COSTA MESA COUNCIL MEMBERS CERTIFIED AND SEATED

SETTING THE SCENE - Thursday evening, December 5th, 2024, the Costa Mesa City Council held a Special Meeting at which the results of the 2024 Municipal Election would be certified and the four council members would be sworn in and seated.

THE RESULTS - The following images show the final results of the Costa Mesa City Council races.  We elected a mayor and three council members.

MY PLAN - Because this was to be the final time Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan would appear on the dais - he was defeated by Jeff Pettis in the election by 82 votes - I planned to attend this meeting and speak during Public Comments.  Alas, circumstances  intervened and I was unable to leave the house.  I did watch the entire proceedings via Costa Mesa TV with great interest.  More about that further down the page.

MY "COMMENTS" - I spent a good amount of time writing, and re-writing and re-writing the words I wanted to say to fit within the 3 minute time provided.  Not unexpectedly, I had much more to say that could be crammed into that short time, so it took a lot of tinkering to make it fit.  Then, I couldn't make the trip to City Hall and chose to NOT call it in.  What follows is the transcription of my planned comments.  And, yes - I could read it in precisely 3 minutes.

                                                  ***

Good evening! 

My name is Geoff West. My wife and I have lived in the same home on the Eastside for more than 51 years. . 

Congratulations to Mayor John Stephens on his re-election. I’m very pleased he will be at the helm for two more years. 

Congrats to Council-member Loren Gameros for his return to the dais

Congratulations to rookie council members Mike Buley and Jeff Pettis for their victories, too.

I was disappointed that Planning Commission Chairman Adam Ereth lost his race. His dedication to the city, education and experience guiding that commission would have been valuable on the city council.  

I was VERY DISAPPOINTED that Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan was defeated. His loss by only 82 votes shows the value of every vote.   I’m grateful to him for his service to our city both as a planning commissioner and as a member of the City Council. His intelligence, professionalism, preparedness, steady hand, wisdom, insight and courteous, calm demeanor will certainly be missed. 

To council members Buley and Pettis - thank you for stepping up to the challenges you now face.  If you do the job we’re hiring you to do, you will do your homework to understand the difficult issues before you. You will consult with our excellent staff to help you.

Those positions up there on the dais are supposed to be non-partisan, so I hope you will be able to park any partisan political agendas you might bring with you at the door and do a good job representing ALL Costa Mesans, not just those in districts 1 and 6, and not just those with whom you share a political party affiliation. 

As a “Reagan Republican” I have longed for a strong, intelligent, conservative voice on the council. I hope you two can become those kind of voices and work with your fellow council members in a conciliatory manner to craft decisions that are best for our city.  Departing council member Harper set a very low bar - we expect and deserve more from you. 

While I don’t agree with everything they’ve done, I must tell you that the most recent Democrat-controlled councils - those led by Mayor Stephens and Supervisor Katrina Foley before him -  have done a terrific job guiding our city through some very tough times. Through their efforts, and those of our excellent city staff, we managed to navigate through the calamity that was Covid, all the while balancing the budget and keeping essential services operating.  When they took over following the previous, disastrous, heavy-handed, Republican-led regime they had a huge job ahead to help restore effectiveness and confidence at City Hall - which they have done. 

During the recent campaign we heard lots of misleading partisan yapping about the poor condition of our city.  We hope that is behind us and that all of you up there will work together to meet the challenges ahead - like how to meet the onerous demand by the State that we plan for 11,760 more dwelling units, for example. 

Many of us will be out here watching and will be offering suggestions and critiques as you guide our city - we hope you listen. 

We know this will be a serious disruption to your personal and family lives. Thank you all for your service. 

                                                          ***

THE PROCEEDINGS - The meeting lasted 2.5 hours and was launched with singing of America the Beautiful and the National Anthem,  the Pledge of Allegiance, a Moment of Solemn Expression and presentations to outgoing council members  Jeffery Harlan and Don Harper.  Lots of kind words were said by City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison about both men, presentations were made by former mayor and current County Supervisor Katrina Foley and State Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris.  Photos were taken.  Proclamations were presented.

OHIO HOUSE - City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow gave a brief comment about the very recent favorable ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the "Ohio House" case, which has been in the legal process for a decade.  Mayor Stephens also addressed it, affirming that the city had spent $20 million litigating this case and, because of the far-reaching impact of the decision, cities all around the country will benefit from this battle.

PUBLIC COMMENTS - A few people stepped up to speak during Public Comments, led off by former council member and activist Jay Humphrey, festively adorned in his holiday shirt. His was the high point.  Others spoke, but the low point was the rant by James Peters, the man who ran against Stephens and lost, badly.  My assessment of him early in the campaign season was that he was a rabid right-wing MAGANUT.  His presentation affirmed my opinion when he basically said the election was fraudulent and if the council certified it they would be subject to legal action.  He ended by threatening  the potential wrath of President-elect Donald J. Trump!  Sadly, several of his sycophants called in to echo his rant.  It was pathetic and the wisdom of the electorate by rejecting him was loud and clear.

OUTGOING SPEECHES - Both Harlan and Harper were given an opportunity to "say goodbye".  Not unexpectedly, Harper used his time to weep about being outnumbered on the dais.  At one point he said he wasn't going to read a list of missteps he thought his council colleagues made - then did!  He demonstrated his partisan incompetence and will certainly not be missed.  Adios!  Harlan, on the other hand, made a very sincere, moving speech, talking about how much he had enjoyed his tour as a public servant.  He mentioned that, unlike Harper, who couldn't wait to get off the dais, he loved it there and loved helping to solve problems for the city.  As I said in my letter, his wisdom will be missed.

INCOMING SPEECHES - Following a short break to evict Harper and Harlan and juggle the seating on the dais, each of the elected and re-elected council members were given an opportunity to speak.  

Mike Buley, who defeated Planning Commission Chairman Adam Ereth for the District 1 seat vacated by Harper, led off.  Unfortunately, a technical glitch produced no sound for a minute or two.  When it finally came on and we could hear him speak he was very impressive.  He thanked many who helped and advised him during his campaign.  Unfortunately, that included former council members Steve Mensinger and Jim Righeimer - two men who nearly destroyed our city almost a decade ago with many ill-advised and illegal actions.   If Buley is "guided" by those guys, he will require close observation.

Loren Gameros, who ran unopposed for his District 2 seat, spoke briefly with gratitude to those who helped him.

Jeff Pettis, who managed to defeat Harlan by a narrow, 82 vote, margin, spoke with much less skill than Buley and affirmed his dedication to District 6.  I only hope he does not prove to be the marginally competent council member that I anticipate.  We'll see.

Mayor John Stephens then spoke about his commitment to our city and thanked his family for their support.  His was a very moving speech.

CHOOSING A MAYOR PRO TEM - The final item on the agenda, now that the new council was seated, was to select from their members a new Mayor Pro Tem to replace the departed Harlan.  Mayor Stephens nominated Councilman Manuel Chavez, Gameros seconded the motion and the vote to choose him was 6-0, with Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds absent.  I've watched Chavez grow during his six years on the council and have no doubt that his selection was a good one.  Congrats to him.

NOW WE WAIT - Now that we have a new council selected and seated we must wait to see what kind of an impact Buley and Pettis make on city governance.  Both men tilt hard right politically, in contrast to their peers on the dais, who lean left.  I have no doubt that Buley is a very smart fella.  I'm not so sure about Pettis - his body of work on his YouTube channel would indicate otherwise.  My hope is they will provide more breadth to the important discussion and decisions made in the future.  Fingers crossed...

THE MEETING VIDEO - Here is the link to the Costa Mesa TV YouTube recording of this meeting.  It's worth a couple hours of your time.  You can fast-forward through the boring parts.

https://www.youtube.com/live/oz1CahOxANI

MY TAKE ON THE 11/8/22 MUNICIPAL ELECTION

HERE WE GO AGAIN - ANOTHER ELECTION!

My city, Costa Mesa, California, like many others in our state, is in the midst of campaign season for city, county, state and national elections.  On November 8th we will choose three city council members and a mayor, chime in on a very important municipal ordinance, plus vote for members of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Mesa Water District and the Orange County Board of Supervisors.  This is about the city races…

THREE SEATS PLUS MAYOR UP THIS TIME AROUND

There are three council seats available this time around.  The City began electing city council members by district PLUS a directly-elected mayor in 2018, having been extorted by a Malibu law firm into converting from at-large voting to “give our Latino population a greater voice in government”.  Costa Mesa is 37% Latino, most of whom reside in what is known as the West Side - those areas represented by Districts 4 and 5 - two of the seats up for election this time.  The remaining seat is District 3, an area roughly surrounding the Orange County Fairgrounds near the center of the city.

SOME NOT-SO-GREAT MEMORIES

Let's review some history so you can understand why I think this election is so darn important.

THE SCHEME TO HOLD CONTROL

When the city was forced to go to district voting the then-Republican majority, led by Jim Righeimer and Steve Mensinger, tried to quick pitch the process when putting the District voting on the 2016 ballot.  Instead of using the 5-District configuration preferred by 100% of the residents who attended all the meetings held by the demographer, they had him conjure up a 6-District and Directly Elected Mayor choice, figuring they could field a group of like-minded individuals to control the city council.  That was the only choice on the ballot for the voters to consider and it passed with 64.8% of the ballots cast.  In an interesting sidebar, the existing mayor, Steve Mensinger, was ousted, finishing 4th the race for 3 open council seats.  And, further demonstrating the ire of the electorate, controversial Measure Y was passed by an even greater margin - just over 68%.  That citizen-generated measure was designed to slow, or stop, development in the city by requiring a “vote of the people” if certain triggers were met.  Since that measure passed not a single project has moved forward - no “vote of the people” has been taken.

DISTRICT VOTING QUICK-PITCH BACKFIRED

In the next election - November 2018 - council members were elected by district for the first time.  Districts 3,4 and 5 - the same ones up for election this time around - chose new council members.  Interestingly, all three of them chose persons with a Latino heritage.  In District 3 United States Naval Academy graduate and former Navy officer Andrea Marr defeated a Republican-supported candidate soundly.  In District 4 Manuel Chavez - who grew up in that district and was the youngest council member ever elected - was chosen over a hand-picked contender favored by the council majority by a wide margin.  In District 5 local woman and MIT-graduate Arlis Reynolds defeated seated councilman Allan Mansoor - a former mayor and state Assemblyman - by more than 20 points!.  And, in the biggest news in that election, Katrina Foley - who had been ousted as mayor by the majority in a bit of pure partisan politics just a few months earlier - soundly defeated the woman who replaced her, long-time councilwoman Sandy Genis.  That was a stunner and certainly made the point that the voters had had enough.  

TRYING TO RUN THE CITY LIKE A BUSINESS FAILED - HUY PHAM DIED

One must think back on what it was like back then.  Republican activists - Jim Righeimer, Steve Mensinger, Gary Monahan and Allan Mansoor - controlled the city and made some very controversial moves.  For example, on March 17, 2011 - St. Patrick’s Day - their council decided to issue layoff notices to 213 “regular employees” - non-public safety staffers.  This was their idea of how to control large unfunded pension liabilities.  In a tragic result of their actions young maintenance worker Huy Pham, upon receiving his layoff notice, leaped to his death from the roof of city hall.  This was the darkest day in our city in my memory - 48 years and counting.  There was a huge public outcry and outpouring of sympathy for Pham’s family and his entire city family, too.  Monahan, who was mayor at that time, didn’t bother to come to City Hall to console grieving employees - he was too busy pouring green beer at his bar, muttering something like, “What am I supposed to do?  This is the biggest day of the year for me.”  That was a quote from a news reporter who sought comment from him as he pranced around his bar in his kilt.  Disgusting!  Even worse, courts later determined that the layoff notices were illegal!

POLICE/COUNCIL FRICTION

About that same time friction ensued between certain members of the City Council and the Costa Mesa Police Department.  The council members sued the Police Association’s law firm and the association.  That went on for several years, but was finally settled.  In the meantime, the toxic atmosphere created by that council provoked several members of the Costa Mesa Police Department to abandon their jobs, choosing to either retire early or bail out to another police jurisdiction.  For more than 8 months the Righeimer/Mensinger council refused to permit recruitment efforts to fill more than 50 vacancies.  It’s been more than a decade since all that was going on and we still have not achieved proper police staffing levels.  That same council decided that the A.B.L.E. helicopter program - a joint venture between Costa Mesa and Newport Beach that provided police helicopter support for both cities and was a model for all municipal helicopter programs nationwide  - should be disbanded.  They proceeded to do just that, selling off the assets - 3 multi-million dollar helicopters - and reassigning the pilots back into patrol duties.  That was another low-morale moment in the CMPD.  This group also decided to privatize both the police jail and street sweeping services - causing more layoffs.  It was rumored that the successful contractor for the jail services was operated by family members of Jim Righeimer.  That unfortunate experiment has failed and the jail is, once again, under control of members of the CMPD.

MANSOOR’S “ICE” PLAN

Another bellwether of discord was Allan Mansoor’s scheme to deputize every single Costa Mesa Police Officer as an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer so they could randomly snatch up members of our Latino community and process them for deportation. For his efforts Mansoor was anointed as an honorary “Minuteman”.  That scheme failed, fortunately, but it terrorized the entire Latino community to the point where they seldom expressed concerns about city issues.  That has changed under the current council.  Recently we’ve seen Latino’s bravely step to the speaker’s podium and air grievances.  They know they will be given a fair hearing on issues important to them and no longer worry about being hunted down like stray dogs in the street and deported.

A TOXIC, ANTI-RESIDENT ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere in our city during those years was very tense.  That council decided that they were tired of hearing residents stand before them during the Public Comments segment of their regular meetings and gripe about issues - things that were important to the residents - so they bifurcated the public comments.  Only the first 10 people in the queue could speak early in the meeting.  Any remaining speakers had to wait until the very end of the meeting - sometimes midnight or later.  Few speakers stayed around that late.  At that time we saw several highly skilled senior staffers choose to retire early instead of dealing with the atmosphere created by that council.

WHAT’S MY POINT?

Well, in the four years since the core of the current council was elected - those choices clearly sent a message to the Republican establishment with the ouster of Mansoor and Mensinger and the rebuffing of Genis , who was soundly thumped as a directly-elected mayor by Katrina Foley not just once, but twice - a lot of important things have happened in our city and it’s appropriate to talk about how they were handled.

HOMELESSNESS

The city, for years, has had a growing homeless population.  The current council found a way to manage that issue by first contracting with a local church to provide temporary housing until a new facility could be created.  They then found and purchased an industrial building not far from John Wayne Airport and created a 70-bed shelter and worked out a deal with the City of Newport Beach to use 20 of those beds for a fee.  That system is working.

COVID-19

More than 2 years ago the hellish Covid-19 pandemic hit us, just as it did in every other city in America.  Our council, led by the tireless Mayor Katrina Foley (who has earned your vote for her seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, by the way) and John Stephens as Mayor Pro Tem, helped provide the leadership to get out ahead of this issue before any other Orange County city.  Right off the bat they rejected the Governor’s scheme to house 60 infected people from an airliner in northern California at the under-used Fairview Developmental Center - right in the heart of our city.  They crafted emergency ordinances to govern mask-wearing, short-term rental assistance, rules to keep covid-affected renters from being evicted, and much, much more.  And, they made the tough decisions and managed to keep a balanced budget without tapping municipal reserves.

LACK OF HOUSING

Recently the State slammed our city with the demand for us to plan for 11,760 new dwelling units during the next 8 years (now 7 years), then told us our “Measure Y”, constraints passed by the voters in 2016, effectively created a roadblock to preclude the city from completing a required satisfactory Housing Element.  The failure to do so would cause the city to be penalized $100,000 per month, become ineligible for ALL State grant funds and - the worst part - lose all local control over development in our city - the State would take over.  So, with that gun to our head, in January the council appointed an Ad Hoc Committee of Mayor Pro Tem Marr, Councilwoman Reynolds and Councilman Jeffrey Harlan - a land planner and lawyer - to assess this problem and come up with a solution.  That effort resulted in what is now known as Measure K.  This ordinance, which is on the November 8th ballot, will basically de-fang Measure Y and thereby permit development of the much-needed (and State-demanded) new housing units, some of which will be affordable housing units.  To facilitate that action an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance is being crafted and will be presented to the council for consideration by December.

COMMITTEE ROUNDLY CRITICIZED

The Ad Hoc Committee has been roundly criticized by the people who conceived and marketed Measure Y, stating it would gut their product and “take away the vote of the people” on development decisions.  This, of course, is a flat-out lie!  Should Measure K pass next month ANY project submitted to the city for consideration will have to run the gauntlet of bureaucratic hurdles - including approvals from the Planning Commission and City Council.  At every step of the way residents or other interested parties have the opportunity to express themselves before those official bodies and/or write to them in detail with their concerns.  Measure Y was passed 6 years ago and, as I mentioned above, not a single project has been placed before the voters.  Any developer - every developer - will simply take their development dollars and expertise elsewhere when faced with spending tons of money and time, only to be informed that they now must go before the vote of the people.  Our city will shrivel under these constraints.  Our major commercial and industrial corridors will atrophy and our economic vitality will wither.

CITY COUNCIL CHOICES

I wrote all the above to make a point. This time around Mayor John Stephens, a former council member who was appointed mayor when then-mayor Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors, is being challenged by Republican John Moorlach - a partisan who has held positions on the Board of Supervisors and in the State Senate.  Moorlach’s record in those roles is undistinguished, although some tout him as being a financial expert because he predicted the Orange County bankruptcy two decades ago.  Stephens, on the other hand, has been an instrumental part in leading Costa Mesa through a series of crises including the homelessness issue and the covid pandemic.  In both those cases Costa Mesa has led the way among all Orange County cities in dealing with those issues effectively, in great part due to the wisdom, energy and leadership of John Stephens.

OTHER SEATS

In this election only the seat occupied by Manuel Chavez is safe - he has no opposition.   Andrea Marr is being challenged by a Republican-supported newcomer, John Thomas Patton, who brings absolutely no governance experience to the party.  And Arlis Reynolds is being challenged by Rob Dickson, a former Righeimer/Mensinger sycophant who was part of “the problem” back in those days as he rubber stamped the council majority wishes while on the Planning Commission.  They have joined the creators of Measure Y to oppose Measure K - something our city MUST HAVE - and spread the lies provided to them.  This is not only disappointing, but very dangerous for our city.  Should all three of these men be successful that would change the balance of power on the City Council and combine them with lazy, hapless, hopeless, partisan hack Republican councilman Don Harper - the worst councilman in my memory - and we could be right back where we were nearly a decade ago.  This is NOT GOOD for our city..

ABOUT THAT “UNFUNDED PENSION LIABILITY”

Candidates Moorlach, Dickson and Patton constantly harp about the “unfunded pension liability” facing Costa Mesa, as though this is something this council created and fails to “fix”.  Well, this is not a new issue - every city council in the state that subscribes to the CalPERS retirement system is facing the same thing and THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT at the local level.  The problem is the way the system was conceived.  It is managed by a board that understands little about municipal finance.  Their plan is to receive a 7.5% annual return on their investments to keep their ship afloat.  However, if the markets in which they play fail to generate that kind of return they simply bill their subscribers - hence the “unfunded liability”.  The only way this actually becomes a problem for our city, or any city, is if every single employee decides to retire simultaneously.  Then there wouldn’t be enough cash in the till to fund the retirements.  Of course, that’s not going to happen.  Predecessor  councils - the Righeimer/Mensinger group, for example - decided to “solve it’ by putting a paltry million dollars each year towards the debt, knowing full-well that would do nothing at all to solve the problem.  Their other solution, mentioned above, was to lay off over 200 employees, and we all know how that turned out.  This “issue” is really a “non-issue”.  It’s a straw man to attempt to burnish the candidacy of Moorlach, a theoretical finance expert, and the others are just piggybacking the issue.  If Moorlach has a solution let him speak out for the public good.  Otherwise, he should quit barfing up that politically-charge rhetoric.

ABOUT THOSE DARN DEVELOPERS

Some non-incumbent candidates are making a big deal about campaign funding by “out of town developers”.  Well, yeah!  The city is in desperate need of housing - affordable housing, for the most part - and the people that build that stuff are…. DEVELOPERS!  Of course they want to see a council in place that will give them a fair hearing, and that will help with the negative quagmire Measure Y has created.  All that jabbering about “out of town developer money” is a smoke screen, designed to inflame the voters into voting against Measure K.  The smartest guy I know on land use and planning issues, current Costa Mesa Planning Commission Chairman Byron de Arakal, has expounded frequently, loud and clear, why Measure K is critical to the future of our city, and has given us example after example of what happens if we don’t comply with the State rules.  That’s good enough for me.

THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT, NEIGHBORS

Yeah, I know… you’re saying to yourself, “But Geoff, you’re a lifelong Republican and you’re asking us to support Democrats!”  That’s true.  I’m asking you to support proven, rational, clear-headed, non-partisan leadership who have effectively guided our city through multiple crises simultaneously instead of a trio of partisan hacks who march to the tune that caused chaos in our city in the recent past.  Because the future of our city is at stake, I implore you to not be bamboozled by those who lie about the issues.  Please re-elect Mayor John Stephens, Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Marr, Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds and Councilman Manuel Chavez.  And, if you hope your children and their children will be able to afford to live in Costa Mesa, please vote YES ON MEASURE K. 

REASONS TO RETAIN OUR LEADERSHIP ON NOVEMBER 3RD

 DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT

A couple weeks ago I submitted the following letter to the Daily Pilot, hopefully to be presented to their readers as a commentary before the upcoming election.  It, apparently, did not make the cut.  I don't know why... such is life.  We're running out of time, so I thought it was too important to let the election go by without presenting you with my thoughts.  Here's what I wrote.

********

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY THE LEADERSHIP

The past several months have been very trying times for all of us, but for those elected leaders who have had to deal with the results of the COVID-19 pandemic, the related economic crisis and the social unrest that has rocked our country, it has been especially difficult.  These are uncharted waters for most of them.  That’s why I, as a 47 year Costa Mesa resident and lifelong Republican, have been so pleased with the actions of my current elected leaders in my city.

DEFIED STEREOTYPES - AND HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE

Our seven-member city council - two, Allan Mansoor and Sandy Genis are conservative Republicans - has pleasantly surprised me.  Mayor Katrina Foley, Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens and the three new young members - Arlis Reynolds, Andrea Marr and Manuel Chavez - have not reacted the way the liberal stereotype says they should.  They have demonstrated they are NOT “tax and spend” liberals.  Quite the contrary -  they have demonstrated they are concerned residents - true servant/leaders - who have charted a path for our city during these very difficult times that has proven to be wise and effective - and conservative.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE WITH TOUGH DECISIONS
Our City Council has been ahead of the curve on all the challenges facing municipal governments.  They have crafted rules and regulations that kept the wheels from coming off during these multiple crises.  Along with the excellent City Manager, Lori Ann Farrell Harrison and a cadre of outstanding city staff directors, they have taken on tough challenges and worked through them.  They have negotiated necessary concessions with all the employee bargaining units, trimmed staff where required, furloughed others and made other cuts in an attempt to balance costs with the unknown impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on revenues.

BUDGET ON PLUS SIDE, NOT A HUGE DEFICIT 
Recently, during a meeting of the Finance and Pension Advisory Committee meeting - those smart folks who volunteer to study complex finance issues and advise the City Council - heard from Finance Director Carol Molina that the catastrophic budget shortfall that had been feared last April has not materialized. In fact, the latest assessment of our finances shows that the City of Costa Mesa ended the fiscal year 19/20 with a small, quarter million dollar surplus instead of the potential $28 million shortfall.  This is great news and reflects the diligence of the leadership of this city - trimming costs where possible to meet reduced revenue projections.  However, lies about this fantastic accomplishment have permeated the internet, posted by rabid opponents of the current council majority.  

REMEMBER ON NOVEMBER 3RD
As we go to the polls between now and November 3rd - many of us have already voted - I think it’s important to recognize that our current city leadership has behaved, not as partisans, but as true servant leaders, doing the best they can for the residents and businesses in this city under circumstances no previous council had ever faced.  Because the future is still fuzzy, it seems to not be the time to changes horses in the middle of this pandemic stream.  Through their wisdom, foresight and tireless leadership Katrina Foley and John Stephens have earned the right to continue to serve you on the City Council.  Please consider that as you cast your ballots.

(If you wish to choose to comment on this you must migrate to my Facebook page.  The comments feature on this blog has been disabled.)

WHAT, ME WORRY? - WELL, YEAH!

TOO MUCH TIME AND NEGATIVE INPUT

With all the turmoil going on in our country, and the world, for that matter, and because I’ve been hunkered down in semi-quarantine for the past few months, I’ve had way, way too much time to just sit and contemplate.  Of course, the daily dose of strife, rancor and all-around divisiveness we see on the news all day, every day, only adds to the things floating through my otherwise fairly empty head…. and I worry.

WHY WORRY?

OK, what do I have to worry about, right?  I have a great life.  I am married to the best, kindest, most patient, beautiful, loving wife.  I have lots of friends and family whom I love and I know reciprocate.  I have enough to eat - obviously! - and live in one of the finest places in the entire world (or so my in-laws used to tell us when they would return from one of their trips at exotic venues around the world).  I believe them.  But, I worry…

MAKIN’ A LIST…

So, as I sit and contemplate this issue, I’m making a list of things that cause me anxious days and sleepless nights.  What you will read below is a partial list, sadly.  In no particular order, here you go…

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

I worry about the impact of this darn pandemic.  I worry for my wife and myself because we have our own special mix of issues that makes each of us more vulnerable than most.  I worry about our future if one, or both, of us contract this darn thing.  I also worry about our friends and family and the potential impact of this virus on them.  We have relatives and friends with compromised immune systems who have the potential for serious problems with it.  I continue to plead with folks to follow the official guidances and Stay Home, Exercise Proper Social Distancing, Wear Masks and Wash Your Hands and Use Hand Sanitizer.  Honestly, I HOPE I’m wrong about this!  I HOPE this pandemic is not as severe and long-lasting as predicted by some.  I REALLY want my friends and relatives to be able to say to me in a year, “See, Geoff - you were wrong!  All that angst was for nothing!”  I will be a very happy man if that happens… but I don’t think it’s likely.  So, I worry…

THE ECONOMY

Because of this pandemic, our economy - the hottest one in my lifetime - went in the tank.  Yes, some of it is rebounding, only to be punched in the teeth again by what looks like a resurgence of the virus.  I worry about all the small businessmen who have done their very best to find a way to survive - many unsuccessfully - as we all deal with the isolation caused by this disease.  I worry that some of my friends simply may never be able to re-open their businesses, and how that will affect their families and employees and their families. I grew up in a family supported by a small business and I try to imagine the impact something like this virus would have had on it.  Very likely my father and uncle would have had to fold it up, putting 20 people out of jobs.  It’s a terrifying scenario to contemplate and I know it’s the real world for many, many Americans these days.  So, I worry…

CIVIL UNREST

I am VERY worried about what the future holds for our society now that we see widespread unrest throughout the country following the death of George Floyd at the hands (knee) of the Minneapolis police officer(s).  While I’ve never lived as a black man and cannot ever fully appreciate what life is like as one, I believe I do understand some of the rage being expressed by the mobs of demonstrators, which have morphed into looters and murderers.  As I watched the marchers walk down the street a block from our home recently, carrying “BLM” signs, and chanting, “Black Lives Matter!” quite honestly, in my head I was yelling back, “All Lives Matter”, because that’s how I feel about it.  Did I yell back at the marchers?  No, I didn’t.  I continued to watch and record the marchers and tried to figure out exactly how much those mostly young,  privileged, white kids actually knew about why they were protesting.  I worry that, after we (society) have permitted armed, angry mobs to take two municipal police stations in two of our proudest cities, and for them to claim seven blocks of one of those cities as their own, challenging the authorities to reclaim them, the line of authority may have been scrubbed from the pavement.  I worry that those mostly young violent protestors - people with nothing to lose except their freedom and/or their lives - may continue to misbehave in even more violent ways.  Yes, I worry…

“DEFUND THE POLICE”

A sub-set of my concern above is this movement to “defund the police” - to redirect precious budget resources away from traditional police activities to more social services.  I AM NOT saying that we don’t need more attention paid to those things where social workers can be effective given the time and money.  I am saying that to remove funding from already-beleaguered law enforcement agencies is a catastrophe waiting to happen.  This past weekend New York City was a perfect example of just what will happen, as crime sky-rocketed.  Yes, I know it was Independence Day weekend and that was a crappy metaphor, but it was accurate.  Crime will not disappear just because there are fewer police on the streets.  Do we need to look at how we train our cops?  Probably.  Do we need to hamstring them by taking away some of the tools needed if we expect them to perform their duties as peace officers?  Absolutely not!  Unless you have worn a badge or gone into a combat situation and faced an armed opponent you (we) really have no idea what it’s like.  We have no idea what it’s like for families to kiss their loved one good-bye in the morning never being sure they will return home to them any night.  So, yes - let’s look at how we train them.  Yes, let’s look at how we have them interact with the public they are sworn to protect and serve.  Let’s make adjustments where necessary to make them even more effective.  Let’s weed out those few bad cops - the ones who make every other cop look bad by their actions.  Let’s do all those things, and more, but let’s not strip our cops of their ability to do what their job really is - to fight crime and keep us all safe.  Let’s NOT do that.  I worry…

FRACTURING OF FRIENDSHIPS

This is a really big issue for me.  It causes me to lose a lot of sleep every night. I’m an old guy - with any luck at all I will turn 80 in 13 months - and I’ve accumulated a lot of really wonderful friends over all these decades.  I have friends since we were 5 years old with whom I still have regular contact.  In my circle of friends there are childhood buddies, school mates, Army pals, work friends, close relatives, both through blood and marriage, and the many friends I’ve made writing this blog and elsewhere over the past couple decades.  I value every single one of them for their wit, wisdom, patience and just plain love.  I DO LOVE THEM.  And yet, over the past few months there have been fractures in some of those relationships.  I know the current circumstances mentioned above have created some of this - everybody is feeling stress from what’s going on these days.  I also know that some of the positions I’ve taken on some of those issues have created rifts.  I wish that was not the case, but it is, apparently.  Sometimes I’ve written on Facebook quick little blasts to provoke a healthy discussion of issues.  Frequently I will share something someone else has shared with me - a link, a meme or something I think is funny.  Sometimes those struck some of my friends wrong - a product of my insensitivity and a general thinning of skin in these times.  I feel bad when friends get peeved at me, but hope, at the same time, I have caused them to consider the issue at hand more carefully.  It seems not to be happening that way, though.  Circumstances seem to have polarized us and made us more willing to aggressively defend our position without considering others.  I understand that, but it saddens me to think that, after years - dozens - some friendships may dissolve.  I won’t like that, but neither will I stop expressing myself.  And, I worry…

NATIONAL POLITICS

Yes, I do lose sleep contemplating National politics.  As a lifelong Republican I was very disappointed when Trump gained the nomination in 2016.  There were SO MANY highly qualified candidates on that dais during the debates that I could have, would have, voted for.  Sadly, I doubt any of them could have defeated Hillary Clinton in the election.  The fact that Trump was the last man standing and that he did, indeed, defeat Clinton, caused me great concern about the future of our Republic.  I was concerned that our president - our highest elected leader and the most powerful man in the world - was a bully, who seemed to follow his basest instincts instead of listening to the smart people around him as he went about setting policy and making major decisions.  Those concerns were affirmed by his behavior following the election.  Quite honestly, I had not seen such bad, juvenile behavior since I was in junior high school.   It got so I cringed every time Trump opened his mouth or typed a Tweet in those early morning hours when he sought retribution against those who dared to criticize him.  It has pained me for nearly 4 years, and I can’t do a thing about it.  He will be the Republican candidate and will run against Joe Biden - a man nearly my age who seems to have lost more brain cells than me.  I cannot vote for Biden, but I might have voted for Amy Klobuchar.  It won’t make any difference if I vote for Trump, since any Democrat running against him will take my state, California.  So, I’ll probably just write in a name of a Republican I admire - it’s not a big pool -  on the ballot and never look back.  I will worry, though…

STATE POLITICS

I am very concerned that my state has become such a liberal bastion.  Any good ideas that might come out of the Republicans in the Assembly or Senate have zero chance of being considered.  Our elected leaders in this state seem all too willing to simply give away our hard-earned wealth to any special interest group that whines enough about it.  A recent move to create a blue-ribbon (all liberal) commission to consider giving reparations to every black man and woman in this state for the perceived injustices they have experienced may just be the straw that breaks this camel’s back.  If that happens, and the liberal leaders of this state DO decide to provide cash to those who feel entitled to it - my tax dollars, that could be used for better roads and better education for all - it will force me to consider leaving this state.  Despite all it’s natural wonders and that I’ve lived here most of my life, and the fact that it is home to so many of my friends and relatives - it will have become no place for a person with conservative values to live.  I may just pack up my stuff and hit the road, probably following the moving vans of many companies who will do the same thing.  And I certainly do worry about this…

LOCAL POLITICS

We have yet another watershed election ahead of us in Costa Mesa this year.  Four years ago we were among the many municipalities and districts extorted by a law firm in Santa Monica into creating voting districts to “create more equitable opportunities for minority residents to have their voices heard”.  In our case, it was to give a greater voice to the 37% of the residents who are Latino.  Because of that change, two years ago we chose our first directly-elected mayor and the first three council members to be elected by districts.  Ironically, the voters of this city gave the finger to the Republican-dominated council at the time - the ones who manipulated the system to attempt to stack the deck.  The voters chose Katrina Foley - who the previous council had ousted as mayor a year earlier just because they could - over multi-term councilwoman Sandra Genis, by a huge margin.  Even more delicious, the voters chose newcomer local woman and MIT-educated engineer Arlis Reynolds over feckless, divisive, multi-term councilman and former Assemblyman Allan Mansoor by a huge margin.  Youngster Manuel Chavez also defeated the old majority-supported candidates to represent the smallest, but most densely Latino district, where he grew up.  The voters also chose US Naval Academy graduate and successful Naval Officer, Andrea Marr over one of the old majority’s sycophants, also by a big margin.  So, the plan to snatch control of the city again by manipulating  the districting process backfired and our city ended up with not one, but three Latino members on the council.  It  was a great day for our city.  And, a year into their respective terms, the wheels came off with all those things I mentioned above.  However, the new council majority - those named above plus Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens - were out ahead of the problems from the start.  They took charge and, with new city management in the form of new City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, crafted policies and an organizational structure to blunt the impact of the virus and economic collapse.  We will not escape the impact of these calamities, but I’m proud of the way they’ve managed these tough issues.  The upcoming election will tell the tale.  Will this majority be joined by three new people of similar dedication and skills?  Foley must run for re-election - the term of the mayor is only 2 years - and Stephens must also run for a seat in his district, Number 1, where he will certainly face heavy opposition from members of the old majority.  I’m encouraged by some of the names that are surfacing as candidates in Districts 2 and 6. We simply cannot afford to return to the days when cops were despised by the elected majority, where ICE agents were invited into our jails, thereby terrorizing our Latino population.  We cannot return to the time where developers were allowed - encouraged - to run roughshod over our city.  I lose a lot of sleep contemplating this election, where candidate forums are unlikely unless they are done online and tons of Republican cash will pour into our city.  And, I worry…

HOMELESSNESS

For several years our city has dealt with a growing population of homeless folks.  Arrangements were made, through the cooperation of a local church and non-profit organizations, to temporarily house upwards of 50 such people.  The city will have spent nearly $10 million to acquire, refurbish and launch a new housing solution in a commercial area of our city.  This MAY go a long way to solve the issue, but it’s taking longer than expected and costing more… so I worry.

SOBER LIVING HOME INFESTATION

For a decade our city has become a haven for Sober Living Homes, many of which are operated by unscrupulous people who are simply in it to make big bucks.  Addicts are recruited from outside our state, moved here and placed in one of these homes in residential neighborhoods and are given only a minimal chance to succeed - to get clean and sober.  The stories abound about the mismanagement of these places and the tragic affects on some of the folks residing in them.  Our city has successfully sued several of them and hope that the other bad operators will get the hint and decamp for another venue.  Many of the failures that drop out of these homes end up on our streets as part of the homeless population mentioned above.  The current city leadership has made great strides in managing this issue, but I worry…

NMUSD DRAMA

Our local school district, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, which serves the children of both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, continues to be in turmoil.  It recently lost another superintendent and it’s unclear whether they will attempt to rush the selection of a new one before the election, when at least a couple new faces will be chosen for their Board of Trustees.  Issues of equality of education throughout the district persist and flight by students to distant districts in neighboring cities continues to be a concern.  And, of  course, the issue of Distance Learning due to the pandemic is a real hot-button issue today.  The Board of Trustees has long been populated by well-intentioned folks who simply stayed too long at the dance.  New ideas were discouraged and out-right rejected and ignored.  It’s hard to make progress when new ideas cannot even make it to the floor for a discussion.  I worry about this, too.

THIS IS JUST A START

So, my friends, this is just a taste of what’s on my mind these days - the stuff that causes me angst and sleepless nights.  There are other things, too, but this is one of those sleepless nights when it all begins to overwhelm me.  This is a start… Back to worrying…

NOTE: I amended my previous post, HERE, to correct the record regarding my writing about race.  A friend reminded me that I did, indeed, write about race as I jousted with another local blogger who, although has shriveled from the local issues,  continues to foul the ether with his vile pontifications.  I apologize, but he’s a guy most try very hard to forget.

A New City Manager And The Pride Flag Will Fly

I’M BAAAACK!

I’m back again - two days in a row after months of absence - to wrap up the issue of my previous blog post.  That one, about flying the Pride Flag over Costa Mesa City Hall for 5 weeks beginning this year, generated lots of heat.  In fact, I attended the City Council meeting Tuesday night specifically for two reasons.  1 - To meet our new City Manager, Lori Ann Farrell Harrison and, 2 - to watch the discussion on the Pride Flag issue.

WELCOMING LORI ANN FARRELL HARRISON

First things first…. I was the first person to greet our new City Manager before she entered the meeting room at the Senior Center.  She is VERY impressive.  She has an outstanding background - strong academically and excellent work experience.  We were told she is known for her “kindness”.   

HEAPING PRAISE ON LETOURNEAU

When it came time for the discussion of her new contract things got more than a little embarrassing for Acting City Manager, Assistant City Manager Tammy Letourneau.  Several speakers, including council members, heaped much-deserved praise on her for the great job she has done for the city.  

MANSOOR THE BUFFOON

Sadly, our resident buffoon, Allan Mansoor, could not simply take the high road and welcome Mrs. Farrell Harrison and vote with the majority.  No, horses butt that he is, he had to tell Mrs. Farrell Harrison that he thought she was a good candidate, but the City should have chosen Letourneau, who didn’t even apply for the job!  Even worse, he looked straight at Mrs. Farrell Harrison and wondered out loud why we paid her $1,000 per month more than her predecessor, Tom Hatch!  What a low class jerk!  Anyhow, the council affirmed her contract on a 6-1 vote.

PRIDE FLAG DISCUSSION

Then we finally got around to the final item on the agenda, the discussion of whether we should fly a Pride Flag for five weeks every year beginning May 22nd (to honor murdered gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk) and for the entire month of June - Pride Month.

MANY LINED UP

After a short staff report and a brief discussion by Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds, who put this idea forward, public comments were invited.  This was VERY interesting.  Twenty-one (21) people lined up against the wall to come to the podium to address this issue.  All were passionate on the subject.  

LEAD-OFF NEGATIVE COMMENT

The first person, who identified herself as a MAGA supporter, was dead-set against flying the flag.  She was in the minority.

SUSAN MEYER

Among the others who spoke was my friend, Susan Meyer (who posted a comment on my Facebook page in response to my previous post and who greeted me with a big hug in the parking lot before the meeting)  She used her three minutes to describe her life as a gay woman, and what this step would mean to her in terms of acceptance of who she is.  It was very moving.

COSTA MESA LATINA

 A young Latina from Costa Mesa told us of her life as a gay woman in a culture that doesn’t embrace her.  She, too, was very passionate on this issue.

INTOLERANCE IN THE SOUTH

A 40 year-old black man spoke of his life as a gay youth in Alabama, and how moving to California changed things for him.

RELIGIOUS ACCEPTANCE

Pastor Sarah Halvorson-Cano, with her infant son in tow, expressed the position of her local church on this issue, and how they embrace everyone, including gays.

A YOUNG REPUBLICAN’S STORY

A dapper young man, Ben Chapman, stepped up and told us that he was gay and a young Republican.  He explained how the Republican Party has given him more love and support than the gay community, and that he questioned the value of flying the flag. He said, "I support one flag, the American Flag.  I don't need a Rainbow flag to tell me who I am."

A MINISTER’S TRAVAILS

Craig Chapman, who it turns out is Ben's husband, stepped up and described his travails as a minister and a gay man.

JUST A FEW EXAMPLES

These were just a few examples of passionate folks who stepped up to share their stories.  Several mentioned the high suicide rate among gay youth.

CHAVEZ LEAD THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION

When it came time for the council to consider the two issues at hand - a new Flag Policy and whether to fly the Pride Flag -  young councilman Manuel Chavez took the lead and made a motion, which was bifurcated to split the issues.  The decision on the Flag Policy passed with a 5-2 vote - Mansoor and Sandy Genis voted NO.

HIS POIGNANT STORY

Then came the discussion of the Pride Flag.  Chavez told a poignant story about growing up in Costa Mesa and his best friend was gay.  He spoke of what he observed in his friend’s life.  It was very moving.

MARR’S NAVAL STORY

Councilwoman Andrea Marr, a Naval Academy graduate who served aboard ships for five years, spoke of being a 22 year-old officer in charge of 17-19 year-old sailors, working in the bowels of ships where conversations sometimes turned to the fact that some were gay - and likely to be booted from the service if “outed”.

REYNOLDS SPOKE OF HER PARENTS

 Councilwoman Reynolds, who placed this issue on the agenda spoke of growing up in Costa Mesa and of gay friends.  She spoke of her parents - both in the audience last night - who were outstanding educators.  She spoke of her father in glowing terms, speaking about his creation of a counselor position to help gay youth at his high school in Santa Ana.

MANSOOR’S BIGOTRY SHOWED

Earlier Mansoor spoke against the issue.  At one point he said something like, “I know of no scientific evidence that a person is born gay.”  Many in the audience and on the dais noticeably cringed, including Marr, who covered her face and later looked like she was praying for him.

A GLIMPSE OF THE SANDY GENIS OF OLD

Finally came veteran Councilwoman Sandy Genis, who spoke with great compassion and eloquence, describing the obligation of the council to make residents feel welcome and safe.  For those fleeting few moments I harkened back to the Sandy Genis of old.  It was the best moment of leadership - maybe the only moment -  I’ve seen from her in a couple years.

MOIST EYES ALL AROUND

As that discussion went on it was easy to see moist eyes on the dais, particularly among the young members.  I’m OK with that. 

STILL CONCERNED, BUT MOVED…

While I still don’t know exactly where I stand on this issue, I was moved by the passion of the speakers and the compassion showed by our elected leaders - except one.

STUBBORN AND STUPID

When the vote was called each member except Allan Mansoor voted Yes.  His No vote was unnecessary and, while it may have demonstrated to him the steadfastness of his opinion, it clearly showed the fracture on the dais.  Mansoor is as stubborn as he is stupid, which he demonstrated more than once last night.

THE FLAG WILL FLY

So, the 6-1 vote means we will begin seeing the Pride Flag flying at City Hall beginning this May 22nd.  It will continue to fly through the month of June to recognize Pride Month.  I’m still not happy about that.  I don’t feel it is appropriate to fly the flag over our city honoring Harvey Milk  What about a flag for Martin Luther King, Jr.?  Heck, what about a flag for Costa Mesa Fire Captain Mike Kreza, who was killed by a dope-addled driver last year?  You get my point, right?  Mansoor implied that he was going to ask for something to be placed on a future agenda about other kinds of flags that might be flown.  The mind reels at the thought!

ADDING “QUEER” TO THE MIX

In my original post I mentioned LGBT - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.  During the testimony by speakers it was frequently mentioned as LBGTQ - adding the term “queer” to the discussion.  Each time a person - and several did - use that word it actually startled me.  As I grew up - way back in the dark ages - that word was meant as a pejorative, a negative slur that didn’t necessarily mean a person was gay.  Now it apparently has become a term of honor among the gay community.   I filed that in the folder with all the other things I don’t understand these days.

SMALL TURNOUT

I kind of thought there might be a bigger turnout for this issue.  At no time Tuesday night was there more than about 60 people in the room and, by the time this item was introduced there may have been 40, not counting City staff.  More than half of those in attendance spoke to the issue, but it was a pretty small sample of our population.  Perhaps folks were just not interested.  Or, maybe, they were afraid of speaking out - one way or the other - before the council and their neighbors.   Or, maybe they were just in the next room playing Bingo!

GLAD I ATTENDED, BUT…

So, I’m glad I attended.  I have a better perspective on alternate lifestyles now.  Although I held no animus toward gay people before, I think I have a greater sense of compassion for their plight now.  But, I still don’t like the idea of flying the flag for five weeks every year.  

IF WE’RE SERIOUS WE NEED TO DO MORE

Yeah, if a young person dealing with being gay looks up at the flag and it dissuades him or her from considering suicide, then it’s worth it.  As a couple speakers said last night, if the City is serious about providing real support, then more than a flag flying over City Hall is necessary.  There should be a more concerted outreach effort, to help those struggling with this.  I don’t have a solution, but I think I have a better understanding of the problem.

AN INTERESTING SIDEBAR

I thought it was interesting that, almost before the crowd had dispersed last night, both Mayor Katrina Foley and Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens had posted a Facebook entry announcing the approval of the Pride Flag and used this image - which is a cropped version of the official City photo of the council - which eliminated Mansoor and included a rainbow border at the top.  Yeah, I smiled, but it did seem just a little over the top.

ANOTHER INTERESTING SIDEBAR
Immediately after the meeting ended and the euphoric crowd was milling around, hugging each other, I noticed Allan Mansoor made a beeline to young Ben Chapman and spent a few minutes chatting him up.  I don't know what that means... it was interesting to observe.

VIEW IT ON CM TV/YOUTUBE
Here's the link to this meeting on the City YouTube Channel HERE.

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THAT'S IT.... FOR NOW

I don't expect to post more on the blog - unless something really special moves me.  You just never know.  If you want to comment on what I wrote here you'll have to migrate back to my Facebook page to do so.  Thanks for reading...