The Buzz column, July 27

Reader email: “I watched the video of the June 19 city budget workshop. We had all five council members eager to throw money at anything, and I noticed they were eating throughout the meeting as if the dais were their personal buffet. Are these people so starved that they can’t eat before or wait until after the meeting? It was tacky, but it was appropriate they were shown on TV chowing down at the public trough.”

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Let’s get metaphysical. A resident was so upset after watching council members approve the electronic sign at La Paz and Marguerite, she said, “I’m glad I won’t be bumping into any of these council members when I’m in heaven.”

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Everyone is invited to former CUSD superintendent James Fleming’s house … sort of. It seems Fleming’s ocean-view estate in Laguna Niguel is on the market. Take the online tour and then decide if it’s worth $1,499,900.

 http://www.movoto.com/real-estate/homes-for-sale/CA/Laguna-Niguel/30-Antibes-203_S478874.htm

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Blog readers noted Irvine’s city council took action following the demands of SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) to put 35,660 units in their city, and 21,282 of them must be affordable. The Irvine council didn’t cave in – they responded with a lawsuit. Compare this with the irresponsible Mission Viejo council members who first attracted the attention of the state by throwing away the city’s affordable housing plan. Next, they proceeded to destroy commercial zoning, thus reducing business opportunity and creation of jobs to allow more homebuilding in a built-out city. All five Mission Viejo council members accepted campaign donations – up to $11,000 – from Steadfast after approving its affordable housing mess. Following the council’s approval, the city was sued by the Public Law Center. City hall insiders estimate the city spent more than $1 million in legal fees and lost the case.

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With regard to Irvine’s action, a Mission Viejo resident emailed the blog, “What does Irvine have that Mission Viejo doesn’t have? Brains, guts, courage, integrity, and they have the interest of the residents at heart – the well-being of the city. Our council members are at the bottom of the heap. Council members in other cities already have successful lives, and then they serve on the city council. In MV, they have nothing going, and being on the council is their only achievement. This is their big chance to have some power and get a goodie-bag from city vendors. They show favoritism to outsiders who want to make money on the city. They contract with consultants for things the city doesn’t need and the residents don’t want.”

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Reader request: “Can you provide information about the League of Cities conferences that Mission Viejo council members and city staff members attend? Where are these people getting all their weird ideas? Why are our residents paying for these people to attend? The council agendas and consent calendars turn into a whole list of idiotic things to blow money on.”

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A Capo school district parent mused after seeing the letterhead of former superintendent James Fleming when he asked the district to pay his legal expenses, “He has D.P.A. after his name. All this time I thought he claimed to have a doctorate in education. Can anyone check the small print on his credentials?”

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The Mission Viejo Community Foundation presented a check for $285,125 – a grant from the state – to the city during the July 2 council meeting. A reader reacted: “I thought the purpose of the foundation was to raise money in the private sector. Isn’t that why all these ‘suits’ are on the board? In addition to the city’s gifts to the foundation of $400,000 in tax dollars, the foundation has now collected $285,125 in state tax dollars, with a thank-you note to State Senator Dick Ackerman. I would like to point out that these taxpayer funds could go directly to the community center expansion or other city projects without first being filtered through the foundation. As a private organization, the foundation has no accountability, and it is able to hide the director’s outrageous salary.”

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To add on to this comment, the foundation’s chair made a variety of bizarre remarks during the presentation of the check at the July 2 meeting. Also bizarre was his explanation that city staff members were involved in requesting the grant money for $285,125. If the truth were told, did the city need someone from the foundation to add his or her name in order for Dick Ackerman to bring home the bacon?

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A civil engineer commented about the appearance of the construction site at Jeronimo and Los Alisos. “I’m concerned about the steepness of the slope, particularly the second level of fill in back of the retail center on the corner. While some people have questioned how the slope will fare during a heavy rainstorm, I’m more concerned about a wet year or a week or two of constant rain. We’ve had slope failures around town, and they fail for various reasons, including underground streams. I think what bothers people more than the danger of slope failure is the appearance, which is completely out of character with the surrounding area.”

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The Buzz editor Kathy Miramontes provided the following Website address, designed to send messages of support to our soldiers in Iraq. “You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.” After checking it out, Kathy added, “It is an honest to goodness Website (Xerox) and they DO send the cards to our soldiers!” Go to www.letssaythanks.com and pick out a thank-you card. Xerox will print it and send it to a soldier who is currently serving in Iraq.

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The Orange County Register / Saddleback Valley News hosted a forum on Thurs., July 26, to ask for feedback. Twelve Mission Viejo residents attended, and most of them requested more information about city happenings. One attendee reported to the blog, “Several audience members remarked about the city council’s refusal to represent the residents. They also asked for investigative reporting instead of what appear to be press releases issued by city hall. Some articles in the paper are neither balanced nor do they tell the whole story.”

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Editor-in-Chief Carl Schulthess selects the Founder’s Quote for each week’s blog. Here are a few of the other quotes Carl forwarded this week:

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." -- Mark Twain

”A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.” -- George Bernard Shaw

“If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!” -- P.J. O'Rourke

“In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.” -- Voltaire (1764)

”The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.” -- Winston Churchill