The Buzz, Aug. 23

The Republican Central Committee of Orange County on Aug. 21 endorsed council incumbent John Paul Ledesma but not Council Members Lance MacLean or Trish Kelley, who are also up for reelection. The maneuvering of Councilman Frank Ury prevented all three from getting an uncontested endorsement, but Ledesma eventually prevailed. While MacLean and Kelley’s records show they’re not fiscal conservatives, Republicans or responsible adults, Ury’s attempt to jettison Ledesma was ridiculous. Ury has at least been consistent in his attempts to destroy all other council members.

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The ballot statements of some of those running for city council give new meaning to the phrase “r‚sum‚ enhancement.” Bill Barker apparently forgot he retired 10 years ago. Adding to the hilarity is Trish Kelley’s listing of “chairman of OCFA budget and finance committee.” Can she add two and two? Kelley sits silently during financial discussions on the council. On July 31, she clearly hadn’t read the budget material and wasn’t able to participate – which is probably fortunate.

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Despite a highly misleading story in the Aug. 23 OC Register, Mission Viejo doesn’t have a money tree, and it doesn’t have $16.6 million to spare. Those who watched the Aug. 21 meeting learned the city is spending money as fast as it’s taking it in. There’s no excess, there’s no bonus, and the reporter who wrote the Aug. 23 story apparently didn’t understand. The article in the Register should have said the city hopes to be $16.6 million ahead in one year – barring natural disasters, spendthrift council majorities, budget overruns, etc. What are the chances? The city two weeks ago adjusted downward the amount for this year by $15.2 million. Another person who didn’t catch the difference was Councilwoman Kelley, as she repeated over and over, “The city has $35 million in reserves!” No, it doesn’t. She made the same claim in her ballot statement, and it’s wrong.

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Incredibly, the council during its Aug. 21 meeting voted to allocate $200,000 to a senior transportation pilot program. There’s no program, and there’s no plan. Everything thus far has fallen through, including desperate, last-ditch efforts of throwing something together before the election. If Ms. Kelley would like to mislead seniors in Mission Viejo that she’s delivered on her campaign promise of four years ago to provide them with transportation, she hasn’t. To check the veracity of any such claim appearing in campaign literature, seniors should call City Hall, (949) 470-3000, and ask for a ride.

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An alert resident noticed the Unisys property is for sale. This news is crucial for all who watched in disbelief as the city council voted to approve Steadfast’s zone change and affordable housing project adjacent to the Unisys site. Be prepared to vote on November 7. The two council challengers who have vowed to stop more housing of any kind are Jim Woodin and Michael Ferrall. Both candidates have specifically stated they will oppose high-density, welfare affordable housing.

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Blog readers have asked about the division line in Mission Viejo between Saddleback Valley and Capistrano school districts. CUSD includes everything south of Oso in Mission Viejo and everything east of Marguerite between Oso and Trabuco. The line then follows Trabuco to Los Alisos, with CUSD on the east and SVUSD on the west. The north boundary of CUSD is Olympiad north of the lake, and the line follows Melinda northeast of the lake. Casta del Sol is in Capo, and Palmia is in the Saddleback district.

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While the Capistrano school district administration is reeling from the district attorney’s investigation, the recall group should be making hay. A bright spot is Mission Viejo resident Ellen Addonizio, who is running against embattled incumbent Sheila Henness. Addonizio, a C.P.A., has a stellar background, including investigative accounting. Although the candidates must live in designated areas within the district to run for a specific seat, Mission Viejo residents who live in CUSD will get to vote for three candidates. It’s not the top three vote-getters, it’s the winner in each of three areas.

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In addition to Addonizio’s race, the two other contests in CUSD include a fight for incumbent John Casabianca’s seat, where he and three others filed to run. Larry Christensen of Coto and Kathy Lebon of Mission Viejo are challengers, and a third one may have dropped out. Dr. Ron Lackey of Monarch Beach spoke about CUSD issues at the Aug. 21 Mission Viejo council meeting and introduced himself as a candidate in his area. Four other candidates in Lackey’s area have filed for the seat of Crystal Kochendorfer, who is retiring. The blog staff isn’t making recommendations just yet except for Mission Viejo’s Ellen Addonizio.

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Frank Ury will apparently run to replace Assemblyman Todd Spitzer when Todd’s term expires in 2008, according to county-level insiders. Those who know Ury have long suspected his so-called council service is a springboard to higher office. Ury throughout his 2004 council campaign said, “Let’s take Mission Viejo to the next level.” While Ury is taking himself to the next level, he’s opened the door for his buddies to take Mission Viejo to the cleaners – he wants citywide wi-fi, developer deals for a large affordable-housing complex, an independent utility company for the city, a mega recreation development in Lower Curtis Park, and apartments on top of stores at La Paz and Marguerite – friends of Ury play and residents pay.