Council Creates a Cell Tower Invasion
Letter to the editor

It’s astounding that residents have to mobilize to protect their homes. Cell towers are the latest monstrosities being foisted on neighborhoods. What’s the purpose of city government if not to protect residents from this type of invasion?

I’m thankful the planning commission on May 22 voted down a cell tower, which was evidently unnecessary for reasonable signal coverage. I’m appalled with the amount of money the city is paying a consultant to create a master plan for cell towers. On May 22 the consultant advocated for the cell tower in a small neighborhood park close to homes and adjacent to a school. Isn’t this exactly what the consultant should prevent?

The consultant was lobbying for the cell tower against strong opposition from the neighbors. The residents presented a convincing case with credible information, and the consultant and his so-called expert were outmatched.

Can anyone believe our city council allocated “up to $200,000” last November for a cell tower master plan? The consultant also gets a huge commission on a go-forward basis for each cell tower he places on city property. Each lease could cost a cell company approximately $2,000 a month. Multiply that times 60 months for the first five years and apply the commission of 30 percent. Then apply 20 percent to the same amount for the second five years. The contractor could get $60,000 per lease if the cell tower is on city property for 10 years. The consultant estimates another 70 cell sites will be needed in Mission Viejo. If half the cell sites are on city property, he would get more than $2 million in commissions on top of $200,000 for creating a cell tower master plan.

How did this happen? Mayor Lance MacLean put himself and Councilman Frank Ury on an ad hoc committee. They came up with the contract and pushed it through the city council. Instead of a responsible master plan and a minimum number of cell towers to generate revenue for the city, a consultant has a huge financial incentive to place as many cell towers as possible. Neighborhoods that organize against cell towers might prevail, but those who don’t mobilize will be steamrolled.

It cannot get much worse than taxpayers being bilked for bad advice that degrades a neighborhood.

Connie Lee
Mission Viejo

Fun With Chalk Was a Success
Letter to the editor

For those who missed the Fun with Chalk weekend in Mission Viejo, it was one of the best events of the year. Sponsors, artists, musicians and booth operators can feel proud of the great time our citizens had at the Norman P. Murray Community Center event.

The art displays in chalk were fascinating. Young children, artists of all ages and visitors were able to appreciate the wonderful displays at the city festival. Young people worked with clay and paints inside the community center building. What a wonderful learning experience for our youth.

Next year, everyone should plan to attend this very worthwhile event. Thank you to all the sponsors and the Fun with Chalk advisory board members for a wonderful event and, particularly, the talented artists who make it all possible.

James Edward Woodin
Mission Viejo

Rally at CUSD Administration Building
Letter to the editor

The administrators of Capistrano Unified School District are moving into the new $52-million “education center” in San Juan Capistrano. Meanwhile, half of the students and teachers in CUSD are in portable classrooms, many of which are in bad condition or falling apart.

Please join parents and other community members for a rally to let the administration know what we think of their management of our education tax dollars. When: Tuesday, June 6, 4 p.m. Where: the new CUSD Education Center, 33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano. We’ll meet at the entrance to the parking lot of the education center. Come to the end of Valle Road, past the Volkswagen and Jaguar dealerships in San Juan Capistrano.

Teri Morelli
CUSD parent

Plan Puts Measure M on the Ballot
Letter to the editor

The council vote was 4-1 for a resolution to place on the November ballot the Renewed Measure M Investment Plan. This was not an endorsement of Measure M but an opportunity to ensure that the public could vote up or down on Measure M in November.

Councilman John Paul Ledesma, after stating that he disagrees with certain elements of the plan, was the lone dissenting vote. My question for him, should the voters get the opportunity to vote on tax issues or should they just trust J.P. to keep tax issues from making the ballot?

This reminds me of J.P. regarding the on-again off-again gymnasium item, where he was able at the stroke of midnight to remove his advertised agenda item, and the public was left hanging at the chamber's podium not to be heard from again. I say this is not the way to treat the voters. They have a way of being heard, and it is called the ballot box.

Bill Barker
Mission Viejo

Editors Note: Thanks for your letter. While I respectfully disagree, we welcome opposing views.

A rebuttal to this letter and Monte Ward of OCTA’s responses to last week’s Measure M article will appear in the June 3, 2006 Buzz.

Mayor Speaks at Casta del Sol
Editorial staff

When Mayor Lance MacLean attended the Republican Club’s Lincoln Day brunch at Casta del Sol in February, he apparently charmed the gals at his table. The club invited him back as the May 17 guest speaker.

MacLean gave a brief speech on May 17 and then took written questions from the audience. The audience’s quiet mood should not have been mistaken as support, as the questions contained only barbs. Worse for MacLean, he didn’t have the benefit of deflecting to the city attorney the questions he didn’t want to answer, which probably was all of them.

One of the questions dealt with worsening traffic (which MacLean had vowed to fix if elected in 2002). Apparently, a Casta resident noticed the gridlock on Crown Valley during rush hour – 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. MacLean said, “I’m diligently working on traffic.”

A few of MacLean’s statements require no comment, as they could have been jokes. When asked how much money he had accepted from Steadfast (the developer of high-density housing next to Unisys), MacLean responded, “I don’t remember.” MacLean in 2004 promoted Measure K, the hotel tax, and he recently advocated a 30-year extension of Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax. He again promoted Measure M at the May 17 meeting, adding, “As a conservative Republican, I don’t like taxes.”

To a question about the city’s reserves, MacLean said: “The city has $23.9 million in reserves.”

Sort of – but if the audience believed $23.9 million is available to spend on new projects, that’s incorrect. Nearly all of the $23.9 million is already appropriated or encumbered – committed for operations or other costs of running the city. The amount available for anything unbudgeted is less than $1 million, as revealed during the council’s mid-year budget discussion on May 1.

To a question on why the city doesn’t pay down its debt, MacLean said: “The city has enough money to pay off its bonded indebtedness immediately, but what’s the point?”

MacLean apparently ran out of fingers and toes doing the math. The city’s debt is more than $60 million, and cash available to pay it off is less than $1 million.

MacLean: “There’s a perception that those on the council don’t get along with each other.” Actually, the perception among residents is that council members hate each other.

MacLean: “The parcel next to Unisys was zoned for commercial use but never developed because of visibility.” No, the parcel remained undeveloped for many years because the owner showed no interest in developing it and wouldn’t put it on the market. With Target purchasing the parcel and planning a retail store, the argument about visibility evidently didn’t deter a major retailer. If the property had been allowed to develop along with the business park surrounding it, office workers would find their way to work, particularly after a few days’ practice.

MacLean also attempted to respond to a question about affordable housing, which made about as much sense as his comment regarding visibility of the Target property. With MacLean’s selective amnesia and his ability to spin gold into straw, residents are getting what developers paid for.

The Buzz column – May 23

Is Mayor Lance MacLean trying to take credit for the city’s lower number of traffic collisions during the past year? With traffic barely moving, it isn’t difficult to stop when another car comes barreling out of nowhere at 5 mph.

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With up to 11 candidates running for city council, Mission Viejo could upgrade its roster. Incumbents in the race are John Paul Ledesma, Lance MacLean and Trish Kelley. Challengers who have filed their intent to run are Jim Woodin, Michael Ferrall, Bill Barker and Diane Greenwood. Bill Craycraft, Justin McCusker, Nancy Howell and Steve Guess are also possibilities.

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Councilman Frank Ury is still trying to get someone on the council to second his motions. Isn’t it interesting he can’t work with anyone on the current council? Those in his camp say he intends to line up three of his own council candidates. After turning Mission Viejo into Uryville, perhaps he’ll move on to Urynation.

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Approximately 80 residents attended the May 22 Planning Commission meeting to oppose a cell tower in O’Neill Park (San Doval Lane at San Roque Drive). Incredibly, the city’s consultant who is supposed to design a cell tower master plan was using the applicant’s data to promote the new tower. A commissioner had to remind the consultant he’s supposed to be an objective third party.

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One possible reason the May 22 Planning Commission meeting went well for residents may have been the absence of Ury’s appointee, Commissioner Chandra Krout. Krout has a reputation for supporting developers, special interest – everything the residents oppose – and doing whatever the Rice Krispies tell her to do.

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While residents might find the council spats amusing, the meltdown has taken a toll on the city. Regional traffic issues are one example where a dysfunctional council is preventing the city from having any clout. Five people cannot agree on solutions, and surrounding cities are taking advantage. Mission Viejo is being sued over affordable housing issues that began when a majority on the current council jettisoned the city’s progress toward a plan, which the state requires. Instead of continuing to develop the city’s plan, Councilmen Ury and MacLean struck out on their own as an ad hoc committee. And that’s exactly what they’ve done: struck out.