Mansoor and Senate Bill 54

 MANSOOR'S OPPOSITION TO SB 54 REJECTED LAST WEEK
Those who read this blog know that at the very end of the long, long City Council meeting last Wednesday morning, just before 1:00 a.m., the council rejected Councilman Allan Mansoor's request for a letter to be sent from The City opposing Kevin deLeon's Senate Bill 54.  The motion eventually made was to ignore his request and just receive and file the issue, effectively killing Mansoor's request.  The vote was 3-2, with Mansoor and Councilman Jim Righeimer voting NO.  Mayor Katrina Foley, Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Genis and rookie Councilman John Stephens voted YES.

THE REGISTER REPORT
You can read Louis Casiano, Jr.'s report from the Orange County Register published late last week HERE., which included a link to another article from a few years ago.

MANSOOR'S LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Today, Sunday, Mansoor had a letter to the editor pleading his case on this subject.  Click HERE, then scroll down to his letter to read it.

CHASEN MARSHALL PROVIDES SOME CONTEXT
To more fully understand this issue it's important to have some context.  For that purpose I present for your reading pleasure Chasen Marshall's OC Weekly piece titled "It's Gotten Costa Messy In Costa Mesa" published September 1, 2011, HERE.  When you click on that link you will find Marshall's excellent piece PLUS a link to a timeline that will also be helpful to understand the tension in our city at that time.

THE OLD ATMOSPHERE
Understand that when we had Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in our jail the atmosphere in this city among the Latino population was so tense you could feel it as you moved around town.  School children and their parents of Latino heritage were terrified about venturing out for even the most modest errands for fear of being picked up and deported and families torn apart.  That was the atmosphere created by Mansoor - anointed as an honorary Minuteman anti-Latino activist Barbara Coe, now deceased.

MUST HAVE MISSED THE POWER
Apparently Mansoor missed the power he had in Costa Mesa while he was in the California Assembly - a position he held with ZERO distinction.  During his tenure he managed to author only one piece of legislation that actually passed - a change removing the word "retarded" from the official state lexicon.  Who would vote against that?  Now he's back here where his mere presence on the dais has restored old fears among the Latinos in our community.

WILL HE CHANGE HIS TUNE?
It appears that Senate Bill 54 may, in fact, become State Law - which the City of Costa Mesa will have no choice except to enforcement it.  One of the great ironies in this situation is Mansoor's last sentence in his Letter To The Editor, above.  He closes by saying, "All elected officials take an oath to uphold our laws, but it looks like that's changing."  How will he feel if, and when, SB 54 becomes law - will he have the same position?

COMMIT THE CRIME, DO THE TIME
Before some of you get your panties in a wad, please understand that I do not support coddling criminals, whether they are in this country legally or not.  If you do the crime you should do the time.  AB 109, Prop. 47 and Prop 57 have made the lives of law enforcement officers across the state much more difficult, and made the residents less safe.  If an undocumented alien resident commits a crime and is convicted he should do the time and be deported.  But, I don't think the Costa Mesa Police Department - particularly in it's current depleted condition - should be expected to stop every person with brown skin to see if they are in this country legally.  That's a poor use of resources at a time when crime is on the rise.

WHAT WILL HIS NEXT TACTIC BE?
It's going to be interesting to watch Mansoor as he gains momentum on the dais, to see if he will continue to pursue this issue.

The Future Of The Daily Pilot

THE FUTURE OF LOCAL PRINT MEDIA
Among the many issues Tom Johnson - former publisher of the Daily Pilot and host of the "Sunday Brunch with Tom Johnson and Lynn Selich" program on radio station KOCI FM - discussed with me on Sunday was the future of the print media and, specifically, the future of the Daily Pilot in light of the turmoil swirling around the attempt by the Daily Pilot's parent, Tribune Publishing, to acquire Freedom Communications - parent of the Orange County Register and the Riverside Press Enterprise - out of bankruptcy.

WE NEED THE DAILY PILOT
During our conversation I told Johnson that I felt the Daily Pilot - our newspaper of record for more than a century - needs to find a way to survive.  Although no longer "daily", it provides an irreplaceable unbiased small-town feel in the delivery of local news - the stuff we really care about.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Then, very late Sunday night, Kevin Roderick - who publishes the LA Observed blog - published an outstanding summary of the events of last week regarding the Tribune/Freedom Communications debacle, HERE.  His piece provides several views of the issue and is a must-read for those interested in this situation.

A PAY WALL?
Also, Johnson mentioned the rumor that the Daily Pilot will soon have a pay wall.  I've heard that rumor and had it verified by those who should know and it appears to be true.  In my opinion, that would be catastrophic for that newspaper!  The Register tried it and failed miserably.  I fear a pay wall for non-subscribers - we subscribers would be exempt from it from what I hear - would do significant damage to the Pilot page views, those magic numbers that attract advertisers.

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER - YET
I, personally, WANT the Daily Pilot to survive and thrive.  Although others have tried, so far nobody has found a way to provide local coverage better.

A "COMPETING BLOG"?
In a segue, Johnson asked about the impact of what he called a "competing blog" in town - which he described as having been generated to offset this blog.  It turns out he was really talking about the Costa Mesa Public Square Facebook page - not a blog, and far from it.  We briefly discussed that page - how it evolved from Bruce Krochman's original idea nearly two years ago for an open, carefully moderated site for the discussion of important issues - into a closed society where only those blessed may even view the content being discussed.  We discussed the fact that the operators of the blog not only toss folks who offer opposing viewpoints, but seek them out on other sites and expel them from the CMPS for comments made elsewhere.

HYPED BY OFFICIALS
We also discussed how elected and appointed city officials use the site as their own little venue for spreading their philosophy among the true believers who inhabit the site, and how they openly tout it from the dais of their respective meeting venues as "the place" to discuss issues - even though it's NOT an open site.  The hypocrisy is palpable!

NOT COMPETITION, JUST PROPAGANDA
The CMPS is not "competition" for this blog and can't even be considered as such until it's open to EVERYONE, just as we are here.  Yes, to post a comment here you must register, but nobody is banned or blocked.  And, in fact, since I cross-post every blog entry on my Facebook page, anybody can post comments there, too.  When those officials tell the populace that the CMPS is The Place To Go, they forget to mention that it's only open for true believers, or those willing to sit quietly in the corner and not make waves.

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
Anyhow, thanks again to Tom Johnson for the opportunity to chat with him on these and other issues.  If I can figure a way to embed the recording of the program I'll do so.  Unfortunately, it appears that no podcast link is available.  I'll try to figure it out...

Is The Register Sinking Deeper?

RECEIVERSHIP ON THE HORIZON? 
A few minutes ago the Orange County Business Journal reported that two investers who participated in the financing of the purchase of Freedom Communications by Aaron Kushner and Eric Spitz two years ago have asked the Delaware Chancery Court to put Freedom into receivership.  According to the OCBJ report, which quotes the website Law360, the reason for the request is because, "it needs independent oversight because the company is insolvent and in financial distress from mismanagement."

BIG FINANCIAL TROUBLE
This is on the heels of the botched change in local distribution of the Orange County Register locally, the sale of their headquarters in Santa Ana and pending sale of another 14 acres nearby.

FROM COW PIE TO COW PIE
Kushner and his team botched the launch of the LA Register earlier this year, have laid off many staffers and offered buyouts to others.  They have tried to swim against the tide, emphasizing their print product while every other news outlet in the country is developing their digital presence.

I WANT THEM TO SUCCEED...
Personally, I want Kushner to succeed - I like a print newspaper and they do a good job of covering Orange County issues - certainly better than the also-beleagured Los Angeles Times.  This is not a good time for news folks.  I hope they figure it out.  Otherwise, you're going to be left getting your "news" from bozos like us bloggers!   Arrrggghhh!

OC Register Shifts Position On Measure O?

NASTY TIMES, THESE..

In one of the most contentious election seasons I can recall, where friends are pitted against friends, family members against each other and vitriol has reached new heights - or lows, depending on your viewpoint - today there was another twist.

OC REGISTER ON "O"...

Earlier this month the Orange County Register Editorial Board opted to support Costa Mesa's Measure O, the bastard child of Jim Righeimer's soundly defeated Measure V from two years ago.

WE REJECT IT...

We here at A Bubbling Cauldron have been unwavering in our rejection of this bogus document, and have cited our reasons many, many times.  We've followed the creation of that document, attending almost every meeting and watching the interaction of the Baker's Dozen of residents - the stacked deck - who crafted it.

FATAL FLAWS
When the document was finally blessed by the City Council I was disappointed, but not unhappy, because within it are some fatal flaws that should make EVERY voter pause before marking their ballots.  Sections 104 and 806 provide an open door for mischief at the very least and flat-out corruption if carried to an extreme.  They potentially lay waste to citizen's rights without the nasty old protections currently provided to us as a General Law City.

REGISTER TURNS AROUND...

Today, in print, the Orange County Register listed it's endorsements and among them they recommend a NO vote on Measure O.  I have gone online and have reproduced the entire list of endorsements so you'll have the proper context below.

 ONE MORE TIME...

Measure O is a dangerous and unnecessary document and should, once again, be soundly rejected by the voters of this city.

Numbers

COMMENT PIQUED MY INTEREST
In a recent post another Costa Mesa-based blogger made mention that a site he follows is ranked high on scale provided by Alexa, so that got me thinking about my site and others around the area.

DECIDED TO TAKE A LOOK
Alexa, HERE, is a site that analyzes web sites - blogs and the like - and does a calculation to "rank" them both from a global standpoint and when comparing them to the countries in which they originate.

INTERESTING RESULTS
So, I did some research, slammed it into a little spread sheet and now present it for your viewing pleasure.  The information surprised me.  I listed these sites by "Global Rank" since some didn't have enough data to produce a number in the "United States Rank" column. The calculations were taken from the site today. 

(click on the image to enlarge it)

HAVE FUN WITH IT...
You'll see some familiar names on the list.  The top three shouldn't surprise you.  I was interested in how those of us further down the list compared - not that it means anything.  Enjoy...

Of Waste And Water

NEWS FROM THE WATER AND SANITARY DISTRICTS
Things have been relatively quiet in the two special districts that serve Costa Mesa - the Costa Mesa Sanitary District and the Mesa Water District.  So, on the last day of the municipal fiscal year, I thought I'd comment on some very recent news from each - just to get your hearts pounding.

CMSD 2-YEAR BUDGET ANNOUNCED
First, last week the Costa Mesa Sanitary District passed a two year budget and fired off a press release announcing it.  I'd like to be able to refer you to the press release on their web site, HERE, but it's not posted yet.  Check back for all the details.

HEADING FOR $11 MILLION
In a nutshell, their approved two year budget includes spending of $10,741,860 for FY 2013-2014 and $10,913,940 for FY 2014-2015, and includes funding for manhole maintenance, new laptops for field staff and digital imaging of District records.  They also plan to spend $850,000 to rehabilitate their force main sewer pipes, $328,500 to install emergency generators at critical facilities and $340,500 for rehabilitating brick manholes.

RATES TO BE LOWERED
We were also told that the District, for the second consecutive year, authorized the lowering to residential solid waste rates.  The Board approved a 10% reduction, dropping the rate from $19.95 per month to $18.00, using undesignated solid waste water reserves.  Multi-family customers and commercial/industrial customers will see significant reductions in their liquid waste rates, too.

MESA WATER VS. THE REGISTER
The most fun news, however is the case of dueling articles in the local "real" media.  On Saturday Mike Reicher published an interesting piece in the Orange County Register, HERE, titled, "Water officials'meals, travel top $170,000.  Since this article is hidden behind the Register's paywall, I'm not going to attempt to give you all the information.  I'll give you some of the highlights, however, and let you subscribe to the online version for more.

CURIOUS EXPENSES
Reicher tells us of several instances of what appears to be significant unjustified expenses for meals and other expenses racked up by Mesa Water District officials over the past couple years - like a dinner for two in Palm Springs for $144.00.

YIKES!
Reicher says that the five directors and eight District staffers spent more than $170,000 in expenses in 2011 and 2012.  Yikes!

OPEN MEETING LAW VIOLATIONS?
He tells us that "sometimes a majority of the five board members attended restaurant meals, which is allowed by the state's open meeting laws when the event is a strictly social gathering.  He tells us, though, that the district credit cards are only for official business".  He chronicled at least two instances when a quorum of board members met a restaurant for pre-meeting meals and charged them to district credit cards.  And on and on and on.


DEFLECTION

Then, on the same day and in the competing Daily Pilot, Mesa Water District Jim Fisler published a letter that paints a rosy picture of the District, HERE.  In it he tells us about our low water rates - ignoring the fact that Mesa Water has raised rates for the past couple years to jack up its bond rating.

GOOD NEWS

He touts the fact that Mesa Water provides its customers with "100% local water", not imported from distant venues.  He also talks about the exceptionally high quality of the water.  These are all good things, worthy of mention.

HEADING OFF CRITICISM
However, when I cornered Fisler at the 60th Anniversary Celebration Saturday and asked him about it, he acknowledged that he anticipated a "hit piece" from Reicher, and his letter in the Daily Pilot was intended to blunt the impact of Reicher's piece.  I'm not so sure it did, particularly when an increasing number of folks don't read both papers.

RE-BRANDING AND OTHER EXPENSES
I didn't ask Fisler about the major gaffe recently exposed by Reicher - that their expensive "re-branding" campaign for an organization that has a captive audience that cost north of $250,000 (the exact number varies, depending on who you ask) and resulted in a logo that cannot be protected by copyright, HERE.  That, plus the long list of curious expenses racked up by Mesa Water, probably should make the ratepayers of  the District more than a little uneasy.  The directors of Mesa Water attempt to portray the District as being "efficient, financially sound and transparent", but the information discovered in Reicher's two recent articles paints a slightly different picture.

"The Current" Goes 5 Days A Week

IMPORTANT NEWS NEWS
For those of you here in the Newport-Mesa that already subscribe to the Orange County Register, this will be old news.  However, it's important, so I wanted to be sure you knew about it.  Unfortunately, those who don't subscribe 7 days a week won't be able to connect with the link I'm going to provide to you, so I'm forced to provide you with a paraphrased version if this information.

5-DAYS-A-WEEK SOON
So, The Current, which serves the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa on Fridays in print will begin providing a print product Monday through Friday each week beginning a week from today, May 6th.  The link to the announcement is HERE. 

SAMPLE COMING
According to Mary Ann Milbourn's April 25th article, "Non-subscribers will have a chance to sample the new Current for a five-day period late in May when the paper will be delivered to Newport Beach and Costa Mesa households with invitations to subscribe."

MORE IN-DEPTH COVERAGE
The article mentions the competition, The Daily Pilot, quotes Register owner and publisher Aaron Kushner - who has been pouring a lot of money into his print product since he bought the Register last July - and Rob Curley, deputy editor for local news, who indicted that the expanded, 20-page Current will reflect the community, providing more in-depth coverage of the issues and ideas that matter most in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

THEMED CONTENT AND TOM JOHNSON
Milbourn tells us that the "Current will have themed content on a regular basis covering small business, retail, fashion, tourism, technology and communications, heath and nonprofits, and columns by Tom Johnson.  The Register added 10 editorial positions to the staff to provide this expanded coverage."  Geez, we just can't seem to get rid of Tom!  Only teasing...

DAILY PILOT WELCOMES THE COMPETITION

I've spoken with Daily Pilot Editor John Canalis about this ramp-up of the competition and he told me he's looking forward to it.  He said healthy competition by a couple good news organizations will be good for the communities they serve.  I agree.  The Register, including The Current, is already cross-pollinated with former Daily Pilot and Los Angeles Times staffers and the friendly competition in the pursuit of the news is good for everyone - except, maybe, those who might be the subject of the news.  


OTHERWISE IT'S JUST "US"!

I hope this works out, otherwise, you all will be left to get the "news" from a bunch of old guys with too much time on our hands as we sit - to quote one of us - in our darkened rooms, in our underwear, with a single light bulb, wearing tin foil hats - you know, those of us who pretend we're actually journalists.  The closest any of us have gotten is one old grumpy guy who, during a short and undistinguished acting career, played a reporter (badly) for 19 seconds in a truly forgettable movie four decades ago.

LOOKING FORWARD TO IT
I'm looking forward to the expanded coverage in The Current.  This could be fun...