Community Commentary -- Russell Niewiarowski

Regarding (“City seeks to annex island,” April 3): The Costa Mesa

Council violated policy during its annexation hearings on April 2 when it

made an exception to allow former Mayor Bob Wilson to make a 15-minute

presentation during public comment. Some council members supported

breaking the policy in order to give Wilson the opportunity to sway the

opinion of the unincorporated residents up for annexation. Wilson was

unsuccessful.

As Councilman Gary Monahan stated several times within the hearings,

the residents of Santa Ana Heights are solidified in their protest

against annexation by Costa Mesa and the city should not further waste

time and money pursuing a lost cause. The residents of Santa Ana Heights

have not nor will they support annexation by Costa Mesa.

Councilwoman Karen Robinson stood behind the premise that the

so-called “Gentleman’s Agreement,” which determined the current sphere of

influence, should stand, yet voted to release two residential areas

within her sphere, honoring the applications filed by those residents

with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to change the sphere

to detach from Costa Mesa.

Robinson was not so generous with the residents of Santa Ana Heights,

the first entity to file and pay for an application of a sphere of

influence adjustment with the formation commission. Robinson used the

excuse that she was “new to the council, and was not there,” referring to

prior council annexation hearings. Robinson, along with the entire

current council, “was not there” when the gentleman’s agreement to draw

the sphere of influence was agreed upon either.

The fact remains, there is no documented evidence to support the

existence of the current sphere of influence that threatens to divide the

Santa Ana Heights community. The formation commission could not and has

not furnished any such proof. Even Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder

stated publicly that he “could not find any documentation,” nor could the

city of Newport Beach. As stated by Bob Wilson, “the gentleman’s

agreement was made long ago between the councils of Costa Mesa and

Newport Beach and the directors of LAFCO.”

The residents were never part of this so-called agreement and now the

Costa Mesa City Council, once again, wishes to exclude the residents from

the discussions of the sphere adjustment. Certain members of the Costa

Mesa City Council pride themselves on their interest to improve the

community and to listen to the voice of the community.

They have not, nor are they listening to the voice of Santa Ana

Heights. Santa Ana Heights does not “belong” to Costa Mesa as Mayor Libby

Cowan and others suggest. We have always been unincorporated and would

prefer to remain as such rather than be incorporated into Costa Mesa.

As unincorporated residents, we are better off. We have adequate

municipal services, redevelopment funds, master plans, community groups

and associations, better maintained roads, no gangs or slums and a lower

crime rate than Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has stated that “annexing Santa

Ana Heights would be a liability to the city.”

I believe the opposite, that being annexed by Costa Mesa would be a

liability to Santa Ana Heights. If we were to be annexed, we would want a

“step up,” not a step down.

*RUSSELL NIEWIAROWSKI is the executive director of the Heights

Association Group.