Rigonomics:

I met with Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor this week over a cup of coffee, and we talked a lot about issues affecting the city and his primary race for the 68th Assembly District against Assemblyman Van Tran. Full disclosure: I consider Allan a friend, and I would support him in anything he does.

With that out of the way, let me give you a little background about the 68th Assembly District. It encompasses all of Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley, 83% of Stanton, 70% of Westminster, 65% of Garden Grove and 10% of Anaheim and Newport Beach. Costa Mesa encompasses the largest part of the district.

The district is 42% Republican, 33% Democrat and 21% decline to state; which means it is considered a safe Republican seat. Therefore, the real race will be in the GOP primary. Of course, after this week in Massachusetts, party affiliation is becoming less important.

So far, Mansoor seems to be the favorite for the Republican primary. He has only one declared opponent that, as of now, has done little if anything to win the June primary, which is five months away.

Orange County Board of Education Trustee Long Pham, who has declared his candidacy for the 68th Assembly District seat, showed nothing in his last campaign report, while Mansoor reported about $135,000 on hand. Year-end fundraising reports will be released during the first week of February, and it might be different then; but with the economy the way it is, raising money is nearly impossible.

Politically, Mansoor has been on the Costa Mesa City Council for seven years, three of those as mayor.

Pham was elected to the board of education in 2008. Part of his district is in Fountain Valley and Garden Grove.

He will have a lot to do to catch up with Mansoor in fundraising, so unless something changes pretty soon, Mansoor has effectively cleared the field for the Republican primary.

I was a bit surprised when I asked Mansoor how he was going to handle campaigning and working full time as an Orange County sheriff’s deputy. He said that he was no longer a deputy; his resignation took effect Dec 31. After spilling my coffee, I asked him why he would do such a thing.

He went through all the commitments and obligations with me that he has as mayor, as well as his position on the Orange County Transportation Authority. He came to the conclusion that he could not keep all his commitments and still run a good campaign. He later e-mailed me this statement.

“I am very grateful to the county and the Sheriff’s Department for all the opportunities that they have given to me during the last 16 years. The department has been very good to me, and I am appreciative of that. It is just time for me to take on new challenges.”

He also said he would spend the remainder of his term focusing on his duties as mayor and on the Assembly race.

However things turn out in June, I want to wish him luck on this new chapter in his life.

On another note, last month I asked Daily Pilot readers to drop me a line about any new businesses or projects that are starting up in the area. One call I received was to let me know about the opening of the Meat House at Newport Boulevard and 17th Street, behind Denny’s in the same center as Growers Direct.

The Meat House describes themselves as “Your Neighborhood Butcher.” The 3,500-square-foot store is an epicurean delight. Their selection goes from ground round to Kobe beef and everything in between. The store also carries an assortment of fine wine, cheeses and fresh breads. Walk over to Growers Direct for the vegetables, and you have a great meal for the barbecue. The store just opened, and owners Robert Hogopian and Brian Smith are already giving back to the community. They are sponsoring a hole at the Costa Mesa United’s fifth annual Mesa Verde Golf Classic, which, because of the rain this week, has been rescheduled to March 29.

Finally, I want to give a shout out and thanks to another local business owner who is always giving back to the community. Tim DeCinces, founder and manager of Beach Pit BBQ on Tustin Avenue at 17th Street, gave all the store’s proceeds from meal sales Thursday to Peace Relief, a local organization leaving this week on a humanitarian mission to Haiti. DeCinces was inspired by his 9-year-old daughter, Delaney, who raised $97 from a bake sale for relief efforts in Haiti. DeCinces expected to raise $18,000 at his three locations. We’re blessed to have these businesses in the community that are always giving back.

JIM RIGHEIMER is a Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner, local business owner and a father of four. He can be reached at jim@rigonomics.com.