbent and former council members - I'm going to give you my take.  You can agree, disagree, or none of the above, but it's a place to start.  Incidentally, you can view each of the aforementioned official forms by going to the city page, HERE.

ONE RACE AT A TIME, IN ORDER
So, let's take each of the four races to be contested in order and I'll give you my opinion of each candidate.  I'll go in the order they appear on that page I linked to above to make it easier for you to bounce back and forth if you choose to do so.

MAYOR
KATRINA FOLEY
Disclosure:  Katrina Foley is a personal friend.  I've known her for two decades and have had a chance to watch her in many roles in which she served our community.  I have not always agreed with her, but I have always admired her intelligence, energy, organizational and oratorical skills and her unceasing willingness to serve our community.
She is the incumbent and the first directly-elected mayor in Costa Mesa history.  In her race two years ago she brought a wealth of experience as a council member (including a tour as mayor a year earlier), Planning Commissioner and Trustee on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.  She has often been at odds with the OC GOP power brokers that have run the city in the recent past.  She had been chosen mayor by her peers on the council, then de-frocked a year before the last election and replaced by multi-term council member, former mayor (and current candidate) Sandra Genis, the woman who was a co-conspirator in Foley's ouster.  In the last election Foley crushed Genis, setting the tone for a sea change mandated by the voters in the way Costa Mesa is governed.  Awkwardly, Genis remained on the council and her term expires with this election.  Foley's performance and leadership during the triple-crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic collapse and the nation-wide plague of civil unrest, has been outstanding.  She and Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens set the pace for the council and staff, all of whom have done an exemplary job of managing these issues, even though often facing painful choices.  It will come as no surprise to learn that I will enthusiastically support Katrina Foley for mayor in this election.

AL MELONE
Melone, whom I refer to as "Dog Park Al Melone", is a perennial also-ran and brings nothing to the race except for a love of dogs.  He will suck up a few votes, but really shouldn't get any.

QUENTIN "Q" PULLEN
Pullen is a new guy on the political scene.  I had never heard of him until he pulled his papers.  Since then he has become a Facebook friend and I've learned a little bit about him.  He's a fitness trainer and former Marine.  If being on the City Council included feats of strength - tug-of-war, for example - he might be my guy.  But it does not, and he is not.  I've asked him just why he is running and he told me he wants "change", but was unable to come up with a single thing he wanted to change.  He seems like a well-intentioned good guy and, based on the huge banner he has in his garage gym, a supporter of Black Lives Matter.

SANDRA L. "SANDY" GENIS
Genis, as mentioned above, is a multi-term council member who's service to our city stretches back three decades.  She's a land planner by profession and has a long history of being on the right side of issues - until recently.  When she participated in the ouster of Foley as mayor - the first time in our history that a sitting mayor was voted out by her peers - it was a purely partisan move.  This makes her claim on her ballot statement of being a "non-partisan" candidate ring hollow.  I thought it was interesting that, even though she's been a fixture on the Costa Mesa political scene for 3 decades, she apparently felt it was necessary to tell us on her disclosure form that she was a "female".  Curious.  During her recent tour on the council, when she and Allan Mansoor have often represented a minority view, she has been an obstructionist on many important issues.  Her disjointed, long-winded near-filibuster rants during discussions of important issues have contributed to many meetings running very long.  She now seems unable, or unwilling, to concisely craft her opinion.  Although she still has a cadre of supporters in the city, she will not get any support from me.

WENDY BROOKS LEECE
Wendy Leece has also served our community on the City Council and as a Trustee on the NMUSD Board.  I was not a Wendy Leece fan many years ago, when she ran as a Republican ticket with Allan Mansoor.  A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and she was misused, ignored and abused by the OC GOP over those years.  As far as I know she's still a Republican, but probably painfully so.  When I heard she was running I contacted her to find out why, since she has been a supporter of Foley in the past.  She told me she wanted to give the voters a choice.  When I pressed her about what kind a choice she meant, she implied a choice other than Foley and Genis.  Well, she gave me no clue about what she would change - except maybe she is unhappy with the current mask rules because it hampers her exercise of her religious services.  Anyhow, much as I like and admire Wendy for her service to our community, she will NOT get any support from me.

DISTRICT 1
JOHN B. STEPHENS
Another disclosure.  John Stephens is a friend.
Stephens is the current Mayor Pro Tem on our City Council.  He and Katrina Foley make a strong team and have provided leadership for the newer council members over the past couple years.  His district is a hotbed of supporters for the previous regime, so this race could be interesting.  He has demonstrated a steady hand during his tour on the council.  He, like Foley, is a lawyer by profession and those skills are demonstrated frequently as he helps navigate complex issues from the dais.  He is a smart guy with skill in building consensus - something essential during these very troubled times. If I could vote in District 1 John Stephens would certainly be my choice.  His skills and experience are far and away superior to his two challengers.

DON HARPER
Harper is a familiar name to some.  He has served the city as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner with no distinction and has also served on the Finance Committee and on youth sports groups.  He is tightly aligned with the former GOP regime and will certainly get support from those folks.  I watched him while he was on the Parks and Recreation Commission and seldom did he contribute anything to discussions on those issues.  Even if Stephens was not in this race he would not be my recommendation.

JASON KOMALA
He is also a new name - I'd never heard of him before he filed for this position.  He identifies himself as an ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE CONSULTANT - whatever that is.  He apparently works for Target Corporation.  We have little information about him.  We are unaware if he has had any kind of involvement in civic activities in our city in the past.

DISTRICT 2
BEN CHAPMAN
Chapman describes himself as a PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT with 11 years experience.  We do know he's the darling of the OC GOP.  I know very little about him, although I did see him and his husband, a former Episcopal Pastor, speak before the city council back when we actually had meetings at the Senior Center.  I expect he will get lots of support from the OC GOP in this race.  He would not be my choice if I could vote in this district.

LOREN GAMEROS
He, also, is a new guy on the political scene.  In contrast to Chapman, he describes himself as a "boots-on-the-ground" kind of guy with strong family values.  He's a 40 year resident of Costa Mesa with a very strong, lengthy background in labor organizations.  He also is now a Facebook friend, so I've learned a little bit about him - we apparently share a love for off-road activities. If I could vote in District 2 he would likely get my vote, but I'd like to see how he handles interaction in the form of forums, etc.  I have no way of measuring his knowledge of civic affairs yet.

GARY PARKIN
He's a retired engineer, active in the Costa Mesa Historical Preservation Committee and also served on the Senior Commission.  He occasionally speaks before the City Council on issues related to those activities.  He seems like a good guy, but, in my opinion, does not bring the strength, energy nor awareness of important issues to be taken seriously as a candidate.

DISTRICT 6
This race will have four candidates - two potential contenders failed to qualify today.
HENGAMEH ABRAHAM
This woman is also a brand new face in local politics.  She says she's a wife, mother of two children and a wellness coach.  I see nothing in her background to tell us that she has a clue about important municipal issues.  She may be a very nice woman, but she is the weakest candidate, by far, in this race.

JEFFREY HARLAN
Another disclosure: Jeff Harlan is my friend.
Harlan is currently the Vice Chair of the Planning Commission, a lawyer with a strong background in land use issues.  His experience on the City Council will be invaluable at a time when the State expects us to create housing opportunities out of whole cloth.  Over the years I've had a chance to watch him in action.  He's a very smart, very steady guy who makes good, thoughtful, well-reasoned comments every time he speaks.  He is far and away the best candidate in this race.  No other candidate comes close to bringing the skills he has to the council seat for District 6.  He will get my vote.

JEFF PETTIS
He is another person about whom not much is known.  He describes himself as a NURSE MANAGER and a Mental Health Board-Certified RN.  I would probably like him, but I can see nothing in his background that prepares him for a seat on the council, even though it appears he has a job for which we critically need good management.  He will not get my vote.

LEE RAMOS
Last, and in my opinion least, is this man.  He's a multi-time candidate who, in years past, apparently had trouble with his identity.  At one time his signs said "Vote for Lee", apparently going after our small Asian community vote.  He also attempted to use his Latino heritage to appeal to our burgeoning Latino population - and failed miserably.  In his ballot statement he fails to mention Sober Living issues as problems with which we should deal - perhaps because he has been snuggled up to those folks for years.  I've had a chance to watch him on the various commission and committee assignments he's held and came away completely unimpressed.  He seemed to be having difficulty crafting a cogent thought.  He has never been a good candidate for a City Council seat and, now that his neighbors - those who know him best - will have a chance to address him specifically as a representative for our neighborhood, I expect him to finish well down the ballot again.

THERE YOU GO... 
So, there you have it... The opinion, at the very beginning of this race, of an old guy with too much time on his hands, but who actually does still pay attention.  You can weigh these opinions for whatever you feel they are worth.  I do encourage you to click on that link above to read the statements by each candidate - the Ballot Statement and Disclosure Statement.  If you choose to comment, one way or the other, you will have to migrate back to my Facebook page to do so.  I no longer accept comments on this blog.  I get two votes this time around - for Mayor and for District 6. Fortunately for me, those races are easy calls.  I will vote for KATRINA FOLEY and JEFFREY HARLAN.

New Senior Commissioners Sworn-in And Briefed

 NEW COMMISSIONERS TAKE THE OATH
The new (well, mostly new, since Gary Parkin and Lee Ramos were re-appointed after serving on the commission previously) Costa Mesa Senior Commission met this morning just after sunrise - that's how 9:00 a.m. felt to me, anyhow - at the Costa Mesa Senior Center for the first time for this group.

ASHENDORF AND NEFT TO LEAD THE GROUP
Costa Mesa City Clerk Brenda Green was on hand to swear-in the commissioners and to facilitate the selection of a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.  The human energizer bunny, Charlene Ashendorf, was chosen unanimously by her peers as Chairperson.  Darrell Neft was chosen as Vice Chairman, but not without a little drama.  Gary Parkin nominated Lee Ramos as Vice Chair, but he failed to receive a second from the remaining four members.  Neft was nominated, seconded and was elected unanimously.  The commission is one person short because appointee Olga Reynolds resigned before being sworn-in due to the drama surrounding the selection process.  Recruitment for that position has begun and a new commissioner will be chosen before the next meeting - two months from now.

ALL READY TO GO
So, Ashendorf and Neft will lead commissioners Alexa Merchant, Gary Parkin, Lee Ramos and Barbara Steck as they move forward to provide guidance and oversight for Senior activities in our city.  I wish them the best of luck.

INTRODUCTIONS
While awaiting additional staff information each of the commissioners introduced themselves to their peers and to the small group of attendees - there were nine of us today.

Gary Parkin presented himself as a retired General Motors engineer and volunteer on the previous commission and other committees.

Alexa Merchant is a first-time volunteer, a Registered Nurse who works in geriatrics and is enthusiastically looking forward to bringing her skills to the Senior Commission.

Darrell Neft, a resident since 1966, attended UCI and worked at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard until it closed as an engineer.

Lee Ramos described himself as a long time resident and retiree.  He also is a returnee to the commission and has participated in other city committees.

Barbara Steck has lived in Costa Mesa since 1960 and is looking forward to helping guide senior issues.

Charlene Ashendorf has been active in many city committees for many years and has worked in the private non-profit sector in senior leadership roles - and it showed.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments Lisa Knowles, a volunteer with the CMPD, inquired about the operations of the senior transportation process which operates out of the Senior Center.  She has been unable to use it to be transported from home to her volunteer work at the Police Headquarters due to unreliability of scheduling.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Senior Center Program Administrator Yvette Aguilar provided the commission an overview of the current One, Three and Five Year Goals and Objectives as cobbled together by the previous iteration of this commission over many months.  The following series of slides provides you with a thumbnail of her presentation.

ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT
Following that presentation Aguilar provided the commissioners with her Senior Center Program Administrator's Report, in which she outlined many of the statistics of Senior Center activities.  For example, there are now 1,387 members of the Senior Center.  She spoke about past and upcoming events - the 3rd Annual Knowledge & Health Fair Expo at the Senior Center tomorrow from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. A large turnout is expected for this event.  On Friday there will be a St. Patrick's Day luncheon.

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
During Commissioner Comments most of the commissioners acknowledged being overwhelmed by the staff presentations.

Ramos expressed an interest in exploring a Senior Day at City Hall and wondered if there is a staff report available regarding how to proceed in the event of a Massive Emergency at the Senior Center.  He also suggested to his peers that they attend the many social events at the Center and move from table to table to meet members and gather their ideas.

Neft wondered if some of the Senior Center programs overlap with those offered at the library and whether there is public WIFI available at the Center.  Yes, there is.  He also wondered if there is volunteer assistance to seniors having electronic problems.  He also wondered about reading old radio program scripts and/or listening to old radio program recordings.  He also suggested a "Senior Commissioner ID Badge", so folks could identify them as they moved around the Center.

Merchant wondered if there is value in delegating a specific topic or segment of activities to an individual commissioners, who would be the focus of questions and become a subject expert and report activities and questions to the other commissioners?  She also wondered about the workload for the part-time social worker who attends to the Senior Center needs.

Parkin thanked the staff for all their hard work.  As he put it, "There's a lot of work being done here."  He wondered if all members must now use their ID cards for entry or sign-in?  The answer was yes.  He also asked if he could arrange for a ride-along with the Meals on Wheels staff.

Steck wondered if the Senior Center communicates via email or just mail.

Ashendorf suggested the commissioners visit the art gallery and enjoy the exhibits.  She also suggested they try to attend meetings of the Senior Advisory Committee to become informed about their activities.  She reminded all of the April 8th Members Social coming up.  She also proudly directed them to the "wrapped" utility boxes around the city, including one near the Center.  She also suggested strengthening the content of The Chronicle to include recent information about Veterans, Elder Abuse and other senior issues.  She also suggested participating in the upcoming Costa Mesa Community Run on April 22nd.  Recreation Manager Justin Martin remarked that last year was the first time members of the Senior Center participated and that the Senior Center will pay the admission for any Seniors wishing to participate this year, either running, walking or whatever...

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES BEING MONITORED
In response to the question about the transportation issues, Aguilar advised that they have a new staffer on board with that responsibility and they are monitoring the program to improve it.  Their first responsibility is to get seniors to and from the center.

NEXT MEETING IN MAY
The meeting wrapped up just after 10:00 a.m.  The next meeting will be Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

A Surreal Election - Trump And A Costa Mesa Power Shift

Updated as of 1:30 a.m, Wednesday, November 9, 2016

WHAT?  HE WHAT?  OMG!
My head is still spinning following the concession by Hillary Clinton and listening to Donald Trump's speech.  I worry about the state of our union, but am willing to move forward with my fingers tightly crossed that we don't end up in WWIII.  I'm going to plan a trip to the border to watch the wall being built and I'm probably going to plan a trip to the Canadian border to watch half of Hollywood as they emigrate.

Back to good old Costa Mesa...

A VERY INTERESTING EVENING
I followed the election results from 8 p.m. on and reported the results on my Facebook page as they were updated by the Registrar of Voters.  Here are some screen grabs of the latest results - those available at the last report for this night at 1:30 a.m.  According to the schedule, there will be no further reports until 5:00 p.m today, Wednesday.

COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL
Now, THIS is very interesting.  Although we still have some votes remaining to be counted, if the relationships shown below don't change it looks like Mayor Steve Mensinger is out finishing a distant fourth behind Councilwoman Sandra Genis, Lawyer John Stephens and former mayor Allan Mansoor.  Jay Humphrey gave it a good run, but looks like he will finish a close 5th to Mensinger.  Lee Ramos finished a distant 6th and Al Melone is dead last although he sucked up more than 3,000 votes.

LIFE IN OUR CITY WILL CHANGE
There is no way to properly estimate the changes this may mean to Costa Mesa governance.  Certainly, the balance of power will shift and leave Mansoor and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer on the minority side.  I actually expect there to be a more collegial atmosphere on the dais and won't be surprised at all if we see Study Sessions resurrected so issues can now be fully vetted in a public setting.  I must say I'm encouraged by this result - if it holds.

GROWTH ISSUES
Again, assuming these numbers hold, Measure Y, the citizen-generated so-called Smart Growth Initiative, will pass overwhelmingly and send a clear message to the new City Council that enough is enough.  The counter measure, Measure Z, which was placed on the ballot to confuse the voters, will not receive enough votes to accomplish that goal, even though it looks like it will pass.

FAIRVIEW PARK
Presuming these numbers hold up, once again the citizens prevail.  Measure AA, the citizen-generated initiative designed to protect Costa Mesa's Jewel, has passed resoundingly and the city counter measure, BB, appears to be failing.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA
This is very interesting.  It looks like both citizen-generated measures, V and W, are going down to defeat by significant numbers.  The City measure, X, looks like it might pass.  I expect legal challenges if it does, since it specifically forbids retail sales of marijuana.  More lawyers to feed.

VOTE-BY-DISTRICTS
Mesasure EE, the hijacked measure placed on the ballot by Righeimer, looks like it's going to pass.  Sadly, this will result in 6 voter districts and a directly-elected mayor.  It will take two more election cycles to complete this transition.  Don't be surprised if Righeimer runs for mayor in 2018, when he's termed-out of his council seat.

COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT
If the current numbers hold it appears that incumbents Jim Ferryman and Art Perry will remain on the CMSD board - good news for all of us.  They hold commanding leads right now.  Gary Monahan and Jim Fitzpatrick have apparently failed to unseat them - again, good news for all of us.

MEASURE TT
It looks like the meaningless advisory measure foisted upon the voters by the Mesa Water District Board of Directors will pass.  This, as we've mentioned many times before, is simply another part of the ploy for Mesa Water to take over the Costa Mesa Sanitary District - most likely to get their hands on the cash in the CMSD coffers as a result of good, forward-thinking management.  This will NOT be the last we hear of this issue.

FISLER DEFEATS REICH
It appears that incumbent Jim Fisler soundly defeated challenger Alex Reich for the seat on the Mesa Water District Board.  Too bad - Reich had some fresh ideas.

INCUMBENTS PREVAIL IN NMUSD

AND IN THE COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT, TOO

 HARPER HOLDS HIS ASSEMBLY SEAT

AS DOES MOORLACH IN THE STATE SENATE

 AND, OF COURSE, SO DOES ROHRABACHER IN CONGRESS

MY NEXT UPDATE AT 5:00 P.M.
So, I'm hitting the sack now.  I updated this following the 1:30 update.  I'm thrashed.  I will take a peek at the results in the morning and will likely post another entry following the 5:00 p.m. update.  There seems to be much to smile about early this morning.

Costa Mesa Council Candidates Spar On Radio Sunday

TOM JOHNSON HOSTS CANDIDATES
Former Daily Pilot publisher Tom Johnson hosted six of the seven candidates for Costa Mesa City Council this morning on his StuNews radio program on KOCI-FM, 105.1 on your FM dial.  Only Al Melone - who has really not conducted a campaign, was absent.

COSTA MESA BRIEF ON THE CASE!
I heard only snippets of the broadcast due to family obligations but, to the great benefit of the public, Barry Friedland had his Costa Mesa Brief cameras on the scene to capture the just under 90 minute broadcast.  He did yeoman duty and got the finished product up late Sunday night and I've had a chance to watch the full product.  Wow!  Everybody should view this video if there is ANY question in their minds about how they will cast their three votes this week!

So, I invite each of you to watch and hear this excellent public service presentation.  Listen as the issues are batted around by Allan Mansoor and Sandy Genis.

Listen as Steve Mensinger and John Stephens spar on pension issues.

Listen to Jay Humphrey correct the record on issues.

Listen to Lee Ramos try to stay abreast of the issues and attempt to explain his views with only limited success.

WATCH, LISTEN AND LEARN
I think each of you will learn a lot about the candidates and their opinions.  You'll learn that Mansoor doesn't have a clue about issues unless someone has provided him with a script.  He, for example, didn't know the number of the City Fairview Park measure and only mumbled the party line.

GRACIAS, TOM AND BARRY..
Thanks to Tom Johnson for this excellent opportunity to hear these candidates on the cusp of the election and special thanks to Barry Friedland for capturing this event for us all to view.

Lies and Deceit - The Worst Campaign Season - EVER!

CAN'T INFLUENCE THE NATIONAL RACE, BUT...
With just a week to go the campaign season, both locally and nationally, has taken on a fever pitch pace, with each day producing some new element for the voters to consider.  I'm not going to address the national campaign here - I cannot do a thing to influence the outcome.  All California's electoral college votes will go to Hillary Clinton unless she's tossed in the pokey before November 8th - and even then it might not be in time.  So, we'll talk a little about our local race...

NASTIEST IN MY MEMORY
I've lived in Costa Mesa for 43 years and confess that I coasted through the election cycles for most of that time, doing what most people do - trusting that the folks we elect will do what's right for us.  Most of us just look for a familiar name - one that's not accused of being an axe murderer - and mark our ballot beside it.  Then, a little more than a dozen years ago, I began paying attention, then began writing about local politics and I can tell you with absolute certainty that there has not been a more contentious, nasty campaign season than this one.

TWO FACTIONS - MUCH RANCOR
This season has two clearly defined factions competing for the three council seats available.  Most observers expect the two incumbents, Mayor Steve Mensinger and Councilwoman Sandy Genis, to retain their seats.  That leaves four - five if you count Al Melone, who really has no chance - competing for the vacancy created by the departure of lame duck Gary Monahan.  On the Mensinger side of the equation you have former councilman and mayor Allan Mansoor and long time resident and multiple-time also-ran candidate, Lee Ramos.  On the Genis side you have long time activist and former councilman Jay Humphrey - who lost to Righeimer two years ago by 47 votes - and former candidate lawyer John Stephens - who lost to Monahan four years ago by 155 votes.

BIG DEVELOPER DONATIONS
From the very get-go in this campaign it became clear that the big money was coming from developer interests supporting the Mensinger trio and against initiatives placed on the ballot by residents.  Much of the funding for the Genis side apparently has come from local public safety organizations - primarily the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association.  I was not surprised about either situation.

NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN TACTICS PAID FOR BY OUTSIDERS
We have seen flyer after flyer arrive in our mailboxes with very negative, lie-filled messages about Stephens and Humphrey and the other issues - funded by outside sources.  Virtually all the negative campaigning has come from the Mensinger side.  For the most part the Genis side has produced very positive, message-driven flyers.

CAMPAIGN FLYER LIES
For example, in the early days of the campaign a large flyer appeared that blatantly lied about Measure Y, the Smart Growth Initiative.  It said the initiative was supported by developers - which could not be further from the truth.

CONFUSING THE PUBLIC
Measure Y was generated by gathering more than 7,000 voters signatures to place it on the ballot.  Rather than simply let the voters decide the issue the council majority placed a competing measure on the ballot to confuse the voters - a typical move by them.

AGAIN, REFUSED TO LET THE PUBLIC CHOOSE
Measure AA was similarly placed on the ballot by collecting enough voters signatures.  This issue, the protection of Fairview Park from what has clearly been an attempt to develop at least part of it into playing fields, was very clear.  However, the council majority, again, placed another issue on the ballot to confuse the voters instead of just letting them vote AA up or down.

FURTHER CONFUSING THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE
There were two Medical Marijuana measures that qualified for the ballot via the initiative process, one for up to 4 dispensaries and the other for up to 8.  Rather than trust the voters to make their views known the council again placed a competing issue on the ballot, Measure X, which has NOTHING in common with the other two.  Again, they don't trust the voters.

RIGHEIMER HIJACKED DISTRICT VOTING
When a lawsuit forced us to consider a method of creating district voting in The City - electing council members by district instead of at-large - Righeimer hijacked the process, coerced the demographer to create a 6-district PLUS directly-elected mayor option.  None of the residents who attended the meetings on this issue expressed interest in that option, yet Righeimer demanded that it be the City choice and the majority placed it on the ballot - once again ignoring the wishes of the public.

MANSOOR LIED
Mansoor has been debunked as a liar when he denied voting for the 3@50 contract during his tour on the council.  Not only did he vote for it, he actually moved the motion!  And, of course, he was the most devisive councilmember we've seen in decades, aligning himself with right-wing extremist groups and costing us thousands of dollars in the Benito Acosta debacle.  His Assembly tour was marked by nearly zero accomplishment.

RAMOS, TOO...
Ramos has also been branded as a liar by Judge Dunning for his part in the now-infamous ballot rebuttal argument for Measure Y, along with Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer and three other signatories.

ANOTHER LIE!
Last week an image of Mensinger flanked by Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack and Fire Chief Dan Stefano was posted on the Internet on the Costa Mesa Taxpayers Facebook site.  Long time Mensinger/Righeimer sycophant Jim Fitzpatrick - who is running for a seat on the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board again - confessed to the local media that he was responsible for the photoshopped image that included campaign references appearing, but said he took it down and does not know who produced the doctored image.  The City generated an immediate response on the City web site decrying the image and criticizing those responsible, HERE.

FITZPATRICK UNFIT FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
Fitzpatrick has recently been openly posting virulent critical comments about the Costa Mesa Fire Fighters and Police Officers - often getting into nasty exchanges with members of each group and spewing the party line about over-paid, greedy firefighters wanting a council they can control.  For a man running for office to behave in that manner is unbelievable and, especially when combined with his terrible judgment on the above-mentioned image issue, certainly brings into question his judgment and his qualifications for any public office.  You may recall that he resigned from two offices - the CMSD seat and as Chairman of the Planning Commission because he violated the rules about simultaneously holding those two positions.

LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES
The campaign being conducted by the Mensinger, Mansoor, Ramos side - MMR - has been laced with lies and misrepresentations - probably because their chief strategist is the notorious Dave Ellis, a political king-maker known to play fast and loose with the rules.

IGNORING THE PUBLIC
Mensinger oversaw a council majority that has ignored the public in most important issues.  For example, during the meetings over the past few years dealing with the update of the City's General Plan the predominant message from the public was "no high density housing".  That message was summarily ignored and the General Plan update includes onerous plans for several areas of high density housing.

BOWING TO DEVELOPERS
When developers complained to their friends on the council about the problems they were having getting small housing developments approved because they all required deviations and variances to our codes the council and their Planning Commission promptly cobbled together the much-ballyhooed Small Lot Ordinance, which basically codified all those nasty deviations and variances to the codes that had been designed to protect the character of our neighborhoods and made it a breeze for the developers to run roughshod on our neighborhoods.

PICKING ON THE LITTLE GUYS
In a City that is mostly built-out there are few opportunities for any sizable developments, so all of a sudden the council majority discovered "problem motels" - a dozen or so long-time establishments that looked like juicy pickin's for developers except for the fact that the owners of those places had what Righeimer described as "unrealistic ideas of their value".  So, incredibly, he told us all from the dais that he and his council majority were going to do everything they could to make those owners see the light and have a different view of their properties' value.  To do that they created a completely new Code Enforcement organization aimed specifically at those properties and, combined with more frequent visits by fire and police teams, began to squeeze the motel owners until they cried "uncle" - and some decided to sell.  The plan, of course, was to replace those "problem" properties with high density housing - exactly what the residents DO NOT want.

MANIPULATED THE GENERAL PLAN
They have now created a General Plan that will permit high density housing in many areas of the city and have codified Overlay Zones that carve out small businesses and potentially replace them with high density housing.  And, of course, we are seeing the results of their handiwork all over the Westside as three-story units with rooftop decks sprout up like mushrooms adding more people, more traffic and creating more demand for water, sewer and trash services.

STIFLING FREE SPEECH
Righeimer and Mensinger don't like criticism, so they shifted the agenda at council meetings to impede public commentors by restricting the comments segment to a specific time and all remaining comments would be trailed to the very end of the meetings - sometimes six hours later!  And, they exacerbated that infringement on free speech by frequently interrupting speakers, disrupting their thoughts.  And, of course, they used their bully pulpit - that word seems perfectly appropriate - to chide speakers who had no opportunity for rebuttal.

SHUFFLING THE DECK - QUASHING PUBLIC DISCUSSION
Similarly, the Consent Calendar under their watch has grown significantly.  It is supposed to be made up of routine items that can normally be voted upon without discussion in one vote.  However, as time passed more and more controversial items appeared on the Consent Calendar, so members of the public would "pull them" for separate discussion and vote.  That irritated Righeimer and Mensinger, so they changed the rules again - all items pulled for separate discussion would be trailed to the end of the meeting.  That effectively quashed public concerns about important issues because, again, those meetings often ran well past midnight so the folks who had pulled them had left.

MONAHAN A WILLING ACCOMPLICE
All of this was happening when Mensinger and Righeimer controlled the council because they had the willing accomplice in the form of Gary Monahan,  a lame duck who has stayed way, way too long at the dance.  He was a guaranteed third vote on nearly every issue, so there was not even a pretense of discussions on most.

ABANDONED STUDY SESSIONS
On that issue, they also abandoned Study Sessions - opportunities for casual discussions of upcoming important issues where staff and council members could meet in public to vet issues and flesh out conflicts or complications.  Since there was a guaranteed majority vote the Righeimer/Mensinger majority simply abandoned the Study Sessions - no need to "study" anything when they already knew how they were going to vote.

TOXIC ATOMOSPHERE FOR EMPLOYEES
The most egregious acts by this council majority revolved around their treatment of the City employees.  Right after they took power in 2011 they immediately issued illegal layoff notices to more than 200 employees, which caused such turmoil and angst among the staff that one young man, Huy Pham, actually took his own life by jumping off City Hall roof.  After significant legal action costing hundreds of thousands of dollars those layoff notices were found to, indeed, be illegal and were rescinded, but much of the damage was done and the intent of this council majority was clear - dump as many employees as they could to avoid incurring more pension liabilities.

TALENT AND EXPERIENCE EXODUS
Such a toxic atmosphere was created toward the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department that dozens departed - either through early retirement or lateral transfers to other departments - leaving a tremendous experience/leadership vacuum.  This was compounded by the imposition of a hiring freeze, which put the City well behind the curve in re-staffing once it was lifted.  And that was coupled with an arbitrary and unrealistic staffing edict that reduced the authorized head-count by more than 20%.  The result was the elimination of specialty units like Narcotics, K-9 and the world-renowned A.B.L.E. helicopter program - the model for municipal helicopter programs throughout the country.

STAVELEY WAS CORRECT
And, the atmosphere was so toxic that Interim Chief Steve Staveley - a legendary law enforcement leader who served in that role twice while permanent chiefs were sought - resigned in disgust leaving behind a scathing indictment of the current city leadership.  His exact words were, "They are, in my opinion, incompetent, unskilled and unethical".And, he was correct.  The current council majority has demonstrated an incredible ignorance of municipal management, particularly of public safety organizations.  If you want an idea of what it was like here in 2011, I did a little reprise of it earlier this year, HERE.

IGNORED THE EXPERTS AND THE FACTS
They have ignored the firefighters expired contract for two years and have refused to properly staff that organization and to deploy $1.6 million worth of rescue ambulances that could generate well in excess of $2 million in annual revenues to the City.  They ignored the re-organization model proposed by Interim Chief Tom Arnold which was fine-tuned by current chief Dan Stefano to protect a campaign contributor's ambulance contract to the detriment of the members of our community.

POTHOLES BEFORE PUBLIC SAFETY
This majority has put pothole repair ahead of public safety, crowing about all the miles of streets they've paved and alleys they've re-surfaced.  In the meantime, we have insufficient staff in both public safety organizations to do the job right unless unreasonable overtime is required.  Last year many firefighters worked in excess of 4,000 hours - nearly two full jobs - because the council refuses to properly staff the organization.

LAWYER'S RETIREMENT FUND
This council has created a city that has become an annuity for lawyers.  We spend nearly $200,000 each month on legal fees and our self-insurance fund - from which many lawsuits are settled - has been nearly totally depleted.  In their quest to "run the city like a business" they've apparently found it expedient to simply do things that will generate lawsuits.

"STEVE'S PATH"
And then there's the infamous "Decomposed Granite Path" in Fairview Park to consider.  Mensinger used his influence to coerce city staffers to "improve" a user-defined path through some weeds along a fence near Estancia High School.  The result was a road wide enough that it supported a dual-wheel dump truck used to remove the decomposed granite later when it was discovered and found to encroach in the habitat of the protected San Diego Fairy Shrimp.  The action by the US Fish and Wildlife Service remains pending.

ELECT GENIS, HUMPHREY AND STEPHENS
After all this long-winded blather, my point here is that ever since Mensinger and Righeimer took over things have gone downhill in our city.  The only way to get back on track is to change the balance of power on the City Council.  That means electing people who's first instinct is NOT to sell out the city to developers and to give our tax dollars to lawyers, but to protect and maintain it's eclectic nature and return city services to their once-proud stature.  The only way to do that is to elect Sandra Genis, John Stephens and Jay Humphrey next week.

YES ON Y AND AA - NO ON ALL THE REST
And, to make it especially easy for you, Vote YES on Measure Y and Yes on Measure AA and NO on every other municipal issue, including Mesa Water's Measure TT, the hostile takeover of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District.

PERRY AND FERRYMAN FOR THE CMSD BOARD
And while you're at it, re-elect proven leadership for the Costa Mesa Sanitary District by returning Jim Ferryman and Art Perry to the Board.

REICH TO MESA WATER BOARD
And, elect Alex Reich to the Mesa Water District Board replacing Jim Fisler.

NO ON PROP. 57
And one last thing... be sure you vote NO on Prop. 57!  We cannot afford to have more criminals tossed out onto our streets early.