

We just received an email from Costa Mesa’s $3,000 a week consultant/spokesman announcing the cancellation of this evening’s Special Meeting to discuss the Charter Initiative.
Here is the statement:
The special Costa Mesa City Council meeting scheduled today to discuss holding a municipal election on the City’s charter measure has been canceled. The regularly scheduled Council Study Session will begin today at 4:30 p.m.,as planned.
I have to wonder if the fact that the meeting was not properly noticed, as required by the Brown Act, had anything to do with the decision to cancel the meeting.
Nick Gerda at Voice of OC has more on the meeting cancellation in his story Legal Worries Force Costa Mesa to Cancel Meet on Charter Vote.
Geoff West, at A Bubbling Cauldron, also provides his biting commentary on the meeting that wasn’t. Here is a sample:
RIGHEIMER RANTS AGAIN
During the Study Session, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer took the opportunity during his comments segment to rail again against those folks who would obstruct his plans. He went on and on, spewing half-truths and some that were not even that close, attempting to fan the flames for his scheme. The two dozen people in the audience were not buying it. He wants Costa Mesa to become the new Bell so bad he can taste it! In fact, this is just how it happened in Bell – the evil Robert Rizzo called a special election to convert that city to a Charter City and only 400 people voted – most by absentee ballot. After that the doors were thrown wide open for corruption. Don’t think that can’t happen here.
Read the rest here.
Pity the poor citizens who voted to install a majority that is looking more incompetent by the day.
He is no longer a $3000 a week spokesman. He was made the Director of Communications in January. He is a fulltime city employee that makes $150,000/year in salary, plus a pension and benefits. They city also hired Dan Joyce. Not exactly sure what he does. Of course there is Rick Francis, the Asst. CEO/Acting City Clerk, who is so clueless he sent out a notice that was in violation of state law. That was why the meeting was canceled. Even the new high priced employees on the 5th floor are incompetent.
Sam,
Since the City’s Director of Communications never actually issued that announcement, how was anyone supposed to know he got hired on. So much for transparency.
I thought Lobdell indicated a year ago that he had no intention of making this a permanent gig. I guess he figured that CalPERS pension is a good thing after all. I hear the application and interview process was just for show anyway. They wanted Lobdell and Joyce and surprise, that’s who they picked.
I guess I really shouldn’t be too surprised they tried to keep the fact these guys were hired a secret.
Well Lobdell has been less and less transparent since he was hired as a city employee. One can only hope when a new city council is seated, they send him packing along with Joyce, Hatch and Francis. They are all at-will employees who can be let go without notice.
Seems odd that just as the Righeimer Gang comes to power, two of the best reporters/writers around, Lobdell and Swaim, get a fat job and a local blog, respectively. A cynic might say they were bought and paid for.