Venezia: Graffiti doesn’t dampen campaign-kickoff enthusiasm

He’s not exactly sure when the incident happened, but Costa Mesa Councilman Gary Monahan recently posted a photo of the graffiti-tagged window at his restaurant Skosh Monahan’s on Facebook with a message saying, “Just got tagged … dirtbags.”

According to Monahan, it’s not the first time his restaurant has been targeted by taggers.

“It’s the first time on our patio window,” he said.

Monahan first noticed the graffiti Tuesday night. It didn’t look like spray paint, he said, but scribbling done with a felt pen or magic marker.

Though he can’t quite make out the words — if they are words — he said he’s “sure it means something in the gang world.”

Monahan said tagging issues continue to plague businesses along Newport Boulevard, where Skosh Monahan’s is located.

I had to ask the obvious question: Does he think there should be more police on the streets of Costa Mesa?

Cuts in the Costa Mesa Police Department since 2011 have certainly been a topic of controversy and contention not only within the department, but with residents as well.

Could the councilman’s actions regarding those cuts now be coming back to bite him?

Monahan chuckled and said the city is hiring more cops, and he doesn’t think staffing levels are at the heart of this tagging issue.

Are property crimes up in Costa Mesa?

I called the Police Department and was told the only person who could comment on crime statistics was out for the week.

Monahan told me he doesn’t believe incidents of property crime in the city have increased in recent months.

I imagine some folks won’t agree with him, but he said the real problem continues to be non-violent criminals released by the state. This realignment program was put in place to reduce prison overcrowding.

“One of the problems we have is all the parolees out of the prisons, so we definitely had an uptick of drug use,” Monahan said.

He also believes the crime problems along Newport are directly related to the motels there and the “under-the-radar group homes” housing these folks.

I asked Monahan if he filed a police report about the tagging incident. He said no, he just plans on cleaning the window.

So if it was not a big enough deal to call the cops, why post it on Facebook?

To bring awareness to the problems faced by business owners along Newport Boulevard, he told me.

As expected, Monahan’s Facebook friends weighed in with comments. The majority expressed anger at the tagging.

Costa Mesa Mayor Steve Mensinger posted “Break fingers?”

Monahan was in good spirits when we spoke, and seemed to take this whole thing with a grain of salt. He was looking forward to hosting a campaign kickoff party for Lee Ramos at his restaurant from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 21.

Yes, Ramos is back. His unsuccessful run for Costa Mesa City Council in 2014 hasn’t discouraged him.

And Monahan said he will help Ramos all the way to a win.

Ramos, who’s now a GOP state delegate, said he’s fired up and ready for a second run at a council seat.

“I started out at zero the last time and I was going uphill the whole time,” he said. “This time it will be my race.”.

Ramos told me he likes walking precincts and meeting residents. Since last year’s election, he’s continued to walk three days a week around the city. He estimates he’s done about 100 miles a month.

If an issue comes up at a council or Planning Commission meeting that deals with a certain area, that’s where he’ll walk and talk to folks.

“It’s fun, and I’m having a great time,” he said.

Like Ramos, Monahan didn’t win his first bid for council. The second time around could be the ticket for Ramos, and he wants to start early.

Monahan said he’s ready to leave council for good this time — he’ll be termed out in 2016 — and would like to see Ramos replace him.

But Monahan has been termed out before. On those occasions, he has waited a bit and then run again for office.

“I’m not going to run again, and if I do, I’ll buy you dinner for 20,” he joked with me.

Monahan has served on the Costa Mesa council for 20 of the last 22 years. And though he doesn’t rule out running for “something,” he said he’s done with this chapter.

Ramos, on the other hand, hopes to begin his.

Monahan said he’ll work closely with Ramos on the campaign.

So could campaign consultant be Monahan’s next gig after he retires from the council?

He certainly knows the ins and outs of the game, and could give other notable consultants a bit of friendly competition.

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at [email protected].