COSTA MESA — I watched The Costa Mesa City Council Meeting on Channel 24 this evening. My work schedule did not permit for me to be there on time. It was, in a word, depressing. At the beginning of the meeting, City CEO Tom Hatch thanked the police and fire department for keeping order and a smooth execution of the marathon on May 1st. Wow. The was big of him. “Thanks guys, now bu bye.”
I did learn something watching this evening’s meeting. Maybe lots of people knew this, but I may not be privy to this kind of buzz. There is a REWARD being offered for anyonewho can find the person or persons who threw the brick in the window of the Mayor’s bar. In fact, one pro city council speaker actually brought an envelope with an undisclosed amount of cash to contribute to the “find that brick thrower” fund. And yes, the mayor took her money. I guess that video tape of the offending brick tossing thug never came through as Monahan had promised. I can’t imagine he’ll ever reveal the what the “threatening note” said. Now, I am totally against brick throwing and threats of any kind, but a reward?
Speakers calling for the council to rescind the layoffs, transparency, stop lying, smirking, texting during the meeting and bullying citizens were, and I counted, at 3 to 15. Yet, even as they spoke, Mensinger smirked and texted away. Or maybe he was smirking and emailing. For all we know he was playing “Angry Birds.” Anyhoo, the council continues to display a bold disregard for what the citizens are asking them to do and not to do.
Amy Leece-Fox summed it up best when she said to the city council that if the council can’t be trusted, what good is transparency? “Transparency does not equal trust.”
It’s my understanding that the City Council is willing to meet with the Union. But the Union is refusing to meet unless the lay-off notices are withdrawn.
If the notices are withdrawn and negotiations fail, the six month notice period would start over. If that’s the case, why would be union be motivated to do anything?
As a citizen of Costa Mesa, I would like to see this resolved but Union has to offer something.
Randy,
If the layoff notices are on the table then there is nothing to negotiate. The union is willing to meet, but not with outsourcing as the take it or leave it chip on the table. The motivation for the union is saving their members jobs through negotiations. Throughout the history of the city, good faith negotiations with employees have worked. If the decision to outsource is already made, then there is nothing to offer.
When teachers get a layoff notice, it is based upon a projected budget shortfall. The layoffs in this case are not related to the budget as they don’t even know what the budget is yet. The Council doesn’t even know if outsourcing would save any money. Instead of working with the city employees, as they have done in the past, they are hoping that outsourcing will save the day. When they find out in the next few months that their plan won’t work they will have wasted valuble time that could have been spent on finding solutions.
I live on the west side and have for over 15 years, and to be honest the public services are almost non exsitant on the west side, dogs runnig wild, laxed code inforcment and almost no police presance, if you call they are slow to respond and take no action and animal controle for get it, oh yeah and there is no money to pay them so maybe it is a good thing to cut them loose and re build later when the economy turns around with people who want to work and are not the type of people whe start breaking windows if they do not like the out come of tuff decisions being made. I would like to add that the union leader who spoke out against Monahan after the suicide just shows the low brow spirit of the union. these are not people of honor just extortionist offering nothing wanting every thing.
I have lived on the west side for 25 years, and that hasn’t been my experience. Especially the part about lax law enforcement. I have never seen “dogs running wild.” A dog now and then, but I wasn’t sure if he was running wild or taking a stroll.
You, and no body else, has any idea who or even IF anyone threw a brick threw the window of mayor’s bar. You can assume it is a union member if that is what you chose to believe, but you don’t KNOW anything.
There IS money to pay them. Costa Mesa is a small town with high revenue. Our city workers are awesome. Next time you have a problem or you house catches fire, call your mother.