Here is a realistic Public Pension Reform Plan

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4499277/chris-christies-plan-for-garden-state/

NJ Gov. Chris Christie says you can't merge from defined benefit to 401 type defined contribution plan overnight.  Takes time unless you reform the current system first. I agree. We did accomplish pension reform in Costa Mesa last year with employees now paying a portion of their retirement costs each month saving the City about $250,000 a month and more than $6.5 over several years.

News item:  Tuesday night Mayor Pro Tem Righeimer and new Council Member Mensinger voted for the same employee agreement I voted for last fall.  Amazingly, the sky did not fall. Perhaps they too realized that the agreements we made with our employees were decent and had been negotiated fairly.  They certainly had an opportunity to vote against them. Perhaps they saw that voting for them was the right thing to do for the city and risking losses and lawsuits was not.  My point exactly.

Are we Costa Mesans too compassionate?

We voted last night to form a task force to study homelessness in our city.  There is no question that the time is now to do this.  Involving the providers--the magnets--as some call them--to help us figure out ways we can  help our own Costa Mesa "chronic" homeless population is the key.  A daunting task for sure--seems like we do more than our fair share. Some are critical of our City for being too compassionate.  There lies the difficulty--how do we measure "too much compassion?" No one has all the answers, but everyone is committed to finding them.

We welcome the good news

Tomorrow's 4:30 study session will have Bobby Young give Council Members the mid-year budget review.
On the whole, it is very good news. Property, TOT and sales taxes are up and combined with other savings we won't need to take drastic measures to balance the budget.

 The shortfall is $1.387,192 instead of $6 million.  Cuts we considered last year, but did not make, will be presented to the Council.  And we won't have to use our fund balance--those reserves set aside to use for "restricted" accounts. 


http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/council/study-session/2011-01-11/midystudysession_staffrpt_fy11.pdf

Where do we go from here?

I'm not one to get stuck dwelling on disappointments.  Last night's meeting and the selection of Steve Mensinger were no surprise to me.  This plan has been in the works for a long time. I am always open to new ideas on how to make our city better.  What bothers me the most is the disrespect and disdain shown for average Costa Mesans who have loved living here for many years. Also, I believe we need to respect our employees.  It's not their fault we have the financial challenges we have.  I take responsibility for our financial status. 

But I think this is a great opportunity for Costa Mesans who love their city to continue to be involved at City Hall.  Residents can come to the meetings, watch them on tv or the computer, write letters, send emails, and make calls to the Council voicing their opinions.

I met with all but three of the applicants for the Council, Planning Commission and Parks and Rec.  All of the applicants are passionate about their ideas and how they might contribute their time and talent to our city.  I encouraged them to apply for the Homeless Task force and other Committees when applications are available.  All residents can do this, not just the applicants who stepped up this time.

I will continue to stay strong and  be optimistic, civil and respectful.  I know the hearts of Costa Mesans are strong. I predict many new faces will be seen in the Council Chambers.   I know what makes our city great--it's the people--and our differences. It's the differences that glue us together.  I will keep working hard to see that those differences are respected and acknowledged.

32 per cent is a big deal

While I was sorting my 2010 receipts and paperwork today, (my annual chore on Jan. 1),throwing out outdated City Council paperwork too, I could help but think that our serious crime being down 32 per cent is REMARKABLE.  Part of the reason it is down is due to the fact we have not had any murders (however, I just got the report there was a fight at the Hilton this morning that ended in one person dying of knife wounds, that is sad) so our status for the second half of 2010 may not be as great.  It takes everyone working as a team to be successful.  Having an ICE agent in our jail for a few years could have been a deterrent to illegal alien criminals as well.  Who wants to go to Costa Mesa and commit a crime if they know they could end up being deported?  Have a happy rest of the New Year's Day! The weather was awesome!