The Buzz

Reader comment: “After seeing that the council cut the budget by 75 percent for library materials, I would like to know the cost of banners in the library parking lot. Does anyone keep track of what the city spends on all the banners, plus the expense of putting them up and down? It occurred to me when I saw all the banners that they are advertising the reading program at the library, and there will be less in the library to read. How long will it be before the library is limiting the number of books or other materials residents can check out because there’s not enough money to replace what wears out or add to the meager collection? I remember seeing the total number of items in the library, and it is quite low, given the size of the city.”

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This blog has previously addressed the folly of pricey banners that say “read” in front of the library. Banners reminding people to read when they are already at the library is typical of the council’s wasteful spending that has led to cutbacks on library essentials. Community watchdogs went through the check register and reported that the city routinely pays $10,000 to have banners changed. This does not cover the cost of the banners, which are purchased without competitive bids. It also doesn’t cover the cost of the banner structures that blight the parking lot.

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For insight on Councilman Frank Ury’s posturing that Mission Viejo should form its own school district, read Larry Gilbert’s blog article, http://orangejuiceblog.com/2009/07/connecting-the-dots-formation-of-a-mission-viejo-school-district/ . Brad Morton also posted an article on his Mission Viejo Dispatch, http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=10154 The council on July 20 approved a $15,000 survey of 500 residents to get a reaction to forming a Mission Viejo district. Constituents of SVUSD might remember Ury’s stormy tenure when he was on the school board in the early 1990s. After one term, voters removed him. While he claimed he lost his bid for reelection because the union opposed him, constituents said they were tired of all the fighting and his destructive attitude toward public schools. The $15,000 survey will attempt to get a reaction from residents without providing them with knowledge of costs for such a project.

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Recall proponents and other signature gatherers report that very few voters are asking what a special election will cost to remove Councilman Lance MacLean from office. It would cost a fraction of a $400,000 Rose Parade float that was on TV for less than two minutes. It would be less than one third of the cost of lifetime medical benefits that the MUK (MacLean, Ury, Kelley) majority members bestowed on themselves in November 2008. Voters could have 10 special elections for the cost of killer pillars and killer palm trees along Crown Valley Porkway. It would be considerably less than posting signs along Oso Trail for all those alleged visitors from out of town who can’t find their way along a paved trail without getting lost. When the council spends more than $1 million a week, a special election is a minor cost and well worth it.