The Buzz

Recall update: proponents report the effort to recall Councilman Lance MacLean continues moving forward. During the past week, the number of signatures exceeded 25 percent of the 9,300 needed to qualify for the ballot. The deadline to turn in signatures is Aug. 25, and those working in the recall anticipate finishing the signature drive well ahead of time. Proponents are working at storefronts daily and circulating the petition at meetings and other events, but they haven’t yet announced a schedule of times and locations.

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One of the recall workers reported last week that a store manager received another harassing phone call from a MacLean supporter. The anonymous female caller told the manager that a woman asking for signatures had been rude. At the time of the call, there had been no woman gathering signatures anywhere near the store for several days, but the false claim is typical of MacLean’s few supporters. MacLean, who is on the city’s economic development committee, should admonish his supporters for making harassing calls to businesses.

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City Manager Dennis Wilberg asked a county blogger for documented proof of a statement first reported on this blog, and he’s getting it. This blog described the city's inadequate economic development program, stating a key component was to give businesses a certificate for surviving five years in Mission Viejo. Wilberg challenged the blogger to produce a document to verify the statement. Mr. Wilberg should watch the videotape of Councilwoman Trish Kelley’s State of the City Address that aired Dec. 5, 2005. She described the city’s “great new program” of economic development, giving a certificate to businesses that had managed to stay in business in Mission Viejo for five years. She gave no explanation of how the certificate relates to economic development. If Mr. Wilberg has other questions about what happened during council meetings, it’s good he’s asking bloggers instead of his subordinates who nod off during meetings.

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Residents watching council meetings continue to comment that MacLean’s demeanor has changed remarkably since he received notice on Feb. 2 that he’s being recalled. Upon receiving notice during a council meeting, he showed the recall papers to Councilman Frank Ury. They apparently thought it was quite funny, as both laughed as they looked through pages of signatures. Within 15 minutes of receiving notice, MacLean became somber, quietly rocking in his blue suede chair and not participating in the meeting. In subsequent meetings, MacLean has stopped attacking other council members. On April 6, he spent four minutes during the council meeting blatantly campaigning from the dais against the recall. Such use of city resources is illegal, and the city attorney said nothing.

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Has anyone calculated the amount charged by the city attorney during the past year? What’s his service worth when he sits silently while observing a council member break the law for four minutes?

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City hall sent word to eNewsletter subscribers that its TV productions recently won three awards. A great deal of money and time go into MVTV productions, and they’re generally unwatched and unwatchable. Among recent offerings are puff-piece coverage of the easel fiasco from a year ago and a video of the $400,000 Rose Parade float. The latter expense made residents so annoyed they’re signing MacLean’s recall papers. Winning awards usually involves a pricey fee to enter the contest. A city staff member – often a highly compensated one – fills out paperwork, essentially writing an essay on why the entry should win. Successful entries result in trophies and plaques, which require elegant display cases that fill up and disappear as soon as a new display case is needed. Residents are currently asking for a dog park, sound walls, maintained slopes, road repairs, etc., but the city staff instead engages in pursuing pointless awards.

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What’s the No. 1 question recall petitioners hear at storefronts? Residents want to know why all three MUK majority council members (MacLean, Ury and Kelley) aren’t being recalled. Of the three pro-developer, pro-special interest MUKsters, MacLean is the most strident about bringing in more housing. His anger issues put the city at risk as long as he’s on the council. While he’s unfit to serve for a variety of reasons, his assault and battery charges alone are grounds for his removal, and he assaulted a co-worker all by himself.

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Mission Viejo TEA Party update: organizers announced the addition of “Diamond Tom” Speiss to the program. He’ll provide stirring patriotic music from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. near the corners of La Paz and Marguerite on Wed., April 15. Residents participating in the rally should park in any of the public parking lots and walk to the corners. Consider bringing an American flag to wave or a sign protesting high taxes. Representatives from the offices of Assemblymen Chuck DeVore and Jeff Miller will speak during the rally. Please consider patronizing businesses before leaving the area, including the gas station, restaurants, grocery stores and shops.