Lost in favor of small stuff

STEVE SMITH

By now, state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore may be wishing that, like the

rains that have pelted Newport-Mesa for the past few days, his

personal El Morro storm would pass.

In case you missed it, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of the

saga: The residents of the aging beach bungalows have finally been

ordered out so the area can become a park with more accessibility for

you and me.

But DeVore launches a proposal to keep the residents on the land

and in their homes for another 30 years, with their rents being used

to offset the state’s budget challenges.

Then DeVore reveals that there is a park ranger living in one of

the bungalows. The state Parks Department then prepares to tell

DeVore (through a thus far unofficial draft of a letter) that he may

have committed a misdemeanor by revealing this information.

The pending letter comes in response to DeVore’s allegations that

the ranger living at Crystal Cove could pose a conflict of interest

while he works to enforce the state’s decision to evict residents of

El Morro Village, the mobile-home park at Crystal Cove, which the

Parks Department wants to transform into a campground.

The arguments then move back and forth over the usual ground of

whether an employee should be living there.

OK, so now that you’re up to speed, here’s what’s really going on:

All of this is nothing but a distraction. DeVore’s bill, the fact

that there is a ranger living on the beach for $148 a month, and the

hint that DeVore may have violated the law by revealing brings

nothing to the discussion of the fate of the beach dwellers.

So why are they fighting? Because both sides are products of

bureaucracies and any time you get bureaucrats involved in just about

anything, it’s a sure bet that the original focus of whatever was

supposed to happen in the first place will get lost in favor of the

small stuff.

Bureaucrats like to sweat the small stuff. It’s their raison

d’etre.

Why did DeVore reveal that a ranger was living on the beach for

$148 a month? Because he could. This fact is of no consequence to his

pending legislation. If anything, it’s more of an argument for

closing down the bungalows.

And why may the Parks Department counter with a possible

notification of a violation by DeVore? Because it could, too. The

Parks Department claims that there are security issues in revealing

the ranger’s residence. But I’m finding their sincerity hard to

believe, when they take the next step of turning a mention of this

into a full-blown news story.

So much for keeping the toothpaste in the tube, so to speak.

DeVore didn’t stop at revealing the ranger’s whereabouts. He even

told us how much rent they should pay.

DeVore told the Daily Pilot that if state rangers are a better

choice, he would prefer they pay housing fees more in line with real

estate market of the surrounding area and receive a housing

allowance.

“My response would make them pay to live there,” DeVore said.

Now, if you know anything at all about a park ranger’s salary and

the real estate values of the area, by now you have to be chuckling

because that’s going to be one whopper of a housing allowance.

For the record, I’m in favor of having park rangers live for free

or at significantly reduced rates. For people who get “paid in

sunsets” it’s a small price to pay for being on call 24/7.

And yes, while living on the beach or in some other beautiful spot

is worth something, it doesn’t come close to the rest of the

sacrifices they make on our behalf.

And that’s where the story ends. There are no other sidebars to

this story. The beach is being returned to the rest of us.

Except for one thing: Chuck DeVore may have violated the law. In a

situation such as this, should that be the case, the punishment

should fit the crime. If he is guilty, DeVore should do some

community service.

I’d like to see him start by finding a rent in the area for around

$148 to compensate the good ranger if it turns out he has to move for

safety’s sake.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to onthetown2005 @aol.com.