February. 19, 2007 Council Meeting
Staff editorial

The number of speakers making comments from the public microphone at the beginning of meetings has dropped off since the November election. City activists of years ago don’t often attend meetings, and residents who speak frequently usually wage personal attacks or complain without offering solutions.

Several items from the Feb. 19 agenda are noteworthy. The council voted 5-0 in favor of an ordinance to stop loitering, aimed specifically at day laborers trespassing on private property along Los Alisos Blvd. The item was initiated by Lake Forest residents who approached the Mission Viejo council after succeeding with a similar ordinance in their own city. As an aside, the Lake Forest council also is dealing with boardinghouse limits, and the Mission Viejo council should continue to follow Lake Forest’s lead instead of saying nothing can be done about it.

The council unanimously approved spending $14,750 on a workshop to be conducted by the Urban Land Institute regarding recommendations for the Mission Viejo Village Center. Several business owners voiced opposition to the city’s interference. A blog staff member later asked a city hall insider what precipitated the proposal, since the center is fully occupied and no owner requested the city’s opinion on how to conduct business. No one answered why ULI is involving itself in private enterprise in Mission Viejo. This appears to be a revival of the “vision” of an old council regime that was voted out of office in 2002. The blog notes this type of direction frequently comes from city staff members who aren’t responsible to voters. This retail center has already been the focus of city effort, a road-widening project that took so long to complete some shops closed due to the disruption of their business. Although a city staffer indicated the project is merely “seeking advice on what could be out there,” at least two business owners referred to the proposal as threatening their livelihood.

The council directed staff to look for additional uses of the Potocki Center despite having two interested parties, one of which offered to submit a proposal. This action appeared to follow a yoga-wellness organization’s interest in leasing the center. The spokeswoman for the yoga organization made public comments on Feb. 19 when the item was called. She said her organization would be willing to share the space with those currently teaching art classes at the center. A staff member added that another individual is asking the city to turn the Potocki Center into an art center. Two council members indicated the facility’s function is use and enjoyment by the community, not as a profit center for the city.

The council unanimously approved a variance to allow shooting of rabbits in Casta del Sol, which would permit the homeowners association to contract with a pest-control service. The subject was previously discussed in 2005 when the council allowed the variance. According to a Casta del Sol resident who watched the Feb. 19 meeting, the process was halted two years ago when the California Department of Fish and Game prohibited any such shooting. The resident said the council cannot override the state with a variance. This aspect wasn’t discussed at the Feb. 19 meeting.