City Hall’s Golf Course Spoof

Isn’t it a bit late to celebrate April Fools’ Day? City Manager Dennis Wilberg released his usual weekly summary, “The Week That Was” (a/k/a “TW2”), on Fri., May 1.

“Buried” in the middle of three very short paragraphs, Wilberg claims the Casta del Sol Golf Course isn’t for sale. Is his purpose to antagonize informed residents or a laughable attempt to throw Councilman Lance MacLean a lifeline? The Casta course owner, American Golf, has made no secret of wanting to sell the property. The owner nearly succeeded in 2008 when Sunrise Assisted Living proposed building a housing project on the southern portion of the course.

Despite the obvious – that the golf course owner currently has no buyer or any prospect – Wilberg purports that no one should be worried about a housing project on the course. Did Wilberg forget that residents recently put a land-use initiative on the ballot to prevent such rezoning of the golf course (or any other major parcel) without a popular vote?

Many residents are still hopping mad that MacLean in 2008 was ready to rezone the golf course in favor of housing. Wilberg made a production last week with two announcements saying the golf course is no longer for sale, but more accurately it is merely not listed in a market that’s deader than disco.

Wilberg also proclaims the property is going to remain a golf course. The owner has no choice for a variety of reasons, but residents remember well that the council majority members (MUK – MacLean, Ury, Kelley) were lined up to rezone it to housing. Sunrise had placed stakes to mark off the assisted-living project – first at the south end off Casta Drive and then adjacent to Marguerite Pkwy. Does anyone think the developer hadn’t lined up three votes by meeting separately with council members out of public view? The MUK majority members had already accepted campaign donations from the developer’s PR agent.

Several things got in the way of the proposed housing on the golf course. First, Dale Tyler in August 2008 launched the signature drive to put the Right To Vote on the ballot. By November 2008, Sunrise was in financial trouble and not building anything. If American Golf were to court another housing developer, it would have to disclose the pending Right-To-Vote Initiative, which qualified for the next General Election, June 2010. If voters are able to preserve the property as a golf course, it will be a defeat for city hall and the three MUKsters who support housing.

Residents don’t need to speculate on what MacLean might do if he a chance to rezone the golf course to housing. He showed his hand in 2008. Those who were passionate about saving the golf course are now signing the recall petition to dump MacLean. They get it.

Had it been up to MacLean, the golf course would be gone. It is now up to voters, and MacLean will be gone.

Group Plans Rallies

Members of Saddleback Republican Assembly have announced they’re planning street-corner rallies to stay energized about government reform. The group organized the Mission Viejo TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party on April 15 on corners of the La Paz and Marguerite intersection.

On Mon., May 18, the eve of the California Special Election, SRA members intend to hold another rally at La Paz and Marguerite to remind Mission Viejo residents to vote on Tues., May 19. The group will issue press releases to provide information, including time. SRA’s purpose is to oppose increasing state taxes that are on the ballot in the statewide election.

SRA is also discussing a similar event in Mission Viejo on July 4. Watch this blog for updates and details.

MacLean’s Supporters Threaten Volunteers
Press Release

Mission Viejo, CA, April 30, 2009 – On April 28, volunteer workers in the effort to recall Councilman Lance MacLean were threatened in two separate incidents. Both occurred at storefronts where workers were getting signatures to qualify the recall for the ballot.

With recall activity gaining momentum, some MacLean supporters are resorting to threats of violence against those gathering signatures. At 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, a man described as 6 feet tall and weighing 200 pounds approached the petitioners’ table and threatened to injure the volunteers. Workers quoted him as stating he would physically attack them and then throw them and their table from the storefront. A volunteer said, “Because of his behavior, we believed it was a serious threat, and we reported him to the police. When he left the parking lot, we got the license plate number on his tan-colored SUV.”

On the same afternoon at another storefront, a second man made threats against a lone petitioner who was getting signatures at a table. The volunteer said a man walked up to the table muttering obscenities and saying he would beat up the volunteer for working in the recall. After making specific threats to inflict injury, the MacLean supporter added, “I should call Lance’s boys to come over here to kick your ass.”

The volunteer later asked, “Was he saying that Lance has a group of bullies who will beat people up? Who are Lance’s boys?”

The threats were reported to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. An OCSD officer interviewed one of the witnesses and filed the report as a terrorist threat. The witness stated that those working at the tables were worried about their safety, adding that the threats came from two men who appeared capable of carrying out an attack. Volunteers had not spoken to either of the men or asked them to sign the petition.

The worker who was interviewed said, “The Sheriff’s Dept. told us to dial 911 if another person threatens us. With two threats in one day, we’re all carrying phones and cameras. By getting the license plate number on one of the vehicles, we can at least stop further threats from the same person.”

When MacLean was charged with assault and battery in Irvine, his victim was in a public place with policemen nearby. The police report states that MacLean grabbed a co-worker by the throat, pinned him against a wall and was lifting him off the ground by his neck as the victim yelled, “Assault!” It took four policemen to pull MacLean off the victim and handcuff him. MacLean told police the co-worker hadn’t immediately unlocked a bathroom door at his command.

Dale Tyler, a Mission Viejo resident who is spokesman for the recall, said, “The irony is having a bully on the council touting Mission Viejo as a safe city. According to police records, MacLean made Irvine less safe when he attacked a co-worker. Now, his supporters are threatening those they disagree with. Mission Viejo has an elected official who is a role model for bullies, and his supporters have the same problem he has.”

Tyler said the recall group will proceed with getting a restraining order against the person who made threats at 1:15 p.m. on April 28. The person making threats at another storefront got away without being identified.

The Buzz (Corrected 05/04/09)

Recall update: proponents of the Lance MacLean recall say the signature drive is on track to reach the halfway mark within the next few days. Organizers have anticipated for two weeks that half of the 9,300 required signatures will be collected by May 8. Throughout the month of May, recall supporters will be at storefronts in retail centers around town. Residents wanting to sign the petition should look for tables with bright yellow signs. Recall proponents expect to finish getting signatures well ahead of the Aug. 25 deadline.

***

Several interesting stories have come from recall supporters who live near MacLean. Two of MacLean’s neighbors came to a volunteer’s table last week, and they were eager to sign the petition. One said, “Is there any way we can recall him from our neighborhood? Whenever the parents are out of town, the kids have big, noisy parties that disturb everyone nearby. They’re real inconsiderate, and we’ve called the police. When squad cars show up, most of the kids run out and hide while a few of them go out to schmooze with the officers. The police leave and the party is back on.”

***

Storefront volunteers get an earful about which issues are hot in various neighborhoods. At Albertsons on Muirlands, residents talk about schools closing, unwanted cell towers, too many homes converted to assisted living and poorly maintained public property. At Trader Joe’s, the hot topic is council majority members MacLean, Ury and Kelley going on record to promote apartments on top of stores across from city hall and then lying about it at the April 20 council meeting. At Albertsons on Olympiad, residents mention MacLean wanting to sue the Capo school district and “throw the kitchen sink” at the cash-strapped district. In south Mission Viejo, the Crown Valley PORKway fiasco gets frequent mention.

***

A resident followed up on city hall’s alleged celebration of Earth Day. Last year, the city marked the occasion by dumping hundreds of easels on public property and hiding costs of an outdoor photo gallery. This year, the city bought thousands of plants, giving the impression residents were going to plant them during the April 25 Artes de la Vida event. This blog initially received a report that thousands of unused plants had been relocated to Lower Curtis Park. An activist checked out Lower Curtis and reported that some of the plants may have been relocated there. The resident was primarily responding to last week’s Buzz column: “I agree with the person who said there wasn’t much interest. If it hadn’t been for the programs with children performing, the whole thing would have been a flop. Children can’t drive themselves to a program where they’re performing, and parents paid no attention to all the tents and booths.”

***

Reader feedback: “I want to know how the city is explaining all the new trees and plants along Crown Valley that need irrigation and tremendous amounts of water. Residents can expect to get notice of water rationing, but the city can water all it wants. I’ve lived in Mission Viejo for 30 years, and I saw the city do something similar in the 1990s. We first paid for a lot of new plants in the medians that required a lot of water. Then we got notice to conserve. The city used the excuse to pull out all the new plants and put in a different variety that needed less water. Is that what’s coming next – a citywide replanting spree under the guise of saving water when most of the planting has been done during a three-year drought?”