Dear Mr. Editor-in-Chief,
Would you be interested in investigating the city of Costa Mesa’s desire to become “like Irvine”, aka, the model CC&R city, with regards to residential property rights (Title 20)?
Instead of following due process or city procedures already in place for repeat offenders of Title 20, the planning commission recommends restricting use of my own private property for a non-operational vehicle.
Adding more restrictions, doubling fines, adding new fines and the adage that living with rules similar to Irvine will increase our property values are the issues that drive our elected and appointed officials.
By the way, collecting these fines will bring new revenue needed to contribute to the $16 million budget shortfall for 2010-11.
I question why the council is not interested in preserving the rights my father fought for in WWII — preserving freedom, life and the pursuit of happiness without interference from government bureaucracy. This is what living in Costa Mesa has meant to us since 1964. The city even has a WWII memorial reminding us of those who fought to preserve our unalienable rights.
Instead of preserving individual property rights, our council considers its citizens as being “very tolerable” of those who do not fit in with the Irivne model.
Even with an appeal process defined, albeit biased toward the city’s priority to collect fines, the council is now considering imposing higher fines, introducing new fines and imposing more restrictions on the residents of Costa Mesa — even if it is “found to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction.”
I have first-hand experience with this issue and would appreciate your advice since this will be brought to the public at the next council meeting on Aug. 3.