Foley's "Get Connected" Event A Success

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EVENT
Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley hosted another "Get Connected" event last night in City Council Chambers at City Hall to inform residents about the status of the Lions Park Project and provide a primer with a panel of experts on the Group Home issue.

FOLEY LED OFF
Foley led off the event, which ran for two hours, was attended by around 40 people.  The crowd fluxuated depending on the issue being discussed.  She gave a brief background about her earlier event, then a quick summary of what would be covered at this one.

THE PANELISTS
She introduced the panelists: Tarquin Preziosi, Deputy City Attorney; Sherri Vander Dussen, Interim Assistant Development Services Director; Fidel Gamboa, Chief of Code Enforcement; Rob Sharpnack, Chief of Police; Rick McNeil, Attorney and John Stephens, resident and attorney.

HATCH ON THE LIONS PARK PROJECT
First up was City CEO Tom Hatch, who presented us with a brief summary about the Lions Park Project, which includes the demolition of the existing Neighborhood Community Center and replacing it with a two-story, $26 million library; the renovation and repurposing of the existing Donald Dungan Branch Library as a new Community Center and creation of an acre of parkland for community uses.

STATE OF THE ART WITH CREATIVE FINANCING
He told us the Library would be state-of-the-art and that the new community center would provide for maximum flexibility and utility.  He told us the entire project would cost $36 million, half of which would come in the form of cash in a plan approved by the City Council on a 5-0 vote.  The remainder would come in the form of bond indebtedness, which would replace the current Victoria Improvement Bond of approximately $1.4 million per year.  That indebtedness will soon be paid off.

 WHAT ABOUT HOMELESS?
Questions were asked about the growing homeless population at Lions Park and their presence making it nearly unuseable by residents.  Hatch's response was, "We have challenges there."  Gee, no kidding!  He said the new plan has a "security element" in it, but was not specific about it.  Another person asked about the current staff of the community center, and whether they would transition to the new one.  The answer was affirmative.

BETTER DEAL TO REBUILD THAN RENOVATE
Another question was asked about renovating the current community center as an option.  Hatch told us that, while it could be renovated for a couple million less, the return on investment of the new facilities and the usefulness to the community makes up for it.  He also told us the County of Orange, which operates the library, has been a helpful partner in the planning process.

GROUP HOME/SOBER LIVING HOMES
Next came the presentations about the Group Home/Sober Living Home issue.  Foley reminded us that those among us fighting addiction should be treated with respect - they are protected by Federal Law as a "disabled person".

Tarquin Preziosi began with a very informative slide show, all of which is shown here.  I've presented these in order for you, so take your time as you scroll down through them.

VANDER DUSSEN ON STATUS OF APPLICATIONS
He handed it off to Interim Assistant Director of Development Services, Sherri Vander Dussen, who spoke about the current process status as shown on this slide.

Many of those on this chart have been denied and are in the appeal process, an avalance that will hit the Planning Commission beginning in October.

GAMBOA ON CODE ENFORCEMENT
Chief of Code Enforcement, Fidel Gamboa, then took the ball.  He told us his organization has sixteen (16) Code Enforcement officers housed on the 2nd floor of City Hall and at the Westside Substation, across the street from Lions Park.

He explained how difficult it is to try to enforce our two ordinances designed to manage the Sober Living Home issue and suggested that residents contact State officials to get help with the State Licensed Homes.

QUESTIONS
His presentation evoked many questions/comments from members of the audience.  Foley was scampering around with the wireless microphone providing the opportunity for each to be heard.  One resident provided an anecdotal story about her experience with a Sober Living Home in her neighborhood in which one of the residents took her cell phone and slapped her.  It was explained that one of the requirements for a Sober Living Home (see slide in Prezisoi's presentation) was to have a Good Neighbor policy in place.

Another resident complained about letters being sent to her elderly neighbors instead of someone knocking on the door to advise them of code violations.

ART GODDARD ASKED THE RIGHT QUESTION
Perhaps the most interesting comment came from resident Art Goddard, who I will paraphrase by saying, "Many years ago Costa Mesa seemed to have more than our share of massage and tattoo parlors.  Then came the homeless and we seem to have more than our share of them.  Now we have group homes and we certainly have more than our share of them.  He wondered what we have learned from all that experience that that will allow us to head off the next societal disaster?"  Pretty good question.  There was no answer.

SHARPNACK ON CRIME AND STATISTICS
Chief Rob Sharpnack spoke about Crime and statistics.  He told us that his organization works closely with Code Enforcement and the City Homeless group to try to manage the issue.  He did say that 25% - at least - of the homeless in Costa Mesa are Sober Living Home dropouts.  He spoke about the kind of crimes some commit in order to get drugs - car breakins and thefts, home and business burglaries.  He told us, "If you see something, say something." and to NEVER hesitate to call the police.

STAFFING DOWN, CRIME IS UP
Earlier he had told us that his department is down to 112 sworn officers from an authorized staffing level of 136, but that active recruitment continues.  (I will add my two cents here - this city cannot be properly policed with that few police officers on the street.  Despite whatever advanced technology is used, it is impossible.  Despite what the mayor and mayor pro tem and their lackies try to tell you, it is not possible.)

NEIGHORHOOD WATCH AND MORE
Sharpnack also spoke of the Neighborhood Watch Program - a great tool to help residents help law enforcement.  He told us the non-emergency number for the Costa Mesa Police Department - 714-754-5252 - and encouraged us to call it.

MCNEIL'S SUCCESS IN SAN CLEMENTE
Next came Costa Mesa lawyer Rick McNeil, who apparently has had recent success in court in the city of San Clemente representing a Homeowners Association battling a "bad operator" - a group home in a gated community.

THEN CAME STEPHENS
Resident, and City Council candidate, John Stephens followed his friend, McNeil, speaking about these issues as it might apply to Costa Mesa.

THEN CAME QUESTIONS...
Although questions were asked and answered during the presentations, several more were asked at the end.  I'll try to give you a brief summary of some of the questions asked by members of the audience.

CAMPING?
One person asked about "camping" - referring to the homeless folks in our parks and elsewhere around the city.  Foley said it's not against the law to "camp", except in parks where such activity is forbidden by posted ordinances.  She spoke of Talbert Park, referring to it as being like "Survivor".

PRAISING SOBER LIVING NETWORK
One resident praised the Sober Living Network, an organization she said was designed to "self-regulate" sober living establishments around the state to try to weed out the bad operators.  She suggested that city officials reach out to that organization.  Gamboa said they have.

LARGER SEPARATION?
A resident wondered about the 650 foot limitation, and suggested that it might permit as many as 1200 Sober Living Homes in the city and wondered if it's possible to make the range 1,000 feet.  Preziosi suggested that it might have made the ordinance subject to court challenge because it was unreasonable - it might rule out any sober living homes in the city.  The crowd cheered.

PRAISING MCNEIL, CRITICIZING GAMBOA
Another resident praised McNeil for his work in San Clemente, then criticized Gamboa and his organization for taking citizen complaints lightly.  She said some had been told, "You're the only one complaining.", apparently not a fact.

KEEPING STATS?
A question was asked of Sharpnack about the accumulation and compilation of statistics.  He said their current system is due for an upgrade, so much of what might be done must be done manually by individual officers.

COLLABORATION?
A question/comment was made about collaboration between city departments.  Vander Dussin said there is good collaboration.  Preziosi said Costa Mesa leads the charge in ordinances.

STIFLING ACTIVISTS...
Then Robert Mann, who presented himself at the recent CM4RG Town Hall as the head of the aforementioned Sober Living Network, wondered about the consequences of filing frivolous complaints about Sober Living Homes.  It sounded like a question intended to chill some activists.  Stephens immediately jumped in to advise folks to not be deterred, and told them of the SLAPP laws that protect them from lawsuits to stifle public speech.  I know just a little about that stuff, since both Mayor Steve Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer have attempted to have their lawyer quash my free speech rights.

GOOD MEETING
Foley closed the meeting just after 8 p.m. by thanking the participants on the dais and the audience who showed up ready to participate.  It was a good turnout and an excellent program.  Kudos to all involved.

Good Turnout For CM4RG Town Hall

PUBLIC SAFETY AND SOBER LIVING DRAWS A CROWD
Somewhere around 100 people turned out for the Town Hall sponsored by Costa Mesans For Responsible Government (CM4RG) Thursday evening at the Neighborhood Community Center.

CANDIDATES WERE ALSO PRESENT
In addition to the presenters of information, city council candidates, representatives of certain initiatives and candidates for the Mesa Water District Board and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board were also present to answer questions and hand out literature.

 Costa Mesa Sanitary District Board Members 

Art Perry and Jim Ferryman, running for re-election.

OMNIPRESENT BARRY FILMED IT
Barry Friedland of Costa Mesa Brief was on hand to record the event, so look for his work product at his YouTube Channel in the next few days.

REICH TO LEFFLER...
Alex Reich, candidate for the Mesa Water Board, acted as the Master of Ceremonies.  He kicked the meeting off at around 6:45 p.m., then handed it over to CM4RG President Robin Leffler, who led the pledge of alligience and then explained a little bit about the organization.

...TO LEECE
Former councilwoman Wendy Leece then stepped up to provide an update from the Orange County Vector Control Board, of which she was a member during her tour on the City Council.  She explained the need for resident diligence due to the growing problems with West Nile Virus and now the Zika Virus.  No standing water.  Contact Vector Control if you suspect a problem.

COSTA MESA FIRE DEPARTMENT DISCUSSED
Next up was Ralph Taboada, Chairman of the Bikeway and Walkability Committee and member of the Pension Oversight Committee, to talk about the Costa Mesa Fire Department.  He explained that the department used to be one of the premiere departments in Orange County - a destination department.  He explained that the members of the CMFD are active in the community, including teaching CPR and making school presentations.  Members of the CMFD are usually pillars of their communities.  He explained the history - 5 Chiefs in six years - and used slides to enhance his presentation.  These are mostly self-explanatory.

SOBER LIVING HOMES
Then came community activist Teresa Drain to speak about Sober Living issues.  She told us also on hand for questions was Robert Mann of the Sober Living Network.  She gave us some statistics that really made you think.  Speaking of heroin specifically, she told us that there have been 1800 deaths due to overdoses in the past five years and the Center for Disease Control estimates 70 lives a lost daily due to addiction.  There are 300,000 addicts in Orange County.  She told us Costa Mesa has 300 licensed liquor dispensaries.

ADDICTION A DISEASE
She then described Addiction as a disease and Sobriety as addiction in remission.  Among the stats she told us was that there is a 86% failure rate with heroin addicts.  She spoke about the 12-step programs, first evolving from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and now used with Narcanon, too.

DUAL PROBLEM - DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
She spoke of the dual problem of alcohol and drugs and mentioned the Orange County Sober Living Coalition as an organization helping with the problems.  She told us that 80% of criminals have drug and or alcohol addiction issues.  She told us that 95% of those incarcerated for drug issues return to the drugs once released.  She told us that treatment and recovery is the solution, not incarceration, which is why so many petty criminals with drug issues are currently involved in Sober Living Homes.

SPADONI DISCUSSES THE CMPD
Mary Spadoni, life long law enforcement officer - she was the first woman police officer to work in patrol many moons ago - next spoke about the Costa Mesa Police Department.  She spoke about the impact of AB 109 and Prop. 47, and told us to oppose Prop. 57 on the November ballot because it just goes one step further in the wrong direction than Prop. 47.  Because of those laws we have many more criminals on our streets.

STAFF SHORTAGES
She spoke about the decline in staffing of the CMPD - how the current council majority issued over 200 layoff notices to city employees in 2011, several of whom were civilian employees of the CMPD.  She spoke of how that act caused a lawsuit by the Orange County Employees Association, which represents the employees in question, and how the city lost that lawsuit and cost nearly $400,000 in legal fees.

HISTORY OF STAFFING
Spadoni told us a little history of the staffing of the department, and mentioned that currently the authorized staffing level of the CMPD is 136, but that we actually have only 113 on the payroll, 10 of which are out on injuries.  We have only 52 officers available for patrol duty and many of the speciality assignments to which officers aspire - Gangs, Narcotics, K-9 - are no longer available, which hampers recruiting and retention of officers.

ATTRITION REPORT
She mentioned the attrition report prepared by former Chief Tom Gazsi more than two years ago which outlined for CEO Tom Hatch the reasons for the departure of so many officers due to retirement and/or moving on to other venues.  That report was never acknowledged.  Much of that turnover was due to the toxic environment created by the current City Council majority.

PAROLEES LOVE COSTA MESA - NO COPS
Spadoni told us of a meeting in 2014 of representatives of the County Probation Department and State Parole organization in which Costa Mesa representatives at the meeting were told that parolees like to come to Costa Mesa because we're understaffed in the CMPD, so chances of them being picked up for crimes is small.  She described our situation as a perfect storm - fewer cops and greater demand.  She said we're "understaffed and overcrimed".

SHARPNACK TRYING, BUT...
She praised Chief Rob Sharpnack for his energy and enthusiasm trying to get the CMPD back on track, but the process is taking a long time - despite what Mayor Mensinger told us earlier this year.  She cited the influx of sober living homes as part of our problem keeping crime down - it's up dramatically.  She said we're not "Costa Mayberry" anymore.  She told us that Costa Mesa has 3% of the county population but 27% of the sober living homes.  She said 63% of our residences are rentals.  She cited the unrealistic positions taken by candidates Mensinger, Mansoor and Ramos on public safety issues.

Q & A
Next came Questions and Answers presented by the audience via note cards.  The panel included retired CMPD Lieutenant Clay Epperson - a long-time Costa Mesa resident; Former man-of-many-hats, retired Interim Chief Fred Sequin and Robert Mann of Clear Path Recovery to answer Sober Living Questions.

CMPD 5 YEARS BEHIND
In response to a question about police staffing, Epperson told the audience that we're 5 years behind.  That we have a hard time recruiting and retaining officers because of the atmosphere within City Management towards the CMPD.

CMFD WORK SCHEDULE
Seguin was asked about work hours.  He explained that the CMFD works a 56 hour work week and that it's not at all unusual for firefighters to work hundreds and even thousands of overtime hours because of the depleted staffing.

MANN DODGED THE QUESTIONS
Mann, didn't really answer many of the questions posed to him.  Most of the time he waltzed around and did a promotion for his industry and his business specifically.  He feigned ignorance of statistics when asked.  He was not the only Sober Living operator in the room.  He was asked, for example, why there was no mechanism to return failed "clients" to their homes instead of just turning them out onto our streets.  He didn't really answer that, except to say his organization sometimes turns those failures over to other organizations.  Kind of an incestuous situation.

CRIME FROM DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE
Other questions were asked about  rising crime.  Epperson told us much was due to drug and alcohol users.

JULY 4TH ENFORCEMENT?
Seguin was asked about July 4th fireworks and how it is enforced.  He said with current staffing levels it's hard to catch perpetrators in the act.  One angry audience member demanded to know how many arrests were made this year - he had no answer.  He did say it's hard to catch those shooting off illegal fireworks because they are masked by legal fireworks.

IMPACT OF OVERTIME
He was also asked about the impact of overtime on the firefighters.  He responded that it was hard on the firefighters AND on their families due to the unanticipated demands for overtime.  He said it's not unusual for a firefighter to work several consecutive shifts without time off.

FIND BARRY'S RECORDING
The meeting ended just after 8:30.  Find the Costa Mesa Brief recording, HERE.  It will be worth your time.

THANKS TO CM4RG
Thanks to the folks at CM4RG and all the volunteers who put this program together.  I think most who attended thought it was time well-spent.  Interestingly, despite some grumbling on certain social media sites, I saw no members of the opposition in the audience.   That wasn't all bad.  One particularly mouthy candidate for a Sanitary District Board seat kept yapping about attending all week, then did a no-show.  No loss.