The Buzz

What common trait do supporters of Councilman Lance MacLean have? They’re angry! Evidence of their wrath is all around town in the form of destroyed “Recall MacLean” signs. Not only have the signs been knocked down, the heavy cardboard is ripped to shreds. It takes a lot of rage to rip a sign apart, break the wooden reinforcement bars and then heave the remains as far as possible from where the sign was posted.

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Among MacLean’s angry team members, no one is spewing more messages than deposed city councilwoman Sherri Butterfield, who was dumped by voters in November 2002. Residents who watched the council meeting following the lopsided election might remember that Butterfield and her council sidekick, Susan Withrow, wouldn’t leave the dais so that their replacements could be sworn into office. Butterfield and Withrow, who had been defeated by a wide margin, sat in the blue suede chairs for an hour, reminiscing about how great they were.

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Why have Butterfield and Withrow chosen the recall election to stage their noisy return to city politics? Maybe it’s revenge for the deposed queens. When former council majority members Butterfield, Withrow and Bill Craycraft were found guilty of violating the Brown Act, city watchdog Dale Tyler was among the activists who filed the lawsuit against them. Tyler is now running as a replacement candidate in the recall election, and the old gals are suddenly lashing out after years of silence.

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December 25 is the celebration of Christmas Day, not a winter festival. Mission Viejo city hall went off its rocker about Christmas a long time ago. From the OC Register, Oct. 30, 2001: "A decades-old tradition of holiday decorations at a high-profile south-county intersection will be missing something this year: any reference to religion." Mission Viejo City Manager Dan Joseph (fired in 2003) was quoted to say: "We're getting out of the religion business." Who is “we”?

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On Dec. 10, Larry Gilbert was among those who attended former OC Register deputy editor and columnist Steven Greenhut’s book signing and CSPAN taping. In Greenhut’s book (“Plunder!”), he documents “how public employee unions are raiding treasuries, controlling our lives and bankrupting the nation.” Greenhut’s new post is that of director, Journalism Center, for the nonprofit Pacific Research Institute located in Sacramento. The CSPAN program aired on Sun., Jan. 3, at 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. PST.