Costa Mesa council’s attempt to discuss police contract ends quickly

A closed-session meeting for the Costa Mesa City Council to begin its negotiation process with the city’s police union was unexpectedly cut short Friday morning when one council member left after a few minutes on the grounds that the process should start after the election with a new council that will make the final decisions.

In an interview after the meeting, Councilman Gary Monahan said negotiations with the Costa Mesa Police Assn. will take several months, perhaps more than a year; and that no final offer will be achieved before the Nov. 4 election, when two open council seats are up for grabs.

The council negotiation team is comprised of Monahan and Councilwomen Sandy Genis and Wendy Leece. Mayor Jim Righeimer and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger are recusing themselves because of their lawsuit against the CMPA which alleges extortion methods used during the 2012 election season. The Orange County district attorney’s office is also investigating the case.

Because negotiations will take so long, and because Leece will be termed out after November, Monahan said he feels it’s unjust to begin the complicated process until the council’s new makeup is decided by voters.

“I am very happy to negotiate, but the point is until we have our council seated and elected, it doesn’t make any sense,” Monahan said.

He noted that negotiations with the Costa Mesa City Employees Assn. took about a year. The council approved the $24.7-million contract this week.

The CMPA process may take just as long, Monahan said.

“We’re not gonna be done in a month,” he added. “The new council is going to decide what the offers are that are going forward ... the whole culture of the council may change after November. It may not.”

Leece and Genis expressed frustration in Monahan’s decision not to participate Friday.

Leece has been critical that it’s taken many months just to find a meeting date for all three to attend. Leece said having Monahan leave the meeting after a few minutes is detrimental to the department.

“I’m very disappointed that Mr. Monahan is using this excuse to further delay good-faith, meet-and-confer efforts after six months of delaying meetings when the rest of us were prepared to move forward,” Leece said.

She added that even with her council term ending in a few months, the three of them “can get a lot of groundwork laid here.”

The CMPA, whose contract expired in June, has been asking for negotiations to begin since March.

“The CMPA always looks forward to working with City Hall to solve problems,” said CMPA President Rob Dimel. “We’re frustrated that some in the City Council won’t stop playing politics long enough to also become problem-solvers.”

Genis said she came Friday, despite feeling sick. She said she too was disappointed that after trying to set up a meeting for some time, it didn’t happen this week.

“I’m just wondering, what was the reason for not meeting last spring when we first got the [CMPA’s] request?” Genis said.

Monahan called Leece’s comments motivated by her campaign for the Orange County Water District, which was preceded by a failed run for Congress this June.

“What’s the point here?” Monahan said. “We’re just spinning our wheels so that Wendy Leece can get out there and say whatever she wants because she’s in a campaign. It’s all political.”

—Daily Pilot staff writer Jeremiah Dobruck also contributed to this report.