CM PRESS # 645

WHY WE CONTINUE LINKING TO THE ALMOST DAILY DAILY PILOT

Some readers wonder why we continue to provide a link to the almost daily Daily Pilot, given how liberal the paper is.

In fact, many Improvers say they no longer read the Pilot either in its paper form or on the Internet and they say they get their local information from the CM PRESS.

We understand why many don't read the Pilot anymore. It's not exactly on the same page as most of us as far as improving Costa Mesa.

However, we'll continue linking to the paper for the time being because we like having a hyper local daily newspaper in Costa Mesa, and especially one that ties our city with our somewhat prettier sister city, Newport Beach.

Such a tie is a plus for Costa Mesa and can only benefit our city.

So, we want the almost daily Daily Pilot to stay in business and we figure the traffic from our site won't hurt.

This doesn't mean that we won't jibe the paper or its editors and writers about various matters of public concern and it doesn't mean that we won't do it in ways we consider to be interesting or humorous.

As we've written before: The folks at the Daily Pilot can't bore people into reading the newspaper. And, for our part, we can't bore people into reading the CM PRESS.

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DON LAMM LEAVING COSTA MESA FOR WESTMINSTER

Don Lamm, Costa Mesa's Development Services Director, is expected to be named the new City Manager of Westminster and to begin his new gig in May.

Given Lamm's background with major commercial developments, his appointment is an interesting choice for Westminster and may indicate that city is serious about moving forward with some needed changes.

Some at the CM PRESS have experience with Westminster real estate going back to the fall of Saigon. Here are a few off the cuff suggestions for Mr. Lamm:

1. Get rid of that stupid Civic Center special zoning and faux English look. It doesn't work in our climate and the Queen is never going to visit the place.

2. Give some attention to the area around Euclid and Westminster Blvd. This should be a hot location, but at present it is under utilized by the city.

3. Parking is still a problem on Bolsa and needs more creative solutions.

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NO UPDATES ON BODY FOUND ON CENTER STREET

We've seen no new information on the body found in bushes at 810 Center Street yesterday.

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IN OTHER CENTER STREET NEWS

A Hispanic man was arrested for pulling a knife on another man and chasing him down Center Street yesterday. The victim was able to get away without being stabbed or injured.

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WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR SALES TAX AND OTHER REVENUE FIGURES

The City of Costa Mesa still hasn't released the latest figures on the revenue hole we're in, but as soon as the CM PRESS gets the information, we'll publish it.

We have two questions about this:

Is the shortfall going to be closer to $ 11 million or $20 million?

How will the City make it up?

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KNOW NOTHING BLOGGER TRYING TO GET INFORMATION

Rumor has it that a local dimwit blogger is now trying to develop information sources for his silly blog and is kissing up to some Improvers.

Our guess is that the only thing this guy will get is misinformation. No one who understands what is really going on in the City likes the guy. Can't stand him.

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CHICAGO TO REPLACE SOME COPS WITH PRIVATE COPS

City doing lots of privatization. Figures private sector can do it better and cheaper.

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BAD COPS IN SCHENECTADY--CITY MAY FIRE THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT

City may declare martial law to get over policing problems.

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DALLAS DROPS POLICE CODES FOR PLAIN ENGLISH

Too much confusion. 10-4?

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ORANGE CRUSH, ANYONE?

Plants to be killed along Mexican border to reveal smugglers.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 644

BODY OF MAN FOUND IN BUSHES ON CENTER STREET THIS MORNING
OCR says no ID yet.
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ANOTHER DAILY PAPER BITES THE DUST

The 174 year-old Ann Arbor News announced today that it's getting out of the stinky-inky dead tree business and going online.
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ALMOST DAILY DAILY PILOT BACKPEDALS

Seems a restaurant reviewer over at the almost daily Daily Pilot gave a bad review to local restaurant institution El Matador (here).

Then, Pee...er...Brady Rhoades tried to backpedal by writing in his blog (here) that he likes the grub over there and he'll keep eating it.


Pee...er...Brady also wants readers (and possible advertisers) to know that, golly gosh, the almost daily Daily Pilot is, in Pee...er...Brady's, words "hyper local." Pee...er...Brady didn't mention anything about tacos at El Matador...oh wait...

The hyper local comment is in Pee...er..Brady's blog about vaginal rejuvenation shots (we kid you not) (here)that is immediately below his back pedaling blog.

If our stunt double for Pee...er...Brady in the photo above hits something while going backwards, he may be in the market for those vaginal rejuvenation shots, and maybe some dresses.

As you perhaps know, hyper local Pee...er...Brady actually lives in Fullerton, not Costa Mesa. And as you may divine, Fullerton is not exactly hyper local to Costa Mesa. In fact, it's not even local. It's really kind of distant. Not really hyper distant, but still distant. Sort of sub-hyper distant. Of course, Fullerton is still in Orange County (barely), but it sure as hell isn't in Costa Mesa and doesn't have the ocean almost touching some of its friggin' land.

It's not as though Pee...er...Brady--once he punches the time clock and goes home to Fullerton--is likely to go over to El Matador for dinner.

If Pee...er...Rhoades actually lived in Costa Mesa--and were immersed in the hyper local scene--he might have caught the bad review before it was printed and thus not piss off a potential advertiser (actually, we think El Matador may be an advertiser already),and local residents--some of whom have been going to El Matador for more than forty years and who don't like their restaurant choice devalidated.
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FOUR COPS KILLED IN OAKLAND--PASSERS-BY TAUNT INVESTIGATORS

Were these cops unaware that different groups of people present different levels of danger?


LINK to Oakland Tribune article. [UPDATE: It appears that the Oakland Tribune may have now removed the story about taunting by people in the neighborhood.]

[UPDATE 2 FROM AMREN WEBSITE: [Editor’s Note: A website that has since been suspended for a violation of the terms of service published a few reactions the next day. “Extraordinary. Thank God for him,” wrote GhettoBraggingRights publisher Julius Perkins. “Lovelle Mixon: four stars, two thumbs up,” wrote “Black Foot Soldier Ebenezer Creek” of Savannah, Georgia. And “Black Foot Soldier Masontae Limbrick” of Houston wrote, “In history’s ears he’ll ring.” And these were just three of the jubilant comments.]

LINK to The Color of Crime.

In The Color of Crime, which you can download for free, you'll find Department of Justice statistics that may help you survive as you play the percentages in life.

Among other things, you'll learn:

Crime Rates

Blacks are seven times more likely than people of other races to commit murder, and eight times more likely to commit robbery.

When blacks commit crimes of violence, they are nearly three times more likely than non-blacks to use a gun, and more than twice as likely to use a knife.

Hispanics commit violent crimes at roughly three times the white rate, and Asians commit violent crimes at about one quarter the white rate.


The single best indicator of violent crime levels in an area is the percentage of the population that is black and Hispanic.

Interracial Crime

Of the nearly 770,000 violent interracial crimes committed every year involving blacks and whites, blacks commit 85 percent and whites commit 15 percent.

Blacks commit more violent crime against whites than against blacks. Forty-five percent of their victims are white, 43 percent are black, and 10 percent are Hispanic. When whites commit violent crime, only three percent of their victims are black.

Blacks are an estimated 39 times more likely to commit a violent crime against a white than vice versa, and 136 times more likely to commit robbery.

Blacks are 2.25 times more likely to commit officially-designated hate crimes against whites than vice versa.

Gangs

Only 10 percent of youth gang members are white.
Hispanics are 19 times more likely than whites to be members of youth gangs. Blacks are 15 times more likely, and Asians are nine times more likely.

Incarceration

Between 1980 and 2003 the US incarceration rate more than tripled, from 139 to 482 per 100,000, and the number of prisoners increased from 320,000 to 1.39 million.


Blacks are seven times more likely to be in prison than whites. Hispanics are three times more likely.
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THE COLOR OF CRIME IN COSTA MESA

Most of the violent street crime and crimes involving weapons in Costa Mesa are committed by non-whites and primarily by Hispanics.

There are no white gangs in Costa Mesa.

Most of the gang members in Costa Mesa are Hispanic.

So, given The Color of Crime in Costa Mesa how do some in the CMPD proceed?

Well, as reported in previous editions of the CM PRESS, the CMPD has a few overly political and liberal officers on the force and their views are colored by liberal ideology, false assumptions, and skewed world views.

For example:

A couple of years ago, the CM PRESS used the California Public Records Act to view a presentation put on by the CMPD that Costa Mesa High School kids were forced to sit through.

What we saw was disturbing as it showed how out of touch some in the CMPD really are and the degree to which they are being propagandized(and maybe infiltrated)by outside liberal organizations.

The entire presentation, put on by a CMPD gang officer, talked about white gangs. The graphics were from a so-called anti-hate organization with an agenda.

Remember, there are no white gangs in Costa Mesa--this information comes directly from the CMPD--so why were kids forced to sit through such a presentation about the danger of white gangs? Pure left wing ideology and a lefty political agenda is the answer.

Then, even more recently, the CMPD prepared a report on gang violence in Costa Mesa that was presented to the City Council. The CM PRESS was there and we have a copy of the report.

The report clearly says there are no white gangs in Costa Mesa, but the only race/ethnicity mentioned in the report was "whites."

The words Latino, Hispanic, illegal aliens, immigrants weren't used once in the entire report even though all of the gangs in Costa Mesa are Hispanic.

In our view, the report was a clear attempt to white wash and gloss over the nature of the violent crime in our city and give the impression that our violent crime is an equal opportunity employer. It isn't.

If you buy the lefty PC line and think violent crime is an equal opportunity employer, then you're more likely to blunder into a dangerous situation not understanding the probabilities involved. If you do understand the probabilities, you may be a little more wary in some situations than in others.

We can't know for sure what was in the minds of the four dead cops in Oakland, but could it be that their brains were so full of PC nonsense that they treated the suspect the same way they might have treated a little old lady from Sweden?

Would they have been a little more on guard, and thus safer, if they had read The Color of Crime? Might they still be alive today, if they knew the facts about crime and played the percentages?

Newspapers complicit in hiding the truth and endangering the public
As we've reported many times before, liberal newspapers are often complicit in hiding the truth about violent crime by hiding racial/ethnic descriptions of violent criminals unless these criminals are white, and if they are white, the newspapers often make sure you know this fact.


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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 643

STUPID DAILY PILOT EDITORIAL TODAY

The editorial bored (misspelling intentional) at the almost daily Daily Pilot, that stinky inky piece of flotsam that calls itself a newspaper, are taking Mayor Mansoor and Councilmembers Bever, Leece and Monahan to task for not showing up to worship at the Obamathon Kool-Aid event the other day. LINK

And of course they praise their fellow traveller Flopsy Katrina Foley who did show up to genuflect.

Part of the stupid reasoning of the Pilot is that Costa Mesa needs to kiss up to the feds to get some of that federal money for "shovel ready" projects.

"Shovel ready" projects?

Who the hell does the Daily Pilot think is going to benefit from such projects?

As we've written before, that money isn't going to come to Costa Mesa to put unemployed citizens to work with shovels.

You're not going to see your unemployed fellow Costa Mesans suddently packing lunch pails each morning as they head over to dig a tunnel from 19th Street down to the Newport Beach border. In fact, you're not not going to see them get any jobs from this money.

The money will go to our bloated municipal government which will then give contracts to asphalt companies and construction companies who more than likely won't even be from Costa Mesa and who won't be hiring any Costa Mesans to do anything.

And, remember, "shovel" is just an expression. There will be few shovels. It'll be mostly heavy equipment that is needed and used, and this equipment uses trained professionals to operate.

The CM PRESS has looked at the list of shovel ready projects prepared by the City of Costa Mesa and we're here to tell you that not one of them will do the things we really need in this city.
They're all things such as resurfacing roads. Again, these are projects that aren't likely to employ Costa Mesans or use Costa Mesa firms.

Also, there's not a penny in the requests for fixing the 55/19th Street mess. Why? Because that's not considered shovel ready.

The projects Costa Mesa submitted are mostly not needed projects. They are "Gee, if we win the lottery and have extra money to throw around, let's do this," projects. Think pork barrel. Think keeping City Staff (who mostly don't live in Costa Mesa) secure in their jobs as they manage the pork.

So, who benefits financially? Not unemployed citizens of Costa Mesa.

The only thing Mansoor did wrong in this Obamathon Daily Pilot manufactured controversy was to talk to someone from the Daily Pilot.

Hey, Mr. Mayor, they're not your pals. They never will be.


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THREE COPS KILLED, FOURTH DECLARED BRAIN DEAD IN OAKLAND
Cop killer Lovelle Mixon also killed.
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DOWNLOAND YOUR FREE COPY OF THE COLOR OF CRIME
Here.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 642

JUDGE LETS VALLEJO VOID ITS EMPLOYEE UNION CONTRACTS

Citizens in Vallejo were going broke trying to serve their employees. Sound familiar?

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Readers are asking the CM PRESS where the fiscal conservatives went who we thought we elected to the Costa Mesa City Council.

The answer is that once people get into office they often forget where they came from, what they promised, and what they're supposed to do. They become the puppets of staff and get too cozy with City employees. They then show up at City Council meetings and rubber stamp away millions of our dollars.

As far as City employee compensation, it becomes just one little raise and one little benefit after another doled out behind closed doors so citizens can't see the big spenders spending our money.

We may start publishing some of the salaries of Costa Mesa City employees. If we do so, you'll be absolutely amazed when you see that many regular employees--not managers or bigwigs--are making more than $200,000 per year. You'll also see that these employees don't contribute a penny to their own retirement plans,as you probably do where you work. Citizens of this city pay all the retirement benefits on top of the salaries of these employees.

One thing that has always bugged us is the fact that most City employees, including top department heads, don't even live in Costa Mesa. We pay them with our money, then they run to nicer cities where they live and circulate the money there. And, their kids? They're mostly not in the failing schools in Costa Mesa.

People care more for the city where they live than where they work.

Another thing that bugs us is when dimwits show up at City Council meetings and praise this or that City department head as the "best (fill in the blank) in the state." What a bunch of BS.

These jingoistic dimwits don't know who is the best or worst in the state. It's just plain stupid.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 641

FIRST DAY OF SPRING

A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.

When March is scarcely here
A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.
--Emily Dickinson
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HOW DOES A STERILE AND GONADLESS FOOL LIKE THE BOOTLICKING AND CRAVEN LONELY OLD MAN FEEL IN SPRING?

At a time of new life, we wonder how that dead-ender who lives a meaningless life just waiting for the end feels. Here's a guy who is a dried up prune, who has done nothing in life and who has created nothing. He's a barren tree whose highest purpose is to fall and fertilize the earth.

Our guess is that nature has dulled this moron's senses as it has his brain so that he doesn't hear the birds singing outside his window. He doesn't see them building nests. He doesn't smell the perfumed air of new flowers. His world is barren and lacks life. The sap never rose in this character. He is full of winter and he has been made bitter by the realization, in his few lucid moments, that even his winters are numbered. His life has been for naught. There is no next generation for him. He is dust and decay and even more dust and decay awaits.
[NB: The Lonely Old Man is a fictional character from our fertile brain who we use as an archetype.]
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UNLIKE THE STERILE LONELY OLD MAN, HERE'S SOME FOLKS WHO UNDERSTAND, AND WHO ARE FULL OF LIFE
Quiverfull--LIFE!
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ANOTHER STUDY ON SMARTS--GENES ARE US
You get it from your genes.
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UH OH, HAS PEE...ER...BRADY RHOADES INVOKED THE CURSE?

Brady Rhoades over at the almost daily Daily Pilot wrote this week that all is swell over there. LINK

The last person to write something like that at the DP was Tony Dodero. Then, he was gone.






Before Tony, Tom Johnson wrote a similar thing. Then, he was gone.

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We didn't have actual photos of the gentlemen mentioned so we used the best images we could find as substitutes.
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MARK TWAIN'S HOMETOWN ANGRY ABOUT ILLEGAL ALIEN MURDERER
Illegal alien allowed to wander free--cops did nothing--kills two of the town's citizens.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 640

THE OBAMARAMADINGDONGBAMAGOODTIMECHARLIEFUNFEST

By Secret Insider. Secret Outsider contributed to this report.

There were approximately 2,000 people in the meeting at the OC Fairgrounds yesterday to see and hear President Obama. They seemed to be in two groups with a definite distinction between the two groups.

The first group had most of the Kool-Aid Obama Cultists and true believers who had camped out all night to get tickets and who then stood in line starting at 6:00 AM on Wednesday to get seats for a 4:00 PM show.

This group would have made perfect foils for a stage hypnotist. If Obama had said cluck like a chicken, this group would have probably gone into a mass trance and not only done that but probably would also have laid eggs.

The other half got their tickets through political connections of some sort or another and were more professional or perhaps even a little jaded and unimpressed by any politicians, even one who might be from their own party. These were the Seen-it-all-before folks.

Most of the ring side seats (but not all of them) were filled with the Obama Cultists. You could tell who they were because they cheered at everything said and had the look of those who wanted to be hypnotized.

Most of the Seen-it-all-before people sat in the back and occasionally clapped when they approved of particular points being made by Obama. I would guess that the audience was about evenly split between Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

There were not as many African Americans as I thought would be there, but there were more than you normally see in Costa Mesa. It was basically your white middle class audience with a sprinkling of Asians and English speaking Latinos.

I must say that the President, when speaking off the cuff, is much more like a friend you would meet in a bar for a drink than he appears on television. He acted like he had just joined you and your friends to discuss issues, but his prepared speech was a little on the “canned” side since I have heard him discuss most of the issues before.

It seemed like the people representing some kind of education interests outnumbered any other groups. Many of the attendees were wearing shirts that had the name of some type of community college or teacher's union. From the audience reaction, there were not very many vocal “pro” or “anti” illegal immigration attendees.

There were several high level people in Costa Mesa who attended the meeting. Peter Buffa and Peter Naghavi both had front row seats, while Tom Hatch and his wife, and Allan Roeder and his wife were seated further towards the back.

The one surprise was that Henry Segerstrom and his wife were seated very far in the back and did not seem very pleased with the seating arrangements. I heard later that they were not supposed to attend and showed up at the last minute, but I am not sure how reliable a source that is.

I would like to add that when Obama first came on stage, a large group of people went down to take pictures and I have seen more security at a rock concert. We were able to get within 50 feet of the President and take pictures.

I am glad that I stood in line for a couple of hours to get inside. It was a very casual and fun atmosphere, especially considering you were in very close proximity to the President.

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On the path not taken--we imagine...

READ ALL ABOUT IT--JOE BELL HAS BEEN ABORTED, THERE WILL BE NO COLUMN IN THE DAILY PILOT FROM HIM...EVER

It's about 80 odd years ago, and a young Mrs. Bell shows up at a Planned Parenthood office saying she demands her right to choose.

And, being a nice liberal lady, her choice is to rid herself of those cells--those tissues with eyes and ears and tiny fingers and little feet--that are growing inside her. "Why, it can't be human, after all it's inside of me, she tells herself. It's like a cancer, just a lump of flesh and nothing more."

So, sadly, or happily, depending on your view of Joe Bell, there was no Joe Bell born that year, or the next year, or the year after that, or in any year.

However, just in case the above alternate reality didn't happen, you might want to check the Daily Pilot today to see if there's a column there by Joe Bell. LINK

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading the CM PRESS.

CM PRESS # 639

...FROM LAST NIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Senior Center

At public comments, the husband part of a husband and wife team of local activist residents told the Council that they're not pleased with the way an elderly senior citizen is being treated by the Costa Mesa Senior Corporation (CMSC).

He then read a harsh sounding letter sent by Katrina Foley's law firm to the elderly widow. You read that right. City Councilmember Katrina Foley's law firm represents the CMSC.

The CMSC is the same corporation that doesn't want city oversight and doesn't want Councilmember Wendy Leece to look at what's going on over there. It's also the same corporation that has some of Foley's political pals on the board.

The wife part of the team then read a letter from the elderly widow's attorney sent in response to the letter from Foley's firm.

What it means: Our guess is that the Council may take a serious look at the Senior Center. Remember, CMSC occupies a City owned building at 695 W. 19th Street for a buck a year, and also gets a pile of tax payer money each year.

Some citizens believe the City could run the place better and cheaper if it just took over the building and ran it with Parks and Recreation Dept. employees along with help from volunteer seniors.

And, in this last regard, many of our seniors don't want to just sit and watch the grass grow or join the latest conga line. They want to volunteer their time in meaningful pursuits such as helping other seniors.

If we understand things correctly, the senior widow mentioned above was a volunteer at the senior center but ran afoul of the corporation for some reason and she wasn't allowed to volunteer any longer.

Apparently, her volunteering was an extremely important part of her life such that by not allowing her to volunteer, she suffered a psychological shock as she was stripped of the meaning and purpose in her life. That's not the way we want our seniors treated.

The reason we have a Senior Center in Costa Mesa is to serve the seniors. It does not exist to serve the people running it.
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Fireworks and phony overtime

Councilmember Leece clarified her position on fireworks in the City and said the widely reported proposed 20% "tax" on fireworks booth profits to pay for extra police and fire services during the 4th of July celebrations was only an example and could actually be from 1% to whatever it takes to defer City costs.

Ms. Leece's position is that the citizens of the City shouldn't shoulder the costs and that those actually taking in the money for the fireworks should.

There's a column in today's Daily Pilot from Planning Commissioner Stephen Mensinger (writing as a private citizen) taking Leece to task on the issue. LINK

Be sure to read Mensinger's column. He makes some good points, not so much on the fireworks themselves, but on the "phony overtime" being paid to some City employees. This gets to the heart of Ms. Leece's concerns about costs to citizens.

We can tell you that more than a few citizens aren't pleased with the phony overtime.

The CM PRESS has seen the records of how much each one of our employees makes, and we have to tell you we were pissed off when we saw the overtime that one arrogant jerk of an employee makes as he sits on his fat ass and sneers at citizens when they try to get service.

As we reported before, we have employees who make more than $ 60,000 per year just in
overtime.


Maybe some of these employees wouldn't need overtime if they actually lived in Costa Mesa like the people who pay them, instead of in more expensive cities.

You just know that some of these employees are going to their department heads and saying things such as: "I just bought a new home in Newport Beach with an ocean view and I have a high mortgage payment. Can I have more overtime?"


And the reply: "Oh sure, just fill out all your paperwork when you're off your shift. And, take your time."


One of our experiences with lousy service and possible overtime


Not long ago, the CM PRESS tried to get the CMPD--that had ten officers standing around doing nothing but talking to each other after a local incident was finished--simply send one of the ten jawboning officers to give a warning to some people who were in their plain sight and who were violating a minor law that was screwing up the neighborhood.

It would have taken about three minutes to do this. And, the violators were within a short walking distance. The cops wouldn't even have had to drive. Hell, they could have shouted to the perps.

We asked for this service in the correct way by calling the CMPD at (714) 754-5252 in addition to actually pointing out the violation to an officer on the scene. The officer saw the violation. And, we even told the officer the CMMC section that was being violated in case she didn't know the law.

While it was a clear violation of the law, and citations could have been issued, all we were asking was that the cops educate and politely warn the violators about the law.

What did the Duty Officer on the other end of the phone at police headquarters tell us? He said, with phony and overly exaggerated smarmy politeness, that was really thinly disguised rudeness, that he wouldn't have any of his officers stop the violation.

He told us that all the officers would eventually go back to the station and our call would come up in the normal rotation. Then, someone would respond if an officer was available.

So, after the cops were all finished talking about their personal lives to each other (we actually overheard some of their conversations), they got back in their police cars and we watched them all leave the scene while the violation we reported continued.

As far as we know, no cops ever responded to our call.

How much overtime did those ten cops get for not doing anything? And, why is the CMPD keeping rude cops on the force who refuse to serve the public?

Well, we know part of the answer. We have a few unprofessional cops on the CMPD who are overly political and we have some who have contempt for citizens and activists--including contempt for some City Councilmembers.

Don't get us wrong. Most of our cops seem to be professional and seem honest. But there are some bad eggs in the department.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 638

ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN BOSTON
[Richard S. Millard b. 1817, Ireland/d. 1901, Massachusetts--RIP]
"May there be a generation of children on the children of your children."-Traditional Irish Toast
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DROPKICK MURPHYS FREE STREAMING MUSIC




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LOOKING FOR ANSWERS TO THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS IN THE SMALLEST THINGS ...
French physicist gets Templeton Prize.



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...AND IN THE BIGGEST

Texas Cosmology Center established.
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NEW HOMES SOON IN MESA DEL MAR?

We saw heavy equipment working at the old shopping center site at Mission-Mendoza in Mesa Del Mar today.

According to City staff, the contractor has a rough grading permit that will allow the site to be developed up to the point where road(s) can be roughed in (if we remember correctly, there is going to be one road in this project).

Next up would be a precise grading permit that would get the project to the point where exact locations for homes would be established.

Then, a building permit would be issued for the actual home construction.

You may recall from reading the CM PRESS that the plans call for 24 homes and a tot lot.

Keep your fingers crossed Mesa Del Mareans, this could be a major improvement for your neighborhood.

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OBAMA COMING TO CM BY MOTORCADE

We had a conversation with a local the other day and she was pretty certain that President Obama would arrive at the OC Fairgrounds via helicopter. We maintained that it would probably be by motorcade. Well, according to the OCR, motorcade it is.

The OCR seems to think that the motorcade will come down the 405. If we were Obama, we'd do PCH to get the flavor of the land, but it probably will be the 405 if the Secret Service has its way.

Say, maybe we can put a Costa Mesan in as Obama's driver and have the motorcade get caught in the stupid traffic at the end of the 55 at 19th Street and then while they're stuck in traffic, our driver-shill can ask for stimulus money to put the 55 underground where it has always belonged.

Hey, wait a minute. The OC Sheriff's Dept. is going to do a lot of the security. Mayor Mansoor is a Sheriff's Deputy. Maybe we can have him on a motorcycle leading the motorcade and then he can divert it to the 55....

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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS.

CM PRESS # 637

WHOSE MONEY IS IT, ANY WAY?

[Guest column by anonymous activist]

Well here we are; month five of Costa Mesans held captive.

In early 2008 it became clear to any one watching city finances (including staff),that the $5 million dollars in loans from the city's reserve fund(they were loans weren't they?)to pay ever increasing labor costs,and increased benefit coverage for city employees (every cent paid for by the tax payers)that additional reserve draw downs would be necessary(as much as additional $8 to 11 million).

Good grief! Why didn't someone act to cut costs then?

Look, a reserve fund is supposed to be for emergencies. You know, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse kind of thing: famine, floods,pestilence.

These reserve funds were accumulated in prior years by not spending taxpayers money on streets ,parks ,lighting and so on ,and were supposed to be monitored by a vigilant city council, but weren't.

The City Council is supposed to represent and protect the interests of the people of Costa Mesa and make sure that the employees of the city aren't squandering our money--such as by giving themselves huge salaries and benefits worthy of a king.

In response to the present financial emergency, the City Council sprang into action (I'm being sarcastic),and called a secret meeting about your money.

In that secret meeting they decided to...well, we don't really know because that meeting was secret.

The City Council likes to refer to these secret meetings as "closed meetings," which allows them to keep residents out of the meetings, even though they are not closed. If they were truly closed, just a few people would be able to attend. Instead, many people attend these secret meetings--just not the residents of Costa Mesa. We're not allowed to know what is being discussed about our money.

Fast forward to today and you can see the lack of progress the City Council has made in addressing the financial crisis. I know, you have to look real close, but I have it on good authority that the City has taken action (I'm being sarcastic again).

Yup, we're in a financial black hole because of the unions, so now the City has asked the unions for advice. Huh?

That's right,even more secret meetings are planned to discuss your money. One is before the City Council meeting tomorrow night. You can't attend that meeting, you're just a lowly resident of Costa Mesa. But, the unions which represent City employees--who mostly don't live in Costa Mesa get to attend.

This is a perfect example of, as my grandfather would say,of expecting the Ox that put your cart in the ditch,to pull it out.

Stay tuned folks, there will be more. We haven't yet begun to address the full extent of the financial mess that Costa Mesa is in right now.

Remember the movie The Perfect Storm where George Clooney and his fishing crew are hit by three separate storms simultaneously? Well, get ready for our perfect storm that is going to hit Costa Mesa.

This coming June, our city will, as required by law, re-evaluate our assets(also overseen by the City Council) to reflect their true value at that time. Want to guess which way that number is headed? Want a clue? D_ _N!

As if that wasn't enough, the insurance carriers that insure those benefits( guaranteed by the people of Costa Mesa)have experienced hundreds of millions of dollars in investment loses. Who do you think is going to pay that bill?

Sadly, Council is not of one mind in this matter,there are actually Council members--who we elected--who want to keep robbing from our reserve funds to meet our bloated labor costs.

I have a suggestion: STOP SPENDING MONEY! Turn the boat around, George Clooney--head for shore! Do it now. If you don't, we know what's going to happen. We can see the perfect storm gathering on our radar.

But you say, hey Anonymous Guest Columnist, you craaazy guy,with our big American budgets, how can our Council do that. Doesn't the Council have to go along with every spending item put before them by City employees? The answer is NO. No more than George Clooney had to keep sailing into the gathering storm.

And it would be easy for the City Council to stop spending our money. Those "warrants" that pay those expenses, are approved, by council at every council meeting. They are usually just rubber stamped.

Each Council member gets to vote on them. This means they can vote YES or they can vote NO.

I'm saying that they should vote NO until this situation is resolved.

The longer they wait, the more these funds will be diminished.

This is just my opinion but I hope someone out there gets the message. Get involved in your city. This is your money that is being wasted.

Call your council members and let them know how you feel.
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The writer is a Costa Mesa resident who has been closely watching the financial affairs of the City.

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CMPD MAKING OUR STREETS SAFER

The Costa Mesa Police Department conducted a sobriety checkpoint on Friday March 13,
2009, at northbound Harbor Boulevard south of Gisler Avenue.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business,Transportation, and Housing Agency and is part of a National enforcement campaign.

During the hours of operation, 1,349 vehicles drove through the checkpoint, 364 were
stopped, and 34 drivers were screened for driving under the influence. There were 4 DUI
arrests. In addition, 5 drivers were cited for no license and 5 drivers were cited for driving on
suspended licenses, one driver was arrested for a warrant and 1 arrest was made for drunk in
public. A total of 10 citations were issued for miscellaneous vehicle code violations and 10
vehicles were impounded.

The Costa Mesa Police Department will be teaming up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving
(M.A.D.D.) for another checkpoint on the 24 th of March at 19 th Street and Pomona Avenue
and there will also be an increased number of officers patrolling adjacent streets in an effort to
stop impaired drivers from avoiding the checkpoint.
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FURTHER TO OUR COLUMN ON THE DIMWIT CLICHES OF THE DAY

[Photo of hyenas just looking for a better life by trying to grab food from a lion.]

In Issue # 636 of the CM PRESS we listed three dimwit cliches that the mentally deficient among us mouth as they try to wrap the invasion of this nation by illegal aliens in the American flag.

Number 1 on our list was this idiotic gem: "They're just coming here for a better life."

In addition to our comments about this stupid cliche that we wrote in # 636, we think more comment is needed.

As we usually do, we rely on the basics of nature to show that this is something that only a low grade moron would say, write or use to justify the invasion of our nation by illegal aliens.

Consider: If animals are hungry, they will move to where there is more food i.e. they're just looking for a better life. This is completely natural.

Oftentimes, there are already animals there enjoying that food who worked to get that food. Should those who are already there and who worked to get that food, just give up their food? If they're strong and healthy, they won't do it. They'll fight to keep their food.

Of course, the morons who try to justify the invasion of our country get even stupider and say that the people coming here just want to be good Americans and salute the flag. What a bunch of crap.

Don't buy the stupid cliches, folks.

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SEATTLE DAILY GOES WEB ONLY

Gets out of the stinky inky business. Problem is, it takes far fewer people to run a web newspaper than a paper one. Also, most web newspapers aren't turning a profit.

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OBAMA VISITS COSTA MESA WEDNESDAY

We expect to have a citizen reporter on site, and we'll have the real scoop right here for your reading pleasure on Wednesday shortly after his visit.

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THREE RACE MURDERS IN SEATTLE

Three victims white, their killers black.

As usual, the loony-left press tries to hide the race of the killers.

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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS.

CM PRESS # 636

DIMWIT CLICHES OF THE DAY

1. "They're just coming here for a better life."

So? There's nothing noble or unique in that. All living things that can move, try to move to where things are more comfortable for them.

Flat worms in a petri dish will move to where they're more comfortable.

When you have ants in your kitchen, you can be sure they're not there on vacation. They've moved there because it's more comfortable in that it may have a ready food supply. Will you let the ants take over your kitchen because they're just looking for a better life?

2. "America is a nation of immigrants."

Every nation is a nation of immigrants. People have feet and legs and they've been moving to where conditions are more comfortable for them ever since there have been people.

The problem is that if they move to a land where there are already people, the new arrivals may make the land less comfortable for those already there.

So, who has the right to the land? Those who fill it with their people and who fight to keep it. It's no more complicated than that and it has always been that way and always will be because this is the way of nature. Two objects can't occupy the same space. One wins and one loses.

3. "All humans bleed red blood."

So do all other mammals and many other animals. So what?
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EXPERT GIVES ADVICE TO DYING NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY
Old model not working. Time to adapt and evolve.

Some of the advice is on the mark, some is not. One local newspaper doesn't seem to understand which is which; if it is listening at all.

Recently, this local newspaper gave space to a sycophantic crackpot who wrote a boring column full of the most unoriginal and predictable drivel imaginable. What a waste of ink.

Now this newspaper has given space to another crackpot who wrote the stupidest and most pedestrian column that we've seen in months. This twaddle would be an embarrassment in a middle school newspaper. It even out stinks the column mentioned in the paragraph above this one.

In a day when newspapers are on their death bed, we hope this local newspaper wises up. We don't want to see it fail. Really.

The first thing it should do is stop listening to the know nothings and dim wits. These dopes don't know what is really going on in Costa Mesa. They never have and they never will. They just don't have the smarts to understand the simplest things. And, if that's not enough, how about the fact that none of the real players in the city will give either of them the time of day.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them. Come back later for more.

CM PRESS # 635

WE CATCH THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER SANITIZING YOUR NEWS

[You pay for all the news, so why aren't you getting all the news?]

The Costa Mesa Police Department wants the public's help in catching a dangerous armed robber who robbed the Chevron gas station at 3190 Harbor Blvd. this past Saturday, so the CMPD issued a press release with a description of the suspect. Here's the relevant part of that description:

Male Hispanic, 5'-7" tall, 160 lbs, in his mid 20's.

LINK to CMPD Press Release with photos of the robber.

But, here's what appeared in the Orange County Register:

"He is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 160 pounds, in his mid-20s."

LINK to OCR story about this.

We emailed the writer of the story in the OCR about the missing word "Hispanic" in the OCR and he replied that it was there when he filed the story, and that it must have been taken out by an editor.

We also wrote some suits over at the paper, but as of publication time we haven't received a reply.

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LATEST COSTA MESA BUDGET RUMOR

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the City may come up $15 million short on the revenue side of things when the latest hard revenue numbers are in within the next few days. This is more than the $11 million that has been widely mentioned but less than the $20 million that some believe will be the shortfall. Guesses will continue until the City gets and releases the actual numbers.

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LATEST NEWSPAPER RUMOR

The buzz is that when the big suits decide to close down a local newspaper, there may be little warning. There may be a morning meeting, saying that the paper will fold at the end of the day.

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LATEST GUNMEN NUMBERS IN COSTA MESA

As of this writing, there are three, apparently unaffiliated, gunmen on the loose in Costa Mesa.

One shot a man at the K-Mart shopping center last week and escaped.

One pulled a gun on a man near Wallace and Wilson and escaped.

One robbed the Chevron station at 3190 Harbor this past Saturday and escaped.

All three are male. All three are Hispanic. All three should be considered armed and dangerous.

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That's some news and opinions as we continue doing the job that local newspapers used to do.
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Be sure to check back often and hit "refresh" for the latest news and views. We'll post new opinion pieces and news items during the day by putting them at the bottom of each day's edition of the CM PRESS.