Council Majority Prefers Self-enrichment

During the June 21 meeting, Council Members Trish Kelley, Frank Ury and Dave Leckness voted to keep lifetime healthcare benefits for those who serve three terms (12 years) on the council. Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht agendized the item, and she and Councilman John Paul Ledesma voted in the minority to eliminate the benefit. The value to those who receive such taxpayer-funded healthcare has been estimated from $170,000 to $250,000 per council member.

During discussion of the agenda item, Leckness in his comments seemed to indicate he would vote to end the taxpayer-funded insurance. He made reference to his own printing business, saying he wouldn’t extend such a policy to his employees. He then voted with Kelley and Ury in the 3-2 decision to continue the benefits.

Days later, Kelley and Ury turned in letters to the city, revoking their right to the benefit. Ex-councilman Lance MacLean signed a similar letter days before he was recalled by voters on Feb. 2. Such obvious political maneuvers can be reversed at any time because the healthcare policy remains in place. As Brad Morton points out on Mission Viejo Dispatch, http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=16968 legal grounds exist for council members to reinstate their benefits.

From the Dispatch: “The question is why Ury and Kelley don’t simply repeal the policy instead of executing individual revocations. … Leckness has until noon Monday to agendize a Motion for Reconsideration for the July 6 meeting.”

Blog writer Larry Gilbert offered another view of self-enrichment in his June 26 Orange Juice post, revealing how Kelley has been socking away an additional $825 per month for herself after proclaiming that she is covered by her husband’s health insurance policy. Read his article: http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2010/06/mayor-kelley-lines-her-retirement-fund-on-the-back-of-mv-taxpayers

Gilbert’s post also points to a discrepancy about the cost to taxpayers for a council member’s city-provided lifetime medical coverage. When MacLean “revoked” the benefit, its value was estimated at $250,000. In media coverage (Orange County Register representative Niyaz Pirani) last week, the cost was reported at $38,000 for Kelley (age 59) and $40,000 for Ury (age 46).

Pirani, who has been accused by OCR readers of putting his name on press releases penned by city staff members, is rightfully challenged by Gilbert on the discrepancy between the projected values.

Mission Viejo Group Plans July 4 TEA Party
Press Release

On Sun., July 4, Saddleback Republican Assembly invites everyone to an Independence Day rally. SRA, which organized Mission Viejo’s April 15 Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party, is planning a 90-minute rally from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on July 4.

The purpose of the July 4 TEA Party is to build on the national taxpayer protest movement, which is fashioned after the Boston Tea Party of 1773. SRA’s April 15 Tax Day Protest attracted approximately 700 participants.

The July 4th rally will be held on the corners of Marguerite Parkway and Olympiad Road in Mission Viejo. The intersection is near the northwest end of Lake Mission Viejo. A nearby event will be the city’s July 4th Street Faire, which takes place on a section of Olympiad Road east of Marguerite Parkway.

Although protest signs will be provided during the rally, Tea Party participants are invited to bring a sign of their own making or an American flag to wave. The peaceful protest is suitable for families and people of all ages. Following the rally, a fireworks display nearby will begin at 9:00 p.m.

Updates and other announcements about SRA's July 4th TEA Party will be posted on MissionViejoCA.org and distributed to newspapers, the MissionViejoDispatch.com and OrangeJuiceBlog.com.

For additional information, call Matt Corrigan, SRA president, (949) 830-8088.)

City Ignores Drought Issues
Letter to the Editor

As some of you are aware, the city has reworked some of the slope area on Marguerite Parkway – basically for about 400 feet on the east side of Marguerite Parkway south of Trabuco Road. For years, this slope like others within our city has been ignored.

Yesterday, I reviewed the area in-depth. I would suggest you all take a look at the project as it is nearing completion.

Quite honestly, I am very disappointed that the city continues to fail to recognize and respond to the present and potential drought problem we in Southern California are facing. 

The City of Mission Viejo failed to seize the opportunity to replant this slope with more drought-tolerant plantings and to implement an irrigation system to reduce water waste and runoff. The reworked and replanted slope areas only in a very limited way use drought-tolerant plants, and virtually none of the irrigation system was reworked to employ soaker hoses and other water-saving techniques.

For example:

• Once again, Sycamore trees were planted along Marguerite Parkway. The Sycamore is a Riparian tree, meaning it is found on river bottoms and along creeks in California. The Sycamore requires annual precipitation of 30 - 80 inches – hardly a drought-tolerant tree. In addition, the Sycamore is deciduous (loses its leaves in the fall) and is a messy tree to maintain. Many better-suited trees could have been selected that are much more environmentally friendly.
   
• The choice of the Halls Honeysuckle as a ground cover is problematic at best.  While it tolerates heat to some extent, it requires more water than some of the better choices that could be made for ground cover. Halls Honeysuckle, in reality, looks good only in the spring, then with heat and lack of proper maintenance tends to turn yellow and thin out. Of course, it is a standard used by the city – but most HOAs have abandoned the planting of this thirsty plant.
   
• The city irrigation is the same old conventional spray system. These systems, emitting a spray into the air – lose a significant amount of moisture to the air – rather than placing the water directly to the plants’ root zones as is done with a (Neta Film) soaker-hose system.  Soaker hoses significantly reduce or eliminate runoff and contribute to a significant water-use reduction – while maintaining healthier plants.

Note: Mission Viejo Environmental Association, the city’s largest HOA, has installed more than 10,000 feet of Neta Film Soaker Hose to avoid this problem in our association. [Re: http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=16763 , Irrigation Damages Streets.] This not only stops the runoff but saves an average 63 percent on water application.

In addition, MVEA has a drought-tolerant display at Antela and Boltana that utilizes plants that do not need the extensive watering required by grass and other plants now employed by the city.

These are examples the city could emulate. I could enumerate other mistakes and oversights, but I don't want to bore you with details. This example is just another reason the city needs new leadership in the Public Works Department – ref. Keith Rattay.

Joe Holtzman
Mission Viejo

CUSD Update

Union leaders may have surprised a lot reform-minded people by qualifying a recall of two Capo USD trustees for the November 2 ballot. The Registrar of Voters on June 21 announced that enough valid signatures had been collected to trigger a recall election for Trustees Ken Lopez-Maddox and Mike Winsten. Approximately 33,000 signatures were collected per trustee, and the Registrar of Voters used a random sampling technique to determine that at least 21,641 per trustee were valid.

A June 22 OC Register article about the signature count can be found at http://www.ocregister.com/articles/recall-254590-election-district.html

Related recall articles can also be found on the Capistrano Dispatch at http://capistranoinsider.typepad.com/beyond_the_blackboard/

Some statements point to a union-driven effort despite the union’s claims it was not in back of the recall. For example, campaign finance reports show that those contributing to the recall signature drive were school district employees. In the union’s claim that 80 percent of the signature gatherers were parents, perhaps it means 80 percent of its members have children.

In response to questions about potential challengers in the recall election, the list will not include Erin Kutnick, who was defeated in the 2008 General Election when she ran against Jack Brick. CUSD trustees represent specific geographic areas, and Kutnick doesn’t reside in either Area 3 (Winsten) or Area 5 (Lopez-Maddox). Kutnick has been a central figure in the current effort to recall the two trustees.

The Buzz

What is an appropriate title for a newspaper employee who either fails to report news or writes articles that are so biased they belong on an editorial page? He should be called a representative, not a reporter.

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A Mission Viejo resident who made public comments at the June 21 City Council meeting bragged about the “grassroots” victory that defeated Measure D, the Mission Viejo Right To Vote. What is “grassroots” about a professional campaign paid for by outsiders? The speaker was Wendy Bucknum, who joined with special interest, a real estate PAC, developers and lobbyists in a well-funded outsider effort to defeat Measure D. Did anyone campaigning against the measure NOT have a financial stake in its defeat?

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Observers estimate the amount of money paid by outsiders to defeat Measure D is well beyond the $100,000 known to date. The next due date for campaign finance reports is August 2. The supporters of Measure D spent approximately $1,500, not $3,000 as a representative of Saddleback Valley News erroneously stated.

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Adam Elmahrek makes a good point in his June 23 Voice of OC article about Councilmembers Frank Ury and Trish Kelley, who voted on June 21 to protect their lifetime medical benefits: http://www.voiceofoc.org/blogs/article_331df476-7ed0-11df-8e9c-001cc4c002e0.html . From the article: "Ury said he couldn't support Schlicht's motion because of the possibility of a lawsuit by a council member against the city. It's an interesting argument for Ury to make, considering only he and Mayor Trish Kelley could possibly qualify for lifetime benefits in the future, and only he and Kelley could possibly be in a position to sue the city over the benefits. So, is Ury protecting the city from himself? Or is he worried that Kelley would sue the city to get the benefits?"

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Also from Elmahrek’s June 23 Voice of OC article, "In 2008, Councilman John Paul Ledesma noted that the average cost of a health plan -- when taken advantage of for 24 years after retirement -- is $257,000.”

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City Council candidates have approximately six weeks to file nomination papers with the city clerk. Completed papers may be filed between July 12 and Aug. 6. City watchdogs estimate 10 candidates will join the stampede for three open seats. Holding fundraisers recently were incumbent Councilmembers Trish Kelley and Dave Leckness. Councilman John Paul Ledesma will term out this year, finishing his 12th year on the council.