Mission Viejo Buzz - 03/08/08

The Buzz column, March 8

Quite a few Buzz readers asked about the voter initiative proposed by a council member at the March 3 council meeting. It was unrelated to the citizen-driven Mission Viejo Right-To-Vote Initiative, which should appear on the ballot in November. Councilwoman Gail Reavis’ proposed initiative addressed rezoning of only recreational or open space. It wasn’t the right initiative to protect all of Mission Viejo, and the fact it died without a second to the motion simplifies matters. Having two initiatives about rezoning on the same ballot would have been confusing.

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Did anyone believe the council’s happy talk on March 3 that the Casta del Sol golf course will be preserved? Council Members Trish Kelley and Frank Ury tried to gloss over the developer’s ongoing push to buy the property and build housing at the south end. Word is well circulated that Councilman Lance MacLean’s basketball gymnasium is included in the developer’s plans, which explains why he can barely contain his support for the developer. Without a voter initiative to prevent rezoning of the golf course, this council would likely vote 5-0 to rezone. The current council has never voted against a developer’s rezoning proposal, and they’ve rezoned five properties despite overwhelming opposition from residents.

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HOA presidents of Casta del Sol, Finisterra on the Green and Cypress Point might be taking heat from homeowners after one of the presidents was quoted in the March 7 Saddleback Valley News. Joyce Saltzgiver, Casta’s HOA president, told SVN she hoped she could work with Sunrise. Don’t forget Steadfast’s tactics in getting approval for its project at Los Alisos and Jeronimo. Steadfast invited nearby homeowners to a “free lunch,” and a few left believing it would be wonderful to have an affordable housing project next door. That’s what happens when someone “works with a developer.” Those who are gullible are used as battering rams by the developer against their neighbors.

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The March 3 council meeting was stranger than usual. Councilman John Paul Ledesma attended only the closed session, and Councilman MacLean attended only a portion of the open session, saying he was ill. After the council took a break during the open session, only Kelley, Ury and Gail Reavis remained in the room. Instead of returning to the dais, Reavis abruptly left as the meeting resumed. Kelley continued the meeting without a quorum. Before long, City Attorney Bill Curley woke up and told Kelley a meeting could not be held without a quorum. Ms. Kelley argued she could continue anyway (as if sitting in the center seat trumps all else), but Curley announced, “The meeting is over.”

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To participate in a survey about CUSD Supt. Woodrow Carter turning down a $28,000 raise, go to the Capistrano Dispatch Website, http://www.thecapistranodispatch.com, and look for the poll on the lower left side of the page. Was his decision to reject the raise a sign of good leadership or was he pressured into it? Additional information is helpful to know. On the day after he rejected the raise, Carter said he would seek it again when the timing is better and ask that it be retroactive.

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A Capo USD resident is formally requesting the sale of the Education Center. The CUSD Board of Trustees will hear the item at the regular board meeting on April 21. The item was originally scheduled for March 10, but it was postponed to April 21 at the request of the citizen, Dr. Ron Lackey. He stated that funds from the sale of the administration building should be used “to help resolve the CUSD fiscal crisis and the approaching insolvency of CUSD caused by deficit spending.” Lackey said the most recent time a citizen placed an item on the board’s agenda, the item was placed last, requiring the citizen to wait until after midnight to speak on the subject.

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The practice of making residents wait for an agenda item sounds familiar to those who follow Mission Viejo council meetings. The hotter the topic, the longer the wait. The council’s strategy often works, as residents get tired and leave before their item comes up.