1 BENNETT, STACY
From: Barbara <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2022 12:14 PM
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: All City Council Members - Costa Mesa Tennis Center Lease Hello Council Members,
First, thank you for your service to the city of Costa Mesa. I am writing this email in the hopes you take a step back from signing the lease on March 1, 2022 with Top Seed Tennis Academy in Los Angeles County. Even though it is currently set for a short term lease there is the option for a long term lease to be signed with them. CMTC has been always been run by and employed by our local community and it should continue this way. I am aware that many citizens of CM/NPB have contacted the city offering their services to run the center while RFP are being processed, why have they not been considered? Why is the city contracting a lease with a Los Angeles based company? By doing this you are not serving your community to the best of you ability.
I know that a couple tennis pros currently at the tennis center offered to help the city run the center until a decision was made for the long-term. It is my understanding the city Recreation department told them that only someone from "out of town" could run the center while the RFP is being processed? If this is true could I please be directed to where I can find the legal verbiage stating the city will sign contracts with “out of town”, other counties, instead of their very own community, locals.
With that being said, it seems this lease came about from the Ball brothers (tennis pros at CMTC) connections and that Top Seed Tennis Academy is going to have the Ball brothers run the center. How is that fair to the other tennis pro’s or locals who were told they could not help the city by running the tennis center short term it had to be “out of town” people to run the center? So the Ball brothers went through a loop hole to take control of the CMTC by having this lease created and thus stealing all opportunities for others and being deceitful, is this the type of people you want to run the CMTC in our community, I hope not.
The city has been aware for several months of Hank and Maureen retiring and still have not initiated the RFP process so now on the final day, this is the solution. I understand the city does not have the man power to work the hours needed for the CMTC however the tennis community of CMTC will fully understand the time restrictions knowing that you are working to find the best local person to run the center. Your city employees have been trained by Hank and Maureen and can seamlessly take over starting tomorrow.
I am aware and know that Eduardo Reyes has reached out to Jason, Monique and the Mayor to name a few expressing his desire to help the city run the CMTC short term and hopefully long term. Eduardo has been at the CMTC since 2007 and working side by side with Hank since 2004. Eduardo is vey well liked by everybody and is an excellent youth and adult coach. He has the background and skill to operate the pro shop, maintain the facilities and is deeply involved in USTA, tournament play and the SoCal tennis community. He has been a tennis coach at a couple local high schools for their boys and girls teams. All of this and more puts Eduardo in a strong position to continue the lucrative tournaments and associated revenue that Hank developed that benefits the city and the CMTC. Eduardo wants to continue the nurtured ambiance Hank and Maureen created and one important factor is he is a Costa Mesa resident! It should also be noted that Eduardo’s good and honest character has come into play currently with all of this by, Eduardo not trying to work the system for a loop hole to run the center short term instead going about it the honest way.
I ask you to please not approve and sign the lease tomorrow with Top Seed Tennis Academy from Calabasas, LA county. Please, take a step back, pause, and find another option. I know this can happen with our local 2 community right her in Costa Mesa, give us the residents of Costa Mesa a chance to do right by the CMTC and to continue to uphold the standards of the tennis center we all love.
Sincerely,
Barbara Hinshaw
District 6 for 15 years
I will be at the meeting tomorrow and will hopefully get the 3 minutes allotted to introduce myself formally and share my compassion for CMTC and our wonderful city of Costa Mesa.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Cameron Ball <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2022 10:43 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Costa Mesa Tennis Center
Good morning Mayor Stevens,
My name is Cameron Ball I am one of the instructors at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.
I wanted to reach out this morning on behalf of all of us at the tennis center.
I wanted to clear up some things if I may in regards to some of the miss information that began swirling around yesterday in particular with a post written by a woman named Barbara.
It’s nothing more than some miscommunication and gossip mixed together.
The information she posted is incorrect on many levels firstly me and my brother have no former affiliation with Steve. Steve has been sought out by all of us as well as the patrons of Costa Mesa Tennis Center because he has interest in continuing the Tennis Center in the fashion that all of us have created.
I have been working at the Tennis Center since 2005 my father since the late 90s and all of us together have created this amazing family.
She has also singled out women in her post stating they play minimally and have no real affiliation with the Tennis Center. The women that she is referring to unbeknownst to her are the ones that installed brand new wood floors inside of the pro shop. They’ve dedicated their time and money to refurbish the tables and awnings in the courtyard as well as painted and sanded every bench in the facility.
Some of these women she’s referring to have been patrons of the Costa Mesa Tennis Center for over 15 years as well. So to make it sound like they are not involved is complete miss information.
In her post she also named coaches who emailed Andrea Marr as of last night informing her that the information is incorrect and that they had no idea she was going to write this and did not give her any consent to.
I speak on behalf of all of us at the Tennis Center when I say that we are excited at what potential we have in maintaining and hopefully improving upon what has been created. Steve and us have only the intention of preserving what Hank and Maureen have created. The legacy they created we hope to maintain and it has been both an honor and an inspiration to get to create it with them over the years.
Me and my father have been part of the journey and process of creating what the Costa Mesa Tennis Center is today.
The communication challenges that have gone on through this process have been very challenging.
Hopefully this clears up some of the information that was exchanged yesterday. I am happy to talk further if needed.
Thank you,
Cameron Ball
Sent from my iPhone
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CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Report any 1 BENNETT, STACY
From: deborah nguyen <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 1, 2022 1:48 PM
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Fwd: The Next Interim for Costa Mesa Tennis Center Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: deborah nguyen <[email protected]>
Date: March 1, 2022 at 12:55:22 PM PST
To: [email protected], Council Chavez <[email protected]>, Mayor Stephens <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Cc: deborah nguyen <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: The Next Interim for Costa Mesa Tennis Center
To Whom It May Concern,
Last week we were told that The City of Costa Mesa would be taking over management responsibilities once Hank & Maureen retired. Today, we learned that Steve Mc Avon from Calabasas will be taking over as interim. We have plenty of people in Costa Mesa who are qualified and want this position. For example,Tennis Pro Eduardo Reyes had said that he would volunteer as interim operator to keep the tennis center open for the community. He has been working at the club since 2007, knows the members, and is familiar with the daily management of the center.
Today, City Councils will be voting on this matter. There was no transparency on why Steve Mc Avon is the pick for Interim Operator. Steve seems successful at his Top Seed Tennis Academy, but what about the Costa Mesa community? Did you consider the Costa Mesa employees, the tennis professionals who know the center , the members, and the community? Was the process of choosing an interim fair and legal?
Does Hank think this decision is the best for tennis and the community? No.
Please consider our concerns.
Deborah Nguyen
Costa Mesa Resident & Tennis Player
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1 BENNETT, STACY
From: Jennifer Tanaka <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2022 8:34 AM
To: CityManager; CITY COUNCIL; SETHURAMAN, RAJA
Cc: CITY CLERK; THOMAS, BRETT ATENCIO; ROSALES, JENNIFER Subject: Comments for NB-2 (Traffic Synchronization) (Jenn Tanaka) Members of the City Council, Ms. Farrell Harrison, and Mr. Sethuraman:
I write you today to express my strong support for the traffic synchronization program that will be discussed at the next council meeting.
After last meeting I sent you a letter expressing my concerns regarding this program as it was presented in the AET proposal. I also co-signed a letter from the Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets that expressed similar concerns in more detail. However, following a review of the updated staff report, it is clear that the project addresses many of our concerns and then some. I am extremely pleased that this project does show remarkable alignment with stated City goals regarding mode emphasis and safety.
Thank you in particular to Mr. Sethuraman for your vision, direction and effort with respect to this project. Due to your efforts and those of your staff, Costa Mesa deserved this grant and it is using the funds to its highest best use. I applaud your hard work and creative thinking.
While this project is impressive, I’m sure we are all aware that there is much more to be done. The language of AET’s proposal still reflects a car-centric approach that is endemic to similar projects enacted by our neighbors. And at the end of the day, the structure of our streets and roads still overwhelmingly emphasize vehicle throughput and speed.
Regaining the balance between convenience, livability, and safety will take time. But this is a big step in the right direction.
I urge the Council to approve this project. Costa Mesa is going its own way on transportation policy compared to its neighbors, and I applaud it. Our region needs this kind of leadership.
Best,
Jenn Tanaka
321 Broadway
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
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1 BENNETT, STACY
From: Russell Toler <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2022 7:47 AM
To: CITY COUNCIL; GREEN, BRENDA
Cc: SETHURAMAN, RAJA; FARRELL HARRISON, LORI ANN; ROSALES, JENNIFER; THOMAS,
BRETT ATENCIO
Subject: Comments for NB-2 (Traffic Synchronization)
Mr. Mayor and Members of the City Council,
I want to write in support of our acceptance of this grant money and the of way that our city plans to use it. Obviously it is very exciting that we received so much funding for the improvement of so many corridors and intersections. But while other cities have been using this sort of funding to destroy themselves (by using traffic synchronization technology to increase car speeding), we plan to use the funding to further our stated goals of improving conditions for “alternative” modes of getting around our city. The “alternative” modes that we are supporting are the ways we especially need to invest in as we grow: walking and biking are clean, safe, spatially efficient, affordable, and doable by most people, while the same cannot be said of driving. In crafting this project so wisely the way staff has, we are putting our neighboring cities – which continue to prioritize private vehicles (to their detriment) - to shame.
Having said all that, I do want to make a small point. While this complex and expensive technology is doubtless a good thing, and will help make our streets safer for vulnerable users, none of it makes our streets feel safer. Each of the intersections included in this project will remain daunting to anyone outside of a two-ton vehicle, and will therefore not likely entice anyone new to venture through them without a car. We have ambitious mode-shift goals in our Active Transportation Plan – the importance of which has only grown in light of our current housing allocation (RHNA). I only bring this up to encourage us to not rely on these sort of high-tech solutions to make our streets safe and comfortable for all ages and abilities and modes. We’re still going to need drastic physical changes. This project is great, but we still have a lot of work to do to make our streets as good as they could be.
Thanks for reading,
Russell Toler
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