EDITORIAL

Costa Mesa Councilman Gary Monahan, though dismissed by his peers at

Monday’s City Council meeting, brought up a point that should have been

better received or at least given more consideration.

Monahan, who has no use for too much government, suggested that the

Planning Commission often uses too much of staff’s time on possible

ordinances that may never garner council approval. In the latest

instance, the commission requested that staff look into a law that would

govern second-story homes and their effect on residents’ views.

Certainly, there will be times when city staff members are sent on

assignments that turn out to be wild goose chases. It comes with the

territory, and the commission is not solely responsible for running up

staff time with work. (The public sector, also, is not alone in wasting

employees’ time.)

But during a week that the City Council had to trim $1 million from

the city budget, it behooves city leaders to ensure they are not driving

up costs, or wasting city workers’ time, unnecessarily. Monahan was right

to point out this concern.

One easy way to reduce the amount of wasted time would be for the

council to arrange a study session with both the Planning Commission and

the Parks, Recreation Facilities and Parkways Commission, possibly on a

quarterly basis. That way, council members could ensure that their

advisory commissioners are working on worthwhile efforts that won’t waste

staff’s time.

While we’re not pointing fingers at anyone, we do want everyone to use

taxpayers’ money efficiently by landing on the same page and working

toward the same goals.

One example of not-so-efficient use of staff time occurred earlier

this month, at the council’s June 3 meeting, when the council voted

against the Police Department’s recommendation to regulate cyber cafes

more closely. The department had spent considerable time on the notion

and the council had a different opinion. That, too, could have been

prevented.

It is all about communication, and the council and commissions need to

work on it. Just don’t have staff spend too much time getting the meeting

together.