Don't Forget To Vote!

UNDER THE WHIP NOW...
Well, it's almost over.  All the lies, deceit, sign theft and the blizzard of stuff coming from your mailbox is just about over.  Twenty-four hours from now we should have a pretty good idea about how the election in Costa Mesa is going to turn out, although I don't really expect to see the final numbers until the weekend if previous elections are any indication.
 

I'LL POST UPDATES TOMORROW NIGHT
I plan to post the preliminary results tomorrow evening.. I'm not sure how many times I'll post - it depends on how interesting the results are.  The results will be certified by the City Clerk sometime over the next couple weeks and the winners of the City Council races will be seated at the council meeting on December 4th.  I've already gone over my choices, but this is a final reminder for you.

COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL
Vote for the Top 3 on the ballot - John Stephens, Harold Weitzberg and Sandra Genis
These three solid citizens each brings individual special skills to city government and have run an honest, clean campaigns unlike their 3M opponents, who have used lies and deceit to try to capture votes.  It's time to return honest, mature leadership to our city and to reject the Orange County Republican Party's attempt to turn it into some kind of a petri dish for social experimentation.

MEASURE V
Cast a NO vote for Jim Righeimer's Charter scheme - Measure V
This charter is ill-conceived by ONE man - Righeimer - to suit his own, personal political agenda and to curry favor with his OC GOP handlers.  IF Costa Mesa takes the leap as a Charter City, it shouldn't be with THIS charter and it shouldn't be now.  The attempt by Righeimer and his fellows on the council to rush this charter onto the ballot and their unwillingness to even consider improvements to it should make every voter apprehensive about their motives and VOTE NO!

MESA CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT
Vote for Fred Bockmiller, Trudy Ohlig-Hall and Jim Fisler
Bockmiller and Hall have provided outstanding, mature, knowledgeable leadership to the MCWD for decades.  Their opponents - termed-out lame duck Mayor Eric Bever and Righeimer protege' Ethan Temianka - are part of a takeover plot to control and then combine both special districts.  They are marching to the tune of the OC GOP and should be soundly rejected.  Fisler should be chosen over Minuteman Dan Worthington.

COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT
Vote for Art Perry and Jim Ferryman
Both Perry and Ferryman should be returned to their seats.  They've provided superior leadership to the district for decades.  Their challengers, Jeff R. Mathews and Don Harper, are part of that OC GOP plot to takeover the districts.  Mathews is an OC GOP insider who has bought his way to seats on the Parks and Recreation Commission and, most recently, onto the Planning Commission, replacing Jim Fitzpatrick.  They should be rejected.

74TH ASSEMBLY SEAT
Vote for Robert Rush
I covered my reasons for casting my vote for Bob Rush instead of Allan Mansoor and that decision was affirmed today when I saw an invitation from Mansoor to help work the neighborhoods in which he referred to Costa Mesa as "Ground Zero", echoing OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh and Jim Righeimer for the past couple years.  Lock-step lemming Mansoor lacks the skills to do the job.  Rush, a moderate who recently became a Democrat, on the other hand, has the formal training as a numbers guy and the background as a salesman.  Those skills are necessary to do the job in Sacramento. 

PLEASE VOTE!
Please vote tomorrow.  If you don't participate you give up your right to complain...

The Great Takeover - Part 2

TODAY, MESA CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT
Yesterday I wrote about the races for the Costa Mesa Sanitary District seats, planning to cover the Mesa Consolidated Water District races, too.  However, that piece became too long, so here we are today to talk "water".

I GET NO VOTE, BUT...
This time around I have no vote for the seats available on the Mesa Consolidated Water District.  All the seats on the board are elected by district and mine is occupied by Shawn Dewane.  However, the three seats that ARE up this time around are VERY important to all of us because, depending on how the election goes, the result could mark a huge change in that organization and beyond.  This time around the seats held by long-time board member Trudy Ohlig-Hall (widow of former mayor Donn Hall), current president Fred Bockmiller and Jim Fisler are on the ballot.
 

PLAN TO COMBINE DISTRICTS
As I've mentioned many times, there are those running for both the Mesa seats and those on the Sanitary District - and those who are supporting them - who want to see those two special districts combined, then blended into the City of Costa Mesa government.  It's my understanding that the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) would be happy to see fewer special districts, but the combination of them requires support from both boards.
 

FISLER VS. WORTHINGTON
Jim "a realtor here in town"Fisler (I used to tease him about saying that all the time when he was on the Planning Commission) faces a challenge from long-time activist Minuteman Dan Worthington.  I refer to him as such because of his ill-advised journey down to the border a few years ago to hang out with the vigilantes on patrol.  It's unlikely that Dan will defeat Fisler.


OC GOP AFTER HALL'S SEAT
Trudy Ohlig-Hall is a legend in the water business, having served three terms as President of MCWD during her 25 years on the Board.  Her resume, HERE, is impressive and it would be hard to find a more effective, dedicated public servant.  She is being challenged by Jim Righeimer's protege', Ethan Temianka.  He is currently on the Parks and Recreation Commission and is very active in OC GOP circles.  He, and the party, are spending lots of dollars to elect Temianka to this board because his vote would be pivotal to the aforementioned consolidation effort.  He knows zip, zero, nada about water, except he probably swims in it and drinks some from time to time.  The OC GOP machine is pulling out all the stops to defeat Hall.

BOCKMILLER, BY FAR
Fred Bockmiller, current President of the MCWD Board after also having served in that role four previous times, is an Engineering Manager by profession and understands the technology of the water business.  Check out his resume', too.  He has provided solid leadership to an organization that is known far and wide for being on the cutting edge of technology and a producer of reliable, clean, inexpensive water.  He's being challenged by Costa Mesa's part-time, part-time, petulant, profane lame duck mayor, Eric Bever.  This challenge would be almost laughable if the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee had not turned it's back on Bockmiller and chose to endorse the eminently unqualified Bever for this spot.  It's all about politics and their grand plan and Bever may be the best (worst?) example of it.

HALL, BOCKMILLER AND FISLER
As I said, I don't get a vote this time around, but the choices seem pretty simple.  The only reason to consider Temianka and Bever is based purely on politics - they certainly don't have any qualifications for the job.  Quite honestly, I don't trust them with the water we drink.  It's that simple.  So, my recommendations are to go with the proven experience and leadership -  Trudy Ohlig-Hall, Fred Bockmiller and Jim Fisler.  Yeah, that's right... I support Fisler for re-election.

Controversy Erupts At Mesa Water District

TRUDY OHLIG-HALL UNDER FIRE
A report today from the Surf City Voice, the Huntington Beach news source that focuses on that city and water issues in general, tells us of a controversy involving Mesa Consolidated Water District Director Trudy Ohlig-Hall - widow of former Costa Mesa mayor Donn Hall - and the General Manager of that organization, Paul Schoenberger. 

 SURF CITY VOICE REPORTS
According to John Earl, operator of the Surf City Voice, there is a secret meeting being held this afternoon at the District headquarters to discuss alleged misconduct by Hall.  You can read Earl's report HERE.

NO COINCIDENCE
I don't know any details of this situation - I received notification of the meeting after it began - but I can tell you that I don't for one second think this is a coincidence... not when Jim Righeimer's protege', Ethan Temianka, is running against Hall for her seat on the MCWD Board.


 
GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER
Word around town is that the Righeimer-led cabal is attempting to take over both the MCWD and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, blend them together then fold both organizations into the City, bringing with them their estimated $40 million in cash reserves.


"RIGGED" INVESTMENT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
This takes on extra meaning when you realize that the current council majority recently increased the number of members on the Costa Mesa Investment Oversight Committee, many of whom are part of Righeimer's group, including members of the MCWD Board.  It's my understanding that they have plans afoot to recommend to the council dramatic changes in the way our municipal investment pool is managed - and not necessarily for the better.

MORE TO COME...
I'll discuss the races for both special districts in the near future and, perhaps, talk more about this apparent takeover of all Costa Mesa government entities.