CM PRESS # 721

RACIST SWINE FLU SEEMS TO HIT INDIANS HARDEST
You may recall that the CM PRESS suggested a genetic component when the swine flu was all the rage in the news and was hitting some people in Mexico harder than others.
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THIS GUY SAYS OBAMA SCARES HIM
See if you agree.
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NEGOTIATIONS OVER THERE AND OVER HERE

Here's a newspaper story that says that Binyamin Netanyahu may accept a two state solution because of the pressure being put on him by Obama.

This is such a transparent negotiating strategy that it's laughable.

Look, of course Israel will accept a two state solution. That's the only logical solution. Netanyahu and most Israelis have long known this and secretly accept this fact. But, they want something in return. And, it's that something in return, as we wrote before, that is the deal killer.

But first, one has to understand that the art of negotiation is almost like a ritual dance. Both sides have to appear to be reluctantly giving up something.

In this case, Israel wants to appear that it is being dragged kicking and screaming to finally accept a two nation strategy. It's really a straw man for the Israelis.

And, the Palestinians want to appear to be giving up their claim to the land that is presently occupied by Israel.

Now, to the deal breaker. What the Israelis want in return is for the Palestinians to say that they accept Israel as a Jewish state. That's the clinker. You have to read way down in the above article to see this even mentioned, and it's presented almost as a toss away line--it's in the small print, as we say on the used car lot--but it's the most important point in this whole deal.

For their part, the Palestinians don't mind (at least in the short haul) accepting Israel as a separate secular state, but by saying that Israel is a Jewish state, the Palestinians would be saying that the religion of Judaism and the land of Israel are forever one.

If they agreed to this, the Palestinians would have great difficulty in taking over Israel by simply sending "immigrants" into Israel to "find better lives for themselves and their families," and to gain Israeli citizenship and eventually vote out the Jews and install an Islamic government.

Here's how the dialog works out in simple terms if the Israelis have their way:

PALESTINIANS: We demand our own state right next to Israel with secure borders.

ISRAEL: No, no, a thousand times no, we will never ever in a million years accept a two state solution. Do you think we're meshugenah?

PALESTINIANS: Then we will never have peace.

ISRAEL: Arrrgh, you've got us in bind and you know it. Why, just read the newspapers and you'll see that the U.S. is putting us under terrible pressure. Terrible, terrible. And, the U. S. is our best friend. That President Obama is a tough cookie, by golly. He's twisting our arms until we cry. Tell you what. If you Palestinians agree to sign a document saying that you recognise Israel as a Jewish state, we'll reluctantly agree to let you have your own country."

And, if the Palestinians don't so agree, the Israelis will say that the Palestinians want war and they'll say to Obama, "See, good friend, we really tried but the schlemiels just don't want peace."

As you've probably guessed from this talk of schlemiels, dear reader, the above now brings us to the negotiations being carried out between the Costa Mesa City Council and the City's employee unions.

With the City Council doing the negotiating on behalf of the citizens of this city you might want to hold on to your wallet and lock up your daughters. Successive City Councils have given away the store more that once and claimed it was a fair deal.

That's part of the reason why the City is in such a financial hole right now. And, you can't dig your way out of a hole. The smart thing to do is stop digging. Someone please tell the City Council that.

Get ready for new taxes on the citizens of Costa Mesa to buy every city employee a new Bentley and a mansion in Newport Beach.

But, we exaggerate. Ah, we hope.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 720

TRAWLER BEING AUCTIONED OFF THIS SATURDAY

The Orange Coast College Foundation will be auctioning off a classic
1930's era salmon fishing trawler at the OCC Sailing Center in Newport
Beach this Saturday, June 13 at 10 a.m. Call for a brochure and full details: Orange Coast College Foundation (714) 432-5126.
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WHO SAYS FLU PANDEMIC UNDERWAY
First flu pandemic since 1968.
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EASTSIDE ORGANIZES BECAUSE WESTSIDE GETS TOO MUCH ATTENTION?

Joe Bell writes the following in his almost-daily Daily Pilot column today:

"On Saturday, I accompanied a friend who lives in Costa Mesa to a picnic sponsored by the East Side Costa Mesa Neighbors Group. Here neighbors were getting acquainted in an effort to back up the officers of this new organization with determined numbers.

"The motivating force here seemed to be that the Westside is getting all the attention, and it is high time that the Eastsiders make themselves heard loud and clear, starting with an organization to carry its banner. I shook hands and listened and wished them well and ate a very good ham-and-cheese sandwich. "

Read Bell's full column HERE.

The CM PRESS is glad to see the Eastside organize, but we hope this isn't going to fragment the ranks of those who want to see all of Costa Mesa improved. The Eastside does have some problems, but they pale in comparison with the problems on the Westside.

We've always maintained that if the Westside is fixed, the rest of the City will also be fixed. It's the key to improving all of Costa Mesa.

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TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH OF US...

SANTA ANA--The OCR reports (Here) that jurors wept over the killing of a 13-year-old boy in Santa Ana by gang members.

NEWPORT BEACH--Another day without any gang shootings in Newport Beach.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 719

WE GET SOME SILLY COMMENTS ABOUT OUR COLUMN IN THE DAILY PILOT TODAY FROM A COUPLE OF LEFTY MIND READERS AND WE DECIDE TO PLAY WITH THEM

Here's the link to our column, which is actually a shorter version of the one that appeared on this blog.

Silly comments are in black, my answers are in red:

galitski wrote on Jun 10, 2009 5:42 AM:

" Mr Millard- In the last commission meeting your position and questioning had nothing to do with wear and tear on a facility. WRONG. My comments, in the short 3 minutes allowed, were all about the Commission not having enough information to make an informed and intelligent decision. I stated this as clearly as I could given the time constraints. Perhaps you have difficulty understanding things?

There was no way I could bring up all the questions that should be asked in such a short time. How many leagues? How many players? How many audience members? Will there be traffic problems? Will players and audience members also want to use the pool and library that are in the Downtown Civic Center? Is there enough parking? Will wear and tear on the facility mean we get a short nickel but have to pay a long dollar down the road? And, there are other questions that an intelligent person who wants the best for Costa Mesa residents might ask. Of course you didn't ask such questions, did you? Hmmmm. That speaks for itself.

Of the five commissioners, only Commissioner Galitski wanted to move forward with no facts. The other members seemed to be more thoughtful and probably realized that the Staff Report didn't tell them much at all except that the space was being pulled from presumed Costa Mesa residents and given to a higher bidder.

Galitski tried to muscle (LOL) this through without thinking this through. Ready, Fire, Aim seemed to be his approach here and on some other matters we've witnessed.

In fact, you wanted the city to spend more money investigating each and every person of the league to make sure they were not convicts. WRONG. Absolute rubbish. I never said that. I did indicate that we needed to know more about the leagues.

The reality of your comments and questions to commissions and city council are well calculated attempts to run every person out of the city that does not share the same skin color as you and unfortunately that makes you the minority. " WRONG. This comment seems to be an assertion of fact rather than an opinion. The fact asserted is incorrect. Galitski here seems to think he's a mind reader. Galitski, see if you can find someone brighter than yourself who can explain it to you. It's all about trying to get political hacks to start doing the right thing for Costa Mesa citizens so our City will be a nicer place for all residents. You know, a city with lower crime, higher property values, better schools and all the other things that make a city desirable.
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Geoff West wrote on Jun 9, 2009 11:21 PM:

" We can all thank Millard for demonstrating that some of the elected and appointed leaders of our city, with his "guidance", continue to be supporters of his brand of intolerance. He’s demonstrated, once again, that he can bully some in this community to bow to his demands. I wonder when this community will finally say “Enough!” to Millard and his racist pontifications? "
This character hides behind his computer and calls names all the time. Yawn. Most people just ignore him the way they ignore some guy standing on a street corner yelling at cars going by. And, intolerance? Nonsense. I'm one of the most tolerant people you'll ever meet and have an open mind for new ideas.

It might be that this guy doesn't have a solid grasp of what words mean so he probably doesn't know the definition of intolerance. It's just one of those standard words thrown around by intellectually bankrupt lefties.

Most people who have read this guy's stuff realize he has nothing to do with his time and that he seems to desperately want to be noticed and to be thought to be somebody in his declining years.

And what about this word "racist" that West constantly throws around? Here's the definition of the term from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: Racist: One who believes that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capabilities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

That doesn't fit my beliefs and it's not reflected in my writings. Yes, genes are the primary determinant etc.--that's just basic science--and I've written thousands of words about genes. However, no living thing, and no human race, has an inherent superiority over other living things or races. Thinking that way is just anti-science and anti-nature. It makes no sense. One always has to ask: Superior at what? Superior where? Superior when? Superior how?

Is a human being superior to a fish? On land, sure. But in the ocean, nope.

How about basketball? Do statistics indicate that some people with some characteristics are better at the game than others? Maybe those who are born taller, born faster of foot, born with this or with that, might be better at the game than others who are not born with these traits.

How about foot races? We once had a lefty tell us that blacks win more foot races than whites because bigoted white cops chased blacks in the ghetto and this gave blacks more training in running. It's nonsense, of course, but that illustrates the lengths some dimwits will go to in trying to deny that genes matter.

West and his lifeless fellow travellers are the types of people that Attorney General Eric Holder probably had in mind when he said that the U.S. is a nation of cowards when it comes to talking about race.

But there may be more than mere cowardice with West on the subject of race. Perhaps he fits a term I invented: Noblesse Oblige Racist. This is a white person who feels superior to non-whites and who goes out of his or her way to be more polite to non-whites or who will avoid talking about race, but who will--through transference--attack other whites as "racists" if they are not cowards and if they do talk about race. And, it doesn't matter if these other whites aren't exhibiting any hatred or superiority--the mere fact that they dare to talk about race as one might talk about any other subject in nature, instead of treating it as a taboo topic, leaves them open to being called racists by the likes of West and his low I.Q. pals.

Race to Noblesse Oblige Racists is like a wart on someone's face that you don't want to look at. They wrongly believe (sometimes subconsciously) that white is the norm for humans and any deviation from white is a defect. The reality,however, is that white is not the norm, and white people are barely ten percent of the human population on Earth.

Get over it West. If the above describes you, grow some gonads and realize that race isn't like a wart or a defect. It's a natural part of existence as genes cause changes in people to allow them to survive and prosper under different conditions. It's called: EVOLUTION.

To some of us--call us naturalists, if you will--race is not something that we are preoccupied with, or at least not in the way some may believe, but which we think about in pretty much the same way as we think about breeds of other animals and varieties of plants. There is a sort of scientific detachment about the subject in our minds, but also, paradoxically, there is an intense interest in what it all means and can mean to our future evolution and how all aspects of life fit into the bigger picture of existence.

I thought I explained all of this to West in the CM PRESS a couple of years ago. Perhaps he's a slow learner or is incapable of understanding.

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Geoff West wrote on Jun 9, 2009 11:21 PM:

" There is no evidence that any, much less all, of those Sunday users are, in fact, Costa Mesa residents. Millard saw that name, "Aztec Basketball" and decided HE didn't want those Latinos from Santa Ana using our facilities, just as HE decided he didn't want Latinos kicking a soccer ball around Paularino Park not too long ago. Obviously, he found an easy mark in the Parks & Recreation Commission. When Galitski made his motion the other four commissioners turned to stone and it was clear exactly why. (Cont.) "

Wrong. As with Galitski's comments above,this guy seems to think he's a mind reader. I've been very clear on my position and it involves putting Costa Mesa and Costa Mesa residents first in the city where they live and pay taxes.

Anyone with half a brain who reads my blog or who has heard my comments to the City Council, the Planning Commission or the Parks and Recreation Commission over the past years would understand this.


Those who live and vote in Costa Mesa should come first. It's just common sense. And, if anyone thinks otherwise, then explain why we even have an incorporated city at all. If we're going to put residents of other cities before Costa Mesa residents, we'd better have good reasons for doing so.

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Geoff West wrote on Jun 9, 2009 11:20 PM:

" The issue presented to the commission was not whether the Aztec Basketball League was a satisfactory tenant - it was whether the commission approved displacing the 22 people (on average) who used the facility to play walk-in volleyball and basketball - a decision that would net the city slightly less than $40,000 in additional rental income over a year's time. Millard speculated that all those displaced folks were Costa Mesa residents and, as he put it, "all part of the club", and therefore entitled to use the facility and not be displaced by outsiders. (Cont.) "

Wrong. The real issue is whether or not a facility owned by the citizens of Costa Mesa and paid for by them should go to the highest bidder even if the highest bidder displaces presumed Costa Mesa residents who are using the facility.

It may turn out,when all the facts are known and a proper balance of interests is determined, that displacing Costa Mesa residents is the most appropriate thing to do to raise money, but more details are needed concerning the proposed use and any additional burdens the proposed use, by a group not from Costa Mesa, will put on the backs of Costa Mesa residents.

The Staff Report simply didn't give enough information. Frankly, if we had been on the Parks and Recreation Commission, we would have been insulted that Staff thought they could give us such a fact free report and expect that we would simply rubber stamp it. Commissioners are supposed to think things through. Citizens aren't paying them to just rubber stamp whatever is put in front of them.

There were simply not enough facts to weigh the pros and cons of booting out the presumed Costa Mesa residents and putting in out-of-town "leagues"(sic) (we know the group wanting to rent the Costa Mesa facility uses "leagues" in its name, but we don't know how many leagues are involved or how many players and audience members attend each game).

The larger issue that the CM PRESS discovered while trying to get some facts, is that the Recreation Division doesn't even require a rental application to be filled out by those who want to rent citizen owned buildings in Costa Mesa.

This is unheard of in the private sector. Doubt it? Go try to rent a store in any strip center in Costa Mesa, or try to rent an apartment . No responsible landlord will let you rent his property unless he knows enough about you and your proposed use to make an intelligent decision. And, the primary source of the landlord's information is the rental application that you fill out. Uh, except of course if you want to rent a building owned by the citzens of Costa Mesa. In this case, to repeat again what Galitski and West don't seem to understand, you don't fill out such an application and the City doesn't know very much about you or your proposed use.

But there's even more here. Those who understand a little about real estate know that when you rent out retail space--which is roughly analogous to renting out parts of the Downtown Civic Center--you need to check for issues of compatibility with other users. In a strip center, for example, you don't want to rent out space to tenants who will negatively impact other tenants or uses. For example, does a prospective tenant require so much parking that this one tenant will fill most of the parking lot and other tenants will have no parking?

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OBAMA GIVES ARAB INSULT TO ISRAEL?
Translation: Sole of shoe there equals middle finger here.
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FREE AND EASY--SEND MESSAGE TO YOUR CONGRESSMAN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Just a few clicks and your message is sent.
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GAY PENGUINS BOOK IN GRADE SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA
Huh?
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HOLLYWOOD GOING RIGHT?
Jon Voight leads the charge.
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To our north and to our south...

North--ANOTHER SHOOTING INCIDENT IN SANTA ANA
Shots fired at people gathered at street memorial for a man killed Thursday.
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South--No shootings in Newport Beach again today.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 718

FEEL THE HATE FOR OBAMA
Video from Israel.
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JIM GILCHRIST'S MINUTEMAN PROJECT
Always some interesting information.
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CHILDREN RAISED BY GAYS MORE LIKELY TO BE GAY
Seven times more likely.
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EUROPE MOVES RIGHT
Common people fed up with lefties.
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WHAT ARE THE FACTS STEVE?



Steve Smith over at the almost daily Daily Pilot says (here) the Parks and Recreation Commission should look at the facts when deciding whether or not to boot out Costa Mesa residents from the Downtown Community Center and replace them with basketball players from Santa Ana.

We agree. In fact, that's what we asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to do. Just look at the facts and make an intelligent and informed decision.

Unfortunately, there were very few facts available when the Commission was asked to make the decision last time around. That's why they made no decision. They didn't have enough facts to make a decision and they did the right thing by not making a decision. They were being cattle prodded into deciding something with few facts.

We discussed this at some length in CM PRESS # 711 on June 2, so we won't repeat everything from that issue, but here are just a few cogent points:

1. The Staff Report (Here) given to the Commission is a single page of paper typed on both sides and gives very few facts upon which an informed decision could be made. It focuses primarily on the amount of money the City can make by booting out presumed Costa Mesa residents from a facility that the residents own and which is paid for by their taxes, but is silent on the fact that the group that will replace Costa Mesa residents is from Santa Ana.

2. The Staff Report doesn't state how many players are in the basketball leagues, and the Commission thus couldn't determine the impact and wear and tear on the facility and the surrounding uses. Will there be fifty players? A hundred? Two hundred? There are no facts.

3. There is nothing in writing about where the basketball leagues are now playing and there are no letters of recommendation from their present landlord or other information.

Read the Staff Report for yourself (here it is again)and imagine that the applicant wanted to rent a property you own and displace some other tenants on that property and see if you'd enter a long term rental agreement without asking for some sort of standard tenant information sheet.

Smith says the Commission should look at the facts. Okay, Steve, what are the facts? Tell us. Do you have more facts that we don't have? Your column has no facts at all. It's just a factless, uninformed rant. Would you rent out a room in your home to someone based on the facts given to the Commission? How about an apartment you might own? Enough facts for you? How about a retail store? Enough facts to make a decision?

Standard and best practice in renting out space for a period of weeks or months is to have the applicant supply a rental application form with information that can be checked by the landlord. This wasn't done in this case.

Now, on one other point that seems to be confusing at least one Commissioner on this matter who seems to be unable to distinguish between the present pickup games and the proposed long term agreement; it is important to note that allowing local residents to show up and pay a couple of bucks for pickup games for a few hours--in a City of Costa Mesa owned Community Center (read, built and maintained primarily for Costa Mesa residents), which is what is being done now--is markedly different from renting out the space to an organization from a different city for six months, with an option for additional months, that will displace Costa Mesa residents.

In the former case, the use is more akin to paying your money to stay in a hotel room for the night. You wouldn't expect to fill out a long rental application.

The latter case is more analogous to renting out an apartment or a store to a long term tenant and kicking out others who are already occupying the space. In this case, a responsible landlord would ask for a rental application from the prospective long term tenant as part of the decision making process.

So, this is our challenge to Steve Smith: What are the facts? What are the details? Tell us the facts about the prospective tenant so that the Commission can make an informed and intelligent decision.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them. We may send a version of this column over to the almost daily Daily Pilot, but we don't expect them to run it.

CM PRESS # 717

ICE STATS
May 2009----36 Detainers Issued (36 fewer criminals on our streets)

May 2008----44 Detainers Issued
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NYC'S PARK ABOVE THE TOILING MASSES

Yuppies smell flowers on top. Meat packers work down below.







RIGHT RISES IN U.K. AND REST OF EUROPE
Genocidal effete lefty twits poop their adult diapers.
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SINGLE CAR TRAFFIC FATALITY ON PLACENTIA
A 49-year-old motorist died last night at about 10:30 PM after crashing into a wall near Fire Station # 4 on Placentia Avenue across from Estancia High School.
Source: CMPD.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 716

AMISH ESTABLISHING NEW SETTLEMENTS IN THE WEST

The Plain People are looking for cheaper land and living space.

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ST. LOUIS SUBURB'S BAN ON HIRING ILLEGALS UPHELD
Other cities may follow suit.
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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS.

CM PRESS # 715

LEFTIES FALTERING IN EUROPE
Pendulum swings a little to the right.

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GREATER DEPRESSION ON THE WAY?
This guy thinks so.

However, as usual with such predictions, the article tries to build credibility of the forecaster by touting some past predictions that he claims to have gotten right, but is silent about any that he may have gotten wrong. Many forecasters simply forecast just about everything, usually in vague terms, and then later sell themselves on the basis of the correct predictions.

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POLYGAMISTS SAY IF GAY-MARRIAGE OKAY, SO IS MULTI-MARRIAGE

Arguments for one apply to the other.

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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS.

CM PRESS # 714

[Don't forget to REFRESH when visiting the CM PRESS for the latest.]

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Government expands quickly to use every bit of money it can get. Wouldn't it be nice if it could contract as quickly when it gets less money?

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In good times, the common people eat steak. In bad times, they don't starve, they just switch to hamburger. Why does government insist on steak both in good and bad times?

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Reader submitted over-the-transom column

WHO IS AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD BUDGET?

Every year Costa Mesa, like many cities, delivers a projection of income and expenses to the elected City Council.

It's the job of the Council to provide "oversight." In this case, to review the way our money will be spent in the coming year. It is at this precise point that any comparison to a true budget process and the Costa Mesa "give away our money budget" begin to differ.

Here in CM, the budget is used as a statement of approval. In other words, if staff puts an item in the budget and council does not specifically reject it (or know it is there)it is considered to be an approved expenditure. Council silence is acceptance in this case.

Keep the following in mind as you read on. Cities are incorporated entities, like many businesses, except they are formed to provide for the general benefit of the people who live in that city. They do things like pass rules, gather taxes, repair public facilities, enforce laws, put out fires and similar things that seem to be better done by a City than by individuals.

A secondary benefit of this "incorporation" is to promote employment of the people of the incorporated area through the distribution of the collected taxes. It just makes sense; use the residents' money to create jobs and opportunities for the residents of the city.

This last part above gets a little sticky here in Costa Mesa. If taxes are used to promote local employment, then it follows that those people receiving the benefit of those taxes, should be, in some large part, the tax payers of Costa Mesa themselves.

That process is the factor that gives a community it's legitimacy. Those receiving the benefits, are those providing the rules that permit the taxing that pays for those items while experiencing both the benefits and possible damages created by those actions.

You get it. It's supposed to be a never ending circle--a symbiotic relationship between the residents of Costa Mesa and their local government.

Unfortunately, some enterprising folks figured out how to break that circle that benefits residents who are paying the bills, by:

1-Taking the oversight process out of the loop.
2-Taking the residents out of the general benefits picture.

By doing the two things above, the enterprising folks are able to write their own checks using tax payer funds. This makes the residents of the City the tax-slaves to the employees and puts the employees in charge.

When employees are in charge, they can then decide how much to pay their friends and in other ways benefit them.

To further this scheme, the enterprising folks can complicate or confuse the oversight process by delivering the budget (permission document)without adequate time for the Council to review it.

Remember, in Costa Mesa, staff recently requested that Council approve a policy that the budget had to be approved by Council by a certain date, but no such restriction was placed on the time to deliver that budget to Council for approval and proper oversight (there's that word again.)

Take a look at the City's budget (here).

--Turn to the page that discusses new parks and athletic fields, can't find it? Hmmmm.

--OK than let's look at the discussion of distributing the taxes through employment opportunities. Hmmmm. That section missing too?

--How about the part where funds would be distributed back into the local economy to improve the unemployment picture. Hmmmm. That's also missing?

How odd.

WELL, LET'S LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE

We can just approve this 100 million dollar plus budget and send most of our money out of town. Who will know the difference? Right?

Of the 100 plus million, almost 90 percent is spent on employees who refuse to live in Costa Mesa, and who thus don't get to experience, on a daily basis, the full results of their efforts. Say, how about that 36 percent increase in violent crime, huh? If you don't live here, you're not that concerned about it.

If you're concerned about these matters, and you should be, because the budget is directly tied to your quality of life in Costa Mesa, email or talk to the City Councilmembers, and demand that they fix the budget this year.

You might also want to go to the budget meetings and ask to see the very line and the very page where your specific benefits--the things that affect you and your family--are being nurtured.

I won't bore you with the compensation ranges that you and I pay our employees--yes, they are our employees--but suffice it to say that we are indeed very generous employers, since we pay a great majority of our employees much more than we ourselves make in the private sector. In fact we pay more in overtime to some of our employees than many residents make in their regular pay in the private sector.

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HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE?

In reviewing Costa Mesa's budget, we were again struck by the use of the catch-phrase "high level of service," and its progeny, to justify wasteful spending by the municipal government.

Without getting into specifics (which we may do in future issues) the municipal government--which includes the City Council--just doesn't understand frugality. Even with the proposed cuts to make up the deficit, the budget is full of lard.

Here's the link to the budget. If you have the time and inclination, you might want to go through it line by line and see if you can see the lard we see.

If you do look at the budget, do your own internal translation of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo to plain English. Also, don't be taken in by the self-congratulationary fluff that you'll read in parts of the budget. At its heart, this budget is no different from your own family budget.

One thing you'll notice is that most of our money--about 75 cents of every dollar the City takes in--goes out the window in employee salaries and benefits. That leaves a measly two bits for everything else.

What you won't see in black and white is the fact that most of these employees don't even live in Costa Mesa. When we pay them, they take our money back to their own cities where they spend the money instead of circulating it in Costa Mesa.

That has to change. We need Costa Mesans to fill City jobs. Then, at least part of the high salaries we pay will come back to us. If we were an expensive city to live in such as Newport Beach, employees would be justified in saying that they can't afford to live here, but Costa Mesa is affordable for the great majority of our City employees.

As you look at the budget, imagine that each dollar spent is coming exclusively from your own wallet. We'll bet you can find many things that you'd cut and never miss.

See if you can ferret out many of the hidden costs and how they can be cut. For example, and we've written about this before, Costa Mesa is in a semi-arid area. So, why does the City insist on trying to maintain lush green grass on medians and elsewhere in the City? It doesn't naturally grow here so it has to be on expensive life support with constant care. And, what about all the water that is wasted to keep the grass alive? Don't ask.

We're not talking chump change and all we're talking about is grass. Consider all the rest of the crap that your money is being spent on to provide you with a "high level of service."

Ever try to get a "high level of service" by having the cops respond to some simple matter--such as keeping grade school kids safe--and end up talking to some wise-ass Sgt. who doesn't live here and who has no kids in our schools and who is making a couple hundred thousand dollars and who sneers at you and tells you that it's okay for cars to park with engines running in front of a red curb where they endanger grade school kids who must dart between the cars? That's a high level of service?

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SOME IN THE COMMUNITY ARE WONDERING...

Speaking of the CMPD, did you notice that when a politician's son was arrested, that the Daily Pilot seemed to almost immediately have the story and even a booking photo of the man?

Now, how did that happen? The CM PRESS gets all the same press releases that the other media get, and we didn't get anything on this. Not a peep.

Of course, we wouldn't have published it even if we had received it, because we consider the private lives and families of our local politicians to be just that--private. Still....

We've heard some in the community wonder whether or not someone in the CMPD called the Pilot and gave them the information right away in order to try to embarrass the politician who some cops tried to defeat when the politician ran for the Council.

What? Political motives from some in the CMPD? Who'd a thunk it? [Trivia alert: I actually had that line "Who'd a thunk it? in a play I once did].

Well, hmmmm, political cops? Hmmm. Well, there is that matter of the Police Union trying to defeat several of the presently seated Councilmembers and there were even some cops out running around neighborhoods handing out leaflets for a couple of failed Council candidates.

Did we mention that more than 75% of Costa Mesa's police officers make so much money that they don't even have to live in Costa Mesa and choose to live in nicer safer cities?

And, did we mention that Costa Mesa saw a 36% increase in violent crime last year over the year before? Might our violent crime rate be lower if more cops had their spouses and children here in Costa Mesa?

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 713

[Don't forget to REFRESH when visiting the CM PRESS for the latest.]
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LHC IS BEING COOLED DOWN
One section is down to 4.5 K (about -451.57 F). Absolute zero is -459.67 F. All sections should be at operating temperature by September, and the first beam insertions should begin in October. The plan now is to run the LHC all through the winter months to make up for lost time.
LHC Website
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CITY OF COSTA MESA BUDGET RELEASED
See all the red ink here.
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COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT $20 MILLION IN THE HOLE

Coast Community College District, which includes OCC and Coastline, is looking for ways to cut $20 million from its budget or to find ways to make up the shortfall.

One suggestion the CM PRESS has heard from the community is that the district might take a look at its academic offerings and refocus on some areas that are in high demand.

We hear, for example, that a student wishing to get into programs in the medical field: ultra-sound techs, X-Ray techs, nursing and similar disciplines now has to wait two or three years to get a seat in these programs.

In other words, the demand is exceeding the supply.

Now, if you were in private industry and more people wanted certain of your products than you are presently supplying, what would you do?

Right, you'd increase your supply of the high demand products and raise prices on those products until you reach a point where demand and supply find a balance.

A thorough review of class offerings may indicate other high demand and low supply areas and also some low demand and high supply areas that can be phased out.

Yes, we know the district has its hands tied by all sorts of state regulations, and it may not be as simple as the above suggests, but maybe it's worth a try.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 712

[Don't forget to REFRESH when visiting the CM PRESS for the latest.]
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THE CM PRESS CONSIDERS THE PRIVATE LIVES AND FAMILIES OF LOCAL POLITICIANS OFF LIMITS.
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MARINES FINDING IRAQ TACTICS DON'T WORK IN AFGHANISTAN
Heavy armor is major problem.
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IXNAY ON RED LIGHT CAMERAS IN SURF CITY
Cops say the stupid things just cause more rear end collisions.
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MAYOR TO MOW LAWN?
In support of volunteerism and cutting costs, the CM PRESS told the Council about a mayor back east who volunteers to mow a city owned lawn. Mayor Mansoor then said he'd have to leave the meeting early to mow City Hall's lawn. Should we hold our breath?
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RESIDENTS WANT POOL TO STAY OPEN IN WINTER
To cut costs, the City wants to close the pool at the Downtown Recreation Center during the winter months. The CM PRESS suggested to the Council last night that it rent the pool to a private group for a buck a year (or for the winter months) and let them run it. We have a precedent in the Senior Center which is also rented to a private group for a buck a year.
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CITY COUNCIL REVERSES ITSELF
Won't charge stupid ambulance fees after all. Here's the almost daily Daily Pilot's report on this. # # #

REPORT ON JUNE 2, BAKER STREET POLICE CHECKPOINT
The Costa Mesa Police Department conducted a sobriety checkpoint on Tuesday June 2, 2009, at Baker Street east of Bear Street.

During the hours of operation, 959 vehicles drove through the checkpoint, 345 vehicles were stopped, and 15 drivers were screened for driving under the influence. There were no DUI arrests; however one under aged driver was cited for having a blood alcohol level of .01% or higher. 5 drivers were arrested for driving without driver licenses and 3 drivers arrested for driving on a suspended license. A total of 11 citations were issued for miscellaneous vehicle code violations and 5 vehicles were impounded. Source: CMPD
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BRITISH HOME SECRETARY SUED BY MICHAEL SAVAGE FOR DEFAMATION RESIGNS
Smith under pressure from all sides. Savage to continue his lawsuit against lefty.
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EUROPEAN ELECTIONS BEGIN TOMORROW
Could change geopolitics if rightists make breakthrough--especially in Great Britain.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 711

BLONDES MARCH IN LATVIA!

To cheer up the country of course.

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RENTAL OF COSTA MESA OWNED FACILITIES

There are a couple of pieces in the almost daily Daily Pilot today about the proposed rental of the Downtown Community Center to an out-of-town group that will displace presumed Costa Mesa residents from using the facility in what we guess must be pick-up shirts vs. skins games. One is by Steve Smith here. And one is by Alan Blank here.[UPDATE: 6/3/09--It appears that the DP has removed Blank's column.]

There are several issues involved in this that need airing. Here's just a few of them. We may post more later when we have time.

1. The Downtown Community Center is owned by the citizens of Costa Mesa--they're already paying for it. Should they be forced out by a higher bidder from a different city?

2. At present, the Recreation Division takes in almost no information on people wanting to enter a long range rental agreement with the city for any city facilities. Give your name and address and say you'll supply an insurance policy, and that's about it. No questions about how many people will use the facility or other information. Will it be fifty people? A hundred? Two hundred? We don't know. Will those coming to see the games also use the library and the pool and other facilities in the Community Center complex? How many cars will there be? How many guests?

3. If Costa Mesa residents are booted out because more money can be made by renting to out-of-towners are we going down the wrong track as far as having a "Costa Mesa" Community Center? Wasn't it built and funded for Costa Mesans? Aren't they the "community" it was supposed to serve?

4. Even if there is more upfront money to be made in renting to out-of-towners, are we going to have a lot of hidden bills that erase that money? More City staff needed? Police overtime? Wear and tear on the facility? And, will we be adversely affecting the quality of life of Costa Mesa residents who may not feel welcome in their own Community Center? Will there be adequate parking?

5. We suspect that most residents of Costa Mesa presume that the Downtown Community Center complex is relatively safe for their children who use the pool and other facilities. If there are large groups of strangers there, will residents be less inclined to use the facility? We know when we've brought our kids to the pool it seemed overcrowded.

6. Aren't we constantly reading that Costa Mesa doesn't have enough sports facilities for residents and aren't there constant calls for more tax money to build more? If this is true, then why are we renting to out-of-towners? And, if it is said, as it is, that this particular facility has very few Costa Mesa residents using it, then could this just be that its availability isn't widely known in Costa Mesa and it has to be advertised a little more?

With the lack of information presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission when they were trying to decide whether or not to boot out the presumed Costa Mesa residents to allow in an out-of-town group, it was no surprise that they couldn't make a decision one way or another. Lack of information can cause paralysis.

Speaking in a general sense; as far as the CM PRESS has been able to determine, Costa Mesa has no rental application forms and there is no policy paper or manual on standard procedures to be followed in renting out citizen owned facilities.

If you're in the private sector and you want to rent out a commercial facility or an apartment that you own, you'll have an applicant fill out a rental application giving all the relevant details of the use of your property along with some background information. Shouldn't the City of Costa Mesa do as much?

We'd like to see staff come up with a quick written report on how other cities handle this. We'd be especially interested in seeing how Irvine and Newport Beach proceed. And, by a report, we mean one that has the actual rental applications and policy pages or manuals from these cities and not just a report based on telephone calls.

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GENE HELPS STOP CANCER IN DOWN SYNDROME INDIVIDUALS
Gene on extra Chromosome 21 fights cancer.
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VIOLENT CRIME UP 36 PERCENT IN COSTA MESA
Link to OCR article and charts.

The information in this new OCR article was reported by the CM PRESS on April 6 in CM PRESS # 686.

However, at a recent city meeting we heard a resident refer to the increase as being 3.6 percent and not the correct 36 percent.

No, it's not an increase of 3.6 percent or almost 4 percent. The increase is a WHOPPING 36 percent or almost 40 percent!

We'll bet a dozen donuts that if the CMPD were to plot the violent crimes and the residences of the violent criminals on a scatter map that there would be an overwhelming sea of pin heads on the Westside on the map.

And, if we're right, this just indicates that much more needs to be done on the Westside to improve the area.

The best thing that can be done is to remove the habitats of the criminals and make the Westside a desirable place for upwardly mobile young professionals who want to raise their families in our city.

Santa Ana continues to be the most violent large city in OC.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.