The Buzz, July 6

With a 3-2 decision, the council on July 2 voted to install an electronic message board at the corner of La Paz and Marguerite (Council Members MacLean, Kelley and Ury voted in favor). MacLean ignored overwhelming objections from residents and argued an electronic sign is advanced technology. Meanwhile, the city of San Clemente just launched an email system for relaying city news to its residents. Getting “news” by driving by a message board is about as high-tech as carbon paper.

***

Councilwoman Trish Kelley argued for the electronic sign, saying it would be “tasteful.” (By the way, did any residents go on the tour suggested in The Buzz last week – evaluating council members’ tasteful properties for need of updating and cleanup?) Kelley cited a city-sponsored push-poll in which residents said the message board is one of the primary ways they get city info. What are the other possibilities? The City Outlook is published quarterly and contains drivel and puff pieces. Saddleback Valley News is published weekly and has almost no Mission Viejo news.

***

Who says traffic doesn’t move quickly through Mission Viejo? According to a report in the OC Register, the son of a well-known politician was stopped on the freeway near Crown Valley going up to 105 mph. Albert Arnold Gore III was driving pretty fast in his Toyota Prius, but that’s not what caused some readers to remark. In a story about illegal drugs in the car, one news report gave the impression taking drugs is such a “common problem” everyone’s doing it. An email writer summarized, “That’s what happens when news about people on drugs is written by people on drugs.”

***

Blog-reader comment last week: “The front page of the City Outlook newsletter (Summer 2007) looked like a Target ad. In addition to three Target logos in a front-page picture, another of the logos was pasted between pictures. Target got another pitch on page 3. However, I found no mention Target is creating an eyesore at Jeronimo and Los Alisos. The steep slope and the wall visible from the streets below look terrible.” The opening of the new Target store is expected this fall.

***

Another reader commented about the housing project at Jeronimo and Los Alisos: “The developer built up the outer edge of the property to use every square inch of space. With the exaggerated buildup along the edge, three-story buildings are going to appear much taller.”

***

Councilwoman Diane Harkey of Dana Point recently received notice she’s being recalled. Harkey was quoted in an OC Register story, saying she thinks her constituents are happy as clams. She said the low attendance at council meetings is a sign of residents’ satisfaction. A Buzz reader reacted, “If Diane is correct about low attendance as an indicator, Mission Viejo residents must be ecstatic. Imagine that – I thought it meant no one can stand to watch.”