The first of two planned public hearings regarding Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer’s proposed City Charter Initiative is scheduled for Tuesday in the City Council chambers. But in their rush to get it on the June election ballot important details, as simple as meeting starting times, are falling through the cracks.
City spokesman Bill Lobdell has distributed press releases about the Charter Initiative development process setting two separate start times for the first Public Hearing. In a December 21st press release announcing the January 4th informational meeting, he stated; “The first official public hearing on the proposed Charter will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at a special City Council meeting.” However his press release on Friday, January 6th Lobdell indicated the meeting start time was 7 p.m.
But it gets even more confusing when you try to find the start time on the Meetings page of the city website. On the right hand margin a Council Study Session is listed for January 10th at 4:30 p.m. When you click on that item for the agenda nothing happens. Over to the left is the listing of Council Meeting Agenda’s where you find a link for 2012-01-10-S which does open the meeting agenda. It shows the start time as 7 p.m.
This is just one of several confusing parts to the rushed process driven by Righeimer. In the January 6th release spokesman Lobdell writes; “Previously, it was mistakenly reported that no new additions to the charter could be considered after the Jan. 10 meeting.” The mistaken report was due to rushing the process and the lack of clarity to begin with. Geoff West over at A Bubbling Cauldron put it this way in this post on Sunday.
Until very late last week we were being told that Tuesday’s meeting would be the ONLY time suggestions for additions to the Charter draft cobbled together by Righeimer last month would be accepted. After that, we were told, only deletions could be considered. Well, that was WRONG. Suggestions, additions, deletions and comments will be accepted and considered by the council right up to the date of the second mandatory public hearing on February 14th.
It isn’t just me who’s been confused about the meeting times; I received an email on Saturday from a community group Costa Mesans for Responsible Government advising folks to attend the January 10th Public Hearing. They called upon residents to:
SAY “NO” TO THIS CHARTER
JOIN US. SPEAK OUT.
Attend the Council meeting at:
6:00 pm Tuesday, January 10
Costa Mesa City Council Chambers – 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa
So for the record, the first Public Hearing on the proposed Charter will begin at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall on January 10th.
The City has posted 66 suggestions from community members submitted thus far regarding changes to the proposed Charter. Costa Mesa residents need to show up and speak out against this absurd, unnecessary, and politically motivated initiative (First Draft) as proposed by Councilman Jim Righeimer.
Please attend the meeting and address the Council in person and tell these boys to Stop Playing Around with Costa Mesa’s Future by Saying “NO” to Righeimer’s Charter Scheme.
I stand by this suggestion even though I have to wonder if the council majority will actually consider any changes at all. Councilman Eric Bever at the last Council meeting his, and likely his colleagues intentions clear. I’ll let his own words speak to his perspective about criticism of the Council majority’s actions.
“So if you guys don’t like it, well, tough luck.” — Councilman Eric Bever, 1-03-2012
This sounds like intentional confusion to me.
That is total BS!
What was sell-out Bever promised by the Righeimer crew?
Is the city of Costa Mesa going to survive?
Its been said that the last FY they had a operating budget surplus.
But even with that surplus they dropped 30 million in their cash balance.
Doesn’t make since.
Costa Mesa is doing better financially. Mid-year review is due right now and early reports are promising. The City will survive – the question is, “Will you want to live in it after Righeimer and his cronies turn it into a dictatorship?”
The council needs to listen to the crowd that was at the meeting last night and not to thier egos. Keep prevailing wages and push the election back to November…