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Mission Viejo NewsBlog “Dedicated to Keeping the California Promise” Carl Schulthess, Editor in Chief Front Page You have received this NewsBlog in an email from a friend in Mission Viejo who believes that you will appreciate being properly informed about the important issues and events occurring in our fair city of Mission Viejo. The goal of the “Mission Viejo NewsBlog” is to share with our neighbors, knowledge of issues and events that will affect our quality of life and our property values. We will keep an open mind and report only the important news in a fair, balanced and transparent manner. We will endeavor to do this weekly. Put another way, our goal is to protect the “California Promise” that we all bought into so many years ago. This second issue will focus on the City Council and the Campaign Promises they’ve made over the years. Campaign Promises; Made and Ignored. Staff Editorial Mission Viejo residents who kept copies of 2002 and 2004 council campaign literature should look at the candidate profiles. Voters thought they elected five fiscal conservatives who promised to resolve traffic issues, represent the residents and work together for the benefit of the community. Who are the strangers occupying council seats? For the rest of this report, Click on; You will note that there is an Editorial Subject called “Electeds Point of View. This is an opportunity for each elected to explain their motives for a vote on a topic discussed in a previous NewsBlog opinion. If they choose NOT to explain their vote, then it is a fair assumption that he or she is voting their “Campaign Contributions” It seems that two of the Electeds have agreed to participate but have missed the deadline for this issue. We look forward to their contributions next week During the elections, we will provide FREE space to the candidates to answer pertinent questions and to express their views, provided that they renounce contributions from special interest groups. Many of the following “Opinion Letters” were ignored by the Saddleback Valley News and have not been published. We promise to publish all pertinent opinions and not stifle any voices. As the Mission Viejo NewsBlog matures, we will add more editorial subjects as listed below. If you have thoughts as to important subjects, please let us know. We invite you to contribute to the Mission Viejo NewsBlog by either “Reporting” or Writing your “Opinion” about any subject related to Mission Viejo that is near and dear to your heart. (Note that ALL contributors to this NewsBlog WILL publish their email addresses with their contribution.) Please forward this NewsBlog via eMail to ALL your friends and neighbors in Mission Viejo but also print as many copies as you like, to share with your non-computer friends. This NewsBlog is operated entirely by volunteers and is distributed Weekly at no charge to ALL Mission Viejo citizens via email. At some time in the future, we will add sources of revenue (NO Special Interests) that will permit some of the staff to be paid for their services. If you do not want to receive this Citizen operated NewsBlog, please tell the person that sent you this email. Please consider it your civic duty to let your elected City Council members know how you feel about the decisions they are making on your behalf. It is not an accident that their names appear prominently in this NewsBlog. Their votes are key to Keeping the “California Promise”. Only YOU can influence their vote. Your Elected City Council Members Trish Kelley tkelley@cityofmissionviejo.org The Council as a Group may be called at 949-470-3050 Again, please let your elected Council Members know how you feel about their actions. Remember, they are accountable ONLY to YOU, a citizen of Mission Viejo. You elect them to office to represent YOU and YOU pay their salary. The Mission Viejo character word for the month of October is Respect. Insist on just that from your elected Representatives. Insist that they listen to YOU Table of Editorial Content
We invite YOU to participate in the creation of this “NewsBlog” as an editor for any of the above subjects. Founders' Quote The Federalist Patriot "Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves." Thomas Jefferson (letter to Edward Carrington, 16 January 1787) The Founders' Quote Daily is a service of The Federalist Patriot; the most widely read conservative e-journal on the Internet. If you would like to have this highly acclaimed Digest of news, policy and opinion, delivered FREE by e-mail to your inbox, link to:http://FederalistPatriot.US/subscribe/ Many good men and women have died so this NewsBlog can be published and we can complain about our government without fear for our lives. Honor those sacrifices by getting involved in YOUR government. Carl Schulthess, Editor in Chief Staff Report City Council Summary, October 3, 2005 Staff Report Without an awards ceremony at the beginning or much business to conduct, the Oct. 3 meeting started at 6 p.m. and ended around 8. About a dozen residents attended the meeting. A presentation on Measure M was given by Orange County Transportation Authority, represented by Richard Dixon (Lake Forest council member) and Dave Simpson (OCTA government relations). For the rest of this report, Click on; Opinion Letters High Density Housing 491 missing letters During the July 25 Mission Viejo Planning Commission meeting, which was open to public comments, the commission and public saw and heard a high-density, low-income housing proposal by UDR/Pacific developers for the property on east Los Alisos Blvd. Nineteen speakers made public comments during the meeting. Seventeen of the 19 speakers opposed the project. For the rest of this report, Click on; Dam Danger The Mission Viejo City Council on Sept. 19 approved Agenda Item 24, allowing high-density housing on the former Kmart commercial site adjacent to the 241Tollway and Los Alisos Blvd. Our council of four members (in the absence of Council Member Gail Reavis) approved the project. For the rest of this letter, Click on; Gymnasium The Capistrano Unified School District recently received notification of the approval of a $1,500,000 grant from the State to build a joint-use (with the City of Mission Viejo) gymnasium at Newhart Middle School. The City had also applied for a grant of $1,000,000 from the State for that same purpose. However, the city’s request to the State for a grant has been denied. Now CUSD is in need of a response from our city for a commitment of matching $1,500,000 funds for the gymnasium construction. For the rest of this letter, Click on; Fiscal Issues Council Budget Debate The Mission Viejo Community Foundation is for worthy community improvements, namely the Norman Murray Community Center expansion. The employees of the foundation are not, however, employees of the city. The city council by 4-1 (with Council Member Gail Reavis dissenting) approved Item 6, the donation of $188,625 for 2005-2006. Reavis stated she voted against the disbursement because it was a no-bid contract. The foundation’s balance for 2006-07 is $212,125. For the rest of this letter, Click on; Who is myopic? If you don’t like what we are doing in this NewsBlog, please tell me how to improve it. If you like the direction we are going, please forward this to as many friends in Mission Viejo as possible and sign up for a direct subscription by Clicking on; Carl Schulthess |
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