The Mouth... Redux

PERFECT!
It seems somehow very appropriate on good old Throw Back Thursday to write about Costa Mesa's most notorious "throw back", our old buddy, The Mouth From Mesa North.

FUN AND GAMES
For most of the past dozen years he and I would spar.  In fact, there was a time when the editors of the Daily Pilot would post our respective commentaries adjacent to each other, just for fun.  Well, it was fun for me, anyhow.

JOUSTING HAS TAPERED OFF
The Mouth and I don't spar much any more.  His bilge doesn't appear much in the Daily Pilot and I've cut back on my contributions there, too.  Instead, we both post on our individual blogs - he for his audience and me for mine.  There's not much overlap, except I KNOW he reads my stuff and I check in on his, too.  Of course, when I do, I have to visit places like the Wall Street Journal, where REAL writers hang out, to flush his intellectual excrement out of my skull.

HAPPY TO PROVIDE HIM WITH GUIDANCE
Every once in awhile - much to the chagrin of my sweet and patient wife - I will write about The Mouth, just to see if he's paying attention.  I know he reads my stuff - probably eager to learn, since the hits on his blog have dropped of to such an extent that it doesn't even register on sites that measure such things.  Such was the case when I posted a nice little observation that he briefly attended the recent Joint Study Session, learned everything he needed to know in the first 30 minutes of the meeting, then left to write a blog entry castigating the dozens of residents who actually attended and participated in the process.

MADE ME SMILE
Well, The Mouth didn't much like the publicity, so he dragged what's left of his scruffy old carcass to his computer and pounded out a nasty-gram about me, which you can read HERE.  In that little diatribe, speaking of himself he wrote, in part, "....sinewy muscles that are still reminiscent of my time in the Marines, and in the photo you can see my ubermensch looking skull holding the mammoth brain  that got me a seat on a genius TV show and my membership in Mensa and the so-called super Mensa."

SINEWY?  UH, HUH
Well, here's the image to which he refers.  Yep, "sinewy" alright.  When I first saw him that night I thought perhaps a homeless person was seeking refuge from the heat, for goodness sake!


FOR A REAL PUKE-FEST...
For those of you new to this game, I invite you to visit this repository of his racist, inflammatory bilge and just scroll down and select a title - almost any title - click on it and read the work product of his "mammoth brain".  If you actually believe his claims to Mensa membership, you may come away from reading some of those essays with a feeling of sadness that such an alleged prodigious intellect has been wasted - squandered - on such crap.


AN ACTOR?  NOT SO MUCH
Old Mensa Marty - a term of endearment that former Daily Pilot Publisher Tom Johnson used for him - has wasted his life.  He claims to have been an actor, and to have been the inspiration for Robert Deniro's performance in "Taxi Driver".  Now, THAT'S a scary thought all by itself!  I know that he has been in one movie - perhaps the worst movie of all time, "The Second Coming Of Suzanne", where he plays a reporter very briefly.  I actually paid $1.26 to Amazon for a copy of this thing a couple years ago.  Watching his performance, it's easy to see why his acting career when nowhere.  If you're into self-abuse, watch the 19 minute clip of a review of this movie.  The reviewer actually gets it right.  If you look VERY closely, and very quickly, at the 12:44 mark you'll get a look at him with too much back light.  Actually, that's the best way to see him.
 


MORE CLAIMS
He has also claimed to have been a lawyer and real estate agent, but who knows.

WHITE SUPREMACIST LEANINGS
What we do know is that he takes great pride in the fact that David Duke, the former grand pooba of the Ku Klux Klan, considers him a wonderful writer.  The Mouth uses that as a marketing tool.  Let me ask you... would THAT endorsement drive you to Amazon to buy The Mouth's books?  Nah, I didn't think so.

FERTILE NEW GROUND
The Mouth didn't much participate on Social Media sites (using that term when applied to him seems so very wrong!) until the evolution - if you can call it that - of the Costa Mesa Public Square Facebook page.  That site, with it's closed society, has given his putrefied views of the world a new, unsuspecting audience.  He's become a major thought-driver on a site where folks just ramble on, agreeing with themselves with no actual discussion of important issues permitted.  If you disagree, or post something they don't like - even if it's on another site - you will be bounced. No, sir.. no dissent permitted.  The Mouth - with his Nazi tendencies - is in hog heaven over there.


NO GUTS
And, it's interesting that The Mouth has chosen NOT to participate on other OPEN Facebook sites, including the threads on the Daily Pilot.  Nope, for all his bravado and bluster - flexing his Marine background - he's not going to participate in a real exchange of ideas.  For all his "Mensa" flag waving, he's actually a coward - afraid to engage in real discussions with us lesser beings.  How very sad for him - but good for us.




THE NEW NATION NEWS
So, I encourage you to learn about this insidious influence on our community before you jump on his bandwagon.  Read a few of those essays - go back to the early ones for some REAL shockers - then decide if you want to cozy up to him.


WATCH FOR REBUTTAL
This entry will be posted around 1:00 p.m.  Be sure you check back to HIS site for whatever pathetic rebuttal he conjurs up.  It should be interesting...

A Sad State Of Affairs

QUITE A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

For more than a decade I've written on this blog and elsewhere about Costa Mesa and the politics of this city.  During that time there have been many, many highs and certainly a few lows, too.  For example,

EVEN CLOWNS ELECTED
We've seen people like the chronically-inept Chris Steel elected to City Council after trying nine times before.

THE SEWER OF RACISM
We've seen the political discourse driven, from time to time, by a notorious racist.

BENITO ACOSTA
We've seen a Latino activist dragged from a City Council meeting and arrested.  The costs for the ensuing lawsuit continue to show up on Warrants to this day, ten years later.

THE LEADER OF THE TAKEOVER
We've seen a carpet-bagging political opportunist move to town and almost immediately be appointed to a prestigious commission in repayment for campaign support by a re-elected council member.  That provided him with the political platform to be elected and re-elected (barely) to the City Council.

PROFITS BEFORE SERVICE

He led a cadre of wrong-thinking individuals in a take over city government and attempt to "run it like a business", forgetting that a municipal government IS NOT a business - it exists only to provide services to the populace, not produce a product for profit.

ACTIONS RESULT IN LAWSUITS
That group immediately created chaos in City Hall by attempting to - illegally - layoff nearly half of the members of the Costa Mesa City Employees Association - the so-called Miscellaneous Employees.  That act resulted in one young distraught employee to leap to his death from the roof of City Hall and a lawsuit that remains unresolved to this day, more than 4 years later.

ANTI-PUBLIC SAFETY BIAS

We've seen the two top elected city officials actually sue the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department, while gutting that once-proud department by imposing unrealistic staffing levels and spending hard-earned tax dollars filling potholes instead of providing public safety.  The toxic atmosphere they created caused experienced officers to retire early and/or seek jobs with other venues.  They forced the delay in replacing those officers, putting public safety in jeopardy by reducing staffing levels unseen in this city in more than two decades.

UNNECESSARY COMMITTEES

We've seen those same men create a list of unnecessary new committees and stack them with cronies as payback for political support.  These unnecessary committees sucked up thousands of valuable staff hours performing analysis and reports at a time when their skills were required elsewhere.

THE CHARTER, TWICE!
We've seen them attempt to change the basic structure of municipal government by jamming a Charter down our throats, only to have that scheme overwhelmingly rejected TWICE by the voters.

PLACING BLAME, BUT TAKING NO ACTION
We've seen them vilify municipal employees because unfunded pension liabilities have created fiscal complications, but they refuse to take any positive steps to resolve that issue.

GREASING DEVELOPMENT SKIDS
We've seen ordinances passed that dissolve protections for the residents in favor of greasing the skids for developers, who will build projects then never been seen again, leaving residents to deal with the aftermath of overtaxed infrastructure.

SQUEEZING OUT BUSINESSES
We've seen ordinances passed that penalize business owners for calling public safety organizations to receive protection from unsafe and/or illegal situations at their establishments.  The goal, as stated unequivocally by elected officials, was to force those business owners to take a more "realistic" view of the value of their businesses by pummeling them with fines to encourage them to sell out to developers.

PITTING NEIGHBOR AGAINST NEIGHBOR

We've seen ordinances passed that almost seem designed to turn neighbor against neighbor.  Simultaneously, they have created and implemented a smart phone app that encourages that same behavior.  In fact, one of our top elected officials may be the biggest proponent of this app and regularly snaps photos and reports folks who have allowed their lawn to grow too long and other similar minor infractions.

SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT CADRE

They created a cadre of special Code Enforcement officers outside the normal structure who report directly to the Executive Offices, and they've been used as a personal enforcement unit by the City Council majority.

VILIFICATION AND THREATS

During recent years we've seen political discourse sink to, perhaps, the lowest level in any one's memory.  We've seen critics increasingly step up during meetings to present opposing views, only to be chided by members of the City Council.  We've seen members of the public admonished and threatened by officials for speaking out.  We've had members of the public warned against speaking out by staff members.

FREE SPEECH QUASHED

We've seen Freedom of Speech placed in jeopardy by procedures implemented which are specifically designed to discourage participation by the public.  They have institutionalized stifling of dissent.

STRANGLING DISCUSSION
And, this stifling of dissent has spread beyond the walls of City Hall.  A social media site has been created that crows about being the "best source of news about Costa Mesa" and invites all-comers to join in the discussion.  Several elected and appointed community leaders actively participate in the discussions, expressing their opinions on important issues and openly criticizing opposing views.  But the out-of-town rabble-rousers - with no vested interest in the future of Costa Mesa - who administer it block dissenting voices by either refusing to admit them to the site or by ousting those already on board if they dare to express an opposing viewpoint.  In addition, they troll other competing sites and expel members from their site if they dare to post a critical comment.  And, despite their claim of being a superior news site, non-members may not even observe and read that "news", much less particpate in the discussions.  It is a site for insiders only, where like-minded individuals chatter back and forth, agreeing with each other and presuming their views on important issues are the correct views.  This kind of strangulation of public discussion reeks of WWII Germany.  It shouldn't be too surprising, since the aforementioned racist is a major driver of conversations on the site.  How very sad for those folks who joined up expecting more, only to find discussions framed by an internationally notorious Nazi sympathizer.

A NEW LOW
This weekend, though, we may have seen the bar set at it's lowest point.  It has been widely reported that during what has historically been the City's favorite family event, the Lion's Club Fish Fry at Fairview Park, two prominent members of the public - one a former elected and appointed official and the other an activist and former candidate for City Council - got into a heated disagreement that ended with one spitting in the face of the other after being mocked about his disability.  The other man then retaliated with what was described as a "sucker punch" to the face.  We are told that it ended at that point.  To our knowledge, although there apparently were several witnesses to the event, no charges have been filed.

A SAD COMMENTARY

From what I know of this situation, there likely was fault on both sides and was the result of long-simmering animosity between the two participants, but there is no excuse for that behavior.  Unfortunately, this only further demonstrates how the political process and attendant discourse has declined in our city during this current regime.  The incivility on social media comment threads, including the threads on our two local newspapers, seems to have emboldened bad behavior on both sides of the important issues facing our city.  That bad behavior finally manifested itself in physical confrontation this weekend.  It's a sad, sad commentary on political life in our city.

Senior Commission Meeting Wrap-up

RISE AND SHINE - SORT OF
After getting home at 2 a.m. from the Planning Commission meeting and finally hitting the sack at just before 5 a.m., this morning I dragged my old body to the Senior Commission meeting at the Costa Mesa Senior Center at 9 a.m.

CADAVEROUS SPECTER LURKING
The optimistic staff from the Costa Mesa Recreation Division had set up seating for nearly 50 individuals, but fewer than half that many showed up.  And, in my sleep-deprived condition, I was frightened when I saw what I thought might be the grim reaper lurking in the back of the room - or a malnourished homeless person, looking for a cookie.  But, no, it was just what's left of The Mouth From Mesa North, skulking around taking photos - bad ones, no doubt.  He cased the joint, then left before the meeting began.  He will undoubtedly write about it as though he actually knew what went on at the meeting. (NOTE: As predicted, our racist laureate did write about his brief visit to the Senior Center and used his withering Mensa mind to take a poke at me, HERE.  Gotta feel sorry for the guy - doing less with more.  What a pathetic, unhappy person he is.)

NEW MEMBER
The meeting began promptly at 9 a.m. and followed the agenda published earlier, HERE.  Roll was taken - Commissioner Sue Healy was absent - and the newest member of the commission, Anne Perry, was sworn-in by Costa Mesa City Clerk Brenda Green.

THANKS-MONEY-NURSE
Three people spoke during the Public Comments segment.  One thanked the City for taking over operations of the Center.  Edwina Worsham wanted to know the status of the Albert Dixon Foundation money, which she said was over $600,000.  Another person expressed the need for a nurse onsite to better serve the members.

SENIOR SERV
Then Janeth Velazquez made a presentation to the commissioners on Senior Serv, an organization that  operates in 26 locations in Southern California and currently provides services to the members of the Costa Mesa Senior Center.  She's shown in this photo with Yvette Aguilar, who operates the Senior Center.  The following array of images are those used in her presentation.  You'll get the gist of her presentation if you just read down through them.

THE BROWN ACT
Then Deputy City Attorney Yolanda Summerhill - who was also at that Planning Commission meeting last night until the bitter end at 1:01a.m. - made a presentation of The Brown Act to the commissioners.  She's shown here with Recreation Manager Travis Karlen, who tried unsuccessfully to get the PowerPoint presentation to operate, so Mrs. Summerhill had to wing it.

EXTREME CAUTION URGED
This was a very interesting presentation because most, if not all, of the commissioners had no clue about the restrictions the Ralph M. Brown Act imposes on their activities.  For example, Summerhill stressed the need to be cautious about conversations among fellow commissioners, pointing out to the danger of a "serial conversation", where two might discuss an issue, then each discuss it with two other commissioners - a clear violation of the Brown Act.  Another contemporary factor that old Ralph never thought about was email.  Summerhill cautioned the commissioners to NEVER hit the "Reply All" button when replying to an email that they all may have been sent by staff, for example.  And, another pitfall is social media.  She discouraged discussing Senior issues on Facebook, where other members might be casually viewing - and violating the Brown Act.  Assistant CEO Tammy Letourneau chimed in with a reminder that perception is, to many, reality, so the commissioners should be VERY cautious about the interactions with each other.  This may be a tough gig for some of them, since they were fully immersed in Senior issues before the commission was formed.  If you wish to read the Brown Act, there's a link to it over on the right side of this page.

COMPUTER CLASSES
The Consent Calendar - items that normally would simply be voted upon without discussion - had two items on it and member Kirk Bauermeister had questions about the class fees.  He wondered how the fees were determined, and whether there might be a better way to provide more less costly classes - referring to the Computer Classes.  That led to a good discussion and the upshot was that the Staff will research alternatives for future classes - and see if they can get the costs down to the level that is paid in Huntington Beach, presuming the same fellow charges them less.

"THE CHRONICLE"
Then came the discussion of changing the name and format of the monthly newsletter, The Chronicle.  The staff suggestion was for it to be called "The Buzz on 19th Street", which apparently none of the commissioners cared for - and neither did many of the audience members, if the grumbling I overheard was accurate.  One person suggested it sounded like one of the many bars on 19th Street. Long time Senior Center member Kathleen Eric suggested a contest to let the members of the Senior Center participate in selecting the new name.  The commissioners liked that idea, so the process will be fleshed out by the staff and, if all goes well, there may be suggestions to consider by their September meeting - they only meet every other month.

AGUILAR REPORT
Yvette Aguilar told the commissioners that in April the Center staff served 3,200 members - perhaps she meant meals, since there are only 1,500 members.  She said 83 people participated in the Mother's Day event; that plans are afoot to provide some Saturday programming for working seniors; that the BBQ is coming up on May 27th; there will be a Father's Day event on June 19th and the Independence Day event will be held on July 2nd.

KARLEN ON THE ALBERT DIXON FOUNDATION
Travis Karlen addressed the question of the Albert Dixon Foundation, indicating that he's in regular - weekly - contact with that Board, working closely with them toward a solution.  He said there is, in fact, more than $600,000 remaining in the Foundation - a separate organization with no legal ties to the Senior Center.  He told the commission that the Board is working with a lawyer to determine how to dissolve the Foundation - which he described as a "big process".  He said there is a "wish list" of things that the Foundation may be able to help with and suggested the commissioners and members present add to that list by communicating with the Staff.  Chairwoman Ernie Feeney wanted to know who is on the Board.  Karlen only named the president, Mike Scheafer - a former President of the old Senior Corporation Board.

TELEPHONE AND MOBILITY PROBLEMS
Karlen advised that the abysmal telephone system will remain a little longer because of negotiation difficulties with the contractor and the need to run fiber optic cable between the Center and City Hall.  He also discussed the mobility program, indicating that the back-up bus is in bad shape and actually had mold in it, which had to be cleaned out.

SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD TERMS
He also discussed the Senior Advisory Board and suggested that members have a specific term of office.  Appointees - by the commission - would serve for a term, then others could take a turn, spreading the opportunity for more input.

MCGLINN CALLS FOR A PLAN
During Commissioner Comments, commissioner John McGlinn suggested the need for a strategic plan, with goals and objectives, indicating that otherwise the commission is just moving along blindly.

KIRK COOKING COD
Bauermeister reminded all of the Fish Fry at Fairview Park the last weekend of the month, indicating that he will be frying fish all weekend.

DIXON FOUNDATION PAPERWORK?
Janet Krochman wondered about getting a copy of the Albert Dixon Foundation paperwork, which she said would likely outline the procedure for dissolution.  Karlen said he had it, but that the Board's lawyer was working the issue.  It's clear that some members of the commission think they have a right to be involved with the Albert Dixon Foundation - which they do not.  Again, it's a separate entity.

INTRODUCING ANNE PERRY
Feeney asked new member Perry to tell the members about herself, so she told us she's married to Chuck Perry, worked at Estancia High School for a decade and loves the seniors.

NEXT MEETING IN TWO MONTHS
Feeney adjourned the meeting to the next one, on July 14th.