Casta Voters Aren’t Buying It
by Larry Gilbert

There were about 54 in attendance at the Mission Viejo's Casta del Sol candidate forum on Tues., Oct. 14. This represents a major decline in resident participation in this free event where you have an opportunity to look in the eyes of the candidates and shake their hands if you wish. After the two-plus hour exchange, I commended Joyce Saltzgiver and her Board for conducting a fair debate and permitting Mission Viejo outsiders to engage in the Q&A that followed the initial questions. Candidate Williamson was the only one to miss this last opportunity to interact with the voters three weeks before the Nov. 4 election.

Let me focus on one issue raised by a Casta resident. The topic: justification of spending $300,000 for a Rose Parade float in the current recession.

Paraphrasing Council Member Ury, who told the audience that this project funding was not coming out of this year’s budget: "We budgeted it last year" when our finances were stronger.

Hello. An illustration. I budgeted for a new Jaguar last year when I had a job. I was laid off this past March. That said, should I go ahead with the purchase?

Amazing for a man with three degrees who simply doesn't get it. Whatever happened to common sense?  Doesn't he read or see the news? Does he not know that we are in a recession and that our residents are feeling the pain in their retirement and savings accounts as well as the decline in their home values?

Politically and economically, the float was a very bad decision compounded by even worse logic. I would say that the Casta voters were not buying the logic, nor should they.