The Buzz

The city staff’s Crown Valley gallery on the median pillars was supposed to display photographs taken by Mission Viejo residents. After months of delay because residents wouldn’t participate, the city ended up putting photos on display taken by those who don’t live in Mission Viejo. The show must go on.

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Casta del Sol residents enter their community through four guarded gates. A Casta committee has been studying whether or not to install automated gates at three of the four entry points as a cost-cutting measure. Read the details on Brad Morton’s blog, http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=12794 . The matter could be decided soon by a vote of the homeowners.

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Two situations just outside Casta del Sol’s boundaries either could or will affect traffic and security for the homeowners association. The adjacent Casta golf course is still for sale, and residents are closely watching the property after Sunrise Development made overtures to rezone the course to housing last year. Sunrise’s plans abruptly ended in August 2008 when it hit financial skids. The city council majority recently approved a $4-million expansion of the tennis center at Marguerite Pkwy and Casta Drive. Are Casta residents aware that this project will impact their main access road? The expansion plan to add 300 parking spaces, build basketball courts and fill the gulch south of Casta Drive with 3,000 truckloads of dirt will bring big changes to the currently quiet area.

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A Buzz reader remarked about residents who considered running in the Feb. 2 Special Election to recall Councilman Lance MacLean. The election consists of two questions on one ballot: Should MacLean be recalled and who should replace him? Two candidates entered the race, Dale Tyler and Dave Leckness. Two other residents “pulled papers” to run but didn’t file. A reader emailed, “I saw that the two people who didn’t file were named Jeff Weekly and Kevin Dailey. What happened to Yearly?”

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Capistrano school district has endured years of upheaval. A former superintendent and one of his assistant superintendents (James Fleming and Susan McGill) were indicted on felony charges in 2007, and they await trial. Their next hearing will be Dec. 11. All seven of Fleming’s old-regime trustees were recalled, voted out or they didn’t run for reelection. Following three elections in which “reform” candidates won by a wide margin, the teachers union and some parents are still engaged in the battle for control of the district. The current debate centers on how trustees should be elected. CUSD voters can decide in June if they want to vote on only the trustee who will represent their area of CUSD or if all voters should vote on all seven trustees. A CUSD parent has spoken during public comments at several council meetings, recommending that Mission Viejo voters support the current method of voting for all seven trustees. Blog staffers agree.

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Comment from a Mission Viejo resident who lives in Saddleback Valley Unified School District: “Is it true Dr. Dore Gilbert is retiring as a trustee of SVUSD? Maybe Mission Viejo residents can decide on a candidate they can support to run for his seat. Can we try to get better representation on the school board?”