Mailbag: Civic openness? Only in the land of Orwell

In the Sept. 3 article “Costa Mesa council discusses proposed $24.7M employee contract”, I was quoted as saying “COIN is an Orwellian lie.”

From Wikipedia, “‘Orwellian’ is an adjective describing the situation, idea or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. It connotes an attitude and a brutal policy of draconian control by propaganda, surveillance, misinformation, denial of truth and manipulation of the past, including the ‘unperson’ — a person whose past existence is expunged from the public record and memory, practiced by modern repressive governments. (These would be our city street sweepers under COIN.) Often, this includes the circumstances depicted in his novels, particularly ‘1984.’”

With its Orwellian name, Civic Openness in Negotiations, COIN is not transparent, nor is it straightforward.

Some of the following reflects statements by Costa Mesans for Responsible Government member Greg Ridge:

Nothing about this farce has changed since September 2012, except that council cronies tucked it into their charter scheme as a never-ending law that can never be repealed.

I wonder what could be more wrong than a never-ending law that can never be repealed? Perhaps never-ending payments to expensive attorneys for work that does not benefit the city.

Recognize the charter paragraph on COIN for what it is: Perpetual peril.

Per Ridge, “In reality, it targets only a single group — city employees — and fails to focus any attention at all on those interests that are most susceptible to abuse by the politicians on the council.”

With COIN, as with charter Measures V and O, the council majority seeks to do its business behind closed doors without oversight from anyone. Unless something is applied evenly and fairly, it is false to call it transparent. COIN is a misnomer, pure and simple.

COIN is like a two-sided mirror. You can see through one side, but the other reflects an image while simultaneously concealing everything beyond it. COIN is not transparent. Civic Openness in Negotiations does not shine any light on the City Council’s financial support system and its influences.

Therefore, COIN is an Orwellian lie.

Greg Thunell

Costa Mesa

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Don’t put traffic burden on Newport Coast

After listening to the Newport Beach City Council candidates at the OASIS Senior Center, I feel I must respond to what several proposed for making Measure Y work.

I heard candidates say that they would divert extra traffic through Newport Coast and that would solve the extra traffic that Y would generate.

What is this? Is Newport Coast a stepchild? Does it have so little traffic? No, and we do not need more large projects creating more traffic through Newport Coast to satisfy the Newport Chamber of Commerce or the Irvine Co.’s grand plans. Vote No on Y.

Henry Brooks

Newport Beach