1st Annual Delgadillo Memorial Shoot-out

HELPING MIKE DELGADILLO'S KIDS

Friday, June 14th, a college fundraiser for the children of former Costa Mesa Police Detective Mike Delgadillo will be held at the Prado Olympic Shooting Park in Chino.  It will be followed by a BBQ at the Pierce Street Annex in Costa Mesa.  The announcement below provides all the relevant information. 

DETAILS FOR A FUN DAY
Details on the venues can be found at http://www.shootprado.com and www.piercestreetonline.com. This is a very worthy cause, so all you shooters out there who want to help out and have a fun day on the range contact Kelly Vucinic at 714-349-3076 or kellyvucinic@yahoo.com.

 (click on image to enlarge)

Delgadillo Under The Influence

A SAD START TO MY DAY
It was with great sadness that I read Lauren Williams report in the Daily Pilot this morning, HERE, that told us that Costa Mesa police detective Mike Delgadillo had a blood alcohol level of 0.14 - nearly twice the legal limit - when he crashed his car into a pillar on Bristol Street the evening of March 5, 2013.  An interesting bit of online editing placed Williams' story immediately adjacent to one about a program at Newport Harbor High School that was intended to make the kids aware of DUI accidents.

MORE PAIN FOR SURVIVORS
That accident that took his life was tragic enough, but this revelation rips the scab off this slow-healing wound and adds to the pain felt by his family, friends and co-workers.  And, it's very likely that some will now use this news to denigrate this man, who placed his life on the line for the residents of our community for 32 years.

IRONY
And, of course, there is a tragic irony to this news, too.  Delgadillo's compatriots on the CMPD have been leaders in apprehending drivers for DUI, with several officers totalling more than 100 such arrests for several years running and Officer Kha Bao leading the pack with more than 400 such arrests two years ago and 200 last year.

LOOKING FOR A SILVER LINING
Some will look for a silver lining to this tragic event - some kind of life lesson that can be learned from the passing of this man and the circumstances that took his life.  Others may choose to attempt to dig deeper for some "good reason" for this event, including pillorying the establishment or establishments where he was drinking before his death, in an attempt to spread the blame.

SHOULD WE HAVE DONE MORE?
Others may try to look back and criticize themselves for not recognizing the circumstances that caused Delgadillo to drink and drive and for not doing more to help him.

SAD FACTS
None of that changes the facts.  A distinguished officer, a man who served our community with honor for more than three decades, used bad judgment the last night of his life and died as a result.  We continue to offer our condolences to his family and to his co-workers at the CMPD on the loss of this fine man.

Things We Learned From The Planning Commission Meeting

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN
Last night the Costa Mesa Planning Commission met to do the city's business for their only scheduled meeting this month.  Watching the meeting I learned a few things I didn't know before.

MESA GREEN DESIGN AWARD
For example, apparently it is possible to present award - the Mesa Green Design Award, specifically - intended to recognize a PROJECT for its green impact on our city, to a person.  Tonight Chairman Jim Fitzpatrick presented the award to employee Khanh Nguyen, the city Building Official.  (photo show him receiving another award five years ago) As I've said before, this seems like a corruption of the award - certainly the intent of the award.  Yes, the contribution Nguyen and his team has made in facilitating plan checking and inspection is quite significant and, yes, recognition is certainly appropriate - just not this particular award.

FITZPATRICK WANTS "ACTIVIST" COMMISSIONERS
We also learned that Chairman Fitzpatrick is taking on the mantle of "activist".  He said, "I have always believed that commissioners should be active and not just read the staff report and vote yes or no, but they should have projects and things that are important to them in the community and things that are important to residents and businesses."  He went on to say, "My intention is to roll up my sleeves and work on motels within our community.  I think there are a lot of opportunities to improve the quality of life here by focusing on motels."  He went on to encourage his fellow commissioners to find issues and roll up their sleeves, too.

PARKING AT "THE CAMP"
As anticipated, the commission pulled the item from the Consent Calendar dealing with the parking issue at The Camp and approved without comment the balance.  The discussion focused on the on-going parking difficulties at that retail center, the extensive use of valet parking and off-site employee parking.  Commissioner Colin McCarthy emphasized the broader issue of under-parked retail centers throughout the city during the discussion.

PITFIRE ARTISAN PIZZA 
The commission went round and round discussing the request for extended hours and valet parking for this facility.  The request was to permit the restaurant to remain open until 2:00 a.m. and would including valet parking.  When the item was passed, 5-0,  it included a proviso that the staff bring back an analysis of the operations as approved at the September meeting.

 BEACH HUT DELI
The next item was the Beach Hut Deli, located just down the street at the corner of17th Street and Irvine Avenue.  Once again, the applicant wants to serve alcohol on the patio fronting on 17th Street and extend the hours.  This center, which has many food establishments, has an on-going parking issue during peak hours despite a recent renovation of the parking lot that added approximately 8 spaces.  McCarthy expressed concern about "intensity of use" due to the alcohol sales, but it was satisfied by an explanation by the applicant who told them that another business in the center no longer sells alcohol.
The commission resolved any concerns about parking and outdoor service of alcohol and approved the request, 5-0.

CONDO CONVERSION APPROVED
The final item on the agenda, the conversion of new construction condos on Pacific Avenue to ownership units.  It breezed through the process and was approved, 5-0.  McCarthy was euphoric about this opportunity for more ownership units in Costa Mesa, which - according to McCarthy - has the worst ratio of rentals vs. ownership units in the entire county.

HONORING MIKE DELGADILLO
Vice Chair Rob Dickson closed the meeting in honor of recently-deceased Costa Mesa Detective Mike Delgadillo for his service and dedication to the community... a nice touch.  The City recently advised us that donations may be made to Mike's family - his four children, ages 14 to 20.  Those donations may be made out to the Costa Mesa Police Officers Association Survivors Fund on behalf of Mike Degaldillo and either forwarded to the Costa Mesa Police Department or mailed to the CMPOA at P.O. Box 1742, Costa Mesa, CA 92628.  We are reminded that they have no one actively soliciting donations from the public.  Donations should only be made through the CMPOA Survivors Fund.

More Information On Delgadillo Services

SERVICES FOR FALLEN OFFICER PENDING
The CMPD just released this item to keep the public aware of plans for services for Officer Mike Delgadillo.  Click on the image to enlarge.

Officer Identified

MIKE DELGADILLO - R.I.P.
The Costa Mesa police officer who died last night as a result of injuries in a single car accident on Bristol Street when his car crashed into a cement pillar has been identified as Senior Police Officer Mike Delgadillo.  The photo above is from the celebration of his 30 years with the City of Costa Mesa a year ago.

FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF
Flags at City Hall are flying at half staff and the members of the CMPD with whom I've spoken are in shock at the abrupt passing of this highly-respected officer.

"LIKE A BULLDOG"
A former co-worker, Marty Carver, described Delgadillo in a comment thread in the initial Daily Pilot article, HERE,  thus: "I worked with this man for over 30 years and we was one of the best. He was an excellent police officer, father, friend, and son. Once he was on a case, he was like a bull dog who would not cease until it was solved. He was always a kind, compassionate man who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. One of his strongest qualities was his ability to make everyone laugh."

Here's the text of the press release issued by the Costa Mesa Police Department minutes ago:

On March 5, 2013, at approximately 10:15 P.M., Detective Michael “Mike” Delgadillo, a senior member of the Costa Mesa Police Department, was involved in a traffic collision on Bristol Street at Newport Boulevard.

Mike was heroically treated at the scene of the collision by responding Costa Mesa Police Officers and Fire Personnel, before being transported to Western Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased early this morning. The collision is still under investigation. No further details are available.

Mike honorably and faithfully served the City of Costa Mesa Police Department for 32-years. Mike started his career in October of 1981. Mike did an exceptional job as a young Patrol Officer, which led to him being selected to his first specialty assignment with the South Coast Plaza Unit, providing law enforcement services to employees and customers. While assigned to the SCP Unit, Mike promoted to Senior Officer in 1984.

In 1987 Mike volunteered to return to Patrol as a Field Training Officer in order to help train and mentor new officers. As an FTO Mike received many accolades and was described as a “Great FTO” by supervision. 

From 1988 through 1994, Mike was a Canine Officers, serving the community well with his partner, Police Service Dog Nero. As a Canine Officer, Mike received many commendations.

In 1996, Mike was selected as an Investigator in the Gang Unit, where he served one year before being selected as a Narcotic Investigator in 1997. Mike worked many major narcotics cases during his seven years of service in the unit. 

In 2004, Mike was selected to his most current assignment in the Department’s Investigative Services Bureau, where Mike has served admirably as a Detective. Most recently, Mike was assigned as a Crimes Against Persons Detective. Mike has handled many major cases and has dutifully served the Costa Mesa community and more specifically the victims of the many cases he has worked over the years. 

Mike is described as a loyal, dedicated, hardworking employee. Mike is probably best known for his charismatic personality and his strong desire to train and mentor others, by imparting his vast knowledge and many years of experience to the younger and less experienced.

Mike will be missed dearly by all.

 CONDOLENCES TO ALL
We here at A Bubbling Cauldron offer our deepest condolences to Mike's family and to his CMPD family, as well.