Mission Viejo Buzz

The Buzz

What does it take to win a council seat in Mission Viejo? In 2004, a Big Lie was the centerpiece of a slick campaign. Frank Ury ran on a promise he would bury power lines in north Mission Viejo. Shortly before the election, the California Public Utilities Commission ruled that new lines would be added above ground. Ury missed a deadline to appeal the CPUC’s decision, but his mailers continued to proclaim he would bury the lines. The Big Lie worked so well in 2004 that Ury used the same approach in his 2008 reelection brochures, stating the Crown Valley widening project was finished. The construction mess on Crown Valley continued long after Ury won his reelection bid. In a slick campaign, lies trump accomplishments.

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How did it work out for conservatives who carried Ury around in 2004? One of his first moves after being installed on the council was to appoint Peter Bastone, CEO of Mission Hospital, as his planning commissioner. Whenever the issue of affordable housing became contentious at city meetings, a staff member from the hospital would make public comments touting welfare housing. The hospital has a large contingent of cleaning and maintenance workers who can’t afford market-rate housing. Kommissioner Bastone would apparently like taxpayers to make up the difference by providing affordable housing compounds “within walking distance” of the hospital. Bastone wrote a letter to the OC Register, published Oct. 3, objecting to government interference in healthcare. No problem, however, with government interference in the housing market.

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Will Mission Viejo’s Measure D become an issue in the city election in November? Opponents of Measure D are threatening to cause a stir over “property rights” to keep the current council majority intact. In the June Primary, voters rejected the measure, also called the Mission Viejo Right To Vote. The housing industry funneled more than $100,000 into a campaign to defeat the measure – tricking voters into thinking they should vote against voting. If passed, Measured D would have enabled voters to make the final decision if a council majority ruled in favor of rezoning a major parcel of land. The measure would have empowered voters to reject such changes as rezoning the Casta del Sol Golf Course to housing or adding apartments on top of stores at La Paz and Marguerite.

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A potential new campaign could be launched against any council challenger who supported Measure D. County operatives who benefit from housing development claim that Measure D interfered with property rights of owners wanting their property rezoned. What about the property rights of the city’s 30,000-plus homeowners who don’t want the character of their neighborhoods changed, for example, with apartment complexes replacing closed schools? Somehow, “property rights” in the eyes of developers and lobbyists don’t apply to homeowners. For a fact, residents do not have “property rights” to turn their homes into anything they want. In the eyes of housing developers, the residents should have no legal standing to object to changes that reduce their property values or their right to enjoy their property.

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Buzz reader response – lengthy but a powerful summary: What specific improvements have current CUSD board members implemented after the old Fleming regime was removed? Here’s a short list:

Board meetings are now audio-recorded and posted to the district website.
Agendas are now online. Previously, agendas were available only at the CUSD office.
Public comment cards can be completed at the board meetings instead of making prior arrangements at district office before the close of business.
The budget and check register are online instead of requiring a public records request.
Prior the last negotiation with the union (when the teachers went on strike) all parities at the labor negotiating table benefit from the raises they negotiated (from the superintendent to the district negotiating team to the union members).
Prior to the current trustees being elected, citizens could only address the board on two agenda items per meeting.
Prior to the current trustees being elected, citizens could only address the board on the same topic twice in one year.
Until the last collective bargaining with the teachers union and other employees of CUSD, salary raises paid were for with increased class size grades 4-12.
There was lack of budget or planning for projects that have nearly bankrupted the district. San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano was built with no budget and the District Office [taj mahal] was approved with no budget, no plans and no competitive bids and was funded with Mello-Roos and Redevelopment money (all funds could have been used for school maintenance and projects). Under the current trustee leadership, an investigation was conducted and the district acknowledged that the community had been misled regarding how the district office was funded. The prior board and union went along with the lie.
The present board instituted an anti-nepotism policy.
Under California law, the trustees in CUSD may be paid $1,500 per month. The current trustees have imposed a stipend of $350 per month.
The first-ever CUSD facility needs assessment and plan was approved under the reform trustees.
Under the current reform trustees, old portable units have been removed.
Under the current trustees, students are no longer forced to eat on locker room and shower floors during rainy weather.
The current trustees “sunshined” (eliminated) the “job well done” retirement bonus given to every administrator when they retired.
Under the current board, CUSD implemented the requirement that the administrative departments create and adhere to budgets (the school sites each had a budget but the district administration did not).
Prior to the Current Board, CUSD held secret Saturday Board meetings where they discussed general CUSD business including Future Parcel Taxes and how to keep certain people from speaking at board meetings.
Under the current board, the CUSD implemented job performance evaluations.
Under the current board, there is now a procedure/process in place to get certification on all the facilities projects that were closed out in the past without DSA certification. Twenty-six projects have received this certification under the current board. Not having the certification meant that new projects could not be started just jeopardizing school improvement and/or maintenance work.
The current trustees have balanced the budget in light of the fact they have had to cut more than $100 million since being elected.
The current trustees have significantly cut administrative costs at the district office.
Under the current board, the district has automated the District’s Use of Facilities process. This more efficient electronic approval process will eliminate paperwork and increase accountability and revenue for use of our district's facilities.