Column: Commission applicants warrant additional review; more women are needed, too

It’s been another interesting week of reader response as I continue delving into the appointment process for municipal boards and commissions.

Though this week my focus is on Newport Beach, I began looking into this subject three weeks ago, and again last week, suggesting the process in both Newport and Costa Mesa could use more applicant background scrutiny.

Looking over applications these past weeks, it seems there are more qualified people applying for these positions in both cities than there are available openings

Truth be told, these are political appointments. Only the naive would believe they’re based solely on merit.

Like it or not, politics weigh heavily in this game, and winning an appointment is largely based on how well-connected you are.

If you’re looking for fairness in politics, you’re bound to be disappointed.

As was Newporter Lynn Gosselin, who recently lost her 2017 bid for the Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission.

Gosselin called foul on what Newport Councilwoman Diane Dixon claimed in my last column.

Dixon told me that through her efforts with Women in Newport Networking, or WINN, she’d hope to get more women applying for commission and board positions.

Gosselin, who has attended a WINN event, wondered then why Dixon hadn’t voted for her or any of the female applicants for the parks commission?

But should these appointments be made with gender bias in mind?

One could argue that Dixon opened the door here, giving female applicants false hope.

Gosselin wasn’t happy that, a year earlier, David Granoff received an appointment but she couldn’t when Dixon was aiming to help women win appointments.

“Needless to say, I was appalled when City Council filled the only open position on the committee with a man with a questionable background,” Gosselin says. “I came away from the whole process completely disgusted by current city politics.”

She tells me she won’t reapply.

The “questionable background” to which she refers is an incident in 2005 involving Granoff and neighbors who hired a bulldozer to lower city sand dunes in front of their oceanfront homes in order to improve their views. Though the homeowners admitted no wrongdoing, they were required to pay $225,000 in fines and have the dunes restored.

On June 13, Newport Beach resident Jonathan Pedersen addressed the City Council, saying he was concerned that Granoff’s application made no mention of the incident involving the bulldozed dunes.

“The very first question asked, ‘Have you ever been convicted of any crime or any violation of any law or statute other than minor traffic violations?’ Mr. Granoff checked no,” according to a copy of Pedersen’s comments to the council.

Now Granoff wasn’t charged or convicted of a crime or violation, so his decision not to check the box is honest, but I would argue that there should be a place on the city applications so that issues like this can be disclosed.

About a week later, on June 20, Granoff sent an email to council members in reply to Pedersen’s statements.

“Approximately 12 years ago a group of neighbors, including myself, assumed responsibility for the leveling of sand dunes seaward of our residences,” Granoff wrote. “In discussion with the California Coastal Commission (CCC) we were informed that these and the surrounding areas were deemed Environmental Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA) and the sand and habitat in this area are fragile and environmentally important Coastal resources.

“We learned of the sensitivity and importance of this area and the dunes for the protection of various threatened and endangered bird and plant species. We worked with the CCC, their staff, and biologists to restore the dunes and plant life. The CCC acknowledged our efforts and stated, ‘The restoration that occurred here is one of the most successful we have seen enhancing some of the rarest coastal habitats on the southern California coast.’ ”

Now, had I not read the complete Coastal Commission report — and just Granoff’s email — I’d tend to believe this wasn’t any big deal.

But that’s not my takeaway after reading the report.

This was a very big deal and a blatant disregard for city policy since homeowner requests to have the dunes removed by the city were previously denied.

And this wasn’t the first time they were stopped attempting to have dunes removed.

Granted, the incident took place years ago, and Granoff has made restitution, but was he really the right choice for commissioner when there were other equally qualified applicants without bulldozer baggage?

Which brings me back to the original point in this series of columns about how applicants really need to be vetted.

You can see Granoff’s application at bit.ly/2uHnMnY and the complete CCC case document at bit.ly/2vnOG5Z.

Researching this appointment issue these past weeks, several things became clear to me:

Undoubtedly the application process has flaws.

It’s not fair, unless you’re the one chosen for the position.

And there’s plenty of room for improvement here.

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com.