Support Is (Almost) Unanimous
Staff editorial

With the Mission Viejo Right To Vote Initiative, residents’ opinions will count. Patterned after successful initiatives in other cities, the Right To Vote will give residents the final decision in any major land-use change. In the event a council majority rules in favor of a developer (for example, if Sunrise gets three votes to rezone the Casta del Sol golf course to housing), residents could overrule the council’s decision with a popular vote. It’s a simple remedy that most voters understand.

Rezoning proposals are already looming, and the Casta del Sol Golf Course is just one of the targets. The concerns of Casta residents are justified that the entire golf course will be carved up by Sunrise and sold to other housing developers. Sunrise has floated rumors it would use only a small portion of the property and preserve the remainder as an 18-hole course. The rumor defies logic, particularly the aspect that Sunrise wouldn’t resell the rest of the property with a potential market value of $50 million after it’s rezoned. Anyone who has followed the recent lawsuits against Sunrise in Laguna Hills may have seen the allegations that Sunrise endangered the lives of its residents by understaffing its facilities to save money. Families of two deceased residents of Sunrise facilities each received a million dollars in settlements. Regardless of Sunrise’s positive or negative image as a caring and magnanimous corporation, the claim of preserving the golf course is a trick, and residents should know better.

How far will a developer go to get property rezoned over the objections of neighbors? Steadfast provided an example in its relentless effort to rezone its parcel at Jeronimo and Los Alisos. It started with a proposal for 800 apartments and changed the plan numerous times before partnering with Target. As part of its hoax, Steadfast heartlessly led some people to believe they could get a job at Target and buy one of the “affordable” condos that Steadfast planned to build next door. Steadfast’s PR scheme included presentations in which neighbors could get a free lunch if they listened to a sales pitch about the project. Several gullible residents not only ate the lunch, they swallowed the bait and signed statements saying they approved of the housing project. Steadfast succeeded in finding several residents – most of them renters – who turned against homeowners trying to protect their property values and preserve their quality of life.

Council members are gullible as well, particularly Councilwoman Trish Kelley who focused on Steadfast’s promise to give $1 million to the city as a “park fee.” Kelley was all excited about spending the fantasy money on “projects around town,” and she alluded to the community center expansion. To the contrary, taxpayers funded the expansion, and Steadfast left town, paying nothing. Where’s the million dollars? Meanwhile, the vacant property next to Target was oddly reshaped into a Matterhorn with slopes that will continue to be an eyesore. No affordable units have been built, those with low incomes didn’t get dream jobs that would enable homebuying, and the city didn’t get its $1 million for “projects around town.”

With a 5-0 vote, the council sold out residents – especially neighbors of the project – in exchange for chump change as campaign donations from the developer. No one benefited financially from Steadfast’s donations except the campaigns of five council members.

Other controversies that would be affected by the initiative include but are not limited to the former Kmart property on east Los Alisos (a switch from condos to apartments), a discussion of switching from condos to apartments at Jeronimo and Los Alisos next to the new Target store, a desire by the owner of the Unisys site to have his property rezoned to high-density housing, rezoning the retail center at La Paz and Marguerite to raze structures and rebuild with 350-450 apartments on top of stores and the proposed housing on the south side of Casta Drive (behind the Marguerite rec center adjacent to Casta del Sol homes). That’s not the entire list. In addition to three other parcels the current council rezoned for potential affordable housing, residents should be aware of many other targeted properties. Some of the sites are within gated areas, including HOA land inside Quail Run at Oso and Felipe that was identified by the state for a potential affordable housing project. With the current council’s record for ignoring the will of the people, no neighborhood has immunity.

Residents should expect negative campaigning against the initiative, funded by developers and promoted by their shills who intend to benefit.