Scofflaws at Kaleidoscope
by Dale Tyler

Once again, the Kaleidoscope is ignoring the Mission Viejo Sign Code. The latest example was when the Kaleidoscope Gallery put up large signs in the city-owned median of Crown Valley Parkway near I-5 sometime on April 6 or early April 7, 2008. Not only were the signs illegal, but they were not even on Kaleidoscope property. City staff was notified early in the morning, but the signs were still up at 4:00 p.m. The signs were finally removed after a citizen insisted that they be removed immediately.

When the city was contacted about the illegal signs, it was difficult to find out if there had been a permit issued to allow the signs to be posted. Finally, someone at the city took the initiative to remove the blight imposed on the residents of Mission Viejo by the Kaleidoscope Gallery.

We have written before about the numerous violations of the very strict sign ordinances that exist at Howie's Game Shack. The types of signs displayed in the windows surrounding the store are oversized, ugly and specifically prohibited by law in Mission Viejo. However, perhaps due to generous contributions to several council members, city code enforcement officials have been told to not enforce our sign codes for the Kaleidoscope.

One has to wonder why there are two sign codes in the city, one for friends of certain members of the City Council (Kelly, MacLean, Ury) and one for the rest of the law-abiding businesses in Mission Viejo. Why do we as citizens allow pay-for-play politics in Mission Viejo?