THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:Mayor ‘fired,’ so colleague fires back

Costa Mesa City Councilman Gary Monahan struck back Tuesday after a local business owner “fired” Mayor Allan Mansoor from his city post.

Tim Lewis, who owns Red E Rentals on Harbor Boulevard, told the council in May he would no longer rent tools and equipment to the city because he disagrees with some of the council’s recent political decisions. On Tuesday, he criticized Mansoor, saying: “I hereby terminate you as my mayor, effective immediately.”

After confirming that Lewis still won’t do business with Costa Mesa, Monahan informed him: “My contractors from my business and my home, we’ve decided to boycott your business also — tit for tat.”

Lewis seemed unconcerned, commenting that he’d recently received a certificate for a free dinner at Monahan’s restaurant but wasn’t inclined to use it.

POLITICAL CLEANING SCRUBBED

Perhaps thinking it won’t all come out in the wash, a newly formed citizens’ group in Newport Beach has abandoned plans for an event to encourage clean City Council campaigns.

An e-mail making the rounds said the embryonic group, Citizens Against Dirty Politics, planned a “soap rally” Tuesday at City Hall, where council candidates would be asked to sign an ethics pledge.

But Jean Watt, who was helping plan the event, said this week the rally was canceled so the idea could be better developed. As it turns out, the city already gives candidates an ethics code to sign, Watt said, but it doesn’t cover some of the controversial tactics used in Newport campaigns.

Most recently, District 4 candidate Barbara Venezia cited dirty politics as her reason for quitting the race against Councilwoman Leslie Daigle. Several complaints in recent years have revolved around successful but controversial consultant Dave Ellis, about whom former Mayor Steve Bromberg once said: “I hired Dave Ellis because I wanted him on my side, not against me.”

Watt said those incidents illustrate why Newport campaigns need a good scrubbing, but Citizens Against Dirty Politics isn’t quite ready.

“We may do it some other time,” she said.

EARLY VOTING

If you can’t wait until Nov. 7 and you don’t want to vote absentee, early voting will be offered from Friday through Oct. 29 at six city halls and five other locations in Orange County.

Newport-Mesa area locations are as follows:

For a complete list of locations, go to www.ocvote.com.

Which spot does ‘X’ mark?

Hoping to combat confusion about Measure X, the Bayside Village chapter of the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League is planning to get out information about the Newport Beach ballot issue with a panel discussion today.

While most people “know they either like it or don’t,” league member Jean Stirling-Stevens said, not everyone has the details on Measure X, which would expand the voter controls Newport Beach already has on development in the city.

Greenlight residents group leaders Phil Arst and Phil Drachman and four City Council candidates who are supporting the measure will be on hand to explain it to voters. The Measure X discussion will be held at 7 p.m. in the south clubhouse at Bayside Village mobile-home park, 300 East Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

DEMOCRATS MOVE TO SQUELCH VOTER INTIMIDATION

And in other political combat news, Orange County Democrats want to squelch voter intimidation with a special training session Saturday for candidates, attorneys and anyone else interested. The training was scheduled after some Latino voters in Orange County received a letter in Spanish, warning them that voting could get them deported if they’re not legal residents of the U.S.

It’s not clear who sent the letter. News reports said it was on letterhead similar to that of the Huntington Beach-based California Coalition for Immigration Reform, but the group’s leader denied any involvement.

In a statement sent Tuesday, Orange County Democratic Party leaders said they expect further efforts to suppress voter turnout Nov. 7.

The training will be offered from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the party headquarters, 200 N. Main St., Santa Ana. For information or to attend, call Susan Freeze at (714) 835-2122.

SCHOOL BOARD, COUNCIL DEBATES

The Orange County Congregation Community Organization and several local churches will host a forum for Costa Mesa council candidates today from 7 to 9 p.m. at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, 2850 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa.

Newport-Mesa Unified school board candidates will slug it out on the issues tonight at a forum from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa.

FORMER MAYOR HAS SPECIAL DISTRICTS IN MIND

Costa Mesa resident and former Mayor Arlene Schafer, who is president of the Orange County Sanitation District board, was recently elected secretary of the California Special Districts Assn. The association represents independent special districts such as the water, fire, parks and sanitary district.

Schafer has been on the association board since 2000 and represents a region that includes Orange, Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties.