Mailbag: Why can’t City Council majority solve hardest problems?

The Costa Mesa City Council majority continues to struggle with several tough problems that affect all residents. These are the problems of the pension’s unfunded liability, police staffing and affordable housing for low- and very low-income families.

Our council majority can’t seem to make tough decisions to solve the above.

Several surrounding cities — Huntington Beach, Irvine and Laguna Hills, to name a few — have prepaid or increased payments on their pension liabilities, saving millions over the years.

Costa Mesa could have realized more savings by following suit rather than just making a lump-sum payment. Our council majority continues to say, the state needs to do something.

Why is it that it is always somebody else’s problem? Why is it always someone else is to blame?

An extended hiring freeze, and the animosity of a lawsuit against the police association by the mayor and mayor pro tem, have decimated our Police Department staffing.

The department has proceeded to hire new recruits with the necessary attendance to the academy and training once on the force. Applications and hiring of experienced officers has been very small.

Lastly, the issue of homelessness.

Kudos to the Orange County Board of Supervisors for unanimously approving a year-round shelter for homeless residents. They made a hard, moral decision to serve all the residents of the county, despite the opposition to the homeless shelter.

The Costa Mesa council majority has declined to demand that developers make 20% of the units affordable to low- and very low-income residents.

There has not been continued efforts to use the city-owned land for permanent, supportive housing. Referrals for the homeless are made to facilities outside of Costa Mesa. It would take a hard, moral decision to care for all Costa Mesa residents.

Why does it seem that the council majority can’t solve the big issues of our city? We only need to look at their apparent loyalties to developers over city residents. Hard, moral decisions for residents would require many more demands and requirements of the developers being granted variances, decreased open space requirements and numerous building permits.

During this holiday season, the developers may be thankful for the City Council majority, but the homeless are not.

Margaret Mooney

Costa Mesa