The Buzz, Dec. 6

Save the date: the Casta del Sol Republican Club will welcome John Ziegler as guest speaker for its Lincoln Day brunch on Sun., Feb. 15. Ziegler, a former radio talk-show host on KFI AM 640, has written two books and produced a documentary film. He appeared last week on Fox News Channel’s Hannity & Colmes.

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For followers of Mission Viejo politics, seeing Councilman Frank Ury become mayor for 2009 had an ironic twist. Two years ago, Ury openly worked against the reelection of Councilmembers Trish Kelley, John Paul Ledesma and Lance MacLean, and he tried to prevent all three from receiving political endorsements. He hasn’t been subtle about revealing publicly that he thinks Councilwoman Trish Kelley isn’t too bright. The MacLean-Ury-Kelley (M.U.K.) alliance developed from their shared obsession with removing Councilwoman Gail Reavis from office.

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With Ury’s Nov. 4 reelection, a Mission Viejo resident on another blog noted that Kelley’s failed council candidate, Rich Atkinson, wasn’t needed for the council majority to continue MUKing up city business. Atkinson’s name was just another letter in running AMUK.

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Both the OC Register and the LA Times have done a good job covering ex-OC Sheriff Mike Carona’s trial. Those who first caught on to Carona’s dark side included OC Weekly investigative reporter Scott Moxley and OC watchdog Shirley Grindle. Both took heat from the county’s good ol’ boys (including Scott Baugh and the crew at Red County) for questioning Carona’s behavior and ethics.

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Cutbacks at the county level prompted the county’s largest union, O.C. Employees Associations, to recommend that all 18,000 county workers take a week of unpaid leave between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The county cut $30 million from its budget, and more cuts are coming. San Juan Capistrano’s 100 city employees will take unpaid leave in December to save $150,000. With a general fund budget of $22 million, SJC faces a $2 million shortfall. With others cutting back, will Mission Viejo continue adding employees?

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Does everyone remember seeing large city-posted signs on slopes and other improvement areas that list council members’ names as if they deserve credit for taxpayer-funded work? Residents who live near Crown Valley Parkway report that such a sign crediting council members for the Crown Valley project was taken down some time ago. The road widening is a long way from completion, but perhaps council members no longer want their names associated with it.