Fire Station Open Houses

FIRE DEPARTMENT OPEN HOUSE
After beginning my weekend of fun Friday night with the car show at City Hall - see previous post - Saturday began by taking in a couple open houses being conducted at fire stations around town.

METRO STATION
First stop was the newest station - the Metro station at the Enclave apartments on on Sakioka.  I wanted to see this one because, in Interim Fire Chief Tom Arnold's plan for restructuring the fire department, this station might be closed down.

A PLAQUE MARKING BETTER DAYS
As I wandered around looking at the equipment and talking with the staff I noticed this plaque which marked the dedication of this station nineteen years ago.  As I read the names I got more than a little nostalgic.  Back in those days, when Sandy Genis was Mayor, Jay Humphrey was Vice Mayor and Joe Erickson, Mary Hornbuckle and Peter Buffa formed the remainder of the council things got done without the rancor we see today.  Yes, back then we had adults in charge, guided by the steady hand of City Manager Allan Roeder.

INFORMATIVE, PROFESSIONAL STAFF
My wife and I had a nice visit with several members of the CMFD and also chatted with other visitors to this beautiful station.

CIVIC CENTER STATION
Next stop was at the Civic Center Station near the City Hall/Police Department complex.  This location is closer to apartments and condos, so there were more residents visiting when I was there.

THANKS
From what I could tell, everyone had a fun time visiting these stations and talking with firefighters.  Thanks to Chief Arnold and all the men and women of the Costa Mesa Fire Department for this terrific opportunity to learn more about fire safety and to see the equipment used to keep us all safe.

Allan Roeder's Retirement Dinner

ROEDER'S FINAL SEND-OFF BASH WAS A BLAST!
Well, that was fun! Last night, as a guest of our friends at the Orange Coast College Foundation, I attended what Master of Ceremonies Peter Buffa jokingly referred to as the "4th Allan Roeder Farewell" event this week at the Westin Hotel and it was a blast! I don't know the exact headcount, but I'm guessing well over 250 people came to wish retiring City Manager Allan Roeder a fond farewell and a happy retirement.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS - AND MOVED AND SHAKEN, TOO
The ballroom was packed with movers and shakers - and some of the moved and shaken - from all over Orange County. Former mayor Buffa tried to name all the dignitaries - a process that took a long, long time - and still missed a few, including a couple sitting at his own table! I'm certainly not going to try to list them all, but I may mention them in context as it strikes me as I write this. As he went on and on naming the "Honorable Council Member so and so" and the Honorable City Manager so and so", I was feeling just a little unworthy - kind of like a serf in a room full of barons. Knowing many of the players and their egos, I found myself grateful for the tall ceilings in the ballroom.

FLOCKS OF OFFICIALS
There were city managers from all over the county; former Costa Mesa council members and mayors; the entire current Costa Mesa city council(except Eric Bever);current and past state legislators; columnists and other members of the media and on and on and on. Those folks who like to work a room during this kind of an event almost didn't know where to start!

FLITTING, KIND OF...
I had to chuckle, for example, as representatives from Facilities Management West and the current Fair Board flitted from table to table like slightly pudgy butterflies, looking for nectar among the influential.




STRANGE TABLE-MATES
As I looked around the room from my perfect vantage point near the back wall I smiled as I saw the pairings of attendees conjured up by the magic seating chart in the sky. I tried to imagine some of the table talk that was going on during dinner - a fine feed, by the way.

SCRIBES SCRIBBLING
Since Register columnists Barbara Venezia and Frank Mickadeit both were up front and close to the action I suspect they will provide us with their own special brand of reportage on this event. I look forward to those efforts.

BUFFA WAS ON HIS GAME
There were several highlights for me last evening. Buffa, of course, really knows how to rock a room and did his usual masterful job of keeping things moving. As always, his schtick was laced with irreverent zingers about officials present and not present. He and Mayor Gary Monahan ran a little tag team routine that seemed to work. By the way, Buffa's Italian, so if you ever want to shut him up, just grab his hands.

BARK PARK RE-NAMED
Monahan presented Roeder with a special sign which signified the re-naming of the Costa Mesa Bark Park the "Roeder Ruff Park". Roeder is well known for his love of his - and all - dogs. Tears flowed at that moment.

FAMILY
Many members of Roeder's family were present and were introduced to the assembled throng. I'm sure there were more than a few damp eyes as Roeder bounced from the dais to go hug each and every one.

LEVITY REIGNED SUPREME
Brad Long of Costa Mesa TV prepared a terrific Powerpoint presentation with hysterically funny Photoshopped pictures of Roeder, each of which was hilariously narrated by Buffa. This photo was among the tamest of the bunch.



STEVE HAYMAN CHECKS IN, KIND OF
Former Assistant City Manager and current City Manager in Rancho Santa Margarita, Steve Hayman, was a co-conspirator in a very amusing video clip put together by Long and Dane Bora of CMTV. In it he mentioned that Roeder had trained and mentored several current city managers in Orange County and elsewhere.

COUNCIL MEMBERS REMEMBRANCES
Former mayor Mary Hornbuckle presented a summary of comments and stories provided by many of her fellow council members and mayors about Roeder, including some very amusing anecdotes about how he was hired and his management style.

ROEDER'S SPEECH
THE highlight for me, though, was Roeder's speech. He stood there with no notes and poured his heart out, mixing poignant historical references with big dollops of his personal management philosophy. No person in that room could doubt that his more than three dozen years as an employee of the city was anything short of a labor of love. No, I didn't record the speech, nor did I take a single note. I just sat there like the rest of the crowd and enjoyed and appreciated the moment.

SAYING THANKS TO ALL...
At the end of the evening Roeder managed to make his way around the room, trying to connect with every person there. Of course, that's his style. He's a man who has made his mark on Costa Mesa by simply going about doing his job with integrity, dignity, professionalism and dedication. He leaves giant shoes to fill.

THANKS TO THE OCC FOUNDATON
I again want to thank my friend, Doug Bennett from the OCC Foundation for inviting me to be part of their group. I had a chance to sit and visit with Dr. Dennis R. Harkins, the President of Orange Coast College during the evening. Dr. Harkins came from Atlanta a little over a year ago and is still getting the lay of the land here. I liked what he had to say about his plans for OCC and it's future as a major part of the continuing evolution of Orange County.

END OF AN ERA
So, this was the end of the "Roeder Era" in the history of Costa Mesa. Today he will work his last day on the payroll - right up to the end, he told me. He will finally clean out his office over the weekend and make room for his successor, Chief Executive Officer of the City, Thomas Hatch, to take over on Monday.




ONE LAST TIME - THANK YOU
Once again, I thank Allan Roeder for his tireless dedication to Costa Mesa, for his professionalism and skill and for building an organization that has arguably been the finest municipal staff in the county. He has set the bar high, for which we are all grateful. Now he deserves to relax with his wife, Christie, and enjoy his retirement, wherever it takes him.

Triangle Square LED Lights Withdrawn!

LED SIGNS REQUEST WITHDRAWN
Costa Mesa planning officials confirmed to me this afternoon that Greenlaw Partners, owners of Triangle Square, and their consultant - former mayor Peter Buffa, under whose watch Triangle Square was built - have withdrawn their request for LED lights at that beleaguered shopping mall.

RIGGY APPROVED, LEECE APPEALED
You will recall that the Jim Righeimer-led Planning Commission approved the LED light displays, but their decision was appealed by Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece. The hearing on that item was recently continued to the first meeting in October on the 5th. Apparently the applicants can withdraw this request without the restriction of having to wait at least 6 months before re-submitting it for consideration again.



JOY ON THE EASTSIDE TODAY
This news will certainly make my Eastside neighbors happy. No issue since the discussion of expanding Newport Blvd. has energized my part of town as much as this one has - and correctly so.

WIND SHIFT CAUSED DECISION?
We don't know what precipitated the decision by Buffa and his clients, but it may have been due to the tremendous outpouring of resident opposition PLUS the recent negative press being heaped upon Righeimer personally for his actions a week ago at the DUI checkpoint. Buffa is a very, very savvy politician who can read the political tea leaves with the best of them. Aways with his finger in the wind, Buffa likely knows trying to jam through a very unpopular issue immediately before a election where several of the decision-makers are deeply immersed in their own campaigns could doom the project.

WATCH FOR IT IN JANUARY
I won't be surprised at all to see this plan re-surface in a less-onerous version following the elections - perhaps the first of the year when the new city council and planning commission members are seated. Personally, I agree that Triangle Square needs SOME kind of signage to draw folks to it. I just think the planned 10X96 foot sign overlooking the terminus of the 55 Freeway at 19th Street and Newport Blvd. was overkill.

KUDOS, EASTSIDERS!
Regardless, kudos to my neighbors in the Eastside of Costa Mesa for their activism on this issue.

More Fairgrounds Drama & Council Meeting Wrap-up

PRESS RELEASE SHEDS NO LIGHT ON TRIP
As promised, City Manager Allan Roeder issued a press release late yesterday afternoon regarding the trip he took to Sacramento with Katrina Foley on Monday. Unfortunately, it didn't really tell us much.

FOLEY QUOTE
Foley is quoted as follows: “The meetings were helpful in better understanding some of the legislative challenges ahead and the process required for authorization of the legislation,” stated Council member Foley. “I am pleased with the support the City has received from the Assembly member as we move forward on this phase of our effort to keep the Fairgrounds under public ownership.”

Beyond that, we were told that Assemblyman Jose Solorio scheduled the meeting.. that's it.

BECKY BACK IN THE SADDLE?
Bigger news, however, came in an article in the Daily Pilot late last night online and in the print edition this morning. That article, HERE, announced that former Fairgrounds CEO and current consultant to Costa Mesa in the Fairgrounds negotiations, Becky Bailey-Findley, has been tapped by Facilities Management West as the interim leader of their Fairgrounds operations if their bid is successful. Findley, who has apparently spent virtually her entire adult life working in or around the Fairgrounds, agreed to accept that interim position until FMW finds a permanent leader. She is not interested in the permanent job.

DEFLATES FAIR BOARD'S SCHEME
This news has got to be making the Fair Board and current CEO Steve Beazley apoplectic! This news will certainly put a damper on their "revenue sharing" proposal announced Monday at the Board meeting. One of the big criticisms of the FMW pitch by the most vocal of critics has been their lack of experience in this kind of an operation. Findley resolves that issue right out of the gate.

GREAT NEWS FOR EMS USERS
At the City Council meeting Tuesday night they passed the Advanced Life Support Cost Recovery Program and, as a result, save the position of EMS Coordinator that was lost due to the recent budget cuts. Fire Chief Mike Morgan emphasized that under this program Costa Mesa residents will not be required to pay anything additional over what they are paying under our current EMS system. Here are the terms and conditions as presented by Chief Morgan last night:

1. Costa Mesa residents will not be required to pay any costs for EMS that are in addition to whatever they would be paying under the current EMS billing system (i.e., Costa Mesa residents will not be subject to any additional costs due to implementation of this program).

2. Costa Mesa residents will continue to be exempt from paying the $275 first responder charge (only non-residents are billed for this).

3. Care Ambulance Service, which performs all EMS billing for the City per contract, will be authorized to begin billing the private insurance companies, Medicare, or Medi-Cal, of all resident and non-resident patients, a $300 ALS transport charge.

4. Care Ambulance Services will waive all patient co-pay and deductible charges of Costa Mesa residents that are specific to the ALS Cost Recovery Program.

5. Care Ambulance Service will waive the $300 ALS transport charge for all Costa Mesa residents who do not have any form of medical insurance or coverage.

6. Residents will not have to do anything to obtain a waiver: All waivers will be automatically reflected in the billing statement mailed by Care Ambulance Service, which will be an amount reduced according to the amount waived.

ONLY BEVER VOTED "NO"
This is terrific news all around for Costa Mesa residents and provides a financial mechanism to assure that Costa Mesa continues to receive Emergency Medical Services of the highest level. The council approved this item, with only our municipal lamebrain, Eric Bever, voting NO.

SOBECA SENIOR HOUSING RE-HEARING
Next up was Wendy Leece's request for a re-hearing of the previously-approved plan for a low cost senior housing facility, Harper's Pointe, at 845 Baker Street in the SoBECA District and beside the Shark Club. The purpose of this agenda item was to determine if there was sufficient reason to schedule a re-hearing, not to conduct the re-hearing last night. In fact, that's basically what happened.

BUFFA THE DESTROYER
After much discussion the applicant trotted out it's big gun, former mayor Peter Buffa, who identified himself as the authorized agent for the developer, took the podium and methodically shredded Leece's arguments one by one. One can only admire his skill set when he's in action. I had to chuckle when Buffa, while rebutting the concern Leece had about the facility being "5 feet from the 73 Freeway", corrected the record. He told us that, in fact, the building was actually 50 feet from the roadway of the 73 Freeway! And he said it with a straight face! As I write this, across the street - roughly 50 feet from my window - a gardener is mowing my neighbor's lawn and I can barely hear myself think! Very smooth, Peter...

LEECE AND FOLEY DISSENTED
The council voted 3-2, with Leece and Foley dissenting, to deny the request for a re-hearing. So, now it looks like our city will get some more much-needed affordable senior housing. I know the owners of the Shark Club will wait with great trepidation for the first noise complaint by residents of that facility, and wonder just how the City will manage that issue. My suggestion would be to restrict residency in that facility to only folks with hearing impairments. It will cut down on the noise complaints.

ACTIVIST PLANNING COMMISSION SCHEMES
Next came two items generated by our activist Planning Commission dealing with Zoning Code Amendments and Code Enforcement activities. The Planning Commission, led by developers Jim Righeimer, Steve Mensinger and Colin McCarthy, seem determined to convert Costa Mesa into a pseudo-Irvine and choose to do so by creating a heavy-handed Code Enforcement organization - much like the operate in their own business lives.

SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS!
Based on the tone of the Planning Commission's suggestions, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they decided to do a Google Earth flyover of the city and methodically note those residences that MIGHT have ancillary units on their lots, then unleash the Code Enforcement folks to go pound on doors to determine compliance. Leece expressed concern that we might be having Code Enforcement go knock on doors of homes with approved granny units to determine if only age-appropriate residents lived there! Sounds like Nazi Germany to me! Show me your papers!

DON QUIXOTE AND SANCHO PANZA
One of their truly stupid ideas, proposed by Mensinger and his sidekick, Jim Fitzpatrick, was to have the Code Enforcement staff report directly to the City Manager's office - to Assistant City Manager Tom Hatch, specifically. This suggestion comes at a time when every member of the City Manager's office is struggling just to tread water due to staff reductions and the increased work demands due to the budget issues and the Fairgrounds Sale. Roeder reminded the council of the facts and, eventually, this idea was rejected. Not only would this scheme overload the City Manager's office, but it was a direct slap in the face of the Chief of Code Enforcement, Willa Bowens-Killeen, and the rest of Kimberly Brandt's staff. If Righeimer or Mensinger - or any elected or appointed official - has a problem with the competence of a staff member they need to take that directly to Allan Roeder - not make a huge issue of it in public. Talk about heavy-handed! It was absolutely clear from the comments he made that Roeder was NOT happy with the suggestion.

HOW HIGH, SIR?
We did learn something important during that little exercise, though. We got a glimpse of what life will be like if Mensinger gets appointed to Katrina Foley's seat should she successfully run for the School Board and resign her council seat in January. Mensinger, who is making quite a positive name for himself in the arena of youth athletics here in town, is used to having people immediately levitate when he says "jump!" He still has not learned that this won't work in city government. He still thinks that bullying is OK. The scary thing is, if Riggy and Wendy are elected in November it is almost a foregone conclusion that they, along with Bever and Monahan, would appoint Mensinger to Foley's slot. Why else would Mensinger have drafted Foley for the School Board? That would give a probable 10-year term on the council - the remaining two years on Foley's term plus the opportunity to run for two consecutive four-year terms as an incumbent. Sweet deal for him - not so sweet for us.

BACK TO WEEKLY STREET SWEEPING
Finally, the council agreed to reinstate our previous method of managing our street sweeping program. They voted to accept the staff proposal, which will involve hiring two new street sweeping drivers - three had recently retired due to the sweetened retirement pot - and re-hire two laid-off part-time civilian Police Department employees to patrol and write tickets on cars not moved on street-sweeping day. Apparently, when sweeping the streets on a weekly basis, parking fines generate over $600,000 annually! Yikes! The staff report clearly demonstrated the wisdom of returning to a weekly schedule and justified the staff increases mentioned.

PAY ATTENTION OR PAY THE PRICE
So goes life here in our little slice of heaven. If the recent events in the City of Bell tell us anything at all, it is that if the residents of a city do not pay attention to what their leaders are doing they deserve what they get. In our case, we could likely get a developer-oriented dictatorship as a result of the November election. It's time to start paying attention.