Council Race Update

“Whoever has the most signs wins” – is it true? If so, contractors hired by city hall are wining. They’ve taken truckloads of signs from roadsides, public and private property, homeowner association common areas and retail centers.

Campaign signs are protected by the First Amendment. In 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that political signs are protected free speech and cannot be regulated by municipalities. While safety concerns (e.g., impeding traffic) might be a reasonable cause for restrictions, making large-scale sweeps of signs prior to an election isn’t reasonable.

If city hall is claiming an aesthetic need to remove all the signs, how does this balance with the city placing unaesthetic stone outhouses along Crown Valley Parkway?

Ultimately, voters should judge whether candidates’ signs are too big, too numerous or poorly placed – he with the most signs loses. This year, the biggest loser would be Richard Sandzimier with 2,200 signs.

If the city’s 2010 sign removal policy seems unfair, compare it with the practice in 2000 when challengers’ signs were taken to the dump while incumbents’ signs were delivered to their homes.

Slate mailers began arriving two weeks ago, including a remarkable one, “Voting Guide for Republicans.” The title should be “Voting Guide for Republicans Who Aren’t Paying Attention.” This “Republican” slate recommends Bill Lockyear – a Democrat, along with a host of far-left liberals. Infamous RINO Abel Maldonado is on the slate, and so is Trish Kelley, who was rejected for the OC Republican endorsement.

The value of slate mailers was thoroughly tested in 2008 by council challenger Richard Atkinson. Atkinson apparently thought he should be on every slate that arrived in Mission Viejo mailboxes. He purchased spots on the Republican, Democrat, Independent, Asian-American, Left-handed Lawn Bowlers and Couch Potato slates. Despite having a professional consultant and all the slates money could buy, he lost.

The final Back-To-School nights were last week. The incumbent slate (Kelley, Leckness and Sandzimier) again didn’t attend. Most council candidates – including incumbents – don’t have enough supporters on their team to cover two school events on the same night. One candidate staged a rally for himself in front of a high school last week, which annoyed some parents to the point they refused to take his campaign literature.

Street-corner rallies have been minimal. The most noticeable aspect is that the incumbents don’t have nearly as many supporters as they had in the past.

Time To Clean House
Guest editorial

During the past two years, we have learned a lot about our elected officials. We have been giving them the benefit of the doubt and hoping that all the wrongs they have demonstrated would be corrected by our democratic process. Well, guess what! It is not going to change by waiting for those doing the wrongs. If they are not going to correct the excessive spending and self-adorning tricks they do to fool us, then we have to correct it. We have to do it with the system that has always been in place. The problem is we do not usually do our homework. We have to look through the bazaar election commercials that always promise and never, ever materialize.

We are easily reminded how these politicians operate under the guise that they are there for us. Political cartoons say it all without a lot of words. The cartoons indicate that our government at every level needs to be changed by replacing them with honest and responsible people.

You are reminded that elected officials get started at the grassroots level and evolve on a path that can get them to rise all the way to the top.

        City………….
                County…………
                        State…………..
                                Federal…………..

And during that evolution, the data indicate they no longer are there for us but are there to make sure they can get re-elected and work to gain all the possible wealth they can achieve by supposedly working for us. Well, it is time we clean house; do our homework; fire the very many incumbents that are self-serving; and elect new people. And when we do, we need to remind them they won’t be in office very long if they don’t do the work required to save our country.

We need to weed out the rotten apples at the lowest to the highest levels to start a new generation of responsible elected officials.

Thank you
Voters United

ACT for America Training

The Mission Viejo Chapter of Act for America announces a training class, to be presented on Wednesday, Oct. 20. Learn how to be an effective activist. You will gain essential information about how you can make a positive difference in our “home-front war” against Radical Islam and Sharia Law.

You will learn how to use your unique skills and resources to help ACT! for America achieve positive change in our laws, policies and educational system. This informal group setting will allow you to get to know other ACT! for America members while you learn how we can create effective legislations in Washington and educate our fellow citizens here in Orange County.

Join us for dinner at 6:30 p.m. The meeting runs from 7:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., Marie Callender’s, 25361 Culver Dr., Irvine, CA 92604. The location is between Irvine Center Drive and Deerfield, phone 949-552-2101. A $5 donation of per person is requested to help cover the room and material costs. Please RSVP to Steve at victory@act4oc.org

Tea Party Patriots Voter Guide, Mission Viejo Edition Update
With additional recommendations, October 17, 2010

Governor – Meg Whitman by default – Governor Moonbeam would be worse.

Lt. Governor – Abel Maldonado by default; both leading candidates are liberals. Some Tea Party Patriots are writing in Karen England.

Sec. of State – Damon Dunn

Controller -- Tony Strickland

Treasurer – Mimi Walters

Attorney Gen. – Steve Cooley

Ins. Comm. – Mike Villines by default – the most conservative of leading candidates.

Board of Equalization, District 3 – Michelle Steele

U.S. Senate – Carly Fiorina

Cong. Dist. 42 – Gary Miller

State Assembly Dist. 71 – Jeff Miller

Justices of the CA Supreme Court
   Tani Cantil-Sakauye – recently appointed; too soon to tell.
   Ming Chin – No.
   Carlos Moreno–No.
   Judith McConnell – no recommendation.
   Manuel Ramirez – No.
   Carol Codrington–No.
   David Sills–No.
   William Bedsworth–Yes.
   Eileen Moore–No.

Supt. of Public Instruction – Torlakson is a Democrat, and Aceves is Decline to State. Neither is conservative. Write in Diane Lenning for Supt. of Public Instruction.

South OC Comm. College Dist.:
   Kevin Muldoon,
   Nancy Padberg
   Marcia Milchiker

Capo Trustees:
   Area 4 Anna Bryson;
   Area 6 Ellen Addonizio,
   Area 7 Larry Christensen

No on Capo USD recall of Mike Winsten;
No on Capo USD recall of Ken Lopez Maddox

Treasurer / Tax Collector – Keith Rodenhuis

Mission Viejo City Council – vote for three of these five:

1 on ballot, Rhonda Reardon – strong recommendation; conservative.
No. 6 on ballot, Neil Lonsinger – Tea Party Patriot, strong recommendation
No. 12 on ballot, Mark Dobrilovic – Tea Party Patriot (not actively campaigning; he was the emcee for the April 15 Tea Parties in 2009 & 2010)
Bill Barker – Tea Party Patriot – deserves consideration
Ken Golemo – deserves consideration as a limited-government conservative

Santa Margarita Water Dist.

  Vote for Saundra Jacobs;
  do NOT vote for Roger Faubel.

 Moulton-Niguel Water District: Division 2, vote for Ellen Addonizio.

California Propositions

Prop 19, Legalize Marijuana – No
Prop. 20, Redistricting of Congressional Districts – Yes
Prop. 21, Vehicle Registration Surcharge – No
Prop. 22, State Taking Transportation and Local Funds – No
Prop. 23, Suspension of AB 32 “Global Warming” Law – Yes
Prop. 24, Repeal of Business Tax Lowering Provisions – No
Prop 25, Simple Majority vote to pass State Budget – No
Prop. 26, Requires Two-Thirds approval for State and Local Fees – Yes
Prop. 27, Eliminates Citizen Redistricting Commission – No
H CUSD Elections Method Change – No

The Buzz

The most recent winner of “Best Political Cartoons in Orange County” is still MissionViejoCA.org. OC Weekly announced its Best of OC awards last week without replacing the 2009 winner, MissionViejoCA.org. Mission Viejo is target-rich with its corruption and buffoonery in city hall. Even in the city of Bell, the city manager doesn’t have cover in his contract for committing a felony. On the eve of the Feb. 2 recall election, the council majority approved City Manager Dennis Wilberg’s contract clause in which he cannot be fired if convicted of a felony unless it involves moral turpitude.

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A resident responded upon seeing campaign signs for Roger Faubel, who is running for reelection as a Santa Margarita Water District Director. An excerpt from the email: “Isn't this the man who proposed to change Casta Del Sol golf course into a park? Think about it! The decision is yours!” Faubel was appointed to the city council early in 2000 by majority members Sherri Butterfield, Susan Withrow and Bill Craycraft. Voters rejected him in the November 2000 General Election after he spent a record amount -- $80,000 – on a slick campaign. Faubel became a consultant for Sunrise, the developer that aggressively pushed for housing on the Casta golf course until running into financial trouble. Sunrise abruptly withdrew its plan, and news emerged about its insolvency. Sunrise also lost lawsuits and paid huge settlements following wrongful death judgments against its assisted-living facilities in Orange County. Two council candidates are falsely claiming they saved the golf course – voters beware.

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The weird-looking structures placed along roadsides by city staff members actually fit in once a year. The obelisks (e.g., on Marguerite Parkway near Estanciero) are an eyesore during the day, and they have an eerie orange glow at night. Halloween is the only time city hall’s choices make sense. With residents decorating their homes with ghoulish scenes and orange lights, the city’s Halloween structures are already lit. While residents are asked to take down their Christmas lights after Christmas, city hall retains its Halloween decorations year round.

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Break the cycle: a few politically active folks can’t stop saying “anyone” would do a better job than the council incumbents. In 2002, they campaigned for Lance MacLean. MacLean wasn’t touted as being better than the incumbents (Sherri Butterfield and Susan Withrow), but he had a different look. Soon after the election, residents realized MacLean’s views aligned with the old gals. In 2004, those who didn’t learn from their mistake supported Frank Ury as “anyone” but then-councilman Bill Craycraft. Among Ury’s first acts on the council was to replace slow-growth planning commissioners with “progressives” who wanted more housing projects – just like the old regime. It is far better to vote for only one or two known entities than to throw in a power-hungry candidate who has never challenged the incumbents on any issue.

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Last week, Councilwoman Trish Kelley’s campaign tactics included a series of vicious emails that are clearly libelous. Since her first election in 2002, she’s demonstrated no purpose other than campaigning for her next election. While dysfunctional council members are fully engaged in hammering each other, the city staff makes decisions for them. The city’s top administrators don’t live in Mission Viejo, and they generally operate without interference from the council majority. City staffers openly show their eagerness for the election to be over so they can get back to dismantling the city’s Master Plan. Some of them can hardly wait for their next project – razing the retail center at La Paz and Marguerite and rebuilding it with apartments on top. To stop this project, voters should reject the slate of Kelley, Leckness and Sandzimier.