CM PRESS # 793



Wendy Leece 'working' a MIKA event

in October 2011.



SHOULD WENDY RECUSE HERSELF?

Scroll down on the right side of Wendy's blog HERE and you'll find a permanent link to MIKA.

Should Wendy recuse herself from voting on giving MIKA any money or even discussing this at the City Council study session on 3/13?





Crissy Brooks, head of MIKA, at
Wendy's Pomona Town Hall
November 2011



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FURTHER TO OUR COLUMN ABOUT IMPROVERS (below the one on firefighting)

So, if the Improvers do abandon Righeimer and Mensinger because they believe nothing is happening to improve the Westside in meaningful ways and they come to believe that Messrs. R and M seem to be part of a new establishment that is still funding  the nonprofits that are helping keep the Westside down and are behind having staff focus on other areas of the city while ignoring the Westside, does this mean the Improvers will join with the people who are trying to kill the charter and who constantly whine about R and M?

The answer is probably not.

There is a third position.  There are other possibilities.  There are other possible candidates in the wings who will promise to improve the Westside and who say they will put doing so as their highest priority.
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MAYBE IT IS TIME TO OUTSOURCE OUR FIREFIGHTING

In this article HERE from the OC REGISTER you can read the ping ponging on why Costa Mesa is paying firefighters so much of our moola.

We think Righeimer has it about right in his comments.  So, if we're at an impasse, then maybe we should turn our firefighting over to the County as so many other cities have done.

Back when this was actually being discussed, we found it telling that some of the usual crackpots argued against this because, in their usual ignorance, they thought that if we turned firefighting over to the county that we'd have no fire stations in Costa Mesa and emergency fire calls would have to be answered from faraway County stations.  Some of these same people are now fighting the charter. 

There's just no cure for stupidity and it makes little sense to keep trying to tell these people the truth. The good Councilmembers could put out information on firefighting or the charter or outsourcing or anything else for ten years and we'd still get some of these numbnuts showing up saying they weren't informed.

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IMPROVERS WANT CITY TO SET THE WESTSIDE AS ONE OF ITS HIGHEST PRIORITIES

Why is the City setting Harbor Blvd. as a high priority and why is highly paid Peter Naghavi spending his time on that instead of working on the Westside?

Just a reminder.  We're in the election season now, and there may be some surprises if the present City Council stiffs the Westside.



Think that's an empty statement?  If so, you'd better check old newspaper clippings and the election results since 2000.  We'll give you a minute to do that....(drumming fingers on desk)....okay, you're back.  Now, did you see all the surprise and teeth gnashing in those newspaper articles and letters/comments  from many of the same low I.Q. types who are now constantly attacking the good Councilmembers?



They were certain that the Improvers couldn't elect an unelectable guy in 2000 who had lost nine times before.  Not only did the Improvers elect him, but he got more votes than anyone else running that year. 



The numbnuts were certain that the Improvers couldn't elect a no-name Sheriff's Deputy.  They were wrong again.

They were certain that the Improvers couldn't elect another guy from the Westside. Wrong again.

They also got Wendy Leece elected.

And, the first time Jim Righeimer ran, the Improvers didn't get behind him and he lost.

The second time, they got behind him and he won.

Maybe this is all just bluster and maybe the Improvers had nothing to do with any of these election wins.  After all, they don't have any formal organizations.  There is no leader. You seldom see many of them at City meetings.  They're sort of the ghost in the election machine.



A few years ago, the newspapers were all over the Improvers trying to find out how we did it each time. Some even suspected dirty deeds.  Here's the secret:  The Improvers outsmarted the opposition each and every time.  There's more to the way they are organized, but we're not talking.

Here's our suggestion to the good Councilmembers: You may not see many of the Improvers at City Council meetings lately, but if the present City Council doesn't start moving fast to improve the Westside, the good Councilmembers may have a hard time in the election this year without the hidden hand of the Improvers.

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