Stephens/Mansoor Homelessness Forum

SEEMED LIKE AN APPROPRIATE VENUE
Last night more than 100 people gathered in the sanctuary of the Newport Mesa Church on the campus of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa for a forum on Homelessness hosted by Costa Mesa City Councilmen John Stephens and Allan Mansoor.

 FRANCIS MODERATED
The evening was moderated by Assistant City Manager Rick Francis and included serveral "subject experts" on this issue to provide insight and perspective.  It's been a busy week for him - he moderated the discussion on Measure X the afternoon before.

THE TEAM
Following opening comments by Mansoor and Stephens, Francis led off by introducing members of his "team", city employees and volunteers who provide active support to the Network for Homeless Solutions.  Among those introduced were Code Enforcement Officer Mike Brumbaugh, former Planning Commissioner Jeff Mathews, Pastor Ian Stevenson, Executive Director of Trellis,  Pastor Bill Nelson of Fresh Beginnings Ministries and consultant Muriel Ullman.

PERSPECTIVE
Francis gave us some perspective on the scope of the Homelessness issue in Costa Mesa.  He told us that 269 individuals have been directed to housing, of which 203 are still housed.  He affirmed that his group doesn't just put folks on a bus, plane or train without them actually having a place to house them at the other end.  He said, "We don't just ship them out to nothing."

CITY GOALS
He then went through a PowerPoint presentation which outlined the history of his program.  He began with the Key Goals adopted by the City Council in 2011:
1 - Define who is a Costa Mesa Homeless Individual
2 - Centralize in-house homeless services coordination
3 - Integrate law enforcement, mental health and legal strategy as a collaborative approach to reducing homelessness.
4 - Research Permanent Housing
5 - Review Interim Housing Options

4-POINT STRATEGY
He described the implementation of this plan, which included a 4-Point Strategy, beginning with the Creation of the Network for Homeless Solutions.  Those four points were:
1 - In-house coordination and enforcement collaboration
2 - Service delivery coordination with outside agencies
3 - Direct Outreach Services
4 - Reconnection

STATISTICS
Francis provided some statistics for us as follows:
From the onset of the Program in 2013, the Network for Homeless Solutions Outreach Workers have;

• Initiated 4638 contacts with Costa Mesa Homeless Individuals.
• Placed 269 individuals in permanent housing.
• Facilitated 70 Reconnections
• Made 2280 Linkages to substance abuse, medical and mental health services.
• Performed 617 other supportive services actions to assist the homeless population in Costa Mesa.

Additionally, as of December 31, 2016:
152 active homeless Costa Mesa clients we had contacted within 2016,
     38 of the 152 were homeless in 2013
269 individuals have been housed since 2013,
     203 individuals remaining in housing
     10 deceased
     56 Service Resistant, fell out of housing, or whereabouts unknown
     75 were still receiving followup services during 2016
     (Retention rate 75%)
 
And:

• In 2016, 20 active clients took up 49% of the total number of case management hours
• Homeless clients took up 41% of the total case management hours
• Housed clients took up 59% of the case management hours
• The average number of hours spent with individual clients is approximately 7
• 81 veterans have been helped since the onset of the program

Since 2013, when this program began, of the 269 individuals housed, 38 were housed in 2013; 50 in 2014; 92 in 2015; 89 in 2016.

HOUSED INDIVIDUALS
Of those housed only 12% were housed in Costa Mesa.  44% were housed in other Orange County cities; 9% were housed in other counties in California; 13% were housed in other states and 22% were housed in "other".

FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
He also showed charts demonstrating the kinds of services and percentages of hours spent by four faith-based partners in this effort.

• Trellis
• Fresh Beginnings Ministries
• Lighthouse Church
• Broken Hearts Ministries

Francis then introduced the panel of "experts":
Captain Mark Manley of the Costa Mesa Police Department who heads up Field Operations for the CMPD.

Pastor Bill Nelson of Fresh Beginnings Ministries, who has worked with the homeless since 1986 and whose organization has fed 49,000 people.

Pastor Ian Stevenson, the Executive Director of Trellis.  He was a pastor at Crossings for 26 years.  He coined the phrase, "We're better together", describing the collaborative effort among the various participants.

Muriel Ullman, a former Costa Mesa City employee who now provides consultative support for the Network for Homeless Solutions and is the main focus of City activities.  Among the things she's been involved in is attempting to set up a "mini-county" outreach program, but better.  She spoke about the difficulty of getting good contract staff, so the City has designated staffers to work on this issue.  She described the job is one that attempts to achieve a balance between the homeless and the residents.

Rick Francis was the other member of the panel.  Among the things he spoke about in his introduction on the panel was the question, "Why does it appear that the homeless problem has grown?"  Among the contributing factors was ineffective legislation - AB 109 and Prop. 47, for example, which resulted in more homeless folks state-wide.  Also, the growing proliferation of rehab homes in Costa Mesa has produced a large number of homeless as failed clients are "curbed" - dumped on Costa Mesa city streets without any means of support.  He spoke of the creation of the Network for Homeless Solutions and said many Orange County cities have modeled their efforts after it.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Members of the audience then asked questions of the panel.  Mansoor and Stephens scampered around the sanctuary with wireless microphones to the speakers, and occasionally offered their views on the issue at hand.

Among the questions asked were:
What kind of assessment is done for mental health homeless folks?  Ullman and Nelson responded to that one with statistics of the number of assessments done - more than 200.  The level of mental illness - it's a wide range - depends on the kind of services provided.

Many people ask about using the Fairview Developmental Center property for a homeless site.  The responses included the fact that the sale of that property is still a few years off - 2021.  The City has designated that site for specific types of uses in the most recent General Plan Update.  If the State chooses to transfer that land to another state agency the City can do nothing about it.  There are a lot of moving parts and the City has no lock on the land - no rights to it.

The issue of "curbing" was discussed.  The City has recently discussed a new ordinance, modifying existing Sober Living ordinances, which will soon appear before the Planning Commission.

What about a campground for homeless?  The reply was, "I don't know where we would put it!"  Francis went on to state that what is really needed is housing.  He spoke of the situation in Anaheim, where officials dislodged homeless from the riverbed and an encampment was created near a mobile home park which has turned out to be a serious safety problem.

What can we do to help with the political process?  The answer was to pay attention to current and proposed legislation - State Senator John Moorlach's bill, for example.  Francis referred folks to Scott Carpenter in Moorlach's local office.

What about crime by homeless?  Manley said it's a complicated issue.  Simply being homeless is not a crime.  He described the collaborative effort with the faith-based organizations and improving communication.  He said the CMPD handles over 100,000 calls for service each year and they don't want to handle the same one over and over again.  In response to the question about "who do we call", the answer was, "Don't wait for a response to an app." -  if you feel you're in an unsafe situation, threatened, by all means call the CMPD.

Locking bathrooms and removing picnic shelters in the parks?  A lengthy discussion took place on this issue, describing the closure of bathrooms at Lions and Wilson parks as extreme measures dictated by criminal activities being conducted in those facilities.  Speakers bemoaned the loss of the bathrooms, especially for children.  It makes the parks unusable for some of them.  Stephens, addressing this issue, said he's going to ask the City to take a fresh look at this issue, to try to find a better solution.

What about feeding the homeless?  Several groups apparently regularly feed homeless folks in parks and elsewhere.  Stevenson spoke of the difference between a hand out and a hand up.  The objective is to not just provide a sandwich to a homeless person, but to connect with them and help direct them to much more substantive services available to them.  Get to know them.  Nelson spoke of asking the person to "tell me your story" - to build rapport and confidence.  He said they've served over 61,000 meals over the past 3 years and that each should come with a prize, not a price.

Manley spoke of his Community Policing Team, indicating that they were working on a daily basis at Lions Park.  He also mentioned the state legislation, which is not helping local law enforcement at all.  He spoke of "Hybrid Homeless" - folks who are down and out with drug syringes in their pockets.  He expressed the view that it's frustrating and exhausting because of the number of those who return, time after time.  He said he "loves to put people in jail", but that's not a solution to homelessness.

With only 18 beds in Orange County, how do we deal with that?  Ullman spoke of relationships, and cited Redgate, which provides county housing.  Yes, there is a NEED for housing in Costa Mesa.  Francis referred to a facility in San Antonio, Texas that he has visited that may be a model we can follow.  Stephens, Mayor Katrina Foley (who also attended this meeting) and staffers will journey to Texas to view this site next week.

How do we deal with folks that don't want help?  Ullman responded that we don't want those people around.  She gave an anectodal story about one specific individual to elaborate on that issue.  Mansoor again spoke of the failures of AB109 and Prop. 47.  Francis spoke of the huge uptick in addiction problems nationwide.  He also spoke of one community that addressed the homeless housing issue by creating a village of "tiny houses".  Stephens observed that only housing 12% of our homeless in Costa Mesa is not acceptable.

Should there be a taskforce for drug addicted homeless?
Nelson responded to this one with a summary based on his experience.  He said, out of 10 homeless they encounter:
4 want help
3 are mentally ill
1 is a veteran
2 are criminals

TESTIMONY BY TWO "SUCCESSES"
Before the meeting closed testimony was provided by two freshly-scrubbed formerly homeless folks who have been helped by the efforts of the groups involved.  Marie described the tragedies in her life that placed her on the streets and the assistance she received to now have a home.  English Joe described his path to homelessness and now, through the help he has received, he has a home, job and a car.

The meeting was closed with a prayer led by Pastor Stevenson.

MY TAKE...
My take on this meeting?  First, a lot of work has been done by City staff, led by Francis and many others, to actually address the homelessness problem in the city.  The theme of "collaborative efforts" was a thread through most of the discussions.  The statistics bear out that progress is being made, but the problem is far from solved.  Many of the attendees were legitimately concerned about the safety of the homeless, and of the safety of the residents who deal with them.  We continue to look for solutions, as mentioned above.

SOBER LIVING HOME IMPACT
The impact of Sober Living Homes cannot be ignored in this issue.  Failed clients who are summarily dumped onto our streets become a big - very big - part of our homeless problem.  Foley recently told us about her trip to Sacramento to lobby for a bill in the Assembly that would house a state inspector of licensed Sober Living Facilities in Orange County on a trial basis - she actually offered space at City Hall for such an inspector.  She told us that there are 108 state-licensed Sober Living Homes in Orange County, and that Costa Mesa has 82 of them!  That is a staggering number, and doesn't really define the problem because it doesn't account for the hundreds of unlicensed facilites that infest our residential neighborhoods.

KUDOS
Kudos to Rick Francis and all the folks who make up the Network for Homeless Solutions.  Each individual - from Mike Brumbaugh who holds business owner's feet to the fire on the security of their properties, to Muriel Ullman who helps guide this little boat through pretty darn treacherous seas and the other organizations who play a large role in trying to help manage this issue.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND WILL IN PLACE
Although there certainly appears to be "management infrastructure" in place to appropriately addess this issue, as is the case with most issues facing city governments, money is a key.  We need money to hire more law enforcement officers.  We need money to try to find a place for homeless housing.  There seems to be a will by our elected leaders to "do something" about this problem.  Let's hope it bears fruit, and that we see the number of homeless folks on our streets reduced - it will likely never be eliminated.

COSTA MESA BRIEF COVERED THE EVENT
Barry Friedland of Costa Mesa Brief was on hand to make a video record of the event.  That record should be up on his YouTube Channel and available for viewing soon.

Of Parks, Paths, Potential Corruption And More

LONG-WINDED

The Costa Mesa City Council surprised even me last night when it managed to drag what probably could have been an hour-long meeting until 9:15 - more than three hours!  Geez!

ROBINS RECOGNIZED
It began with some very nice presentations.  Mayor Jim Righeimer recognized Bob Robins, owner of Theodore Robins Ford, and his family with the Mayor's award.  The dealership has been a fixture in the Newport/Mesa area for nearly a century and in Costa Mesa since 1966.


AIRPLANE TEAM
Then he acknowledged the team of volunteers, headed by CMPD Sergeant Vic Bakkila, who recently refurbished and repainted the airplane at Lions Park.

LITTLE LEAGUE CHAMPS
He then recognized the Costa Mesa American Little League organization for their championship season.


PRO TENNIS
Finally, he asked concessionaire Hank Lloyd to tell us about the upcoming professional tennis event that will be held in the Costa Mesa Tennis Center soon.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
Thirteen residents stepped up to express their concerns on a variety of issues.  Six spoke with concern about the planned funding of the improvements in Fairview Park near Pacific Avenue.  A couple more expressed concern about the difficulty receiving documents dealing with the brewing scandal about the 60th Anniversary celebration and the bootleg decomposed granite trail in Fairview Park.

RIGHEIMER COMMENTS

Righeimer kicked off this segment with a monologue about the Group Home issue.  He briefly discussed the Morningside situation in Newport Beach, in which that organization violated their agreement with the City.  Recent news reports tell us that Morningside has shifted three dozen "clients" to Costa Mesa.  Our city now has 24% of all rehab facilities in the county.  As Righeimer discussed measures that will be taken to mitigate the impact of these facilities in our neighborhoods he acknowledged that when the proposed municipal ordinances are in place they will certainly result in law suits.  It's funny how he just shrugs off litigation as a cost of doing business.  He stated, "What does it cost?  It costs what it costs!"  So, I guess we're supposed to be satisfied that our mayor is willing to expose us to MORE legal entanglements.  His casual attitude about racking up legal costs continues to be very distressing.


He spoke briefly about the problems with the 60th Anniversary, acknowledging that we can't do much right now because it's a personnel matter.

MENSINGER

Steve Mensinger opened up his segment with an observation that we're spending a lot of time worrying about a kids pathway - referring, of course, to the bootleg DG path that has recently defiled Vernal Pool #6 and angered the federal agency responsible for it.  He said, "I spend a good majority of my time with my family in Fairview Park."  Really, Steve?  You spend more than half of your time with your family in Fairview Park?  I doubt it.  Then, in a not-too-subtle attempt to justify his recent call for lights in the park, he said that the Concerts in the Park don't end until dark, which makes it unsafe to depart the park.

MUNOZ ON THE PATH
Director of Public Services, Ernesto Munoz, took some time to explain that we had hired a biologist from LSA Associates to assess the damage the bootleg DG path has done to Vernal Pool #6.  All the vernal pools will be delineated, potential mitigation plans will be formed, probably by the end of this week,  and the results of the assessment will be sent to the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife - the department now responsible for the vernal pools.  It will take a couple weeks for Fish and Wildlife to evaluate that information and respond with their demands for mitigation.  Munoz indicated that, so far, no discussion has occurred about punitive damages for the incursion on Vernal Pool #6.  He DID NOT explain who did the installation of the decomposed granite on the path.

GENIS COMMENTS
Sandy Genis expressed concern about the funding for a boardwalk in Fairview Park that is part of the Consent Calendar.  She explained at great length about the details of the Conservation Easement that is supposed to govern our actions in Fairview Park.  This easement apparently contains an extensive list of banned uses and she's concerned that the boardwalk may violate that easement.  She made no bones about how the Vernal Pool #6 encroachment may create long term consequences with our ability manage Fairview Park, indicating that what happened there is not just something to be shrugged off as a "mistake" - it violates an agreement with the federal government.

LEECE
As Wendy Leece began her comments I had to smile as she paused, not saying anything.  When Righeimer asked is she was finished she said, "No, I'm just waiting for everyone up here to pay attention."  She was referring to Mensinger, who was engrossed in playing Angry Birds or some other distraction, on an electronic device.   He continues to demonstrate the attention span of a pre-pubescent teenager.

MANY CONCERNS
Leece also expressed concern about the boardwalk, and the DG path.  She's concerned that we have insufficient park ranger time in Fairview Park.  She is also concerned about the potential unintended consequences of the proposed Nuisance Ordinance - the high probability of more legal costs.  And, she expressed concern about up-coming police department retirements and our ability to back-fill those vacancies with sufficiently trained officers to keep the city safe.  She mentioned the up-coming Citizen's Police Academy that begins in a week.  And, she expressed concern about the length of the proposed performance audit for the Costa Mesa Country Club - the item on the Consent Calendar says it will take 13 weeks but the contract is for a year, at a cost of $34,280.

Gary Monahan had nothing to offer - big surprise.

HATCH

CEO Tom Hatch, probably still reeling following his return from vacation during which the wheels came off at City Hall - the 60th Anniversary scandal and the DG path - explained the reasoning behind the "year" in the agreement for the CM Country Club audit.  He also explained that the staff is, and has been, very successful in identifying and acquiring grant funds for improvements throughout the city, and in our parks in particular.

DUNIVENT, THE NEW GUY
He introduced the new Interim Finance Director, Steve Dunivent, and briefly outlined his extensive background in Orange County government.  Based on that background, he sounds like the right guy to fill-in while a replacement for recently-departed Bobby Young.  We'll see...

FRANCIS ON HOMELESSNESS
Hatch then tossed the ball to Assistant CEO Rick Francis for an update on the Lions Park homelessness situation.  Francis was assisted in his presentation by Muriel Ullman, who manages this activity for the city, and CMPD Lieutenant Mark Manley and Sergeant Vic Bakkila.  The news was not good.

NUMBERS ARE UP!
According to the team, despite very significant efforts by the CMPD, the Homeless Task Force and the Churches Consortium to manage the Costa Mesa Homeless, the numbers of homeless folks in our city has actually increased - from 130 to 190, based on a recent census.  We heard, for example, that rehab operator Morningside, recently unloaded a failed client to Lions Park.  This is the outfit that is leaving Newport Beach for the friendlier confines of Costa Mesa with at least three dozen "clients".

SATURATION PATROLS
During the discussion we learned that, in an attempt to more effectively manage the Lions Park infestation, ALL four of our Park Rangers have been spending significant time at the park - providing dawn-to-dusk coverage - and it seems to have been effective.  Citations have more than doubled recently.  This pilot program is fairly new.  My last pass at Lions Park a couple weeks ago showed more than 20 homeless folks all over the area.  The phrase, "carrot and stick" approach was mentioned by Bakkila, who indicated that it's time to use more of the "stick" part of that equation.

SOME SUCCESS, BUT...
Despite the increase in homeless folks in our city, there have been some successes by the Homeless Task Force and Becks Hayhoe and her Churches Consortium, and Ullman outlined them for us.  While those numbers represented a lot of effort by staffers, social workers and police, they seemed inadequate when viewing this problem as a whole.  This is not an easy issue to resolve, particularly when neighboring communities actually send their homeless folks to us because we have an effective infrastructure to manage it.  THAT is frustrating.

RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHORTAGE
While commenting on this issue Mensinger acknowledged that we have "limited resources' - but neglected to tell us that HE and Righeimer are directly, specifically, responsible for that resource shortage!  They refuse to staff the CMPD at levels that will permit effective policing and, for months, refused to let the CMPD hire replacements for anticipated retirements. So, we are far, far, far behind the curve on filling those slots - a fact that will come home to roost the first of the year.

A CURIOUS EVENT
Hatch ended his segment by addressing the 60th Anniversary celebration scandal by READING a prepared statement, which the city has posted on the web site and can be viewed HERE.  I understand the need to be accurate, but I was a little uncomfortable that our CEO felt the need to read his statement.  It was as though someone else had written it for him... very bizarre.  HERE's Bradly Zint's coverage of the issue from the Daily Pilot this morning.

LEGAL FEES  
When it finally came time to address the Consent Calendar only items 3, 8 and 14 were pulled for separate discussion.  Resident Ken Nyquist - a recent frequent commenter here - expressed concern for the mounting legal fees demonstrated on the four warrants.

PERFORMANCE AUDIT ON FOUNDATIONS?
Mensinger pulled #8, the performance audits, because he didn't see any reference to an audit of the two foundations established a few years ago and wanted the staff to look into the agreements.

BOARDWALK GRANT REQUEST
Leece pulled #14, the Fairview Park parking and playground funding. She was concerned about the impact on the neighbors and wondered why we just didn't hold off until the meeting Righeimer planned with the residents that he scheduled off the cuff, from the dais, earlier.  Monahan awoke to contribute that this was just a request for permission to seek grant money.  It was passed, 4-0, with Leece voting no.

LAST ITEM - MENSINGER WANDERS OFF

And finally, after 9:00 p.m., they got to the only other item on the agenda - Public Hearing #1, a request for vacation of some city property along Fullerton Avenue.  As anticipated, this discussion took only moments, but Mensinger went on one of his walk-abouts and was not in the auditorium when the council took the vote to approve the measure, which passed 4-0.  Mensinger came wandering back into the chambers after Righeimer had adjourned the meeting to a special study session on September 10th.  Mensinger really is obtuse.

KCET On Costa Mesa Homelessness

COSTA MESA HOMELESSNESS PROFILED
Wednesday the KCET program SoCalConnected included a nine minute segment at the beginning about Costa Mesa's homeless issue which included a fairly humorous segment where  reporter Brian Rooney attempted to get our reluctant then-mayor, Eric Bever, to address the issue with him.  I was at that meeting, spoke with the reporter and watched that little bit of comic opera unfold.  In fact, if you look closely, you might even see me in the clip.  Also prominently featured in this program is Muriel Ullman, who headed up housing issues for The City for years and is now a consultant to Costa Mesa on the homeless issue. 

AN INFESTATION
I've paid attention to this issue over the past couple years.  Certainly, anyone who has attempted to utilize elements of Lions Park in the Downtown area of Costa Mesa probably has some first hand experience with it, too.  The park and public buildings have become infested - there is no better word - with members of the southern California homeless population that have selected our city and all it has to offer as their wide-open domicile of choice.

 LIONS PARK UNDER SIEGE
Their presence has held the park under siege, discouraging families from utilizing the open space it provides, defiling the furniture and fixtures within the Donald Dungan Library and nearly burning down the Costa Mesa Historical Society building in recent months.

HOMELESS TASK FORCE
Nearly two years ago The City formed a Homeless Task Force, which spent months attempting to get a handle on the issue.  They tried to identify a "Costa Mesa Homeless Person" from all the others who happen to be in our city, planning to offer services to them and none other.  The effort was worthy and the Task Force eventually presented the results of their plans to the City Council.  Unfortunately, "doing something" about the problem has been much more difficult that identifying it.

NO REAL IMPROVEMENT SEEN
Some draconian measures were taken - the demolition of the picnic shelter at Lions Park, for example - to discourage the homeless from using that part of the park.  It doesn't seem to have worked.

 LOOKING FOR BEVER'S HEART
One of the reasons KCET dispatched their team to our city is because of Bever's recent call to oust entities within our city that provide support services to homeless people - and others, as well.  Places like the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, which Bever mentioned by name as a place he would like to force out of town, serve hundreds of people each week - residents down on their luck as well as homeless.

VIEW THE CLIP
I hope you'll take the 9:22 necessary to view this clip by KCET. I had to remove the embedded version because it automatically began playing when my page opened and I couldn't disable it.  Instead, HERE is a link to that clip on the KCET SoCalConnected site.  You can also read the transcript of their dialogue while there.  Sorry about that, but this is the only solution I have for that problem.

Council Meeting Wrap Up

A SHORT, BUT INTERESTING MEETING
Well, the Costa Mesa City Council meeting last night was short, but not without it's interesting moments, beginning with the fact that Eric, "I didn't sign up for this!", Bever was absent - again.  Of course, that's a mixed blessing.  Left without his possible "tie-breaker" vote it's possible that items on the agenda might not receive a proper decision.  I say that with tongue in cheek, since the council still had the majority, even without Bever.  And, without him on the dais, interrupting speakers and chiding others, things seem to have run much more smoothly.  The folks who vote for positions on the Mesa Consolidated Water District should remember that in November.

UH-OH - RIGHEIMER'S IN CHARGE!
That left Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer in charge - always an adventure.  Right off the bat he juggled the agenda,  bringing the last item on it - the two Fire Side Letters -  forward to be considered first.  More on that in a minute.

FREE PUBLICITY
I was amused when a couple of the early speakers during Public Comments were obviously imported hacks, spouting the anti-union party line.  In fact, one of those guys - "Martin Thomas" -  actually mentioned my blog - twice.  I didn't have a chance to thank him for the publicity because he and his crony - "Ari David" - skulked out of the auditorium shortly after speaking.

WHO IS THAT MASKED MAN?
We also had the first masked speaker I can recall.  A gentleman, later identified by his companion speaker as Pedro Paramo, addressed the council in Spanish, apparently cautioning the city to not turn into another Bell and referring to that city's corrupt police department.  I suspect none of the council members understood a single word he spoke.  Mr. Paramo apparently is the editor of Watchourcity.com, an online watchdog organization focused primarily on southeast Los Angeles County.

FIRE DEPARTMENT SIDE LETTERS
As mentioned, Righeimer juggled the agenda, moving the discussion of the two Fire Department Contract Side Letters from the end to the beginning.  I believe he did that because $300 per hour labor negotiation/lawyer Richard Kreisler was there to answer questions.  The short version of events is that the council approved the action proposed by the staff report, HERE, 4-0.  The following is the text from the staff report that summarizes the agreements in question.

The Costa Mesa Firefighters Association (CMFA) agreed to:

1. Current employees covered by this agreement shall contribute 5% of the employee’s PERSable earnings towards their employee retirement contribution through June 30, 2017. This contribution will begin retroactive to the pay period beginning July 1, 2012.

2.The City will implement the 2%@50 CalPERS Benefit Formula for new employees. New employees covered by the 2%@50 CalPERS Benefit Formula shall contribute 9% of the employee’s PERSable earnings towards their employee retirement contribution.

3.Suspension of the RHS (Retirement Health Savings) Program - neither employee nor employer provides 1% retiree medical funding through June 30, 2017.

4.Through and including June 30, 2017, there shall be no base salary adjustments.

5.Staffing level – minimum staffing of Article 12.1 is null and void and to be replaced by Fire Department Operational Restructuring document (Exhibit A of Attachment A) prepared by the Fire Chief.

6. The there shall be no extension of the CMFA MOU expiring on June 30, 2014.

The Costa Mesa Fire Management Association (CMFMA) also agreed to six points:

1. Current employees covered by this agreement shall continue contributing 5% of the employee’s PERSable earnings towards their employee retirement contribution through June 30, 2017. This contribution will begin retroactive to the pay period beginning July 1, 2012.

2. The City will implement the 2%@50 CalPERS Benefit Formula for new employees. New employees covered by the 2%@50 CalPERS Benefit Formula shall contribute 9% of the employee’s PERSable earnings towards their employee retirement contribution.

3. Suspension of the RHS (Retirement Health Savings) Program -neither employee nor employer provides 1% retiree medical funding through June 30, 2017
.
4. Through and including June 30, 2017, there shall be no base salary adjustments.

5. Staffing level – minimum staffing is null and void and to be replaced by Fire Department Operational Restructuring document (Exhibit A of Attachment B) prepared by the Fire Chief.

6. The City’s contribution towards employees’ medical and health care benefit frozen at the 2010 level shall continue to be frozen for calendar year 2013.

LET'S GET MOVING!
So, that is that!  Now it's time to get cracking on Interim Fire Chief Tom Arnold's plan for the reorganization of the Fire Department that was so roundly supported a month ago.

 CLEAN-UP LEGISLATION MAY CHANGE THE GAME
It is unknown at this time precisely what effect, if any, Governor Brown's recent proposal for Pension Reform will have on these agreements.  Kreisler provided scenarios of what MIGHT happen in January, but there's the strong possibility that this law, AB 340, will change dramatically before the effective date in what Kreisler called "clean up legislation".  I glanced at Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, observing from the audience, and saw a slight smile when he heard that statement.

"COIN" PASSED
In a further bit of juggling, Righeimer next took Old Business #3, Steve Mensinger's Civic Openness In Negotiations (COIN) scheme, HERE.  This was the second reading and Kreisler stayed to provide legal support.  After much discussion, during which the majority once again stiff-armed Wendy Leece's request to broaden this "transparency" initiative to include other communications besides those related to labor issues.  No, sir - this was just another initiative aimed directly at the forehead of the employee associations.  Mensinger didn't much care for the criticism, either.  Nothing new about that.  It passed on a 4-0 vote.

FINALLY!
Next came what should have been the first item on the agenda, the Neighborhood Improvement Task Force report.  You will recall that this was shoved off until tonight from the last council meeting two weeks ago - but not before making the staff and consultants cool their heels in the auditorium until 11:00 p.m. that night.
 

PROGRESS AND PLANS
Assistant CEO Rick Francis and consultant Muriel Ullman presented the overview and the report, HERE.  You can read that report to see the progress that's been made and where the City plans to focus its efforts downstream.  Not unexpectedly, "problem motels" were a major issue and the staff is expected to turn up the heat on them by way of increased visits for "inspections".  When Mensinger suggested that we eliminate all long term stays legal counsel cautioned that they are, after all, businesses operating within the rules.  I had the impression that certain members on the dais didn't much care about that.  They don't like rules, period.  Speakers opined that the "problem" of the transient population seems to be moving around as enforcement is tightened up in one area, a little like squeezing Jello.  Francis agreed and suggested that new plans need to be devised to manage that element.  The council voted to receive and file this report and await the next progress report in six months.

CELL TOWERS
At 10:20 the council finally briefly spoke about the new Wireless Telecommunication Facilities in Public Places ordinance, generated by the installation earlier this year of this monstrosity in my neighborhood, HERE.  The ordinance passed on a 3-0 vote - Righeimer is in the business, so was out of the auditorium for the discussion and vote.

PERMIT PARKING
The council, after the briefest of discussions, agreed to a plan for Permit Parking on Ballow Lane and then adjourned to the next council meeting on September 17th at 10:35 p.m.  Yea!  A meeting finished in the same day!