Recall Update

The incident with City Commissioner Leslie Sykes on Thursday took center stage of Councilman Lance MacLean’s effort last week to survive the recall. A press release can be found in today’s edition of the blog.

On Wed., July 29, MacLean made an appearance at a storefront to harass recall workers, but they said he didn’t stay. A volunteer said, “We had six storefront locations on Wednesday, so MacLean’s half-dozen supporters would have been tapped out covering all of them.”

Recall proponents are noting a strong trend among residents. One of the proponents commented, “There’s a sentiment among voters that most elected officials should be thrown out of office, and MacLean is the No. 1 example in Mission Viejo. If we’re gauging correctly from voter reaction at storefronts, MacLean isn’t just going to be removed from office in the recall election, he’s going to get trounced.”

Very few residents comment about the cost of a special election when they sign the recall petition. Perhaps they believe it’s worth the price to make a statement about corrupt officials who enrich themselves and spit in the face of their constituents. The city staff is finally admitting that city revenues and reserves are down, and officials are cutting back on services and maintenance. Somehow, there was plenty of money for killer pillars and gory graphics along Crown Valley Parkway, but residents will have to do without library materials, road repair and other essentials.

If MacLean’s fan club wants to decry the cost of a special election during hard economic times, they should persuade MacLean to resign. The MUK majority members (MacLean, Ury and Kelley) have already added to the city’s election costs by refusing to enact the Right To Vote initiative into law. Approximately 11,000 residents signed the R-T-V petition to protect land use, including preservation of the Casta del Sol Golf Course. The MUKsters had the option of accepting the overwhelming popularity of the initiative, but they instead voted to put it on the ballot. Now, they lament about the cost of voting on it.

Recall proponents had planned to end the signature drive in July. Councilwoman Trish Kelley has been working against the recall, prompting volunteers to decide they’ll add thousands of signatures to go well over the minimum. The signature drive will continue for three weeks until the deadline.