Council to decide committee’s fate

Alicia Robinson

The committee that wrote a plan to improve Costa Mesa’s Westside,

which for some residents has stretched into two or three years of

work, could officially be put to bed today.

The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, is set to

vote this afternoon on whether to dissolve the Westside

Revitalization Oversight Committee. After working since mid-2003, the

committee in January gave a report suggesting ways to encourage

residential development and overall upgrades on the Westside.

Over the last three decades, efforts to make over the Westside

faltered because of a lack of consensus among industrial businesses

and residents.

The current committee’s strength was in bringing everyone to the

table. Now that the group has reported its recommendations, some

committee members said it’s time to disband.

Committee members have made their recommendations and their

opinions known, so ending the committee “seems like a logical step to

me,” committee Chairman Ralph Ronquillo said. He added that some

members are now into their second or third year of work with the

group.

But others think the committee hasn’t outlived its usefulness.

Though the council approved a conceptual plan for the future of

the Westside, there’s still more work to be done and the committee

could have been a valuable resource, said committee member Bill

Turpit.

The group would be helpful in fleshing out some of the specific

proposals in the Westside plan, Councilwoman Katrina Foley said.

“If we don’t have the people who are interested parties involved

in the changes, then we’re just going to be in a big battle and

nothing is going to get done,” she said.

Mayor Allan Mansoor said the committee did its job well, but now

it’s up to the council to follow through.

“The committee made some very good recommendations, and we can

pull that report up any time and bring any of the remaining

recommendations forward,” he said.

The Westside improvement plan the City Council adopted, however,

ruffled some feathers because it added more residential zoning,

leaving some industrial business owners feeling like they’re no

longer wanted.

Mike Harrison, a committee member who also owns a business on the

Westside, said critics of the approved plan -- put forward by

Councilman Eric Bever -- won’t go away just because the committee

dissolves.

“Those of us who are concerned about the direction they seem to

want to move will continue to be vocal in expressing our concerns,”

Harrison said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at alicia.robinson

@latimes.com.