The Buzz

Email from a volunteer who was getting recall signatures at a storefront on May 24: “We encountered a young man, ‘Scott,’ who said he works for a PR firm that represented Sunrise. He wasn’t interested in talking about the recall, but he had a lot to say about the Casta del Sol Golf Course. He said all three presidents of HOAs adjacent to the golf course met with Sunrise, and all three approved plans to build housing on the golf course. Scott seemed to believe the HOA presidents were representing their HOA members. Scott wouldn’t give his last name or reveal his employer. When we asked if he worked for Roger Faubel, he said no.”

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Capo school district trustees anticipate hiring an interim superintendent, Roberta Mahler, on June 8. An online Register article http://www.ocregister.com/articles/district-school-mahler-2433977-superintendent-capistrano makes reference to the district’s search for a permanent replacement for former superintendent Woodrow Carter, who was dismissed for his alleged illegal and unethical acts. Capo residents should hope the district will do a background check this time. After Carter clashed with some trustees and parents during his Capo tenure, an Internet search revealed headlines of his rocky history in other districts. For anyone who checked out Carter, his dismissal and lawsuit against CUSD came as no surprise.

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CUSD’s administrative staff during recall campaigns of 2005 and 2008 took a similar stance to Mission Viejo’s city administrators since the beginning of the effort to recall MacLean. In CUSD, top officials denied financial problems and opened a new $50-million Taj Mahal administrative palace. When the spin ended, CUSD was near bankruptcy. In Mission Viejo, the city manager’s newsletter and press releases to Saddleback Valley News reveal only positive news, including the number of new businesses in the city. Occasionally, a city staffer’s emails escape city hall, including lists of businesses that are closing. The facts are grim. Meanwhile, the council majority continues its spending spree. In the works are a $3.7-million tennis court project and a $7-million renovation for the Marguerite rec center.

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Over Memorial Day weekend, a Sheriff’s Dept. effort to catch drunk drivers netted one arrest in the South County cities of Mission Viejo, RSM and Lake Forest. That’s the same number of OCSD drivers arrested for DUI during the prior 10 days. The Capistrano Dispatch detailed the arrest of an OCSD lieutenant who crashed into the back of another car at Jamboree Road and the I-5. The lieutenant had a blood alcohol level of .14 percent two hours after the collision. Here’s the link: http://capistranoinsider.typepad.com/