You Are Being Served

At the Feb. 2 council meeting, Councilman Lance MacLean received notice he’s being recalled.

At 6 p.m., Councilman Frank Ury came into the council chambers from the entrance on the right, accompanied by MacLean. Ury sat down, and MacLean continued to stand near him. The process server, Mission Viejo resident Jim Snyder, was sitting front and center in the audience.

Those in the audience who signed the recall papers knew MacLean would be served at the meeting. Some wondered if he would retreat from the dais if he saw someone approaching who might be a process server. Snyder didn’t get up immediately when MacLean came in. He watched for a moment as MacLean moved toward his chair but remained standing.

A few seconds later, Snyder walked up to MacLean. He asked, “Are you Lance MacLean?” MacLean answered in a glib manner, “Yes, I am,” in a voice so loud it was surprising. Snyder said, “You are being served.”

That was it. Photos of the exchange conflict with what was written in a news report. The process server followed protocol by asking MacLean’s identity. MacLean was standing near Ury, not seated behind his nameplate. The process server was wearing a dark (not bright) shirt, and he didn’t “power walk” out of the room. He walked from the front of the room and up the aisle in a way that was unremarkable.

At first, MacLean showed little expression as he sat down and began looking through the papers. He showed them to Ury, and they both laughed. They continued going through the papers, looking at the signatures and laughing. The meeting began, and MacLean became quiet and somber. He looked as if it were sinking in that quite a few people want him out of office.

The recall Notice of Intention and proof of service was officially filed with the city clerk on Feb. 5.

Council Extends Phony Moratorium

A year ago, Councilwoman Trish Kelley announced she was protecting the Casta golf course by introducing a moratorium to delay housing development. The moratorium wouldn’t stop a developer because, by law, it must include a loophole to the developer’s advantage. It prevents nothing. As additional proof the moratorium is meaningless, the council can lift it at any time with three votes. During the Feb. 2 meeting, the council extended the interim ordinance for a year. Why would anyone trust council members who pretend they’re protecting residents with such a sham?

What residents really need is protection from the council. Kelley made a big production of initiating the moratorium a year ago. She then made a big mistake of talking with two people she didn’t realize were key supporters of the Right-To-Vote initiative. How could Kelley simultaneously protect the golf course and relish the developer having to give the city $1 million dollars to build housing on it? Occasionally, the truth slips out. Councilmen Frank Ury and Lance MacLean have made clear that they would vote to put housing on the golf course. MacLean, Ury and Kelley (MUK) have voted in favor of every rezoning issue that’s come before them.

If neighbors of the golf course aren’t scared of these three pro-developer council members, they’re not paying attention. The audience had cleared out by the time the council discussed the moratorium on Feb. 2. After Kelley again patted herself on the back for the meaningless moratorium, Ury made a remark so outrageous it should anger the entire city: “The moratorium has been wildly successful, and it is toning down the hysteria” about the golf course.

Is anyone listening to this? Residents should be on high alert, as the only thing stopping this council majority from rezoning the golf course and numerous other parcels is the economy. Sunrise “withdrew its plan” primarily because of its own financial fix. The housing slump may have compounded things, but Sunrise was going nowhere by August 2008. Sunrise might have been slowed down by three HOAs and passel of activists, but its creditors brought everything to a halt.

The Right-to-Vote Initiative is now in the hands of the Registrar of Voters. Nearly 11,000 signatures are being counted, and residents should get an opportunity to vote on this one.

The initiative should end threats of rezoning, but city officials clearly don’t want voters messing up their plans. City Attorney Bill Curley said on Feb. 2, “I think there are some serious legal problems with the initiative.”

Supporters of the initiative did everything possible to ensure its success. They’ll now proceed to remove MacLean from the council. One way or another, residents should have the right to choose between those who should run their city or those who are running it into the ground.

Float Sinks with OC Register Readers

The city’s Rose Parade float, “Making a Splash,” didn’t fare well in the Jan. 7 OC Register poll. As of Feb. 7, readers had cast 4,706 votes.

Question: What do you think Mission Viejo got from its investment in a Tournament of Roses float?

• Nothing, except the bills: 76 percent
• A greater sense of community: 17 percent
• An improved image and a higher profile: 7 percent

City officials stopped touting the poll as reaction against the float mounted. Additionally, Register readers who had observed the voting process said many of the pro-float votes came late at night and appeared to be generated by one person doing automated voting. Approximately one week ago, poll watchers observed another surge with hundreds of votes being cast in favor of the float. By that time, however, the total number was so high that a few hundred votes didn’t shift the percentages. Did the outcome of the poll cause the city staff to revise any of its happy stories in the City Outlook Magazine?

Another Register poll was posted along with a Jan. 19 article about Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht’s attempt to persuade the council to rescind doubling its stipend. Other council members didn’t agree, but readers overwhelmingly supported Schlicht’s attempt.

Should Mission Viejo City Council members get a pay increase?

• Yes: 9 percent
• No: 91 percent

Total votes: 1,083

MacLean Disputes Grounds for Recall

During his six years in office, Councilman Lance MacLean has given voters plenty of reasons to recall him. At the Feb. 2 council meeting, 51 residents took the first step toward removing him from office.

A list of complaints against MacLean is emerging, and the “top eight” are just the beginning. The grounds presented to MacLean as the basis for recalling him are as follows:

“You violated your responsibilities to voters, showing yourself unfit to serve as a City Council member by exhibiting:

• Violence when you were arrested by Police for assault and battery on a co-worker.
• Anger and incivility when you ordered a Mission Viejo councilwoman to “SHUT UP” in closed session.
• Hatred and disrespect when you called residents racists and elitists in a LA Times interview.
• Self-dealing when you voted to double your council salary during our current economic crisis.
• Greed and corrupt priorities when you voted to give yourself lifetime medical benefits at taxpayer expense after only 12 years of part-time council service.
• Financial mismanagement when you voted for budget items leading to $11.8 million in deficit spending.
• A tax increase when you authored and promoted Measure K, which was rejected by Mission Viejo voters.
• False promises when you voted to increase housing density leading to more traffic congestion.”

MacLean’s quotes in the Feb. 4 Orange County Register further define why he’s unfit for public office. Regarding the incident at UCI in which he was charged with assault and battery against a co-worker, he referred to the claim of his arrest as “a blatant lie.”

Which part of the well-documented October 26, 2007, incident does MacLean dispute? According to the Feb. 4, 2009, article, “He said police took no fingerprints and did not arrest him. Charges of misdemeanor assault and battery were dropped by the District Attorney’s office in April, after MacLean took a court-ordered anger-management class.”

Police records describe what happened after MacLean began yelling at a co-worker, Jack McManus, to unlock restroom doors during the concert at UCI. The police report says MacLean placed his hands around McManus’ neck, shoved him against the wall and was picking him up by the neck. It took four officers to pull MacLean off and take him to the ground. MacLean resisted police orders several times and struggled with them until they handcuffed him. He was charged with assault, battery and resisting a peace officer.

Following an investigation, MacLean’s employment at UCI ended on Dec. 17, 2007. Instead of publicly acknowledging what he had done, MacLean failed to mention the incident, charges, losing his job, anger-management counseling and so on, until months later when a Register reporter found the case through a routine review of court proceedings. According to the Feb. 15, 2008, Register article, MacLean lied about it when questioned. He gave the reporter a false middle name, and lied about his age to cover his tracks.

Why did UCI want to get rid of MacLean after “just one incident”? That’s a whole other story.

It’s interesting that MacLean is pitching the biggest fit over the UCI incident after going to such lengths to hide it from the public. Although he could have been sentenced to six months in jail, he would now like everyone to know he wasn’t fingerprinted or taken into custody.

The Buzz

The fifth annual Fun With Chips event will be held on Feb. 28, beginning at 7 p.m. The event raises funds for Fun With Chalk and other programs associated with Creative Arts Productions, a non-profit foundation. A cover charge of $40 paid by Feb. 15 includes refreshments, entertainment, live music, silent auctions and a starter pack of chips for table games. The cost is $50 at the door. The location is an elegant lakeside Mission Viejo home. Call (949) 367-1222 for information, and make reservations by Feb. 15.

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OC Weekly’s Jan. 30 article about Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht was a breakthrough for Mission Viejo after a long time with no coverage of the city. A follow-up appeared in OC Weekly’s Feb. 4 letters to the editor: “THIS COUNCILMAN WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN 10 SECONDS . . . I don’t live in Mission Viejo, but a friend who does told me he voted for Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht [Spencer Kornhaber’s “Woman on a Mission,” Jan. 30] because “if Cathy is elected, eventually, [Councilman] Lance MacLean’s head will explode.” Fast Friend, via ocweekly.com

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While other government officials are cutting back on almost everything in response to the slow economy, the Mission Viejo council majority on Jan. 5 approved a 2 percent raise for the city staff. A blog reader reacted: “They keep saying they have to give raises to the city staff to keep them. Where would they go?”

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Art Pedroza blogged about what happened to an area of Santa Ana at the hands of the city. From Art’s Feb. 6 post on OrangeJuiceblog.com: “One thing that really irked me when I was on the Santa Ana Housing and Redevelopment Commission was the fact that the City of Santa Ana had purchased dozens of lots in the downtown area, near the train station, and had bulldozed them, leaving barren lots behind. Many of these lots were purchased with money intended to help increase affordable housing. Now the O.C. Register has exposed [city manager] Ream’s real plans…and the fact that his policies have turned the area in question into a ghetto. ‘Santa Ana has bulldozed dozens of homes and uprooted scores of mostly low-income people here, pursuing a vision of urban renewal that has instead gutted entire blocks. The city has spent more than $22 million in the past decade to create nothing out of the something … .” according to the O.C. Register. Mission Viejo’s city officials have a vision for La Paz/Marguerite.

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Check out the articles about recalling MacLean after he received notice at the Feb. 2 city council meeting of an effort to remove him from office:

1) http://www.ocregister.com/articles/maclean-mayor-mission-2297854-tem-recallorderby=TimeStampAscending&oncommentsPage=1&showRecommen dedOnly=0#slComments

2) http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/council-meeting-mania/a-recall-begins-against-missio/

3) http://orangejuiceblog.com/2009/02/bulletin-recall-of-mission-viejo-councilman-lance-maclean-commenced/#comments

4) http://missionviejodispatch.com/2009/02/03/councilman-maclean-served-recall-papers/

5) http://www.redcounty.com/orange-county/2009/02/recall-attempt-targets-mission/

6) http://www.missionviejoca.org/News/2009_Q1/2009_01_31/article4/article4.html

7) http://www.missionviejoca.org/Articles/City_Hall/Lance_MacLean_Recall_Announced/lance_maclean_re call_announced.html

8) http://missionviejodispatch.com/2009/02/04/correction-maclean-says-not-arrested/#respond

9) Orange County Register, Wednesday, Feb. 4

10) Saddleback Valley News, Fri., Feb. 6

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About the only “news source” that didn’t carry the recall story was the electronic message board at La Paz and Marguerite.