The Buzz

A resident’s public comments during the Oct. 20 council meeting may have curtailed the theft of campaign signs in his neighborhood. He said yard signs had been taken from several properties. His remedy was to go door-to-door in his neighborhood, talking about the missing signs. The speaker said he went to 50 homes – that’s a lot of votes for his candidates – with a revealing message about the opposition’s supporters.

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At least one of Councilman Frank Ury’s false claims in his ballot statement is coming back to bite him. He stated the Crown Valley Parkway project is finished, but the city staff says the completion date is at least six months away. Ury tried to cover his lie during a council meeting by saying he “thought” it might be finished by Election Day. Councilman Lance MacLean then asked the city staff how the project could be accelerated. A city employee said the contractors could work day and night, with the cost rising accordingly. Those driving CVP are now seeing nighttime roadwork after two years of non-progress.

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The city staff and council members continue blaming a utility company for the CVP widening fiasco. As reported in a previous Buzz column, a representative of SDG&E was summoned to the public microphone during a council meeting when MacLean asked why the CVP project is taking so long. The SDG&E spokesman said that his company had no direct contact from anyone from the city until recently. Apparently, those responsible for managing the project – not the utility company – failed miserably in planning the project. How did a road-widening project get so far out of whack? That’s what happens when everyone in city hall is moving easels around, coloring character posters and immersed in a yearlong 20th anniversary party.

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Despite a great deal of hoopla and added expense, the $300,000 Rose Parade float (now costing more than $360,000) is very unpopular with residents. City hall is working overtime to send out press releases and other positive publicity. As usual, residents are paying for it but not buying it.

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Yet another city hall scandal is emerging about lies and hiding expenses. This time, the subject is all the plants, trees and other costs associated with Tierra Nativa and its replacement event, Artes de Vida. For years, city staff members have claimed the costs are minimal because of donations from city contractors and vendors. Were the real expenses merely hidden among other invoices over a period of time? All it takes is one contractor (or ex-contractor) to blow the whistle.

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What was the impact of Easelgate? Activists compiled overwhelming evidence that city staff members lied about pictures for the photo display, the level of community participation, who built easels, cost of easels, cost of the entire project, disposal of easels, costs of large signboards and, well, almost everything else. Although newspapers neglected to report much of anything except for easels trashed on a hillside, the word leaked out. As a result, city hall officials lost credibility and council members demonstrated they don’t care. Activists also learned that some city employees maintain two separate accounting systems – one that can be accessed as public records and another to hide costs. It will likely take an insider to bring about a criminal investigation, someone like CUSD ex-employee David Smollar, who went to the OC Register with proof of the “Enemies Lists.”

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A report about council candidates’ campaign finances can be found on Brad Morton’s blog, http://missionviejodispatch.com under the heading “Council candidates list contributions and expenses.” As no surprise, Frank Ury and Richard Atkinson are able to stuff mailboxes with pricey brochures and mailers because of donations from special interest and city vendors. All three blogs that investigate city issues (MissionViejoCa.org, missionviejodispatch.com and OrangeJuiceBlog.com) are strongly recommending Cathy Schlicht and Neil Lonsinger for Mission Viejo City Council.