Pasadena Star News: Joe Mosca’s political career goes south

Mod: While it has been available on the Pasadena Star News website for a minute, my latest column goes full pulp today.

Sierra Madre: Joe Mosca’s political career goes south (Pasadena Star Newslink): While more recent arrivals in town may be unaware of this fellow’s significance, veteran Sierra Madreanos are likely to remember Joe Mosca. The one-time mayor of Sierra Madre first arrived in town in late 2005, only to run for City Council less than a year later. Obviously he was a young man in a hurry. One of splendid gifts and much promise all were assured by his handlers.

Running as a preservationist opposed to a clunky mixed-use nightmare known as the “Downtown Specific Plan,” Joe rode to elective glory upon a wave of local revulsion at the city’s fraudulent proto-development political establishment. When his election gave slow-growthers a clear City Council majority, many declared the town’s troubles over.

But, no. As often happens with local baby-kissers, Mosca quickly flipped on everything he’d previously promised. He became an aggressive supporter of the very project he’d opposed when running for office. Something that led to a successful resident land use revolt called Measure V, an unsuccessful recall, general civic mayhem, plus some annoying blogs.

Then, for reasons remaining unclear to this day, in 2011 Joe suddenly resigned his office. This only months after he’d won re-election with a campaign vowing his eternal love of Sierra Madre. Some credited Chris Holden for effortlessly crushing Mosca’s state Assembly ambitions, leaving him with little reason to stay. Others pointed to his physician husband being awarded a lucrative job in San Diego, bread winner’s needs carrying the day.

Shortly after landing in the San Diego County surf and sand suburb of Encinitas, Mosca somehow managed to get himself appointed to an open seat on that City Council. This despite the many other hopeful applicants who’d lived there for more than a hot minute. When he actually needed to run for that seat a few years later, he barely eked out a victory over an 80-year-old resident who rarely left the house due to his ailments.

The ad spots run by his opponent’s campaign featured footage of Mosca acting up at Sierra Madre City Council meetings. If you’ve ever lived in Sierra Madre you should go to the March 20 entry of The Tattler and check one out. You might be in it.

Which leads us to the present, and a story that ran in several Encinitas weeklies. Apparently they all share the same reporter. “Mosca announces he won’t run again for Encinitas City Council: Encinitas City Councilman Joe Mosca will not seek another term in office, he announced at the March 16 council meeting.”

Deja vu? Again? I asked a politically connected Encinitas resident what’s up with this. The reply: 

“Mosca certainly would have encountered an absolutely brutal campaign going up against a respected Planning Commissioner, someone who knows the code and fights for residents. Joe’s reputation in Encinitas, and especially in his district, is one of favoring over-development. Specifically burdening his district, mostly horse country having wildfire evacuation issues already, with the high-density 283-unit Goodson project, which spawned the citizens group Encinitas RRD.”

Joe and his development issues. They follow him wherever he may roam. My poetic informant then added this:

“Joe never stops talking. The endless thanking of city staff (who often get things wrong at resident expense) is mind-blowing. His revisions of history are outright lies and he has no shame telling them, straight-faced, to people knowing better.”

Can it be that Mosca has simply worn everybody in Encinitas out? Certainly this wouldn’t be the first time.

But is it really the end of Joe? Is there going to be a third town? As one prognosticator on my site opined, “My guess is he will move to El Centro, and run for their City Council as Jose' Mosca.”

sierramadretattler.blogspot.com