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The Buzz Did residents receive the latest Mission Viejo Outlook magazine on Sept. 12? The cover story announces the Readers’ Festival, which took place on Sept. 12. The timing demonstrates more than poor planning, as this nonfunctional puff piece is precisely the type of waste residents oppose. BrandStrata, the consultant “credited” with bringing about the city staff’s dead tree logo, is listed under art direction in the current edition. The latest issue contains an article, “Mission Viejo Makes Commitment to Becoming Greener.” The greenery involved in mailing a pricey PR piece to every address in the city apparently refers to the color of money, not anything about the environment. *** A comparison of the current Outlook magazine with one from 2008 reveals several changes. The city’s official seal has been taken off the cover, and the new format includes obvious upgrades in materials. The current magazine looks like a glossy corporate brochure with no consideration of expense. During an economic downturn, city officials apparently believe taxpayers won’t notice that the city’s aging infrastructure is subject to deferred maintenance while city hall’s spinmeisters waste money. *** In responding to the obvious decline in city revenues and reserves, this blog has questioned the council majority’s decision to make its first and deepest cuts in public services. First to feel the pain was the city library, with a 75-percent decrease in its budget for materials. Residents have long remarked about the lack of books and other materials that can be checked out. Who made the decision to have two library employees spend two years orchestrating the Sept. 12 Readers’ Festival? What was the cost of the festival and who approved it? While some residents may have enjoyed meeting authors and illustrators on one day out of the year, what about the other 364 days at the library? *** Steve Greenhut offers commentary in his Sept. 13 OC Register editorial regarding former State Assemblyman Mike Duvall who resigned last week. Greenhut muses over whether Duvall’s claims of affairs with lobbyists were real or fantasized. Readers might be more interested in finding out why it took so long for the news to break. Duvall made his comments into a “live” microphone as an Appropriations Committee hearing was opening on July 8. Why did the story take two months to surface in newspapers? Check out the links in OC Weekly, which broke the news that brought down the assemblyman: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/breaking-news/oc-assemblyman-in-bed-with-lob/ *** Saddleback Republican Assembly will host Dr. Michael Kennedy at its meeting on Thurs., Sept. 17, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Kennedy will discuss the proposal for nationalized healthcare. SRA meets in the second-floor community room of Atria del Sol, 23792 Marguerite Pkwy, Mission Viejo. Atria del Sol is located on the northeast corner of Marguerite Pkwy and Casta Drive. The meeting is open to the public, and guests are welcome. |
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