Between 2 candidates and a hard place

Lolita Harper

Rick Brown for City Council is a phrase you will never hear.

The city’s building department head has no interest in running for

political office and is perfectly content to master his daily

responsibilities regarding the safety and code enforcement of private

structures in Costa Mesa.

But recently he found himself in the middle of a political war in

which two city leaders, both looking to eradicate substandard housing

in city rental units, turned to Brown for ammunition that would

bolster their particular idea.

Councilman Gary Monahan, who is up for reelection, and Planning

Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley, who is fighting for a seat on

the council dais, both developed a plan to help rid the city of

inferior housing. Both have met with Brown for input. And both tout

their solution as the best.

Monahan, with all the advantages of incumbency, was able to get

his idea on the agenda and receive unanimous approval from the

council on Sept. 19 -- before Foley was even able to unveil her

clear-cut vision of the Planning Commission’s version.

Monahan crafted and passed his housing proposal in a total of two

weeks, whereas Foley and the commission have been working on it for

more than a year as part of their community objectives that Foley

fought to institute at the Planning Commission level.

The councilman said he simply approached Brown, who is charged

with inspecting private buildings, and asked him what would work. The

answer, according to Monahan, was a simple tweak in a city ordinance

that redirected the priorities of code enforcement officers to target

substandard rental housing, which is exactly what the council passed.

CAMPAIGN TIMING

Monahan’s action came immediately after a conference on the

subject with various community activists. It also was perfectly timed

during the peak of the campaign season, at a time when Foley was

touting her community housing program as a key election item.

“Why would you need another program when this is what the experts

say will work?” Monahan asked.

Brown, who is not anxious to receive acclaim for Monahan’s

proposal, said he simply gave “honest, accurate information” and let

the councilman decide if that would adequately accomplish his goal.

City staffers -- who report to the city manager, who reports directly

to the council -- have no interest in trying to hire their future

bosses, he said. They remain neutral and work through campaign

season, just as if it were any other time of the year.

“We remain neutral on the policies and let the politics play

themselves out at the appropriate levels,” Brown said.

While council members had not been briefed on the commission’s

proposal, they voted to approve the Planning Commission’s goal to

aggressively battle substandard housing and knew of their work in

that area.

The Planning Commission’s program, which is a work in progress is

more comprehensive than Monahan’s and would require new enforcement

officers to police it.

Foley said Monahan’s proposal may serve as a good starting point,

but she thinks the complex city problem needs a more in-depth answer.

She hopes to gain council support when the commission’s version is

considered.

FINISHING TOUCHES

In the interim, the immediate implementation of Monahan’s program

could serve as a pilot program for the more complete version yet to

come, she said.

Mayor Linda Dixon, who asked about the differences between

Monahan’s and the commission’s housing proposals before she cast her

vote, said she didn’t believe it was a case of supporting one or the

other.

She tended to agree with Foley, saying Monahan’s idea served as a

“beginning action.” She called it a positive, first step forward for

the community.

“There is definitely room for both,” Dixon said.

Planning Commissioner Bruce Garlich agreed.

“We are not at odds here,” Garlich said. “These proposals fit

together well.”

He said the commission was looking long term and hoped to present

thorough data that would provide the council with the best

alternatives available. Planning commissioners took their time

delving into the substandard housing issue and get all the ground

work done to hand over a complete program that council members could

get behind, he said.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

While Brown did not lead the research for the commission’s

proposal, he was an integral part, as all the implementation would

fall to his department. The commission asked him what was needed to

make the program work and he answered their questions, he said. Brown

was never in a position to interject opinions or offer

recommendations about the program.

“I can give professional input, provided that someone in authority

is going to listen,” Brown said. “I am expected to respond thoroughly

to council or commission members’ requests.”

In other words, officials don’t ask Brown if they should implement

a program; they merely ask him how they can.

Brown said it was not his place to give his personal opinion about

which program he thought would be better suited for the city.

The ultimate objectives of each proposal are not exact, but they

are very similar and that is to “get out there and make sure that we

don’t have people living in substandard housing units,” Brown said.

He will gladly combat the problem in whatever way city leaders

direct him to. Although he is not an elected official, Brown has been

around enough to learn how to give a politically correct comment.

“They have their job to do and their agendas, and we are all

working with them on those toward a common goal for the residents,”

Brown said. “We give the most reliable, expert input and then look to

our elected officials to make the final determination.”

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.