Web politics return

Welcome to the new and un-improved city-dedicated Web site.

A man known only by his generic e-mail address, in which he calls

himself Mr. Joe Citizen, is picking up where a group of concerned

citizens left off.

The new site fills the void of the now defunct local site once run

by the Citizens for Improvement of Costa Mesa, which started as a

community forum, but quickly turned into a venue for frequent

loathsome posts that ultimately led to its own demise.

Topics of the former Web site, run by local activists who refer to

themselves as improvers, included upcoming city developments, litter,

graffiti, illegal immigration, crime and education. Chats often took

a controversial turn, as stickier subjects of race and sexual

preference found their way into the dialogue. Lighter subjects

included a campaign to officially change the city’s name to Costa

Mesa-by-the-Sea.

Mr. Joe Citizen, not to be confused with any other brand of

citizen, looks to add a whole new spin to the former chat group

people loved to hate. In an e-mail to me, Mr. Citizen said he created

the site to provide a forum where residents should feel and speak

their minds. He is not going to moderate the site, and everyone is

welcome.

He was just “planting the seed by creating the list and stepping

back,” his message said.

“I would be happy to talk with you more but would not want my name

used at all in an article,” he wrote (I assume he is a he,

considering the “Mr.” portion of his e-mail address.) “I wish to also

be free to express my opinions on the list as it develops.”

At the Web address groups.yahoo.com/groups/ CostaMesaCA is an

attractive home page asking for subscribers. It states the purpose of

the site is to “discuss city politics, local issues, new business and

good and bad changes to Costa Mesa.”

After seeing the most recent postings by the handful of members, I

can understand Citizen’s acute identity safeguarding methods. If you

thought topics of racism, homophobia, illegal aliens and too many

charities found on the previous site run by the “improvers” were

contentious, hold on to your browsers.

The new site tackles touchy topics such as where to find the best

brunch, whether or not to tip the trash man and what a three-bedroom

house in Santa Ana should be rented out for.

In fairness to Mr. Citizen, his first posting on the site asked

for opinions on more political issues such as the Orange Coast

College swap meet, likes and dislikes of the new mayor and how she

was elected, Councilman Allan Mansoor’s underdog victory,

ever-increasing rental prices and the approval of a new nightclub for

downtown.

A few of the 69 members bit on a couple of those items, but the

high price of rentals seemed to be the only topic that generated an

ongoing dialogue between members. The subject of breakfast, brunch

and buffets was the hot topic of the day, as members compared notes

on price, location and quality and reminisced about the grandiose

buffets of yesteryear.

One member mused over the wonderful food at a place he called

“Romas.” (formally known as Aromas.)

“It was a Sunday brunch all you can eat for, if I remember

correctly, $16.95,” he wrote. “Might I add that, that price also

included all you could drink champagne AND fresh squeezed OJ along

with crab legs, etc ... What a great place to spend a rough Sunday

[morning].”

The lighthearted attitude of those involved in the revived Web

site is a refreshing change from the former one, which often

contained harsh personal attacks about emotionally charged subjects.

The former site’s disapproving attitude turned all but a handful of

dedicated and tough-skinned members away.

Costa Mesa resident Eric Bever, a once-in-a-while member of the

previous chat group, said he was leery of any city-dedicated chat

site and said they tend to “be more of a distraction than a

constructive thing.”

He said he used to participate on the Citizens of Improvement of

Costa Mesa Web site to correct misinformation being spouted by those

who had an agenda.

“I got suckered into chiming in to correct people,” Bever said.

A little-known group of Costa Mesa activists was also drawn to the

former Web site and did not like what they found. They were so

incensed by what they considered intolerant posts from members of the

city’s own human relations committee that they launched a full

assault on the Web site and its contributors.

Scrutiny increased to the point that Web site founder Janice

Davidson -- also one of the members of the Human Relations Committee

accused of allegedly racist posts -- shut it down.

Now the forum is back. Same search engine. Same city. Different

management.

It will be interesting to see if the former more, um, intense

members join the new site and how they will interact with the

seemingly happy-go-lucky current contributors, who are all too

pleased to discuss the best breakfast bang for your buck.

Perhaps the co-mingled chat group could form the Citizens for

Improvement of Costa Mesa Buffet Lines, where only legal residents

can enjoy all-you-can-eat crab legs and mimosas for $16.95 at an

oceanfront restaurant that does not overlook the water.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at [email protected].