MacLean Harasses Recall Volunteers
Press release

Mission Viejo, CA, May 13, 2009 – On May 9, embattled Mission Viejo Councilman Lance MacLean attempted to block signature gathering at a storefront. The incident occurred when two volunteer workers were asking Mission Viejo residents to sign the petition to recall him.

In response to the recall effort, MacLean and a handful of people who support him have either harassed volunteers or made threats of violence against those gathering signatures. On Saturday morning, MacLean approached the petitioners’ table and tried to block their activity.

Dale Sandore, a longtime community member, was one of the volunteers asking residents to sign the recall petition. He said, “When Lance came to our table, I asked him if he’d like to sign the petition to remove himself from office. We had recall signs on the table, so our purpose was clear. MacLean instead came to harass us or block residents from signing the petition. He stayed for approximately 10 minutes until another volunteer, Matt Corrigan, got out his camera. At that point, MacLean attempted to leave before he could be photographed.”

MacLean’s effort to avoid being photographed was seen by the recall group as acknowledgement he knew he was wrong to interfere. Corrigan took MacLean’s picture as he was trying to get away from the table.

Sandore added, “While sitting next to us, Lance said he wanted to give his side of the story to residents. He’s had six years on the council to do that. I told him that those who voted him into office felt betrayed. He lied to us and misrepresented himself in his campaign. Matt also told him that being in office gives him the bully pulpit, whereas residents get only three minutes during public comments at council meetings. MacLean has had plenty of opportunity to express himself, and blocking signatures at our table isn't the place to do it.”

MacLean and his supporters have used bullying and intimidation to interfere with signature gathering. Threats made by MacLean supporters have been reported to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Last week, an OCSD officer interviewed a witness and filed the report as a terrorist threat. In each case, MacLean, his family members or others approached recall tables without any signature gatherer speaking to them.

Recall spokesman Dale Tyler said, “MacLean is trying to thwart the constitutionally protected process of recall by intimidation. His actions during the last six years prove that his approach to conflict is to belittle his critics. We've had enough and intend to give the voters a chance to remove him from office. It is quite instructive that his supporters use the same tactics of bullying and intimidation that he does."

Tyler announced that the recall effort reached the halfway point on May 4 with the collection of more than 4,650 signatures. Approximately 9,300 valid ones are needed by the Aug. 25 deadline.

Is Mission Viejo Ready for Roundabouts?
by Dale Tyler

Earlier this year, Councilmember Cathy Schlicht asked the City Council to form a committee of citizens, including two Planning Commissioners, to look into the feasibility of using roundabouts as a traffic control device in Mission Viejo.

The Roundabout Committee had a number of meetings which were attended by members of the public as well as the appointed members of the committee. I was one of the six members of the committee. During our discussions, we focused on the intersection at Oso and Marguerite. The city is about to solicit bids to widen Oso near that intersection to four through lanes in each direction. We wanted to find out is a roundabout would be feasible instead of widening Oso.

In case you are not familiar with the term roundabout, here is my understanding. Roundabouts are circular roadways with one, two, three or more lanes going around the circle. Each entrance lane matches with at least one circulating lanes and one drives around the circle until the exit point is encountered. So for a right turn, one travels 90 degrees, to pass straight through, one travels 180 degrees and a left turn would require 270 degrees. There are no stoplights, so traffic moves smoothly. However, unlike its larger cousin the traffic circle, speeds on a roundabout are much slower, perhaps 30 mph and this contributes to increased safety for both motorists and pedestrians. Vehicles entering a roundabout must yield to those already circulating, which allows pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the entry lanes more easily. More information can be obtained at http://www.roundaboutsusa.com/

There are a number of challenges to building roundabouts in Mission Viejo. In many cases there may not be enough open land adjacent to a intersection to allow for the circle and entry lanes at the busiest intersections. Although there are some fairly large roundabouts elsewhere in the US, there are none that currently handle the 80,000 cars per day that pass through intersections like Oso and Marguerite. Finally, drivers must learn a new set of skills to successfully use roundabouts.

Nonetheless, widening roads can only take us so far and we need to look at alternatives such as roundabouts and other ideas, like over/under roadways. It is projected that Oso and Marguerite will carry in excess of 100,000 cars per day in 2030.

In considering whether a roundabout could be successful at Oso and Marguerite the committee asked the city to get more information from Scott Ritchie, a consultant who had done some initial work on roundabout is Mission Viejo at the behest of city staff. We had a conference call with Mr. Ritchie where a number of questions were answered. He proposed that a detailed study, costing about $18K and taking 4 weeks would be required to come to a conclusion as to how well a roundabout would perform and how it would compare to a widened, signalized intersection with coordinated signals. The Roundabout Committee recommended that the city pay Mr. Ritchie to complete this work so that the question of the feasibility of a roundabout at Oso and Marguerite could be settled.

The final report of the Roundabout Committee will be heard at the May 18, 2009 City Council Meeting. Included in the report will be the request to have Scott Ritchie complete the study. However, there is a concern about the short time available before the contracts to improve Oso and Marguerite must go out to bid. It may be that we do not have time to perform the roundabout study before the OCTA and other funds allocated for the intersection improvements expire.

Since it is apparent that there is little support for proceeding among the council and city staff, it looks like the answer to the question is "No Roundabouts in Mission Viejo".

TEA Party Reunion and Rally

On Mon., May 18 (the eve of the statewide Special Election), voters traveling through the heart of Mission Viejo will get a reminder to cast their ballots. Saddleback Republican Assembly invites everyone to come to the corners of La Paz and Marguerite from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday for a rally to Get Out The Vote. Participants will hold signs and wave flags.

To update information in last week’s blog, organizers of the event announced that Diamond Tom will be back by popular request. He provided musical entertainment for the April 15 rally.

The rally will also be a reunion for those who attended the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party in Mission Viejo on April 15 as part of the nationwide tax protest. Attendees last month emphasized keeping the momentum going. SRA members are inviting voters of all political parties to join the rally in protest of higher taxes.

For Tuesday’s Special Election, rally organizers have taken the position that government officials at all levels should decrease spending instead of raising taxes. This blog’s staff members are recommending a “no” vote on Propositions 1A through 1F.

Recall Update

In less than eight weeks of signature gathering, recall proponents report the number of signatures collected is nearly 6,000. Signature gatherers say the job is getting easier as residents are becoming more aware of the recall. Approximately 9,300 valid signatures are needed by Aug. 25.

Two interesting reports came from volunteers at storefronts during the past week. On May 13, a female MacLean supporter’s tactics backfired. She came to the recall table in front of a store to block voters from signing the petition. The volunteer at the table described the incident: “The MacLean supporter was angry and abrasive. She was telling people not to sign the petition and following them as they walked away from her. Some of those she was trying to dissuade signed the petition right in front of her. At one point, a man told her that he didn’t know either side, but he was signing because she was so rude.”

At a store on May 15, another volunteer described an encounter, “A man asked if it would fix the problem to recall MacLean. He wasn’t just a passerby with a question, he’s MacLean’s appointee to the planning commission. After learning about his connection with MacLean, I asked what MacLean had done on the council to benefit residents. I’m not making this up – he described MacLean’s greatest accomplishments as a city basketball gymnasium and the toll road extension.”

Recall volunteers converse with hundreds of people each week, and they have a strong sense of residents’ views. They say most residents either don’t know MacLean or they have a negative impression of him.
 

Some people at storefronts ask if MacLean is a Democrat or Republican. Upon hearing he’s a Republican, Democrats are not inclined to support him. Republicans are eager to get rid of him when they find out he ran as a fiscal conservative and then gave himself a pay raise and tried to increase taxes.

Craig’s Picks for May 19
by Craig Alexander

Craig’s Picks were published earlier, and the following are excerpts from his original recommendations.

While this is an off-year Special Election, your vote is important. The six Propositions are all related to the budget deal reached in Sacramento in February. I am no fan of that deal. It is the largest tax increase in California history; it did not result in any real reductions in the state government; and it is an all-around bad deal for taxpayers. One of these propositions (Prop. 1A) actually extends the "temporary" taxes for one to two extra years.

The politicians in Sacramento have had their say by increasing your taxes. Now it’s your turn to have your say. You can vote NO on these propositions (that’s what I am doing), thus sending a message to the tax-and-spend crowd that you will not agree to more taxes and you expect your Legislature and Governor to decrease state spending!

Following are my recommendations on all six Propositions and why I am voting no on them.

Proposition 1A: NO. Titled the Budget Stabilization Act. If passed, it would establish a “spending cap,” and a percentage of the funds collected by the state would be deposited into a rainy day fund. The “temporary” tax add-ons passed in February to the sales tax, vehicle tax and income taxes would be extended for one to two more years. To vote “yes” would reward politicians for increasing the budget by more than 40 percent in five years.

Proposition 1B: NO. If passed, the first $9.3 billion going into the Prop 1A rainy day fund would go to public schools and colleges. I call Prop 1B the payoff or bribe for the California Teachers Association union so they will not oppose Prop 1A. A “no” vote will tell politicians to cut the size of government.

Proposition 1C: NO. This is called the Lottery Modernization Act, and it would authorize borrowing against future lottery proceeds to avoid cutting down on spending. This proposal would repeal the current requirement that lottery revenue be used only for education. This proposition would give politicians another cookie jar to steal from.

Proposition 1D: NO. Titled the Children and Families Trust Fund Act. It would authorize a fund shift of $268 million in tobacco tax revenue currently earmarked for early childhood development under the terms of California Prop 10 (1998). That money, plus other funds, would be used to pay for other state government health and human services programs for children. If those programs are important, the state should continue to fund them from the general fund, not rob Peter to pay Paul.

Proposition 1E: NO. This is very similar to Prop 1D except it picks the pocket of 2004’s Prop 63 (Mental Health Services Act of 2004) rather than Prop 10 from 1998. For the same reasons as Prop 1D, I recommend a NO vote on Prop 1E.

Proposition 1F: NO. If passed, it would prohibit the commission that sets salary levels of certain statewide elected officials and members of the Legislature from increasing their salaries if the state budget will end in a deficit that year. Of all the propositions, this is the only one that might not be objectionable. However, I am voting NO on it. It is part of a package of bad deals. The amount of increased salaries is very small compared with overall shortfalls, and it really does nothing to resolve the overall budget shortfalls.

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.