Kinder, Gentler - But Still Long - Council Meeting

ONE DOWN AND STILL SMILIN'...

Well, the first Costa Mesa city council meeting of the new year proved to, indeed, be a kinder, gentler event than many in the recent past.  New Mayor Jim Righeimer ran the meeting crisply, with almost the perfect mix of business and humor.  He enlisted the help of his fellow council members and the public to keep things moving briskly.  I don't want to heap too much praise on him or he might get a big head... oh, wait... too late.

OFFICER SMITH PRESENTS A FLAG

The evening began with three VERY special presentations.  Costa Mesa Police Officer Jon Smith - who had been honored on the lawn of the Police Headquarters earlier in the day when the yellow ribbon that had wrapped the trunk of a large ficus tree on the lawn was removed after Smith safely returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan - presented Righeimer with an American Flag that had flown over Afghanistan.

LOCAL HEROES HONORED

Then Righeimer honored two young maintenance workers from the South Point Apartments who saved the lives of two women who had been trapped in a burning apartment building.  Arturo Hernandez and Gerald Rodriquez broke in a door and literally carried the two women to safety.

BELL WINNERS
And then Righiemer and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger presented awards to members and coaches of the Estancia High School Eagle football team for their victory in the annual Battle Of The Bell - the cross-town rivalry with the Costa Mesa High School Mustangs.  Coach Mike Bargas spoke briefly about his team and their accomplishments.


PUBLIC COMMENTS
Fewer than a dozen folks rose to speak during Public Comments on issues as diverse as improving an entrance to Fairview Park; the successful Snoopy House event; the concern of residents of Bethel Towers about the pending renovations; the proposed new Fairview Park parking lot; the pending recall of Mayor Righeimer and the new, more civil attitude, which was punctuated by a word - or maybe it's two words - left hanging in the air by former mayor Eric Bever having to do with bovine excrement.  Apparently some things will never change.

HATCH PRESENTATION

During his segment CEO Tom Hatch brought a full bag of tricks that had accumulated for a month, since the last meeting.  He updated us on the progress of the consultant for the city General Plan update.  He told us that they plan to provide even more specific information on the Warrants that presently appear as part of the Consent Calendar.  He also mentioned that in the special study session on January 29th two important issues will be discussed - the unfunded liability issue and the 2.5@55 benefit enhancement, and invited the public to attend.  I'll remind you.  He then invited Chief Tom Gazsi to make a short presentation on the status of our School Resource Officer (SRO) program.

CHIEF GAZSI ON SRO PROGRAM
Gazsi told us that the CMPD aggressively trains for protection of probable targets - schools, shopping centers, athletic events, etc.  He told us that recently retired SRO Jess Gilman returned on a part-time basis in a reserve officer role.  He also told us that on Monday he hired four (4) new police officers - the first hired since 2008 - and that four more will be hired this month.  He's working closely with Dr. Fred Navarro, Superintendent of Schools for the Newport Mesa Unified School District on SRO plans.

CONSENT CALENDAR

Then, after a little pep talk by Righeimer about what items on the Consent Calendar are supposed to be, members of the council promptly pulled half of the items for separate discussion.  During a discussion of the Warrants Mensinger said, paraphrasing him, that when he requested the Warrants be included in the Consent Calendar he didn't expect them to be pulled for separate discussion.  Gee, I guess that means we want transparency, just don't dare ask any questions about little things like how much we're spending on legal fees.  He mentioned those specifically.  Too late, Steve - you opened that particular Pandora's Box and you're just going to have to live with the consequences.

AGENDA JUGGLING

By the time we finished the Consent Calendar it was 7:55 p.m., nearly an hour after we should have been discussing Public Hearing #1, the item for which most of the remaining crowd was patiently waiting.  But, instead, he jumped to New Business #2, the discussion of the SR-55 Improvement Study - apparently so the half dozen OCTA folks in attendance could get on their way.

SR-55 IMPROVEMENT
Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman made a brief presentation of the history of this project, then turned it over to a representative from OCTA, who explained the remaining process.  From this point forward a detailed technical analysis will be performed, then the process will return to the city to arrive at the "preferred local alternative".  Cost estimates for the four remaining options ranged from $9-14 million for Alternative #2, the Transportation System Management option that included signal synchronization and adding a couple partial lanes to $9-25 million for option #3, Vertical Terminal Enhancement and a whopping $306 - 373 million for the Cut and Cover choice.  And, of all the options, that final one would have the greatest business impact by far.

FINALLY, THE ANCHOR TRAILER PORT CLOSURE IMPACT REPORT!

After a nearly 20 minute break at 8:35 we finally got to the Public Hearing on the proposed closure of the Anchor Trailer Port.  It is proposed to remove the existing mobile homes and trailers and build 40 live/work units ranging is size from 1952 to 2000 square feet.  Representatives of the proposed new owner were present to present their plan for the relocation of the existing residents, more than half of whom showed up for the meeting.  Nineteen (19) people stood to express their concern about the process and their apprehension - distrust, actually - of the plans being proposed.

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN!

Many of us who have been observing council activities for more than a short time remembered back nearly a decade ago when two trailer parks - El Nido and Snug Harbor - were closed by the owner to build a medical office building.  That process was long, late and rancorus over many months.  The presentation by the proposed owners and by Celeste Brady representing The City in this matter as a member of the law firm of Stradling, Yocca Carlson & Rauth was thorough.  Brady made it very clear early on that the council has NO discretion in this matter.  They can only find that the applicant did or did not follow the state law in this matter - which she told us they did and even exceeded the requirements, too.  In fact, they were working with the 24th version of the Closure Impact Report (CIR), each of which were prepared after input by residents and city staff.

REALLY, STEVE?

Still, the conversation went on and on and on and was finally passed after the council squeezed concessions out of the applicant and Mensinger wondered what the penalty would be if they DID NOT pass the action.  I could see Brady flinch when he asked the question.  Well, gee, Steve - I guess that would get us saddled with yet another law suit because of a boneheaded council action!  The guy really is obtuse.  And, as it turns out, he has a friend who is a resident of the trailer park who he apparently is now moved to "help" - whatever that means.  The applicant will offer significant financial incentives and assistance to the residents, including relocation counseling.  The council finally took their vote - 5-0 - at just before 11 p.m., then took a short break while all the interested parties filed out.  The meeting commenced at 11:05.

FAIRVIEW PARK BOARDWALKS

Now we were on New Business #1, the Fairview Park Wetlands Boardwalk Project.  In a nutshell, we have just about finished creating a wetlands area of Fairview Park but most of it would not be visible to visitors from the trails around the perimeter.  So, the staff wants authorization to move forward to plan a series of boardwalks that will enable visitors to walk above the wetlands and safely see the wildlife and plants included therein.  The cost for the planning and design phases is $100,000 and the total project may cost $1 million.  The seven remaining residents in the chambers heard the council approve moving forward with the plan.

SECURITY CAMERAS AT CITY HALL AND LIONS PARK

Finally, at 11:25, the final item on the agenda, New Business #3, Council Authorization for the Implementation of Security Camera System Upgrade and Expansion For City Hall and Lion's Park, was heard.  Among the questions asked were just who the "authorized staff members" are that will be permitted to view these video recordings.  Apparently, in the case of the Lions Park tapes, that would be police personnel.  Some conversation suggested that members of "city management" will be permitted to view the City Hall tapes.  We were assured that none of the cameras will be trained on working areas, only common areas like hallways, parking lots and entrances to the building. 

ALMOST MIDNIGHT - AGAIN!
Finally, at 11:47 p.m., we were done.  So, despite his best efforts, Righeimer was still not able to get us on the road home early last night.

NEXT MEETING NEXT WEEK
The next meeting will be next Tuesday, January 15th.  That's going to be a tough one for the staff, since it only gives them a couple days in which to prepare the necessary staff reports.  Such is life in the new, kinder, gentler City of Costa Mesa.

Agenda For January 8, 2013 Council Meeting

GET READY FOR GROUP HUGS!
Off we go, into the new "kinder, gentler" era of Costa Mesa City Council meetings, where I fully expect speakers before the council to speak softly to our elected leaders so as not to bruise their fragile egos.  I also expect the council to reciprocate by responding to questions or comments with courtesy and civility as is appropriate for those we've hired to provide direction for our city.  No more harsh comments directed at one or two members of the council specifically.  No more interruptions by the council members while a speaker is trying to present an issue in the very meager 3 minutes provided.  Yep, I'm really looking forward to this new era.

AGENDA FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING
The agenda for the first council meeting of the year, next Tuesday, January 8, 2013, is now posted on the city web site, HERE.  As has been the case in the past, the meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. and will be preceded by a closed session that commences at 5:00 p.m.  A look at the agenda indicates that we may see a relatively short meeting this time around.

NO SURPRISES!

Those of you who actually follow this stuff will find some changes that may make you smile.  For example, in the "Welcome to the City Council Meeting" section on page 2 of the agenda we find some new, clarifying verbiage.  Item #1 states, "Any written communications, photos, or other materials for distribution to the City Council must be submitted to the City Clerk PRIOR TO THE START OF THE MEETING. Any materials to be displayed on the overhead projector at the Council meeting must be submitted to the City Clerk PRIOR TO THE START OF THE MEETING."  This will certainly help things move more smoothly.  I smiled when I read this because it may have put a crimp in Chris McEvoy's game plan if this rule had been in effect when he surprised now-Mayor Jim Righeimer with his announcement of a recall effort late last year.  It makes me wonder if this change is a "cause and effect" thing because of McEvoy's surprise.

OH, HECK!
 Item #2 reminds us that no person in the audience shall, "engage in disorderly, disruptive, disturbing, delaying or boisterous conduct including but not limited to, handclapping, stomping of feet, whistling, making noise, use of profane language or obscene gestures, yelling or similar demonstrations, which may disrupt the peace and good order of the Council proceedings."  I don't see anything there about muttering epithets under your breath, so I guess I'll be OK.

TURN YOUR CELL PHONE OFF, STEVE!

Item #3 tells us, "All cell phones and other electronic devices are to be turned off or set to vibrate. Members of the audience are requested to step outside the Council Chambers to conduct a phone conversation."  Might I suggest this item be circled and handed to Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger, who tends to spend way, way too much time fiddling with his cell phone and Ipad instead of paying attention to items on the agenda.  That's particularly disconcerting since he apparently doesn't take the time to read the agenda items ahead of time.  San Jose recently dealt with this issue, HERE.

CLOSED SESSION - LEGAL ISSUES
The closed session report indicates four (4) items to be considered, all dealing with either existing or anticipated legal issues.  And the meter keeps on spinning...  See comments under "Warrants", below.

MORE LEGAL FEES!
Items 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on the Consent Calendar are Warrants, which stacked up because we've not had a council meeting for a month.  As you scroll through those and keep a pencil handy you'll find that they include nearly $300,000 more in legal fees.  We paid our contract City Attorney's firm, Jones & Mayer, $200,999.39 and the firm hired to fight the lawsuit filed by the Costa Mesa City Employees Association, Jones Day, $98,387.47.  Further analysis of the Jones & Mayer bill indicates that we continue to be charged for something identified as "Acosta Appeal", but no amount is given.  If that's the Benito Acosta case, I find myself wondering just what we could possibly still be paying on that one, since it is our understanding that it is over.


WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?
Another interesting item is on Warrant #2453 - a payment of $1,500,920 to the Orange County Auditor-Controller for some kind of a "Demand Payment".  I wonder what that's all about, since it's a pretty sizable chunk of change.  Maybe someone will ask the council on Tuesday.

"RESIDENT ONLY" PARKING ON FORD ROAD
The last item, #8, is a request for a "resident only" parking restriction on Ford Road.  You can read the staff report HERE.  You will recall the ruckus in council chambers when several residents complained about an infestation of homeless folks who were, apparently, committing crimes along that street.  Righeimer commanded Police Chief Tom Gazsi to present himself at Ford Road the next day at 3:00 p.m. to hear the residents out.  Probably unrelated was the fact that the next day was the day that Private Investigator Chris Lanzillo is alleged to have tried to entrap councilman Gary Monahan into some kind of illicit act with one of Lanzillo's "operatives" and Lanzillo then tailed Righeimer from Monahan's gin mill to his home and reported him as a probable drunk driver.  To my knowledge, neither issue was resolved, except that Righeimer was absolved by a member of the CMPD of driving while impaired.

CLOSURE REPORT ON ANCHOR TRAILER PARK

There is one Public Hearing Tuesday - the "Closure Impact Report For Anchor Trailer Port/Mobilehome Park, 1527 Newport Boulevard."  You can read that staff report HERE.  Public Hearings are supposed to be heard beginning at 7:00 p.m.  I suspect this one will be pretty close to that time, depending on the number of speakers during Public Comments.

FAIRVIEW WETLANDS BOARDWALKS

There is no Old Business on the agenda Tuesday, but there are three (3) items on the New Business schedule.  Item #1 is the Fairview Park Wetlands Boardwalk Project, HERE.  The staff report indicates that creating a boardwalk to "afford public a view of the functioning wetlands and its flora and fauna." would cost around $1 million.  They are looking for direction from the council.

SR-55 IMPROVEMENT STUDY, AGAIN

Item #2 is a re-hash of the "SR-55 (Newport Boulevard) Improvement Study", HERE.  This item is a "receive and file" item, but does inform the council of the so-called "Next Steps" in this process.  Apparently the Orange County Transportation Authority will submit the findings for Caltrans review and their ultimate approval later this year.  Once that is done state and federal funding will be sought to perform a detailed environmental analysis and a "preferred alternative" selected.  Remember that term, "preferred alternative" in connection with the now-infamous I-405 expansion project?  Me, too.  Makes me nervous.  But, we're a long, long way before any decision is made on the SR-55 Improvement "preferred alternative".

BIG BROTHER?

The last item on the agenda, New Business #3, is provocative.  It is titled, "Council Authorization For The Implementation of Security Camera System Upgrade And Expansion For City Hall and Lion's Park."  You can read the staff report HERE.  I agree that expanded deployment of security cameras can enhance security at City Hall and at Lion's Park.  I just wonder who's going to be among those "city personnel" authorized to use this system?  One phrase  made me smile.  When addressing the use of security cameras to "return Lion's Park back to a more family friendly venue", there is this phrase, "This will afford both key police and city personnel the opportunity to track and monitor specific hot spots within the park from an offsite location at anytime of the day in real time."  If you've driven by Lion's Park lately you know that there are "hot spots" to be observed, if you get my drift.  The roughly $80,000 for this enhancement will apparently be paid from CEO Tom Hatch's slush, er, contingency fund - that million bucks stashed away to be used for whatever whim strikes the council.

CREDIT TO MENSINGER
An observation:  Much as I cringe whenever I agree with Steve Mensinger, I give him credit for the much-improved staff reports that now include exhibits in color, not just blurred, smeared black and white images.  They are MUCH easier to read.  Of course, now he has to actually read them..

A NEW ERA...
So, off we go, into the new era of cooperation and conciliation.  Everyone cross your fingers.  And, yes, I am going through Facebook withdrawal, shakes and all.

City Announces SR-73 Closures

CORONA DEL MAR FREEWAY CLOSURES
In a press release today the City of Costa Mesa announced that State Route 73 - the Corona Del Mar Freeway - will be closed for construction from the northern entry point at the I-405 to Jamboree Road over the weekend of October 20th and 21st. 

THE ANNOUNCEMENT
The Corona del Mar (73) Freeway between the 405 Freeway and Jamboree Boulevard will be closed on Saturday, Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 22. The location and times of the closures are:

• Southbound 73 to the 55: 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• Southbound 73 from the 55 to Jamboree Road: 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 
• Northbound 73 from Jamboree Road to Campus Drive: Midnight to 7 p.m. Saturday 
• Northbound 73 from Jamboree Road to Campus Drive: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Click here for Caltrans press release and maps.

PLEASE PLAN AHEAD
This very busy stretch of roadway will be virtually unusable by traffic for most of that weekend in both directions.  There is a link on that press release that takes you to detailed CalTrans maps with instructions for ways around the construction confusion.

ANOTHER REMINDER NEXT WEEK
I'll remind you again next week of this very serious impediment to drivers in our region so you can plan ahead.  Please take some time NOW to read the press release and the CalTrans maps.

A Busy Few Days Ahead...

JUST AHEAD....
Just a little reminder for you about the next couple days in Costa Mesa.

BIG STUDY SESSION TOMORROW
Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 8th, the City Council will hold a Study Session at 4:30 in Council Chambers.  I wrote about that in a recent post, HERE.  There are three big items on that agenda - the proposed I-405 Freeway expansion in north Costa Mesa; the proposed improvements at the current end of the SR-55 Freeway at 19th Street AND a preliminary peek at the 2012-2013 municipal budget.  I expect there will be much public interest for this meeting, so don't be late.

EASTSIDE IMPROVEMENTS MEETING ON WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, May 9th, at Kaiser Elementary School, 2130 Santa Ana Avenue, the city staff will present a discussion of the pending street improvements planned for the Eastside of our city.  You can read more about it HERE.  This meeting starts at 6:00 in the Multi-purpose room and residents interested in how more than $6 million in Gas Tax and Measure M funds will be spent on our streets over the next few months are encouraged to attend.

LONG COUNCIL MEETING ON THE 15TH
Next week, on Tuesday, May 15th, the council will hold a regularly-scheduled meeting and, although the agenda for that one has not been released yet, based on preliminary conversations over the past couple weeks, it should be loaded.  It wouldn't surprise me to see that one stretch into Wednesday morning.  More on that one when the agenda is available.

A BUSY MONTH AHEAD
So, mark your calendars - it's going to be a very busy May in Costa Mesa.

OC MARATHON A SUCCESS - AGAIN
Oh, yes.. kudos to all who participated in the OC Marathon yesterday.  More than 18,000 runners were out there smashing asphalt and having fun. 

Loaded Study Session Planned For Tuesday

FULL STUDY SESSION AGENDA

Next Tuesday, May 8, 2012, the Costa Mesa City Council will hold a Study Session at which three very important items will be discussed.  This meeting begins in City Council chambers at 4:30 and is normally scheduled to run a couple hours.  Unlike regular council meetings, total public comments time is restricted to 15 minutes unless Mayor Eric Bever changes the rule.  Typically it is first come, first served and usually each speaker will get only two minutes.  If you have something to say, jump up early or be left out in the cold

I-405 FREEWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

The first item on the agenda is I-405 Freeway Improvement Project presentation by members of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) staff.  You can read that staff report HERE.  The project involves adding a new High Occupancy lane - perhaps a toll lane - to 405 and 73 freeways where they join in Costa Mesa.  This project has been in the works for a couple of years, as a review of the staff report will explain.  It is my understanding that there is a significant ground swell of opposition to this project from residents living in the north part of our city - the area that will be most directly affected by the lengthy construction.  I expect there to be a significant presence from that group of our neighbors to hear the OCTA presentation and, perhaps, express their views.  Don't be late...

SR-55 FREEWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Second on the agenda is the proposed SR-55 Freeway Improvement Project, Monument Signs Options.  This is another mature project that has been put off in order to better coordinate with the OCTA actions at the present terminus of the freeway at 19th Street.  Staff will be looking for direction concerning landscaping treatments and choices of a Monument Sign.  You can read the staff report, which includes examples of monument signs, HERE.

PRELIMINARY BUDGET REVIEW - WITH NO STAFF REPORT

The final item on the agenda, the Initial presentation of the 2012-2013 municipal budget, presently has no staff report available for review, only a placeholder page in the agenda.  It is my hope that sometime before the meeting a staff report will be made available for the public to review.  This is going to be a very complicated process this year and CEO Tom Hatch has set aside dates throughout the month for on-going budget discussions.  In addition to the meeting Tuesday, he also identified May 17th, 24th and possibly the 29th for additional meetings - maybe more. 

 RIGHEIMER'S WISH LIST

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer, at a meeting earlier this year, pulled numbers out of the air with no discussion by the council as to their appropriateness and has created a "5-year Plan" - a wish list against which they will now demand the staff prepare a budget to accomplish those wishes.  You can view that pipe dream HERE.   Unfortunately, in the case of the first year on that list - 2012/2013 - it looks like we will fall somewhere around $12 million short.  The only place any money can be found is in salaries and benefits of employees.  It's going to be a very interesting budget process this year.  If Finance and Information Technology Director Bobby Young pulls this off I'm going to ask him to turn water into wine next.

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING TO FOLLOW - A CLOSED SESSION
Following the study session there will be a Special City Council meeting - a closed session to discuss labor negotiations.  The public is not invited to that meeting.

The Week Ahead - and More

PLANNING COMMISSION TODAY
Today, Monday, October 10th, the Planning Commission holds a regularly-scheduled monthly meeting in council chambers at City Hall beginning at 6:00 p.m. The commission has a packed agenda which is always a good thing. A busy Planning Commission means building is happening in our city. The full agenda is available at the City web site. One interesting item is at the end of the agenda. Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman provides an excellent report on the current status of the SR-55 Access Study, the staff report for which you can read HERE.

PERS STUDY SESSION TOMORROW
On Tuesday, October 11th, the City Council will hold a study session at which pension consultant John Bartel will present an update on the PERS retirement system and give the council his view on the future of OUR pension situation, including the under-funded liability question. This presentation is a re-start from a recent council meeting, when his presentation was cut short because he had to fly home to northern California. Tuesday plenty of time has been allocated - maybe 3-4 hours. NOTE: This meeting was to have been held in Conference Room 1A, but early this morning it was re-scheduled for the City Council chambers, apparently in anticipation of a larger-than-normal crowd of interested observers. This meeting begins at 4:30, will run as long as Bartel needs and will be followed immediately by a closed session meeting to discuss labor negotiations.

OCTOBER 20TH - BANNING RANCH
The remainder of the month also holds some interesting meetings. On Thursday, October 20th, a joint session will be held with the City Council, Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission at which the Banning Ranch will be discussed by both sides of the issue. This meeting will, inexplicably, be held in the Police Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Police Headquarters - a venue that may be much too small, considering the number of participants and potential interested residents and other parties. It begins at 4:30 p.m.

OCTOBER 25TH - WORKERS COMPENSATION STUDY SESSION
On October 25th the council will hold a special study session in Conference Room 1A to discuss the City's Workers Compensation situation. That meeting also begins at 4:30.

NEW "OLD FAITHFUL" IN NEWPORT MESA?
To find out, read the most recent E-Briefing, HERE. It includes lots of great, timely information, including comments about some of the things I mentioned above. Sign up to receive this excellent communication device each week.

Photo credit: Costa Mesa Interim Assistant CEO Peter Naghavi via E-Briefing