Special Interests Oppose Measure D

It is not surprising that the Realtors Political Action Committee (PAC) is funding an expensive campaign to defeat Measure D (the Right To Vote) in Mission Viejo. When the "no" people are talking about "powerful special interests" in this election, they are correct. It is the California Association of Realtors and the thousands of apartments they want to build in Mission Viejo community without a vote of the residents. 

Right now, all it takes to rezone a parcel of property in Mission Viejo is three council votes, and the council majority already used three votes to rezone the old Kmart property for condos, the property next to the new Target for condos, the property on Los Alisos next to "Tuesday Morning" for 81 units and the property on the Country Club Golf Course for hundreds of apartments. One opponent of Measure D says "not one unit has been built in years." That is only due to the economy and the lack of current financing.

Most of the anti-Measure D claims in newspaper and mail advertisements are too absurd to address. The good news is that if Measure D passes (with a YES vote), it would help to preserve the beautiful planned community that attracted most of the city’s homebuyers. Residents have not forgotten that they moved here because of the Master Plan created by the Mission Viejo Co. 40 years ago. For many years, that plan stood firm. Recently (and over resident objections), several previously commercial and open-space areas were rezoned for apartments and condos.

When opponents say that the passage of Measure D would cost the city jobs, just the opposite is true. The properties that were originally zoned for industrial and commercial are far more likely to provide jobs well into the future. Rezoning the parcels to apartments would only benefit the builder and his contractors for a very short time.

By design of the measure, any new elections would be paid for by the developer, not the city or its taxpayers. Measure D could have been adopted by the council at zero cost to the taxpayers and voters. The current majority was not even willing to entertain such a thought.

The Mission Viejo Right-To-Vote (Measure D) concept gained major momentum after a developer came to the city asking to develop the Casta del Sol golf course as housing.  The public was able to marshal public outcry THIS TIME. Since the property is still for sale and the moratorium has run out, it is only the economy holding back development. During the time the golf course was in play, 1,200 residents of Casta del Sol signed an informal petition, asking the council to preserve the property as a golf course.  If Measure D does not win in June, such an initiative is unlikely to come back because it was 100-percent resident driven and paid for with no dollars from special interests.

One Casta resident has used her position on the homeowners’ board by saying, “If the council votes against the wishes of the people, they can be voted out.” By the time an election rolls around, the damage will already be done, and council members are elected for four-year terms. Once the property is rezoned and entitlements are given to the owner, the damage, such as losing the golf course, cannot be undone.

Today, several properties hang in the balance: 1) two Saddleback Valley USD elementary schools (now closed) could be sold and developed as housing, 2) the property owner who currently leases to Unisys has inquired as to the willingness of the city to rezone his property to apartments, 3) the shopping center across the street from city hall (SteinMart, Michaels, CVS, etc.) has already been studied by the city to raze the center and construct businesses on the street level with hundreds of apartments above, 4) Casta del Sol Golf Course (high ground not in the flood plain) has been targeted for housing, 5) the hillside slope next to the animal shelter has been appraised and two hotels negotiated with the city for the property, 6) the Country Club Golf Course has sold acreage to a developer and apartment plans are going forward, 7) at the former Kmart property, plans are being adjusted from current entitlements for condos because the developer wants apartments, 8) Tuesday Morning property (on east Los Alisos) has been rezoned with entitlements, 9) the parcel next to the new Target store has been rezoned for mixed-use with entitlements for townhomes on the remaining acres. 

Mission Hospital is not a rezoning issue, despite claims in the anti-Measure D mailers.  The property is already zoned for hospital use, and it recently underwent a $550-million expansion. The hospital doesn’t pay property tax, and only minimal sales tax is gained from the gift shop. To say that healthcare would be affected by this Measure is fear mongering at its worst. The hospital administrator’s fear, however, is that residents wouldn’t approve his wish for more apartments near Crown Valley (within walking distance to the hospital) for his employees. This is yet another case of special interest.

The anti-Measure D PAC mailers and newspaper ads tout the OC Taxpayers group. This one-man band has operated out of San Juan Capistrano for years.  Most notable was the OC Taxpayers’ total support for building an international airport at El Toro. Its proprietor, Reed Royalty, attended most county meetings and supported pro-airport causes and election candidates. While this may have been a few years ago, Royalty was a very visible and vocal supporter of an airport.  The residents of Mission Viejo should not be fooled by a man who has never championed the interests of this city.

While the OC Register is siding with the NO argument on Measure D, they conversely tell us to vote YES on Proposition 16 which is another Voters Rights Initiative. The absolute best thing voters can do is to be informed. Read the entire initiative. The PAC advertisements are not true, and most of those opposing Measure D have obviously not read it.

Citizens of Mission Viejo, this is your best chance – and maybe the last one – to take back "the California Promise.” Vote YES on Measure D.

Voter Guide for June 8 Primary

Blog writers compiled a voter guide for Mission Viejo that reflects the recommendations of conservative Republicans. Democrats are invited to send us their picks for publication.

State Offices (Republican Slate)
Governor: Steve Poizner
Lieutenant Governor: Sam Aanestad
Secretary of State: Damon Dunn
Controller: Tony Strickland
Treasurer: Mimi Walters
Attorney General: John Eastman
Insurance Commissioner: Mike Villines
State Board of Equalization, District 3: Michelle Steel
U.S. Senate: Chuck DeVore. Carly Fiorina is an alternative choice.
U.S. Representative: 42nd District: Gary Miller

ORANGE COUNTY
GOP Central Committee Races (vote for these six in your Assembly District)
71st (all of Mission Viejo is in this district): Mark Bucher, Tony Beall, Todd Spitzer, John Williams, Jack Anderson, Marcia Gilcrist. They are incumbents who are doing a good job, which is a rare occurrence in government today.

JUDICIAL
All California Superior Court Judges are elected to 6 year terms. Of those, 50 are up for re-election in June, but you will only find five on the June 8 ballot. No one filed to run against the other 45.
Superior Court Judge Office No. 2: unopposed
Superior Court Judge Office No. 13 unopposed
Superior Court Judge Office No. 16: Andy Manssourian
Superior Court Judge Office No. 39: unopposed
Superior Court Judge Office No. 50: Julian Bailey

SCHOOLS
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Diane Lenning
County Superintendent of Schools: William Habermehl
County Board of Education Area 2: Alexandria Coronado
County Board of Education Area 5: No recommendation
Recall of Capistrano Unified School District Trustees: NO.

COUNTY OFFICES
Supervisor, 2nd District: John Moorlach
Supervisor, 4th District: Shawn Nelson
Supervisor, 5th District: Pat Bates
Assessor: Claude Parrish
Auditor-Controller: David Sundstrom
County Clerk-Recorder: Hugh Nguyen
District Attorney: Tony Rackauckas
Public Administrator: John Williams
Sheriff-Coroner: Bill Hunt
Treasurer-Tax Collector: Keith Rodenhuis

Proposition 13: Limits on Property Tax Assessment. YES
Proposition 14: Elections. Increases Right to Participate in Primary Elections. NO
Proposition 15: California Fair elections Acts: NO
Proposition 16: Two-Thirds Voter Approval for Local Public Electricity Providers. NO
Proposition 17: Auto Insurance based on Driver’s History of Insurance coverage. YES

MEASURE D: Mission Viejo Right–To-Vote Initiative. YES!

The following analysis came from Kathy’s Pics by Kathy Dittner of Mission Viejo.

This measure was initially put on the ballot in response to the Casta Del Sol golf course being considered for sale with a senior care facility being built on a portion of the land that is not in a flood channel. The developer wanted the rest of the golf course to be sold to the city for a park or open space that the city/tax payers would need to maintain. The developer backed out when the building market collapsed and residents came to meetings in M.V to oppose the sale.

The Mission Viejo Right to Vote (Measure D) will:

REQUIRE voter approval of major zoning changes.

PROTECT present standards for single family home permits, reconstruction and additions not involving major changes to zoning. Businesses would also maintain present standards for changes in their buildings.

PRESERVE our original Master Plan of the Mission Viejo Company. It provided a balance between housing, business, and recreation areas.

PREVENT election costs by having the developers who are proposing the major zoning changes to pay for the regular or special elections, NOT THE TAXPAYERS! The City Council will approve or reject regular land use changes or affordable housing required by state law.

KEEP recreation and open spaces by VOTERS approving changes or development of open spaces, and rezoning recreation property, unless being changed to open space. This would prevent the City Council from taking a park and selling it to a developer to build houses or apartment. The City Council would still approve sports parks or dog parks.

Approving the Mission Viejo Right To Vote (Measure D) is a big win for the citizens of Mission Viejo.

SRA Elects Board Members

On May 20, members of Saddleback Republican Assembly elected a board of directors who will serve through May 2011. On the new board are President Matt Corrigan, 1st Vice President Dale Tyler, 2nd Vice President Mark Dobrilovic, Secretary-Treasurer Kathy Corrigan, Members-at-Large Jack Anderson, Phil Steinhauer, Neil Lonsinger and Dr. Frank Lieberman.

Prior to the meeting, a nominating committee created a slate of candidates for each position, including four for members at large. Lonsinger and Lieberman were nominated from the floor during the May 20 election. SRA members Karen Litfin and John Paul Ledesma counted the ballots.

Lonsinger and Lieberman both have long histories of community service and other involvement on behalf of philanthropies. Lieberman founded and continues to lead the city’s annual art festival, Fun With Chalk. His philanthropic work includes raising funds for Laura’s House (a shelter for abused women and their children) and art programs in public schools. Lonsinger has served on the city planning commission as its chairman and as president of the city’s largest homeowners association.

SRA is a unit of California Republican Assembly, and it meets on third Thursdays of most months.

CUSD Reform Group Responds

The following press release was received last week regarding the union-backed effort to recall two members of the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees.

The powerful public employee unions have commenced an orchestrated, multi-pronged attack against the seven Reform Trustees serving on the CUSD Board of Trustees. This attack is designed to undermine your Reform Trustees and all the progress they’ve made to restore honesty, integrity and accountability to the 9th largest school district in California. This is their plan:

First, in the middle of the nation’s worst economic crisis since the great depression, with the State of California buckling under the weight of unprecedented budget deficits that have crippled the ability of local cities and school districts to provide basic services to their constituents:

 2,200 Teachers Union members in Capistrano Unified abandoned their students and walked out on strike…and

 The powerful teachers union is backing a ballot initiative that would take away from every CUSD voter six of their seven votes (by allowing each voter to only vote in one Trustee District rather than “at large” for all seven Trustees).

Days later, the Teachers Union and other public employee unions were marching on Sacramento demanding that legislators increase your taxes.

Last week, union-backed activists turned in petition signatures seeking to recall and remove from office two of your popular and highly-successful Reform Trustees.

Excerpts from the OC Register article breaking the news:

Ploy by union: [Trustees] Lopez-Maddox and Winsten, who have adamantly defended their records, say they are being targeted by the district's influential teachers union, which has long opposed them and the rest of Capistrano's school board.

"The whole thing is just a ploy by the public employee teachers union to get the votes they want on the school board," Winsten said. "They are used to getting their way. I just wish they were honest about who they are and why they're doing this. I'm confident the voters in this district are always willing to vote to do what's right by the children and not by the union leadership."

Winsten said most of the recall leaders are teachers or are related to teachers. Parents for Local Control's treasurer, Gail Benda, is a retired Capistrano teacher, and according to the group's campaign finance filings, the single-largest contribution to the group so far this year – a loan for $2,000 – came from San Clemente resident Jim Sigafoos, whose wife is a Capistrano teacher

Other financial contributors from January to March include Capistrano teachers James Corbett, Krickette Frederick and Geno Dragovich.

[Reform Trustee Ken] Lopez-Maddox, who himself was brought to office in 2008 via a recall election, expressed doubts the recall election would qualify.

"Having been involved in signature gathering in the past, I doubt they've met the legal requirement for the number of valid signatures," Lopez-Maddox said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see that many of the signatures are fraudulent. We'll see what they turn out to be."

Read the article at: http://www.ocregister.com/news/recall-248848-capistrano-election.html

With the eyes of the nation watching to see who would prevail, the seven courageous Reform Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California stood firm against the bullying tactics of the local teachers union, as well as the powerful California Teachers Association (CTA) and the National Education Association (NEA).

Congratulations to the seven courageous Reform Trustees on the CUSD School Board for standing firm and rejecting the unreasonable union demands. The teachers union strike is over. In the end, union leaders were forced to capitulate and end their strike without obtaining concessions on any of their principal demands. Reform leaders say it is a great victory for the students, parents and taxpayers of CUSD.

The Buzz

Reader feedback: “I’ve been reading articles about the poor condition of Mission Viejo’s streets. City hall tells us how well off the city is with all the money in reserves. Now, they’re saying street repairs in some areas will have to wait because the cost isn’t budgeted. If the city really has that much money, why not spend it on street repairs? I was surprised that a street near the lake is the one in worst condition according to the blogs. Pedroso has a section with cracks that are 2” to 3” wide, and look at Padilla if you want to see the worst streets in town. This entire area [near Trabuco Hills High School] is years overdue for resurfacing. When our neighborhood goes to city council meetings with any problem, they act like we’re from another planet. We are the forgotten part of town.”

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A real estate Political Action Committee is the financial backer of opposition to Measure D, the Mission Viejo Right-To-Vote initiative. Some of those who don’t want voters to decide on zone changes include former councilwomen Sherri Butterfield and Susan Withrow, who rezoned commercial property to allow for apartments along Crown Valley Parkway. Also opposing the Right To Vote is the Saddleback Valley school district, which recently closed two schools. Anyone living near a school, open space, commercial property or the Casta del Sol Golf Course should remind everyone to vote YES on Measure D.

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Read Allan Pilger’s article on the Mission Viejo Dispatch, including a reader comment a exposing “no” on D operative, Peter Bastone of Mission Hospital.
http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=16548#comments

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Mission Viejo’s Tea Parties have been organized by longtime members of Saddleback Republican Assembly, the official host of five events, The first one was on April 15, 2009. SRA’s Tea Parties have been billed as tax protests, and that’s what they are. SRA is not part of the Tea Party movement wanting to splinter the Republican Party or form a new Party.

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Representing YES on Measure D in the Cox forum is Brad Morton, who is a city watchdog and the proprietor of the Mission Viejo Dispatch. On the opposing side are Geoffrey Willis and Joyce Saltzgiver. Willis, who has indicated he will run for a council seat in November, appears to be connected to Councilman Frank Ury. Willis is confused about Measure D, and he pretends to draw upon his background as a real estate attorney to confuse others. Saltzgiver, a resident of Casta del Sol, indicates she is speaking officially as a board member of her homeowners association. Do Casta homeowners agree with that?

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Mission Viejo residents are seeing the first campaign signs around town for appointed OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. A blog reader remarked, “When I saw the sign from a distance, I thought it was left over from the MacLean recall – yellow and black. Hutchens has very few signs, and I figure she either thinks she has this election in the bag or she is relying on campaign mailers.” Bloggers watching this race think that no candidate (Sandra Hutchens, Bill Hunt or Craig Hunter) will get a majority on June 8, and a runoff will take place in the November election. In order to win outright on June 8, one of the candidates would need 50 percent plus one vote.