Daily Pilot Plug - 7/21/2005

Thursday, July 21, 2005
Daily Pilot Plug

Thanks to the Daily Pilot today for their plug for this blog. The following note appeared below the "Politics and Government" banner in the "Political Landscape" column:

"West's taking it to the Web

When you're politically minded and writing to the local newspaper is not enough, you can always start your own blog. Geoff West, a Costa Mesa resident and frequent Daily Pilot contributor, announced last week that he's taken the electronic plunge and created A Bubbling Cauldron, a web log about Costa Mesa and Newport Beach politics.

West also reserves the right, according to the site, to "launch off into some philosophical rant" -- which may well be considered a blogger's inalienable right. Readers will learn he began the blog partly to free himself from the shackles of the print media's editing process.

"I realize this is a dangerous move, because editors do perform a valuable service. This will become very apparent as you read my thoughts -- typos, punctuation errors, malaprops and all. I fully intend to blame such transgressions on my advancing years -- I'm told that we old fellas can get away with it," West writes.

We should all be so lucky.

West's blog can be found at http://home.earthlink .net/~ thepotstirer."

***

On related note, I've made it a little easier for you to tell friends about this blog. Just refer them to www.abubblingcauldron.com - that's a lot easier than the actual URL.

10:51 am pdt

Political Irony and Unfulfilled Expectations - 7/26/2005

Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Political Irony and Unfulfilled Expectations

Those of us who pay attention to such things got a clear view of one of the interesting ironies in local politics at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting on July 19th.

A long time activist - a woman who meets the definition of "seasoned citizen" by any stretch of the term and who, for years, has fancied herself "housemother" for the Westside - presented herself before the council during the Public Comments segment and proceeded to rip the members for not doing enough for her part of town. She singled out for special condemnation Mayor Allan Mansoor and Councilman Eric Bever - two men she had supported during their candidacy.

I found myself wondering just what it will take to make this woman happy! The Westside has absorbed a disproportionate share of municipal funds over the past few years for street improvements and undergrounding of utilities. It has benefited by an increase in law enforcement and code enforcement presence. Bever's quick pitch of the process that ended up applying a residential overlay over the industrial Westside has made it possible to evict those industrial businesses she has complained about for years. The Job Center, which has been stuck in her craw for a long time, is on it's way out. What is she expecting next - for buses to line up on 19th Street, waiting to load up the "illegals" in her neck of the woods to be transported back across the border? I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

Perhaps she's frustrated by the failure of her "chosen" candidates to live up to her expectations. First there was Chris Steel - arguably the least competent elected official in this city for decades - who took up valuable space on the council dais without making any discernible contribution during his tour the first four years of this decade.

Now she watches as Mansoor and Bever attempt to turn the council into a body devoid of compassion. Their definition of local government apparently starts and stops with fixing potholes, extinguishing fires and catching bad guys, period. A measure of their compassion was the recent de-funding and subsequent disbanding of the almost two decades old Human Relations Committee - a committee organized specifically to help bridge issues between diverse constituencies within the city.

This activist was one of the people behind the controversial Concerned Costa Mesa Citizens web site a couple years ago. Mayor Mansoor was an active participant for many months. That site, while it was up and running, opened a window into the minds of many Westside activists as they posted rant after rant, many of which were laced with racial intolerance. However, once Daily Pilot reporter Lolita Harper cast light on it in her excellent three-part series and the county Human Relations Commission stuck it's unwelcome nose under the tent, the door was slammed shut. Despite much "progress" being made on the Westside it seems impossible to satisfy this activist and some of her cronies. She may, in fact, precisely represent the attitude of many of the "Westside activists" who appear eager to return Costa Mesa to the days when it was known as Goat Hill - when English was the primary language of most residents.

***

Thanks to the Orange County Register for publishing my comments on eminent domain in The Current, a weekly supplement distributed in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, on Friday, July 22nd. That letter was an abbreviated version of the first entry on this blog - dated Saturday, July 9th - if you wish to refresh your memory.

***

Those of you who watched the brief July 25th Planning Commission meeting had a chance to see Chairman Bill Perkins display his complete lack of leadership on the dais once again. Perkins, who as "mini-me" to Mayor Pro Tem Gary Monahan, demonstrates in meeting after meeting just how ill-prepared he is for any kind of leadership role in public life. Although he seems like a nice enough young man, Perkins continues to demonstrate his immaturity as he blathers on and on, apparently seeing no need to filter his thoughts before he blurts them out. If the Planning Commission is the de facto "prep school" for a shot at a spot on the City Council, Perkins needs to enroll in several remedial courses before trying to take that giant step.

2:52 pm pdt

Judi Berry and the Smokescreen - 7/29/2005

Friday, July 29, 2005
Judi Berry and the Smokescreen

Judith Berry, vivacious activist and self-appointed budget watchdog in this town, has become a fanner of the flames that produces the smokescreen initiated by the male majority on the city council.

In her Mailbag contribution in the Daily Pilot today she demands that those of us who write letters stick to facts, then fails to do so herself. She accuses those of us who point out the testosterone tilt on the city council, so evident in vote after vote, of trying to set back the emergence of women by attempting to portray Katrina Foley and Linda Dixon as, in Mrs. Berry's words, "weaklings". I agree with Mrs. Berry when she states in her letter, "Councilwomen Katrina Foley and Linda Dixon are very strong, independent, intelligent women. They can stand up for themselves against the best of them -- men or women." Anyone who has spent any time in proximity to those women will tell you that "weak" is not a word that fits either one. I've neither heard nor read about them being referred to as such. What they are, though, is outnumbered. That's a fact.

Mrs. Berry, based on her own words, would much prefer to have the men be referred to as "conservatives" and the women referred to as "liberals". Yeah, that's a whole lot better, Judi. Let's just label everyone with whatever tag we think is appropriate. What's next, Mrs. Berry? Do we begin using the dreaded "D" word - Democrat? Does she prefer us to allow the civil discussion of divergent viewpoints to degenerate into a school-yard name calling contest?

It is a fact, like it or not, that the arguments and opinions of the two highest vote-getters in the last election- two women - have been rendered inconsequential by the majority on the council - three men. Short of a gender transformation by one of the men, that imbalance will remain - at least for the next sixteen months, when the voters once again have a chance to be heard.

The fact is, under the guise of being "conservative", the three men on the city council have begun to disassemble much of the social fabric of this community. It is they, in fact, who will turn back the clock not the 30 years Mrs. Berry mentioned, but a half century - to a time when oppression and bigotry was rampant in parts of this country. Mrs. Berry, with her southern heritage, should certainly understand what that will mean.

The editors of the Daily Pilot hit the nail right on the head when they pointed out in their editorial on July 24th the distressing trend in Costa Mesa toward relegating local government to simply fixing potholes, fighting fires and catching bad guys. I suspect most of the residents of this city expect more - much more - from our city leaders.

Mrs. Berry and "the guys" can continue to blow smoke. Some of us will continue to find ways to see through it and speak out. That's a fact.

11:02 am pdt

44 - Not Just A Number - 8/2/2005

Tuesday, August 2, 2005
44 - Not Just A Number

When you see the number "44", what image pops into your mind? For you sports trivia fans, you might think of the #44 worn on the jerseys of three magnificent running backs for Syracuse University - All-American Floyd Little, Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis and the incomparable Jim Brown. Closer to home, 44 is the number worn by former Laker All Pro Jerry West - a great name, don't you think? For some of us guys with other sports in mind, the image of Dolly Parton - or maybe Jayne Mansfield, for us really old fellas - starts rattling around in our heads.

Today, an event in the not-too-distant past has conspired to muddle-up those images in my head. Today, the number "44" represents lost opportunity.

In the municipal election of November, 2004 Eric Bever squeaked out a slim victory - 44 votes - over then-Planning Commission Chairman Bruce Garlich for the final spot on the Costa Mesa City Council. Since that time some of us have found ourselves longing for what might have been.

Today, instead of Garlich sitting on the City Council dais - using his intellect, integrity, proven leadership, solid management experience and strong background of community service to help provide direction on difficult issues - we are saddled with Bever's unwarranted cocky arrogance, questionable motivation and demonstrated willingness to play fast and loose with the rules.

Fortunately, Garlich's well-reasoned debate, steady hand and calming influence continue to help guide this city from his position on the Planning Commission. Meanwhile, on the City Council, we see Bever's shoot-from-the-hip style as he and his pal, Mayor Allan Mansoor, attempt to find new ways to stifle discussion of important issues and implement pre-fabricated decisions.

If, during the campaign last year, two dozen voters had done their homework a little better, studied the candidates a little harder and observed them in action on the Planning Commission a little more closely, we would not now be watching our City Council scramble from one controversial slippery slope to another.

A year from now we will be in the midst of what will likely be another hotly contested election campaign. As we move toward that time I hope you will begin to pay attention and speak up when you see our elected leaders heading down the wrong path. The same team, and the ambivalence of the electorate, that gave us Chris Steel in 2000 burdened us with Bever in 2004.

In November, 2006 we have the opportunity to change the direction of this town by electing at least one new person, maybe two. If Allan Mansoor continues down his current path his re-election is certainly no slam dunk. Let's hope that more people will do a better job of selecting leaders for this city next year. It will take strong leadership to undo the damage already done by the current majority on the council, not to mention the harm they can do to this city over the next sixteen months.

44 votes - some lessons in a free society are learned painfully. Let's hope we learned from this one.

9:02 am pdt

Cloning Around In Costa Mesa - 8/7/2005

Sunday, August 7, 2005
Cloning Around In Costa Mesa

I've been reading and watching the news coverage of the South Korean scientist who apparently cloned an Afghan hound recently. Some of that coverage has included a photograph of the donor and it's "offspring", if that's what you call something created by scraping a few cells from the donor's ear then soaking them in some kind of magic potion in a test tube. Granted, there is a heck of a resemblance between the two. Amazing!

Most of the articles went on to talk about Dolly, the sheep that was cloned some time ago and then further speculated about when human cloning might occur.

Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it's already happened right here in Costa Mesa. Yes, sir - all you have to do is look at our lame duck Mayor Pro Tem, Gary Monahan, and then at his shadow, Planning Commission Chairman Bill Perkins and you'll understand what I mean. Since Monahan has taken young Perkins under his wing the two seem to be morphing into one entity.

Word has it now that Perkins is launching himself into a career as restaurant owner - just like his mentor. He's apparently teaming up with a fellow who has presented more than one project to the Planning Commission on which Perkins has served. His current project - the one in which Perkins is identified as a partner - is scheduled to be addressed by the commission on August 8th. Don't you find that interesting? I sure do. A skeptical person might be curious about that situation, don't you think?

It will be especially interesting to see if the remaining four members of the commission - without Perkins, because he must excuse himself from the deliberations - will follow staff's recommendations and deny part of the concessions being requested. If they do, will the applicant appeal it to the City Council and will the council - with Monahan voting - overturn the appeal? Should be interesting.

7:20 pm pdt

TriTunnel Express - Tunnels in Search of a Destination - 8/10/2005

Wednesday, August 10, 2005
TriTunnel Express - Tunnels in Search of a Destination

The TriTunnel Express, a scheme that has been bouncing around for a few years now and the most recent fantasy conjured up to resolve Orange County's transportation woes, has made the news again recently.

The first time I heard of it was during a presentation by Jack Wagner, Executive Director of the Orange County Regional Airport Authority as he peddled the idea before the Costa Mesa City Council more than eighteen months ago. His pitch at the time was that this project - three multi-use tunnels between Orange County and Riverside County - was the answer to Orange County's air transportation problems. Novel idea, huh? A tunnel to solve air transportation problems - imagine that.

During his presentation this contemporary reincarnation of P.T. Barnum told us not to worry about the cost. He told us that, even though this latest hustle would cost over $3 billion (that estimate has now risen to nearly $6 billion) it would be financed by bonds - but if it didn't "pencil out" it wouldn't be built. If that has a familiar ring to it, just remember the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road - the last "great" Orange County transportation idea that is now hemorrhaging money like a burst aorta. I find it interesting, by the way, that some members of the same management team that guided the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road into a quagmire of red ink are lined up to operate the tunnels, too.

He went on to tell us how the three tunnels would carry not only automobiles and trucks, but would also include a gasoline pipeline. I've gone to their slick web site recently, the link for which can be found on my Useful Links page, and found that, in it's latest permutation, two of the tunnels would each actually carry cars, fiber optic cables, an oil pipeline and a 500,000 volt electrical transmission line. Now, there's a formula for a real E-Ticket Ride!

When the subject of safety came up Wagner assured us that, despite the fact that the tunnels would cross four active earthquake faults, they would be perfectly safe. As mentioned again in a recent news piece, he quoted Dr. Charles F. Richter of Richter Scale fame as stating that a tunnel is the safest place to be in an earthquake. I suspect the good doctor didn't have in mind a tunnel crossing four active fault lines, filled with flammable liquids and containing a convenient 500,000 volt ignition source. The image of Saddleback Peak being launched toward Catalina Island following a quake and resultant explosion floats in my cranium as I contemplate this project. Yes, sir - I'm going to run for those tunnels at the first sign of "The Big One".

And then there's the engineering challenge of venting the exhaust fumes of 120,000 cars a day from tunnels twelve miles long below a couple thousand feet of Saddleback Peak. Sure, I suspect the technology is there but, like almost everything else in life, it simply becomes a function of time and money.

During that presentation near the end of 2003 we were also told that consultants would be paid a premium for the initial planning so it could be compressed into one year instead of the normal three required because time was of the essence - that Orange County freeways would be in a state of perpetual gridlock by 2010. That sounded a little suspicious, but to the proponents it made perfect sense. If you have an extremely questionable plan you simply speed up the process so it can slide past the residents of the county unnoticed. Here we are, more than eighteen months later, with the proponents in a flat-out sprint and gaining momentum.

The Metropolitan Water District of Los Angeles has jumped aboard this project recently because it apparently sees a way to move water from the Inland Empire to Orange County at a reasonable cost by piggybacking the transportation tunnels. To me, that's the only part of this thing that makes sense.

As bizarre as this project was initially, it has become even more so recently. Recent news reports now inform us that the good folks in the Inland Empire don't want a commercial airport at the site of the former March Air Force Base - the primary reason for this triple hole in the ground in the first place. So, much as the now-dozing CenterLine light rail project was a train to nowhere, this hole into which somebody will be asked to dump money by the ton is a transportation corridor in search of a destination. The proponents of this plan are in a tizzy trying to figure out how they can hang a left turn mid-tunnel and end up popping out of the mountain somewhere close to the Ontario Airport to meet their objective of relieving Orange County's air transportation problems.

Let us summarize: Nearly $6 billion to build it; no destination; four active earthquake faults; two oil pipelines; two 500,000 volt electric lines; the exhaust from more than 120,000 cars and a management team with track record of red ink on these kinds of projects. Yep, that sounds like a great idea to me. This is yet another pie-in-the-sky scheme being foisted off on the gullible residents of Orange County. Hopefully, enough of us will wake up, stand up and speak up against this one before it goes any further.

I'm not saying everything is wonderful transportation-wise in Orange County. The 91 corridor through the Santa Ana Canyon is a disaster almost any time of any day. Clearly, it's time to solve that problem, but double-stacking that right-of-way makes much more sense than the tunnels. All the TriTunnel Express does is divert precious fiscal and intellectual resources from actual, workable solutions.

10:24 am pdt

St. Andrew's Church Expansion - A Pasture Too Small - 8/11/2005

Thursday, August 11, 2005
St. Andrew's Church Expansion - A Pasture Too Small

Like many residents of this area, I've been following the whole St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church expansion issue closely. I've tried to keep an open mind while digesting the views presented by both sides. I do not attend that church, but have friends who do. I don't live in the immediate area, but have friends and relatives who do. My daily travels take me in close proximity to the church location, so I'm familiar with the neighborhoods in question.

It's hard for me to imagine a more emotional issue. On the one hand you have a highly respected community church, going about it's business of "doing good" and providing religious guidance to it's congregation. On the other hand you have the neighbors surrounding this church who, while not in disagreement with the mission of the church, are impacted daily by it's current size and are staggered by the proposal for it's expansion, which will be considered by the Newport City Council tonight. After years of negotiation, there certainly seems to be no common ground to be found.

The arguments have escalated from reasoned discourse to accusations of, at least, faulty memories on both sides - maybe more than that. The demonstration by residents last weekend certainly illustrated the passion some in the neighborhood have for this issue. The local newspaper of record, the Daily Pilot, today published an extremely well-written editorial in favor of the proposed expansion. On the same page they published a commentary from a resident that described the demonstration Sunday in very negative terms, comparing it to the raucous and sometimes violent desegregation demonstrations in the deep South in the 1960s - an unfair and inaccurate comparison, but one sure to inflame opinions on both sides. In it's defense, the Daily Pilot has seemed to try to present arguments from both sides of this issue over many, many months.

So, into the arena of opinion I toss mine. This actually seems to be a pretty simple problem. It's a question of size. St. Andrew's - formerly a nice, comfortable neighborhood church - began to morph two decades ago when it first expanded. No longer is the congregation made up primarily of neighbors who could walk to services. Now, according the recent reports, the vast majority drive significant distances to receive spiritual guidance from a very dynamic pastor, Dr. John Huffman.

It appears to me that this good shepherd has allowed his flock to grow too large for his pasture. It has certainly over-grazed the good will of the neighborhood. The only good solution to this problem is for Dr. Huffman to do what any good shepherd would do - find a new pasture, gather his flock and move on to a location where it can flourish. The proposed church is just too big for it's present site.

11:02 am pdt