Fireworks, Veteran's Museum, COIN Hearing And More

A RIGHEIMER-LESS MEETING
The Costa Mesa City Council will meet again on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 for their most recent attempt at governing our city.  This meeting, I'm told, will be short at least one member.  Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer will be vacationing.  As a result of his absence, the 2015-2016 Municipal Budget WILL NOT be on this agenda.  Instead, I'm told it will be discussed and voted on during a Special Council Meeting on Tuesday, June 23, 2015.  The appropriations element will be on the agenda this time, though.

READ THE AGENDA
So, here's what we can look forward to at the meeting, which begins at 5:45 - before too many people can make it home from work to show up for the Public Comments segment.  The full agenda can be found HERE.  For the first time in a very long time there is no Closed Session preceding the regular meeting.

CONSENT CALENDAR
I'll bounce through the seventeen (17) Consent Calendar items, only mentioning the ones that interest me, or that I think might interest you.  As you know, these could all be voted upon with one vote and no discussion of the items.  If anyone wishes to discuss any of the items, they may be pulled and trailed to the end of the meeting.

THE WARRANT
Item #3 is Warrant #2537, HERE, and includes expenditures of nearly $4 million.  Here are a few items that caught my interest in the order they appear on the Warrant:

• Clean Street - $58,524.98 - Street Sweeping Svcs, Apr. 15
• Complete Landscape Care - $58,891.00 - Landscape Svcs May 15
• G4S Secure Solutions, Inc. -$60,901.18 - Jail Facilities Svs - Apr. 15
• Jones & Mayer - $152,468.94 - Legal Svcs, various
• Mobile Home Specialists - $25,489.00 - 1750 Whittier #73 and #16
• Newport Mesa Unified School District - $153,774.90 - Developer Fees for April 2015
• Newport Mesa Unified School District - $16,782.30 - Rental Jim Scott Stadium (13 times)
• Government Staffing Services, Inc - $8,833.75 - Temp svcs, Proj Mgr and Mgnt Analyst
• Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $14,505.28 - Legal svcs
• Quickstart Intelligence - $5,095.00 - IT Prof. Dev. plus server class
• Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth - $8,119.00 - Legal, various
• City of Huntington Beach - $19,530.00 - Helicopter svcs Apr. 15
• Civil Source - $16,300.00 - Staff Sprt Park Proj. 2014 (!), Industrial Way Staff Support
• Christine Prada - $15,000.00 - Settlement
• Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $15,144.10 - Legal
• Lilley Planning Group - $25,400.00 - Planning Consultant Svcs Apr. 15
• Dougherty + Dougherty Architects - $14,600.00 - Int. Design Consulting Apr. 15
• Government Staffing Services, Inc. - $4,317.50 - Temp Svcs. Proj Mgr
• Interwest Consulting Group, Inc. - $12,455.00 - Bldg Insp. Svcs, Apr 15

That amount for Jones & Mayer includes a few Rehab. Home issues and much more.  That, plus other legal services on this warrant run to nearly $200,000.

AND MORE...
Item #10, HERE, is the extension of agreements with five consulting firms for Building Safety and Fire Prevention Plan Review and Inspections Services for a little over $500,000.

Item #12, HERE, is the adoption of plans and specifications for the Greenville-Banning Channel Improvement Project to the tune of $5.6 million.

Item #15, HERE, is the recommendation by staff for the council to appoint both the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce as members of the Bikeways and Walkability Committee.  Each organization would appoint a member.

 Item #16, HERE,  is the request to cancel the August 18, 2015 City Council meeting, as has been done the past couple years.

Item #17, HERE, is the extension of helicopter services with the City of Huntington Beach for three more years for a maximum of $300,000 per year.   I thought one phrase in the staff report was interesting.  It said, "Since 2011, the ASU has provided Costa Mesa with acceptable coverage by responding to and assisting on calls for service when appropriate."  Somehow, "acceptable" seems like a low bar.

That's the end of the Consent Calendar... I really don't expect any of the items to be pulled, but you never know.

COIN HEARING ON CMCEA CONTRACT
Next up are Public Hearings, which are supposed to begin by 7:00 p.m.  Public Hearing #1, HERE,  is the COIN hearing - the first of two required by that ordinance - for the adoption of the side letter agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding by the City and the Costa Mesa City Employees Association (CMCEA).  Both items are attachments to the staff report.  The second hearing will take place on July 7, 2015.

EXPEDITING ROOFTOP SOLAR PERMITTING
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is the Expedited Permitting Procedures For Small Residential Rooftop Solar Systems, apparently required by Section 5850.5(a) of the California Government Code and provides municipal codification of the procedures already being followed in Costa Mesa.

APPROPRIATIONS LIMIT ADOPTION
Public Hearing #3, HERE, is the Adoption of Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Appropriations Limit.  Normally, this item would be hear simultaneously with the adoption of the new budget, but since the budget will NOT be
heard and discussed Tuesday night because the Mayor Pro Tem will be absent, this mandatory issue will be heard this week.  This action is required by state law and the City is well below the maximum limit established by the formula.  It's a no-brainer that will likely take five minutes or less.


GROUP HOME ORDINANCE CLEAN UP
Public Hearing #4, HERE, cleans up some technical issues involved with our Group Home Ordinance - 14-13.  This shouldn't take much time and shouldn't generate much discussion, but one never knows with this issue.  It's such an incendiary subject that we just never know what to expect when it's discussed in public meetings.

FIREWORKS SAFETY LETTER
New Business #1, HERE, is the discussion of the July 4th Public Safety Letter from the City Council and the Public Safety Departments to the community.  Most readers know I'm not a fan of fireworks in our city - unless in the form of a professional fireworks show.  And, once again, pressure from youth sports groups for cash outweighs public safety, so we will apparently have pet-terrorizing fireworks in our city not just on Saturday, July 4th, but on the 2nd and 3rd, too.  Below is the flyer that will be distributed.  It will also be distributed in Spanish. Click image to enlarge.

PLEDGE FOR VETERAN'S MUSEUM
New Business #2, HERE, is the discussion of Nick Berardino's recent request to the City of Costa Mesa to provide $25,000 toward a New Veteran's Museum on the Orange County Fairgrounds.  Most of the funding will come from the OC Fair Board, but Berardino asked the City to match a pledge by the Orange County Employees Association for $25,000.  Personally, I think that amount is low, but that's just me, a veteran, talking.

OUTTA THERE BEFORE 10 P.M.
Unless there are lots of Public Comments trailed to the end, or somebody pulls something from the Consent Calendar, that will be it for the evening.  So many variables - including the fact that Righeimer alone usually sucks up an hour during meetings with his little pontifications - so it's hard to guess what time this meeting will end.  I KNOW it won't be like last weeks Planning Commission meeting, which ended at 1:40 a.m.   So, closing my eyes and aiming at the dart board, I suspect this meeting will end at 9:32 p.m.!  Hold me to it.

Layoff Notices To Be Rescinded TODAY!

A GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT

Today, Tuesday, December 18, 2012, The City of Costa Mesa will officially rescind the remaining 70 layoff notices - a great Christmas present for those employees involved.

CITY PRESS RELEASE
In a press release today City Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch is quoted as saying in a letter to employees, "I know this period has been difficult for you, your department and the City, and I appreciate your professionalism through it all.  We still have significant budget challenges ahead, but we will work through them together.  I hope you, your family and friends have a peaceful and safe holiday season."  The press release went on to say,  "The City has asked the Costa Mesa City Employees' Association to dismiss the lawsuit it filed to prevent outsourcing and related layoffs.   It is the City's hope that the lawsuit can be dropped without going back to court and incurring additional legal costs." 

RIGHEIMER'S PLAN
You will recall that following the recent election in which he remained in power, Mayor Jim Righeimer announced his intent to have this happen and hopes to begin negotiating with the employee associations without the cloud of layoff notices hanging over their heads toward possible resolution of issues he feels are critical to the fiscal well-being of The City.

THAT FATEFUL DAY

The rescinding of these final remaining layoff notices brings to an end the most rancorous, contentious and divisive period in The City's history, which began on St. Patrick's Day - March 17, 2011 - when more than 200 layoff notices were preemptively issued to employees and young Huy Pham leaped to his death from the roof of City Hall.

TURMOIL AND TUMULT
During the ensuing months staffers have left, a lawsuit was filed by the employees to protect their rights and vitriol filled the air during council meetings.  Grassroots organizations were formed on both sides of the issue and the tension within City Hall was palpable.

BERARDINO CALLS FOR HARMONY

In a recent commentary in the Daily Pilot, HERE, Orange County Employees Association General Manager Nick Berardino called for harmony.  He said,

"The nation has been watching Costa Mesa and unfortunately, what they've seen these past two years has been devastating.

Now that we have their attention, my hope is that we can show everyone that collaborating together, respecting each other, and working in a way that promotes peace and harmony is much more effective than fighting.

And isn't that what the holidays are all about?"

WE HOPE SO, TOO
We join Berardino in his hope for harmony and a spirit of collaboration and cooperation as we move forward.  We view this with guarded enthusiasm since Righeimer's comments at the last council meeting seemed to hedge his bet. We will know soon enough.  Today, as the affected employees receive this wonderful news, the following video clip seems to be perfectly appropriate.

"The Real Orange" on Costa Mesa

A SHORT VIDEO CLIP
For those of you in the viewing audience who missed it - my guess is 99.9% of local television viewers - at the bottom of this entry you'll find a little five minute video clip from "The Real Orange" on November 29th that deals with Costa Mesa's failed charter and outsourcing.

TIMELY VIEWING
Considering the fact that both issues may be addressed at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting Tuesday night, I thought this might be timely for you.

SOME OF YOUR FAVORITES
In this clip you'll find some of your favorite people - Jim Righeimer, Steve Mensinger and Nick Berardino.  And, to add a light touch, poor host Ed Arnold demonstrates why it's probably a good idea to have at least a passing knowledge of the subjects on the script when he refers to the failed charter as "Measure Five".  Hey, give him some credit... not many folks speak in Old Roman these days.

A HINT FOR YOU
Here's a viewing hint for you.  Because this clip is in a wide format, slide over to the right and scroll down until you see the title of this entry under "Previous Posts", then click on that.  You'll be taken to the separate page for this entry and should get rid of some of that clutter along the right border that may interfere with your viewing.  Enjoy.

Watch Costa Mesa Measure V on PBS. See more from KOCE.

Anticipating The Righeimer Honeymoon

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
In anticipation of the first council meeting of the "new era" - the kinder, gentler, more conciliatory era - next Tuesday I thought I'd present some food for thought.

"MAYOR RIGHEIMER?"

It is widely assumed that we will see Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer elevated to the big chair and become Mayor on December 4th.  Logic also tells us that his pal, Steve Mensinger, will be elected Mayor Pro Tem.  These moves will likely result in Wendy Leece and returning councilwoman Sandra Genis being relegated to the outside seats on the dais - they will be on the outside looking in, both literally and figuratively.
 

WILLING TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE
I heard Righeimer's words of conciliation at the last council meeting and, despite my serious apprehensions, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  I'm willing to give him a chance to demonstrate the "New Righeimer".  I'm willing to join Orange County Employee Association General Manager Nick Berardino - who showed up at the last council meeting with harmonious words of his own - in taking Righeimer at his word.

RETRACTING LAYOFF NOTICES

Righeimer tells us he wants to retract all remaining layoff notices - he said there are 70 still outstanding - and work with the employee associations toward the goal of saving money by outsourcing WITHOUT resorting to layoffs.  He specifically mentioned the Costa Mesa Police Officers Association because negotiations have apparently stalled.  It's going to be VERY interesting to see just how willing that particular group will be to sit down with him.  There has been distrust and animosity between Righeimer and the police association for years, so we'll be interested to see what effect the truce flag has on that relationship.

BEING FORCE-FED A CHARTER

Righeimer also seems determined to force a charter on Costa Mesa.  Early last November I wrote about it when he first surprised us with his idea HERE on this blog and HERE in the Daily Pilot.  A month later, following his presentation of HIS charter at a council meeting, I wrote about that event HERE.  Now he has asked CEO Tom Hatch to come back with a process by which that ball could be kick-started again.  Personally, I think he's jumping the gun - again.  With the resounding defeat of HIS charter on November 6th the message should be loud and clear - the voters of Costa Mesa don't want a charter.  He has yet to give us specifics on just why he thinks the City should "join the big boys" and become a charter city.  

WHICH "TOOL"?

Righeimer mumbles about not having the tools he needs to "fix" the city.  Well, they managed to balance the budget without a charter and trim staff without a charter.  What "tool" is he referring to?  Is it a scalpel, with which surgical slices could be used to improve things?  Or, is it a sledgehammer with which he would smash the "unions" and get rid of the unfunded pension liability by declaring municipal bankruptcy?  I need to hear more specifics from him before I buy into ANY charter scheme.  By the way, the "New Righeimer" has apparently stopped using the word "unions" in his dialogue for the time being.  Maybe that's what he means about working together...

NO RUSH TO A PRIMARY BALLOT
He says we have eighteen months to put a new charter initiative together.  Actually, we have two full years before the next General Election.  The question of a charter should NOT be placed on a Primary Election ballot - it's too important to the future of the city to have only a small percentage of the voters - typical in an off-year primary - make the decision.  So, there's no reason to rush the process.  If we do it, we need to get it right. 


A BROAD-BASED COMMITTEE

Assuming for a moment that a committee or commission is created to craft a proper charter for Costa Mesa, it should include representatives of all constituencies - residents, business owners, major community organizations including neighborhood homeowner associations, service organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, etc.  It should NOT be stacked with political cronies the way they've stacked the Investment Oversight Committee, for example. 
 

PATIENCE REQUIRED
Righeimer has demonstrated during his short time in Costa Mesa that he is NOT a patient fellow.  Leading a municipal government requires, no, DEMANDS, patience.  He and Mensinger fancy themselves men of action, so patience is not in their normal lexicon.  They have to change and work within the process that's established to protect all the residents of this city.  Perhaps Sandra Genis' presence on the dais will help with that... we'll see.

ANTICIPATING THE HONEYMOON
So, off we go on this new honeymoon with Jim Righeimer.  It is with great anticipation and apprehension that I wait to see how he performs.  We'll see if he continues to suffer with a premature problem - trying to hurry things to a climax without the inconvenience of a little foreplay.  I suspect it won't take long to find out.

IN HIS OWN WORDS...

To refresh your memory, here's a short video clip from the last council meeting in which Righeimer tries to set the tone for the future.

 

Homework For A "New Era"

SOME POST-TURKEY DAY READING FOR YOU
OK, all that turkey is behind us now, so I want to talk just a little bit about the "new" attitude we anticipate from the new City Council that will be seated next week.
 
A "NEWER, KINDER" RIGHEIMER?
You'll recall that Mayor Pro Tem (and probably soon "Mayor") Jim Righeimer appeared to be offering a peace pipe to the employee associations at the last city council meeting.  I've expressed some skepticism, but am taking a "wait-and-see" position and will give him a chance.

INTERESTING STUFF
In the meantime, the local media has had a couple very interesting articles on "unions" and pensions and their impact on organizations that I wanted to bring to your attention.

PENSION ENVY
The first is an OC Watchdog column in the Orange County Register last week, HERE, titled "'Pension Envy': Few private workers have secure retirement".  As you will see when you read it, it presents a pretty compelling viewpoint of why folks who work for - or have retired from - private industry are so willing to begin frothing at the mouth when public employee pensions are discussed.  The author quotes Orange County Employee Association General Manager Nick Berardino thus:  “When you talk to workers who don’t have those pensions,” Berardino said, “their immediate thing is, ‘Unions have those pensions. We don’t have them.’ And it creates a shift – pension envy.”  You'll find this an interesting and provocative article.

HILTZIK IN THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
The second is a column by business reporter Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times Sunday, HERE, titled "Poor management, not union intransigence, killed Hostess".  In his piece Hiltzik debunks the myth that the unions caused Hostess - the manufacturer of Twinkies and Ding Dongs - to go out of business.  His second paragraph sets the tone for the column:  "It failed because the people that ran it had no idea what they were doing. Every other excuse is just an attempt by the guilty to blame someone else."  I think you'll find Hiltzik's column informative, to say the least.

TWO STUDY GUIDES
I hope you'll read both these excellent articles in preparation to observe just what new overtures the City of Costa Mesa - led by a Righeimer-controlled council - might make in the near term to deal with the employee associations to move forward in a post-layoff, post-litigation future for our city.  We'll talk more about this as we move through the end of this year and into 2013.

Finally, Back To Business..

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN...
Tuesday night, in their first meeting in over a month, the Costa Mesa City Council got back down to business, but not before an interesting sidebar.

 

PEEVISH BEVER REFUSES TO BE INTERVIEWED
A crew from KCET presented itself in the auditorium at 5:00 hoping to get some footage of the council in action and specifically to interview lame duck Mayor Eric Bever for a story they are doing on homelessness in Orange County.  As you may recall, Bever became a lightning rod for criticism recently when he suggested to the City CEO, Tom Hatch, that he investigate ways to shut down the social service agencies that serve, among others, Costa Mesa's homeless population.  In typical Bever fashion, he refused to be interviewed and the KCET crew promptly left.  OK - a show of hands of those who are glad Bever's termed out?  Yeah, that's what I thought - nearly unanimous.
 

CAR SHOW AWARDS
Among the presentations made last night was to a group of car owners who have participated in Bever's legacy event - the First Friday Car Show.  The owners were presented with what amounted to a "people's choice" award for each show since the beginning in August.  Here you see volunteer Cindy Brenneman and Special Affairs Manager Dan Joyce presenting the award to George Freestone for his magnificent Cadillac convertible.
   

BERARDINO AND RIGHEIMER
Back to business.  A small crowd assembled in the council chambers for the meeting last night.  Fewer than a dozen stood to address the council during the Public Comments segment of the 
meeting.  Most were familiar faces, but the number included Nick Berardino, General Manager for the Orange County Employee Association, who used his three minutes and a little bit more to congratulate Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer for his statement recently that he wanted to rescind all remaining layoff notices and begin negotiating with the employee associations to try to find ways to outsource operations where possible and to improve service to the community.  Righeimer watched intently, then confirmed his commitment during his time to speak.

THE "ELEPHANT"...
Immediately after Berardino spoke Robin Leffler, activist and President of Costa Mesans For Responsible Government, stepped up to address, as she said, "the elephant not on the agenda".  She was referring to Righeimer's comment in the press that he "was going to cancel the remaining layoff notices".  She reminded the council that, since that item HAD NOT been placed on the agenda, it would be improper for the council to even discuss it at this meeting, much less vote on it.  She reminded them that proper procedure required them to have the item placed on a future meeting agenda, which would be "noticed" to the public in time for them to present themselves before the council to discuss it.  Her reminder worked because that is precisely how it played out later during "council member comments".

LEGAL AND CONSULTANT FEES
The meeting actually moved fairly briskly last night.  The Consent Calendar provided some interesting moments when councilwoman Wendy Leece pulled several items for separate discussion.  One was one of the five Warrants being considered that included very significant legal bills for Jones and Mayer.  She asked stand-in City Attorney Christian Bettenhausen to provide a report to the council on the status of the litigation still pending at a future meeting.  Another was the need to continue to retain Tammy LeTourneau of Management Partners for another six months and $37,000.  CEO Tom Hatch explained that her presence was still necessary due to the heavy load in Human Resources with the screening of applicants and other items.  He said she provided a 16 point plan for managing their Workers Compensation issues that saved lots of money.

NAGHAVI STICKING AROUND AWHILE
Hatch announced that Peter Naghavi - who recently announced his retirement - will be sticking around for a few more months to help with the recruitment for his replacement.  That's good for the city.

NO CHANGE IN TRAFFIC IMPACT FEES
The council approved the extension of the current Traffic Impact Fee structure until the consultant hired has finished his review.

 

CODIFIED FIRE SAFETY PENSION FORMULA
They also approved the issues involving the second pension tier for the Fire Safety folks - 2%@50 - as the final step in the agreement between the City and CalPERS.


"YOU ARE HERE!"
The council approved the design of the SR-55 Gateway sign to be placed on Cal Trans property visible to drivers as they emerge from the ditch to the intersection of SR55 (Newport Blvd.) and 19th Street.

 

ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE
And, finally, they approved the plans for the formation of a committee to make recommendations for the City's 60th anniversary celebration.  Not unexpectedly, several council members added groups to be included to the nearly two dozen recommended by staff. 

HOW ABOUT IT, JIM?
The next meeting will be on December 4th and will mark the changing of the guard as former mayor Sandra Genis replaces Bever on the dais.  Since, based on comments made last night by Righeimer on the dais, we seem to be entering a new era of cooperation and conciliation, I have a suggestion for him.  How about a demonstration of that new-found attitude by nominating Wendy Leece as Mayor on December 4th?  Then Steve Mensinger could nominate Sandy Genis for Mayor Pro Tem.  I mean, they've got the votes, so why not show us exactly how magnanimous they are willing to be?  I think that would be a great show of class on their part and go a very long way to getting this newer, kinder council headed in the right direction.  How about it, Jim?  Are you REALLY ready to have the new council function as a team?