Well, as Chris posted earlier, the drama in Costa Mesa is getting even more dramatic following the alleged brick throwing incident, and the alleged vandalism of Steve Mensinger’s home. With both of these incidents no suspects have been identified, and in Mensinger’s case we can’t be sure that it even occurred. I have serious doubts about their stories given all the holes. Worst of all, in the most recent incidents they seem to be investigated not by the police, but by council members crying out to the press and Facebook. Facebook? What are you Mensinger, and jilted high school kid?
Neither Mensinger nor Monahan had any evidence to lend credence to their accusations that the union is behind the vandalism. Frankly, even if any of these events did happen as described and weren’t committed by the council members themselves, it seems conveniently self serving on their part to lay blame on the union and union supporters for their woes. Given the large percentage of citizens in this city who dislike them and their actions, the list of suspects would probably be very, very, very long.
I saw Greg Ridge Sunday evening when he kindly dropped by my home to drop off a few “Cancel the Lay Offs” signs. We chatted about our shared passion, stopping the out sourcing and destruction of the quality of life in our city, and discussed the latest council meeting. Imagine both our surprise when Mensigner’s accusations hit FB! He actually names Greg and 2 others whose names I am not going to mention, because I am refuse to perpetuate so much as a speculation that any of these guys took part in this. I know 2 of them, Greg being one, and they are not those kinds of men, period. I also don’t believe if these alleged incidents happened, it was with the knowledge or support by the union.
So as if I am not freaked out enough by the fact that The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse can take the well being of the city and it’s employees into their hands and destroy them, there is also our kilt donning mayor laughing the night away after the pink slips started flying and a young man jumped to his death from the roof of city hall. Then there is the ho-hum response of the council members when, one after another, citizens call for them to rescind the lay offs, and Steve Mensinger actually physically bullying a citizen.
I woke up this morning and as I walked by my living room window, I saw a Costa Mesa City car sitting right in front of my house. The driver seemed to be looking at the sign in my yard (insert creepy horror movie music here), and he had some sort of paperwork on a clip board writing and glancing up several times at my house. Maybe I am worried about nothing, but I can’t think of any other reason for a city car to be outside my home. The driver looked at me standing in the window, put down his clip board and drove away. Is the city council taking a census of what homes have the signs in their yards? That doesn’t seem that far fetched to me. Either way, the sign in my yard stays.
Concerning a related issue – Moorlach said:
I am .. angry with prior CEOs and Human Resources Department Directors who advocated for pension enhancements and gave us this lousy hand of cards to address. It is this Board that has to deal with the mess created by prior Boards, the County’s managers at that time, and the County’s employee unions that demanded unsustainable pension benefits. With rising pension contributions on the horizon, with years of deferring infrastructure improvements, and with a flat property tax revenue source, I don’t see how this Board can negotiate pay raises in the next five to ten years.
Consequently, we still need to do more on the pension front if we want to provide pay raises in the future. I gave this speech at last year’s budget hearings. We need to negotiate pension benefits back down to the prior levels with every bargaining unit at the County. The Little Hoover Commission came to the same conclusion this past February.
Prior decisions have left the current Board in a difficult quandary and everyone, including the Board, the County’s managers, and the County’s employees, will have to step up to the plate to address this long-term budget trend.
I’m a taxpayer who has no health care benefits or company sponsored pension programs such that are enjoyed by public employees. Such benefits are the definite exception, not the rule in the private sector today. Yet, in this economy, public employees continue to whine if asked to contribute to their health care and pensions. As a tax payer and professional from the private sector, I am no longer willing to pay for someone else’s welfare when, at the same time, that welfare is out of my reach. As for what’s currently going on in Costa Mesa: The public employee’s union continue to harm their image by littering East Side Costa Mesa with their ‘cancel the layoffs’ signs which are being placed on both public and private land. We all know who is behind this propaganda…the unions. If the union had real compassion for its members who are being laid off they would take the money they are wasting on their stupid signs and misleading television commercials and give it to their members. The majority of tax payers in Costa Mesa support the Mayor’s decision to reduce headcount and opposed to the union. Think Wisconsin.
Please explain why you believe you are entitled to tax payer benefits and ‘pay raises in the future.’ You people still don’t get it. Public employee unions are no longer relevant. Your days of tax payer supported, 100% job security are over.
Alleged vandalism? Anyone who drove down Country Club Drive could see the damage.
I’m scared as well. Scared of the harm these thugs could cause.
I just wish the union leaders would agree to re-open negotations and put their members interests first.
The Union was never offered the chance to open negotiations before the pink slips were sent out. Anyone who watched “Feet to the Fire” knows that. Negotiations can’t happen under the shadow of pink slips. Those must be rescinded first.
NO ONE knows who did any vandalizing, and it is called “slander,” a big legal word for making accusations publicly without any evidence against the persons being accused, when the name dropping started. In my opinion, the vandalism could very have been an inside job to make the union look bad and make the council members look like victims. But as I stated here, that is just my opinion.
“Negotiations can’t happen under the shadow of pink slips.”
Without the pink slips the City has a zero negotiating position.
You are cleary ignorant on what it means to negotiate. “Do what we say or you are fired is NOT part of any work place negotiation unless you have a completely exploitive greed monster as an employer. Which by way, is exactly what we will all have if there are no unions. The reason you have a 8 hour work day, a 40 hour work week and the expectation of a living wage and safe working conditions IS because of unions. Maybe you don’t have that work, or don’t work, and that’s why you don’t get the point.
Stop littering Costa Mesa with your stupid signs.
Grow up and pay your own way.
The Menssy “vandalism” is another fiction like the Monahan “thrown brick.”
The Extreme Right paints any union member who wants to keep their job as a “thug.”
The real thugs are those who make up budget numbers after moving to Costa Mesa to dismantle its government.
Word.
San Jose police have voted to accept a 10 percent pay cut, an agreement that is expected to save 156 officers from layoffs.
http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18270350?source=rss&nclick_check=1
The Union leadership has to realize that short of threats and intimidation it has no leverage. Even if a recall is successful, which in my view is unlikely, it would take place long after the lay-offs occur and long-term outsourcing contracts are in place.
For the benefit of its members, open negotiations as soon as possible so this can be put behind us.
There is no recall movement.
How did RR do it with the air traffic controllers?