Wednesday, September 11, 2013

CM PRESS # 344

LOS ANGELES:  ORTHODOX JEWS UNDER FIRE FOR SACRIFICING CHICKENS

The idea is that the sins of a believer are transferred to the chicken and then the chicken gets its throat slashed.
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COSTA MESA:  POSSIBLY ANOTHER DEAD BODY FOUND

According to the CMPD crime map, this possible find is in the 800 block of Baker Street.
Go to the CMPD crime map up on your right and go to the orange balloon with a "2" and a star to see the actual crime map report.

And another:  The Crime map also shows a possible dead body in the 100 block of Lexington.
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AGENDA FOR TONIGHT'S CHARTER COMMITTEE MEETING

It's like watching grass grow.
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ISRAEL SPYING ON US CITIZENS VIA NSA

According to another Snowden leak, NSA routinely sends information on U.S. citizens to Israel.
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BALTIMORE:  YOUNG BLACKS ARE THE PERPS IN MOST RACE RELATED HATE CRIMES SO THE CITY MAY PUT IN A CURFEW FOR ALL KIDS UNDER 14

When you try to be PC and pretend that all humans are the same, you often, as here, end up infringing on the rights of the innocent. It's not the White kids who are the problem, yet they also get punished.
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COLORADO:  TWO LEFTY LAWMAKERS WHO OPPOSE GUN RIGHTS HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND REPLACED WITH THOSE WHO SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION

Yeah!  Another sign that voters are getting fed up with weak seed touchy-feeling pols.
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NEW POLL SHOWS REPUBLICANS VEERING TOWARD LIBERTARIANISM

Years ago, when I was acting in New York City, I was also one of the original five or so members of a very early libertarian group called the Society for Individual Liberty.  This group existed before the present Libertarian Party was established.

Much of libertarian thought is based on the principles of individual liberty and smaller, less intrusive government. However, some libertarians push for open borders, and this is something that many of us who do have a libertarian streak oppose.  And, those of us who do oppose it have more of a particularist world view rather than a universalist one.
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SMALL LOT ORDINANCE MEETING

We attended yesterday's  joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting on a proposed small lot ordinance for the city.

At our two minute fast talking time at the mic for public comments we said several things that we hope those behind the ordinance will think about:

1. This ordinance should probably not be rolled out city wide.  If it is, what will happen is that developers will continue to gobble up lots on the Eastside and make that area even more crowded and full of cars and traffic than it already is.  In fact, and we told the group this, it wouldn't surprise us if we soon hear that a bunch of properties on the Eastside are already being held in silent escrows just waiting for this ordinance to pass, and once it does they'll flow out like crazy.

2. Expanding on our first suggestion above, we then said that it might be better if this ordinance is rolled out in selected overlay neighborhoods, such as parts of the Westside, Mesa North and Mesa del Mar, which have many functionally obsolete apartments, so developers will be herded in those directions.  And, as part of this suggestion we said that additional incentives (no parking variances, please) should be offered so  developers can afford to buy up some of these functionally obsolete apartments, assemble parcels, put in small lot developments of detached single family homes, and still make a profit

3. We know the ordinance doesn't change parking requirements, but we also told the group that they can count on developers coming in and asking for parking variances.  This is what happens all the time now, and these variances are often rubber stamped.  This is leaving large parts of the city woefully underparked. The best written ordinances fail if variances are given out like candy at Halloween.

So, what's it all mean?

The ordinance can be a good tool to improve parts of Costa Mesa or it can be a bad tool if it is used in the wrong parts or if there is mission creep as developers try to get R1 lots rezoned to R2 so they can use this ordinance where it's not supposed to be used.
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2 comments:

  1. "The ordinance can be a good tool to improve parts of Costa Mesa or it can be a bad tool if it is used in the wrong parts or if there is mission creep as developers try to get R1 lots rezoned to R2 so they can use this ordinance where it's not supposed to be used."

    You mean like changing the zoning of the Canyon Park Westside Neighborhood to R2?

    Your buddies on Council are already at it.

    I have an image from a staff slide presentation from a March 19th meeting, it is NOT included in this staff report.

    http://www.costamesaca.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=10133

    Included in the staff report , page 7, under "Westside Overlay Zone"

    "Expand the Westside Overlay Zone to include additional areas south of Victoria and West of Harbor."
    "Allow mixed-used development and high-density residential development for all properties in the overlay zone"


    The image that was NOT included into the staff report ,and is on the slide presentation, is on the video feed provided below with the time stamp.

    http://costamesa.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=10&clip_id=2114

    At the time stamp 4:05:40 Claire Flynn suggests that the Westside Overlay zone is too limiting and they suggest expanding it over the entire Westside, including the R1 neighborhoods, all the way out to Victoria.

    I really didn't want to comment on here, and was looking for another way to email you. I wanted to include the screen shot images.

    We agree about two percent of the time.....and even then only when the Libertarian aspects of our politics chime twice a day.

    Nobody is putting the SLO and the General Plan Westside Overlay recommendations together. It would be devastating for the Westside R1 neighborhoods and will make them into the "Eastside", which in my opinion, is completely fucked.

    You can post this ,.....I would prefer you didn't.

    This was just an FYI....

    Gericault.



    ReplyDelete
  2. Mssr. Gericault, since you gave us a choice of publishing this or not, we chose to publish it.

    Your comments deserve an answer. Everything is not a plot to destroy the city and perhaps someone at City Hall will read your comments here and respond, if you haven't already sent these comments to City Hall. Have you?

    On another point, I'm happy to tell you, and I'm sure you're just as happy to hear, that I think we agree much less than 2% of the time, so I think your liberal bonafides are secure, and that you should have little fear that you will be shunned by the fine residents of Charenton simply because you chose to comment here where many people will see your comments.

    I'm told the new 19 West sign will be up in the not too distant future, and while that's a small thing, I think it will add to the attractiveness of the street and may help with giving us a true downtown. N'est-ce pas?

    I'd actually like to see what your vision is for the Westside. If you feel like it, send me something, maybe with bullet points--something logical and succinct--about what you'd like over there and I may put it up above as a column. (Psst, you can remain anonymous if you like.)

    ReplyDelete

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