SPECIAL DISTRICT RACES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Why I'm Voting No On Measure TT - The Hostile Takeover

INFORMATION YOU MAY FIND VALUABLE
I know many of you have already been hovering over your sample ballot and voter pamphlets, contemplating how you will vote on the many critical issues facing Costa Mesa voters this year.  Well, let me help you with one that's particularly onerous - MEASURE TT.

MISLEADING THE PUBLIC
This issue was placed on the ballot as an advisory measure by the Board of Directors of the Mesa Water District... in theory no biggie... just taking the pulse of the community on the issue of possible consolidation of Mesa Water and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District (CMSD).  Well, apparently Mesa Water thinks it IS a biggie because, according to reports, they've spent over $300,000 on this issue!  They've plastered our local newspapers and mailboxes with ads for this measure, all of which are VERY misleading - the kindest way I can put it.

HERE ARE VIDEO LINKS
I attended the Town Hall CMSD President Mike Scheafer held last week and wrote about it HERE.  I provided you the link to the recording of that event HERE.  Today the CMSD provided an abbreviated version of that video - just over 6 minutes long - which may be very helpful to you as you consider this very important issue.  You can view it HERE.

SIMPLY A POWER GRAB
In my view, Measure TT is simply a power grab by the Mesa Water District Board - a hostile takeover attempt.  There is no compelling reason that these two special districts should be combined.  Quite the contrary, there are many excellent reasons why they should NOT be combined.  This issue is just a quick-pitch by the Mesa Water Board to stampede the voters into making a decision that will then be used to convince the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) that the community wants the combination.

WATCH THE VIDEO(S) - VOTE NO!
Take a few minutes and watch the short video.  I think you'll then choose to watch the full version to give you more information.  I know how I'm voting on this issue... a resounding NO!  I suspect you may feel the same way once you familiarize yourself with the truth of the issue.

CMSD Town Hall Sets The Record Straight

SCHEAFER LED THE WAY
Costa Mesa Sanitary District President Mike Scheafer moderated a Town Hall last night the Neighborhood Community Center designed to inform the public on the current status of the CMSD and to set the record straight on a couple issues that have been percolating around town. 

A GOOD CROWD, CONSIDERING THE COMPETITION
Around 5 dozen people attended this event - amazing, considering it competed with the final Presidential Debate and the Dodger playoff game.  Not surprisingly, the crowd was attentive as Scheafer moved crisply through his agenda and managed to finish his segment precisely at 7:00 p.m.

LOTS OF IMAGES - TAKE YOUR TIME
I warn you right now that this entry is going to be full of images, most of which you should be able to read without trouble.  If you have problems just click on the individual images and they will enlarge for you.

DEALING WITH THE ELEPHANTS
Scheafer began by speaking of the "Elephants" in the room.  He was referring to the constant drumbeat by some individuals in the community - including at least one running for a seat on the CMSD Board - about the trash hauling contract in which it is purported that the contract hasn't been negotiated EVER.  Also sucking the oxygen out of the room was the proposed hostile takeover of the CMSD by the Mesa Water District.  He went through each issue clearly, as I think the slides will show.

THE TRASH CONTRACT
He spoke about the trash contract first, indicating that there we are in the 10th and final year of the contract with our current hauler, CR&R.   That contract expires in January.  He told us we've not had a rate increase in during the duration of that contract.  In fact, rates for the 2012/2013 year were actually lower than the previous year.  No change was made in the 2014/2015 year due to the implementation of the Organics Collection program.

MEASURE TT
Then he addressed the Measure TT, the issue placed on the ballot by the Mesa Water District as a so-called "advisory" measure, to take the temperature of the public about a possible consolidation of Mesa Water with the CMSD.  He felt the need to set the record straight, and the following slides may help sort it out for you.  Basically, Mesa Water unilaterally charged forward without consultation with the CMSD, paid for two different consultants to gin-up some numbers until they got something that supported their idea of a takeover of the CMSD.  They failed to give the CMSD Board sufficient time to even consider the issue before it was placed on the ballot.  Sadly, not telling the truth seems to be in vogue this campaign season.  Scheafer provided slides that responded to misstatements by Mesa Water Board President Shawn Dewane at a meeting of the Tea Party recently.  Some of the slides show those issues.

PROGRAMS
Scheafer then explained a little more about the CMSD, their programs and partnerships to help facilitate a well-run organization.  These slides will explain those features.

THE NEW HEADQUARTERS
He also explained about the acquisition of a new headquarters building at 290 Paularino, replacing the existing inadequate facility on West 19th Street.  Among the many new features available is adequate parking for staff and guests and a large conference room that may be made available for community events since the Neighborhood Community Center will soon be demolished to be replaced by a new Library.  He also pointed out that, although some around town are referring to the new facility as costing "$5 million", it actually will end up costing a little over $2 million.  See the chart.

 A HALF DOZEN SPEAKERS
As I mentioned, Scheafer finished his presentation promptly at 7:00 and invited those with questions to step to a microphone and ask away.  A dozen people did so, with a variety of questions and statements.  Among them were: Terry Koken stepped up and presented his TiTi CaCa parody - spoken, not sung this time.

Mary Spadoni mentioned that she had attended the Tea Party meeting where Dewane had spoken and that he misled the attendees when he told them that the $650 refund that Mesa proposed would also go to the folks served not served by the CMSD.  Another falsehood.

Wendy Leece wondered about the wisdom of consolidation, but seemed satisfied with the status quo, with both entities running their own businesses.  Scheafer responded to her questions by advising that  CR&R is the ONLY hauler with the facility to handle Organics, and that other haulers are now scrambling to find a place for their waste.  He told us it took CR&R six years to build their facility, which just opened a few months ago, and that CMSD was ahead of the curve on using it and received a significant rate reduction because we dove in first.

Ann Morrow stepped up and complimented Scheafer and the Board on the operations and the timely customer service.

Lance Halestone wondered if the CMSD will offer classes on their processes as Mesa Water does.  Scheafer told him it was in the works.

COSTA MESA BRIEF IN THE HOUSE
Barry Friedland was on-hand with his Costa Mesa Brief cameras to record the event.  Scheafer also told us that Mesa Water had dispatched someone to tape the presentation - the fellow never took the lens off Scheafer the entire time - despite the fact that Mesa Water does not record their meetings.  He thought it was amusing - and many of us also thought it was peculiar.  I'll post the link to this meeting when it becomes available - probably sometime next week.

MEASURE TT BOGUS
The meeting ended at 7:15 with most folks learning a lot about the operations of the CMSD and leaving with the opinion that Measure TT is simply a way to try to influence the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) that the public actually WANTS the consolidation.  If the voters approve the measure it will certainly be due to the false and misleading information provided by Mesa Water and their surrogates.  That will be a shame.  Spread the word...

VOTE NO ON TT AND ELECT JIM AND ART
So, Vote NO on Measure TT and re-elect CMSD Board members Jim Ferryman and Art Perry to maintain the solid, professional leadership under which the CMSD has continued to be an excellent special district.