Vote Yes on Measure D

I enthusiastically support Measure D, as did J. Saltzgiver when she collected 1,200 signatures to oppose development on Casta del Sol Golf Course. There are two people listed on the No on D flyers. One was the No. 1 cheerleader FOR an airport at El Toro. He used most of the same arguments FOR an airport that he is using against D.

Another one is the agent for the assisted living company that wanted to build on the Casta golf course. If the voters think the developers have just “given up,” think again.

Another opponent is the CEO of Mission Hospital. The hospital not only already owns all of the land for city blocks in Mission Viejo and has the entitlements to build just about anything they want, they do not pay property taxes. The hospital is owned by a religious group and does not have to pay taxes like the rest of the businesses in the city.

The people in Aegean Hills should worry because the owner of the Unisys property wrote to the city a few years ago asking to have their property REZONED from industrial to high-density residential. This negates the Chamber of Commerce argument about D being a “job killer.” When the Unisys property is converted, we will lose those jobs forever in Mission Viejo.

Also a few years ago, two hotel entities were looking at the property next to the animal shelter. If the city was not seriously interested in selling that property to a private developer, why did they spend thousands of dollars to have it appraised?

The Kmart property: By the way it IS in a flood control area and entitlements to build HAVE been given!  The developer has come to Palmia at least twice in recent years to attempt to change the entitlement from owner occupied townhomes to apartments.  If Measure D does not pass, there are only three votes keeping them from changing the entitlements. 

The property next to Tuesday morning:  Not only has the Kmart developer tried to move his obligation to build 15 percent affordable to this site,  they have suggested that the entire site be made “affordable” to handle Mission Viejo’s housing issue with the state.

The argument about high density low income on the NO argument are specious at best.  They already rezoned five pieces of property (Master Plan???) to residential or mixed use and each already includes 15 percent affordable.

The final property in question would be the “Michaels” shopping center. The city commissioned a study from the Urban Land Institute a few years ago and their proposal was to completely renovate and replace that entire shopping center with “mixed use.”  That would mean shops at street level and apartments or condos above. The worst suggestion in the study was how they would handle the parking with so many uses at the same site.

If Measure D does not pass, I feel sorry for the citizens of Mission Viejo. They will spend a lifetime wishing they had done something to pass D, and saying “Gee, I didn’t understand.” It will be too late.

The citizen proponents of D have pooled their own taxpayer/voter dollars to get this on the ballot for you. It is unlikely they will do it again in the future.

However, the NO people have spent tens of thousands of dollars to stop you from having a say in MAJOR changes in land-use zoning in our precious MASTER PLANNED community.  Right now, three people [the council majority members] are making life-changing decisions for you and me. I, for one, trust the people and want Measure D to pass.

VOTE YES ON MEASURE D.

This guest editorial also appeared on the Mission Viejo Dispatch and OrangeJuiceBlog.com. Find reader comments at http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=16639#comments and http://orangejuiceblog.com/2010/05/former-mv-mayor-supports-yes-on-measure-d

Post Categorizes Fools, Frauds and Fakers

Brad Morton exposed the misleading attacks against Measure D in an article on his Mission Viejo Dispatch. Morton’s information was picked up by Larry Gilbert and published on the premier county blog, OrangeJuiceBlog.com

Gilbert’s post drew a feisty response that names the players taking shots at Measure D. The response begins, “I just opened my mail and saw the latest “load of poop” on the elections. Topping all of the pieces of “garbage” was the flier against Measure D from Ury’s minions. It features some of the most despicable characters in Mission Viejo. I call them The Fools, Frauds and Fakers.”

Read both Morton’s article and the OJ reader’s response at http://orangejuiceblog.com/2010/05/mission-viejo-measure-d-faqs

ACT Meets June 14

The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT for America will meet on Mon., June 14. Chapter leader Bruce Mayall invites members to bring a friend and arrive early. The group meets at the Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo (Sycamore B room). Doors open at 7 p.m., and the meeting runs from 7:30 to 9:30. The program on June 14 will be “The Pursuit of Freedom, an Inspiring Story about Surviving Two Tyrannical Regimes and Escaping to America,” presented by Susanne Reyto, who is an author, entrepreneur and a defender of freedom.

Mayall writes: Americans have heard about the evils of the Nazi and Communist regimes in Europe, but most of us have never experienced totalitarian governments first hand. That’s why Susanne Reyto is eager to share her personal story with us. She knows, from firsthand experience, what it’s like to live under evil, despotic ideologies. Susanne will speak for about 45 minutes. Then we’ll have about 15 minutes for questions and answers.

A $5 donation is appreciated to help cover our costs

Was Election a Takeover Attempt?

When Saddleback Republican Assembly members met on May 20, they chose a new board of directors for 2010-2011. Prior SRA elections involving contested seats have been between longtime members. Two weeks ago, several newcomers attempted to place themselves on the board.

The newcomers, despite vastly different backgrounds, are politically alike. None of them was active in Republican clubs prior to October 2009, and they have no history of involvement in the Republican Party.

The election was held during the May 20 meeting after the regular program. The top of the slate (for president, vice-president, etc.) was uncontested. Had it not been for the election of four Board Members at Large, the entire board could have been decided by a voice vote to accept the slate, which had been nominated by a committee prior to the meeting. Instead, nominations from the floor resulted in seven contestants for four seats. Two on the slate were longtime members, Jack Anderson and Phil Steinhauer. Two nominations from the floor were also longtime members, Neil Lonsinger and Dr. Frank Lieberman.

Before SRA members cast their written ballots, each of the seven Member at Large contestants spoke for two minutes. An SRA member asked them to list memberships in other political clubs or organizations. None of the newcomers mentioned their association with Leadership Alliance. The person asking the question knew of the organization and the ties among the newcomers to the founder and financier of Leadership Alliance, Farzaneh Akhavi, and Iranian-born woman who lives in Irvine.

A May 1 email written by a Christian activist had been distributed to several SRA members. The activist asked why political neophytes were being recommended over well-known Republican volunteers for the Orange County Republican Central Committee. He noted the newcomers had been listed in voter guides distributed among Christian conservatives, and he pointed out the Leadership Alliance connection of 20 or more of the candidates running for the GOP Central Committee. The subject line of the email was “Why is a Muslim running our Christian house”?

In addition to membership in Leadership Alliance, many of the newcomer candidates appear to lack a Republican ideology, and some of them have advocated forming a third party. The May 1 email alleges the stealth group’s agenda to splinter the OC GOP by taking over its Central Committee and promoting third-party candidates in the November election. Giving credibility to the email, the Leadership Alliance has since circulated an invitation to its “victory party” on election night, with no connection to the OC GOP victory party at the GOP headquarters.

To conclude the May 20 SRA election, the four longtime members (Anderson, Steinhauer, Lonsinger and Lieberman) were chosen to serve on the new board for 2010-2011.

The Buzz

Opponents of Measure D are spreading misinformation to confuse voters. Among those making false statements is Joyce Saltzgiver, a Casta del Sol resident. Saltzgiver claimed in a robocall to residents, as well as in anti-D flyers, that she got 1,200 signatures on the Right To Vote petition. In fact, she got none. Volunteers who gathered and verified signatures say that Saltzgiver seems confused. She circulated an informal petition among Casta residents who opposed homebuilding on the Casta golf course. Saltzgiver first opposed housing on the golf course and then said it would be OK with her after she met privately with the developer. She indicated she represented the Casta HOA in both of her conflicting opinions, first opposing and then approving the housing project. Some Casta homeowners say Saltzgiver has never had the authority to approve homebuilding on the golf course.

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Cox Cable taped a segment on Measure D, with Brad Morton representing “Yes on D” and Geoffrey Willis and Joyce Saltzgiver presenting the “No on D” argument. A Mission Viejo resident who saw the segment when it aired last week said, “Willis identified himself as a land-use attorney, which should send up a red flag to voters. I thought he shot himself in the foot when he said SVUSD [Saddleback Valley school district] opposed the measure because it would make it difficult to sell school property for high-density housing.”

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A parent responded to the risk of SVUSD selling school sites, which could be turned into high-density housing. From the Orange Juice Blog on May 29, O’Neill School Parent posted, “When we tried to keep O’Neill open as our neighborhood school, the school board wouldn’t listen. Then, we proposed a charter school, and all our pleas fell on deaf ears. Now we know why. The “no” on D people have admitted the school district wants to sell the campus and convert the property to high-density housing!”

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Voters who are receiving brochures from the “No on D” campaign should note that the return address is a real estate organization. Others involved in trying to defeat the measure include Roger Faubel, who was the PR agent for Sunrise in the proposal to build housing on the Casta golf course. Faubel donated to the campaign treasuries of three council members before Sunrise hit financial skids. Council members taking the cash were Frank Ury, Trish Kelley and ex-councilman Lance MacLean, who was recalled.

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Residents are reporting that “YES on D” campaign signs have been taken down or destroyed. Four entities are taking down the signs: 1) city employees, 2) city contractors, 3) homeowner association landscapers and 4) opponents of Measure D. While it is either legal or acceptable to have the first three groups remove signs from city right-of-ways or HOA property, opponents are illegally removing or tampering with signs. In one instance, a gray-haired man was seen pulling up a “YES” sign and throwing it aside. In another case, a man and a woman were walking together, and the man pulled up the sign and placed it behind bushes. In a third instance, a sign was pulled up near El Pollo Loco (La Paz and Marguerite) and thrown into the street. Anyone witnessing such crimes should call the police.

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Show your colors by flying the American flag on Memorial Day, Mon., May 31. Tea Partiers and other patriots are also reminding everyone to “show your true colors” on Flag Day. A Tea Partier sent an email: “We would like to engage as many tea partiers, their families and any and all other Americans this Flag Day, Mon., June 14, to wear Old Glory and decorate their homes, cars, etc., with Red, White and Blue.”