Saturday, September 05, 2015

I Agree With The Mayor... But...

MENSINGER ON PROP. 47
Costa Mesa Mayor Steve Mensinger has a commentary published in the Daily Pilot this evening which they titled, "Repeal initiative that is putting criminals back on our streets", HERE, and refers to Proposition 47, the ill-conceived measure camouflaged as the "Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act".

LOOK OUT BELOW!
Hold onto your seats, dear readers... I actually agree with Mayor Mensinger on this issue!  Check the sky... you may see pigs flying!

A TERRIBLE BIT OF LAW
Prop. 47 has been a disaster.  The result of this calamitous bit of legislation is more crime, reduced sentences and reduced sentences for already-incarcerated crooks.  Crime is up over 40% in Costa Mesa and most California cities are experiencing similar increases.

OOPS... SHOULDA STOPPED SOONER
Mensinger was rocking along in his commentary, with me nodding in agreement, until he wrote this:
"As someone who regularly walks the streets of our great city, I know there is no such thing as victimless crimes."  He should have quit while he was ahead.  Most legal authorities acknowledge that several forms of crime can accurately described as "victimless" - prostitution, sodomy and gambling, for example.  See HERE.  The fact that he walks our streets is completely irrelevant to the important issue being discussed in his commentary and his opinion that there are "no victimless crimes" is not only irrelevant, but incorrect.

WHAT A CROCK!
As I continued to read his commentary I was now a little more on guard for curious statements, so when I came across this one a couple paragraphs later, I was prepared.  He said: "I fully support our rank-and-file police officers and want them to have the tools they need to get criminals off the streets and keep our communities safe."  I was prepared, but not prepared to be as angry as I am for that self-serving, manipulative bit of bilge!

SUPPORTS?  REALLY?
If Steve Mensinger "fully supports" the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department, he:

(1) Would not have conspired with Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer to concoct a bogus staffing level that resulted in the gutting of the once-proud department.  The result was the elimination of the Narcotics Squad - a profit center and major crime deterrent, the diminishing of the Detective Bureau and Gang Squad and elimination of the K-9 unit.

(2) Would not have participated in creating such a toxic atmosphere for police officers that more than 50 departed in a very short time to other venues or earlier than anticipated retirements.

(3) Would not have concurred with the policy of not recruiting officers to back fill vacancies on a timely basis - the process was delayed for months - which has put us so far behind the curve that it will take years to be back to strength with experienced officers.

(4) Would not have supported the dismantling of the A.B.L.E. helicopter program - a valuable force multiplier and the benchmark program other municipalities emulated.

(5) Would not perpetuate the demoralizing of the men and woman of the CMPD by continuing the bogus lawsuit against them.

(6) Would not have put potholes before public safety during his tenure on the City Council.

A STRANGE SITUATION
Mayor Mensinger pontificates about how he "meets with people" as he wanders the streets in the early morning hours, or congregates with them at City Hall one Sunday afternoon each month, hearing their problems and seeking solutions, so it's interesting to note that the nexus of his concern about Prop. 47 and the damage it is causing in our communities appears to be a contact he had with a woman who recently moved to our city from Colorado and who contacted him to complain about the homeless folks being fed in Wilson Park.  This was not one of the long-term residents who have, for years, brought public safety issues to him at the proper forum - the City Council meetings.  It's just very strange...

GIVE THE CMPD MORE TOOLS
I agree with Mayor Mensinger that we need to do more to reduce crime in our city.  We need to give new Police Chief Rob Sharpnack and his team more manpower and tools - like the ones he took away from them - so they can do the job we expect of them.

PROP. 47 MUST GO
I also agree that Prop. 47 needs to be repealed, even though that would mean more criminals back in jail - where they belong - and not prowling our neighborhoods.

PURE POLITICAL POSTURING
We are fourteen months from an election that can change the atmosphere in our city - where neighborhoods are not sold out to developer buddies and where public safety receives proper support from the elected leaders in this city.  Mayor Mensinger knows that - his council seat is up for grabs - so we can expect to see much more of his political posturing like the commentary in question before the polls close in November, 2016.
 

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7 Comments:

Anonymous Westside4ever said...

Prop 47 needs to go. When the Harbor Center and Wilson park area issues hit social media, it wasn't one person who the Mayor listened to. It was threads of over 500 to 1,000 comments, residents expressing their frustrations with the situation. Social media was the tool used and it was very effective in allowing all sides to express opinions, thoughts, possible solutions, everything was on the table. Not only was Mayor Mensinger available, parks and rec commissioners, code enforcement and social services joined in. Citizens became aware of what Prop 47 was actually doing to our city and parks, how it hampers the effectiveness of our police officers and now they're looking for change. If Mayor Mensinger leads the way in bringing that change about, I'm fine with it. Someone needs to take the first step, why not him?

9/05/2015 06:32:00 AM  
Anonymous Where's My Coffee? said...

Westside, Mensinger isn't going to lead anything. Its not in his genes. He is a sheep, nothing else. He follows Righeimer. The police knew about Prop. 47, so I know the counsel did also. They continued to destroy the police department in view of the upcoming disaster. Now Mensinger makes a useless cry for attention and people bow at his feet. Really? Not if you have a brain. Yes, Mensinger holds meetings with residents. YAWN. That's exactly what he does. He walks the neighborhoods, but only to turn people into code enforcement and photograph their private property. A leader? I say snake.

9/05/2015 07:43:00 AM  
Blogger zennymoon said...

Prop 47 and PC 109 are a dynamic combination for criminal activityin our community BUT combine it with understaffed police dept. it is a surefire disaster of the first degree. Prop 47 should have bolstered our pd with more experienced patrol and investigative staff, but not our city...disband narcotics unit while heroin is rampant in our city, disband gang unit, diminished traffic units from a dozen to "2" motors, and on and on. Create the situation, then step back and attempt to take credit for the pd efforts....shame on our councilmen how do they sleep at night?

9/05/2015 06:30:00 PM  
Anonymous Eleanor Egan said...

Prop. 47 was a way for the state to wash its hands of the public safety problems created by criminals and pass the buck to cities and counties. I told folks to vote against it for just that reason. I guess I didn't reach nearly enough people, because a majority were taken in by the propaganda of the pro-Prop. 47 group.

The State Legislature can't repeal a law passed by the electorate. Who has the wherewithal to gather enough signatures for a statewide ballot measure to repeal Prop. 47? Very tall order.

9/05/2015 09:05:00 PM  
Anonymous Robin Leffler said...

Here's a little game to play, look at Steve Mensingers Facebook posts, and compare with this letter. Notice the difference in articulation & grammar, & radical differences in style. The philosophy maybe comes from Mensinger, but do you think the same person wrote both?

9/06/2015 12:59:00 AM  
Anonymous It has to be said...

Another tell: his ghost writer forgot to change the pronoun from "us" to "them" here:

Calls for drug possession and sales, theft, domestic abuse and assault are keeping us busy night and day, and there is one big reason why.

Whoops.

9/06/2015 10:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Teresa Drain said...

Proposition 47 was promoted as "The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act"! Among the supporters:

California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives, Inc.
A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing)

There are a lot of voters that need to wake up.

9/06/2015 11:14:00 AM  

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