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Reader Responses I was reading your article of 2006 regarding your City Hall and [former city attorney] Peter Thorson problems, and realized they were the same issues we are now having in Temecula, CA. He is our city attorney and we have, not a $20-million City Hall monster but a $70-million to $100-million one being built under Mr. Thorson’s watch. The City is handling this project with a Mitigated Negative Declaration instead of the proper EIR. Other problems with the City are far-ranging and complex, all under his legal scope. Mom and pop businesses are being starved out in our Old Town section, and because of unbridled development, traffic problems and the City’s plans to develop a Gas Lamp District in a place not appropriate, etc. Our City seems to parallel Mission Viejo in so many ways. We would like to have as much insight on your problems and tribulations with your "40 Thieves" serving on your City Council in order for us to compare notes. D.L. *** The MVC Master Plan put Mission Viejo on the map as the "California Promise.” Continuing to vote consentient to those historical goals is the sound, prudent and wise path....from a 38-year proud resident! D.S. *** Thanks so very much for taking your time to create this very useful and informative site. I have learned a lot from your site. Thanks!! Mission Viejo resident *** I enjoy reading the MV Watchdogs and find much of the content very interesting. In defense of no one, there is much to do, to maintain a city as beautiful as ours and I sense no one here is aware of prevailing wage in Orange County?! Basically, it ranges from approximately $45 to $65 per hour (straight time), depending on the skill level of the trade. Now, this is not the amount the employer (contractor) pays his employee per hour, rather the entire hourly package (hourly rate + benefits). Then, the employer/contractor must cover their cost/overhead to do business. Pick up a Pennysaver or call a Plumber sometime; most hourly rates are approximately $100 per hour or more. I wouldn't hire an Electrical Contractor (for example), who charges less than $100 an hour (w/state licensed electricians) to do any work for me. Anything less and I'll probably get an inferior product that will end up costing me more in the long run. You get what you pay for... always! J.F. *** Please tell me why Lance MacLean would still be pushing for a new gymnasium in Mission Viejo. Both Los Alisos and La Paz Intermediate Schools have built new gymnasiums on their campuses. Between the community college, high schools and intermediate schools, I'm sure we have enough gyms to go around! E.Y. *** I just checked out the poll results at ocregister.com regarding the float. 88 total votes: 53% against, 47% for. That's approximately 46 people vs. 42 people. Those kind of numbers don't align with your idea that everybody is against it. Oh, and I know 10 people (myself included) who have expressed interest in helping with the float. Hugh Lander Editor’s response: While this blog has indicated the float is widely criticized, that’s not the same as “everyone” is against it. The OCR poll ended with 133 participants [in a city of nearly 100,000]: 62 percent opposed to the float and 38 percent in favor. Here’s the link: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/float-city-community-2144429-parade-council *** I hope my last comment of current Californian Prevailing Wage shined some light of reality, after all, we almost hit $5 per gal of gas and we are in the last quarter of 2008, people. If you think Jamey Clark's $45 per hr rate is expensive... normally you'd be wrong, but talk to one of his employees for two minutes and you'll understand why they're half the price of an educated, certified, and highly skilled tradesman! As far as $300K of our tax dollars being thrown away on a float... why should that surprise you, when we spend more than that every year on Christmas lighting & decorations throughout the city (primarily on Marguerite / La Paz)?!! This city is filled with some of the biggest egos known to mankind and as far as spending money... there is no one city employee knowledgeable enough in all the building trades to okay the spending of one dollar! Someone should be asking why we spent $400K on the tiny bathroom building at Melinda Park, as opposed to these stupid easels... come on, every city official lies, that's how they get things done... focus people! Focus on the lies that matter, or the truths that matter... point being, focus on the issues that are truly important, without chasing the proverbial bone(s)! The Easel Blunder pales in comparison to how we got taken on the civic & community centers and the above mentioned restroom facility! That's it for now, have a son leaving for his second deployment to Iraq! Keep up the good work. J.F. Editor’s note: Good points, especially to focus on the lies that matter and truths that matter. Just to recap, this blog was critical of the $400,000 bathroom (a council decision), and the rant about Jamey Clark’s rate developed when a city staff member claimed that volunteers built easels (and implied the cost was zero). *** Mr. Atkinson is not "lying," a word used rather loosely in this blog. He was endorsed by the Lincoln Club of Orange County last week, an enviable endorsement by a highly respected conservative Republican organization. D.V. Editor’s response: The blog article said Atkinson lied about having the endorsement of the California Republican Assembly, and no mention was made about the “enviable endorsement of the Lincoln Club.” The Lincoln Club includes the owner of the Unisys property, who wrote a letter to the city saying he wants his parcel rezoned to affordable apartments. Thank you for the information about the enviable Lincoln Club’s endorsement. *** Crown Valley construction has failed because city management, including our elected officials, did not do their job. As a contractor, I have watched with dismay how poorly this project has been managed. Every elected official who has been in office during this construction project should be thrown out of office, period, no excuse, no finger-pointing, just don't elect these bums again. As for the public employees responsible for management of the project, they should be fired or demoted, period, no excuse. Robert Bruchmann *** I am a supporter of the Right-to-Vote Initiative, and I signed the petition as soon as the volunteers showed up in front of Trader Joe's. I would like to suggest that instead of focusing solely on the idea of "saving Casta del Sol golf course," which may not be of interest to all residents, the committee clearly explain (on their signs) that the initiative would affect all zoning decisions, and give us the right to vote on these decisions. That makes it a broader issue than just one golf course. Thank you. D.C. *** I read your E-mail every week. Never has a Democrat been mentioned favorably. Why ? H.R.W. Editor’s note: Democrats regularly contribute to this blog, but their focus is city issues, not party politics. Democrats have been mentioned favorably many times but without giving their affiliation. To achieve balance, the blog staff has invited Democrats to offer their voting recommendations and other input, but no one has responded. *** Thanks for the info posted on your site. My vote is with yours. S.L. *** Joyce Saltzgiver wrote in to say:
Editor's Comment:: Thanks for letting us of your concerns with our coverage. The paragraph I think you are concerned about is the fourth item in the October 11, 2009, Buzz. I don't see any significant factual errors to correct. We printed that an activist had entered the gated HOA and that you confronted that person. The only possible factual error was that that HOA has security guard who can be summoned if there is a problem and if there are no such personnel, then I regret the error. I have seen guards at your gates and assumed they had other duties as well. After hearing more details on the incident, I wondered if you would have reacted as harshly if the person giving out fliers was supporting your favored candidate(s). |
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