Getting odder while trying to get even
Editorial comment, April 24

The council’s call for audits of city franchises led to comments from those who watched the April 17 council meeting. Earlier this year, Cox Communications’ internal audit found a miscalculation in advertising revenue, resulting in a $157,000 payment to the city. It may have set off a chain reaction with city staffers talking about other franchises.

No one knows for certain why Councilman Frank Ury on April 17 asked for audits of Southern California Edison, Cox Communications and Waste Management. A few guesses, however, make sense. Ury in 2004 made promises he couldn’t keep about “forcing SCE to bury its lines.” As mentioned in prior editions of The Buzz, SCE’s project had already begun before Ury mailed his campaign flyers. Ury is now in office, and he doesn’t appear to care what anyone thinks. However, a timely announcement mid-summer could benefit Ury if SCE owes the city as much as 10 cents.

As an underlying matter, Ury has been unable to push his agenda to help his out-of-town buddies. He often can’t get a second for his “important” agenda items. Maybe it’s a result of his public trashing of other council members, or maybe they don’t share his devotion to his campaign donors. To get a reliable majority, Ury needs residents to put two of “his people” on the council this November.

Diane Greenwood, a Ury supporter in 2004, recently announced her intention to run for city council. When she makes public comments at council meetings, she speaks angrily about SCE. Greenwood talks about electromagnetic field (EMF) dangers, and she compared herself in a press release with Erin Brockovich. If Brockovich comes to Mission Viejo, she should investigate the city council, not EMF.

Diane “Brockovich” Greenwood apparently renounced her Democrat roots in 2005 so she could run for office in 2006 as a Republican. Such a candidate is called a RINO-DIP – Republican In Name Only, Democrat In Practice. Beyond wanting to protect Mission Viejo residents from EMF, “RINO-DIP Brockovich” allegedly wants affordable apartments on top of retail stores at La Paz and Marguerite. Former Councilwomen Susan Withrow and Sherri Butterfield look downright reasonable by comparison.

People who are concerned about EMF don’t buy homes under power lines. Those who want affordable apartments on top of retail stores don’t live in Mission Viejo. And residents who have been watching Ury’s maneuvering on the council aren’t going to empower him by electing one of his diehard fans.

The attraction between Ury and Greenwood is that both want SCE run out of town. Ury’s campaign donors include California Power Corporation, which gave Ury’s campaign $8,250 and probably expects payback. Greenwood appears to want revenge against SCE for adding power lines in Mission Viejo that serve other areas. Never mind that lines serving Mission Viejo cut through other communities – someone must be punished for man’s insatiable need for electricity.

The information Ury requested from SCE isn’t much of an audit. He asked for the number of customers and the amount of power used during a seven-year period. He said he wants a spreadsheet, which will give him the information he needs. Does anyone not anticipate the biggest smear campaign in history? The requested information is due in 90 to 100 days after the April 17 council meeting. With campaigns gearing up mid-July, Ury’s “calculations” of SCE’s cheating the city could emerge at about the same time.

For anyone who can’t tell the difference between the real Erin Brockovich and a contrived campaign of tinfoil mad hatters, a demonstration is likely in store.