The Buzz

Last week, the city clerk notified proponents who initiated the recall of Lance MacLean that she’s requiring corrections in their petition. Probably more a surprise to MacLean than anyone else, none of his complaints about “blatant lies in the petition” were rejected as blatant lies by the city clerk. Her comments were about the use of bold type (which isn’t permitted), typos and format issues. That’s it. The corrected petition will be resubmitted on Mar. 9, and the city clerk will have 10 days to approve or reject it.

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Supt. Woodrow Carter’s shrinking fan club may have been rocked by a Mar. 3 OC Weekly article that can be read online, http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/apples-and-oranges/woodrow-carter-in-your-facial/ While Carter was making speeches about cutbacks, he was using taxpayer dollars and trading his influence for spa treatments, wine tasting, star-gazing and decadent getaways. When called for a response, he declined to comment. Contributors to this blog have already recommended that CUSD trustees should fire him immediately. Additionally, the D.A. should investigate him for rewarding lobbyists, failing to report gifts and double-dipping for meal costs. Following a decadent weekend, he rewarded the firm that paid for it with a lucrative architectural contract.

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According to a Register article, http://www.ocregister.com/articles/district-capistrano-year-2327662-teachers-administrators 27 CUSD district-level administrators will receive pink slips next week. For parents and others who have been suggesting “chop at the top,” the board of trustees got the message. However, district-wide pink slips comprise 407 jobs, which also include 262 classroom teachers, 27 counselors, 26 resource teachers, 22.6 music teachers, all 17.5 middle school assistant principals, all 11 elementary school assistant principals, all 6 high school activity directors, 5 special ed teachers, 2 principals, 1 psychologist and 1 Chinese language teacher. The trustees will later decide which positions to eliminate.

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Does anyone remember when a school had no administrators except for a principal who was sometimes a part-time teacher?

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In an election year, council incumbents say things like, “Isn’t it great that Mission Viejo has coordinated traffic signals?” Between elections, city staff members claim that Mission Viejo’s signals are impossible to coordinate because blocks are not evenly spaced or some pesky pedestrian is always trying to cross the street. Amazingly, the council on Mar. 16 will consider an agreement with the Or. Co. Transportation Authority to synchronize lights on Alicia Pkwy. So, the job the staff was paid to do that couldn’t be done will now be done by someone else.

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After years of ignoring requests and complaints from an HOA regarding parking and safety issues, the city’s Public Works staff met with homeowners to discuss options. A young skateboard rider was hit by a car in the HOA’s neighborhood, and parking issues may have contributed to the fatality. The staff meeting with the HOA was apparently so unusual – actually responding to needs of residents – that it made the city manager’s insider newsletter last week, “The Week That Was.”

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The city manager’s newsletter was almost another Week That Wasn’t, with only four paragraphs summarizing five working days for 152.3 employees. As other news on the manager’s one-pager, the Potocki Center will be used by the Bureau of the Census for training workers; the city is participating in a child-safety and resources program (that sounds expensive and without criteria for measuring outcome); and Lake Mission Viejo held lifeguard tryouts at the Sierra Rec Center.

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How much truth is conveyed in the Mar. 8 Register story touting Mission Viejo’s “sizable reserve fund” of $26 million? If Mayor Frank Ury and city employee Irwin Bornstein are simply turning zeros into happy faces, the truth will be known soon enough as the economy continues downward. Inconsistent with the happy talk was the city’s attempt a few months ago to sell assets. The council majority tried to liquidate cell antenna leases but couldn’t find a qualified buyer, and it sold two bonds in October to prevent a “budget situation.” In the private sector, a “budget situation” is known as spending money that one doesn’t have.