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Top 10 Costa Mesa stories of 2014: Politics, policing and a party

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As it has in recent years, city governance dominated Costa Mesa news in 2014, including the hotly contested council elections and various decisions coming out of 77 Fair Drive. Here are the Daily Pilot’s top 10 stories of the year from Costa Mesa.

1: This year saw a significant development in the alleged conspiracy case that affected three Costa Mesa councilmen in 2012. The arrests in December of Christopher Lanzillo and Scott Impola, private detectives who were doing surveillance work for the police union’s law firm at the time, generated new discussion and pushed the saga to a criminal matter. Two of the councilmen, Mayor Steve Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer, filed their own civil lawsuit last year, and that case progressed this year as well.

2: Costa Mesa’s City Council race between incumbent Mayor Jim Righeimer and challenger Jay Humphrey, a former councilman, went down to the wire in November. Righeimer consistently maintained a narrow lead, though it was as slim as 18 votes at one point. Righeimer ended up keeping his seat by 47 votes. Katrina Foley easily reigned supreme, capturing 6,675 votes to become the top vote-getter. A city charter proposal was also soundly defeated for a second time in two years.

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3: The Costa Mesa Police Department dealt with ongoing staffing shortages, injuries, recruitment problems and plummeting DUI arrest numbers. The department is authorized for 136 sworn officers but, as of October, had 87 officers available for duty. Police Chief Tom Gazsi left for another job with the Los Angeles Port Police. Gazsi called for unity — “a house divided will not stand” — on his way out the door.

4: Costa Mesa’s ambitious 60th anniversary party in 2013 left a sour taste that continued into 2014, particularly after the release of city documents in January and news that the three-day “60 & Fabulous” event cost about $518,000. City officials said that in light of the problems, reforms are on the way.

The lead organizer for the event, Public Affairs Manager Dan Joyce, received a $170,225 settlement in September. He had been on paid administrative leave for about 10 months for unspecified reasons related to the 60th, but was let go in May. Reasons for Joyce’s settlement were never disclosed.

5: To address the proliferation of an estimated 200 sober-living homes in Costa Mesa, the council in October passed an ordinance designed to address their negative effects and prevent their clustering in neighborhoods. About a month later, federal lawsuits were filed in response to the new law, and the program has experienced delays.

6: After the Costa Mesa Senior Center board predicted financial instability the year before, an independent operations audit, released in January, confirmed that the facility was facing a “fiscal crisis.” In response, in June the council approved takeover measures at the center, which had been run by an independent nonprofit but received city assistance. The move caused the ouster of the center’s controversial executive director and staff members.

7: Owners of the Costa Mesa Motor Inn, long infamous for its poor living conditions and health and safety violations, announced their intention in May to raze the 236-room Harbor Boulevard motel and build new luxury apartments. Some of the units are set for affordable-housing status. The plans were a win for the City Council majority, who have publicly decried the property as community blight and a lure for criminals.

8: Costa Mesa residents were asked to sign two different medical marijuana petitions. Both petitions were successful in getting enough signatures to qualify for a special election in early 2015, but the council, citing conflicting tax laws, put the petitions on the November 2016 ballot instead. In the meantime, Councilman Gary Monahan’s proposed law for marijuana dispensaries is moving forward for a future vote.

9: Costa Mesa High School opened its new $20-million, 355-seat performing arts center in October. The event marked the end of a two-year wait for the center, which is highly visible from Fairview Road.

10: In January, a for-profit “Group 3” youth flag football group operated by Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart caused some “Group 1” baseball/softball groups, and a city municipal league, to lose their longtime, coveted Friday night spots at the TeWinkle Park Athletic Complex. The controversial decision was seen by some as an apparent violation of Costa Mesa’s own field-allocation rules, though city officials disagreed. It also was a factor in the sudden resignation of Recreation Manager Bob Knapp.

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