City looking to fill six positions

During its meeting Tuesday night, the Costa Mesa City Council is scheduled to appoint new members for the Planning and Parks and Recreation commissions.

There are two vacancies on the Planning Commission and four for the parks commission. Twenty-one residents have submitted applications, with three applying for both boards.

Terms for the Planning Commission are four years and members receive $400 monthly. Two seats on the parks commission will expire in February 2015; the other two will end in February 2017. All parks commissioners earn $100 monthly.

FOR THE RECORD: This story has been corrected to say Councilman Steve Mensinger is on the Investment Oversight Committee, not Mayor Jim Righeimer. Also, Commissioner Kim Pederson has applied to keep his seat, not her seat.

The public will have a chance to comment Tuesday before the appointment process begins.

Applicants to the five-member Planning Commission include two incumbents: Commissioners Colin McCarthy, who serves as chairman, and Samuel Clark. Their terms expire Feb 1.

Costa Mesa Sanitary District Director Jim Fitzpatrick has also applied. Fitzpatrick, a former planning commissioner, resigned his seat in May 2012 in an effort to keep his position with the Sanitary District. His colleagues there, however, are suing him nonetheless, contending that his prior concurrent service on both boards was incompatible and that he should be removed from the Sanitary District. The state attorney general gave the district the OK in December to pursue litigation against Fitzpatrick, who has said he feels the lawsuit is more about personal grudges and his inquiries into district policies.

The Sanitary District directors are meeting in closed session at 4 p.m. Monday at the district’s headquarters, 628 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, to discuss their lawsuit against Fitzpatrick.

Daily Pilot columnist Steve Smith and former council candidates Marshall Krupp, Sue Lester and Harold Weitzberg have also applied for Planning Commission, as have Eleanor Egan, Daniel Hoffman and Jonathan Zich.

Parks Commissioner Kim Pederson, whose term expires Feb. 1, has applied to keep his seat. Former council candidate Al Melone and Mark De Antonio, Daniel Debassio III, Christopher Ganiere, Robert Graham, Roshele Snyder and Michael Thies are also applying for the five-member parks commission. Graham has served on the commission before.

Byron de Arakal, a former parks commissioner, Timothy Sesler and Devin Lucas applied for both commissions.

The council is also scheduled to consider renaming the Investment Oversight Committee to the “Finance Advisory Committee.” The group formed in 1995 to give the city treasurer oversight on the city’s portfolio and investment strategies, according to a city staff report.

In June, the committee — currently comprised of Councilman Steve Mensinger, city CEO Tom Hatch, six at-large members and two voting members — expressed a desire for its purpose to expand. It will be up to the council’s discretion for such expansion to happen.

Righeimer’s choice appointments and alternates for the boards serving the Costa Mesa Conference and Visitor Bureau, Transportation Corridor Agencies, or TCA — which deals with the county’s toll roads — and Orange County Vector Control District are also up for consideration.

Righeimer is asking for approval to have Councilman Gary Monahan for the visitors bureau and TCA. Councilman Steve Mensinger is up for a seat with the Vector Control District, which handles vectors such as insects and rodents that can spread disease or other discomfort to humans.

The City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., following a 5 p.m. closed session, at the Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @bradleyzint