Mission Viejo Buzz - 09/06/08

The Buzz

Did Councilman Lance MacLean complete his anger management course? Following his October 2007 arrest for assault and battery at a UCI concert, he opted for counseling to have charges dropped. Those who watched the 5 p.m. opening of the Sept. 2 council meeting heard Councilwoman Gail Reavis say: “Before we go into closed session, I would like to announce I will not be attending closed session as I am still in fear for my life after the last outburst on the 18th by Mr. MacLean.  I was advised if I felt threatened I would have to leave, not the threatening party, so I am taking that advice.”

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City hall is in the process of naming its float, which is a kitchen sink of icons. Resident Kathy Miramontes suggested naming it the “Butt Ugly Float.” After residents were shut out of the process (ignored when they objected to the whole idea and excluded from any decision-making activity), negative reaction shouldn’t come as a surprise. The float is inappropriate to begin with, and it’s ugly. Residents can participate in a poll as to whether or not the city should have a float: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/float-city-community-2144429-parade-council As of this writing, most participants are saying no.

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When residents made public comments to oppose spending $300,000 on the float at the Sept. 2 meeting, Councilman Frank Ury (self-described financial whiz) explained that the council approved the expenditure of $300,000 in 2007, not this year. Doesn’t that make everyone feel a lot better? Since the amount was approved in 2007 but not spent, that means there’s a SURPLUS of $300,000 to spend this year, so no one should complain about the waste of money. That’s not a direct quote, but the implication was there.

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The Eagle Eyes Award goes to a Buzz reader who noticed an item in the Sept. 6 OC Register in Local news, page 10, “Developer said to owe $22 million.” The article focuses on a developer in Huntington Beach but mentions Mission Viejo: “Huntington Beach joins other Orange County cities such as Orange, Irvine, Anaheim and Mission Viejo that have offered builders various payment delays on construction fees.” The statement likely refers to the infamous deal in which Steadfast was supposed to pay the city $1 million in developer fees. Steadfast created an odd-looking mountain of dirt at the corner of Jeronimo and Los Alisos and skipped town. All five council members accepted “campaign donations,” so residents shouldn’t expect any action against the developer.

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Is Mayor Trish Kelley thinking she can grow up to become Sarah Palin? Like Palin, Kelley joined the PTA, won a council seat and became mayor, but that’s where the similarities end. Instead of fighting corruption, Kelley fell in with it, abandoning her reform platform and supporting an embattled city manager and her beloved CUSD administrators James Fleming and David DO-me (Doomey). Among other differences from Kelley, Palin has the ability to string two sentences together.

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What’s the word on the street about Mission Viejo’s city council? Those gathering signatures and daily talking with hundreds of residents say the tide has turned against all five council members. Ury is the only council member seeking reelection, and voters have a chance to dump him on Nov. 4. Another candidate, Rich Atkinson, is being propped up by Council Members Ury, Kelley and MacLean. This blog recommends that voters choose Neil Lonsinger and Cathy Schlicht for the good of the city.

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As other reaction on the street to city hall, residents want to restore the promise and forget the iron tree. Mission Viejo’s slogan from day one has been The California Promise. City hall employees are promoting their own slogan, Make Living Your Mission (a/k/a Make Lying Your Mission). Lyin’ King Keith Rattay has his own graphic, the mark of the iron tree, which is not accepted by residents. City hall has earned widespread disrespect by lying to and running roughshod over residents. City hall’s arrogant bureaucrats act as if they’re city planners, trying to dismantle the Master Plan and turn the city into an urban mess of traffic jams and overdevelopment.