Foley And Genis On Parking, Pets And More...

RESPONSE TO PUBLIC CONCERNS
Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley, along with Councilwoman Sandy Genis, held a little public workshop in City Council Chambers at City Hall last night to inform interested members of the public on a few issues about which Foley has been getting inquires.

RESIDENTS AND STAFF INTERACTING
A couple dozen people attended the meeting, along with a few members of the staff, who provided the background and were available to answer questions.

BARK PARK UPDATE
First up was Recreation Manager Justin Martin, who provided us with an update on the recently-renovated Bark Park.  The 10 week makeover/expansion was successful and users seem to appreciate the new turf, shade and furniture, plus other features.

HATCH ON LICENSING AND STATS
CEO Tom Hatch spoke on the pet licensing process, indicating that approximately 36% of Costa Mesa residents are pet owners.  He provided us with some very interesting statistics.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016 the city showed the following numbers:

• Total active animal licenses - 5,046
• 397 unaltered dogs (it costs $80.00 per year to license an unaltered dog)
• 4,591 altered dogs (it costs $25.00 per year to license an altered dog) 
• 30 service dogs
• 28 non-domesticated animals which include mainly chickens, a mini pig and an iguana
• 1,265 dogs owned by senior citizens age 62 and up (it costs $40.00 for an unaltered license and $10.00 for an altered pet)
• 4,605 payments processed
• Fees collected - $116,43.20
• Check transactions processed - $83,000.07
• Cash transactions processed - $33,492.50
• Late fees collected - $2,900.00, approximately 2.5% of total fees collected
• It was estimated that there are actually 40,000 pets in the city

He also went over the process of licensing your pet.  Genis chimed in with a comment about needing to have a chip inplanted in your pet to help with retrieval if it gets lost.

BAKKILA ON NEW HUMANE SOCIETY FACILITY
CMPD Lieutenant Vic Bakkila then spoke about the new arrangement with the Humane Society for the operation of a facility on Hamilton in Huntington Beach - just across the Costa Mesa border - which will be shared with Garden Grove.  Genis suggested the facility could use lots of volunteers to help with the site - and to be eyes and ears for The City in case things don't go well.  A half-dozen people asked questions from the audience including the use of artificial turf (Martin said we have a test strip now); the availability of dog waste bags (in theory we provide those bags at all parks); the possibility of becoming part of the new, modern County animal shelter (Foley said someone would get back to that person); how to contribute money to help with the maintenance of the Bark Park(Foley suggested contributing to the Community Foundation with the money earmarked for Bark Park use).

THE PET COMMITTEE
Dan Baker spoke of the Pet Committee, a cross-departmental group of City employees working on four points:
1 - Working with the Humane Society, including on-site visits
2 - Pet Licensing
3 - Making sure the Dog Park remains in excellent condition
4 - Community Engagement and Awareness, including knowledge of our partnering with the Humane Society.  He also mentioned a September 15th Pet Prep Rally, which will include a mobile vet to administer free rabies innoculations and pets available for adoption.  In October there will be something called the Howl-O-Ween.

RESIDENT-ONLY PERMIT PARKING
Next came the discussion of Permit Parking throughout the City.  Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman took the lead on this segment.  Foley, discussing the impact of strangers parking in her Mesa Del Mar neighborhood - mostly college students from Orange Coast College - reminded us that the first week of parking at OCC each semester is FREE.  She also reminded us that after that it's only $30.00 per semester.  Genis spoke about landlords renting out garage space and creating on-street parking problems.

THE FAIR, COMMERCIAL AND NOW APARTMENTS
Raja told us that Permit Parking in residential neighborhoods was first the result of the Orange County Fair.  Then the demand spread to neighborhoods near commercial venues.  Now the impacts are coming from the large number of apartments in the city.  He told us to have an area receive permit parking 51% of the neighbors must sign the petition - a sample can be provided -  and that 70% of the usable parking (on street and in driveways) must be taken up during an inspection.  He said we currently have 2,000 homes with parking permits.  The City is divided into six zones and the permits are color-coded so they cannot be used in other zones.  Each permit is good for 3 years.

GOOD PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Eight members of the public, like Beth Refakes, address several elements of this issue.  Some spoke of businesses being run out of garages, foreclosing them being used for parking.  Others spoke of owners of a half-dozen cars using the streets to park them.  Others spoke of the frustration of years of reporting problems but having no resolution to them.  Others addressed obviously commercial trucks/trailers that are being left in residential neighborhoods.  Lt. Bakkila encouraged them to call the parking hotline - 714-754-5290 - to report a problem.  He said they love to haul those trucks away.  He mentioned that the CMPD used to have 8 Community Service Specialists (CSS) assigned to work on parking issues.  The staffing cuts in the CMPD lost all those people.  Presently there are seven (7) part time aides attempting to cover the entire city.  He mentioned he would work on training his sworn officers on recognition of parking decal for individual zones in the city.

STREET SWEEPING
Finally the discussion turned to Street Sweeping - which has been outsourced to a private company -  and the difficulty folks are having in some neighborhoods because cars clog the curbs during sweeper day.  Raja told us that if 50% of a section of street is not swept it could qualify for posting "No Parking On Sweeper Day" signs.  He told the audience to call the Transportation Department line - 714-754-5343.  He did mention that on holiday weeks - like the upcoming Labor Day holiday - NO streets will be swept due to conflicts with trash pickups.

ENDED ON TIME WITH GENERAL SATISFACTION
The meeting ended promptly at 7:30 and the attendees seemed generally satisfied with the information they received.  There will be follow-up with specific neighbors on some of their specific concerns.  It was a good start and a comfortable process with excellent opportunities for residents to interact with staff and council members informally.

Bikes, Speed Bumps, Freeway Aesthetics And More...

THE REST OF THE STORY...

Well, there was a lot more happening at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting besides Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer demonstrating that he's a liar.  We covered that part in my earlier post, so let's address the rest of the meeting - the parts that occurred while it was still Tuesday.

PAY ATTENTION, STEVE!
The meeting began on a pleasant note, with three presentations, although I was a little concerned when Mayor Steve Mensinger - not the sharpest knife in the drawer - prepared to call everyone to order, but observed that they didn't have to hurry because they still had a few minutes.  This was at 5:52 p.m. - past the new starting time of 5:45 he imposed.  He must have had a brain burp - which was kind of an omen of things to come.

PRESENTATIONS
Anyhow, back to the presentations.  First the City recognized a handful of Orange Coast College soccer players for their outstanding play this year.  Then a herd of young Aussies from our sister city of Wyndham were welcomed and presented with goodies.  Their local hosts, the principals from Newport Harbor High School and Estancia High School spoke.  And then a nice woman from Cal Trans told us about the upcoming renovation of the I-405/Red Hill overpass.  That project will begin "soon" - a date uncertain, but probably this month.

PUBLIC COMMENTS
During Public Comments nine individuals rose to address the council on a variety of issues.

• Tamar Goldmann stepped up to criticize the council for their recent decision to not permit Costa Mesa Television to record candidate forums for replay.  She spoke of the Smart Growth Initiative and even gave a promo for this site - thanks to Tamar for that.
• Robin Leffler spoke on a recent survey, which she described as a "push poll" that posed very specific questions about Fairview Park.  
• Al Melone, former (and maybe future) city council candidate stepped up to speak on his only issue - the Dog Park.
• Tea Party Tom Pollitt apparently slipped his leash and spoke on the World Economy, a comment that managed to morph into a criticism of the pension issue.
• Mary Spadoni told the council about the practice by the Coastal Commission of permitting folks in the audience to show support or lack thereof by quietly using hand signals.  She also rebutted some of Pollitt's comments.
• Kim Hendricks spoke about the new initiative for which petitions are being circulated for placement on the November ballot to protect Fairview Park from development.
• Ann Parker, referring to the passing of the Eagles Glenn Fry, told the council about the sober living outfit, Hotel California, on the Eastside.  She also tried to segue into another entertainment reference when she complained about the lack of Code Enforcement by saying "May the Code Enforcement be with you."  Mensinger suggested she share her information with the staff, to which she replied that she'd already done that - many times.
• Former Councilwoman Wendy Leece bemoaned the failure of this council to hold study sessions, meetings during which a few items would be vetted in a casual atmosphere. 
  
  She also criticized the council for beginning the "silly season" - the campaign season - by using new Public Information Officer Tony Dodero to write a recent commentary for Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer.
• Businessman Tim Lewis told the council about property ownership issues with a piece of property that's in development near his business on Harbor Blvd. 

COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS

During Council Member Comments Righeimer, indicating he wasn't going to speak, then launched off on a mini-rant about some of the public comments.  Addressing concerns about possible development at Fairview Park, he said, "Nothing's happening - nobody wants to develop it."  On Sober Living homes, he referred to a "stay" placed on enforcement by legal action.  He spoke about Fire Station #6 - the one he and Mensinger co-authored a commentary about recently - indicating that it didn't "have the calls", which is why it was considered for closure.  He then complained about some of the comments, stating, "We don't want to have more divisive issues in the city."  Curious, since he's usually the source of those issues.  He spoke about the Costa Mesa United Golf Tournament and just casually mentioned that his sidekick, Mensinger, received the Costa Mesa United Leadership Award (my eyes rolled back in my head!).

Mensinger spoke about the golf tournament, indicating it was a nice event with "no politics".  I nearly choked when he said that.

Katrina Foley, addressing the recent survey that was conducted as part of the update of the Master Plan of Parks and Open Space, asked for a copy of the questions that had been asked because of complaints made about it being a "push poll".  She also asked City Attorney Thomas Duarte for a clarification of an issue about the Sober Living R-2 zone ordinance dealing with the density of such facilities because there is apparently confusion among staff members.  She also cited recent turmoil at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and encouraged us all to pay attention to what's going on over there because, as she said, "Something's not right."

Sandy Genis mentioned a recent Economic Summit she and Dan Baker attended.  She said it was a good news/bad news situation.  She said jobs are coming back, but they are lower-paying jobs.  She spoke of recent information from the California League of Cities on group homes, indicating that Orange County has the highest number, and within Orange County, Costa Mesa has the highest concentration.  She also said Fairview Park should be "kept off the table" for development.

In a rare instance, Gary Monahan actually had something to say.
He expressed concern about lack of handicapped access to areas of Fairview Park... muffled murmurs were heard in the crowd.  He also acknowledged Wendy Leece's concerns for free speech - but I'm not sure if he said that tongue-in-cheek or not.


HATCH

During his time CEO Tom Hatch spoke of recent hires in the Costa Mesa Police Department - three from the recent Academy class and one lateral from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.  He told us that "our" Academy graduates are excellent - at or near the top of the class.  He also told us that all Code Enforcement slots are now filled, giving us nine (9) Code Enforcement officers.  He also spoke briefly about the recent survey of parks.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Only one item was pulled from the Consent Calendar - #2, the Warrant.  This should have been heard at that time instead of making Tamar Goldmann sit through the entire meeting until 1:10 a.m. to present her concerns about the $3,000 rocker/recliner we apparently purchased.  Bad judgment on Mensinger's part on that one.  Add it to the list.

MARIJUANA CULTIVATION

Old Business #1, the second reading of the marijuana cultivation ordinance, took less than one minute to pass on a 5-0 vote.

RESIDENT-ONLY PARKING
Old Business #2, the new Residents-Only parking ordinance, took a little longer.  Following a very brief discussion and comments by a couple residents, it passed, 5-0.

I-405 AESTHETICS
New Business #1, the I-405 Improvement Project Aesthetics discussion took longer.  Jeff Mills from the OCTA provided a history of the project, which will add lanes to the I-405 from the 73 Toll Road to the I-605 at the Los Angeles County Line and was not viewed favorably by residents and elected officials in Costa Mesa.  It will require the demolition of our new Fairview Road Bridge to accommodate the greater width of the new freeway lanes.  This discussion involved the "look" of the roadway as it passes through our city and focused on decorative walls.  Four people stepped up to express opinions on issues like the proximity to Moon Park, the intrusive Fountain Valley Freeway sign, the fact that we were ignored in the planning process and that the decorative walls would be a distraction to drivers.

PICKING THE BIRD
Concerns were expressed by council members about the potential for graffiti damage to the walls and as to which graphics to be used.  In the end they agreed to reject the opinion of the Cultural Arts Committee to use the "Least Terns" graphic because it represented Newport Beach and voted to recommend the White-tailed Kite because those birds are often seen in Costa Mesa.

CDBG GRANT CHANGES

Next up was New Business #2, the revisions to the Community Development Block Grant Public Service Grants rating criteria and related policies and procedures.  One of the big changes is the number of agencies to be considered.  It was reduced from a maximum of 20 to 10, and the minimum amount was increased from $5,000 to $15,000.  Several changes were made to the grading criteria, too.  During the public comments Wendy Leece expressed concern that this committee had changed from a standing committee to an ad hoc committee and was curious about how one might apply to be part of it.

SPEED HUMPS APPROVED!

New Business #3 was the request for Speed Humps on Saint Clair Street.  The staff recommendation was to deny the request.  However, after Jay Litvak and several other members of the neighborhood involved spoke describing the situation the council voted, 4-1, with Righeimer voting NO, to direct the staff to install the speed humps bring back an evaluation of the process by which speed humps may be requested.

BIKEWAYS AND WALKABILITY COMMITTEE REPORT
New Business #4 was the report by the Bikeways and Walkability Committee on their Goals, Objectives and Policies, which were prepared to be included in the General Plan update.  Chairman Ralph Taboada and Vice Chair Cynthia McDonald made the presentation to the council, describing the process they followed since the committee was created in April.  They had their first meeting in June and, in September, decided to double-up the number of meetings to meet the deadline.  I attended most of those meetings and have frequently written about how effectively they worked together.  I saw the sometimes tedious process work as they carefully crafted the document they presented to the council last night.  I observed the give-and-take and the collaborative process in action.

TOO MANY WORDS AND "POLICIES"

So, when Righeimer reacted negatively about the work product - he basically thought there were too many words - I was surprised and disappointed.  That feeling was shared by the many members of the committee in attendance last night.  Righeimer was concerned about the "policies", even though he was told several times that the format used followed the General Plan format intentionally.  Despite the explanations by staff and liaison Katrina Foley - this committee was her idea - Righeimer had it stuck in his craw.  Four people spoke to this issue, including members of the committee and regular attendees to the meetings.  At the end, after a significant discussion about "policies" and the General Plan, the council voted to approve the document with the proviso Righeimer demanded that the "policies" be re-titled as "recommendations".  They took a break, then returned at 9:37 to commence New Business #5, the subject of my angry earlier post.

I'M STILL TICKED-OFF!

Let me close this by stating, once again, that the meeting Tuesday night/Wednesday morning was one of the most disappointing I can recall.  I don't know what the future holds for the Costa Mesa Fire Department, but I suspect there were few happy firefighters in our city today.  That's a shame.  We'll talk more about that as time goes on.

City Council Agenda Preview

COULD BE ANOTHER LONG NIGHT
The Costa Mesa City Council meets again at 5:45 p.m., Tuesday January 19, 2016 in City Council Chambers at City Hall for what promises to be a very interesting meeting.  The full agenda is HERE.

PRESENTATIONS
Early in the meeting there are three presentations scheduled:

• Mayor's Award - OCC Soccer: All Orange Empire Conference Team Players
• Delegates from Wyndham, Australia
• Cal Trans - I-405 Red Hill Avenue Overcrossing

COMMENTS
Then comes Public Comments - always an adventure, since folks can exercise their right to address the council for three minutes on ANY issue important to them that IS NOT on the agenda for this meeting.  That's followed by Council Member Comments and the CEO's report - if they actually let him speak, that is.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Next comes the Consent Calendar - those items deemed to be "routine" and can be considered in one vote without separate discussion.  This time there are nine (9) items listed.  I won't cover them all, but will comment on the Warrant.

THE WARRANT
Item #2,  Warrant Resolution #2549, HERE, which lists items paid.  This is always a fun exercise to scroll down through the list to see what makes up the disbursement of nearly $5 million dollars on our behalf.  Here are a few that caught my eye.

• Civil Source - $96,180.00 - Temp Support (various)
• Jones & Mayer - $116,952.24 - Legal Services (many)
• Moore Iacofano Goltsman Inc - $66,536.38 - GP Update & Environ. Report
• ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems - $14,761.00 - Sr. Center Installation
• CSG Consultants, Inc - $13,733,73 - Bldg. Inspct Svcs
• Government Staffing Services - $6,865.00 - Temp Svcs
• Melad & Associates - $4,716.04 - Building Plan Check Svcs
• Scientia Consulting Group Inc - $6,880.00 - Prof. Svcs Agreement
• City of Huntington Beach - $21,210.00 - Helicopter Svcs - Nov 2015
• G4S Secure Solutions - $55,912.55 - Jail Facilities - Nov. 2015
• KOA Corporation - $16,952.38 - 19th Bike Fac. 11-15, School Zone ClngProj-11-15
• Kabbara Engineering - $20,585.95 - Fairview Bike Trail, 6/1-7/15/15
• Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $35,695.02 - Legal Svcs (various)
• Graphic Solutions Ltd - $4,772.00 - CM Wayfinding Signage  Oct2015
• Orange County Humane Society - $8,250.00 - Kennel Fees, Nov. 2015 
• Sears Commercial One - $3,132.86 - Gray Paralance Reclina-Rocker

So, that's a sample.  More than $150,000 for legal services; more than $122,000 for temporary services and much, much more.

NO PUBLIC HEARINGS - 2 OLD BUSINESS ITEMS
There are no Public Hearings scheduled.  Normally those would be heard beginning at 7:00 p.m.  There are a couple Old Business items on the agenda, though.

GROWING "WEED" IN THE CITY
Old Business #1, HERE, is the second reading of the new ordinance regarding the prohibition of cultivation of marijuana in the city.  You may recall that this is required unless we want to let the State of California control that activity.  Any such ordinance must be in force before March 1.  This one won't take long - five minutes, max.

RESIDENT-ONLY PARKING
Old Business #2, HERE, is another second reading - this time the ordinance regarding parking prohibitions and resident-only parking permits.  Again, this one shouldn't take long since it was thoroughly vetted during the first hearing.  There is a revised "Guidelines for Consideration of Installation or Removal of Resident Only Permit Parking", HERE.

I-405 AESTHETICS
There are several New Business items on the agenda.  #1, HERE, which is titled "I-405 Improvement Project - Aesthetics Plan", and deals with the aesthetics of the proposed expansion of the I-405 Freeway between the 73 Toll Road and the I-605 at the Los Angeles County line.  You'll recall the turmoil over that project, which will add one mixed-flow lane and one express lane and convert the HOV lane into an express lane.  This item addresses the "look" of the project.  There are several attachments dealing with sound walls, and other design elements.

CDBG GRANT CRITERIA CHANGES
New Business #2, HERE,  deals with revisions to the Community Development Block Grant Public Service Grants rating criteria.  This is a big deal.  The ad hoc city committee responsible for the review and recommendation for receipt of such grants has recommended a modification of the requirements. Those are summarized here:
1. A maximum of ten grants may be awarded per year. (Revised from maximum of 20 grants per year.)
2. Minimum grant amount is $15,000. (Revised from $5,000.)
3. Staff will obtain copies of police incident reports for all applicants with Costa Mesa-based facilities that provide direct services to the public. (Added emphasis in review process.)
4. A maximum of five points will be awarded to applicants that are based in Costa Mesa. (Previously no points were provided for Costa Mesa-based programs.)
5. Award rating points for grant applicants that partner with other service providers. Note: partner does not need to be a grant applicant. (Previously only bonus points were awarded for collaborative applications.)

In my view, the biggie here is the halving of the number of grants to be given each year.

SPEED HUMPS ON SAINT CLAIR STREET
New Business #3, HERE, is the request for speed humps on Saint Clair Street by resident Jay Litvak.  The staff has analyzed this situation and recommends NO speed humps be installed.  For you speed hump fans, this staff report and included chart will be of interest.

BIKE COMMITTEE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
New Business #4, HERE, is near and dear to my heart.  This is the presentation to the City Council of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan - Goals, Objectives and Policies by the Bikeways and Walkability Committee.  I've sat through almost all of the meetings of this dedicated group, who worked tirelessly to carefully craft the document they will present to the City Council Tuesday night.  The staff report provides the information you need, and you can read the entire document - the product of more than four (4) months labor by this group - HERE.

AMBULANCE TRANSPORT
New Business #5, HERE, Ambulance Transportation for the City of Costa Mesa, is the final item on the list.  I wrote about this earlier, so will not flog it further.  You can read what I wrote HERE.  I'm just disappointed this item is so late in the agenda.  History shows us that many council members lose their focus as the evening wears on and sometimes exercise poor judgment when dealing with complicated issues like this one.  We'll see.

First Council Meeting Of The Year Promises Controversy

ARE YOU READY?
Are you ready?  I'm ready!  I spent much of the Christmas/New Year holiday banking my sleep in anticipation of yet another year of fun and games in the political whirlpool that Costa Mesa government has become.

SMALL, BUT CONTROVERSIAL, AGENDA
Tuesday, January 5, 2016, the Costa Mesa City Council will meet for their first meeting of the year beginning at 5:45 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall and, although the agenda is relatively small, there are some items that will almost certainly generate some spirited discussion.  You can read the full agenda HERE.  I'll give you a little rundown, beginning with a little peek at the Consent Calendar - items that are anticipated to all be handled in one vote, without separate discussion, unless someone pulls an item for conversation/explanation.

THE $10 MILLION WARRANT
Consent Calendar Item #2, Warrant 2548,  HERE, is full of interesting information made available to us because Mayor Steve Mensinger required it a couple years ago.  The items listed below struck me as interesting, either because of the amounts or the nature of the expense, and are in order as they appear among the list, which represents almost $10 million in payouts by The City over the past month or so. 

Enterprise Counsel Group - $17,136.88 - legal fees
Jones & Mayer - $125,915.01 - legal fees
KOA Corporation - $35,134.11 - 19th Bicycle Trail 8/3-10/4/15
Lonerock, Inc - $449,632.03 - 2 entries for Water Quality and Storm Drain Improvements
Safe Moves - $15,662.16 - Bicycle Education Svcs - Sept 15
Meyers Nave - $1,574.50 - Legal - Fairview Park
Newport Rib Company - $1,113.00 - Luncheon for Homeless Volunteers
City of Huntington Beach - $24,290.00 - Helicopter Svs- Oct 15
Global Power Group, Inc. - $102.390.51 - 2014-2015 Westside Neighborhood Retentions.
Best Best & Krieger, LLP - $1,300.00 - Special Council Legal Svcs
Government Staffing Services, Inc - $9,169.00 - Temp Svcs
Keyser Marston Associates, Inc - $7,287.50 - Consulting Oct 15
Leibert Cassidy Whitmore - $2,391.00 - Legal svcs, negotiations 2014
Meyers Nave - $469.00 - Legal, Fairview Park
Pacific Municipal Consultants - $8,400.00 - Consulting Svs for Group Home
Safe Moves - $7,995.00 - Bicycle Education Svs -  Oct 2015
Costa Mesa Conference & Visitor Bureau - $238,341.21 - BIA Receipts for Oct 2015
Government Staffing Services, Inc. - $15,096.00 - Temp svcs
Blue Sky Outfitters, Inc. - $8,343.14 - Foam Reindeer Antlers and sport shirts
Costa Mesa United - $7,000.00 - 2016 Golf Tournament Sponsorship
Entertainment Contractor - $4,500.00 - 10 tons of Snow
James R. Jordan - $8,250.00 - Holiday Design Consulting
KOA Corporation - $3,675.00 - 19th Bicycle Trail 10/5-11/1/15
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $10,901.05 - Legal, General
CSG Consultants, Inc. - $16,140.00 - Bldg Inspt. Svs
Civil Source - $53,751.25 - Proj. Mgt.
Enterprise Counsel Group - $35,474.78 - Legal svcs
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $21,928.40 - Legal, personnel, general
Blue Sky Outfitters, Inc. - $8,257.83 - shirts
Government Staffing Services, Inc. - $9,058.00 - Temp svcs
Granicus, Inc. - $13,950.00 - Web Sharing Svcs, Plus more
Interwest Consulting Group, Inc. - $11,935.50 - Sr. Bldg Inspct Oct 2015
James R. Jordan - $8,250.00 - Consulting Srvcs for Dec 2015
Johnson Favaro LLP - $2,391.40 - Lib. NCC Architect Plan
Keyser Marston Associates, Inc. - $4,650.00 - Consulting Svcs
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth - $8,698.75 - Legal Svcs, various

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK!
So, let's pause here for a moment before continuing on to take a closer look at just those items above.  This warrant contains nearly $225,000 in legal costs!  We spent more than $33,000 to one agency - Government Staffing Services, Inc. - for temporary services!  And, why did we pay Jim Jordan $16,500 in "Consulting Services"?

MESA VERDE DEVELOPMENT MOVES FORWARD
Sliding on down in the Consent Calendar, on #5, HERE, we find the final Tract Map for the 10-lot development at 2880 Mesa Verde Drive,  You will recall this was originally proposed to be a project with more lots, but the developer met with community members and reduced it to 10 larger lots.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB LEASE RESTATEMENT
Item #8, HERE, is the restatement of the lease agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of the Harbor Area, Inc. for an additional 48 years.  Some may recall that resident Chuck Perry caused a stink at a recent meeting when he suggested that the club was going out of business based on some rumor he heard.

GROWING WEED

Public Hearing #1, HERE, is the first reading of an ordinance necessary for the City to manage
cultivation of marijuana within the City.  If it doesn't have an ordinance in place before March 1 the State of California will control that issue.  We've written about this before when the Planning Commission heard the issue.

TIGHTENING THE SCREWS ON "RESIDENT ONLY PARKING"
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is an ordinance dealing with "Resident Only" parking restrictions on public streets.  The lengthy staff report outlines the current conditions, cites examples of how other cities manage this issue, and makes specific recommendations for changes to the current policy, which significantly tightens-up this program and, potentially, imposes fees.  Here's the summary of the recommendations:

• Require petitions with higher majority (70%) support and eliminate the process of gathering license plate information. 
• Establish permit parking in areas where with the above support, staff can verify that seventy (70) percent of on-street and visible off-street parking available to residents are utilized. 
• Limit the number of permits to two (2) per eligible household to better manage available on-street parking and the number of guest parking permits to 100 per household per year. 
• Incorporate a two (2) year permit expiration and serial numbers to provide an up-to-date database and provide future funding for sign maintenance. 
• Establish parking zones to limit parking accessibility of a permit holder within their parking zones. Permits will be color coded or uniquely marked to identify the parking zone. 
• Establish a reasonable permit fee to provide funding for better signage, permit software, on-line permit processing, and to recover permit costs.

All current permits would expire in 2018.  This could make for an interesting discussion Tuesday night.

COMMERCIAL ORGANICS RECYCLING ORDINANCE
Old Business #1, HERE, is the second reading of a new ordinance of a new ordinance which is in response to two recent state laws, AB341 and AB1826, and involves regulation of commercial handling of organic recycling.  Effective April 1, 2016 new rules go into effect for businesses.  I don't expect much discussion on this one, just as there was not much when it received the first reading in December.

STEALTH MOVE TO QUASH PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Which brings us to the final item on the agenda, New Business #1, HERE, cleverly titled "Changes to the Temporary Sign Code/Policy".  However, as I angrily wrote when I first saw this agenda item last month HERE, it's MUCH MORE than that.   While it certainly addresses the chaos that has been the campaign sign issue during each campaign season, it also includes a little bit of stealth regarding filming of candidate forums - and I'm still angry about it!

YOU MIGHT OVERLOOK IT
Tucked into the middle of the staff report there is this sentence:
"Additionally, concerns regarding City staff filming any of the candidates’ forums and placement of these forum recordings on the City’s website has also been raised."

REALLY - BY WHOM?

OK, raised by whom?  Let me guess... one or more current male council members who don't like tough questions being asked of them at neighborhood candidate forums because the answers they give exposes the real "them".  As I said in that earlier blog entry and HERE, in a commentary I wrote in the Daily Pilot a couple days ago,  "...this is just another of the many attempts by the current council majority to stifle public awareness of how business is being conducted in Costa Mesa.  It's just a predictable extension of actions already taken by this council majority to quash public participation..."

BOGUS ATTEMPT TO QUASH PARTICIPATION
This is a bogus move on the part of certain council members to prohibit those who cannot attend public forums where candidates for City Council are grilled by concerned community members - like seniors, disabled folks and those with work/family issues that prohibit them from personally attending - from being able to make an informed decision at the voting booth.  With the possible exception of the coverage of important council and commission meetings, there may be NO BETTER use of the talents of the award-winning staffers of Costa Mesa Television than their clear, unbiased coverage of these events.  

STEP UP AND SPEAK UP - OR CONTACT HATCH
Folks should speak out on this issue.  Call or write to CEO Tom Hatch or - the best solution - attend the meeting Tuesday and use the three minutes provided to each of us to tell the council how you feel.  You can bet some of their sycophants will attend and tell them to quash the coverage.

SEE YOU THERE - AND THANKS
It's going to be a very interesting meeting Tuesday night.  See you there.  Oh, yes... Happy New Year to you all.  Thanks for making this blog the most read blog in Costa Mesa - and for contributing for your friendly author being named, one more time, to the Daily Pilot 103 - this time at #76!  Muchas Gracias, Amigos.