THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has been vociferously criticizing President Bush for not pardoning two border patrol agents convicted of shooting Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, an admitted drug smuggler, in 2005 near the Texas-Mexico border.

Bush pardoned 14 people and commuted the sentences of two others Monday, but did not pardon Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, who are serving sentences of 12 and 11 years in prison, respectively.

By allowing the men to serve prison time for firing at Davila, the administration is sending a message to all border patrol agents that they should not use their guns, even when they’re justified in doing so, according to Rohrabacher spokeswoman Tara Setmayer.

Ramos and Compean contended that they were shooting at Davila out of self-defense, and Rohrabacher thinks they were in the right, Setmayer said.

The agents were convicted of shooting an unarmed man and lying about it.

Since the very beginning of the men’s cases Rohrabacher and Setmayer have been staunch advocates for them, appearing on television and at rallies throughout the district.

“The fact that the president has neglected to free these men from their imprisonment while freeing drug dealers, embezzlers and other criminals is insulting to the American people who have been begging and pleading for the president to release the agents whose prosecution was unjust from the beginning,” Rohrabacher said in a written statement.

NEW COUNCIL WILL FACE EARLY CHALLENGES

Former Mayor Gary Monahan will return to the Costa Mesa City Council Tuesday after a two-year hiatus, and the first order of business will be electing a mayor.

Monahan was the top vote-getter in the recent election and has already attended a council study session, but he will be officially sworn in at the upcoming council meeting along with Councilwoman Katrina Foley and Mayor Eric Bever who were the second- and third-place finishers.

The new council will be saddled with big challenges early because of the grim economic outlook.

Ever-diminishing sales tax revenue estimates and other financial blows already caused the city to delay millions of dollars of construction and renovation projects and forgo filling vacant staff positions.

In addition, if local businesses don’t have a good holiday season, more cuts will likely be necessary, according to Finance Director Marc Puckett.

Monahan and Mayor Pro Tem Allan Mansoor have even asked for information on salaries and benefits of city staffers, police and firefighters — governed by city contracts — indicating that everything is on the table.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].