And Now A Few Thoughts About Jim Righeimer

 FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
We're a few months into the new council terms and there are a few things on my mind that just need to be said.

POWER SHIFT ON THE DAIS
The balance of power has shifted from one controlled with a dictatorial hand by Jim Righeimer over the past half-dozen years, where anti-employee initiatives, developer-friendly ordinances and personal political considerations drove the decisions made by the City Council to one where a more reasonable form of governance has taken over.

RIGHEIMER'S CABAL
Righeimer and his buddy, Steve Mensinger - unceremoniously dumped by the electorate last November - formed the core of that manipulative cabal.  They were supported by Eric Bever, then the lamest of lame ducks, Gary Monahan, in their quest to reinvent city government - to try to operate it like a business.  This resulted in some epic failures and have cost the city in millions of legal expenses and settlements.  And now there is Allan Mansoor - again.

MANSOOR HAS NO SKILLS
Mansoor has demonstrated - both during his previous tour on the City Council and as an Assemblyman - that he is an incompetent, completely ineffective politician.  He lacks the ability to articulate complex issues and build a consensus.  He is personally responsible for Righeimer's existence in Costa Mesa politics.

RIGHEIMER - THE WORST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO OUR CITY
Righeimer has proven to be a cunning, conniving, political weasel and, in my humble opinion, is the single worst thing to happen to this city over the more than four decades I’ve lived here.  He waltzed into town more than a decade ago and was immediately placed on the Planning Commission by Mansoor, in what certainly looked like political payback for his and Dana Rohrabacher’s support in the 2006 election.  Since that time he has run roughshod over the rules of procedure, attempted to remake City Government with two failed charter attempts, gutted the finest police department in the county in a fit of anti-police malice and made our city less safe by putting potholes ahead of public safety.  The list of his missteps goes on and on.  With an unbreakable majority that included Mensinger and Monahan they sold out our town to developers and sober living interests.  Their actions have depleted our self-insurance fund due to the numerous lawsuits they’ve evoked.  They turned City Hall into a toxic work environment.  Righeimer’s actions resulted in poor Huy Pham leaping to his death as more than 200 illegal layoff notices were distributed. Former Interim Police Chief (twice) Steve Staveley, in his letter to the staff upon his departure, described the Righeimer-led council as, “..incompetent, unskilled and unethical.”  As it turned out, he was being much too kind to them.  The list of Righeimer’s misdeeds goes on and on...

STEALING THE PROCESS - DISENFRANCHISING LATINOS
Righeimer’s legacy will include all of the above, but the worst may be his hijacking of the process of turning Costa Mesa into a vote-by-district city.  The original legal challenge that caused that process to be put into motion was supposed to result in a greater opportunity for political representation of the Latino community that makes up roughly 37% of our population.  That could have happened with a 5-district configuration, with one of them being predominantly Latino.  At the last second Righeimer commandeered the process and inserted a 6-district plus directly-elected mayor scheme onto the ballot.  I attended all the public meetings on this issue and not a single person - not one - expressed a favorable view of that particular configuration.  Righeimer demanded that the consultant demographer include that configuration in the deliberations, then forced it onto the ballot.  I will forever regret not writing an opposing ballot discussion - nobody did.  The result of that theft will be that the Latino population of this city will have a much-diminished opportunity for representation from within their community than with the 5-district option.  Watch for Righeimer to try to manipulate the process of the integration of the new district voting scheme at the election two years from now.  It will take two election cycles to fully integrate the new system.  And, of course, Righeimer will be termed-out of his council seat in 2018, just in time to run for directly-elected mayor.  What a coincidence.

CURIOUS COINCIDENCE
Speaking of coincidences, with the influx of developer and sober living money into our city over the past several years, I find it noteworthy that both Righeimer and Mensinger have decided to completely remodel/rebuild their country club mansions.  It’s particularly interesting since Mensinger was out of work for a couple years recently.  I’m not trying to tie them to any kind of corruption - just observing the curious coincidence.  You can weigh that for what it’s worth.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON HIM
I'm confident the new council majority will return the city to a more appropriate direction and undo some of the more onerous effects of the Righeimer Regime.  I caution you all to keep on an eye on him as he jockeys for position for a run for that directly-elected mayor position that will become available next year.  He's a hack politician out for whatever is in it for him, with a demonstrable hatred for public employees and is not a factor for good in Costa Mesa.  Just assume that every time he opens his mouth a lie is about to be heard.

Huy Pham Will Be Remembered Again Today

"GET TO CITY HALL, NOW!"
Six years ago today, at approximately 3 p.m., I received an urgent telephone call from a friend who works at the Costa Mesa City Hall telling me to drop whatever I was doing, grab my camera and get to City Hall - NOW!  No further explanation, just the repeated instruction to get to City Hall immediately.  Well, I trust this friend, so I did, indeed, stop what I was doing, grab my camera and drove a little too quickly to the Costa Mesa City Hall.

CLEAR SIGNS OF TROUBLE
When I turned into the parking lot off Fair Drive I immediately saw emergency trucks parked near the employee entrance on the east side of the building, with yellow Caution tape strung around.  I knew something was seriously wrong.

NAGHAVI'S GRIEF
As I parked my car I saw Public Services Director Peter Naghavi, obviously very distraught, briskly walking toward that site.  I later took a photo of him sitting on a curb in the parking lot, sobbing.

LEARNING OF PHAM'S DEATH
As I worked my way around the side of the building I encountered folks who told me what happened.  Huy Pham, a then 29-year old maintenance worker who had been out on a medical leave due to a non-work related injury, was one of the more than 200 employees who were to receive layoff notices that day.  He apparently got the word unofficially, came to City Hall, went to the roof of the building and leaped to his death.

IMAGES BURNED IN MY BRAIN
As news vans packed the parking lot and their helicopters circled overhead, memories of that day will never leave me.  Even though the images I captured that day clearly show the drama of that incident, those I did NOT record remain burned in my memory - I suspect I will never forget them.... Like new City Manager Tom Hatch being consoled by Pastor Mike Decker... Like Transportation Manager Raja Sethuraman restraining Pham's supervisor as he moved to confront Jim Righeimer - the man who will carry Pham's blood on his soul forever...  Like my brief conversation with then-interim Police Chief Steve Staveley, who began his second tour in that role just two days earlier... And the tears - so many tears on the cheeks of employees as they heard about this tragedy and came downstairs to console one another.

MONAHAN'S WORST MOMENT - OF MANY
I've written about this day many times, and always on the anniversary - St. Patrick's Day.  The fact that it occurred on that holiday is relevant because, upon hearing the tragic news then-Mayor Gary Monahan, instead of dropping what he was doing and going to City Hall to help manage the situation and console distraught employees, he chose to remain in his little kilt at his gin mill and pull beer taps, selling green beer and having a good old time.  He told one reporter at the time that it was, "the biggest day of my life".  I was disgusted then and remain so to this day.  That event, and more that would follow, demonstrated what a poor excuse for a human being Monahan is, and that he was unworthy of the trust placed in him by the electorate.

WORST DAY - BEGINNING OF AN ERA
Last year I wrote about this tragedy HERE.  Please take the time to read that entry and follow the links embedded in it to other entries I've written.  This event marked one of the worst days in the history of our city.  It marked what can be considered the beginning of the Jim Righeimer era in our town - when his flawed vision for the city and his ham-handed ways about trying to achieve his objectives have left an indelible scar on our city that will last forever.

LAYOFF NOTICES RESCINDED AFTER COSTLY LAWSUIT
The layoff notices issued that day, which precipitated Pham's death, proved to be illegal after a long and costly court battle and were rescinded.

DESTRUCTION OF THE CMPD
A few months later Righeimer led the march to disband the ABLE Helicopter program - the benchmark by which other municipal airborne law enforcement programs had been measured.  He had already instructed Staveley that the staffing level for the CMPD was too high and imposed an artificially-contrived number that gutted the department.  That, combined with the bogus lawsuit filed by Righeimer and councilman Steve Mensinger against the men and women of the CMPD, created such a toxic environment that more than 50 experienced officers either retired early or left for other jurisdictions, creating a vacancy issue that we still deal with today.  Righeimer refused to let then-Chief Tom Gazsi begin recruiting efforts to fill those vacancies for nearly a year.  Incidentally, Gazsi is among those who have moved on - retiring from the CMPD to become the Chief of the Los Angeles Port Police.  According to current Police Chief Rob Sharpnack, if we have no further drop-outs it will still take until the end of 2018 to fully staff the department - and that's at the artificially-created lower staffing level.  And the crime statistics rise.

STAVELEY WAS CORRECT
In June of that year, 2011, Staveley - a law enforcement leader of national renown who brought stable, skilled leadership to the CMPD twice when it was so necessary - abruptly resigned.  In his wake he left behind a long letter outlining his thoughts.  With his permission I reproduced it verbatim in an entry, HERE.   His criticism of the city elected leaders was spot-on, which has been validated in the years that have passed since that date.

DEMONSTRATIONS
In the days and weeks following Pham's death we saw many demonstrations at City Hall.  There was a formal remembrance of his passing, with his family present.  On a rainy day more than 100 individuals circled City Hall under umbrellas for a prayer vigil in his honor, HERE.  A year later a tree was later planted on the opposite side of the building in Pham's memory.

ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY HIS IMAGE
In the wake of Pham's passing there was a focused effort to sully his image by claiming he was some kind of drug-addled doper - a falsehood spread far and wide on social media by sycophants of those in power.  Pham apparently was taking pain medication for his injured foot.  That campaign demonstrated the lengths some folks will go to in order to destroy a reputation.  Shame on them!

NO CELEBRATING FOR ME
So, today I will not be celebrating St. Patrick's Day the way most will do - by joyfully wearing green and slugging down too may beers to mark the day.  I will not be going to Monahan's pub, although I won't be surprised if some folks visit to remind him of this day.  The CMPD is joining many other law enforcement agencies by enhancing patrols, to try to keep the roadways safe from drunk drivers.

A SMALL REMEMBRANCE TODAY
No, this afternoon I will join others who remember that day as we pay our respects to the memory of Huy Pham at the site where he died, in the parking lot on the east side of City Hall, near the employee entrance.  From 4-6 p.m. folks will gather to respectfully remember that young man and his life cut short by circumstances that should not have happened.

I WON'T FORGET...
And I will NEVER forget nor forgive the circumstances that created that tragedy and the people responsible.  Rest in Peace, Huy Pham...

A Timely, Personal, Essay From Chief Steve Staveley

A MESSAGE WORTH CONSIDERING
Today my friend, Steve Staveley, published a very personal essay on Facebook that I thought should be shared beyond those borders.

HE SERVED COSTA MESA WITH DISTINCTION - TWICE
As most know, Chief Staveley was the interim Police Chief for the City of Costa Mesa twice within the past several years as city officials went through the process of searching for and selecting a permanent chief.  He served my community with great professionalism and skill both times.

A LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADER FOR FOUR DECADES
Chief Staveley has more than four decades of law enforcement experience under his belt and is widely recognized as a true law enforcement leader.  He has retired, but remains a cop to the core.  Considering all the recent unpleasantness involving law enforcement across the country I thought I should share his observations with you.  Here is his essay:

I was not born a policeman.     I became one in 1967 - and yes policeman was the title.    Like all police officers, I learned in the academy, in classes after graduation but mostly from colleagues, mentors, leaders and experienced police officers like Gene Shields, Dave DeSoucy, Neil Wyman, Dale Wilson and so many others.    I learned what not to do and what to do to be good.   I watched those who I would later see as utter failures, rude, biased, unprofessional.   I learned from those like Bill Hamm who always tried to do the work the right way, but have fun doing it.   I had to learn some of it over a couple of times because it just did not take the first few.    I learned from peers, subordinates and supervisors.   People like Dorothy Nelson, Don Martin, Ken Baguley, Bob Reber, Billy Cox, Pat Black,   and many more.   I found in my first department and in my other agencies that I could learn as much by those I supervised as those that I worked for.    Vic Pobis and I worked together for several shifts and I was amazed how much I picked up from him.

I thought I was pretty good when I got to about 3 years of service only to learn by 7 or 8 years on the job that I had been a babe in the woods, not very good at all.     Somewhere between 5 and 7 years most police officers become what leaders would consider skilled.    That is they can handle any call without having to seek help of sergeants but they know and will ask when they need help and guidance - its experience, education and a consistent positive culture of ethical conduct to guide them that makes the difference.    Its one of the reasons great supervisors, Internal Affairs, and thoughtful discipline is so important in police agencies.  

Somewhere in that 5 to 7 year time frame, cops often begin to see the true role of the police.    They understand and can accept the idea that their profession is not really law enforcement (as everyone including the cops say ), but the police service with more effort needed in community building and community outreach to all the members of the community.   They begin to understand the concept of Justice in society and that some folks should not get arrested (where the officer has the legal authority which is often the case ) and others should be held before the courts.    A kid who makes a stupid mistake might be diverted to an in house program for redirection and a harden gang member sent straight to the next level because of his history of failure to follow societies and the communities rules.    I third kid with the same history and offense might well be best served and Justice best serviced by taking him home and letting mom and dad dispense the lesson.   That may not be as possible today as it was in the 60s and 70's and if so, that may well be a loss to the learning process.

Today, long retired, I still carry on my keys a handcuff key first put on my key ring  in 1967.    My badge, uniforms, Sam Browne are all put away.    I can still carry a gun, and I do sometimes.    It was something I always did when working full time and seldom do now.   What is funny is I still consider myself a policeman.    True, at my age, I don't possess the physical skills necessary to be a street cop.    I do still think of myself as one however, and recognize that, like many of my fellow retired cops, I know how to do community outreach, to build the quality of life in a community, to reach out to people and treat them with respect and dignity while still doing the job.    Mike Mitchell who is retired and I had this kind of conversation recently.    Like Mike,  I know how to work toward Justice in our society and what ethical police work looks and feels like.       It is not surprising then when neighbors say to me, as they did last week, that they are sorry about the Dallas cops.      They know that the only thing that keeps society moving forward ultimately is  good police work.   They know, in their heart of hearts that police work done correctly is about defending the community, growing the community, insuring Justice is done in our society for all its members.   They know too, although I have never said it to anyone, I still see myself as a policeman.   

I was not born a policeman, but when I die, I surly shall still be one, as will many of us.   Thus we are all hurt when a cop does not do the job correctly and equally hurt when one is harmed trying to do the job the right way.   But its not up to us old retired guys its up to those still doing the job.   Do it right ladies and gentlemen, do it with vigor, do it ethically and without bias and if you have a bias, whatever it might be, keep it out of your work and to yourself.   No cop ever got paid to show a bias, only to be fair, straightforward, and engaged in the community for the betterment of that community, society and the profession.       Having someone say " your a good police officer" is just about the highest praise anyone in any profession could possibly receive.     Ultimately its not medals and awards that police officers seek, its knowing they are appreciated for doing a difficult and at times, impossible job.   Appreciated by their leaders sure, but most importantly by the community they are engaged in building.

Prop. 47 and Realignment Are Epic Failures

HOT OFF THE PRESSES

A friend shared the following recent essay from the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs blog.  It will come as no surprise to those of us in Costa Mesa, where crime was up 33% through the end of 2015, HERE.  The January, 2016 numbers are better, HERE, but Burglaries and Stolen Vehicles are still off the charts. Realignment and Prop. 47 are epic failures and we, the public, are the ones who will suffer for that failure.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN COSTA MESA

In Costa Mesa the issue is exacerbated (not "exasperated", Steve) by the proliferation of sober living facilities in our city.  It is estimated at more than 28% of all Orange County sober living homes are in Costa Mesa.  Those "clients" who run out of insurance money or cash, or otherwise fail to complete their course of rehabilitation, are summarily dumped out onto our streets, where their options are grim.  In many cases it means homelessness and/or a life of crime to feed whatever their habit is.

STILL UNDERSTAFFED
The Costa Mesa Police Department remains significantly understaffed - as I write this there are 25 open positions - even though the Human Resourcs staff and the CMPD are pushing forward with recruitment efforts with all prudent haste.  We've been able to hire many of the best of the best from academy classes.

TOXIC ENVIRONMENT
Over the past four years we've lost nearly half the staff due to retirements - early and regular - and departures to other jurisdictions due to the toxic environment created by the elected leadership majority.  You cannot expect the same level of performance by the new officers filling those holes in the organization that you got from those old hands who left.  Police work takes experience to develop proficiency.  And, because of the tension caused by the bogus lawsuit filed against the men and women of the CMPD by the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem - combined with an unwillingness of the city to negotiate a new labor contract - it was nearly impossible to attract lateral transfers from other jurisdictions.  We're told there is a new labor contract pending - after nearly two years without one - and the lawsuit continues to linger.

OPPORTUNITIES LOST
Specialty units were decimated and positions in them were not filled, creating a disincentive to officers hoping to make a career with the CMPD.  Many of the forward-thinking steps taken by previous chiefs - Roger Neth, Dave Snowden, and Tom Gazsi - have been chopped.  Steve Staveley tried to hold things together as Interim Chief (twice)The current city administration was non-responsive to the needs for a couple years.  In the spring of 2014 CEO Tom Hatch received from then-chief Gazsi his plan for the resurrection of the Costa Mesa Police Department.  That plan was never acknowledged, much less acted upon.  The elected leadership refused to permit Gazsi and his team recruit to fill existing and anticipated vacancies for more than eight (8) months!  That put them far behind the recruitment curve, where they remain today.

READ THE ESSAY
So, this essay below is just one more exclamation point on the issues facing law enforcement throughout the state, and Costa Mesa particularly.  You won't enjoy it, but you should read it.  Some sycophants of the current elected "leaders" in town will say, "Well, look who wrote it!  Those darn union thugs!", or words to that effect.  Well, ignore the authors if you must, even though they are the men and women who have to deal with these failed ideas every day, but read the facts.

FBI Statistics Show  "The Experiment" Has Failed By ALADS Board of Directors When Realignment was introduced, it was described as one of the "great experiments in American incarceration policy."   Unfortunately, the guinea pigs in this experiment were not the inmates released from the state prisons, but the residents of California who lives and property were purposely put at risk.  That change was followed in short order by Proposition 47, which not only led to the release of prison inmates but reduced former felony drug and theft crimes to misdemeanors.  While law enforcement warned crime rates would increase if Proposition 47 passed, voters fell for an initiative duplicitously labeled "The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act." After the passage of Proposition 47, our deputies and law enforcement across the state saw an increase in crime.  Law enforcement leaders who attempted to inform the public of increase in crime due to Proposition 47 were shouted down.  For example, when Sheriff Jim McDonnell was interviewed by the LA Times in a series of videos entitled "Thanks to Prop. 47, Californians are less safe than they were a year ago," some people claimed the Sheriff was "spreading disinformation" and such claims were "rhetoric" that was not supported by "data." Well, now we have the "data" the some claimed was missing-and it proves the point Sheriff McDonnell had been making.  As detailed in a release from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, FBI statistics released last month documenting nationwide reported crime rates for cities with populations over 100,000 for January-June, 2015 showed California suffered a drastic increase in crime rates in both the violent and property categories. In the violent crime category, California had 3 cities in the top 5, and 5 of the top 10, for increases in violent crime rates. The grim news didn't stop with the "top 10." 49 of 66 California cities in the report had increases in violent crime rates; 34 of those cities saw the violent crime rate increase by double digits. It was even worse in the property crime category.  California took the first 3 spots for increases in property crime rates, and 5 of the first 10.  48 of the 66 California cities saw an increase in their property crime rates, with 24 seeing the rate rise by double digits.  In a blog by the Public Policy Institute of California, the authors noted the property crime rate increase was "widespread and not trivial in magnitude." Of particular note, wrote the PPIC, was that that large cities in the next four largest states (Florida, Texas, New York and Illinois) saw decreases in property crime. Another misleading claim about Proposition 47 and Realignment was that there would be a cost savings as a result of those laws.  In truth, the cost of crime was merely shifted from the state to crime victims and local jurisdictions.  Thus, while a report proudly touted a savings to the State of California of $128 million, it did not set a dollar amount due to this burden shifting-which is enormous.  For example, in Los Angeles County, (we examined cities in LA County that were in the FBI report) and calculated the "cost of crime" using widely accepted Rand Corporation cost method first introduced by New York City Police Commissioner and former LAPD Chief William Bratton. The result- a cost of crime of over $249 million for just six months of 2015 (and only including cities with a population in excess of 100,000.) The sobering numbers above vividly prove that we cannot afford, both in the fiscal and public safety sense, yet another "experiment" with public safety.  We will continue to educate the public on the true cost of the crime experiments now underway, as an educated public is the surest way to defeat new proposals that would cut the amount of time felons serve in prison The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) is the collective bargaining agent and represents more than 8,200 deputy sheriffs and district attorney investigators working in Los Angeles County. To contact the directors, click here. # # #

Foley Asks For City Attorney Investigation

MENSINGER/RIGHEIMER ON FIRE STATION #6
At the very tail end of the recent Costa Mesa City Council meeting - the one that began Tuesday night and ended at 1:20 Wednesday morning - Councilwoman Katrina Foley interrupted Mayor Steve Mensinger as he was about to adjourn the meeting to make a request of contract City Attorney Thomas Duarte to analyze the issue of whether Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer should be recused from discussions and votes dealing with the closure or operations of Fire Station #6 since they wrote - or at least a commentary appeared in the Daily Pilot over their signatures - opining that Station #6 should not be closed.  She referred to the "Woody's Wharf" case.  You can watch her question to Duarte on the video clip of the meeting, HERE.  Just scroll down to "City Attorney Report" at the very end and listen to her inquiry.

REGISTER COVERED IT
For those unfamiliar with that case - I remembered it, but didn't recall the details that would make it relevant to this issue - HERE is a link to an Orange County Register article that does a good job of summarizing it.

READ TO THE END...
What makes it relevant is way down at the end of the article.  The Appellate Court determined that then-councilman Mike Henn had addressed his opposition openly and tried to influence his fellow council members to deny the approval previously given by Newport Beach's Planning Commission.

RECUSAL SEEMS OBVIOUS
It's easy to see the relevance to this issue.  Mensinger and Righeimer have already "voted" on this issue by publishing that commentary.  Whether it influenced other members of the city council is an unknown, but recent history shows us that Gary Monahan would likely just nod his head in acquiescence and vote with them.  Of course, it is against the law to do that kind of stuff.

WAITING FOR DUARTE...
So, it will be interesting to see what Duarte comes back with.  It would appear that this will be an easy call for him based on the  circumstances of the Woody's Wharf case.  Then, again, he does have a job to protect, so we'll see.

*****

A REMINDER - THE FIRST OF MANY
From time to time we're going to remind you of what former Interim Police Chief Steve Staveley said in his departure letter to his troops in June, 2011.  His lengthy letter covered the circumstances of his departure in great detail, but one of the more memorable comments he made was aimed directly at the City Council majority at the time.  He said:

"They are, in my opinion, incompetent, unskilled and unethical."  

In the more than four years since he made that comment his words have proven to be precisely accurate.  The council male majority has demonstrated each of those elements over and over again.  Something to ponder as we move forward.  We will mention it from time to time.

Rob Sharpnack Sworn-in To Lead CMPD

IT'S OFFICIAL!
Today, before a nearly packed auditorium, the City of Costa Mesa made it official and  Rob Sharpnack was sworn-in as Chief Of Police.

A ROOM FULL OF SUPPORT
Friends, relatives, co-workers, city staffers, past chiefs, current law enforcement leaders from all over the region and a few residents gathered in City Council Chambers at City Hall to watch City Clerk Brenda Green issue the oath of office to Sharpnack as his wife and children stood beside him.  And, there were plenty of real photographers on hand, so you won't have to be satisfied with the marginal images appearing here.

DIEBALL ON THE GAME
CMPD Sergeant Clint Dieball ran the show today and it went like clockwork.  We were promised a short program and that's how it turned out.

HONOR GUARD
An Honor Guard presented the colors and Dieball led the Pledge of Allegiance

PLENTY OF DIVINE GUIDANCE
We had invocations by two chaplains - Rick Johnson and Mike Decker.

COUNCIL PRESENCE
We had a short speech by Mayor Steve Mensinger.   Katrina Foley and Sandra Genis attended and Jim Righeimer showed up only a half hour late.  There was no sign of Gary Monahan.

HATCH HINTS AT THE FUTURE
CEO Tom Hatch expressed his pleasure with the choice of Sharpnack as his new chief and gave us encouraging words about Sharpnack's goals for the department.

HISTORY
Dieball gave us a brief history of Sharpnack's background, including his baseball-playing days and summarized his two decades with the CMPD and his steady advancement to his role as chief.

EMOTIONAL ACCEPTANCE
Sharpnack gave an emotional acceptance speech, which caused more than a few lumps in the throat around the auditorium and included expressions of gratitude to many of the folks gathered there today for their support and influence on his life and career.

THE LIST OF LEGENDS

Former chiefs in the audience included Roger Neth - the second police chief in the city and the man who oversaw the time of greatest growth and technological advancement; Dave Snowden - who set the bar high as he led the department for nearly seventeen years before retiring, then heading up the Beverly Hills PD until he recently retired from that job;  Tom Gazsi, who led the CMPD for more than three years after a three-decade career at the Newport Beach Police Department, who retired last year and moved to the position of Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Port Police, where he is currently Acting Chief of that department; Steve Staveley, the legendary law enforcement leader who was interim chief of the CMPD - twice - in recent years and Ron Lowenberg, who was the most recent interim chief whose steady hand was on the tiller as he filled the gap between Gazsi and Sharpnack.  My head began to hurt as I tried to calculate the decades of law enforcement leadership represented by those men.  The City has been very lucky to have each of them contribute to the leadership of the CMPD.  Each of those exceptional law enforcement leaders have left an indelible imprint on the CMPD, and on the City.

WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?
Recent retirees and colleagues of Sharpnack returned to wish him well, most of who showed up in the trappings of retirement - several days growth of beard, t-shirts and flip-flops.  We all smiled about that.

TOUCHING MOMENT
One of the highlights for me was when, as part of the ceremony, Sharpnack's son, Colin, affixed the pin to his father's shirt.  A truly great moment.

THE SHARPNACK ERA BEGINS
So, the Sharpnack era in the Costa Mesa Police Department has officially begun.  Based on the plans mentioned by Hatch, there are good days ahead for the department.  We hope those days include a serious re-assessment of the staffing level of the department and the refinement of statistical reporting so the residents can have confidence in the numbers as presented.  We are sure, under Rob Sharpnack's steady hand, all those things will come together.  We wish Chief Sharpnack and the men and women of the CMPD all the best as this new era for the department begins.