The Buzz

City Manager Dennis Wilberg sent out one page for his July 31 “The Week That Was.” He wrote a paragraph about a new Microsoft store opening in The Shops this fall. He says the business will take over the spot formerly occupied by The Limited clothing store. Wilberg’s second paragraph introduces Baby Cakes Bakery, which opened last week at The Shops. Wilberg’s only city hall news for the week was a workshop for various committee members hosted by Recreation and Community Services staff members.

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A community activist jokingly circulated an email stating that the city staff will next build a pyramid to occupy the city employees’ time. How are 150-plus city employees spending their days in a built-out city with virtually no new homes or other development requiring engineering or planning?

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The focus of activists getting recall signatures at the library has resulted in an ongoing survey indicating the Mission Viejo library is a regional facility. Recall workers are asking all people entering the library if they’re Mission Viejo residents. The results indicate more than half of the library patrons don’t live here.

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Recall target Councilman Lance MacLean is telling his supporters he’s going to fight the recall, and he’s indicated “the campaign will get ugly.” How much uglier could it get than MacLean’s behavior for the past six years? He apparently believes residents’ level of disgust toward him will diminish if he stuffs voters’ mailboxes with attacks funded by his out-of-town developer friends against Mission Viejo residents.

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MacLean’s camp seems confused about who is recalling him. At first, his supporters said gadflies and failed council candidates were in back of the recall. The 51 proponents comprise a significant number of newcomers, and an impressive number of young people (surfers, golfers and college students, age 25 or younger) have each gathered at least one page of signatures. Republicans and Democrats alike are signing on to recall MacLean.