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.

A New City Manager And The Pride Flag Will Fly

I’M BAAAACK!

I’m back again - two days in a row after months of absence - to wrap up the issue of my previous blog post.  That one, about flying the Pride Flag over Costa Mesa City Hall for 5 weeks beginning this year, generated lots of heat.  In fact, I attended the City Council meeting Tuesday night specifically for two reasons.  1 - To meet our new City Manager, Lori Ann Farrell Harrison and, 2 - to watch the discussion on the Pride Flag issue.

WELCOMING LORI ANN FARRELL HARRISON

First things first…. I was the first person to greet our new City Manager before she entered the meeting room at the Senior Center.  She is VERY impressive.  She has an outstanding background - strong academically and excellent work experience.  We were told she is known for her “kindness”.   

HEAPING PRAISE ON LETOURNEAU

When it came time for the discussion of her new contract things got more than a little embarrassing for Acting City Manager, Assistant City Manager Tammy Letourneau.  Several speakers, including council members, heaped much-deserved praise on her for the great job she has done for the city.  

MANSOOR THE BUFFOON

Sadly, our resident buffoon, Allan Mansoor, could not simply take the high road and welcome Mrs. Farrell Harrison and vote with the majority.  No, horses butt that he is, he had to tell Mrs. Farrell Harrison that he thought she was a good candidate, but the City should have chosen Letourneau, who didn’t even apply for the job!  Even worse, he looked straight at Mrs. Farrell Harrison and wondered out loud why we paid her $1,000 per month more than her predecessor, Tom Hatch!  What a low class jerk!  Anyhow, the council affirmed her contract on a 6-1 vote.

PRIDE FLAG DISCUSSION

Then we finally got around to the final item on the agenda, the discussion of whether we should fly a Pride Flag for five weeks every year beginning May 22nd (to honor murdered gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk) and for the entire month of June - Pride Month.

MANY LINED UP

After a short staff report and a brief discussion by Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds, who put this idea forward, public comments were invited.  This was VERY interesting.  Twenty-one (21) people lined up against the wall to come to the podium to address this issue.  All were passionate on the subject.  

LEAD-OFF NEGATIVE COMMENT

The first person, who identified herself as a MAGA supporter, was dead-set against flying the flag.  She was in the minority.

SUSAN MEYER

Among the others who spoke was my friend, Susan Meyer (who posted a comment on my Facebook page in response to my previous post and who greeted me with a big hug in the parking lot before the meeting)  She used her three minutes to describe her life as a gay woman, and what this step would mean to her in terms of acceptance of who she is.  It was very moving.

COSTA MESA LATINA

 A young Latina from Costa Mesa told us of her life as a gay woman in a culture that doesn’t embrace her.  She, too, was very passionate on this issue.

INTOLERANCE IN THE SOUTH

A 40 year-old black man spoke of his life as a gay youth in Alabama, and how moving to California changed things for him.

RELIGIOUS ACCEPTANCE

Pastor Sarah Halvorson-Cano, with her infant son in tow, expressed the position of her local church on this issue, and how they embrace everyone, including gays.

A YOUNG REPUBLICAN’S STORY

A dapper young man, Ben Chapman, stepped up and told us that he was gay and a young Republican.  He explained how the Republican Party has given him more love and support than the gay community, and that he questioned the value of flying the flag. He said, "I support one flag, the American Flag.  I don't need a Rainbow flag to tell me who I am."

A MINISTER’S TRAVAILS

Craig Chapman, who it turns out is Ben's husband, stepped up and described his travails as a minister and a gay man.

JUST A FEW EXAMPLES

These were just a few examples of passionate folks who stepped up to share their stories.  Several mentioned the high suicide rate among gay youth.

CHAVEZ LEAD THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION

When it came time for the council to consider the two issues at hand - a new Flag Policy and whether to fly the Pride Flag -  young councilman Manuel Chavez took the lead and made a motion, which was bifurcated to split the issues.  The decision on the Flag Policy passed with a 5-2 vote - Mansoor and Sandy Genis voted NO.

HIS POIGNANT STORY

Then came the discussion of the Pride Flag.  Chavez told a poignant story about growing up in Costa Mesa and his best friend was gay.  He spoke of what he observed in his friend’s life.  It was very moving.

MARR’S NAVAL STORY

Councilwoman Andrea Marr, a Naval Academy graduate who served aboard ships for five years, spoke of being a 22 year-old officer in charge of 17-19 year-old sailors, working in the bowels of ships where conversations sometimes turned to the fact that some were gay - and likely to be booted from the service if “outed”.

REYNOLDS SPOKE OF HER PARENTS

 Councilwoman Reynolds, who placed this issue on the agenda spoke of growing up in Costa Mesa and of gay friends.  She spoke of her parents - both in the audience last night - who were outstanding educators.  She spoke of her father in glowing terms, speaking about his creation of a counselor position to help gay youth at his high school in Santa Ana.

MANSOOR’S BIGOTRY SHOWED

Earlier Mansoor spoke against the issue.  At one point he said something like, “I know of no scientific evidence that a person is born gay.”  Many in the audience and on the dais noticeably cringed, including Marr, who covered her face and later looked like she was praying for him.

A GLIMPSE OF THE SANDY GENIS OF OLD

Finally came veteran Councilwoman Sandy Genis, who spoke with great compassion and eloquence, describing the obligation of the council to make residents feel welcome and safe.  For those fleeting few moments I harkened back to the Sandy Genis of old.  It was the best moment of leadership - maybe the only moment -  I’ve seen from her in a couple years.

MOIST EYES ALL AROUND

As that discussion went on it was easy to see moist eyes on the dais, particularly among the young members.  I’m OK with that. 

STILL CONCERNED, BUT MOVED…

While I still don’t know exactly where I stand on this issue, I was moved by the passion of the speakers and the compassion showed by our elected leaders - except one.

STUBBORN AND STUPID

When the vote was called each member except Allan Mansoor voted Yes.  His No vote was unnecessary and, while it may have demonstrated to him the steadfastness of his opinion, it clearly showed the fracture on the dais.  Mansoor is as stubborn as he is stupid, which he demonstrated more than once last night.

THE FLAG WILL FLY

So, the 6-1 vote means we will begin seeing the Pride Flag flying at City Hall beginning this May 22nd.  It will continue to fly through the month of June to recognize Pride Month.  I’m still not happy about that.  I don’t feel it is appropriate to fly the flag over our city honoring Harvey Milk  What about a flag for Martin Luther King, Jr.?  Heck, what about a flag for Costa Mesa Fire Captain Mike Kreza, who was killed by a dope-addled driver last year?  You get my point, right?  Mansoor implied that he was going to ask for something to be placed on a future agenda about other kinds of flags that might be flown.  The mind reels at the thought!

ADDING “QUEER” TO THE MIX

In my original post I mentioned LGBT - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.  During the testimony by speakers it was frequently mentioned as LBGTQ - adding the term “queer” to the discussion.  Each time a person - and several did - use that word it actually startled me.  As I grew up - way back in the dark ages - that word was meant as a pejorative, a negative slur that didn’t necessarily mean a person was gay.  Now it apparently has become a term of honor among the gay community.   I filed that in the folder with all the other things I don’t understand these days.

SMALL TURNOUT

I kind of thought there might be a bigger turnout for this issue.  At no time Tuesday night was there more than about 60 people in the room and, by the time this item was introduced there may have been 40, not counting City staff.  More than half of those in attendance spoke to the issue, but it was a pretty small sample of our population.  Perhaps folks were just not interested.  Or, maybe, they were afraid of speaking out - one way or the other - before the council and their neighbors.   Or, maybe they were just in the next room playing Bingo!

GLAD I ATTENDED, BUT…

So, I’m glad I attended.  I have a better perspective on alternate lifestyles now.  Although I held no animus toward gay people before, I think I have a greater sense of compassion for their plight now.  But, I still don’t like the idea of flying the flag for five weeks every year.  

IF WE’RE SERIOUS WE NEED TO DO MORE

Yeah, if a young person dealing with being gay looks up at the flag and it dissuades him or her from considering suicide, then it’s worth it.  As a couple speakers said last night, if the City is serious about providing real support, then more than a flag flying over City Hall is necessary.  There should be a more concerted outreach effort, to help those struggling with this.  I don’t have a solution, but I think I have a better understanding of the problem.

AN INTERESTING SIDEBAR

I thought it was interesting that, almost before the crowd had dispersed last night, both Mayor Katrina Foley and Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens had posted a Facebook entry announcing the approval of the Pride Flag and used this image - which is a cropped version of the official City photo of the council - which eliminated Mansoor and included a rainbow border at the top.  Yeah, I smiled, but it did seem just a little over the top.

ANOTHER INTERESTING SIDEBAR
Immediately after the meeting ended and the euphoric crowd was milling around, hugging each other, I noticed Allan Mansoor made a beeline to young Ben Chapman and spent a few minutes chatting him up.  I don't know what that means... it was interesting to observe.

VIEW IT ON CM TV/YOUTUBE
Here's the link to this meeting on the City YouTube Channel HERE.

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THAT'S IT.... FOR NOW

I don't expect to post more on the blog - unless something really special moves me.  You just never know.  If you want to comment on what I wrote here you'll have to migrate back to my Facebook page to do so.  Thanks for reading...

Another Packed Agenda For Tuesday's Council Meeting

 LOTS OF GOOD STUFF ON TUESDAY'S AGENDA
The Costa Mesa City Council meets again on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 for a meeting full of interesting stuff.  The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers but a Special Closed Session precedes that meeting at 5:00 p.m.  You can read the full agenda HERE.

SPECIAL CLOSED SESSION FIRST
The Special Closed session has two items on it.  #1 is a conference with legal counsel on existing litigation - Timothy Dadey, et al v. City of Costa Mesa.

Item #2 is a conference with labor negotiators - Assistant City Manager Tamara Letourneau, regarding the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association (CMFA).

Any public comments on these two items only will be heard at 5:00 p.m., after which the council will recess to Conference Room 5A for deliberations.

The regular open meeting will commence at 6:00 p.m., or as close to it as possible following the Closed Session.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Following the opening events - National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, Public Comments and Council Member Comments the council will consider the Consent Calendar.  There are seven (7) items on the Consent Calendar Tuesday.  These are items that could be moved in one motion without separate discussion unless a member of the council, staff or public pulls one.  Those items will be discussed immediately following the vote on the remainder.  I'm not going to address them all - just a couple.  You can read all about them on the agenda link above.

MORE CONSULTANTS AND LEGAL FEES
#2 is Warrant #2574, HERE, which shows us how we spent about $4 million of our tax dollars.  I did notice that our list for our Contract Attorney firm, Jones & Mayer, is significantly lower this time around - just over $67,000.  However, combined with other legal charges from other firms, we still spent well over $100,000 on legal fees on this warrant.  And, of course, we continue to rack up large amounts for consultants for Plan Check, Building Inspection, Engineering, Department Management for Development Services and the like.  We also spent another $60,000 for helicopter support by the City of Huntington Beach.  Feel free to go to that link and scroll down to see for yourselves.

COIN HEARING FOR DIVISION MANAGERS
The first Public Hearing, HERE,  on the agenda will be a doozy.  This is the required first hearing under the Civic Openness In Negotiations (COIN) Ordinance for the adoption of the salary and benefits agreement between The City and the Costa Mesa Division Managers Association (CMDMA).  This group has not seen an increase in salary ranges since 2008 and they agreed to increase contributions to CalPERS without a salary increase in 2012, which resulted in a pay reduction.  Recruitment and retention is proving difficult under these circumstances.

OVERDUE CHANGES
The staff recommendation includes salary range adjustments between 2.00% and 15.88 % and has a handy chart to show those changes.  Changes in contributions to the CalPERS plan are included, as are reduction in the vacation cap and Executive Leave.  A Technology Allowance is created and the Car Allowance is increased.  Read the staff report.  It also includes those employees described as "Confidential".

REVISITING THE HELISTOP
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is a request for a retroactive time extension on a Planning Application and Conditional Use Permit for a private helistopat 3132 Airway Avenue that expired last November.  If approved the extension would run until November 3, 2017.  When the original request was approved in November of 2015 it was a split vote, with Foley and Genis voting NO.  This will be interesting.

OVERSEEING FAIRVIEW PARK
New Business #1, HERE, is Professional Services Agreement for Fairview Park Maintenance, Management and Biological Services in the amount of $397,640 for one year.  That number might increase by $30,000 or $60,000 if the council decides to include a Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Program for one or two years.  Read the staff report.

PLACENTIA AVENUE MEDIANS
New Business #2, HERE, is the Placentia Avenue Median Improvement Project between Adams Avenue and Wilson Street.  Depending on which plant palette is utilized, it could result in 140 trees and over 3,000 plants installed in this median.  The Public Services staff secured a grant of $844,200, of which $738,400 is available for the construction phase.  See the full array of conceptual landscape plans HERE.

MORE APPOINTMENTS
New Business #3, HERE, is the final item on the agenda.  This is Appointments to various commissions and the Senior Commission.  The City Council will be asked to appoint forty-nine (49) regular committee positions, four (4) alternate members to committees and one new member to the Senior Commission.  Here we go again...

BIKEWAYS AND WALKABILITY COMMITTEE
The Bikeway and Walkability Committee consists of fifteen (15) members and we received sixteen applications (16).  Membership will be split between 8 for two years and 7 for one year.

CULTURAL ARTS COMMITTEE
The Cultural Arts Committee, which consists of eleven (11) appointed members, which serve staggered two-year terms, has seven (7) positions available, including one (1) alternate.  Fifteen (15) applications were received.  The newly-appointed members will serve two years.

HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
The Historical Preservation Committee also consists of eleven (11) appointed positions which serve staggered two-year terms.  There are eleven (11) positions available - nine (9) regular and two (2) alternates.  We received nine (9) applications.  Newly appointed members will be  5 for two-years and six for one year.

FINANCE AND PENSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Finance and Pension Advisory Committee, created by combining two other committees will have eleven (11) members, one of which will by the Mayor's designee - Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Genis -  for a two-year term.  Of the remaining ten (10) appointments, four shall have pension knowledge and others shall be residents or other individuals that conduct business within the City and have significant financial background as defined in the staff report.  We received thirteen (13) applications.  Five will be for two-years and 5 for one-year.

HOUSING AND PUBLIC SERVICE GRANTS COMMITTEE
The Housing and Public Service Grants Committee will have ten (10) appointments, nine (9) regular and one (1) alternate and will serve staggered two-year terms.  We received ONLY seven (7) applications for the positions.

SENIOR COMMISSION
The Senior Commission has a vacancy because member Olga Reynolds resigned before she could take her appointed seat.  There are seven members of this commission, four of which serve four-year terms and three serve two-year terms.  This position will have an expiration of 2019.  We received two (2) applications.

HOW WILL THEY BE CHOSEN?
No mention in the staff report is made about the method of selection for these committees and commission.  You will recall the fiasco we had during the last such event.  I'm hoping we will not see a replay of that event.  When you go to the staff report for more information you will find links to all the applications by committee/commission as separate attachments.  Enjoy.

City Council Team Building Retreat A Success

GETTING TO KNOW YOU, GETTING TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU...
The Costa Mesa City Council had an unusual event yesterday afternoon/evening.  They met for a "retreat" at the Hilton Hotel - a team building exercise facilitated by a consultant.  It was interesting, to say the very least.

THESE SESSIONS USUALLY WORK
Let me say up front that I've attended many such events - actually conducted a couple - in my private sector career assignments.  They were usually held at offsite locations - a resort, hotel, etc. - and  always proved to be a worthwhile exercise because the atmosphere was casual and loosely structured to encourage positive interaction - and nobody from the outside was looking over your shoulder.

BROWN ACT CONSTRICTION
This event, which is necessarily constricted by the Brown Act, still provided many of the positive elements even though there were a half-dozen residents and a Daily Pilot reporter on the scene.  You can read Luke Money's report in the Daily Pilot HERE.

WARM AND COZY
Beginning at 4:00, the small, warm room - had to keep those yummy appetizers warm, for goodness sake -  was configured so the council members and staff - City Manager Tom Hatch, City Attorney Tom Duarte and Assistant City Manager Tammy Letourneau - were seated in a "U" formation, so each could have easy eye contact with the others.  The consultant, Jan Perkins of Management Partners (the same firm that did the Police Department study a few years ago and at which Letourneau has worked) was at the open end of that "U", guiding the discussions, listing observations and suggestions.  All five members of the City Council were present for the entire evening, which ended up lasting a little over four hours, including a short dinner break at 6:00.  I left as they broke for dinner for Police Chief Rob Sharpnack's Town Hall at Vanguard University - more on that in another post.

Perkins began by showing the agenda for the meeting (above), and laid out some of the ground rules:

THE QUESTION...
She then handed out a sheet for the participants - council and staffers - to use.  They were asked to complete the following statement: "Costa Mesa would be an even better place if....."

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY AND ANSWERS
Before answering that question each participant was asked to share some personal information about themselves - things the others may not know.  Each gave a brief bit if information on themselves - I won't begin to address that here except to observe that there's a whole lot of San Gabriel Valley influence in the room - and included their response to the question.

John Stephens hoped that they could work on the challenges ahead without the divisiveness that has marked the recent past.

Tom Duarte hoped for a successful meeting that could develop teamwork.

Jim Righeimer's response almost made me choke.  He said, "Costa Mesa would be better if it was not so political.", and compounded that by observing that we had handed over the treasury of the city to public employees.  I simply must observe here that HE has politicized every action he's taken in this city since he arrived a decade ago.  His view, apparently, is that if you disagree with him it MUST be political - not that his ideas are BAD ideas, or that his method of achieving his goals are BAD... nope, must be political.

Allan Mansoor spoke about a lack of responsiveness to his concerns.  He looked for more fiscal responsibility, more paved streets and less crime.  He looks for an improvement of the Quality of Life in the City.

Sandy Genis looked for a more responsive city government.  She hoped to see the city upgraded without destroying the character of the city.  She longed for the same old friendly Costa Mesa.

Katrina Foley spoke about the working families in the city, hoping to improve the communities without losing identities.  She spoke of maintaining the quaintness of the city.

Tom Hatch hoped that we can continue to improve and change the community while respecting the history.

Tammy Letourneau hoped the council and staff will be able to work together toward common goals.

Following those presentations a few of the council members observed that any of those ideals could be adopted.

THREE QUESTIONS
Perkins then led a discussion revolving around three statements:

1 - What I need from fellow council members is...

2 - What I need from staff is... 

3 - What staff needs from council members is...

Each participant was asked to address those issues briefly.  They responded with the following observations for Question #1:

• Genis - Establish norms - follow policies.  Mutual respect and we're all afraid of humor.
• Foley - Not have intentions presumed.  Have a sense of humor - which she observed, can be risky.
• Righeimer - The Brown Act is not human.
• Stephens - The council needs forgiveness going forward.
• Duarte - Mutual respect and communication collaboration.
• Mansoor - Politics is not funny.

In response to Question #2, above:

• Righeimer, smiling, said he needs the staff available 24/7.
• Genis said the staff should REALLY listen to requests from the council, and to appreciate the city's uniqueness.
• Foley she looked for the staff's willingness to make recommendations based on their best professional opinion and to anticipate the expected consequences.  She asked them to consider issues as though they lived in the city.  "What would they want as residents?"
• Stephens said, "Don't let me screw up!"
• Mansoor agreed with Foley - that the staff should give an opinion even if the council doesn't want to hear it - and said they should "read our minds" - with a smile on his face.

In response to Question 3, above: (this discussion went on for quite awhile, back and forth)

• Mansoor said the council should "own our decisions - don't put everything off on staff".  He also said they should be respectful of the staff's time and not monopolize it.
• Foley said the council should provide a "clarity of communications".
• Stephens said "Patience".  He also said the expression of sincere appreciation for the work done. 
• Hatch observed that serving five council members was like ordering one pizza and trying to find something that each one will like.  It's their goal to equally support every council member.
• Stephens replied to that statement that it's virtually impossible to support equally simultaneously.
• Genis said sometimes you feel you have to push harder - kick and scream - to get some staff time.
• Foley observed that it goes back to political divisiveness, and spoke about a new process using Google Docs to help each council member be aware of the things the staff is working on for them.
• Righeimer observed that "we killed the 4 hour rule" - which surprised others, since that rule is still in effect.  What he may have meant was that he and his majority just ignored it in the recent past.
• Foley observed that we need more part time staffers to help with the workload.
• Stephens suggested more communication among council members to help prioritize their staff time needs.
• Foley spoke of the "enormous" volume of community requests, stating it was just a matter of trust between the community and council.
• Righeimer acknowledged that sometimes he doesn't really need all the information that he requests if it's going to put a burden on the staff.  Good grief!
• Hatch observed about the large number of community requests.
• Righeimer said Costa Mesa is unusual - that other cities don't have that number of community requests.  His tone was consistent with his views that community activists are a nuisance - his actions trying to quash their participation demonstrated that very clearly.
• Hatch affirmed that if a council member asks for a follow-up to a community member's request, they - the staff - WILL followup.
• Mansoor said he wants to be as responsive to the public as possible.  He also said he'd like to think we're better than other cities.
• Hatch said we have lots of new ideas and that they're trying to run a lean organization.

The discussions went on and on...

• Righeimer observed that Costa Mesa is NOT quaint - it's Newport Beach's backyard.
• Foley said we ARE unique in Orange County.
• Stephens observed that we have a unique mix of Residential, Heavy commercial and Industrial - a diversity that we should embrace, not vilify.  He said he freaks out when he's in South County, where every community looks exactly the same.
• Hatch observed that the volume of work they do is much greater than in most cities.
• Righeimer cited the Brown Act as an impediment.  (Big surprise there!  He tries to work around it every chance he gets!)
• Foley observed televising Study Sessions would be a problem.
• Righeimer blamed the media and blogs (Uh, that would be little old me, thank you very much) for reporting what goes on.  Good grief!
• Perkins observed that folks should have some humanity.  "It's possible to disagree without being disagreeable."
• Perkins observed about the value of a professional, highly trained staff.
• Foley observed that we have to train them!
• Hatch said the employment environment is tough.
• Stephens suggested they all read the staff reports and give a heads-up to staffers if they expect to ask for clarification or more information - not to surprise them during meetings.
• Perkins spoke of introverts/extroverts and the need to develop staffers based on their individual strengths and weaknesses.
• Foley observed about the "no surprises rule". 

LOOKING FOR NORMS
Perkins had met with each of the participants earlier and prepared the following summation of information from those meetings, to compare to the comments and suggestions coming out of this group gathering.  They were remarkably similar.

FOOD!
About this time - 6:00 p.m. -  they broke for a lovely buffet meal and I headed for Vanguard University.  I must observe, though, that - at least for the time I was present - I could see a change in tenor between the council members and staff.  I saw the seeds of improvement.  They apparently enjoyed the food and continued the discussions until after 8 p.m.

PRIORITIES
I subsequently spoke with community members who remained, and with Mayor Katrina Foley and others about the meeting.  Foley told me they ended up with five priorities:
1 - The new Library/Lions Park project, which is underway.
2 - Creating a safe community, and just beyond more police officers, firefighters and code enforcement officers.  They meant that EVERY city department has ways to contribute to making the city safer and those opportunities will be examined.
3 - Dealing with the problem of Homelessness in our city.
4 - Dealing with Sober Living Homes - some of which is related to the Homelessness issue.  New revisions to the ordinances are pending and will be presented to the Planning Commission for review soon.
5 - Maintain Fiscal Responsibility, addressing all the elements that are involved.

WILL IT PAY OFF?  WE'LL KNOW SOON...
So, we shall see if this exercise pays off.  Will the apparent rancor between council members subside?  Will future study sessions yield better decisions?  Some have griped about the cost of the offsite venue.  We're talking peanuts here - and being physically away from City Hall was essential for this process to have a chance to work.  We'll know soon enough.