City Hall Engages in Sign Battle

Council candidates’ campaign signs posted on city property will be promptly removed and taken to a dump. This message was given to candidates when they began the process of running for a council seat. In some prior elections, city hall allowed candidates to retrieve their signs. The retrieval process kept everyone busy, with city contractors taking signs down and candidates quickly getting them back on the street.

In Mission Viejo, candidates can expect their signs to disappear from public property. However, overzealous contractors take signs from private property as well, including retail space and homeowner association property.

Candidates and other campaign workers saw an aggressive level of sign removal in the June 8 Primary Election. Several days before the election, a citywide sweep took place. In one day, most signs throughout the city were taken from public and private property. The signs were never seen again, as city hall had also invoked a new policy for the June 8 election, disallowing retrieval of signs.

Why did the policy change for the June 8 election? For one thing, the council majority and city staff strongly opposed Measure D, the land-use initiative giving residents the right to vote on zone changes. Those supporting Measure D didn’t have mailers or much else in the way of campaign collateral, but they did have signs. That is, they had signs until the city contractors took them. The few remaining Measure D signs were either pulled up and tossed aside or destroyed. Any opponent can pull up a sign, but it takes an unusual person to rip it to shreds.

Twelve candidates are running for three council seats in the current election, and all but two of them are posting signs. Challenger Sam Mamola told a citizen group early in his campaign that he wouldn’t have signs, and recalled councilman Lance MacLean’s signs haven’t appeared.

As soon as one candidate places a sign on a corner, a half-dozen more surround it, effectively canceling each other out. A day or two later, the corner is swept clean.

Candidates – primarily the challengers – have pleaded with the city to leave the signs alone for 30 days prior to the election. The cost of constant sign removal is high for taxpayers and enormous for candidates. City hall administrators have made their message clear – they’ve worked hard to “count to three,” and they don’t want anything to change.

CUSD Measure H
by Sharon Campbell

Measure H is an initiative on the November 2010 ballot that will take away 6 of your 7 votes. The Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) is divided into 7 geographical regions (trustee areas). Today, you get 7 votes—one for each of your school board members. If this measure passes, you only get to vote for 1 of your school board members. You LOSE 6 of your votes.

Many voters live in areas where the schools their children attend are in several trustee areas. Your child could attend elementary school in one area, middle school in another and high school in a third; but you will only get to vote for the trustee in the area where you live, not necessarily where your schools are located. In addition, trustee areas can, will, and have changed over the years. Your trustee area today may not be your trustee area tomorrow. Changing the trustee areas is the decision of the OC County Committee, a body of 11 members not accountable to the voters.

Our local tax dollars can be spent in multiple trustee areas, and we should be able to hold those people, in charge of spending our tax dollars, accountable.

CUSD trustees are responsible for all the children, and they should be held accountable to all of their parents.

In 2008, unions spent approximately $100,000 trying unsuccessfully to elect candidates to our school board – including Erin Kutnick. Today, Ms. Kutnick urges you to support Measure H – but in 2004, she wrote a newspaper column supporting our current system:

She wrote, “What if hypothetically, one area had a very domineering board member representing them who was only interested in making decisions that were best for their area? If we could not vote that person in or out because they were in another area, there would be no accountability.” “Each board member must be accountable to all of the voters within the district. Public schools of course, have to remain focused on the big picture. Having all seven school board members accountable to the entire voting population keeps them focused on working together rather than trying to further a personal agenda. It also provides balance. Each trustee can provide valuable first hand information and knowledge because they know the schools in their area."

The passage of Measure H would result in decreased election costs because passage eliminates 6 of your votes!

City Hall Thwarts Business

A Mission Viejo business owner told a group of customers last week he is tired of hearing from city hall. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he agreed to be quoted:

“I own businesses in several cities, and the Mission Viejo city administration is by far the most unfriendly toward business. I have virtually the same business in each city, but the only city administration that calls me is Mission Viejo. Their attitude is intrusive and not wanted. I am bringing the city sales tax and creating jobs. I don’t expect anyone to thank me, but people in government don’t have any idea what it takes to stay in business.”

The owner said the city applied pressure with suggestions that were neither requested nor helpful.

The city staff, particularly Keith Rattay, has a reputation for making demands on businesses about building design or design elements, including the choice of plants, trees and d‚cor. Anyone who wants to see an example of Rattay’s ideas on how to improve business should look at the small, rust-colored car on a post near the Sonic Drive-In, which cost the business owner $10,000.

Leckness Campaign Draws Fire

On Sept. 22, the city received a complaint against incumbent council candidate Dave Leckness, whose campaign signs are nailed to trees. The complaint included photos.

Leckness’ signs were also nailed to trees in the February recall campaign. City watchdogs photographed at least 10 examples along Marguerite Parkway.

The Sept. 22 complaint to the city made reference to a 2009 announcement that Mission Viejo was named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation. The complaint states, “I have not seen Dave personally nail these signs to trees. However, nevertheless, they are there and he should be accountable for such a poor practice. Question: What is the city’s position on this unacceptable practice and possible damage to our trees? Should Dave as an elected official offer the citizens a public explanation as to how he allowed this to occur?”

The resident making the complaint reported that Leckness said he is the only person posting his signs, and he is unaware that any of his signs are nailed to trees.

The Buzz

In the city council race, note the difference between the incumbent slate (Kelley and Leckness, plus newcomer Richard Sandzimier) and the challengers. While challengers are walking precincts and handing out business cards, those in power have an executive approach to campaigning. The incumbent slate is well-funded with campaign donations from city vendors, and the slate can afford an air war of slick mailers. Sandzimier’s background with the Urban Land Institute could attract developer donations, which should be a warning to residents who are concerned about more apartment compounds in the city. The ULI was the consultant recommending a mixed-use project with apartments on top of stores in the retail center at La Paz and Marguerite.

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A Sept. 22 article in the OC Register indicates the homebuilding recovery could be five years away. From the AP story, “Builders are competing with millions of foreclosures and other distressed properties, a trend that shows no signs of abating.” The silver lining in this prediction is the long wait before apartment building will take off in Mission Viejo. In addition to parcels that were rezoned for housing by the council majority in 2007, other property in danger of rezoning to high-density residential includes closed schools, the Unisys property and the area near the animal shelter.

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Several council challengers handed out flyers to parents at Back-To-School nights last week. Kelley, Leckness and Sandzimier didn’t campaign at the schools. This is a change for Kelley, who was front and center at schools during her 2002 and 2006 campaigns. Kelley bragged to others at school events that she could stand near the front door of schools because of her background in the PTA. School administrators either discourage or prohibit such close-range politicking, and they have called the police when other campaign workers didn’t move fast enough when told to leave.

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Residents might be wondering about the absence of ex-councilman Lance MacLean in the city campaign. MacLean, who paid more than $1,100 for a ballot statement in the official voter guide, is keeping a low profile. He may have been disappointed to see how quickly Kelley and Leckness replaced him with Sandzimier on their slate. Kelley was criticized for trying to defend MacLean’s record of violence during his recall. MacLean’s backers have distanced themselves, saying they really don’t support him, they just didn’t like the idea of a recall. A blog reader remarked about the relative quiet of the election, “I expect MacLean to come charging in, like Bluto in the parade in ‘Animal House.’”

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During meetings and forums with council candidates, the issues of affordable housing have come up. Residents may have forgotten how Councilman Frank Ury and then-Councilman MacLean threw away the city’s affordable housing plan, causing the state to fine the city $600,000. A lawsuit stemming from a council majority decision with regard to affordable housing also cost taxpayers approximately $1 million in legal fees. The council majority’s flip-flopping on lifetime medical benefits, a $400,000 Rose Parade float, a $200,000 electronic sign flashing “Follow us on Twitter” and the Easelgate caper are just a few on a very long list of bad examples.