Support Moxie Java
Letter to the editor

I am writing to express my concern regarding Vons’ plans to put a Starbucks
inside Vons at 28715 Los Alisos Blvd., Mission Viejo, in the center adjacent to the former Kmart site.

As a member of the community and a customer of Vons, I strongly oppose the
plan. Moxie Java is a local establishment and a strong supporter of our
community. There are numerous Starbucks throughout the area, but Moxie is
the establishment that supports our schools, community activities, churches
and local musicians.

I will take my business elsewhere if Vons destroys that benefit by putting in a Starbucks. Vons should support the local community and realize we want our citizens to run successful businesses. The business Moxie Java generates supports Vons’ store. There have been many times that I have gone for my coffee at Moxie and then picked up groceries at Vons.
I ask that Vons reconsider its decision. It will greatly impact the opinion of Vons’ image within the area.

Amy Diaz
Moxie Java customer

Another View of Business Development
Letter to the editor

I am enthusiastic about the development of the blog and a variety of opinions from contributors. The Mission Viejo community survey showed less than 20 percent of residents get their city news from the Register or SV News.

The latest blog received very thoughtful letters from Nadine Harder and Jill Hanoka, which reflect concern for the city and its businesses.

Nadine cites recent letters lamenting the loss of businesses in Mission Viejo, which is a growing perception. But, frankly, Mission Viejo commercial centers have scant vacancies. For example, the center at La Paz and Marguerite across from city hall supposedly is in trouble and needs a facelift, but it has 100 percent occupancy. One new tenant had to outbid two other businesses vying for the same spot and won out by offering to sign a longer lease. Three-fourths of the parking lot has been blacktopped and striped, and only one small section has not been repainted. Its traditional Mediterranean architecture is not outdated.

Elsewhere in Mission Viejo, six shopping center renovations are under construction. The City Outlook is including a list of all restaurants in town. Many businesses fail because they don't market themselves. It is not the city's job to bring customers to the door. That same new business that outbid others for a spot at La Paz and Marguerite has sent several fliers to my house, and I'm not real close.

The same thought applies to Jill Hanoka's letter supporting a coffee shop on Los Alisos and wanting the community to stop a Starbucks from locating in the same center (which is adjacent to the old K-Mart site).

As Blog publisher Dale Tyler wrote last week, a property owner should be able to run his property as he sees fit, provided he meets zoning and other code. Starbucks has a right to locate there and obviously has seen a marketing void that indicates the coffee shop hasn't maximized marketing opportunities.

Bloggers, take note. If Starbucks wants in, that means this sector REALLY IS viable for business development, including the K-Mart property, which supposedly is a poor commercial site. That was the reason for conversion to high-density housing. The K-Mart site hasn't been my issue, but you guys who have been fighting high-density housing should be all over this Starbucks decision.

So, Nadine and Jill, keep your comments coming. Only good can come from give and take on the issues.

Allan Pilger
Mission Viejo

Information Technology Strategic Plan
Letter to the editor

Item 22 of the June 19 Mission Viejo City Council meeting was an Information

Technology Strategic Plan developed by Civic Resource Group. The plan presented a strategic plan to provide and update the city’s resources on technological changes and to ensure that the city is current on planning.

The plan includes a City Director of Information Technology at $153,000 per year, plus other benefits, for a city staff of approximately 134 employees. Councilwoman Gail Reavis correctly got that inclusion subtracted from the plan as voted on by the council. Don’t bet it will not pop up later! How many companies with 134 employees have an information director at $153,000 per year? When Santa Margarita has approximately 18 employees on its payroll, does Mission Viejo need an information director at that salary, or does it need one at all?

Mission Viejo is a contract city that is currently overstaffed. Consistent with the type of city it is, why not set up a contract relationship with an information provider that can cover computer software and hardware technology as well as strategic planning? To issue a semi-annual or tri-annual contract to cover this requirement would save the city thousands by not adding to the payroll. Has anyone ever seen a department in the city with only one staff member? It’s the beginning of a ballooning bureaucracy.

It would be a disservice to the taxpayers of Mission Viejo to add to the city’s payroll when the service can be provided on a contract basis. This type of job classification might fit Microsoft, General Motors or Intel but not Mission Viejo. It is an example of city costs run amok.

James Edward Woodin
Mission Viejo

Nothing to Smile About
Staff editorial

Council Members Lance MacLean and Trish Kelley are equal partners. They misrepresent residents, break campaign promises and take money from developers for their “campaigns.”

Voters will likely dump MacLean in November. He has no supporters, and he’s angered entire neighborhoods. Parents of Capo school district students are outraged at MacLean’s comments and behavior regarding schools. It may surprise some residents to learn Kelley's votes have been almost identical to MacLean's.

Kelley and MacLean both supported corporate welfare by paying the Audi dealer to set up shop in Mission Viejo. Both Kelley and MacLean rolled over for developers. When Kelley voted for a high-density housing project, she had the audacity to say, “I haven’t taken any money from developers.” Steadfast was a major contributor at Kelley’s campaign fundraiser shortly after the vote. Was she pretending not to know Steadfast was on her guest list?

In 2004, both MacLean and Kelley removed Norm Murray and Jack Anderson from the Planning Commission by voting against extending their terms. Murray and Anderson had been invaluable – the backbone of a superb planning commission. In January 2005, Kelley yanked Bo Klein off the planning commission as well, and publicly humiliated Klein and Dorothy Wedel, who had been the city’s first line of defense against overdevelopment and high-density housing. Kelley voted with MacLean to dump the city’s plan in progress regarding affordable housing; the city continues to be out of compliance with regard to its housing element. The current lawsuit against the city is a direct result of Kelley and MacLean’s votes – they’ve spit in the face of residents and thumbed their nose at the state requirement for a plan.

Kelley, smiling all the while, has been guilty of even more abominable behavior than MacLean – if that’s possible. Kelley tried to jump to the front of the line to become mayor by promoting herself and trashing a fellow council member. Kelley in 2004 orchestrated the nastiest campaign in the city’s history – personal attacks, vicious remarks and hate flyers put on car windshields while community members attended church services. Kelley took her hate campaign door-to-door, demonstrating to her Sierra neighborhood “It’s all about me.”

Kelley apparently told parents in the Capo school district that she’s “the city’s representative to the schools.” The city has no such representative. Kelley also tells everyone what a great job she did in the PTA, but those who know her say Kelley was a puppet for Supt. James Fleming. She pressed parents into fundraising while CUSD let Mission Viejo schools fall apart. The school in her neighborhood, Viejo Elementary, is a remarkable example of declining test scores and the poorest students being imported from another city. Kelley practically swoons in the presence of her buddies, James Fleming and Dave Doomey of CUSD. Until her reelection campaign began, Kelley fully supported the CUSD administration, the seven embattled trustees and the resulting physical deterioration of Mission Viejo schools. Kelley also supported boundary lines that pulled north Mission Viejo students out of Tesoro High School. Parents in PTA pay for needs of their own children, plus those of poor students of Mission Viejo, plus those of poor students bused in from San Juan Capistrano.

With the city election less than five months away, residents should look at Trish Kelley’s record of broken promises instead of the empty smile. She’s full bore into campaigning, accepting developer cash and shaking down city vendors after selling out the residents. Kelley’s 3 1/2 years on the council are nothing to smile about.

June 19 Council Meeting Summary
Editorial staff

The council voted 5-0 to approve the 2006-2007 Law Enforcement Services Agreement with the County of Orange during the June 19 meeting. The cost, “not to exceed $12,231,026,” had a rider of $65,000 for Delta Unit services. Councilman John Paul Ledesma asked the city’s police chief, Lt. Steve Bernardi, for an explanation. Bernardi said the extra cash goes for overtime resulting from complaints about “party houses, drug houses and criminal activities including vandalism.” No explanation was given as to why the investigation of such lawbreaking isn’t covered in the $12,231,026 contract or why anyone is working overtime beyond round-the-clock shifts in “California’s safest city.”

The council voted 5-0 to approve the Information Technology Strategic Plan following a lengthy boilerplate-style presentation by a consultant, Greg Curtain. Curtain began by reporting the “city is in good shape for establishing and maintaining information technology infrastructure.” He later added “the city has excellent infrastructure in place.” Curtin didn’t define any pressing need or a lack of service regarding information technology. He did say, however, that the city “has a lack of storing information” – too many paper documents. Other problems he cited were too many software applications throughout the city and a lack of standard procedures regarding information technology.

Perhaps Curtain’s presentation was designed for larger cities that have operations in numerous buildings, whereas Mission Viejo’s is under one roof. To address the problems he outlined, Curtain recommended hiring an IT director at $153,000, plus one employee for the unidentified workload. Beyond the salary and benefits, Curtin recommended the city should spend $390,500 for Phase I of his plan. Councilwoman Gail Reavis objected to hiring more staff members and said she would vote against the plan if it meant approving two additional positions.

Curtain summarized with his comment, “You should see a theme emerging here.” Residents may be more mindful of the campaign theme when all five council members ran as fiscal conservatives in a contract-based city.

No one asked why the consultant who made the recommendations didn’t also recommend software and procedures. Councilman Ledesma, however, pointed out that the city manager currently could direct the IT manager to take the needed actions and make the decisions being discussed in the plan. Ledesma also stated that the city had recently spent several hundred thousand dollars on new software.

The council voted 5-0 to approve the bid specifications for the community and senior center expansion, authorize the staff to advertise for bids and award the contract on July 31. Councilwoman Reavis pointed out the cost of the project had jumped from an estimated $3 million to $7.1 million. She asked about financing, as the Foundation is to raise $1 million, which hasn’t been raised, and $2 million is to come from Steadfast, pending the beginning of a project frozen in a lawsuit. Reavis also said the Foundation is counting city grants of $400,000 as part of the check for $1 million it hopes to give to the city. The city received a $3 million grant for the expansion, part of which has been used for architectural fees. The city manager stated the city’s General Fund would cover shortfalls if money is not available from the identified sources.

The council voted 4-1 (Reavis dissenting) to permit the Senior Community Activity Team to write parking citations. Two public speakers asked for a demonstration of need, and both suggested the proposed plan is to create revenue rather than provide a service. The ordinance states the city manager could also designate city employees to write parking tickets. Given the explanation of saving money by having volunteers write the tickets, the reason for using city employees wasn’t clarified. Councilwoman Reavis asked questions about the liabilities of having citizens write tickets and the training provided.

The Buzz Column, June 20

Residents who live near O’Neill Park won a battle on May 22 against a cell tower going up in their neighborhood, but they should remain vigilant. The cell tower applicant (Aspen Associates Telecom, agent for Omnipoint Communications, a subsidiary of T-Mobile) could appeal the Planning Commission’s decision against the cell tower, but it has not done so, according to City Hall. Residents should be able to rely on the council to vote down an appeal; however, the council majority has a history of siding with the highest bidder. With developers and contractors offering campaign dollars, residents should fill the council chambers with protestors against the cell tower – rounding up every man, woman and child – if this item goes before the council.

***

The Buzz last week described Ury’s failed political extravaganza on June 3. Ury had advertised a barbeque following the precinct walk he tried to arrange before the Primary Election. One person showed up to walk; however, there was no dinner as promised. The person attending said Ury was so angry at the lack of response he called off the bean feed. The lone stranger didn’t even get a hot dog. Perhaps the one person in town who showed up now knows why everyone else said no.

***

Residents watching the June 19 council meeting got a glimpse of council members acting like spoiled children. Perhaps the three in the middle – Council Members MacLean, Kelley and Ury – were confident they were off camera. While another person spoke seriously about city business, the three council clowns yucked it up with each other – appearing to laugh at the speaker.

***

Also during the June 19 meeting, Councilwoman Trish Kelley reminded everyone that the Fourth of July will be celebrated on July 4th this year – it was practically that bad. Throughout the meeting, she bestowed lavish compliments and thanked everyone profusely – the well-compensated city staff, the $9,000-a-month foundation director and the pricey contractors. About a contractor’s Information Technology Strategic Plan – which she probably didn’t comprehend – she said, “It’s a wonderful report. I really enjoyed reading it.” Having this woman making decisions explains a lot of the council’s problems, including the lawsuit against the city and the affordable housing mess.

***

A resident spoke during public comments on June 19, objecting to remarks made from the public microphone on June 5 when someone blatantly campaigned for a candidate on the eve of the Primary Election. The June 19 speaker said the campaign speech was inappropriate and should have been disallowed. Addressing Mayor MacLean, the resident said, “You didn’t have the leadership or the courage to stop it.”

***

The Mission Viejo Community Foundation is taking more heat about its fundraising for the community center expansion. After a report of raising $360,000 in “pledges and in-kind contributions,” the foundation has been asked for specifics of in-kind contributions. Do these contributions include a roll of shag carpet and a gallon of purple paint so donors can get a tax write-off? Even if “fixtures” being donated are usable, the center should have a style other than “Garage Sale Eclectic.”

***

Lacking from the beginning has been representation of mainstream residents on the Foundation – community members with a passion to see the center expansion completed. Such residents are infinitely more motivated to be board members than a city vendor who doesn’t live in Mission Viejo. Having residents on the board might also break the code of silence on why fundraising has been at a standstill for almost a year.

***

What’s Frank Ury up to regarding his planned takeover of Mission Viejo, forming Frank’s Urynation? He’s been attempting to get endorsements for his “boy,” 20-something Justin McCusker, who has yet to attend a council meeting. Ury can’t get a second to his motions on the council, so he’s running his own candidates in November. In addition to getting the good ol’ boys at the county level to endorse McCusker, Ury’s political lackeys are also working to prevent incumbents Trish Kelley and, particularly, Lance MacLean from getting any political endorsements.