The Buzz column, Nov. 1
 

At a temporary standstill is the high-density project the current council approved at Los Alisos and Jeronimo, next to Unisys. The highly unpopular housing component was halted with a lawsuit fairly soon after it was approved. The homebuilder, Fieldstone, has since bailed, leaving Steadfast in the dust – literally. The site has been graded, as the lawsuit didn’t affect plans for the Target store adjacent to the housing project. City hall insiders indicate the welfare housing project will soon be back on track after the election. Many issues are being kept quiet while three incumbents take credit for the sun rising in the east.

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A write-in candidate for water district board of directors has kicked off his exceedingly weird campaign. Alongside the yard signs of a candidate who is on the ballot, Roger Faubel, look for the write-in’s signs. Everywhere a Faubel sign pops up, an unreadable message is posted on a wooden stake, hovering over Faubel’s sign like a flag. The write-in candidate is also council candidate Diane Greenwood’s “sign man.” His inimitable style can be seen throughout Mission Viejo, where Greenwood signs are placed directly in front of every other candidate’s signs.

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If it weren’t for a lobbyist from Orange – John Lewis – trying to buy the Mission Viejo council election, the race might actually be a fair one. The lobbyist-funded candidates (Diane Greenwood, Bill Barker and Justin McCusker) are dependent upon a steady stream of nasty mailers arriving almost daily. One insider estimated that Lewis will spend at least $80,000 to get his trio elected. Beyond the lobbyist’s help, his candidates have almost no supporters. Lewis has evidently decided the only way his candidates can win is if he stuffs voters’ mailboxes with exceedingly negative pieces against other candidates. The mailers have been highly offensive – misrepresenting facts if not promoting outright lies.

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An odd pairing of two incumbents, John Paul Ledesma and Lance MacLean, responded in kind to the lobbyist’s false claim that Greenwood, Barker and McCusker are the “real” Republicans. Greenwood, who is a lifelong liberal Democrat, changed her voter registration less than a year ago when she decided to enter the race. The incumbents’ mailer also clarified that McCusker is “a low-level county bureaucrat.” McCusker has been inflating his r‚sum‚ for months, trying to give the impression he’s a big wheel. A county department head who heard McCusker introduce himself at a meeting said, “Who does he think he is?” McCusker has made the most of his former position as an administrative assistant (gofer) in the office of a state senator.

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Also getting trimmed down to size in the incumbents’ response is candidate Bill Barker, who claims to be a Republican, but his only endorsements are from far-left groups. Barker, who will say anything to get support, apparently made interesting remarks in his endorsement questionnaires to far-left organizations. The description said Barker “wants more bird sanctuaries.” Most of Barker’s remarks are for the birds.

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A resident with a Barker sign in his yard told a blog staffer that he didn’t know Barker; however, Barker promised to prevent parents from parking on his street while waiting to pick up their children from school. Don’t count on it – Barker’s financier from Orange doesn’t care who parks on the street.

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What’s in store for Mission Viejo after the city election? A city hall insider says the city is going to change dramatically if all three incumbents are reelected. Changes include high-density affordable housing targets becoming actual projects. Incumbent Trish Kelley speaks fearfully of “state mandates” regarding housing numbers. There are no mandates. After four years, Kelley can’t get it straight, and she’s ready to ruin additional neighborhoods – as long as they’re not hers. A former planning commissioner reported Kelley’s confidential statement to him, indicating she didn’t care where the projects went in, as long as they weren’t close to her house.

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The blog has been informally polling residents, mostly in front of stores. Among the incumbents, Lance MacLean is the weakest link. Numbers indicate a fairly tight race with most candidates clumped in the middle. On a particularly bright note, both Barker and McCusker polled in the bottom half of the slate, with Barker trailing McCusker. One of the survey questions included the Capistrano Unified School District contest. A surprisingly high number of voters who live in CUSD either didn’t know or didn’t remember the recall attempt in 2005. School board incumbents are hoping to get the amnesia vote.

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Contrary to statements made by some of the council candidates, The Buzz hasn’t endorsed anyone. The choices, however, are clear. Incumbents Lance MacLean and Trish Kelley have brought welfare housing to the city, attempted to raise taxes and voted for unbridled spending. Challengers Diane Greenwood, Bill Barker and Justin McCusker are the lobbyist’s candidates, and they’ve been bought and paid for by John Lewis of Orange. Neil Lonsinger and Brian Skalsky have a bazillion signs but they lack support. The ethical leaders who will represent the residents are Jim Woodin and Michael Ferrall. John Paul Ledesma deserves to be reelected as an ethical person who usually votes the right way.