CM PRESS # 991

CITY WINS FREE SPEECH CASE
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LEECE AND FOLEY MEET WITH STATE OFFICIALS ON FAIRGROUNDS

Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece and Councilmember Katrina Foley met with state officials in Sacramento last Monday to try to get the state to stop the sale of the Fairgrounds.

The meeting included Scott Harvey, Chief Deputy Director, Department of General Services; Brent Jamison, State and Consumer Services Agency; and Leslie Lopez, Chief Counsel and Acting Agency Secretary.

Ms. Leece and Ms. Foley also made multiple contacts with area Legislative Offices requesting support for Assembly Bill 1590 sponsored by Assemblyman Jose Solorio and co-sponsored by Assemblyman Van Tran to stop the sale.

The Council Members called for members of the State Legislature to approve AB 1590 during the current Special Session of the Legislature so the sale can be stopped before the scheduled January 8, 2010 deadline for bids. Members of the public are encouraged to write or contact their State representatives and request their support of AB 1590. The Bill is expected to be voted on this month.

CM PRESS COMMENT: Ms. Leece and Ms. Foley did the right thing. However, we don't think it's going to help. Here's why:

A. There's money to be made by developing the Costa Mesa fairgrounds land to its highest and best use.

B. The center of gravity of OC has moved south. The real political power is now coming from South County, and the forces behind the Great Pork need to give that project legitimacy. Making it the OC Fairgrounds and Event Center will help with that goal.

We hope we're wrong and the sale is called off.

However, our instincts tell us that the sale effort will continue and the only chance of a sale not being consummated will be if the offers that are opened in January aren't what the state wants.

So, if the offers are too low and/or have too many contingencies, the state may decide not to sell the property. And, this is where the political pressure from Costa Mesa comes in. If, in fact, the offers are too low or are not clean, the state will have two choices: Ask for more bids or take the property off the market. Pressure from Costa Mesa may make the second choice seem better to the pols.
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IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND A FAMILY PLANNER (READ, LATE TERM ABORTIONIST) CONVINCED MARY THAT SHE WOULD HAVE A HAPPIER AND MORE PROSPEROUS LIFE WITHOUT A CHILD TO CARE FOR AND THAT SHE COULD ADOPT A PET DOG AS HER 'CHILD' TO MOTHER.
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WARMONGER OBAMA WANTS TO EXPAND DRONE STRIKES IN PAKISTAN
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