City Sues Saddleback Valley School District

During the Sept. 8 closed session of the city council meeting, the council majority approved suing Saddleback Valley Unified School District. The lawsuit followed the district’s reuse of O’Neill Elementary School without conducting an environmental impact report.

City Attorney Bill Curley announced the council’s decision. Unanswered questions include who is driving the action or what the city hopes to gain by suing the district. SVUSD stakeholders are paying attorney fees on both sides – suing as taxpayers of the city and being sued as residents of the district.

According to a Sept. 10 OC Register article, “Mission Viejo argues that it asked the district in March to keep the elementary school open and then in July asked it to conduct an environmental study if adult programs were offered there.”

Is it true the council asked SVUSD to keep the school open? By the time O’Neill supporters came to council meetings, only Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht made suggestions for keeping the school open and asked for discussion on how the city could help. Councilman Frank Ury said teachers should take a pay cut and give a portion of their salaries toward saving O’Neill. His suggestion followed the council majority of MacLean, Ury and Kelley giving themselves lifetime medical benefits last fall. Approximately a year ago, council majority members also voted to double their council stipend.

Residents who live near O’Neill say it could be worse. For example, the cash-deficient district could sell the property. With the council majority’s record of rezoning property to high-density housing, neighbors are right to be concerned. If the city continues to provoke SVUSD with an attitude of punishment and deplete the district’s funds with lawsuits, the district could sell. Councilwoman Kelley has made clear that she intends to protect “her” Capo school district from any more affordable housing projects by forcing all new affordable units into SVUSD.

The council majority bypassed the opportunity to help the district a long time ago. Ury has shown disdain for SVUSD ever since he was thrown off the school board in the mid-1990s. When the city was deliberating how to sue both CUSD and SVUSD over busing and alternative fuel issues, MacLean made his infamous remark that the city should “throw the kitchen sink” at the schools.

Mission Viejo taxpayers and school district residents are not going to benefit from a lawsuit, and the city should stop antagonizing SVUSD.