FDC EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER MEETING 9/28/23

STATE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER MEETING 

Last night, Thursday, September 28th, a meeting was held at the Anthony M. Toto Auditorium on the Fairview Developmental Center (FDC) site at which the consulting firm, DUDEK, solicited input from community members on the plan to carve out 15 acres from FDC site for an Emergency Operations Center to act as a secondary site to the State’s primary site in Northern California. 

PRELIMINARY EIR

A preliminary Environmental Impact Report  (EIR) has been published and the state, through their consultant, wanted input so a final document can be prepared.  The purpose of this meeting was not to answer questions - of which there were many - but to receive input from the public.

 

ATTENDANCE

My best guess, confirmed by others in the room, was that somewhere close to 100 people attended this meeting.  Of course, that would include city staffers and state representatives (1) plus the consultant team, led by Laura Masterson.  Of those, nearly 3 dozen people stepped to the microphone to express views/ask questions.  Also in attendance was Jason Kenney, Deputy Director, Real Estate Services Division of the Department of General Services, who attempted, with only marginal success, to field some of the more heated questions asked by speakers.  

NOTABLE ATTENDEES/SPEAKERS

I was pleased to see so many former officials attending this meeting and participating in the program.  Former Mayor Sandra Genis was one of the early speakers and roundly criticized the current EIR.  Professionally, this is her bailiwick, so her view carries significant weight.  Also speaking were former councilwoman Wendy Leece and former councilman Jay Humphrey.

MANY OF THE “ USUAL SUSPECTS”

That term is not meant to be derogatory.  Several of the speakers were those activists in the community who actually DO pay attention to issues and actually DO their homework - like plowing through the voluminous EIR, in this case.  Cynthia McDonald and her husband, Rick Huffman attended and each spoke.  Arts Commission Chair Charlene Ashendorf and her hubby, Dennis, were in the room.  Active Transportation Committee Chair Ralph Taboada sat behind me and spoke.  Flo Martin, who attends almost every meeting of consequence, attended and spoke.  Katie Arthur, a member of the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors Group, stepped to the microphone, too, as did both Sue Lester and Susan Meyer.

      

ELECTED AND STAFFERS

In the audience were many members of the City staff and elected officials.  I saw Deputy City Manager 

Alma Reyes, Director of Public Services Raja Sethuraman, City Clerk Brenda Green and Police Chief Ron Lawrence in the crowd.  There may have been others.  I saw Planning Commission Chair Adam Ereth and former planning commissioner Diane Russell in the crowd, too.  Mayor John Stephens and Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Harlan were observing, too. 

 

MOST OF THE REST…

Most of the rest of those who stepped up to speak at this meeting were relative newcomers to the process.  They were unfamiliar names and faces, many of whom clearly were not comfortable at a microphone before a crowd addressing officials, but they stepped up and expressed their concerns.  A total of 34 people - more than a third of the number in the room - spoke.  That’s 35 if you count Mayor Stephens. 

BROAD BRUSH IMPRESSION

Without attempting to quote folks directly, I came away from this meeting with the following observations, not in any particular order of importance:

1 - Most speakers - most of whom seemed to be well-intentioned, were frustrated and just a little angry that they didn’t know about this situation earlier, so they could become more educated and make more appropriate comments.

2 - Many clearly simply did not understand the purpose of this meeting, which was for the consultant’s team to gather input from members of the public about the proposed Emergency Operations Center tentatively planned on the grounds of the Fairview Developmental Center - not to answer questions or concerns posed by the speakers.

3 - Consultant Laura Masterson and Jason Kenney simply were not prepared to respond to tough questions fired at them by members of the public.  This, of course, only exacerbated the frustration of members of the audience.

4 - Several times during the meeting Masterson encouraged the crowd to present their questions/concerns via letter or email.  A slide was briefly shown with the appropriate contact information.

5 - The layout of the room - a very large auditorium - was inadequate for the presentation. It was too large, seating was spread out too wide and the screen and images on it were much too small.  I sat directly in front of it and could barely make out the text.   Most viewers could not see the slide presentation unless they were directly in front of the small screen provided.  In fact, one frustrated attendee plopped himself down directly in front of the screen on the hardwood floor for the duration of the presentation. 

6 - It seems to me that the City of Costa Mesa is being forced into a little “shell game”.  On one hand, the State tells us we MUST find a way to plan for their newly imposed RHNA numbers - 11,760 new dwelling units in the city over the next 6 years.  Coincident with that is the plan to shutter the Fairview Developmental Center and make that 113 acres available.  The State provided a grant to the city to do the planning for housing on that site.  THEN, they tell the city, “Oh, yes, and we’re gonna put an Emergency Operations Center to serve all of Southern California into a 15 acre site within the footprint of the FDC, including a helipad and a 120 foot, highly illuminated, communication tower.”  Really?!  Exactly how is such a facility compatible with ANY residential uses?  One speaker described is, succinctly, as a “turd in a punch bowl”.

7 - Mayor John Stephens was sandbagged by speaker Sally Humphrey into addressing the crowd.  Again, this meeting was NOT designed to be an exchange of information and he was there as an observer, to hear what his constituents had to say on the subject.  Still, I’m happy he stepped up, grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd. 

     

8 - Paraphrasing the Mayor, he told the crowd that he understood their concerns - that he also shared many of them.  He told us he felt this process was moving too quickly and that there needed to be better collaboration between the City and the State on this subject.  He was concerned that the State was moving unilaterally, without giving appropriate consideration to the City’s position.  He told us this issue will be discussed in the City Council meeting on Tuesday.  I presume it will be in Closed Session, since it’s not identified in the Open Agenda.  He said a letter was being prepared to be sent to Governor Newsom, who’s avowed top priority in the state is sufficient housing, including affordable housing.  He also said he would get himself on the Governor’s calendar and fly to Sacramento to speak with him on this issue.

9 - Not all members of the audience  were convinced The Mayor was on the right track.  This may be due to what certainly appeared to be a serious distrust of ALL government entities as expressed by speakers last night.  Personally, I believe the Mayor.  I believe his concern is honest and he will do what he can to resolve this issue.

10 - My opinion?  I believe the EOC, as planned, is incompatible with the proposed (presumed) residential uses for the FDC.  I believe the carving out of that 15 acre site will severely hamper any serious planning for housing on the remainder of the FDC.  I believe, even though the proposed helipad would “only be used 2-3 times a year”,  its existence renders a significant portion of the FDC property untenable for proposed residential uses.  One speaker last night referred to it as one more example of government imposing onerous conditions on folks who can do little about it - referring to those individuals that would make up the residents of the proposed affordable housing stock on the FDC site.  I agree.

11 - There are options.  On the presentation slide titled “Alternatives”, under the “Alternative 3: Alternative Site in Tustin”, the very last line on that slide identifies the 24 acre site at Red Hill Avenue and Victory Road as, “Environmentally superior alternative”.  So, go for it!  Have the State more fully investigate that site, find out who owns it - the Federal Government? - and work a deal to acquire it and place the proposed EOC at that location.

WHAT DO WE DO?

Well, calmly reduce our concerns/criticisms to written form by a letter or email and send that info to the appropriate State entity - with a copy to our Costa Mesa City Council.  Those comments are due by October 20th, so get cracking.  Here’s the contact information as presented by the consultant:

BY LETTER

Ms. Terry Ash, Senior Environmental Planner

℅ Dudek

California Department of General Services

Real Estate Division, Project Management and Development

2635 North 1st Street, Ste. 149

San Jose, California 95134

Copy To City Council:

City Council

City of Costa Mesa

77 Fair Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

VIA EMAIL

comments@oesregionsoutheoc.org

cc: citycouncil@costamesaca.gov

NOTE

I neglected to mention that Barry Friedland was at this meeting, recording it for his Costa Mesa Brief YouTube channel.  That presentation should be available for viewing this weekend.  Here's a link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CostaMesaBrief

Sharpnack Claim Morphs Into A Lawsuit

WAIT!  WHAT'S THIS?
Those of us who pay attention to City Council meetings got a little surprise Tuesday afternoon as the agenda for the Closed Session was read into the record by City Clerk Brenda Green before the council adjourned to a remote conference room to consider the seven items listed.   City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow asked the council to add another item to the agenda for discussion that afternoon - the lawsuit filed by former Police Chief Rob Sharpnack against The City of Costa Mesa - which Barlow had just become aware of shortly before the meeting!

BRAND NEW LAWSUIT
The 38 page lawsuit was dated February 12, 2020 and it's unclear whether the lawsuit had actually been served on The City by Tuesday night when Barlow brought it up.  You can read it HERE, if you wish.

NOPE... NOTHING TO REPORT
The City Council approved adding the lawsuit to the Closed Session agenda and they adjourned to deliberate.  When they returned a couple hours later for the regular session Barlow had nothing to report out of the Closed Session - on that or any of the other seven items on the agenda.

SPADONI SPRINGS THE PAPERWORK
In an interesting sidebar - early in the regular meeting, during Public Comments, resident (and former police officer) Mary Spadoni trundled up to the speaker's podium and proceeded to waive the text of the lawsuit at the council.  Apparently she managed to obtain a copy of it via a public records request and posted the link to it on the Facebook page Costa Mesa Sandbox.  By the time Public Comments had ended two people had contacted me about the lawsuit and had retrieved the text from that Facebook page.  One of them shared it with me since I have been blocked from participating on that site.

TRYING TO RIGHT A PERCEIVED WRONG
Some might recall that Spadoni frequently spoke and wrote about information that was eventually included in the initial Claim Sharpnack made against The City.  Much of that is included in the lawsuit.  Clearly, she is an insider in this process and makes no bones about doing her best to defame those she feels are responsible for Sharpnack's situation, including Mayor Katrina Foley, Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens, current City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, former Acting City Manager Tammy Letourneau and former Acting Assistant City Manager Justin Martin.  The last two now hold positions at the City of Laguna Niguel.

THE TIMING IS CURIOUS
The timing of this lawsuit is very interesting - just two weeks before the Primary Election in which Foley is running for a chance to gain a seat in the State Senate against incumbent John Moorlach and another Democrat challenger, David Min.  Any mud that can be tossed Foley's way will probably go a long way to assuaging the animus felt about her by Spadoni and her pals, particularly if it affects her chances in the upcoming election.

MY SPECIAL INTEREST?
Why am I writing about this?  Well, in his original claim Sharpnack named me as a "witness" - the only non-current or former employee of The City on the list.  It's curious, since I have no first-hand knowledge of any of the circumstances.  Yes, I've written about CMPD issues, including observing about the many, many former police chiefs who have served my city over the past five decades.  This, of course, includes Rob Sharpnack.  I have no idea if I will end up being a part of his lawsuit - I hope not, but we shall see.

HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I HATE POLITICS?
In the meantime, the hit pieces about Foley continue to land in mailboxes all over the the 37th Assembly District and I doubt if it's over with two weeks to go before the election.  And the beat goes on.

Hit Piece On Foley Is Despicable

I AM REALLY TICKED-OFF!
Today in my mailbox appeared a hit piece on Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley in an attempt to discredit her with casual voters - those who only pay attention to local politics during an election season.

LIE-FILLED HIT PIECE
This hit piece, paid for by a group called "Keeping Californians Working" in San Rafael, CA, is so blatantly full of lies that it boggles one's mind.  I've provided images of the front, back and inside so you can see the full extent of the lies involved..

LIES AND MISREPRESENTATIONS
On the inside you will see several newspaper headlines, an attempt to link Foley with the bad news each one portrays.  They are called "bad decisions" by Foley.  In fact, in most cases she was not even on the City Council at the time.  In other cases the situation misrepresents the facts.

NEARLY A MILLION BUCKS ON LIES
I'm told the slimeballs who paid for this piece of trash spent nearly $1 million to distribute their falsehoods to Orange County households.  Their desperation about the possibility of Katrina Foley finishing first or second in the upcoming March 3rd Primary Election is obvious.  There are three (3) candidates for State Senate - Incumbent Republican John Moorlach, newcomer Democrat Dave Min from Irvine and Mayor Katrina Foley.

PRESUMING GOP INVOLVEMENT
We presume my Republican Party is responsible for this crap.  They know that Moorlach will have a hard time holding his seat if he has to go head-to-head with Foley, but he can likely crush Min.

MY PARTY HAS LOST IT'S WAY
I don't know what's happened to my party.  The leadership certainly seems to have lost it's way somewhere since Ronald Reagan's tour as President.  Locally, they continue to shoot themselves in the foot and clearly are no longer in tune with the electorate.

CATASTROPHIC INFIGHTING
You will recall a couple years ago when Scott Baugh tried to eviscerate incumbent Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in the primary race.  The terrible stuff that appeared in our mailboxes about those candidates - particularly those criticizing Rohrabacher -  was awful... and it backfired.  Rohrabacher managed to survive the primary election and was paired up against Harley Rouda, a former Republican-turned Democrat.  Then, in the race headed to the General Election, Rohrabacher failed to debate Rouda and ended up losing the seat he had held for 30 years!

MOORLACH IS A GOOD GUY.... BUT....
I like John Moorlach.  He's a smart man and has a record of accomplishment in county government, but he is very outnumbered in the State Senate, where only 10 of 40 Senators are Republicans.  He has almost NO chance of making a difference in Sacramento.  What I DO NOT like is that he's apparently willing to let surrogates act to defame and flat out lie about Foley in order to retain his seat.

I LIKE KATRINA FOLEY
Foley is my friend.  I've watched her as a City Council member and as a Trustee on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees and admired her dedication to our city for two decades.  She is smart, tireless and has a vision for Costa Mesa that is now coming to fruition.  She is a multi-tour mayor, having been elected by her peers, then - in a purely political move - was voted out of that spot.  She then ran for the seat as the first directly-elected mayor in the city's history and crushed then-incumbent and multi-term councilwoman Sandra Genis - one of the perpetrators of her earlier ouster.

I DON'T LIKE THE LIBERAL AGENDA
As a lifelong conservative I am not happy with the way the liberal majority in Sacramento is taking our state.  I disagree with almost every move they make, from the squandering of public funds to declaring California a Sanctuary State - spitting in the eye of the Federal Government, upon who we depend for funding of many projects.  Am I worried about Foley - another liberal politician - facilitating that which I find onerous?  A little.  However, I've watched her work.  She knows how to build consensus.    I will vote for her in the primary election.

WHY THE LIES?
I retired this blog nearly 3 years ago, but this nastiness has so angered me that I felt it was necessary to write about it.  Each of you will have to use your own judgment on this issue... just know that you are being lied to and ask yourselves why...

A DAY OF DRAMA, COAST-TO-COAST

credit Oregon live

FIRST, THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Tuesday, February 4th, 2020, was an interesting day.  The President of the United States, Donald John Trump, presented us with his State of the Union address in what might be best described as “great theater”.  I watched that entire event and was both amused and disappointed in the behavior of so many of our elected officials.

TENSION FROM THE GET-GO

I watched as The President refused to shake the extended hand of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives.  Upon watching that video clip over and over again, it’s unclear to me if his slight was intentional or not.  He didn’t shake Vice President Mike Pence’s hand, either, as he handed him a copy of his speech.  One thing is certain - that instant in time didn’t do a thing to calm the animosity between the Republicans and Democrats in the chambers.

A GOOD SPEECH AND REPUBLICAN AEROBICS

The speech was a good one, although almost instantly following the delivery many sources pounced on the text and cited phrase after phrase as “lies”.  Very sad.  I was amused when the Republicans, seemingly after every sentence uttered by President Trump, stood in unison and gave him a standing ovation… Up-Down, Up-Down, Up-Down…  

credit PBS

A MEDAL FOR RUSH - AND CONTROVERSY

Also sad was the strained partisanship demonstrated by both sides, even during some very moving introductions of honored guests, including conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, to whom President Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom - the highest award possible to a civilian - right there on the spot.  He had the First Lady, Melania, affix the medal around Limbaugh’s neck.  That award has ignited a firestorm of criticism of Limbaugh and Trump.

IMPEACHMENT IS OVER

Later today the Senate finally voted on the two articles of impeachment filed by the majority in the House of Representatives and both charges were rejected.  The first was rejected on a 52-48 vote, with Republican Senator Mitt Romney voting with the Democratic majority.  In the second vote he stayed with the Republicans and it resulted in a 53-47 vote.  I’ve tried to watch most of the hearings, but they dragged on and on and on and on, so I didn’t see every single word.  It was a colossal waste of time and resources and very likely did nothing at all to bring our country together - quite the contrary.  

credit CNBC.com

NANCY’S RIP AND TEAR PERFORMANCE

The low light, of course, was the image of Speaker Pelosi, standing behind President Trump as he wrapped up his speech to the applause in the chambers, dramatically ripping up her copy of his speech and slamming the torn sheets down on the desk before her.  It was immature and behavior not worthy of the Speaker of the House.

COSTA MESA COUNCIL MEETING SIMULTANEOUSLY

Simultaneously, my Costa Mesa City Council was going about doing their work, beginning at 4:00 p.m. with a closed session that took longer than expected.  The regular meeting didn’t start until 6:15 and ran smoothly right up to the first and only Public Hearing - the ordinance changes recommended to our codes to accommodate and codify the placement of wireless cell facilities throughout our city.

CELL TOWER ORDINANCE MARATHON

That segment of the meeting took nearly 5 hours, including a very long, unusual Closed Session in which the Council and their lawyers discussed the information presented by more than 30 concerned citizens and others.  By the time this item was completed it was 12:20 a.m. today, Wednesday, February 5th.

MANSOOR BAILS OUT EARLY - AGAIN

One of the most interesting occurrences was the fact that, following the vote on that Public Hearing, Councilman Allan Mansoor decided to just up and leave the meeting before the remainder of the agenda was handled.  This is not the first time he has bailed out early.

STEPHENS UNLOADS

That led to a couple interesting comments at the very end of the meeting, right at 1:00 a.m. this morning.  Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens, clearly miffed at Mansoor’s departure said the following when Mayor Katrina Foley asked if there were any additional Council member Comments:

“Yeah, I gotta comment.  So, for those of you that are here and those of you that might see this on video, It’s very important to show up at council meetings.  I’ve never missed a council meeting.  I’ve come to council meetings during trials, deaths in the family, illness in my family and illness to myself.  It’s very important to stay to the end. It’s very important that, if you have something to say, to make a suggestion, that you make that suggestion.  It’s very easy to say nothing and vote “No” and then leave.  And, it’s not helpful.  And somebody said earlier, that you should go with your gut - that move is gutless.  You all know who I’m talking about.  Have him watch what I said.  I want him to respond.”

FOLLOWED BY FOLEY

Then, as she was about to close the meeting, Mayor Foley said the following: “My comment is that I would like the City Attorney to look at our attendance policy and the salary conditions and bring back a recommendation with regards to council members who don’t show up for the meetings, and whether or not they should continue to receive their pay.”

GENIS AS A JACK-IN-THE-BOX

Yes, indeedy, it was an interesting meeting, to say the least.  During this time Councilwoman Sandra Genis was bouncing up and down like a jack-in-the-box, coat on, papers in hand, trying to get out of the room.

MANSOOR THE DULLARD

I have written about Allan Mansoor ever since he was first elected to the City Council almost 20 years ago.  He was not the sharpest knife in the drawer back then and the edge on his blade has only gotten duller - much duller.  He has a very hard time putting together a coherent sentence and certainly cannot be considered a “thought leader” on the dais.  It will be interesting to see if anything evolves from his early departure (again) this morning.

AM I “BACK”?… PROBABLY NOT

In case you’re wonder if this entry means I’m back…. probably not.  I can no longer stay up all night at a meeting, then go home and write blog entries until dawn.  This meeting was important and I did watch my recording of it over the course of today, Wednesday.  See ya…

Change Is In The Air - Look Out!

THE NEW TEAM IS SWORN IN
Last Tuesday evening the Costa Mesa City Council took on a very new look.  In the second segment of the meeting - held in the Senior Center because Council Chambers at City Hall is under significant renovation for the next few months - the results of the election held on November 6th was certified by the City Clerk, Brenda Green and were approved by the outgoing City Council.  Actually, only one person was "out-going" - termed out Jim Righeimer.  (Darn, there I go again, mentioning his name!)

KAREN ROBINSON PRESIDES
Then, the winners were sworn in by former mayor Judge Karen Robinson - a very special treat.

FOLEY CRUSHES GENIS
Katrina Foley was elected as the City's very first directly-elected mayor, defeating former mayor Sandra Genis by a huge margin.  This result was satisfying in many ways.  Genis was part of the council majority that deposed Foley as mayor last year without ever giving anything resembling a satisfactory explanation.  Foley conducted an energetic campaign, taking the high road and not responding to the vicious attempts to defame her name and record with lies and fabrications.  Genis, on the other hand, barely conducted a campaign and her representatives consistently took the low road.

DISTRICT VOTING A SURPRISE
The results of the district voting, also for the very first time in City history, was also very satisfying.  The candidates supported by the Righeimer/Mensinger/Genis/Mansoor group all failed miserably at the ballot box.

DISTRICT 3
Andrea Marr soundly defeated Mensinger supporter Brett Eckles in the District 3 race.

DISTRICT 4
Manuel Chavez crushed the developer-favorite Michelle Figueredo-Wilson for the District 4 race.  Activist Steve Chan finished far, far off the pace.

DISTRICT 5
Arlis Reynolds walloped former divisive mayor Allan Mansoor in the District 5 race.  Rebecca Trahan was also well off the pace in this race.

OOPS!
In the euphoria that followed the swearing-in ceremony, following the obligatory break so name plates could be properly placed and chairs juggled, Foley quickly re-conveined the meeting and nominated John Stephens for Mayor Pro Tem.  That motion passed, 6-0. It seems Mansoor was wandering around somewhere and was late returning to the dais, so the vote was taken without him.  I couldn't help but smile...

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR - CHANGE IS NEEDED
We learned a lot from this election.  We learned that the voters, once again, affirmed that they'd had enough of the Righeimer/Mensinger style of governance.  They emphatically made clear that the solid rejection of those practices by the passage of Measures Y and AA in 2016 was not a fluke.  They don't want to see rampant multi-story developments.  They don't want to see spot zoning to facilitate that kind of development.  They don't want to see our residential neighborhoods defiled by increased density as a result of the Small Lot Ordinance.  They don't want to see the saturation of Sober Living Homes in our city.  They DO want to see a City Council that considers the needs of the residents before the profits of developers and sober living operators.

A LATINO PRESENCE!
After the first "Righeimer" segment there were still more than 200 people in the packed room at the Senior Center, who cheered enthusiastically when each result was announced and each new member was seated on the dais.  For the first time in my memory covering City issues I saw throngs of Latino faces attending a meeting.  This is understandable, because there are new three members of the City Council with Latino heritage.  And, interestingly, there are four women on the council for the very first time, too.

RIGHEIMER'S SCHEME BACKFIRED!
Righeimer hijacked the discussion of a District Voting plan more than two years ago and replaced the preferred choice as determined by several public meetings - Five Members - with his Six Districts/Directly-Elected Mayor plan and had it placed on the ballot using his majority, with Genis and Mansoor.  Unfortunately, nobody wrote an opposing opinion for the 2016 ballot, so it passed.  It's likely that Righeimer thought this scheme would help him retain control of the council when he was termed out this year.  It failed... yet another scheme of his that failed.

CHIEF OF STAFF AND COUNCIL AIDS
Mayor Foley had placed on the agenda a plan for an existing Finance vacancy to be converted to a Chief Of Staff, which would report directly to her, plus three part-time aids to be shared by the six council members, reporting to the Chief of Staff.  This proposal was, to say the very least, controversial.  The debate and public comment on this plan went on for nearly two hours, including a period when clearly-frustrated former mayor Sandra Genis mouthed to someone in the crowd, "What do I do now?",  before new Mayor Pro Tem Stephens offered a motion that changed the reporting relationship of that position... it will report to the City Manager.  That's a good compromise.  Now, if only we had a City Manager...  The recruitment for the four positions is now underway, with a closing date of Friday, December 14, 2018.

A GOOD IDEA, PRESENTED PREMATURELY
I understand what Foley had in mind, but she probably should have made this proposal sometime in January.  There are no more meetings planned until the first week of January.  Perhaps she simply could have floated the idea and had a full-blown discussion and a more thorough vetting - the City Attorney apparently did not vet this proposal for legality.   Resident Eleanor Egan, a former member of the City legal department and Planning Commission, was among those who spoke to this issue  and advised against the proposal as presented.  Others spoke, as well, while Acting City Manager Tammy Letourneau looked on.   But, as I mentioned above, the issue passed on a 5-2 vote, with Genis and Mansoor opposing.  The screamers at the Costa Mesa Public Square have been rabid on this issue for the past week.  We'll see how this goes.

WHERE'S DUARTE?
And, since I mentioned the City Attorney, I found myself wondering just where Tom Duarte was Tuesday night.  His seat was capably filled by former City Attorney, Kimberly Hall Barlow.  It was nice to see her back, even if it was for one meeting.  You may recall she was replaced by Duarte several years ago.  There was speculation that it was because she pushed back on the Righeimer/Mensinger mob.  Duarte was more compliant.

THIS WILL BE AN EFFECTIVE GROUP
I have every confidence that this new City Council will work together effectively.  Foley has demonstrated her leadership during 2017, before she was deposed by Genis, etal.  The new, young council members have demonstrated through their campaigns and prior public service that they have the education, intelligence and energy to make a significant contribution to the future of the City.  It's unclear what kind of contributions Mansoor and Genis will be making for the next two years, when their at-large seats expire.  One thing is sure... the 2020 local election in which we will again elect a mayor and three district council members - Districts 1, 2 and 6 - will be a doozy, as the forces of the Dark Side will certainly attempt to regain control. The next council meeting will be Tuesday, January 8, 2019.