Shake-up coming to Costa Mesa

Somewhere out there in Costa Mesa, the next City Council member is

reading this (I hope).

We just don’t know who it is.

The news this past week that Mayor Karen Robinson finally got her

long hoped for judicial seat has added a political twist to a Costa

Mesa City Hall that already was shaking and shimmying enough to test

the building’s earthquake retrofit.

Three twists, really.

The first is just how Robinson will be replaced on the council.

Early indicators seem to be that the council will appoint her

replacement, in part because holding a special election is just too

costly and time-consuming.

Of course, depending on the interest, the appointment process

might not be quick and easy, either.

Just more than a year ago, when former Huntington Beach Councilman

Dave Garofalo was forced to resign after pleading guilty to conflict

of interest charges, 36 hopefuls applied for the spot. Of course,

Huntington Beach is known for having massive political fields for a

few council (and school board) seats, so that huge number wasn’t

surprising.

But it also suggests that the remaining four Costa Mesa City

Council members -- Libby Cowan, Allan Mansoor, Gary Monahan and Chris

Steel -- might not have the smooth ride they think.

The second twist is, if the council chooses to appoint, just whom

they might pick.

Most of the names floating around are not too surprising:

* Former Councilwoman Heather Somers, who narrowly lost

reelection to Robinson in 2000.

* Planning Commissioner Katrina Foley, who ran for a seat in the

fall.

* Former Mayor Linda Dixon, who lost her reelection bid in the

fall.

* Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins, who has run for the council

twice and has close ties to Monahan.

* Planning Commissioner Joel Faris, whose name I hear the most,

but always in the form of the “dark horse.” Faris, who was just

appointed to the commission this year by Mansoor, said at the time he

had no plans to run for the council again (he ran in 2000).

Listing their names does not mean they are necessarily interested,

but at least a few are actively lobbying for Robinson’s spot.

One name to cross off the list is new Parks and Recreation

Commission member Byron de Arakal, a former Daily Pilot columnist.

“No interest,” he told me.

The key will be getting the necessary third vote. Perkins and

Foley could likely get two (Monahan and Mansoor for Perkins, Steel

and Cowan for Foley) but would face a tough climb for the decisive

third.

Faris, it seems, could get Mansoor and Steel’s backing, which

would leave it up to Monahan to decide Faris’ fate.

The trouble, depending on your point of view, with the five names

above is that all would have to do a lot of politicking before

getting into office. And then even more after, especially next year

when the seat is up for grabs and that person could run as an

incumbent.

Former Mayor Peter Buffa, who said “I would guess they would

appoint,” suggested that a nonpolitical pick -- in other words,

someone who would promise not to run for the seat in 2002 -- would

take the politics out of the equation.

(Of course, in each of the last two elections in Costa Mesa, one

of the incumbents -- Somers and Dixon -- did not get reelection, so

incumbency may not be the winning spot it usually is).

That is what the Huntington Beach council ended up doing when it

appointed a former mayor, Grace Winchell.

The third twist is who the council names to replace Robinson as

mayor.

Steel, as mayor pro tem, is technically in line for the position,

but he may not get it. The meetings he has run have been a bit

chaotic, plus he’s simply still learning the council ropes.

Moving him aside leaves Cowan and Monahan, both of who have been

mayor in the past.

The question may end up being, will either of them want to be

again?

* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He can be reached at (949)

574-4233 or by e-mail at s.j.cahn@latimes.com.