“Man is something that shall be overcome.Man is a rope,tied between beast and overman - a rope over an abyss.What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end.”-- Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra --Nothing scientific can be racist and nothing racist can be scientific. (c)2000-2017 CM PRESS.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
CM PRESS # 115
FOLLOW-UP REPORT ON THE MATRICULA CONSULAR EVENT (See # 114)
March 31, 2007--9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.--At the Matricula Consular event at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, 2850 Fairview Rd. today, the CM PRESS observed just a few people entering and leaving the church. Most were carrying various papers in their hands. We also observed several Hispanics carrying papers walking from the Fillmore slum and from the Mission-Mendoza slum toward the church.
Because the CM PRESS's observations were sporadic, we don't have solid numbers to report. However, during our drive-bys of the church and the neighborhood, we personally saw about 15 people walking toward or entering the church.
On the sidewalk in front of the church, but pushed to the south side of the property line where it abuts the Farm Sports Complex, were approximately 20 to 30 well-mannered, anti-illegal immigration protestors with large American flags and various signs against illegal immigration. Our assumption is that the CMPD asked them to congregate in that area.
There were four or five CMPD marked police cars on site and perhaps 10 or so police officers.
Many drivers passing the location honked their horns or gave thumbs up signals to the anti-illegal immigration protestors.
We didn't observe any violence or any physical confrontations, and a CMPD representative told us this evening that he didn't hear of any arrests.
One citizen wondered what the citizens of Costa Mesa had to pay the CMPD to be at this event at the church.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
CM PRESS # 114
Fairview Rd., Costa Mesa - today, Saturday, March 31 to issue Mexican Matricula Consular IDs, by appointment from 9am - 2:30pm.
The Minuteman Project and concerned citizens will stage a peaceful, sidewalk rally to protest:
Saturday, March 31, 10:00 a.m. The CM PRESS confirms that the above is now taking place. This church is right next to the Farm Sports Complex and CMHS. It is also adjacent to the Adams Ave. entrance to Mesa del Mar (where Katrina Foley lives) and where one of Costa Mesa's major slums is located. If you wish to observe, there is free parking at the Farm Complex. Here's the church's website link: http://www.pccov.org/
Here, from Congressman Gary Miller's website, is some info on these cards:
http://www.house.gov:80/garymiller/MatriculaConsularCardsMythandFacts.html
Matricula Consular Cards: Myth and Facts behind the Mexican ID Cards
September 16, 2004- Matricular Consular cards are identification cards issued by the Mexican government to mainly illegal immigrants living in the United States. Currently, more than 350 financial institutions accept Matricula Consular cards as proof of identification thereby allowing thousands of illegal immigrants to have access to mainstream U.S. financial services.
Regulation in the federal budget prohibited U.S. businesses from accepting these cards, but an amendment passed September 14, 2004, which Congressman Miller opposed, that pulls this requirement.
MYTH: Matricula Consular cards are official identification issued by the Mexican government to its citizens and are a proper and reliable form of identification for Mexican workers in the United States.
FACT: The Justice Department and FBI have concluded that the Matricula Consular is not a reliable form of identification due to the non-existence of any means of verifying the true identity of the cardholder.
The documents used to obtain the Matricula Consular card have been found to be easily counterfeited.
Even worse, Matricula Consular cards have been issued upon as little as the word of the person requesting one that they are indeed who they claim to be.
The Mexican government has no centralized database to coordinate the issuance of Matricula Consular ID cards. As a result, one person can procure several cards, even under different names.
MYTH: Eliminating the use of Matricula Consular ID cards would deny many Mexican nationals access to mainstream financial services, such as bank accounts, credit cards, and loans.
FACT: According to the FBI, Matricula Consular cards are almost exclusively used by illegal aliens. Anyone here legally has valid identity documents they can present to open a bank account, such as driver's licenses, Social Security numbers, or passports.
MYTH: The Matricula Consular ID card has a dozen security features to ensure authenticity and discourage fraud, including a digitalized photo, serial number, hologram with special marks, and infrared brand.
FACT: There have been several generations of the card and even the newest version can be easily replicated, despite its security features. More than 90 percent of the Matricula Consular cards now in circulation are earlier versions of the card, which are little more than simple laminated cards without any security features.
The Matricula Consular is easily and often forged -- there is a thriving black market in fake Matricula Consular. In fact, foreign citizens, including an Iranian national, have been apprehended in possession of numerous Matricula Consular cards (issued in Mexico) with multiple identities.
MYTH: The language in the bill defeats the anti-money laundering intent of Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act, and undermines financial institutions' abilities to detect and prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
FACT: An FBI witness testified that the ability to assume a new identity with a Matricula Consular aids criminals in a variety of crimes, including money laundering, terrorist financing, and, additionally, "the false identity serves to conceal a criminal who is already being sought by law enforcement. Individuals have been arrested with multiple Matricula Consular cards in their possession, each with the same photograph, but with a different name."
The 9/11 Commission recommended that efforts to disrupt terrorist financing remain front and center in U.S. counterterrorism efforts. Key to this is ensuring that the identifications used at banks are secure. Please oppose amendments that would strip language to ensure banks are not able to accept the non-secure Matricula Consular.
MYTH: Every law enforcement and intelligence expert will tell you that it is far easier to track illicit finances when they are moving in our financial system, rather than underground.
FACT: Yes, it is important for financial institutions to know their customers and track and report illicit finances. Yet, if financial institutions do not know the true identity of their customers and they are not required to retain this information by photocopying their identification documents, then they cannot do their part in discouraging money laundering.
Such false identities are particularly useful to facilitate the crime of money laundering, as the criminal is able to establish one or more bank accounts under completely fictitious names. The FBI is particularly concerned about fraudulent financial transactions in the post 9/11 environment, given the fact that foreign terrorists often rely on money transferred from within the United States.
MYTH: The language in the bill would prohibit the Department of Treasury from imposing any identification standards on financial institutions.
FACT: The current language in the bill would strengthen identification standards imposed by the PATRIOT Act and the Department of Treasury by disallowing the use of the Matricula Consular. It would not completely eliminate the authority of the Treasury Department to enforce the PATRIOT Act .
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
Friday, March 30, 2007
CM PRESS # 113
westside on the rise?!
surfers meet beatniks
the cm press and most improvers have long said that the best and coolest part of costa mesa should be the westside. there are a number of reasons we believe this, including its closeness to the ocean, it's eclectic mix of businesses and residences and, yes, its industrial area (but it's too big). to some of us, the area just feels right--sort of a nascent bohemianism. many of us think it can be a destination location and can take on an identity that is unique but which might remind some a little of harvard square, greenwich village, and even north beach. and, we believe that it can become this without trying to be a copy of these areas but that it can blend our unique almost ocean oriented lifestyles with an urban bohemian milieu. well, with the above in mind, the cm press was pleased to read the front page article in the daily pilot today about a group of westsiders who are actually putting their money and efforts into making the westside what it should be. three cheers for these folks. check out the front page article "Business group working to make Westside cool" by amanda pennington in the daily pilot today (3/30)
here's the link to the article in the pilot: http://www.dailypilot.com/
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those are our opinions. thanks for reading them.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
CM PRESS # 112
REPORT FROM THE JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PARKS AND RECREATION STUDY SESSION MEETING OF 3/27/07
PASSIVE PARKS
At a recent Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the CM PRESS asked the PRC why no action had been taken on the City Council's direction to staff to bring a report to the PRC so that the PRC could take action on making Paularino Park and similar passive parks safe for those who wish to use them for passive purposes.
The PRC then asked staff about this. Staff replied that they had not received direction from the City Council so they weren't doing anything at all.
This didn't comport with the CM PRESS's memory or that of at least one member of the PRC or with the memory of a couple of City Councilpeople. All of us had thought direction had been given and that staff was working on making passive parks safe.
The City Council then had the minutes of past City Council meetings searched, and it was discovered that there was, in fact, direction given to staff.
This miscommunication, if that's what it was, is apparently part of the reason why the City Council called this joint study session meeting of the City Council and the PRC yesterday.
At this meeting yesterday, there appeared to us to be an undercurrent of frustration coming from several City Council members, not only about this passive park matter, but also on other matters relating to parks and playing fields.
Mayor Mansoor cut through the BS at one point and told staff to "Take action on making parks passive or not and have the PRC take a vote on it and do it."
On another point, Councilmember Foley asked staff to explain how something fell through the cracks.
Ms. Foley also told staff that various concept plans need clear time lines. She said that one project was supposed to be done by September of last year but "we're now in March and it still isn't done."
SPORTS FIELDS
The major part of the discussion at the meeting was about finding sports fields. City Manager Allan Roeder advised the Council and the PRC that a lease had finally been drafted with the State of California leasing about five acres of land at Fairview Development Center to the City for five years, and that as soon as the lease was signed, which Mr. Roeder said should happen by the end of this week, the City would start getting the fields ready for sports activities such as soccer and football.
So far so good, but here come the problems as we see them.
PROBLEM 1: When Staff was asked when the fields would be ready for play, the answer was maybe in June of 2008. [About fourteen months!?]
PROBLEM 2: Staff also said that the city would probably use 2 of the 3 or 4 regulation fields on the five acres for the first two years "to let the state get to know our city." [Why not get them all on line ASAP? We're leasing 5 acres, let's use 5 acres.]
Maybe it's time for the City Manager and the City Council to take a look at the organization chart and other matters involved in these various and sundry park related matters and straighten out a few kinks.
It does appear that things are falling through the cracks and things are taking too long to do and that there don't appear to be clear timelines and that there are some some communication problems.
In our view, part of the problem is that oftentimes when City Council members or Parks and Recreation Commissioners "give direction" to staff, the way they do it is so casual sounding or the direction is so wrapped up in other conversations that some on staff may not think they're being given direction or that they're being asked to do something.
It also seems to us that we really do need a "can-do, will-do," attitude on the part of staff, so that things are not shoved to the bottom of the pile, but are handled as quickly and efficiently as possible. Not every job requires massive public meetings or the hiring of consultants or public surveys asking everyone who can be found their opinion of something. Some things, you can just do. Just do it. Just do it. Just do it.
Here, for your information, are the major staff members relating to various park matters.
Public Services Department directed by Bill Morris (714) 754-5343. This department handles many of the physical aspects of the parks. Bruce Hartley is the Maintenance Services Manager over parks, etc. (714) 754-5123.
Administrative Services Department directed by Stephan N. Mandoki (714) 754-5069. Under this department comes the Recreation Services Division headed by Jana Ransom.
WHAT THE CM PRESS WOULD DO
A Rolling Roll Out
1. We would not wait to completely finish all the fields before allowing play on them. Why take more than a year to do this? We would take one month and get one field up and running for soccer. It may be somewhat bare and rough, but we believe it will fill a needed demand. We would open it for play by the first week of May or sooner. We understand that much of the acreage is in fairly rough shape right now, but it is pretty flat and does not appear to be fourteen months rough.
Here's how we would proceed. If the lease is signed on Friday of this week, as indicated by Mr. Roeder, we would immediately call some of the people in charge of the soccer leagues and have them meet us on site Saturday morning at 7 a.m. We would walk off one soccer field and mark it with chalk. We would then ask these coaches and others to tell us what we need to do to make the field safe and playable (forget pretty) and what the soccer leagues can do to help. We would then immediately begin work.
We'd bet you dollars to donuts that in a month we'd have people on that field playing soccer. And isn't the goal to provide fields ASAP rather than beautiful fields? Function first, appearance second.
2. At the same time, we would be working on the other fields to bring them on line in more of a finished first class state. As soon as we get one up and ready for play, we'd close down the rough field, if necessary, and bring it up to a first class state.
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PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING TONIGHT, 3/28/07, 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
CM PRESS # 111
REPORT FROM THE NO-PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF 3/26/07
No-Planning Commission stiffs improvement again.
Look, Commissioners, the Westside bluffs are a big grid. You should be filling in squares with residential uses--not more industrial uses. Get it? That's why we have a residential overlay in place. Geez!
At tonight's no-Planning Commission meeting, no-Planning Commissioners Donn Hall, Eleanor Egan, James Righeimer and James Fisler all voted to allow the continuation of a paving and contracting business at 843 W. 17th Street (and Babcock). This is behind Griswold Industries (Cla-Val).
Staff had recommended that this business not be allowed to continue. There were several reasons and justifications for this recommendation, including the fact that this would be a step toward the evolution of the bluffs away from heavy industrial uses and into more residential and live/work uses.
Such an evolution to residential is not what the industrialists in the area want and they sent over a pile of letters from different industrial companies saying that they wanted the property to remain industrial. Hall, Egan, Righeimer and Fisler were happy to give them what they wanted.
Only Commissioner Sam Clark seemed to understand what was at stake and he voted to uphold staff's recommendations.
So, in plain English: Donn Hall, Eleanor Egan, James Righeimer and James Fisler all voted against the improvement of the bluffs.
This is not the first time that Hall,Righeimer and Fisler have voted against improvement on the bluffs.
They did the same thing at a previous meeting for a project on the corner of 17th and Placentia and virtually ensured that it would remain industrial for the next fifty years by their vote.
It's important to put names with these votes against improvement because Fisler and Righeimer (also Clark) may run for City Council in less than two years.
It's also important because Mayor Mansoor is the one who put Righeimer on the no-Planning Commission and snubbed a long time improver in the process. And, worse, Righeimer is a new resident of Costa Mesa and should not have been appointed to an important commission without really knowing about our city.
Mansoor also seems to have been behind keeping the Commission application process open longer than officially announced. Was that so he could appoint Righeimer who didn't submit his application in time?
Righeimer is active in mainstream GOP politics and is considered conservative and pro-family. However, what we need in Costa Mesa (remember that place?) is someone who is focused on the local scene and who will work to help revitalize the Westside instead of voting to keep it mired in industrial uses.
Fisler, who had been on most improvers' "A" list for a run for City Council in two years, is dropping fast in popularity among improvers. Meanwhile, Sam Clark is moving up fast.
Righeimer may have the support of Mansoor and the folks from Huntington Beach, if he runs for the City Council, but it doesn't look like he'll have the improvers behind him. In fact, even if he runs for the State Assembly (again) or some other office, they may actively oppose him because of his anti-improvement votes.
Fisler and Righeimer have now voted three times against improvement. That's three strikes and you're out in most improvers' books. Egan has voted twice against improvement. Her third strike will probably be made in the next few meetings.
Both Egan and Righeimer mumbled some nonsense about the area having industrial zoning so that's what should be there. Hey, haven't you heard about the residential overlay?! Where have you been?
Ultimately, the blame for the bluffs not being improved must be laid at the feet of the so-called improvement majority on the City Council. They appointed these people to the no-Planning Commission who are voting against improvement and they're not removing them, as is their right. These no-Planning Commissioners serve at the pleasure of the City Council. If the Council loses confidence in them, then the Council can remove them and replace them with others.
The Council should recall no-Planning Commissioners who are obstructing improvement on the Westside.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
Here's our permanent link so you can check back often: http://cmpress.blogspot.com/
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
CM PRESS # 110
ASSAULT ON DAVIS CAMPUS
The CM PRESS received a report yesterday (3/21) that a fifth or sixth grader on the Davis School campus was the victim of an unprovoked assault by at least three older, and bigger, High School students who appeared to have entered the campus from Costa Mesa High School and who, for no reason, attacked the younger and smaller kid and left him on the ground. Davis is a 4th grade to 6th grade school so the kids there are from about 9 to 12 years old.
The incident is reported to have happened between about 2:50 and 3:00 p.m. when school was out and the City of Costa Mesa was running its after school program on the campus.
Information is sketchy and the CM PRESS seems to be getting a run-a-round from authorities, but it appears that the attackers have not been apprehended.
At this time, the CM PRESS does not know if the attackers were gang members or not, but we do know that Davis School has often had gang graffiti painted on the buildings and that this graffiti is quickly painted over by staff.
We are also concerned that the so-called intervention (as opposed to enforcement) strategy of some in local government and the NMUSD may be putting kids in danger because the interventionists may want to hide or downplay the reality of assaults and gang activity in order to calm fears of parents while at the same time furthering the interventionists' incorrect strategy of looking the other way when "minor assaults" and crimes take place so that the interventionists can befriend gang members, instead of having them arrested, in order to try to talk them out of being in gangs.
Our feeling that someone may be trying to cover this up wasn't assuaged when, as we were gathering information on this story, one official apparently tried to just have us go away by giving us an oil on troubled waters statement that the school was aware of the incident and that it was all taken care of (read, "It was no big deal. Hardly worth talking about").
When we persisted in our questions and demanded that we be told what was actually done, we were put on hold. The same person then came back on the line a few minutes later and told us that the "incident was under investigation." So, which is it? Is it no big deal or a big deal that requires investigation? Your guess is as good as ours.
In addition, as we were checking and double checking facts, we had one official on one telephone line who told us that the young kid who was assaulted complained of a hurt back, but that it was minor and no medical care was needed, while an official on the other line, at the same time, told us that the kid wasn't hurt at all. Both officials apparently had the same information.
We believe the official who said the kid was hurt was truthful, because we also heard that from a second source. So, why did the other official try to tell us the kid wasn't hurt at all?
Now, we don't want to make too big a deal out of this, but we believe our schools should be violence free and that parents and community members should be told the whole truth about such incidents and not be given a run-a-round.
When the safety of our children is at stake, we'd rather err on the side of caution.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
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Here's our link to bookmark for frequent visits: http://cmpress.blogspot.com/
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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
CM PRESS # 109
REPORT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF 3/20/07
SEAT CHANGE
The Council voted 3 to 1 to give Mayor Mansoor the authority to make the seating arrangements on the dais and as a result from now on Linda Dixon and Katrina Foley will be seated next to each other on the left side of the dais as seen from the audience. Dixon voted against the move and Foley abstained.
MORATORIUM ON INDUSTRIAL CONDO CONVERSIONS
The Council voted 5-0 for an urgency ordinance to stop conversion of industrial properties to industrial condos. The urgency ordinance lasts for 45 days. At the end of that time it can be extended or a new ordinance can be enacted with permanent language.
JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT
Two women from the Air Fair group trotted out all the uglies about John Wayne Airport--increasing number of flights, pollution, increase in size of the terminals, etc.--but, as in the past, they had no good solutions except some fuzzy talk about maglev trains to Ontario.
Hey, Air Fair, the answer is to focus your attention on getting an airport built at Camp Pendleton. Stop already with all the mumbling about putting in caps on flights. That's a fool's errand. The ONLY answer is to come up with a realistic alternative and that realistic alternative is Camp Pendleton.
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ON LEADERSHIP
All the know-nothings and lefties who have ever read one of the thousands of books on leadership all seem to be saying that Mayor Mansoor isn't a leader. Such books by instant experts and suede shoe operators are as much a glut on the market as cook books. Some are successful for a couple of months and then they fade away.
We've got a couple of scribblers down at the Pilot saying that Mansoor is a poor leader, and we have some crackpots who we think probably sit around in front of their TVs wearing their dirty underwear saying it, and last night we had Linda Dixon saying it.
The usual thing said by these people boils down to something like this: a true leader isn't heavy handed.
Why do they say that about Mansoor? Some of these people (maybe not all of them) are caught up in effete nerdy ways of doing things. It's all mumble, mumble, mumble and let's seek consensus. They don't understand leadership that goes straight for the goal without all the mumbling. You know the type. Some call them "yuppies," and some are calling some of them "metrosexuals."
Mansoor wanted a seat change on the dais. So, he simply asked for a seat change. Simple. Direct. No offense was probably intended to anyone. A one minute deal. Dixon then took offense and blew the thing out of proportion and we've been treated to the slack jaw musings of her giddy gang of galloping galoots ever since.
Here's three stories that might have some relevance to this. Maybe not. See what you think.
STORY 1
A great religious leader--a very renowned Guru--was walking by a small lake in India one day when he heard a monk chanting from a tiny island in the center of the lake. The Guru was immediately angered because the monk had the chants all wrong.
The Guru then got in a rowboat and rowed out to the tiny island and told the monk that he was doing it all wrong and that he should chant in the manner of the Guru.
The Guru then started rowing back to shore full of self-satisfication that he had taught someone the correct way of doing things. As he was rowing, he heard a plip, plop, plip, plop sound on the water behind him. He turned around and saw the monk walking across the surface of the water toward the rowboat.
When the monk got to the rowboat, and was standing there on top of the water, he said: "Oh great Guru, I am just an ignorant and humble monk and I've already forgotten your instructions. Could you repeat them again for me so that I can be as worthy as you?"
STORY 2
During the Civil War, General Grant was winning battles left and right and other generals weren't doing so well. When some mumbling backbiters went to President Lincoln and told him that he should remove General Grant because Grant had a drinking problem, Lincoln is reported to have said: "Find out what Grant is drinking and send a case of it to my other Generals."
STORY 3
It was prophesied that whoever could untie the Gordian Knot and remove it from a chariot would become king. Many tried, and many intellectualized about the nature of the problem and the knot, and how rope was made, and on and on, but no one could untie it.
Alexander (soon to have "the Great" added to his name) took out his sword and cut the knot in half.
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Now, don't get us wrong. We're not pleased with some of the things that Mayor Mansoor has done, and we're not always keen on the way he's done them. But as we observe what's going on in the city, we see that he is doing things. He often goes right to the nub of many problems and gets them solved.
While some in this city might spend months discussing the fine points of, say, driving a nail, it seems to us that Mansoor has the type of direct action personality that would lead him to simply pick up a hammer and bang the nail in.
And, direct action is not a bad thing so long as the one doing it has given it some thought before doing it and so long as what he ends up doing helps improve our city.
Of course, those who are results and action oriented will never please the mumbling do-nothings who would rather hold endless meetings and talk about things until Costa Mesa really becomes the new Santa Ana.
Watch now as some bad brain blogger says that the CM PRESS is saying that Mansoor is a new General Grant or a new Alexander the Great. Geez.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
CM PRESS # 108
MISSION VIEJO SAYS NO ILLEGALS CAN WORK FOR CITY CONTRACTORS--HERE'S THE ORDINANCE THAT THE MISSION VIEJO CITY COUNCIL PASSED ON A 5-0 VOTE LAST NIGHT. HOW ABOUT THE SAME THING IN COSTA MESA? (Note: spacing below is a function of the blog software and may not be in the original)
ORDINANCE NO. 07-247
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION VIEJO ADDING CHAPTER 2.80 TO TITLE 2 OF THE MISSION VIEJO MUNICIPAL CODE REQUIRING CITY EMPLOYEES AND CITY CONTRACTORS TO ADHERE TO SPECIFIED HIRING PROCEDURES
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
Section 1. Findings and Intent.
The City Council of the City of
1. A just society requires enforcement of and compliance with democratically enacted laws. Governmental
entities should promote compliance with the law and should avoid actions and policies that encourage disrespect for and violation of the law, and that reward lawbreakers at the expense
2. Federal law regulates immigration and justifiably requires that certain conditions be met for a person to be authorized to work or reside in the
3. The welfare of the public and, in particular, law-abiding persons and business entities, is served and promoted by governmental policies and procedures that deter and prevent legally unauthorized employment. Among such policies and procedures are those that ensure verification of eligibility for employment consistent with federal law.
Section 2. Ordinance Text.
A new Chapter 2.80 shall be added to Title 2 of the Mission Viejo Municipal Code to read, in words and figures, as follows:
“Section 2.80.010. Reference.
“The ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the ‘City of
“Section 2.80.020. Definitions.
“When used in this Chapter, the following words, terms and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them herein, and shall be construed so as to be consistent with state and federal law, including federal immigration law.
“A. Business Entity: Any person or group of persons performing or engaging in any activity, enterprise, profession, or occupation for gain, benefit, advantage, or livelihood, whether for profit or not for profit with the City. The term business entity shall include but not be limited to self-employed individuals, partnerships, corporations, contractors, and subcontractors doing business with the City. No governmental agency shall be considered to be a Business Entity for purposes of this Chapter.
“B. City: The City of Mission Viejo, a
“C. Contractor: A person, employer, or business entity that enters into a contract or an agreement with the City to perform any service or work or to provide a certain product in exchange for valuable consideration. This definition shall include but not be limited to a subcontractor, contract employee, or a recruiting or staffing entity. No governmental agency shall be considered to be a Contractor for purposes of this Chapter.
“D. Unauthorized Alien: A person who is unauthorized to be lawfully employed in the
“E. Unlawful Worker: A person who is an unauthorized alien as defined by United States Code Title 8, subsection 1324a(h)(3).
“F. Work: Any job, task, employment, labor, personal services, or any other activity for which compensation is provided, expected, or due, including provided to City all activities conducted by Business Entities and Contractors.
“G. Basic Pilot Program: The electronic verification of work authorization program of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996, P.L. 104-208, Division C, Section 403(a); and operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security (or a successor program established by the federal government.)
“Section 2.80.030. Application of Requirements.
“A. The City shall enroll and participate in the Basic Pilot Program, as amended. The City Manager shall oversee the City’s participation in this program and shall ensure that it is applied to all persons to be hired by the City as City employees.
“B. As a condition for the award or renewal of any City contract, gift, contribution, or grant to a Business Entity or Contractor after July 1, 2007 for which the reasonable value of employment, labor or personal services shall exceed $15,000, the Business Entity or Contractor shall enroll in the Basic Pilot Program and thereafter shall provide the City documentation affirming its enrollment and participation in the Basic Pilot Program. The Business Entity or Contractor shall be required to continue its participation in the Basic Pilot Program throughout the course of its business relationship with the City.
“C. As a condition for the award or renewal of any City Franchise made after July 1, 2007 the Business Entity shall provide documentation affirming its enrollment and participation in the Basic Pilot Program prior to the award of said franchise. The Business Entity or Contractor shall continue its participation in the Basic Pilot Program throughout the term of its business relationship with the City.
“D. The City shall include specific written notice in all requests for bids that Business Entities may be required to enroll in the Basic Pilot program pursuant to Subsection B above. Business Entities are exempt from Subsection B if they received requests for bids without such notice.
“Section 2.80.040. Enforcement of Contract Terms.
“The City Manager shall implement procedures necessary to implement and enforce the requirements of this Chapter into all contracts the City enters into with Business Entities or Contractors. These procedures shall ensure that no business engages in discrimination based on national origin, ethnicity, race or any other classification deemed suspect by the City or any agency or court.
“The City shall suspend a contract with any Business Entity or Contractor that the United States Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security has found to have been in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324a.”
“The City may suspend a contract with any Business Entity or Contractor that fails to correct a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324a within thirty business days after notification of the violation by the
“The City shall not suspend the contract of any Business Entity or Contractor if, prior to the date of the violation, the Business Entity or Contractor had verified the work authorization of any alleged unlawful workers using the Basic Pilot Program and demonstrates the same to
“Every contract entered into by the City shall provide that the suspension for noncompliance with this Chapter shall terminate one business day after a legal representative of the Business Entity or Contractor submits, at a City office designated by the City Manager a declaration signed under penalty of perjury of the laws of the State of California, in the form provided by the City, stating that the violation of federal law has ended.”
Section 3. Construction.
The requirements and obligations of this Chapter shall be implemented in a manner fully consistent with federal law including but not limited to those laws regulating immigration and those laws protecting the civil rights of all citizens, nationals, lawful permanent residents, or aliens authorized to work.
Section 4. The terms of this Ordinance shall supersede any previous resolutions of the Council or Council policies which may be in conflict or inconsistent with the terms of this Ordinance.
Section 5. The City Clerk of the City of
Section 6. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or word of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council of the City of
Section 7. The City Council hereby finds that this Ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15061(b)(3) as it can be seen with certainty that this Ordinance’s enactment will not have a significant effect on the environment.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED this 19th day of March, 2007.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
CM PRESS # 107
PURE FREE MARKET FORCES DO NOT EXIST
At its meeting tonight (3/20), the City Council will vote on enacting a moratorium to stop the conversion of multi-tenant industrial parks into industrial condominiums.
The CM PRESS supports enacting such a moratorium because such conversions might frustrate the intent of the Council in putting in a residential overlay on top of the industrial zoning on the Westside bluffs so that the bluffs can evolve to higher and better uses.
Expect to hear some freshly minted laissez-faire industrialists claim that the City should let the free market work and not do anything. Of course, most of these folks don't live in Costa Mesa and they'd never allow the very buildings and businesses that they own in our city be on bluffs in their own cities.
Furthermore, the problem with the pure free market argument of those who don't want the bluffs to evolve away from industrial uses is that the City has actually been protecting the industrial uses on the bluffs for decades, so to simply now say that the City should not do anything to give a boost to the Westside revitalization gives an unfair advantage to the industrial uses.
Look at it this way. The industrial uses have a built in inertia and inertia is overcome by doing something to change that inertia, not doing nothing.
As you may recall, Newton's First Law--the Law of Inertia--states that a thing at rest will remain at rest unless an external force is applied. In other words, that rock on your lawn isn't going to move unless you do something to move it. If you walk out on your lawn and say: "Okay, rock, you can either move or not move because I believe in free market forces," you can count on it never moving. You have to overcome the inertia.
That's where we are in trying to revitalize the Westside. We have to do something or it will not revitalize itself. We have to encourage the building of homes.
Homes with ocean views and ocean influences command higher prices than those that don't have these things. Those who can afford to buy such desirable homes often have higher discretionary incomes that they can spend in our local stores. Their presence in our city will encourage more upscale stores to locate on the Westside.
Such homes, in other words, can lead the Westside into being the great part of our city that it should be. They will reverse the present downward spiral and turn it into an upward spiral.
With homes on the bluffs we will see a lower crime rate, fewer gangs, better schools and a better quality of life in Costa Mesa as our city joins other ocean close communities that have homes on their bluffs.
Yes on the moratorium.
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Monday, March 19, 2007
CM PRESS # 106
The libs are still trying to get the improvement majority on the City Council to accept liberal plans.
The libs used to be able to have prior liberal Councils accept just about any squishy, big government, spend your money program they proposed, but with the improvement majority it's become more difficult.
The libs had hoped to get either Garlich or Scheafer on the Council, which would have given them the majority. But, because Leece won a seat they have to be more devious in getting their plans approved. Now they're trying to bend with the wind to get their way.
Part of their thinking, no doubt, is the belief that the improvement members of the Council aren't very bright and can be easily fooled.
Let's back up a minute. Some citizens who have seen the big PR push for the Gang Initiative might justifiably be scratching their heads over the fact that just a couple of years ago, when the libs had the majority on the Council, the libs denied that there were gangs in the city. Complete denial. No gangs. Period. People who looked as though they were in gangs were just dressing like gang members because they liked the clothing style according to the libs.
Remember that? The CM PRESS even used to make fun of the libs by calling gang members "fashion models."
Now, however, the libs are all saying we have gangs. Seven gangs, in fact. Up from four just a few years ago, by gum. And, hey, we libs are with you improvers, we sure do need to get rid of these gangs. Why, we need a Gang Initiative. Yup. We're going to be real tough on gangs. Strong enforcement. Zero tolerance.
And, oh by the way, we think it should be a "comprehensive" plan and that we should put in, oh, some stuff in the schools and have neighborhood meetings with the community and shunt wannabe gang members off to some non-profits in the city and etc. etc. etc. etc., and don't worry your pretty little heads over these details, improvers. We libs will take care of them.
Of course, as we've reported before, the gangs in Costa Mesa are almost completely Hispanic and have a nexus with illegal aliens, but the Gang Initiative--inadvertently showing its liberal roots--doesn't once mention that the gangs are Hispanic and that there might be a connection with the vast numbers of suspected illegal aliens who have flocked here due to the magnet effect of the charities run by the libs and their pals.
And, to repeat what we've written before, about half of the so-called Gang Initiative looks to us to be the discredited D.A.R.E. program under a different name and with some other liberal things thrown in.
In other words, the libs have baited their hook with tough sounding gang enforcement talk to reel in the three improvement members of the Council.
If the Council buys this "comprehensive" plan as it has been presented, we believe we may eventually end up with a new job center, free English classes, more charity give aways and all sorts of social programs that will increase the illegal alien magnets in this city. And, we may see the ICE agent in the jail being told to take a hike because he's too divisive and is counterproductive to the Gang Initiative.
Do the three improvement minded members of the Council see the hook in the bait? It's hard to tell. They, like the other two Council members, are part timers and they get a lot of reading material thrown their way, so maybe they haven't really read the so-called Gang Initiative with a critical eye.
Still, you'd think that the majority would see that many of the people behind the soft liberal parts of this so-called Gang Initiative are the same ones who were involved with Return to Reason and/or were against Mansoor/Leece in the last election. Shouldn't that give the majority a clue?
So, what would the CM PRESS do if we were on the Council? We'd accept the enforcement aspects of the plan, but throw out many of the other things. They don't belong in this plan. We'd tell the proponents of the other things to come back with another plan at some future date, but that we're going forward with the enforcement parts of the plan right now.
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GRAFFITI IN FOLEY'S NEIGHBORHOOD THIS MORNING
Oh, by the way, we spotted large gang graffiti in Katrina Foley's neighborhood today. As is our practice, we won't call it in to the graffiti hot line. We don't want it covered up too fast. We want Foley's neighbors to see it and wonder why she's not getting rid of the slum in her neighborhood that is the breeding ground for gangs.
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Here's our link to bookmark so you can visit us often: http://cmpress.blogspot.com/
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
CM PRESS # 105
CITY COUNCIL TO MOVE DIXON?
Do-nothing, anti-improver City Councilmember Linda Dixon has refused to move to a seat next to Councilmember Katrina Foley at the left end of the dais as seen from the audience.
On Tuesday, 3/20, the Council will vote on what to do.
Our guess is that Dixon will be moved.
One advantage of having Dixon and Foley sitting next to each other is that audience members can cover one eye and completely forget they're even there. Now, if we can just get Dixon and Foley's microphones turned off....
The Daily Pilot is always whining that there is no harmony on the Council. With Dixon and Foley out of the picture there will be complete harmony and the three improvement minded members of the Council can move forward with making Costa Mesa the great city it should and can be.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
CM PRESS # 104
CITY COUNCIL--DON'T BE FOOLED
Really take the time to read the so-called Gang Initiative that you are being asked to approve as one package.
Don't be fooled by the tough sounding name.
At least half of the Initiative is the same old liberal social programs that will benefit the same old liberal establishment.
The other half is much needed law enforcement.
Don't buy the bad with the good. You have the authority to pick and choose what should be in this program. Take the law enforcement part of this but be very selective about which parts of the liberal social programs you're going to authorize.
Be careful. Notice how fuzzy the language is regarding the social programs. If you buy this as presented, you may be opening the door to a whole slew of things that you don't expect.
Especially note the use of the word "etc." in the social programs. Those three letters leave an opening that is so big that all the liberal socialists in Costa Mesa could drive their limos through it-- sideways and all at the same time.
Here's part of a story about a gang killing in Santa Barbara and what the police chief had to say about liberal programs:
Deadly gang brawl stuns Santa Barbara
March 16, 2007
(snip)
Four others — allegedly members of the same gang — were also arrested on a variety of charges. They range in age from 13 to 16.
(snip)
Blocks away, on the steps of the Police Department, Chief Sanchez said this was only the second gang-related death he could recall in his six years as head of the agency.
(snip)
"We have a gang unit, we have the Police Athletic League, we have a lot of things going on," Sanchez said, "but we can't force them into positive activities."
(snip)
Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
Posted by CM PRESS at 4:22 PM
Labels: Gang Initiative/Jekyll
Friday, March 16, 2007
CM PRESS # 103
I don't get it. The former president of Mexico was named Vicente Fox. Now, isn't "Fox" the English translation of "Zorro"? So why wasn't he called President Zorro?
Never mind. I have weightier things to straighten out concerning Mexico and Zorro.
You've probably seen the Zorro movies or TV show where Zorro was a Spanish nobleman who ran around the place carving a "Z" on the bad guys' shirts. Nice story. But you might find the real story even more interesting, especially around St. Patrick's Day.
The real Zorro was an Irish soldier of fortune named William Lamport, who was born in 1615 in Ireland.
Lamport left Ireland and found remunerative work for a time as a privateer--that means he was a pirate with a license from one government that allowed him to attack another nation's ships. In this case, Lamport attacked English merchantmen. It's that Irish/English thing.
In 1643, he enlisted in one of the three Irish regiments in Spanish service (The O’Neill, O’Donnell and Fitzgerald Regiments) to fight against the French forces in Spanish Flanders. He was eventually commended for bravery and entered Spanish Royal service.
Along the way, Lamport Latinized his name to “Guillen Lombardo” and ended up in the Spanish colony of Mexico.
Once in Mexico, William/Guillen lived among the poor Indians and studied their religion. For this, he came to the notice of the Spanish Inquisition, which was helping the King of Spain in his attempt to destroy Mexico as it was, and remake it into something of a new world version of Catholic Spain.
William/Guillen soon became the leader of a rebel Mexican independence movement.
When not fighting the Spaniards, William/Guillen was busy having affairs with Spanish noblewomen, both married and unmarried.
After a time, he became engaged to Antonia Turcious, a member of the nobility. However, before he could marry her, he was arrested by the Inquisition and accused of conspiracy against Spain.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but, and it gets a bit foggy here, he was eventually back on the streets where he then began a harassment campaign against the Spanish by sneaking around at night and painting the walls of Mexico City with his name and anti-Spanish graffiti.
Not exactly the stuff of a "Z" made with a sword, but close enough to be reworked for the Zorro story.
William/Guillen was arrested again in 1652 when found in the bed of the wife of the Spanish Viceroy of Mexico, Marquis Lope Diez de Caderyta.
He was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and was then turned over to the Inquisition to be burnt at the stake as a heretic (it was because of that native Indian religion that he had been toying with, not the many women).
In 1659 he was tied to the stake in Mexico City, but before the flames reached him, he undid his ropes and strangled himself.
Happy St. Patrick's Day William Lamport--Zorro--we'll raise a glass of Guinness Stout cervaza to your memory.
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About the photo. This is an album cover of one of our favorite South Boston bands, The Dropkick Murphys.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
CM PRESS # 102
FEELGOODISM AT WORK ON THE CITY COUNCIL--D.A.R.E. WE SAY IT?
Remember all the hype you heard for years about the DARE program?
All the swells and the suits trotted out their bonafides and told the peons that this was a great program and that milk and honey was going to be the result.
Here's one of the actual phrases used to promote that program: "The DARE program gives kids the life skills they need to avoid involvement with drugs, gangs, and violence."
Makes you all warm and fuzzy, right? Hey, what could be wrong with a program that will help kids avoid drugs, gangs and violence?
Just one thing. It didn't work.
It was based on squishy liberal voodoo psychology and sociology cooked up by the usual "hey kids let's put on a play in my uncle's barn" crew, not on hard facts and reality.
Many cities--including Costa Mesa--have now completely abandoned DARE because it's an abject failure. It didn't do what it said it would do. All it did was drain tax money into a feel good program run by moist eyed charity types and their pals.
At the City Council study session yesterday (3/13), we had a sense of deju vu as Son of DARE was presented to the City Council. This one is called the "Gang Initiative." Sounds tough through and through. It's not. You can name your pet hamster "Godzilla," but it's still a hamster.
Even worse, in practice, the Gang Initiative may actually hurt Costa Mesa's efforts to turn suspected illegal aliens over to the ICE agent as libs will probably use the program to renew their calls to go soft on illegal alien criminals in order to "gain trust with the community so the Gang Initiative will work."
What the Gang Initiative does, in part, is re-empower some of the same liberal establishment types who pushed DARE and similar liberal boondoggles, and who tried to defeat Mansoor/Leece in the last election.
Now, dear reader, please excuse us for ping ponging a bit, but notwithstanding our above take on the Gang Initiative, we don't want to be too harsh about this plan because at least it's an attempt to convince citizens that the city is doing something, and the enforcement parts of it seem pretty good.
Maybe the Councilmembers can take a harder look at this proposal and ask some meaningful questions and fashion something that will be good. So, we're not suggesting that the Gang Initiative is all bad. We are, however, saying that it needs to be picked apart and some vague or DARE type aspects need to be nailed down or eliminated.
To be completely frank, the Gang Initiative, as it sits right now, is a good example of how to try to push through things you know won't be approved by attaching them to things that you know will be approved. It's sort of a local version of how Senators and Congressmen work. "Initiative to land a man on the moon? Great. Let's just make it a Comprehensive Moon Bill by adding on this provision to provide hay for cows in my state."
As you are probably aware, the new buzz word nationally and locally is "comprehensive." And we see it used here as the Gang Initiative puts together iffy social programs with reasonable enforcement efforts, mixes them up a bit, throws in the word comprehensive and then asks the City Council to swallow the whole thing and not look at its constituent parts.
The CM PRESS believes that the City Council should pick apart the Gang Initiative so that we end up with the best possible bang for our buck and not just end up with a recycled DARE program.
In this regard, and to be clear, we believe the enforcement parts of the program, as we understand them, are desirable and should be accepted. They look pretty solid and well thought out to us.
We have a problem, however, when the program then includes such things as (from the report): "Project ASK with the NMUSD" and; "Expand public education efforts through...Town Hall meetings, etc." We're especially concerned about that toss away "etc." which is far too broad. It may, for example, get us into providing English lessons, day care, a new job center, and you name it. And, we're not kidding about this. Could it be that some of those involved with this "comprehensive" plan are in favor of those things and will be taking care of the day to day matters without further public review?
We believe that if the Council accepts this program as presented without nailing down loose ends, it could end up hurting Costa Mesa.
In addition, we think that this Gang Initiative--both the good and bad parts--will ultimately fail, because it doesn't address the root causes of our problems. And, unless it does address the root causes, it's mostly duck and cover and rearrange the deck chairs stuff. However (we ping pong again), the police can only do so much.
Our problems in Costa Mesa are not for lack of proper police work. We don't have a high crime rate and increasing numbers of gangs because the cops aren't doing what they're supposed to do.
The reason we have these problems is because successive City Councils have failed to improve our city. They've left us a mess and now the current crop of co-opted politicians are asking the police department to clean it up while not only not preventing the mess from continuing, but, in our view, giving up control of the social aspects of this program to forces that have put us where we are today--which is to say--in a position where we need this program. Sound a little circular? It is.
According to the officers who presented this proposal to the City Council yesterday, Costa Mesa only had four gangs ten years ago and now we have seven.
Not one of the Councilmembers at the study session bothered to ask why the number increased.
Not one asked the ethnic makeup of the gangs.
Not one asked if they're composed of illegal aliens and/or the children of illegal aliens.
Not one asked to see a push-pin map of where gang members actually live in the city.
Not one asked to see a push-pin map showing gang crime hotspots.
Come on, City Council. Citizens want you to do something, but they want you to think it through and not be stampeded into doing something that may not work, may cost a lot of money, and which may actually do more harm than good.
Don't buy into this "comprehensive"approach. That's just a PR tactic. Take a cafeteria approach. Pick the things that are good and leave anything that is doubtful or vague behind.
And, remember, there really is no direct link between the enforcement and social aspects of this program. They're really separate things just thrown together because some know you may buy the social aspects when they're mixed up with the enforcement aspects.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
http://frankspeech.com/
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http://frankspeech.com/
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CHICAGO: GANG OF BLACK GIRLS CHOKING AND ROBBING CAB DRIVERS Interestingly, the above news report does give the race of the attackers. ...