Commentary: A vote for Measure O is a vote against union control

The ideological differences surrounding Costa Mesa’s proposed charter are as simple as most other Republican-Democrat issues, and the anti-charter comrades need to stop masking their motives and be honest: They want more unionization.

Make no mistake. The opposition to Costa Mesa’s proposed charter, Measure O on the November ballot, is largely union-organized and union-funded, and the proposed charter is undeniably pro-taxpayer and anti-public employee union.

The tangible outcome of this proposed charter is simple and parallel to all our neighboring cities’ charters and all large cities’ charters in general: It would allow Costa Mesa’s duly elected five-member council to vote on a host of financial and employee city matters with far greater local oversight, without the intrusion and oppression of Sacramento’s bought-off, union-controlled, public-employee mandates, such as prevailing-wage requirements and use of union employees for most services (and the accompanying lifetime pensions and benefits we just cannot afford).

The voting guide for Measure O is simple: If you are in favor of public employee unions, their out-of-control pension obligations and compensation packages paid for by taxpayers, vote against the charter. If you are in favor of more local control, more return on your tax dollars, and the city’s ability to accept or reject prevailing wages and other union mandates in city matters, vote for the charter.

Indeed, mailers funded by the public employee union have already hit the mailboxes to again scare and mislead Costa Mesa residents and encourage voting for school Trustee Katrina Foley and former Councilman Jay Humphrey.

Pro-union (anti-charter) protagonists love to contend that the last charter proposal, in 2012, was defeated by a 60-40 margin but fail to acknowledge that the unions pumped in about $500,000 to scare voters into rejecting it.

Now the unions, their supporters and their candidates are at it again — hiding the real issues with classic smoke-and-mirrors ploys, such as attempting to link the proposed charter to the city of Bell (a wholly unrelated criminal scheme where city and elected officials were arrested, tried and convicted), claiming the charter could open us to litigation, give over control and aid evil developers or other bogeyman, with no correlation whatsoever to the charter or reality.

Don’t be fooled. Read the proposed charter, and its cuts to union mandates and the opposition becomes crystal clear (even more so when you read the “paid by” stamps on the anti-charter mailers). Join council candidates Rita Simpson, Lee Ramos, Jim Righheimer, Tony Capitelli and Al Melone in voting yes on the charter measure.

Attorney DEVIN LUCAS lives on the Eastside of Costa Mesa.