Packed Council Agenda Tuesday

A JOYOUS INDEPENDENCE DAY
I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day holiday weekend, and you made it through the fireworks unscathed.  We certainly had a perfect weekend for it.  As I type this M-80s are going off all around us... welcome to downtown Falloujah!  Now back to business...

PACKED AGENDA TOMORROW!
The Costa Mesa City Council meets for the first time in this fiscal year tomorrow, Tuesday, July 5, 2016 beginning at 5:45 in City Council Chambers at City Hall.  They have a full agenda to consider, with more meat on it than most.  Read it HERE.

DON'T FORGET THE VOTING DISTRICTS OPEN HOUSE FIRST
Before we get into the agenda a little reminder.  From 4:30-5:30 in Conference Room 1A there will be an Open House at which the Voting Districts created by consultant David Ely as a result of consultation with council members and several workshops with residents will be on display for your consideration.  Ely is an easy man to understand and has all the answers, so please make it a point to attend this Open House so you can understand the issues and how he arrived at the various map choices he will present to the council later that evening.

MORE LAW SUITS
The regular meeting will be preceded by a Closed Session at 5:00.  The public is NOT invited to these meetings.  There are three items on the agenda for our litigious council majority to consider - The Kennedy Commission case involving the Costa Mesa Motor Inn; existing litigation with Solid Landings and others and anticipated litigation - nothing new there, it seems like we always have "anticipated litigation".

CONSENT CALENDAR
The Consent Calendar has eleven (11) items listed.  As you know, in theory these all can be considered as a group and voted upon without discussion.  That seldom happens anymore.  If anyone - a council member, staff member or member of the public - pulls one for discussion it will be trailed to the end of the meeting.  History shows us that about half the time the council manages to out-wait residents, who just get too tired to wait until midnight to discuss some of these items.

NEED FOR PLANNING CONSULTANTS
The only one that caught my eye this time is #11, HERE.  This is a professional services contract for planning consultants, not to exceed $199,000.  If you read that staff report you'll find the need is due to a high-level vacancy - an Assistant Director (Claire Flynn?) - at a time when the city sees before it a stampede of sober living-related issues.  It's going to be a long summer!

CAMPAIGN SIGNAGE
Public Hearing #1, HERE, is a change to segments of the municipal codes regarding portable signs, and is primarily aimed at campaign signs.  It re-defines them as "non-commercial portable signs", and changes the restrictions on their display.  If the council approves the staff recommendation such signs may be displayed for six weeks prior to an election.  Read the staff report.

VOTING BY DISTRICT MAPS
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is the aforementioned District Elections Mapping Process.  Consultant David Ely will present to the council a report on the methodology of his creation of the four (4) individual maps for the council's consideration.  His efforts are a result of many meetings with very small groups of individuals plus a series of four (4) community workshops attended by just over 100 individuals in total.  He will present two (2) five district maps; one (1) six district map (which also requires a directly-elected mayor) and one (1) seven district map.  The council MUST select one map to be presented to the voters in November based on a settlement agreement of a lawsuit.  Read the staff report.  Each of the maps is part of one of the attachments, HERE, and includes all the numbers of how the map was formed.

CITY MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE
Old Business #1, HERE, is the consideration of the City Initiative Ordinance Regarding Medical Marijuana Businesses.  This is intended to be an alternative to the other two Medical Marijuana initiatives that will appear on the ballot in November.  It defines the kinds of Medical Marijuana businesses that may operate in the city, and where, specifically.

PROTECT FAIRVIEW PARK INITIATIVE...
Old Business #2, HERE, is an interesting issue.  This one asks the council to authorize the placement on the November ballot the initiative generated by the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance - they MUST do this.  There are several resolutions for them to consider.  However, item number 3 under Recommendations says: "Provide special council with direction on an alternative measure to be placed on the November 8, 2016, ballot."

...AND AN ALTERNATE
In the staff report there is an analysis that implies that the existing initiative would basically prohibit many of the elements in the current Fairview Park Master Plan from being implemented without a vote of the people.  So, the staff recommends an alternative measure - for the sake of simplicity I'll call it the "Anti-Protect Fairview Park" initiative" - which re-defines the issues that would require a vote of the people.  I have no idea what the reaction will be from the sponsors of the original initiative, but I suspect we'll be hearing from them Tuesday.  Read the staff report.

THE "ANTI" SMART GROWTH INITIATIVE
Old Business #3, HERE, is another doozy!  This is a "Proposed City Council Sponsored Measure Addressing Future Development And Development-Funded Open Space And Recreation", and is designed to directly compete with Costa Mesa First's Smart Growth Ordinance, which will appear on the November 8th, 2016 ballot.  They're calling this one the "Measure for Sensible Community Development and Development-Funded Open Space and Recreation."

WILL KEEP IN PLACE PRO-DEVELOPER RULES
If adopted this measure would protect most of the pro-development plans already in place, including the recently-approved General Plan.  See the staff report for specifics.

A NEW FEE
If adopted it will impose a fee - the Open Space and Public Park Impact Fee, which would be applicable to all new development north of the 405 Freeway and West of Fairview Drive.  Coincidentally, this is precisely where the proposed Medical Marijuana businesses would be located.  Imagine that!

ANOTHER STACKED COMMITTEE
And, if adopted it would create an Open Space & Recreation Advisory Committee (yet ANOTHER committee!) to advise the council on expenditures of the new Open Space and Public Park Impact Fee.  Here's how that committee would be constructed:
1 - the mayor
2 - one councilmember chosen by the city council
3 - one representative from youth football chosen by the city council
4 - one representtive from youth baseball chosen by the city council
5 - one representative from youth soccer chosen by the city council
6 - one representative chosen by the NMUSD trustees and
7 - one member from an environmental group chosen by the council

The term "stacked deck" should immediately leap into your head.

The staff wants authorization to proceed with the proposed initiative, put it on the ballot and direction on how many mailers at $8,400 per shot to authorize to publicize this effort.

RE-ZONING EMULEX
Finally, New Business #1, HERE, is a General Plan Screening request for the Emulex Property at 3333 Susan Street.  Gee, by golly...  Guess where's that's located?

STEP UP AND SPEAK UP!
Oh, yes... I will not be attending this meeting... still sorting out this darn health thing.  I'll watch and report, one way or the other.  In the meantime, you SHOULD attend and ASK QUESTIONS!  Don't let them intimidate you!

Good Turnout For Final Voter District Workshop

FINAL WORKSHOP
Today, Saturday, the final Voter District Workshop was held at the Balearic Center and the turnout was good, although smaller than some others.  Around 30 residents showed up to listen to the consultants and participate in a discussion of examples of proposed voter district boundaries that may be presented to the City Council on July 5th.

WELL-RUN
The event was, once again, moderated by Yesenia Arias from Arellano Associates and the program was conducted by Demographer David Ely.  City Clerk Brenda Green was also present, overseeing the staff and monitoring the proceedings.

THE PROCESS
Ely provided an overview of how we reached this point, explaining the process that had been followed.  He also briefly explained why we are in the middle of this process - a threatened lawsuit that caused the City of Costa Mesa to sign a settlement agreement that required this process.

GOOD LATINO TURNOUT AGAIN
Again, there was a good turnout by the Latino community - about a third of the attendees were Latinos, several of whom utilized the simultaneous translation of Albert Garcia. I spoke with a few of those folks after the meeting and was told they got a lot out of the presentation.

SOME LOCAL OFFICIALS AND FAMILIAR FACES
There were a few familiar faces in the crowd, including council candidate Jay Humphrey.  Also in attendance were Mike Scheafer and Art Perry, President and Director of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, respectively.

FIFTEEN PEOPLE SPOKE
Nearly half the attendees rose to speak on the various maps, citing their concerns and preferences.  Ely has, in previous meetings, used community input and demographics to craft these various choices.  They had not changed from the previous meeting earlier in the week.

RETAINING NEIGHBORHOODS
Among the concerns expressed were the placement of the College Park community in a district that seemed to be predominently a Westside orientation.  Westside speakers were concerned that they didn't have a voice on the council - someone who actually lives in their district.  The goal of this process is to have at least one district with 50% Latino voters.  As it stands now, District 4 on most of the maps is that district.

SAME DISTRICTS
Ely presented two maps with five (5) districts; one with six (6) districts (which would also include the necessity for a directly-elected mayor) and one with seven (7) districts.

 STRAW POLL
Near the end of the meeting the consultants did a straw poll, asking the attendees which district maps they prefered.  It was possible to choose more than one.  The results were:
Map 1 (5 districts) - 9
Map 2 (5 districts) - 18
Map 3 (6 districts) - 0
Map 4 (7 districts) - 1

PLUS SOME TINKERING
Additionally, during the discussion Ely, guided by members of the public, tinkered with Map 1, adjusting some of the lines to make Harbor Blvd. the right border and took another vote.  14 people liked that one.

CONSULTANT WILL MASSAGE THE RESULTS
Ely will now take all the information gathered from the public - and from input gleaned from folks who utilized the mapping tool on the City website - and prepare his presentation for the City Council, to be delivered to them at the meeting on July 5th.  You can find that, and almost any other information you need on this issue, HERE.  The council will hold a public hearing and accept comments from the public on this issue on that date - right after the Independence Day holiday.

WHERE WERE THE CANDIDATES?
It was interesting to note that, with the exception of Humphrey, no other council candidate except Lee Ramos has taken the time to attend any of these meetings.  One would think that it might be a good way to take the pulse of the community on this critical issue - one that will affect city governance as we move forward.  I expecially wondered why Julie Mercurio chose to miss this opportunity to get information?  I guess she's too busy 'moderating'...

PREVIOUS REPORTS
I've written about each of the three previous meetings.  You can find those entries HERE, HERE and HERE.  Fewer than 140 individuals attended these meetings, but those who did attend were enthusiastic and focused.

THE CHOICE WILL BE INTERESTING
I look forward to seeing how this process is managed on July 5th.  I get the sense that there are members on the council - perhaps a majority - that will prefer the 6-districts plus directly-elected mayor option.  This, despite the fact that at every meeting this option was not just rejected, but heartily rejected!  It's likely that if they choose to put that option on the ballot the voters will reject it, forcing this issue back into the legal system, where a judge will decide what our voting districts will look like.  Then, again, that shouldn't surprise anyone - our city council majority has become an annuity for lawyers for the past five years.

TWO WEEKS TO GO
See you at City Hall on the 5th for this subject.

Voting District Mapping Meetings This Week

TWO MEETINGS THIS WEEK
As a reminder to all interested in this VERY important issue, consultants will be holding two more community meetings at which members of the public will have a chance to participate in the process to help decide the boundaries and other features to be included in the so-called "voting by districts" measure that will almost certainly appear on the November ballot, being forced upon the city by litigation.

TOMORROW, AT ST. JOACHIM CHURCH
The next meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at St. Joachim Catholic Church, 1964 Orange Avenue beginning at 7:00 p.m.  This is on the corner of Orange and Walnut, next to the St. Joachim School.  Here's a map.

SATURDAY, AT BALEARIC CENTER
The final meeting will be Saturday, June 18, 2016 at the Balearic Community Center, 1975 Balearic Drive beginning at 10:00 a.m.  Here's a map to that venue.

WHERE ARE THE LATINOS?
These meetings have been informative, but not very well-attended.  The one tomorrow evening should produce the greatest number of Latino members of our community.  It is for their voting opportunities that this process has been launched.  It would be a real shame if members of that segment of our community show little interest.  So far, only a few Latinos have attended the previous meetings.  Simultaneous translation is being made available for those who need it.

FOR MORE INFO...
Here's the link to the city web page with more information on this process.  If you have not attended any of these meetings, please plan do do so.  So far, fewer than 100 individuals have taken the time to participate in this process.

First Voter District Formation Meeting Report

SPARSE TURNOUT FOR VOTER DISTRICT MEETING
Three dozen of your friends and neighbors - fewer than expected -  attended the consultant-led Voter District Formation meeting last night at the Neighborhood Community Center from 7-9 p.m.  An identical meeting will be held Saturday, June 4th, at the Halecrest Park, 3107 Killybrooke Lane from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon.  This meeting and the one Saturday were not well-publicized.  If you missed this first one, plan to make the second one on Saturday.

A SECOND ROUND LATER THIS MONTH
Additionally, there will be a second round of community meetings later this month at St. Joachim's Catholic Church, 1964 Orange Avenue on Wednesday, June 15th from 7-9 p.m. and on Saturday, June 18th at Balearic Community Center, 1975 Balearic Drive from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon.  At these two meetings the results of the data gathered at the first two meetings plus the recently-completed series of "Meet The Expert" mini-meetings will be discussed and more public input will be gathered.

CONSULTANTS RAN THE SHOW
Although Assistant CEO Rick Francis and City Clerk Brenda Green were present,  Consultant Yesenia Arias and her team from Arellano Associates and Demographer David Ely (with arms folded in these photos) provided information and displayed four sample maps - three (3) with five (5) disticts and one with seven (7).  Those were just sample maps to illustrate much of the data Ely had been working with.  Interpreters for Spanish and Vietnamese speakers were provided.  Pay close attention to the slide with the anticipated schedule.  There's not much time to complete this process and get the item ready for the November ballot.

SOME INTERESTING SAMPLE MAPS
I think you'll be able to make out the slides he presented.  You'll probably notice that section 4 on each is the critical link.  That one represents the section with the greatest number of minority (Latino) voters.  I was especially amused to see how, on Sample B, District 3 completely surrounds District 4.  It's an interesting exercise.  Click on the image to enlarge.

 BUILD-YOUR-OWN-DISTRICT EXERCISE
After a break the assembled crowd self-selected into three groups and proceeded to craft their own suggested district maps, using whatever criteria they chose, then explained their reasoning to the rest of the folks in attendance.

THE PRESS WELL-REPRESENTED
Luke Money from the Daily Pilot and Louis Casiano, Jr. from the Orange County Register attended and will write about the event, too.  Look for their stories.  I plan to attend the second meeting Saturday, just to see what kind of crowd turns out.