Amusing & Instructive Mansoor Videos, August 2010 edition

This first one is from August 10’s meeting of the “Orange County Fairgrounds Authority” – the same folks as the Costa Mesa City Council, but “wearing different hats.”  Councilwoman Katrina Foley had just given a report from Sacramento, on the status of the legislation which is needed to consummate Costa Mesa’s deal with Facilities Management West to purchase the Orange County Fairgrounds.  Her presentation ended with the observation, “And finally as we’ve all read in the papers, the Latino Caucus has some concerns with some actions that have taken place here [in the Costa Mesa City Council.]”

This was a discreet reference to Mayor Mansoor’s declaration that Costa Mesa is a “Rule of Law City” – which is evidently the opposite of a Sanctuary City.  It is a meaningless declaration with no policy effects, and as Allan puts it, merely “sets the tone” against illegal immigration.  But most Latinos, including Sacramento’s Latino caucus, quite understandably interpret it as an offensive anti-Latino gesture.

Mayor Mansoor can’t accept that his actions would have any negative effect on the Fairgrounds deal, so he interrupts Katrina, and blurts out his own interpretation of what REALLY might be going on behind the scenes, simultaneously belittling the Latino Caucus’ concerns as insincere while bashing his SECOND favorite target, labor.  This should really help in getting the 2/3 up in Sacramento Allan’s pals need:

This next clip is from August 17’s council meeting, the same meeting where he earlier pandered clumsily to South Vietnamese veterans. The final item on the agenda was, to quote Potstirrer, “a fee waiver for a new soccer group in town that would provide organized soccer for Westside Costa Mesa kids. So called ‘Group 1 Users’ traditionally have the fees waived because they provide recreation activities for a high percentage of Costa Mesa kids. This program would use school fields at three schools deep in the heart of the Westside” of Costa Mesa, a majority-Latino area.

Allan, after citing vague “concerns” that he can’t name – something he’s been doing a LOT lately – calls for a vote, and then refuses to vote himself.  It’s a pretty funny scene – in his eighth year on Council and second term as Mayor, he has to be instructed by Councilwoman Foley and City Attorney Barlow that he is required to vote unless he has a conflict.  He still refuses to vote, without giving the slightest reason why.

The only reason most of us can think of that would paralyze him like this is that he doesn’t want to look like too big of a prick voting against kids’ sports right before an election, but neither can he bring himself to alienate his racist base by doing anything to help Westside kids, most of whom are Latinos and many of whom are probably undocumented. Eventually the Council is forced to go into closed session due to his intrasigence…

What happened afterwards is the Council came back WITHOUT Allan – who had left the meeting for good in a fit of pique.  The council went on to approve the fee waiver 3-1, Monahan having had a change of heart, and only Eric Bever – an equal-opportunity Scrooge who preferred to take away fee waivers from ALL kids in the city – voting no.

Do we want this big baby, this big Latino-hating, labor-bashing baby, to represent us up in Sacramento, where he is going to be utterly despised and isolated?

Good question.  The answer’s NO.  Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and Westminster will be infinitely better served and represented by the historic Vietnamese Democrat Phu Nguyen, who will NOT bugger off in a huff because of unnameable “concerns.”

About Vern Nelson

Greatest pianist/composer in Orange County, and official political troubadour of Anaheim and most other OC towns. Regularly makes solo performances, sometimes with his savage-jazz band The Vern Nelson Problem. Reach at vernpnelson@gmail.com, or 714-235-VERN.