Standing Room Only At Senior Commission Meeting

A PACKED HOUSE 
Today the Costa Mesa Senior Commission held its meeting at the Senior Center before a packed house.  It was a standing room only crowd - all 30 seats were filled, plus a few walkers and wheelchairs were jockeyed around like a Rubik's Cube, and a few younger folks were standing in the back.  At the peak, my count had three dozen audience members in attendance - plus staff and commissioners.

BAUERMEISTER ABSENT
All commissioners were present except Kirk Bauermeister, who began the new school year in a new job with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.  Chairwoman Ernie Feeney called the meeting to order promptly at 9:00 a.m. and generally stuck to the agenda.

 WEB SITE
When the commission considered the minutes from the last meeting Feeney asked staff about the web site - the internet presence that apparently was hijacked by a member of the former staff who refuses to turn it over to the new, city-run administration.  She was told by Recreation Manager Travis Karlen that the legal department has determined that there is nothing to be done at this time, so the staff is acquiring other domain names and is building a new internet presence for the Senior Center.  This residual pettiness gives those of us who didn't pay much attention to how things ran before a little peek into the previous operations.

SHORTER TRIPS? - THE "GYPSY GROUP"

Three people spoke during Public Comments.  Margie White addressed the question from a prior meeting about the possibility of scheduling shorter trips, but she and her cadre of members who operate the Travel function determined that it is not cost effective.  She deferred to Sharon Margulies, who coordinates the "Gypsy Group", an ad hoc group who coordinates short trips to nearby venues using carpooling and ride-sharing and suggested it might fill in the perceived hole in the activity schedule.  Pauline Eline stepped up to address the departure of the Security Guard and the new one, an older man who, according to Eline, doesn't appear to have the stamina to deal with the homeless folks who wander in.


THE CHRONICLE NAME REMAINS
Old Business #1 was the results of the contest to possibly re-name The Chronicle - the monthly newsletter distributed to members.  The short version of the report was, the staff recommended that the name remain the same based on the results of the survey.  The commission voted to do just that on a unanimous vote.  High praise was given to the staff for the new look of The Chronicle, and for the information provided.

COMPUTER FEES
Old Business #2, the discussion of the fees for Computer Classes.  Senior Center Program Administrator Yvette Aguilar told the commission that the fees matched those of Huntington Beach for the same classes.  No word yet on scholarships for those who cannot afford the classes.  Karlen indicated a more in-depth fee study would be included in the overall Recreation Department Fee Structure that will be presented to City Council.

BUS SCHEDULING
Next up was New Business #1, the issue of Bus Reservations - and the reason most of the people were in the room for this meeting.  Aguilar began a discussion of the staff report and their proposal, which included significant schedule changes.  A "Hot Line" was discussed to provide a dedicated telephone line for folks to address bus issues.  Eleven (11) people made their way to the podium, or found a more convenient microphone, to address this issue.  All of them were very concerned about the modification of the process and what appeared to be the abandonment of the current procedures.  Among the issues were the need for a later bus departure - 3:00 - than was proposed.  Two younger individuals rose to speak about their specific situations - elderly relatives who depend on them to help with their daily activities.  Both described the important part the Senior Center meals/companionship means to them.  Both received applause after speaking.

A CAPACITY ISSUE
Commissioner Janet Krochman addressed the issue by stating that it seems to be a capacity issue.  The senior center now has 1,600 members - four times the number under the previous administration - and the bus capacity remains the same.  Apparently we have two buses - one a 16-person bus with lots of miles on it and the other a 12-person bus with fewer, but still many, miles on it.

DRIVER SCHEDULING
Staff explained one of the problems is the work hours for the bus driver, who must be back at her home base by 4:30 p.m.  A question was asked about two part-time drivers, which could address the late schedule.  The answer was there is no budget for that right now, but the council would have to consider it.

ANCILLARY TRIPS
Concern was expressed by members about losing the capability to be taken to the market or hair dresser.  Aguilar and Commissioner John McGlinn reminded the audience that it is the primary mission of the bus to get members to and from the Senior Center - with side-trips being accommodated only when it doesn't interfere with the primary mission.  Later he told the audience that "You have to take responsibility for yourselves.  The Senior Center is not an ambulatory care center."

NO CHANGE FOR 90 DAYS - STUDY TO COMMENCE
At the end of the discussion McGlinn made a motion, seconded by Krochman, that the current program remain in place as-is for three months, during which the staff will gather data and present a report on the results in January.  Assistant CEO Tammy Letourneau reminded all present that it will be important to funnel ALL concerns/complaints/scheduling issues to the staff - through the "hot line" or directly to Aguilar in the interim - so they have good data on which to base a future recommendation.  The vote was unanimous.  As a note, it was clear that not all complaints were being funneled to the staff.  This will hamper a real analysis of the issue if it continues.

SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAC) LEADERSHIP
In her report to the commission Aguilar introduced the new leadership of the Senior Advisory Committee (SAC).  She also spoke of recent successful events and of upcoming events.

NURSE AVAILABILITY ISSUES
She addressed the need for a nurse by indicating that the staff has been in touch with both Hoag and Orange County and were advised that there is a shortage of nurses, but that they continue to work on it.

ALBERT DIXON FOUNDATION DONATIONS
She mentioned that the Albert Dixon Memorial Foundation Board has donated $2,000 to pay for the MELT class that had been unfunded by The City and agreed to donate $15,000 to the Senior Center for the purchase/training on electronic devices - laptops or tablets.  The details are being worked out.  She also mentioned that the Foundation donated $25,000 to Senior Serv to subsidize meal costs for The Senior Center.

MEMBERSHIP QUADRUPLED
Aguilar confirmed that the membership now stands at 1,621, of which 1.098 are Costa Mesa residents.

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
During Commissioner Comments McGlinn congratulated the staff on the first anniversary of the new administration - a celebration was to be held this afternoon to mark that milestone.  He observed that things are moving rapidly and seem to be on the right track.

Janet Krochman echoed McGlinn's comment and observed that things don't always move as fast as we wish, but the staff is doing a good job.

Sue Healy thanked the staff.

Stella Adkins observed the anniversary and said it has been a lot of hard work.  The thanked the staff for the recent volunteer dinner and hoped the commissioners would make an effort to attend more of those kind of events.

Anne Perry said she was impressed with the changes in The Chronicle and admired the quality of the product.  She said she's been impressed by the staff and appreciated all their hard work.

Ernie Feeney said the staff work has been outstanding.  She added that she, also, hoped more commissioners would attend events at the Center.  She said everything is going really well and adjourned to the next meeting on November 9, 2015.

EVERYONE IS ADJUSTING
It appears to me that the members of this brand new commission are getting their sea legs and are adapting to the pace of city administration.  It will be interesting to see what kind of a turnout there is for the next meeting.  The January meeting - the one at which the bus issue will again be addressed - will likely have another full house.

Senior Center Drama And Uncertainty Continues

AFTER THE OUSTER...
After the debacle at Tuesday evening's Special Council Meeting where the officials unanimously decided to oust the Costa Mesa Senior Corporation from the Senior Center on West 19th Street, I continued to seek answers to what appeared to be an illegal occupation of that facility the next day.  Here's a summary:


LEECE STARTED THE BALL ROLLING
Starting back in 2008 - when councilwoman Wendy Leece responded to complaints from one or two members of the Senior Center by calling for reforms in the way the center was run - rumors have been heard about problems at the Center.  Chris Caesar of the Daily Pilot wrote about that turmoil HERE and then-columnist Byron de Arakal's pithy column on the subject a few days later, HERE. I wrote about it HERE.  A few months later, in December, the turmoil continued and I wrote about it HERE.  Early in January of 2009 I wrote two pieces about Gary Monahan's plan for the Senior Center HERE and HERE.

NEGATIVE PUBLICITY AND ECONOMY CUT FUNDS
As a result of that negative publicity, and the simultaneous downturn in the economy, donations to the Center by previously generous benefactors dried up.  Because of budget constraints programs were trimmed back and the resultant discontent seemed to grow.  It was a vicious cycle - a wound that has festered now for several years and successive generations of Board leadership have not been able to resolve it.


MANAGEMENT PARTNERS STUDY
The City, which provides services and funding totaling more than $500,000 per year, including rental of the facility for $1.00 per year, contracted for an audit of the Senior Center finances and operations by consultant Management Partners, which issued a scathing report late last year, HERE.  It was very clear from that report that the consultants thought the City should take over operations of the Senior Center. 

NEGOTIATIONS BEGAN, THEN STALLED
Negotiations began in earnest earlier this year and recently stalled when a stalemate was reached when the City refused to include an indemnification clause requested by the Senior Corporation Board.  Then, after all those months of negotiations with the Costa Mesa Senior Corporation Board toward an agreement for shared operation of the Costa Mesa Senior Center, on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 the Costa Mesa City Council took matters into its own hands and unilaterally and unanimously passed a series of motions that will oust the Senior Corporation as a tenant from the city-owned building on West 19th Street that has housed the Senior Center since the late 1990s and install City management of that facility.


TAKEOVER TACTICS
Among the motions passed Tuesday were two that authorized the establishment of a new position within City government to manage the center and the authorization to hire a retired former director of a similar facility in Fullerton as the interim manager.  The council also authorized free one-year memberships to the Senior Center.  All this was done without any kind of transitional agreement in place.


WHERE'S THE AUTHORITY?
It is not clear that the City had the authority to do any of those things except issuing the 90-day notice to vacate the premises.  When I read the staff report Monday, before Tuesday's meeting, I contacted Assistant Chief Executive Officer Tamara Letourneau - who had been a member of Management Partners and involved in the above-mentioned audit - to find out where the authority to take over the operations of the Center came from.  She told me she believed they had the authority, but didn't tell me why.

A REQUEST TO DELAY TAKEOVER IS IGNORED
Tuesday evening, following the vote,  Senior Corporation Board President Judy Lindsay emailed Letourneau and asked her NOT to send staff to the Center until the official notification was received by the Board and they had a chance to review it and brief their already-anxious staff on the future.  That request was ignored and the next morning, Wednesday, Letourneau led an entourage to the Center and went about taking over the operations.  The official notice was received on Thursday and the Senior Corporation has until September 7, 2014 to clear out.

AGAIN, WHERE'S THE AUTHORITY?
Immediately following the vote Tuesday evening I asked contract City Attorney Tom Duarte the same question.  He referred me to Letourneau.  I have subsequently tried to communicate with her and with CEO Tom Hatch, who eventually called me back Friday afternoon and we had a good, long, therapeutic conversation.  He also disagrees with my assessment of lack of authority to do what they've done, but also could not point me to any portion of existing agreements that gives the City the authority to take over the operations and give away free memberships to the Senior Center for a year.

A "HOSTILE TAKEOVER" INDEED
During our conversation Friday afternoon Hatch challenged my characterization of the actions by City staff Wednesday as a "hostile takeover".  (You may recall that councilwoman Wendy Leece specifically stated that this was not a hostile takeover Tuesday night.)  When I asked him to describe what he understood to have been the actions of the staff Wednesday morning he did, and it coincided precisely with my understanding of events that day.  Letourneau and her group marched into the Senior Center, began rearranging furniture - they cleared out the library and set up new Interim Manager Eloisa Espinosa in that room - and began serving donuts to seniors as they arrived.  The Senior Center staff kept a low profile and did not participate, having had NO indication what to expect.  I reminded Hatch that those actions - an uninvited incursion which had been specifically requested to be put off until the staff could be briefed - certainly sounded precisely like a hostile takeover.

WHAT ABOUT "THE AGREEMENT"?
I asked him about the proposed agreement, HERE, that had been part of the staff report Tuesday. It has not yet been signed, but appears to be an excellent transition plan for the operations of the Senior Center - except for the indemnity clause.  He told me that the staff still wanted to pursue implementing the plan, but when I asked him if that would have council support he couldn't give a firm answer.  If I read Mayor Jim Righeimer correctly Tuesday night, I don't think he's interested in any kind of formal plan now that notice of eviction has been given.  I may be wrong.  However, some members of the Senior Corporation Board are of the opinion that, based on the City's actions Tuesday night and Wednesday, the agreement is off the table.  

DON'T FORGET RIGHEIMER'S OPINION
And, some will recall Righeimer's statement during the meeting Tuesday in which he opined that it was probably better for the Senior Corporation to NOT have an agreement and dissolve, because then disgruntled employees wouldn't have anyone to sue.  Apparently that's part of his own, personal business strategy.
AN ILLEGAL INCURSION?
So, it is unclear where the City gets the authority to do more than give that 90-day notice to their tenant to vacate the premises.  This heavy-handed intrusion into the operations of a private non-profit organization by the City in what is basically a landlord/tenant problem certainly appears to be an unconscionable abuse of authority and may, in fact, be illegal.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BULLYING
Unfortunately, this has become fairly typical behavior by the current elected City leadership - another example of Ready, Fire, Aim on their part - that has resulted in a string of legal actions and lawyer fees the volume of which have never been seen before.  Knowing full well that the cash-strapped Board will likely not pursue legal remedies, the City has just bullied its way into the Senior Center and shoved aside the current management team.  By any definition this is a hostile takeover of the Senior Center operations.  As a taxpayer and voter, I am appalled at this despicable behavior and wonder just how many more of these kinds of abuses of power we will see from this group.

ALBERT DIXON FOUNDATION BOARD MEETS MONDAY
On Monday the Albert Dixon Foundation Board, chaired by long time community activist and former Senior Center Board President Mike Scheafer, will meet to discuss the current circumstances.  That foundation, created as a result of a sizable donation to the Senior Center for senior programs, has provided funding for programs the past several years and, most recently, contributed $50,000 to the Senior Center.  It is unclear whether funds from that foundation can be used for operating expenses.  Hopefully, this Board will have answers to that question soon.  And, we hope there is a way for this foundation to continue to fund senior programs in the city now that the City has taken over operations of the Senior Center.


SENIOR CORPORATION MEETING TUESDAY
Tuesday Morning the Costa Mesa Senior Corporation Board will meet to discuss the events of this past week.  It is my understanding that, unfortunately, they did not include the "agreement" mentioned above on their agenda because they thought - as mentioned above - it was off the table.

SENIOR CENTER IN THE BUDGET?
Tuesday evening among the many things on a very packed agenda for the Costa Mesa City Council is the 2014/2015 Budget, included in which is a line item funding the Senior Center.  I asked Hatch how that will be handled now, in light of the eviction notice.  He didn't have an answer.  I then asked him if the council might fund enough of their planned expenditure in July to provide a funding bridge for the Senior Corporation to make it through until their eviction date of September 7th.  He couldn't commit to that, but seemed positive about the possibility.  One would hope the council would see the value in providing those funds to keep programs moving and so the Senior Corporation can pay their bills through the departure date.

WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
So many questions.... so few answers.  The core question - "Where did the City get the authority to take over operations of the Senior Center?" should be a simple one to answer.  Because none of the three people who should have had that answer - Letourneau, Duarte and Hatch - have not provided one, it makes this taxpayer and voter very uncomfortable.  It's this kind of capricious, shoot-from-the-hip action that creates lawsuits.  I guess we'll see...

Meet The Mayor Tonight

TOWER ON 19TH
Just a reminder for you... Tonight you can "Meet The Mayor" at the latest of Costa Mesa Mayor Jim Righeimer's monthly gatherings at different venues around town.  Tonight your chance to meet and chat with the mayor is at the Tower on 19th (formerly Bethel Towers), 678 West 19th Street from 6-7:30 p.m.

BUDGET
This is a great opportunity for you to ask Righeimer questions that might be rattling around in your head.  For example, the preliminary budget shows a $12 million deficit.  You might ask Righeimer what his solution for this problem might be.

VEGAS RESULTS
Or, you might ask him how many solid leads were developed during the recent Las Vegas visit by Righeimer, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger, CEO Tom Hatch and other staffers.  What was our "return on investment" on that little trip?

RISING CRIME
Or, you might ask him about our rising crime rate, particularly in light of his decision to close down the A.B.L.E helicopter program and his unwillingness to staff the Costa Mesa Police Department back to levels appropriate for effective policing based on experts in the field.

FIRE DEPARTMENT RE-ORG
Or, you might ask him why Interim Fire Chief Tom Arnold's original reorganization proposal was modified to retain C.A.R.E Ambulance - one of his campaign contributors - despite evidence that Arnold's original plan would represent significant cost savings and better coverage?

SENIOR CENTER
Or, you might ask him about his attitude toward the Senior Center Corporation Board of Directors and the operations of the Senior Center.

CHARTER AGAIN?
Or, you might ask him why he insists on bringing back a Charter scheme after it was resoundingly defeated by the voters last year.



HOLD HIS FEET TO THE FIRE
Have fun...

Monahan's Plan Moves Forward

NO SURPRISE LAST NIGHT
Well, as anticipated, the Costa Mesa City Council at it's meeting Tuesday night, decided to move forward with re-tread councilman Gary Monahan's proposal to form an ad hoc committee to study the Costa Mesa Senior Center. The decision was unanimous - with Katrina Foley abstaining because of a business conflict.

EMOTIONAL DISCUSSION
This issue, one filled with emotion on both sides, nearly brought Councilwoman Wendy Leece to tears as she announced that she would not be part of the committee. She cited the fact that it had been "a tough two years" and that she was just tired. That leaves Monahan, Mayor Allan Mansoor and Eric Bever as potential members of the committee. Curiously, neither Mansoor nor Bever stepped forward to fill the second council seat on the committee as Monahan attempted to quick pitch the process and get those slots filled last night. That effort was stymied by the city's legal counsel, Harold Potter, who said they might be flirting with Brown Act violations by doing so last night.

PURE POLITICS
One thing became clear to me as I watched the proceedings last night... this whole firestorm is about politics, not the seniors nor the Senior Center.

"THE MOUTH" RANTS
One speaker - our old friend, The Mouth From Mesa North - stood frothing at the speaker's podium and went on a tirade about how poorly Ms. Leece had been treated over the past months. He stood there, flailing his arms, decrying the circumstances that caused her to withdraw from consideration on the committee - it's his view that she should be on the committee because she's "the only one who will ask the hard questions". This from a guy who has been on a non-stop attack on Katrina Foley since she was first elected to the council more than four years ago! What a hypocrite!

"CRACKPOT? - THAT'S ME!
I also got a kick out of his railing against the Daily Pilot and a person he called a "crackpot blogger" - that would be little old me - who dared to criticize his buddy, "Ms. Leece". I told you, I think he's got the hots for Wendy.... In his current blog entry he goes to great lengths to present his qualifications as a "reporter", admitting that he played one in that terrible movie in the mid 1970s. Yes sir, his 20 or so seconds on the screen before he and his companions were gunned down was some fine acting!

THE REAL TRUTH
The real truth came out when he told the council that the Senior Center Corporation Board is the last refuge of liberals in the city, stating that it was filled with people from Return to Reason - opponents of the majority on the council. I guess he wants to run everyone without a far-right wing view like his out of town, leaving our city a bastion of white supremacists.

BEVER GIVES A CLUE
Eric Bever pointed to the way this council may be heading on this issue when, during his comments, he said that the committee should study the programs operated by neighboring cities - those that run their senior programs on the city dime, without an "outside vendor" - the term he used for the Senior Corporation. His attitude was clear when he said the original contract with the Senior Corporation was "friendly". I guess that means he'd prefer to have a more adversarial relationship. It sure seems like he wants the city to take over the operations of the Senior Center. Interesting timing... As Byron De Arakal mentioned in an earlier comment here, that's fine, but where will the city get the more than $600,000 the Senior Board rounds up each year via contributions from their fund raising efforts? That's a typical Bever move - think to the end of his nose and no further, like some kind of petulant kid.

WENDY LEECE SHOULD BE ON THE COMMITTEE
If the committee is formed and moves forward, I think Wendy Leece should be one of the two council members on that committee. Monahan has already earmarked one of those slots for himself. Although Wendy has been a lightning rod for discontent at The Center, she has current, intimate knowledge of the operations and could provide valuable insight during discussions. She would certainly be a better choice than either Mansoor or Bever, who seem not to relate to anyone other than their own age group - and not very well with them.

WHO'S ON THE COMMITTEE?
The configuration of the committee is going to be very interesting. It won't surprise me at all if the council stacks the deck with cronies instead of trying to find a broad cross-section of community interests. Mention was made of increasing the size of the committee - something Monahan resisted because a larger committee would have difficulty getting things done. No sir, sure don't want to clutter up the study with divergent viewpoints, do we? I guess we'll find out in a month, when this committee will be formed...

TIME TO THROW IN THE TOWEL?
Maybe it's time for those tireless volunteers who work long hours without compensation on behalf of our seniors to say "Enough!". Maybe it's time for the Senior Corporation to just hand the whole Senior Center operation back to the city and let the City Council deal with fund raising and the few perpetual malcontents that keep things in turmoil.

What's With Gary Monahan And The Senior Center?

MONAHAN'S SENIOR CENTER PLAN
At it's next meeting on Tuesday, January 6th, the Costa Mesa City Council will hear a pitch from recently re-elected council member Gary Monahan on his proposal to establish some kind of a committee for the purpose of assessing the Costa Mesa Senior Center in anticipation of the extension of the agreement with the Senior Center Board to continue to operate The Center when the current agreement expires in 2010.

WHAT'S HE UP TO?
We're not quite sure what Monahan is up to with this proposal. Based on his application for the creation of this new committee, his intentions seems sincere. On the application form, which is part of the exhibits attached to the staff report for this agenda item, under "Task/Objective" he wrote the following: "Review & Enhancement of Senior Community Center Programs & Services & recommendations for the Next Terms & Conditions of Contract between the City and Corporation. Committee recommendations will be subject to ratification by the City Council and/or the Board of the Senior Corporation, as necessary." That seems benign enough.

COMMITTEE CONFIGURATION?
Monahan plans for this committee to be comprised of two city council members; two Center Board members; three "at large" members (one Chamber of Commerce representative, one Senior Center volunteer representative and one at-large community representative) as voting members. He plans for non-voting members to include the Senior Center Director the Costa Mesa Recreation Manager and some nebulous mention of "support staff services". Oh, yes... Monahan has indicated that he would want to be one of those city council representatives on the committee.

ROEDER'S "CONCLUSION"
In the final paragraph of the staff report, authored by City Manager Allan Roeder, the intent of this plan seems conciliatory. His paragraph entitled "CONCLUSION" reads as follows: (the emphasis is mine)

"Should the City Council choose to support implementation of the proposed Committee, it will only move forward with the support of the Board of the Senior Corporation. The City does not maintain unilateral authority over the Corporation or its Board, so cooperation between the parties is essential. At the conclusion of the Committee's work, there will likely be action items requiring City Council approval; some requiring action by the Board of the Senior Corporation and still others that require approval by both entities. Consequently, there are no binding actions as a consequence of establishing this Committee - simply opportunities."

If Roeder's comments are accurate, regardless what the result of efforts of such a committee might be, the Senior Center Board is not obligated to follow any recommendations generated by this activity.

MANY SERVICES PROVIDED
I must confess that, although I qualify to participate in activities provided by the Senior Center, I'm not personally familiar with the services offered. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I read the two other attachments to the agenda item. The first was a list of activities and services provided, along with a tally of the number of people receiving such services. Here is a short list of some of the activities shown. The numbers provided are monthly numbers unless otherwise indicated:
Jazzercise - 412
Tai Chi - 128
Brown Bag Grocery Program - 288
Senior Lunch Box - 56
Home Delivered Meals - 6180 (74,160 annual)
Lunch Program - 35 daily (9100 annual)
Tax Assistance - 455 (Feb-April)
Transportation Services - 770
Transportation Services (Medical Appointments) 267
Ballroom Dance Class - 100
Ballroom Dancing - 153
Beginning Ukulele - 24
AA Men's Support Group - 176
Computer Lectures - 43
Life History Writing - 49
Bingo - 258
Line Dancing - 123
Special Events (Luau, Country Hoe Down, Dinner Theater) - 312
Poker Basics - 44
Travel Trips - 161

It looks to me as though there's a little something for everyone, even just using this brief, partial list of services as a guideline.

The average monthly attendance at the Senior Center ranges from 2400-4100 over the past year.

COSTA MESA CENTER SERVICES EXCEED NEIGHBORS BY FAR
The second report compares the Costa Mesa Senior Center services to those of several neighboring cities. I was even more impressed to see that our Senior Center provides a much broader array of services, by far, than neighboring cities.

WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!
Based on these reports it seems to me that our Senior Center Corporation Board and it's staff must be doing something right.

HAS MONAHAN JOINED LEECE?
I fear that Monahan's request for the establishment of a committee to "study" the Senior Center may just be an extension of Wendy Leece's recent witch hunt, in which she seems to have responded irrationally to the gripes of one or two malcontents at the center - I hope not.

SCHEAFER REBUTS CLAIMS AND REJECTS "THE MOUTH"
The Daily Pilot recently produced an article about Monahan's plan, which can be read HERE. In response to the recent negative publicity about The Center, former council member, current Board member and past President Mike Scheafer penned a letter to the editor that appeared on the pages of the Daily Pilot Sunday, and can be read HERE, in which he rejects the assertions recently published and also takes square aim at The Mouth From Mesa North, the yapping hyena who has produced many critical blog entries over recent weeks implying mismanagement of the center at least and fiscal fraud at worst. It's quite clear from those blog entries that The Mouth is determined to oust the current leadership of the Senior Center. It's also clear that he continues to exercise significant influence over members of the City Council.

IS THIS POLITICAL PAYBACK?
I'm willing to keep my fingers crossed and give Monahan a chance to present his case Tuesday night. It sure does seem to me, though, that this is pure politics at it's worst, with Leece and, maybe, Monahan attempting to use the seniors of our city - those wonderful folks who receive the services of the center - as pawns. Several members of the Senior Corporation Board have been political opponents of the current ruling junta and some have been outspoken critics of some of the more boneheaded moves the majority has made over the past few years. This looks like payback time to me, with the seniors caught in the middle. I'll wait to hear what Monahan has to say...

VISIT SENIOR CENTER ONLINE
In the meantime, visit the Costa Mesa Senior Center site, HERE, to see for yourselves just what a wonderful array of services are being provided to us seniors here in town.