Community Loses Cherished Member

Mission Viejo lost a cherished community member and friend on Oct. 24. Margaret M. “Mickey” MacDonald was surrounded by family members in her home when she passed away on Saturday morning. She was a longtime Mission Viejo resident who had a wide circle of friends, including her neighbors in Casta del Sol.

Those who knew Mickey described her as a tireless worker who fought for the betterment of her community. She served on the board of directors for her Casta homeowner’s association, as well as civic organizations and committees. Council candidates sought Mickey’s support, and she enjoyed writing letters to the editor of the Saddleback Valley News. She was an avid follower of politics at all levels, and she attended council meetings for many years.

Mickey was a member of St. Kilian Catholic Parish, where she had served as a Eucharistic minister.

Mickey’s survivors include a daughter, who resides in Lake Forest.

City Ignores Resident’s Offer

When City Manager Dennis Wilberg has attempted to debate city watchdogs and bloggers, he’s lost. Brad Morton (on his blog, MissionViejoDispatch.com) has been effective at pointing to Wilberg’s selective memory and/or spin.

On Oct. 17, community watchdog Allan Pilger posted an article about the quirks of city hall, http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=11804, and Wilberg posted an offer to “educate” him about Mission Viejo’s projects. Other community members, including Joe Holtzman, responded to Wilberg, offering to educate Wilberg about neglected slopes and other infrastructure. When Wilberg didn’t respond, Holtzman circulated an email, demonstrating why residents’ input should be considered. Following is Holtzman’s email text, addressed to Pilger, about the city’s design mistakes on Crown Valley Parkway.

“As to your question on Crown Valley Parkway:

• The city should have installed only drought-tolerant plants along that new right-of-way and the medians. Also, instead of the pop-up emitters that spray water into the air (and onto the roadway), NetaFilm soaker hoses should have been installed. Not only would this have kept runoff off the road but would better deliver water directly to the plants’ root zones and reduce water consumption by 70 percent. As I mentioned, Mission Viejo Environmental Association HOA has installed more than 3,800 feet of this type of soaker hose – all delivering savings and improving plant health.
   
• The city should not have installed the Sycamore trees along this parkway. Not only is the Sycamore a water-hungry tree, but it drops leaves in the fall, and its roots cause street and sidewalk damage.  It is a Riparian Tree, which is naturally located along river banks, not roads. See the following
  http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_MLA_apa_research_citation/1/7/3/8/6/p173868_index.HTML
   
• The excessive use of Mexican Sand Palms was another mistake. They take yearly maintenance that is above what other trees normally require. They were recessively expensive and are spaced far too close to each other. They are truly a safety hazard in a median.”

Recall Update

While the council was setting the recall election for Feb. 2, Councilman Lance MacLean was taking new steps to ensure his own defeat.

On Oct. 5, MacLean, with the help of city staff and $258,000 in taxpayer dollars, decided after 10 years of opposing a dog park to take credit for building one. Throughout the summer, dog park enthusiasts gathered 1,100 signatures on an informal petition to put pressure on the council. MacLean erred in thinking he could swing 1,100 votes his way by jumping out in front as the dog park hero.

Among 1,100 people signing the petition were children, non-residents and some residents who genuinely want a dog park. When recall proponents worked alongside the dog park group (and signed their petition), they observed that public opinion about a dog park is mixed. One general aspect is clear: homeowners don’t want a dog park near their homes.

With no acceptable plan for a dog park location, MacLean chose Oso Viejo Park. At the Oct. 5 council meeting, residents who live near the park voiced strong opposition to the project. MacLean’s motion for a dog park in Oso Viejo Park passed with a 3:2 vote (Ledesma and Schlicht dissenting). By the Oct. 19 council meeting, the homeowners had mobilized to fill the council chamber in protest of the council majority’s decision.

MacLean has already antagonized more than enough people to ensure he will be recalled He has attempted to characterize those who support his recall as “ten people with a radical agenda.” Fifty-one proponents and at least 100 others collected 14,000 signatures to recall MacLean. Watchdogs and volunteers who campaigned for him in 2002 are among the folks who are joining together to remove him.

On Oct. 15, the Saddleback Republican Assembly board of directors and its membership unanimously endorsed the recall. They stated in a recall resolution that MacLean had broken his campaign promises and abandoned SRA principles of small government, which he espoused in 2002 to get their endorsement. As MacLean’s spin from the dais on Oct. 19, he said SRA members have changed their values.

MacLean’s definition of a radical is evidently anyone who wants him out of office. “Radicals” include SRA members, community watchdogs and others who follow city politics. Add to that, anyone whose neighborhood has been impacted by MacLean’s failure to represent them. Some of Mission Viejo’s newest radicals include residents who live near Oso Viejo Park.

Email Campaign Splatters

Councilman Lance MacLean said during the Oct. 5 council meeting that he hasn’t had an opportunity to respond to charges of the recall. The process of gathering signatures ran from March 19 through Aug. 24. For five months, MacLean could have distributed flyers or campaigned in any way he chose. Instead, he showed up occasionally at a storefront to antagonize recall supporters and throw a temper tantrum.

MacLean’s current problem is his message of contradictory remarks. He first says all of the complaints against him are lies. Then, he says the complaints are true, but he’s not the only one who did it. Perhaps his political consultant will help him contrive a single story and stick with it.

Last week, MacLean asked his handful of supporters to forward his campaign email to their distribution. As soon as one of them did, the email and the sender’s distribution list were immediately in the hands of watchdogs who support the recall. Particularly humorous, MacLean’s shill didn’t send blind copies. Many of those on her list not only oppose MacLean, they gathered signatures and donated to oust him.

Recipients of the email indicated they were disinterested, annoyed or very annoyed at receiving political tripe on behalf of MacLean. One of them commented, “I am in favor of recalling MacLean. I signed the recall petition the first time I saw a table in front of Trader Joe’s. I walked up and put my name on it before anyone had a chance to ask.”

When MacLean campaigned from the dais during the Oct. 5 council meeting, he attempted to list his accomplishments as a councilman. By the time he mentioned the community center as his doing (mismanaged until it ran three times over budget), he seemed to be listing reasons to recall him. He next touted the Crown Valley widening project – a colossal boondoggle that tied up traffic for more than three years.

In MacLean’s message to his shills, he asks them to “forward emails that I will be sending you to spread the word to others in Mission Viejo as the campaign gets into high gear.” Given his disastrous first attempts, MacLean is already in high gear – in reverse.

The Buzz

City administrators are still trying to persuade Mission Viejo residents to provide photos for the Crown Valley Porkway “art gallery” pillars. Reacting to harsh criticism of their current exhibit – macabre graphics – city officials would next like to display pictures from residents that convey a message of thankfulness. The original deadline for submitting photos was Oct. 1. A community watchdog emailed other activists that he had sent in his photos of a policeman on a motorcycle, illegally parked on a sidewalk while awaiting an opportunity to ticket motorists for other illegal acts. The new city deadline for photos has been extended twice, apparently for lack of participants.

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Support Fun With Chalk by enjoying a meal at Cafe Maiz on Fri., Oct 30. The restaurant will donate 50 percent of the tab to FWC. Customers should present the promo flyer when ordering (link here). Cafe Maiz is located at 27567 Puerta Real in Mission Viejo, and the phone number is (949) 367-0777. Visit the restaurant from noon to 9:00 p.m.

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Community watchdog Dale Tyler “pulled papers” on Tues., Oct. 20, to become the first candidate in the special election to recall Councilman Lance MacLean. No other potential candidates have emerged. The city has created a Candidate Information Log, which will be updated throughout the nomination period, ending Nov. 19. Here’s the link: http://www.cityofmissionviejo.org/DepartmentPage.aspx?id=54&ekmensel=7b8f18ba_26_0_54_2

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Will other residents come forward as candidates to replace MacLean? Throughout the signature drive of the recall, MacLean’s supporters have claimed that another longtime watchdog, Larry Gilbert, would run. They concocted stories, maligning Larry and claiming he intended to take over city hall. From the beginning of the recall effort, Larry has told everyone he’s not running. MacLean’s supporters and city hall’s Kool-Aid drinkers have two dilemmas: 1) MacLean is probably washed up as a council member. 2) Any replacement candidate erupting from MacLean’s supporters would have to run against him to get traction with voters.

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For years, Councilman Frank Ury has shown distaste for MacLean, and he could come up with his own recall candidate. A trademark of Ury’s support is the money trail to outsiders, including lobbyist John Lewis of Orange. MacLean also is heavily dependent on outside financial support, but Ury’s money boys have deeper pockets. By contrast, Dale Tyler’s supporters are Mission Viejo residents. The recall effort is financially backed by Mission Viejo residents and no one else.