Get Deputies into Communities
by Bo Klein

Sheriff Jack Anderson is on the job following the indictment of former Sheriff Mike Carona. One of Sheriff Anderson’s first acts was to propose a reorganization of staffing of the jails, which would potentially save the taxpayer millions of dollars. Under his plan, instead of using highly trained and highly paid deputies to act as jail keepers for up to four years, Sheriff Anderson proposes getting those deputies out into the communities on patrol where the high pay and training are most desired and effective. He intends to staff the jails with traditional penal-system trained employees who are much more focused for the long term on the activities of jail management. This plan would free up police officers to do what they became officers to do: protect the innocent, not the incarcerated.

I see no problem with this conservative approach. The current Carona policy appears to be nothing more than institutionalizing personnel, hardening their viewpoints of the general population they deal with on the streets to a suspicious and possibly adversarial nature. I further doubt any police officer actually desires to work within prison walls, and I would hate think that these officers had to maneuver themselves politically to work within Carona’s policies in order to be promoted out of the prison system.

When Sheriff Anderson and I were both serving on the City of Mission Viejo Planning Commission, I witnessed his hard work to encourage a better judicial system serving his residents. On more than one occasion, Anderson challenged and promoted development projects to include provisions and funding for a South County judicial complex, which would replace the failing Courthouse and inefficient leased police headquarters in Aliso Viejo. He proposed a central location for a police headquarters that would have a quicker response capability, as opposed to the downtime for travel to service Mission Viejo and surrounding contract communities. Overhauling today’s jail system, which was incorporated under the Carona plan, would install a new Anderson plan with cost-savings possibly reverted to the much needed South County Judicial Center of courthouse and police headquarters.

Despite the scrutiny and suspicion of the Sheriff’s office brought on by his predecessor, I think Jack Anderson has always demonstrated his goals are in the best interests of the entire community and not self-serving policies as some say we had under Carona’s reign.

Another Nasty Campaign in Store
Staff editorial

One challenger for Mission Viejo City Council appeared to kick off her campaign at the Feb. 18 council meeting. Diane Greenwood, who ran unsuccessfully in 2006, is back. Her issue is Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) levels near the power lines in north Mission Viejo, but her claim of danger from power lines is failing to get traction. Two EMF consultants presented reports at the Feb. 18 council meeting. The report based on meaningful measurements concluded the power lines are performing as anticipated, and EMF readings are within the anticipated range.

Are the power lines in Mission Viejo unsightly? Yes. Are they within the jurisdiction of the city council? No. The California Public Utilities Commission rules on power lines, and the CPUC made its decision on the new lines known as the Viejo System Project in 2004. A group of Mission Viejo residents formed No Overhead Powerlines by Edison (N.O.P.E.) more than four years ago, but their sole accomplishment was getting Frank Ury elected to the city council in 2004.

If Ury ever gave a rip about power lines or EMF, he chose to do nothing during the past 3 1/2 years. The only quick response from Ury was the speed with which he spit in everyone’s face after he won a council seat in 2004. With his reelection campaign gearing up, he again needs a few strong folks to carry him around on their shoulders. In return for their labor, he’ll wear a N.O.P.E. T-shirt.

If Mission Viejo residents are concerned about EMF dangers in their homes, they should take EMF measurements and determine the source of any high readings. If sources are found within their home, they can take remedial steps. Despite the clamor over EMF, no one has claimed a high EMF reading in a home as a result of the Viejo System Project. If residents are concerned about EMF under the lines, they should not get under the lines.

In 2006, Diane Greenwood ran the most negative campaign anyone can remember. Her personal attacks were unparalleled, and her lies were widely known. She got caught in a whopper when she interviewed with the Fire Authority for their endorsement, and the firemen were angry. Equally troubling, Greenwood benefited from a $5,000 donation made by an owner of the Unisys site who wants his property rezoned for high-density residential use. He appeared to make a deal to get the agreement of Greenwood and her cohort candidates (Greenwood, Bill Barker and Justin McCusker) to support rezoning his property if they won. Fortunately for anyone who is concerned about overcrowding, too many cars and a domino-effect of apartment-building, they lost.

Greenwood and her campaign supporters who frequently speak at council meetings are already throwing stink bombs. Councilman Lance MacLean has been rightly criticized for flipping on his campaign promises of 2002. Additionally, he admitted assaulting a co-worker at UCI, and he apologized publicly. But Greenwood and her camp piled on by adding lies, claiming that MacLean was caught stealing her campaign signs in 2006. This false information has been posted elsewhere on blogs by two Mission Viejo residents who gave only Greenwood’s version.

Here’s the whole truth regarding Greenwood’s signs. In addition to posting signs with his own name, MacLean printed a batch of negative signs against Greenwood and Barker. Greenwood and her camp reacted by obscuring the negative signs – placing her signs directly in front of MacLean’s, one inch away. Greenwood’s tactics were dirty but not illegal. When MacLean moved Greenwood’s sign from in front of his – placing it a foot away, Greenwood called 911 and claimed he had “stolen” her sign. As a problem for her claim, the sign was still there – obviously not stolen. According to Greenwood, MacLean committed a crime by moving her sign from directly in front of his. The police disagreed, saying no crime had been committed. Greenwood should either have been fined for calling 911, or she should have been billed for the cost of two police cars being sent to the scene to sort out her childish prank.

Never mind that Greenwood’s unethical behavior created the problem. MacLean was maligned by the Greenwood camp, and they continue lying about it to this day.

Greenwood has since added another twist to her story after being criticized for calling 911. She now says she felt “threatened” because MacLean raised his voice during their street-corner exchange. Anyone who has seen Greenwood in action should find her claim laughable.

This blog’s writers and contributors are not fans of MacLean. Their criticisms are based on MacLean’s real behavior and voting record, which are bad enough. But before residents work themselves into a frenzy calling for MacLean’s resignation, they should consider who the current council majority might choose to replace him. MacLean was elected in 2002 when more than 14,000 voters thought it couldn’t get worse than Susan Withrow and Sherri Butterfield. MacLean was reelected in 2006 when voters narrowly decided that the closest challenger – Diane Greenwood – was even worse than MacLean.

The crowds showing up to protest the power lines have greatly diminished from the 400-plus who attended the rallies orchestrated by N.O.P.E. in 2004. By contrast, very few came to the council meeting on Feb. 18 after the N.O.P.E. group tried again to rally the same people. Perhaps it’s a good sign that Mission Viejo residents have wised up to Greenwood’s real mission.

Those who are sincerely concerned about EMF might believe their interests will be served by jumping on Greenwood’s bandwagon. Her bandwagon is headed toward city hall, where inmates already run the asylum. The only worse scenario than having MacLean or Greenwood on the council is the possibility they could both be on the council in November. If Greenwood can fool enough of the people enough of the time, it could happen.

CUSD Update, March 8
Editorial staff

While some people applauded Supt. Woodrow Carter’s decision not to accept a $28,000 raise, others focused on a follow-up question. Is it true that Carter can request retroactive payment of his salary and benefits at a future time? He indicated he can.

Regarding other decisions Carter might make, he’s in a tough spot with four old-guard trustees voting as the majority. If he starts looking too much like a reformer or if he opposes their big spending on the $150-million “dump” high school, they could fire him.

The Registrar of Voters has until Tues., March 12, to count signatures for the recall of holdover Trustees Sheila Benecke and Marlene Draper. If the RoV puts a recall election on the ballot, Benecke and Draper will likely be gone in a few months. If Carter then quickly changes into a reform-driven waste-cutter, perhaps he’ll be viewed as politically savvy, catering to two different majorities during his first year on the job.

Carter indicated during the Feb. 27 town hall meeting at Capo High that next year’s budget will call for additional cuts. With no economic turnaround currently in sight, he’s probably correct. Perhaps Carter is waiting until the majority changes (say, in June if the recall election is on) to recommend changes that reform-minded parents have suggested all along.

If that’s the case, he should recommend immediately after the election: 1) putting a “hold” on all spending at the new high school, 2) mothballing the new high school until housing growth warrants reopening it, and 3) putting the Taj Mahal administration building up for sale. Carter has missed the opportunity to lead, but he could still move these items forward before a new majority beats him to it. He should then proceed to recommend undoing everything the old majority approved with a 4-3 vote since November 2006.

It took time to prove former Supt. James Fleming and his Stepford trustees were lying about how the administration center would be financed. They falsely claimed some of the funds couldn’t be used for anything but an administration building. They said redevelopment money from San Juan Capistrano would cover it, and that was a lie. They took money from Mello-Roos funds. They spent Newhart’s modernization money on their luxurious office building. They said money wouldn’t be taken from the General Fund to make payments on the loan, and now it appears there’s no other way to pay.

Administrators and administrative support personnel have increased dramatically at CUSD in recent years, yet the district is first eliminating high numbers of teaching positions to cut costs. Some Mission Viejo residents have said the district won’t stop wasting money until it has none left to waste. Astoundingly, CUSD seems willing to cut deep in areas that directly diminish education while it continues wasting money on outrageously high salaries, bonuses and extravagant offices for administrators.

Ideally, two new, reform-minded trustees will be seated in June, and everyone should hope they know a thing or two about school finance.

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.