Mission Viejo Buzz - 07/26/08

The Buzz, July 26

OC Weekly writer R. Scott Moxley doesn’t mince words. While nearly every other news reporter was still enthralled with then-Sheriff Mike Carona, Moxley was questioning his character and judgment. On July 24, Moxley wrote an interesting story about kingmaker Ron Cedillos, who appeared to be the first person to congratulate Sandra Hutchens after she got the appointment as OC sheriff. Moxley’s account describes Cedillos as “a man once deeply immersed in Carona’s inner cesspool.” To read the article, go to
http://www.ocweekly.com/news/moxley-confidential/moxley-confidential-ron-cedillos-hasnt-told-the-whole-story-of-his-falling-out-with-mike-carona/29038.

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The Mission Viejo City Council is looking into filing a lawsuit against Capo and Saddleback Valley school districts over reduced bus routes. To have taxpayers of the city fund a lawsuit against themselves as school-district constituents is ridiculous. Neither the districts nor the city can afford such a lawsuit, and it tends to demonstrate a deficit of responsible leadership. Additionally, through the “genius” of Councilman Lance MacLean, the city will attempt to order that both school districts convert buses to alternative fuel. All of this could not come at a worse time for the districts, while the city is talking about dipping into reserves to fund projects. The council long ago allowed school traffic and parking issues to reach a crisis level, particularly for residents who live near schools.

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For years, Mission Viejo residents have wondered about the city’s creative accounting methods. Particularly before elections, the amount in reserves shows the city to be awash with cash. With revenue currently down (despite city claims of “flatness”), some council members went into panic mode and started talking about selling the city’s cell-antenna contracts. What’s the real story about the city’s financial picture?

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Whatever happened to the city’s economic development plan that involved hiring a consultant to bring in businesses? Hasn’t it been more than a year since the Housewives of Mission Viejo (Councilwomen Reavis and Kelley) proudly announced they had accomplished such a great feat? Can anyone cite an example of a business coming to Mission Viejo as a result of the contract?

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Activists taking a preliminary look at financial records on Jamey Clark, the city contractor who inspects parks and performs odd jobs around town, are stunned with the leeway Clark has to create work for himself. Clearly, the council is not minding the store. According to Clark’s reports, city property incurs a tremendous amount of vandalism each month, which Clark discovers and repairs. The amount of “damage” Clark is addressing is beyond explanation. For being the safest city in the universe, Mission Viejo parks and other public property are apparently being destroyed by the same “vandals” who destroyed all the easels.

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Activists turned up the heat on blogs, and Councilman Frank Ury adjusted his profile on the city Website to drop any mention of employment. The Orange County Republican Website is a different matter, where the good old boys give Ury a pass. Ury was fired more than a year ago from Intel, but that’s still his “current” source of income according to the county Website. It’s impossible to assess any conflict of interest if no one knows what he does for a living, and that’s probably the point. Is it sheer coincidence that only one Mission Viejo council member, John Paul Ledesma, has a job?