Mission Viejo Buzz - 02/10/07 - text only

The Buzz column, February 9

Residents of central Orange County voted Feb. 6 in a special election for First District Supervisor to replace Lou Correa, who won a State Senate seat in November. Trung Nguyen got seven more votes than Janet Nguyen, and a recount will follow. A Mission Viejo blog reader commented about seeing the county GOP lobbyists go down in flames … again … following their failed attempt to interfere in Mission Viejo’s city election last fall. The county’s good ol’ boys on Feb. 6 backed a candidate from Santa Ana who came in fourth.

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Mission Viejo has many informal clusters of political activists and several recognized organizations. Political organizations in Mission Viejo include the Saddleback Republican Assembly and Casta del Sol’s Republican Club. Mission Viejo doesn’t have its own women’s political club, but residents belong to the Capistrano Valley Republican Women Federated and Aliso Viejo Republican Women Federated. Democrats have a club in Casta del Sol and a South Orange County organization. The largest group of approximately 100 Mission Viejo residents is at times more social than political, and it has no formal membership.

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Following the blog’s suggestion that some disenchanted residents should fashion their own tinfoil hats and wait for the next city election, one of them showed up at the Feb. 5 council meeting. Incredibly, she wore a tinfoil hat – not a very good one – and professed her unwavering loyalty to Counilman Frank Ury. The blog can’t resist suggesting the tinfoil hatters should next fashion dunce caps to wear during public comments.

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The Buzz received a reader’s comment following the council’s Jan. 29 budget workshop: “Councilman Lance MacLean made a point during the meeting that’s worth noting. He questioned why the council would continue involving itself in school district matters. He reminded everyone of CUSD’s refusal to provide information the council requested on how the district spent taxes collected in the city.” This information dovetails with comments made by Councilman John Paul Ledesma at the Feb. 5 council meeting when he noted CUSD officials had in the past appeared at council meetings to give false testimony and sent written comments that contained lies. At stake was a proposal for the city to pay for additional police presence on CUSD campuses.

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In the ongoing budget crisis at CUSD, the district will next consider eliminating 22 administrative positions to offset a portion of its $9 million budget deficit for 2007-2008. If the district is admitting a $9 million shortfall, what’s the real number? The school board on Feb. 12 will consider recommendations by interim Supt. Charles McCully. At this time, administrative cuts are being mentioned, but classroom cuts are sure to follow. In CUSD, the inevitable order of progression is crisis, denial, spin and loss of education for children. Of course, the biggest underlying problem of siphoning off $50 million for an administration center isn’t discussed.