City Lacks Checks and Balances
Staff editorial

A primary cause of Mission Viejo’s voter revolt six years ago was city hall trampling the rights of residents. Two councilwomen, Sherri Butterfield and Susan Withrow, incurred the wrath of voters, who dumped them in 2002. The old gals’ sidekick, Bill Craycraft, was up for reelection in 2004, but he decided not to run.

Despite a valiant effort by many citizens who wanted better representation, the “new and improved” 2002 council members evolved into the old. Various activists scratched their heads, wondering how Council Members Trish Kelley and Lance MacLean became so much like the old queens. The policies and attitude voters tried to change are still in place.

Days after MacLean was elected in 2002, he indicated he wasn’t serious about all those things he said during his campaign. He quickly fell in with top administrators in city hall who likely had influenced Butterfield and Withrow.

Immediately after the 2002 election, friends of the old queens publicly accused Kelley of being the puppet of an activist group, the Committee for Integrity in Government. Kelley retorted that she wasn’t anyone’s puppet. To the contrary, she became the puppet of city administrators. Her flipping on campaign promises unfolded, revealing her support for redevelopment, growing bureaucracy and fiscal irresponsibility.

Kelley’s giveaway programs center on social engineering rather than basic purposes of government. Her centerpiece is the character program with a word of the month. Instead of putting her own name on buildings in the grand style of the old regime, Kelley has carved her inane ideas in stone. A city staffer complied by having rocks sandblasted with her “character words,” and he memorialized them in a “city rock garden” funded by taxpayers.

Residents get the same result from Kelley as they got from the old queens, but Kelley smiles while ignoring residents’ pleas for representation. A few Kelley fans – largely senior citizens – focus on the frozen smile instead of the message. A recent example of deceit with a smile is the council’s drive toward dismantling the Casta del Sol golf course. How many of Kelley’s followers noticed the sham moratorium she pushed provides a loophole for developers? Three council members – Kelley, MacLean and Frank Ury – are falsely claiming to protect the golf course with the moratorium.

City staffers – not the council – are running the show. Their policies from the days of Butterfield and Withrow are unchanged, and they generally get unanimous council approval. When city employees are making major recommendations and council members are voting 5-0 in favor of the staff’s agenda, the city lacks checks and balances. With major decisions going against the will of voters, residents have no representation.

Various council members enjoy favors in exchange for supporting the staff’s agenda. The staff’s point person, Trish Kelley, gets her face in every city picture, and they try to make her sound intelligent. They write words for her, and she stumbles through them. Residents questioned if Frank Ury benefited from the city’s Wi-Fi contract with ATS. He has avoided public release of employment information following his dismissal from Intel, raising questions of other conflicts of interest. MacLean seems ebullient despite his career ending at UCI after he was charged with assault and battery at a concert on campus. Perhaps his joy stems from a developer’s promise to build his long-awaited city basketball gymnasium in exchange for his vote to carve up the Casta del Sol golf course.

Council Members Ury and Gail Reavis are up for reelection in November, and several challengers are posturing to run against them. Unlike the 2002 landslide rejection of Butterfield and Withrow, voters should look carefully at who they’re throwing in as they rush to throw the incumbents out.

Liberals Push Agenda in Public Schools
Letter to the Editor

To Parents, Grandparents and Citizens,

Did you know that in American schools today, homosexuality is being widely promoted as a right for some people? Those who object are labeled as bigots or worse. The “Day of Silence” in public schools is to protest “the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. This silence is caused by harassment, prejudice and discrimination,” according to the promoters of this year’s DOS. 

You can find information on the “Day of Silence” and how you can respond on the following Websites:
http://www.truthatschool.org/index_frames.htm and
www.missionamerica.com

This year, the DOS is Fri., April 25, but many schools are “celebrating” other days. Call your local school and ask when it is being held. I checked out the list of schools in my city, and all of the four high schools in Mission Viejo are listed as participating.

Send this to anyone with high school students and suggest that they take their children out of school that day. Students can participate in their protest against the DOS on Mon., April 28, called the “Day of Truth.” For more information, go to www.dayoftruth.org.

Keeping you informed,
Kathy Dittner

Parents Advocate League Update
by Julie Collier

A CUSD board meeting will be held this Monday, April 21, at 7:00 p.m. View the agenda at http://www.capousd.org/boardtext/boardtext4-21-08.pdf.

There are a few items of particular interest. Supt. Woodrow Carter is asking to borrow on a 2008-2009 Tax and Revenue Note (A/B) with interest. The classified workers will be officially laid off. There will be a budget update (Item 39). Several construction bids are up for vote, including an increase for the total cost of San Juan Hills High School to almost $69 million. Item 51 may be of particular interest for those who volunteer in the classroom. Carter wants all volunteers to take a TB test and criminal background check with the cost incurred by the volunteers. (I will be addressing this item regarding the cost. The district should pay for this, as volunteers are needed in the classroom. Other background tests that volunteers already have on record with their church or jobs should be considered with no further tests needed by the district.) Items 55 and 56 are presented by a citizen, Dr. Ron Lackey. He is asking the board to define the three minutes the public is allowed to address the board, and he is requesting that the board sell the new administration office building. This should be another fun night at the CUSD board meeting.

Many of you have asked what you can do to help other than go to rallies. The most important thing you can do is write to your school board members and superintendent. Even though the state is considering cutting the budget, the school board and superintendent decide what to cut and what to keep.

You can also write to the governor and your state representatives. The governor will revisit his initial budget cut plan on May 15. We will know then if he will make the choice to suspend Prop. 98. There are also many bills being introduced to the State Senators for consideration regarding public education. Some include increasing taxes and others include reducing categorical funding for school districts. You can find out about these bills at the following site. You can look them up by the number or subject (public education) at http://www.legislature.ca.gov/port-bilinfo.html. You can contact your state representatives and express to them how you would like them to vote on these bills.

Another rally was held April 18 in San Juan Capistrano. It is really amazing to see how we, as parents, are all trying to make a difference in this budget crisis. Whether you go to rallies, write letters, speak at board meetings or stay informed and involved in other ways, it speaks volumes not only to your child, but to other children as well. They know we care about their future, and we are here to fight for them in any way we can.

Thank you all for supporting our kids.

Julie Collier
www.parentsadvocateleague.org

CUSD Update
Editorial staff

It’s been several weeks since information emerged about a jet-fuel pipeline located near San Juan Hills High School, the new $150-million school in San Juan Capistrano. Some administrators probably knew about dangers of the pipeline before the school was built, but the information was recently uncovered by a CUSD constituent. It’s the latest bombshell to rock top officials, including Supt. Woodrow Carter and four old-guard majority trustees brought together by former superintendent James Fleming.

A summary of the latest problems was posted on an Or. Co. Register discussion board, http://talk.ocregister.com/showthread.php?t=23726&page=466&pp=15. The post followed an April 18 CUSD facilities subcommittee meeting. Here are key points:

• Carter admitted the need for additional land at SJHHS, which conflicts with his statements to newspapers [including the March 29 Or. Co. Register].
• Carter admitted that the need for land must be discussed publicly, which indicates the March 24 closed-session discussion violated the Brown Act.
• Carter revealed a verbal $6-million agreement with developer Gage/Concorde. A real estate agreement must be agendized, voted on and in writing to be legal.
• The revelation indicates a secret, back-room deal hidden from three new trustees.
• Carter said Gage has reneged on the agreement.
• Evidence shows a 16-inch high-pressure jet-fuel/gasoline pipeline is near SJHHS.
• Data indicated the old regime falsified reports prior to building SJHHS.
  The SJHHS EIR prepared by Trustee Marlene Draper’s daughter of Culbertson Adams and Associates did not reveal the high-pressure pipeline or its risks.
• Discussion of the pipeline dangers is causing talk about closing SJHHS.
  Carter admitted the D.A. is aggressively investigating the new revelations.
• Carter acknowledged he and others were recently interrogated by the D.A.
• Carter said parents of SJHHS students will be informed of the pipeline a.s.a.p.
• Trustees have agreed to stop spending on SJHHS, investigate legal issues and call former administrator David Doomey (who allegedly destroyed or took documents about the development of SJHHS) to answer questions.

The post concluded by thanking CUSD constituent Jim Reardon (an aerospace engineer) for the research leading to the revelation of the pipeline. Parents demanding reform also deserve credit for their tenacity in pursuing the issues and calling the D.A., who was slow and/or reluctant to investigate alleged crimes and cover-ups at CUSD.

Following the revelations about the pipeline, some sports fields at SJHHS were closed pending an investigation. The pipeline, which carries jet fuel and gasoline from Los Angeles County to San Diego County, is approximately 1,000 feet from a SJHHS sports field. California Department of Education approvals of the school appear to have been based on false information.

As a follow-up regarding felony charges against former CUSD administrators James Fleming and Susan McGill, both were back in court on April 18. A judge postponed their trial from April 28 to August 12. Fleming and McGill were indicted for their involvement in forming an “enemies list” of their political opponents. The delay was granted after the D.A. last week subpoenaed 500 pages of data from the district, which will be used as evidence. A pre-trial hearing will be held July 11.

Adults Exploiting Children for Political Advantage
by Dale Tyler

Innocent children are being used by their parents and calculating politicians to make political points. Of course, this is nothing new, but it seems to me that it is becoming more pervasive and callous. Children inherently depend on their parents and other adults to guide them along the path to maturity. Along this path they are very impressionable and can easily be mislead by those they trust.

The most recent example is from the mother in Ladera Ranch who apparently told her daughter that the proposed power plant will kill all of the children in Ladera. This 8-year-old child then told the Orange County Register (April 14), “I thought of a plant because it's like a power plant but it's good," said Lily, 8, as cars roared by honking. "I don't want diseases caused by the air and I want it to be a good community. I don't want children dying." This is the worst kind of exploitation. There is no credible evidence that the power plant will cause any illness or mass deaths of children. In fact, this parent exposes her child to a far greater likelihood of death while the child is a passenger in her car or minivan. However, this self-centered parent thinks nothing of actual risks but prefers to frighten her children instead so that gullible journalists can quote the poor child.

While there are likely to be some impacts associated with building the natural gas peaker plant inside the already exiting substation owned by San Diego Gas and Electric (SDGE), the irrational reaction exhibited by some residents of Ladera is hardly unusual. These are classic NIMBYs, consuming electricity at their residences while objecting to the production of the same. I wonder if these NIMBYs will stop using power during summer peaks? I bet they will have their air conditioners running at full power, because in their eyes they are more important than the rest of us. The builders of Ladera failed to provide sufficient infrastructure, and some of the residents don't want to shoulder their fair burden. Instead, they want power plants built in some other place while they clog the roads through Mission Viejo and other cities.

Another example of parents taking advantage of their children, although less egregious, is the use of children to protest cuts to education funding to their schools. The problem with this scenario is that parents and teachers are using the affection and respect the children have for these same teachers to create fear and uncertainty in the children. Budget cuts are a fact of life when a family or government takes in less than it spends. If a parent in these families lost their job, would they tell their children about starvation? I think not.

Every state program from education to food inspection to lifeguards has its proponents. So it is not surprising that parents of schoolchildren would be upset that less tax money is going to schools. It is reasonable that these parents should do everything they can to have as much money as possible flow to their favorite government program. In the process, they should remember that theirs is not the only worthy cause and that even cuts in every program supported by state government may be the fairest way to solve this problem and make the best of what they have. Cutting the fat, especially in CUSD, by firing every person at the CUSD headquarters making more than $65,000 a year, selling the building and putting the remaining staff back in the schools might replace much of the lost money.

The final example of using children for political gain is the worst of all. Recently, a child died in Mission Viejo of childhood leukemia. One of our local politicians, Diane Greenwood, used the death of this child to highlight her desire to run for office by claiming this child's death was directly caused by EMF from power transmission lines in her area. While there is a suspicion that EMF at high levels might contribute to the incidence of childhood leukemia, there is no solid proof of a link in this case and so any attempt to connect the child's death with Ms. Greenwood's favorite cause is taking advantage of a tragic situation. I think that any politician who uses the death of anyone as an excuse to campaign is beneath contempt.

We all need to be on guard against those who would use children to further their own ends. Adults can debate and discuss matters reasonably and understand the nuances of hyperbole and posturing. Children see things as black and white, love and hate, and should not be made afraid by their parents or politicians, especially for political gain.

The Buzz

Here’s another reason for Casta del Sol homeowners to be on high alert. The council’s April 21 closed-session agenda includes real estate negotiations between the city and Chabad Jewish Center of Mission Viejo. The property being negotiated is south of Casta del Sol Road, east of the city’s Marguerite Tennis Center and Marguerite Aquatics Center. Is this parcel targeted for another housing project? Those already fighting a developer’s effort to build housing on the north side of the road and carve up the Casta del Sol golf course now have two reasons to support the Right To Vote initiative.

***

Following the recent discovery that CUSD built the new high school, SJHHS, in San Juan Capistrano near a high-pressure, jet-fuel pipeline, Capo spokeswoman Beverly de Nicola delivered the spin. Her statement appeared in the April 18 OC Register: "We're trying to ask a lot of questions and determine if the information is accurate," de Nicola said. "We don't see this as an unsafe situation, but we understand there may be members of the public who hear this information and will become concerned." Yes, the possibility of being blown off the planet is a cause for concern.

***

Supt. Woodrow Carter took three weeks to close nearby sports fields at SJHHS after a CUSD parent publicly pointed out the jet-fuel pipeline. Prior to the new school’s approval, a report on the pipeline described it as having an automatic shutoff, which is supposed to operate within five minutes of a rupture or other problem. Given the shutoff is manual and owners of the pipeline would have to be summoned before it could be closed, their response would be about as timely as Carter’s.

***

Another blog reader’s response to city employees changing the city’s image: “The Mission Viejo Co. developed a timeless image for Mission Viejo as a family-oriented, planned community and gave it a meaningful slogan, ‘The California Promise.’ Twenty years later, a few city hall employees coined their own hokey phrase, ‘Making living your mission.’ A city staff member found a clip-art wrought-iron tree and told us that’s our logo. I hope someone will run against the current council members in November and get rid of all these people. The higher-ups at city hall are ruining our community.”

***

Following the city staff’s odd string of slogans in the City Outlook (“Make living your mission,” “Make education your mission,” “Make champions your mission,” etc.), here are messages to the city staff: “Make bad slogans your mission,” “Make wasting time your mission,” “Make annoying us your mission” and “Make wasting our money your mission.” The mission of city employees is clearly not the mission of those who live here.

***

Council candidates are emerging, and the election is still six months away. Those talking about running include two well-known community members who are responsible adults. This doesn’t include another likely candidate, Diane Greenwood, who ran unsuccessfully in 2006 as an irresponsible adult who lied to the Fire Authority about her campaign. Greenwood listed her profession as a high-tech rope entrepreneur, which roughly translated as a housewife who hangs herself when given enough rope. She’s currently putting together another scheme that will cost the city a fortune. She and three other tinfoil hatters are foisting an EMF campaign on taxpayers as another false claim they’ll get the power lines buried. Has anyone not had enough of the rope entrepreneur?

***

Comments continue on various blogs about city hall employees wasting an enormous amount of time planning the city’s weeklong 20th anniversary party. With no other major anniversary on the horizon for at least five years, can the city staff now be trimmed by 50 percent? If Trish Kelley’s “character” program were dropped, another 10 employees would have absolutely nothing to do. If Kelley’s failed taxi program ended, how many more employees could be laid off? Compare Mission Viejo’s bloated bureaucracy with that of neighboring planned community Rancho Santa Margarita. RSM, a city half the size of Mission Viejo, has fewer than 25 permanent, full-time employees. Mission Viejo has approximately 135. RSM uses consultants for services that are needed occasionally and avoids the costs of ongoing salaries of unneeded personnel, along with endless benefits and pensions. Mission Viejo employees who have such real responsibilities as maintaining slopes and other infrastructure have chosen instead to involve themselves in party planning, coining slogans and designing rock gardens.