T-Mobile – Serving Mission Viejo?
By Dale Tyler

Mission Viejo has more than enough cell phone sites. Sure, there are a few locations where one might have a poor signal, but this is a hilly city. Unless we put the ugly antennas on every building, tree and bush, there will always be such areas. For some reason, the City Council lapdogs of the cell companies, Lance MacLean and Frank Ury, the same council members who spearheaded paying a cell-site broker more than $200,000 from taxpayer funds to draw up a so-called cellular master plan, think uninterrupted cell coverage is a fundamental right that trumps all others, including basic property rights.

Yet, T-Mobile and other cell companies are trying to put up more and more antennas. Recently, T-Mobile applied to place a number of cell antennas on a Moulton Niguel Water District tank at 26451 Lope De Vega Drive. The application was approved by the Planning Commission with the requirement that T-Mobile improve the landscaping around the water tank to try and offset the ugliness of their antennas. T-Mobile refused to perform the landscaping to the minimum standards used by the city itself, and the approval was appealed by Councilmember Gail Reavis to try and have the objections of the neighbors and city staff heard on this project. The neighbors in the immediate area are adamantly and unanimously opposed to this installation, and they spoke at the council meeting, eloquently describing the harm that would come to them if the antennas were allowed. These neighbors’ property values will be diminished by tens of thousands of dollars while T-Mobile and Moulton Niguel enrich themselves.

There is no question about T-Mobile's tactics. They simply do not care what the people of Mission Viejo think. This is shown most clearly by statements made by the T-Mobile representative at the Nov. 5, 2007, council meeting. When asked what he would do if the request to place the antennas on the water tank was rejected, he replied that they (T-Mobile) would “go into the right-of-way.” In simple language, this is a threat by T-Mobile to put cellular antennas on streetlights, traffic signals and other publicly owned structures in the streets of Mission Viejo. Of course, this is even more unsightly than what they were threatening the neighbors of the water tank with. So, T-Mobile's approach, when told their antennas are ugly and unwanted, is to place them in an even more obtrusive place.

How selfish can T-Mobile get? The claim of the T-Mobile representative, that they are simply seeking to serve Mission Viejo residents, rings hollow. Could it simply be that T-Mobile cares more about its profits than the people of Mission Viejo? I support a company trying to make money. This is the American way. However, doing so by disadvantaging the neighbors of one of your facilities seems at the very least poor public relations.

Another question about T-Mobile's installation on the Moulton Niguel water tank needs to be asked. Since cell phone carriers are all using similar technologies, why was T-Mobile the only carrier whose antennas would be on the water tank? It seems that there should be a complete moratorium on all new cell sites until every existing site contains the antennas of every carrier trying to serve Mission Viejo. If, at this point, the citizens of Mission Viejo feel the need for more cell phone coverage, then and only then a few more selected sites, housing all cell phone carriers' antennas, might be constructed.

Until that time, Mission Viejo should say no to T-Mobile's water tank proposal and all others that do not propose to use existing cellular antenna sites.

Interference From On High
Staff editorial

A Republican operative’s statewide strategy appeared in the Orange County Register [“California Focus: California GOP’s plan to expand,” Oct. 23]. Ron Nehring, a California Republican Party chairman, discusses the GOP’s intent to influence local elections throughout the state.

Nehring credits his idea to a leader of Mexico’s PAN party, which made inroads against its opposition by focusing on local contests. Nehring suggests local winners can become the “farm team” for higher office.

Meddling of outsiders is nothing new in Mission Viejo, where residents already feel the pain of interference. In the 2006 city election, nine Republicans were smart enough to find City Hall and pull papers on their own. A tenth Republican candidate, Justin McCusker, was recruited by the county GOP, according to statements made by party members associated with the Republican Central Committee. Taking credit for McCusker’s candidacy prior to the election were county party chair Scott Baugh and his buddy on the Mission Viejo council, Frank Ury.

McCusker, a Mission Viejo resident of two years, had no roots and was practically unknown in the city. Longtime residents found him to be uninformed about city issues. By Election Day, even Ury appeared to dump McCusker, promoting only Diane Greenwood, a longtime Democrat who switched parties when she decided to run for office. Ury came up with a goose egg: annoying his fellow council members for campaigning against them and selling out his party by supporting Greenwood, a Republicrat, who also lost.

Why would any Mission Viejo resident, Republican or Democrat, care about endorsements from county-level politicians? Names in the news lately include top dogs Sheriff Mike Carona and County Treasurer/Tax Collector Chriss Street, who are both subjects of federal investigations. A lesser-known Republican operative is Jeff Nielsen, who currently faces multiple felony charges as a sexual predator. Did the OC Register “forget” to cover the news of his arrest?

Independent county bloggers mention there’s more to come. One anticipates the indictment of County D.A. Tony Rackaukas and “kingmaker” Mike Schroeder. The blogger says, “The Orange County machine is going to fall.” Perhaps indictment of others will result from plea bargaining of the Sheriff, who faces up to 100 years in prison if he’s convicted on seven felony counts. The county’s GOP bosses appear to know something’s up. Almost everyone who was defending Carona’s behavior two weeks ago suddenly stopped talking (except for Schroeder and his associates at the Red blog, a/k/a the Red-faced blog). Rackaukas gives short answers when people ask why his office didn’t prosecute Carona. Nielsen, whose trial begins Dec. 4, has ties to numerous GOP bigwigs, who get hopping mad when their names appear in the same paragraph with his.

Shouldn’t the county chiefs get their own house in order rather than trying to “fix” city politics? Who at the county level could do the best job of cleaning up? Party Chair Scott Baugh was indicted more than 10 years ago by Or. Co. D.A. Mike Capizzi, but he beat the charges. (As an aside, a Mission Viejo activist said she met Nielsen when he was working in Baugh’s campaign in the late ‘90s. Nielsen also worked for D.A. Rackaukas as an intern.) Capizzi in the 1990s was chastised for his “overzealous prosecution,” especially when he went after his Republican brethren. He was replaced by Tony Rackaukas, who developed a reputation for political favoritism and selective prosecution. Interestingly, it took more than 40 months to bring Nielsen to trial following his 2003 arrest.

It’s difficult to give every higher-up a dishonorable mention in the space of two pages when the cast of characters rivals War and Peace.

What’s the value of a county endorsement for local candidates when the county has become an embarrassment? According to Nehring, the party recently decided to “streamline the process for bringing state party resources to bear for officially endorsed Republican local candidates.” Apparently, anointed candidates can expect to receive state Republican money.

In 2006, County Chairman Baugh appointed Ury as city chair of Mission Viejo. Ury was allegedly responsible for such activities as distributing the county-printed list of endorsed candidates, with volunteers placing door-hangers at homes of Republican voters. Did anyone get one? City activists found only one precinct (47-201, near Los Alisos and Muirlands), where a volunteer distributed about a dozen such pieces of literature. The volunteer, who didn’t live in Mission Viejo, told an activist she’d been asked by the county to walk Mission Viejo because of a shortage of Mission Viejo workers (“no workers” would be more accurate). Ury either didn’t or couldn’t find anyone who wanted to associate with him or distribute county literature endorsing such an odd trio – John Paul Ledesma, Trish Kelley and Justin McCusker.

McCusker, who finished near the bottom on Election Day, already had his Mission Viejo home up for sale during his campaign. He moved to Rancho Santa Margarita shortly after the election.

Given the embarrassment of county politics, perhaps the day is coming when such endorsements will have no impact at all in a local race. If the state party would instead like to donate its cash toward certain criminal defense funds, that would be fine.

There’s a New Blog in Town
Editorial staff

Longtime Mission Viejo resident and political activist Brad Morton is reviving his Mission Viejo Dispatch, which he first launched in 2004. Following a hiatus, Brad has revised and enhanced its look and features.

The MissionViejoCA.org blog publisher and staffers welcome the Dispatch’s revival. With Brad’s background (law, activism, news writing), he brings expertise and experience to the quest for open government. Blog staffers worked in Brad’s unsuccessful 2004 bid for a city council seat when more than 12,000 residents voted for him. Staffers also note that Brad frequently was the lone vote for responsible government when he served on the city planning commission in 2005-2006.

MissionViejoCA.org writers anticipate the Dispatch will complement rather than duplicate its offerings. One staff member said, “With Brad’s background as an attorney, he has the tenacity and patience required for discovery. The weasels in city hall warrant watching, and Brad will do a great job of exposing them. We’ll continue doing what we do, and I hope the spirit of friendly competition will make us even better at it.”

Visit the Dispatch at http://missionviejodispatch.com

Same Monkeys, Different Trees
Reader response

Thanks for all the support in bringing to light all the issues involved with Capistrano High School. I took your advice last week and sent a respectful email regarding the condition of Capistrano High School. I illustrated the point by sharing with the board members and the superintendent my dismay at having the Wrestling Booster Club spend time (more than 200 hours) and booster club dollars to upgrade a portable, which is well past its prime, for more than 80 wrestlers to practice in while the district considers spending upwards of $12 million on a school that in underutilized at this time and probably will be for the next three to five years.

As of midnight on Sunday, I have received no reply from anyone on the board or the superintendent. My name, phone number, address and email address were all listed on my email. So much for representative government. I was hopeful that the new board members would make changes but, unfortunately, I'm not confident that any of them have the courage to make the right choices for our children. Just seems like more of the same. As an old boss of mine retorted regarding a corporate reorganization, "same monkeys, different trees.” Maybe it’s time to shake the trees.

Ron Frantz
Mission Viejo

CUSD Update: Who’s in Charge?
Editorial staff

Voters in the Nov. 2006 CUSD election got it right. The vast majority chose newcomers – reform candidates – over incumbents loyal to former superintendent James Fleming. A new majority is emerging, with Trustee Duane Stiff (a Fleming leftover) lately switching sides to vote with the three reform trustees who won last year.

The three other leftover trustees (Marlene Draper, Sheila Benecke and Mike Darnold) have dug in their heels, clinging to Fleming’s grand-style misspending. Staff members who were selected and trained by Fleming – his cronies and shills – are still running the show and putting together PowerPoint presentations to keep up appearances.

Interim Superintendent Woodrow Carter, a former military man who is used to giving orders, has been on the job for several months. He inherited Fleming’s administration, and they’re apparently telling the new guy that last year’s voter revolt was “just a few unhappy parents.”

On Nov. 5, the board room was filled with two groups who engaged in a tug-of-war over millions of dollars to be spent on facilities. The new high school, San Juan Hills, was represented by students and their parents who demanded stadium seating. Other schools, including Newhart and Capo High, were represented by parents who asked for such basics as clean buildings and adequate numbers of restrooms.

When Carter presented the report for the agenda item, one might expect that he would be even-handed, but he wasn’t. Those who attended the meeting said he advocated for the $3 million stadium for the new school, which has already cost more than $140 million.

Trustees voted 4-3 to table the item. If Carter was surprised, it shows he doesn’t accept the prevalent mood of the community or understand the dynamics of the school board.

Carter needs to get a handle on spending, and he needs to demand accountability from district employees who offer bizarre explanations of funding. Examples of administrative confusion abound, including multiple versions about how the district would pay to finish the new high school. As another disturbing matter, parents discovered $24 million of Measure A funds – bond money taxpayers approved to modernize old CUSD facilities – was used to build the new high school.

A CUSD resident commented on the information being presented and misrepresented: “Either those who are responsible for school finance don’t know what they’re doing or they’re shifting money around until no one can figure out how it was spent. A parent with a background in finance said the district needs a financial analyst to sort it out.”

The PowerPoint presentation on Nov. 5 said money is available to use on the new high school (by bringing it to the top of the priority list). But it didn’t show pictures of all the old schools that have fallen below state minimum standards. Older school campuses with aging portables look like trailer parks. Even the priorities at the new school are backwards, with the administrative staff and three holdover trustees preferring a stadium and pool over completing the required number of classrooms. Some residents were surprised to hear plans to bring a portable onto the new campus even before construction is finished.

A parent who has been attending the Carter-conceived Facilities Subcommittee meetings said the purpose is more a marketing or P.R. tool than a forum about problems and solutions. Her impression conflicts with Carter’s stated intent of open government and public participation.

With a reform-minded majority emerging on the board of trustees and voters dumping incumbents in the 2006 election, Carter cannot afford to ignore the obvious message. If he can’t manage to jump on the train, he should at least jump off the tracks.

The Buzz column, Nov. 17

Oops! The secret is out: Mission Viejo officially has gang activity. Both the OC Register and LA Times covered a judge’s approval of a gang injunction, designed to help law enforcement break up South County gangs. Anyone who watches city council meetings might conclude Mission Viejo has no gangs, no crime and no problems except for a few grumbling gadflies. Mission Viejo is the “safest city in the universe,” particularly when a city election is on the horizon. According to residents, gang activity started years ago along Crown Valley as well as Los Alisos Blvd. Gang members are leaving their marks around town, tagging and cross-tagging.

***

What will the council do since the media broke the news? The OC Register story provided the name of Mission Viejo’s very own gang, Varrio Viejo. This being the City of Character and all, how about having a city-funded outreach program for gangstas? Maybe they’re just misdirected youth who dropped out of school before learning all 12 character words. The Buzz suggests “Hugz for Thugz.” Stop the violence with social engineering.

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The city held a Housing Element Workshop on Nov. 13, which wasn’t real well attended. Only one Mission Viejo resident showed up. He was greeted by city staffers and others in attendance, who identified themselves as developers, planners or members of the Urban Land Institute. For anyone unfamiliar with the ULI, it’s the group that presented a concept for turning the retail center at Marguerite and La Paz into an affordable housing project – stores on the bottom and residents (who apparently don’t own cars) living upstairs. The ULI/affordable housing director spoke on the benefits of high-density housing, claiming there is no more crime in affordable projects than in market-rate complexes. The ULI’s conclusion: Mission Viejo will have to live with all the developments to come. Resident’s reaction: Who’s running this city?

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An item on the council’s Nov. 5 agenda indicates some speed limits will be raised around town. Residents might be happy to know the speed limit on Marguerite Parkway will change from 40 mph to 45 mph. between La Paz and Avery. Now that nearly every Mission Viejo resident has either received a ticket on that stretch or hit the brakes upon seeing a patrolman, traffic will flow again. Alicia Parkway’s speed limit will go from 45 mph to 50 mph between Marguerite and Trabuco. With stoplights at each end, plus two more in between, good luck on reaching 50 mph. The real problem on Alicia is the cut-through traffic coming from communities to the east. Drivers reach speeds of 60 mph or higher as they fly by the lake, where pedestrians walk and cross the street at Finisterra.

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Assemblyman Todd Spitzer was the guest speaker at Saddleback Republican Assembly’s Nov. 15 meeting. He surprised audience members by indicating he didn’t approve of the way Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley handled the Capo school district recall. An attendee later said, “This is the first time I’ve heard an elected official of his stature take a stand against what Neal Kelley did.”

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According to a blog reader, Mission Viejo is among cities that will get fully fluoridated water as of Nov. 19. While fluoride occurs naturally in water, the Santa Margarita Water District hadn’t previously added supplemental levels due to the lack of state funding. As of this weekend, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (the agency that supplies the Santa Margarita Water District’s drinking water) will add enough fluoride to reach the target range of .7 to 1.2 PPM – the optimum level to prevent tooth decay. The resident who relayed the information wasn’t thrilled about it. She added, “I’m checking on filtering systems. I want to be the one who decides what’s in the water I drink.”