The Buzz

Comment from a blog reader, “Motorists are finding new ways of venting their frustration over the unending road construction on Crown Valley. According to the police blotter, Crown Valley was the scene of a disturbance on May 14 at 11:33 a.m. The report says ‘Motorists are getting out of their cars and challenging each other and the construction crew to fight.’ The project director, Mark Chagnon, can put another feather in his cap for this four-year-long disaster.”

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Mission Viejo’s city staff spent $30,000 on “rebranding” and got a clip-art iron tree. Last week’s Buzz column included a paragraph from the Wall Street Journal describing another city, Providence, Rhode Island, spending $100,000 for the letter “P.” A letter to WSJ followed: “Go Tigers! Whoops, I Mean Providence: The recent article on cities “rebranding” (“In Hard Times Rhode Island’s Capital Hopes New Slogan Proves Providential,” page one, May 7) is a sad commentary on municipal priorities and offers additional evidence that these cities’ fiscal priorities are far out of balance. Providence is proposing to raise taxes during a recession while spending taxpayers’ money to promote the city with an orange “P” logo which looks borrowed from Princeton University. I’ll take my business elsewhere, thank you.” Samuel C. Schon, Providence, R.I.

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A resident who lives near Melinda Park took a moment to sign the MacLean recall petition last week. He said, “The city spent $450,000 on a bathroom in a local park. One of the toilets has been broken since November. What does that say about concern in city hall for maintaining city property?” He mentioned other obvious problems with the facility that demonstrate negligence.

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Another resident who signed the MacLean recall petition commented about the community center expansion: “The $15-million expense didn’t result in amenities for residents, and the building is for show. I have never seen anyone use the overpriced outdoor furniture, and if residents want to use the building, they have to rent it. I’ve been to community centers in many other cities, and the attitude in Mission Viejo toward residents is insulting. As one small example, balls for the pool tables are always locked up. They give the excuse that people will steal the balls. The city employees don’t want us to use what we paid for.”

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Update: Casta Republican Club is hosting Sir Eldon Griffiths as guest speaker for its joint meeting with Saddleback Republican Assembly on Wed., May 20, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Vista Room. Those who reside outside the gated community of Casta del Sol should call (949) 581-3155 to add their name to the guest list or get additional information. The topic of the presentation will be Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Those attending can purchase a copy of Griffiths’ book, “Turbulent Iran,” for $18, which he will autograph. Admission is free, and everyone is invited to attend.

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TW2, the city manager’s weekly insider newsletter (“The Week That Was,” dubbed “The Whopper That Was”) has been shrinking since this blog began publishing excerpts. During the past week (ending May 15, 2009), City Manager Dennis Wilberg could come up with only three paragraphs, and two of them weren’t about city hall. In the sole paragraph about his staff, he wrote that the Public Works department “submitted its annual request for $25,595 for a recycling grant THIS WEEK.” However, a blurb from the city’s email newsletter during the same week revealed that the $25,595 grant has already been approved. Wilberg seems to be having trouble figuring out how 150-plus city employees spend their five-day, 40-hour week.