A council meeting to remember

Happens all the time. People ask me, “Do you miss the city

council? Do you miss being mayor?” “Not really,” I answer. But now

and then, I really do.

Last week’s council meeting was one of those times. Most council

meetings are dry, lifeless affairs, downright dull at times. But

every once in a while, when the moon is full and the planets align

just so, a meeting comes along that is worth far more than the price

of admission. Last week’s meeting was one of them.

If it were a movie, you could call it “When Protests Collide.” But

the opening scene wasn’t last week. It all began on July 4, just

outside Niketown, beneath the Great Dome in the triangular square.

On that fourth day of July, sometimes referred to as Independence

Day, most of us were doing festive things involving large quantities

of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, barbecue sauce, sunscreen,

chips, salsa and a few fireworks, legal of course. But a group of

protesters assembled beneath the great Niketown dome to let the world

know they were mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

Do they not like the dome? Do they hate sports? Do they not want

to just do it? None of the above. It was the low wages for foreign

workers issue. The big American company has things made in distant

lands where workers are paid a paltry sum by United States standards,

et cetera.

There is rarely any mention that in most of the countries in

question, an unemployment rate of 50% is considered an economic

recovery and those wages are more than most people will ever, ever

make -- but that’s a story for another day.

Most of the protesters were self-described anarchists. When

anarchists express their discontent with something, it is usually

quite spirited. Refer to your notes on the demonstrations last year

against globalization, the World Bank and the International Monetary

Fund in Seattle, Wash. and Genoa, Italy. Yikes.

One of the protesters was a man named Naui Huitzilopochtli. Never,

ever again will I complain about having to constantly spell my last

name for people. If Naui can deal with Huitzilopochtli, then I can

darn sure manage Buffa without whining.

I suspect Huitzilopochtli is not Naui’s given name, since

Huitzilopochtli was the Aztec god of the sun and war. Not a lot of

people are named after Aztec gods, but hold that thought. You’ll need

it later.

At Niketown, the protestations became unpleasant and harsh to the

ears when three young men expressed opinions in opposition to the

protesters. Who should be arrested by Costa Mesa’s finest, but Mr.

Huitzilopochtli -- booked on suspicion of assault and battery for

allegedly throwing red paint at one of the men. These are allegations

Huitzilopochtli denies.

But now things become, to quote Alice, “curiouser and curiouser.”

The fact that Huitzilopochtli is there at all, beneath the dome, has

nothing at all to do with where the Nike swoosh is being stitched and

how much the swoosh stitchers are being paid. According to

Huitzilopochtli, his only connection with the anti-swooshers is a

spontaneous show of solidarity. He was there not to denounce the

swoosh, but to pass out fliers for an upcoming and totally unrelated

protest -- a protest against school mascots, to be precise.

You see? Now being named after an Aztec god begins to make sense.

As you know, school mascots and nicknames referring to ethnic

minorities are politically incorrect. A nickname like the “Mighty

Chieftains” clearly implies that members of a certain group are

“mighty” and “chieftains,” which as any fool can see, is demeaning.

So there they were -- the anarchists, Naui and the three men --

gathered beneath the dome, with too many opinions in too small a

space. There was a lot of venting going on, which spilled over to

last week’s Costa Mesa City Council meeting, for which the

anti-swooshers turned out in force.

They said that not only should Huitzilopochtli not have been

arrested for paint-tossing, but that the three men hurtful remarks at

them and kicked their signs. The trio, however, deny that and say

that it was the anarchists who were behaving badly, including trying

to paint them red, which made them angry enough to make a citizens

arrest of Huitzilopochtli.

As if the meeting wasn’t curious enough, when the anarchists were

done expressing their discontent, representatives of the Orange

County Gay and Lesbian Alliance stepped to the microphone and

explained they are in the midst of planning the “Orange County Dike

March.”

Yes, that’s what it’s called and, no, I didn’t make it up. It’s

their name, not mine, so there. The alliance respectfully asked that

a section of Newport Boulevard be closed for this year’s Orange

County Dike March.

The request was duly considered and denied, and the meeting slowly

returned to the world of open space variances and change orders.

Every once in a while you just have to see this stuff for yourself.

And it’s at those moments that I miss it so. I gotta go.

* PETER BUFFA is a former Costa Mesa mayor. His column runs

Sundays. He may be reached via e-mail at [email protected].