What’s Wrong?
Staff editorial

The council spent $20,000 of taxpayer dough in 2006 for a push-poll city survey to show that residents are happy about where they live. The survey consultant – True North Research – found similar results elsewhere, regardless of which city it was paid to assess. Rather than a unique statement about the fabulous job the Mission Viejo city staff and council are doing, perhaps it’s more a conclusion that people make a deliberate choice about where they live.

This blog has vigorously defended the city’s Master Plan and the California Promise that drew residents to Mission Viejo. Blog staffers each week publish evidence the city staff and council are chipping away at the city’s foundation of a planned community comprised of hardworking, law-abiding residents. Staff members who disdain the Master Plan relentlessly proceed to destroy it each time they get three votes on the council to inflict their will. Frequently, Councilmen Frank Ury and Lance MacLean immediately sign on, and getting a third vote is usually no problem.

This blog on June 10, 2006, published a representative sampling of a councilman’s role, which hasn’t changed:

Ury continues to criticize his fellow council members. At the June 5 [2006] meeting, he said, ‘This council doesn't understand its roles and responsibilities.’ What has his role been on the council? Ury tried to give a $1-million city park to his homeowner's association. He voted to dismantle the former Planning Commission and dump progress toward a state-required affordable-housing plan. His vote for Steadfast's housing project resulted in a lawsuit against the city. Ury also promoted the $200,000 contract for what turned out to be a cell-tower lobbyist, who could receive up to $2 million in commissions. Some residents describe Ury's role as the biggest threat to the city.

Mission Viejo’s primary problem – perhaps its only major liability – is city hall. City staffers are strident in changing the city, and the council is comprised of five enablers who lack initiative, except for enriching developers and their lobbyist friends. All five long ago abandoned their campaign promises to residents. The California Promise has been broken, largely because the city’s elected officials can’t keep their word.

Occasionally, a blog reader asks, “Why do blog staffers write about negative aspects when the city has so many positives?” Readers who want only “good” news can find it in another publication, The Mission Viejo News (free copies are available in the city library), which publishes only positive articles. Is it a surprise Mission Viejo News includes nothing about city hall or council members? This news blog dwells on the council and city staff to raise awareness of real problems and solutions. Only voters can change the direction by casting out incumbents who refuse to lead on behalf of residents.

Brad Morton recently revived his Mission Viejo Dispatch (http://missionviejodispatch.com), which aligns to a remarkable degree with this blog. A county blog (http://www.theorangejuice.com) occasionally conveys the same message. A recent example can be found in the latter’s revelation of lies offered by Mission Viejo city staffers regarding the destruction of the city’s manual message board at La Paz and Marguerite. With a 3-2 vote, the council approved wasting $147,000 on an electronic sign that residents oppose. As usual, Ury, MacLean and Trish Kelley promoted the city staff’s recommendation. City staff, first lying to the public that no volunteers were available to change the manual board, added another whopper that the manual board had to be taken down because of its “condition.” Volunteers – who were willing and able to continue updating the manual board – challenged both claims.
The Saddleback Valley News, which long ago abandoned investigative reporting, publishes press releases written by city hall staff members. Such articles neither rely on truth nor are they representative of city issues. Whole truth is left to city blogs, which receive no pay whatsoever from advertisers or subscribers.

During an otherwise quiet week when city hall is shut down to celebrate its politically correct version of the holidays – Ramahanikwanzmas or whatever they want to call it – residents can read the plastic (vinyl) banner that partially obscures the monument sign reserved for civic organizations on the northwest corner of La Paz and Marguerite. Thanks to the banner erected by city staffers, residents can still stay abreast of the city’s hypocritical word of the month until staffers complete the construction of their electronic propaganda board across the street.

Lighten Up
Forwarded by Editor-in-Chief Carl Schulthess

No one enjoys freedom of religious expression quite like children. Following are examples forwarded by Editor-in-Chief Carl Schulthess.

• Quoting three-year-old Reese: "Our Father, Who art in heaven, Harold is His name.”
• After the christening of his baby brother, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father repeatedly asked him what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys."
• One particular four-year-old prayed: "Forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."
• A Sunday school teacher asked her students as they were on the way to a church service.  "Why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."
• A mother was preparing pancakes for her young sons, Kevin and Ryan. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson, and she said, "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus."
• A father was at the beach with his children when his four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back?"
• A woman invited several people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I don’t know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you heard Mommy say," she answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why did I invite all these people to dinner?"  

CUSD Update
Editorial staff

There’s little doubt about it – the Fleming-era majority on the Capo school board will end in 2008. The deadline to turn in signatures for the current recall effort (targeting Trustees Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke) is Jan. 29, 2008. Voters will soon learn if they’ll have the opportunity to dump the two incumbents in a special election, which would likely occur in April or May.

For the recall to qualify for the ballot, recall supporters need 20,500 valid signatures per trustee. This number represents 10 percent of registered voters in the Capo district. Recall proponents will likely want a cushion of several thousand signatures to offset those disqualified (e.g., not registered voters or residing outside the district).

Without the recall, all four holdover trustees (Draper, Benecke, Mike Darnold and Duane Stiff) would be up for reelection in November, and Draper has already said she won’t run again. After the wide margin of victory for reform candidates in November 2006, recall supporters are confident no Fleming-era trustee will win another election.

With only three reform-minded trustees on the board, the most important decisions throughout 2007 were controlled by Fleming holdover trustees with 4-3 votes. A recall supporter commented, “The district administration continues to spend time, effort and money on damage control and spin instead of education. As soon as the majority changes on the school board, the first order of business should be a thorough housecleaning. I’m very tired of board meetings that focus on dog-and-pony shows with administrators congratulating themselves. It’s tough to get anything fixed after watching the circus performers claim everything is wonderful.”

As another matter, controversy continues over a Capo Valley High School teacher’s comments in an American history class. A 16-year-old student, Chad Farnan, and his parents filed suit against James Corbett for making anti-Christian remarks. According to those supporting Corbett, an instructor is entitled to exercise his rights to free speech. Those supporting the student say the teacher often uses highly inappropriate and offensive remarks during class. On a tape recording made by the student, the teacher said in an Oct. 19 lecture, “When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.”

According to a Dec. 20 article in the L.A. Times, the student’s sister said of the instructor, “If he wants to teach like that, he should be at a university.”

No explanation was given as to why university students wouldn’t be offended at anti-Christian remarks. A minister attending a Dec. 19 rally near the high school said the lawsuit is overdue. In today’s politically correct world, it may appear that all creeds except Christianity are protected from slams and insults.

The Buzz column, Dec. 27

California absentee ballots will be mailed to voters on Jan. 7. According to USA Today, nearly half the state’s electorate will vote by absentee ballot in the California presidential primary, which will be held Tues., Feb. 5. The election will also include seven ballot measures related to transportation, education funding, legislative term limits and tribal casinos.

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In last week’s blog, a Mission Viejo resident sent humorous suggestions, including a new city logo with 20 cars backed up at a stoplight. He inspired another reader to email updated lyrics for “Downtown,” Petula Clark’s 1964 hit, beginning with “When you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go sit in traffic.”

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Brad Morton reported news in his Mission Viejo Dispatch of the Planning Commission’s Dec. 10 selection of a chairman and vice chair. Rick Sandzimier was elected by his commission peers as chairman for 2008, and Mynette Beauchamp was elected as vice-chair. Commissioner Dave Leckness nominated himself for chair and vice-chair, but no one seconded his motions.

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The Buzz suspects Commissioner Leckness was merely following Councilwoman Trish Kelley’s Dec. 3 example when she elbowed her way to the front of the line to become the city’s 2008 mayor. The council on Dec. 3 also “updated” the city’s image to include the words “gracious, esteemed and harmonious.” The gracious, esteemed and harmonious practice applied by Kelley used to be called shameless self-promotion.

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A Buzz reader sent his take on the council’s benevolent attitude toward developers: “All five council members did everything they could to help their financier, Steadfast, ruin the neighborhoods near Jeronimo and Los Alisos. What Steadfast didn’t know is that this council screws up everything it touches. The council only ‘helped’ the developer toward financial ruin. I’m reading that Steadfast allegedly wants out of its deal with the city and is trying to get the property zoned back to commercial in order to unload it. How nice of the council to use its magic, turning everything it touches into [bleep].”

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A reader followed up on comments in The Buzz regarding the city staff’s attempt to unravel the Master Plan: “The city staff is real focused on the area around city hall at Marguerite and La Paz. It’s as if these out-of-town city employees have never ventured more than a block from where they work. I can imagine them going out for lunch and griping about pizza and sandwiches. No wonder they are talking about “pedestrian traffic” when residents are driving cars. In the meantime, the commercial area along Los Alisos is declining, and more graffiti is showing up along the street. No one ever talks about other retail centers. What about the business consultant the council hired six months ago? Why don’t we hear anything about results? Considering the council is using the same consultant as Lake Forest, this sounds like the so-called regional plan of the South County Chamber of Commerce, which the council also supports. This council and the city staff are clueless.”