Election 2016: Costa Mesa City Council

Seven candidates are running for three available seats on the Costa Mesa City Council in the Nov.8 election. They are, in the order they appear on the ballot:

John Stephens

Age: 53

Professional occupation: Attorney and business owner

Education: B.S. in business administration, marketing major at Cal Poly Pomona, 1986, magna cum laude; J.D. from UC Davis Law School, 1989, Order of the Coif [top 10%], Law Review, Trial Practice Honors Board

Time lived in Costa Mesa: 27 years, Mesa Verde resident

Public service experience: Coached Little League, softball, basketball and volunteered at Costa Mesa High School. Served on Costa Mesa Pension Oversight Committee in 2013-14. Member of the Orange County Bar Association and serves on the Judiciary Committee that evaluates candidates for appointment as judges. Served on the board of Costa Mesans for Responsible Government.

Immediate family members: Wife Amy, four children

What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?

1. Return balanced leadership to the City Council and work tirelessly to fix our town. I will be a thoughtful voice for our residents and businesses and will stand up for the citizens of Costa Mesa, not out-of-town developers.

2. Restore our Police Department staffing to reasonable levels so we can deal with the rise in crime, rehab homes and homelessness in our city.

3. Keep Fairview Park natural and improve our parks.

Lee Ramos

Age: 73

Professional occupation: Retired

Education: Declined to answer

Time lived in Costa Mesa: Since 1947, Eastside resident

Public service experience: Served on the Fairview Park Advisory Committee and City Charter Committee; currently on the Pension Oversight Committee. Involved with the Self Help Interfaith Program, helping homeless people re-establish themselves in communities.

Immediate family members: Declined to answer

What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?

1. My first concern is the long-term financial health of our city, as all else follows that. Cities that are on strong financial footing are in the best position to serve their residents in every way, including public safety and quality of life.

2. I support the continued expansion of our police force and respect the excellent public safety leadership we have in Costa Mesa.

3. Bring solidarity to Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa is very diverse in many ways, and that includes political attitudes and opinions. For too long we have focused on our differences and not what we have in common.

Jay Humphrey

Age: 69

Professional occupation: Retired; previously was director of distribution for Sigma Tau Pharmaceuticals

Education: BA in literature

Time lived in Costa Mesa: 37 years, Mesa Verde resident

Public service experience: City Council, 1990-94; vice mayor, 1992-94; Costa Mesa Senior Center board of directors, 1992-96; Handicap Access Appeals Board, 1992-98

Immediate family members: Wife Sally, two married children, three grandchildren

What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?

1. Bring our fire and police departments back to appropriate staffing levels with the training and equipment necessary to keep them fully capable of providing the best safety possible for our community.

2. Assure our council is open, responsible and accountable to the people of Costa Mesa and that all residents are heard and treated with dignity and respect. Assure that decisions are driven by the best interests of Costa Mesa and not some ideology or outside special interest.

3. Control excessive development and expand our open space, parks and quality of life, as well as being fiscally prudent in all future decisions.

Sandy Genis

Age: 63

Professional occupation: Land planner

Education: BS, Stanford University

Time lived in Costa Mesa: 50-plus years, Mesa Verde resident

Public service experience: Costa Mesa City Council; Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council [past]; currently on SCAG Committee on Energy and the Economy, Southern California Committee on Air Quality and the Economy, Orange County Vector Control, Orange County Animal Care Community Outreach Committee, Orange County Fairgrounds Preservation Society; Orange County Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks; Bolsa Chica Land Trust; Stop Polluting Our Newport; Mesa Verde Homeowners Assn.

Immediate family members: Sister

What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?

1. Improve public safety, including bringing the police and fire departments up to full staffing, enabling us to re-establish special units such as gang and narcotics units and increase crime prevention and community policing. This includes making sure our public safety personnel have the equipment they need to do the job.

2. Sensible land planning that is consistent with the ability of roads and infrastructure to handle the growth, avoids impacts on existing neighborhoods and is compatible with the surrounding area.

3. Re-prioritize spending to address real needs, like replacement of a dilapidated fire station, and to provide for the long-term financial security of the city by rebuilding reserves and addressing debt before we spend on luxuries like $1 million to remodel a conference room or $1,000 a foot to redo an existing bike trail.

Steve Mensinger

Age: 54

Professional occupation: President, Mesa Management

Education: USC alumnus

Time lived in Costa Mesa: 30-plus years, Mesa Verde resident

Public service experience: Costa Mesa City Council, South Coast Apartment Assn., Costa Mesa United, Orange County Vector Control, South Coast Metro Alliance, Girls Inc., Boy Scouts of America, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council, Costa Mesa Pop Warner, Estancia Sports Boosters Club

Immediate family members: Wife, two sons

What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?

1. Fiscal discipline: Balance the budget, pay down unfunded liabilities and reduce government size and scope. Save for capital projects such as libraries, parks and the senior center.

2. Safety: Police and fire are priorities; eliminate problem motels.

3. Infrastructure: Improve roads and reduce traffic.

Al Melone

Age: 70

Professional occupation: Retired certified public accountant

Education: MBA, finance

Time lived in Costa Mesa: 12 years, State Streets resident

Public service experience: Costa Mesa Pension Oversight Committee

Immediate family members: Shane and Cheyenne [dogs]

What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?

1. Convince group home operators, using any and all means possible, that they are not welcome in tiny Costa Mesa when their presence here constitutes 25% of such establishments in Orange County.

2. Put the brakes on the proliferation of high-density housing projects in Costa Mesa. Our city is built out; we don’t need to accelerate growth in population, leading to increased big-city traffic, noise, parking problems and pressure on infrastructure.

3. Initiate a nationwide search to recruit a fiscally conservative city manager who possesses the skill set needed to convince spendthrift politicians that saving money for a rainy day is both challenging and necessary for our beloved city.

Allan Mansoor

Age: 52

Professional occupation: Retired deputy sheriff

Education: AA degree

Time lived in Costa Mesa: Most of my life; lives near South Coast Plaza

Public service experience: Costa Mesa City Council, 2002-10; four years in the state Legislature

Immediate family members: Wife Janniffer, two children

What are three things you hope to achieve if elected?

1. Reduce crime by revitalizing obsolete motels and blighted properties. By repurposing obsolete motels, parolees, prostitutes and sex offenders will seek to live elsewhere.

2. Support our [police] chief and officers, making sure they have the resources to do their job.

3. Continue the increased street repair and landscaped median improvements.

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Twitter: @LukeMMoney