Sauce for the Goose
by Dale Tyler

How many Mission Viejo citizens feel that the city government is better than they are? I bet almost no one feels that way. Yet, our City Council is scheduled to approve a major change to the city's formerly strict sign rules that would put the city above all businesses and private citizens.

This deeply flawed proposal, passed by the Planning Commission on Feb. 26, says in Section 9.29.165 that (in part) “... no provision of this chapter shall be intended to apply to, direct, or restrict the city ... .” Why should our city government not follow the same rules as all other businesses and individuals in the city?

The city staff members, while well-intentioned, are falling into the typical bureaucratic trap. The idea that “we know best” is ingrained in government workers at all levels. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. For example, Mission Viejo has had a policy for some years that all city construction had to undergo the same process as private building. This is the way it should be. If there are rules for parking, neighborhood notice, public hearings or whatever for private construction, the same process should be followed for all city projects.

Yet, someone is trying to sneak this sign exception for the city through as part of a larger modification to the sign code. One reason might be a certain city councilman's desire to have a gaudy, flashing, city announcement sign at the corner of Marguerite and La Paz, replacing the very nice and completely functional sign there now. Community volunteers have been changing the letters on that sign on a near-weekly basis with no problems at all. The proposed change in Section 9.29.165 would allow the city to build the monstrosity while no business could do the same.

Perhaps this councilman wants his name up in lights announcing his many accomplishments and general greatness. If so, he should remember what happened with “Craycraft Park.” That was short lived, as we hope is this idea the city should get exceptions to rules that apply to everyone else.

Other problems with the proposed sign code violations are outlined in the NewsBlog article on March 3, 2007. Chief among these are allowing bare neon signs for the first time in city history and the weakening of Section 9.29.140 that allows signs to merely meet our requirements, instead of “meet or exceed” that was in the old rules. It appears that the city has decided to accept defeat and allow things that have long been illegal, simply because it is too hard to do the right thing.

Hopefully, the City Council, at the March 19 meeting, will amend the Mission Viejo Sign Code to continue the prohibition on neon signs, restore “meet or exceed” and strike the new Section 9.29.165 giving themselves special privileges. That would be the right thing to do. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, or so they say.