The Buzz

The new asphalt on Olympiad Road is quickly deteriorating between Jeronimo Road and Alicia Parkway. This is the second time within a year that roadwork has failed in the same section of Olympiad. Shortly after the first repairs (early 2010), the asphalt began spalding off. The contractor said the problem was due to defective material. Mere weeks after the summer redo, chunks of asphalt are missing. What about the defective practice of allowing roads to fall apart until a city election is on the horizon? Throughout the city, roads get a coat of slurry instead of proper repair. Tax dollars that should go to roads and slopes are diverted to daily parties for city hall and cost overruns on projects.

***

Announcement for Capo school district parents interested in educational choice: Do you want options for your CUSD students? There may be one soon. Oxford Preparatory Academy of South Orange County is a K-8 independent charter school with an anticipated opening date of September 2011 (Click here for frequently asked questions). Complete the form (click here) by Oct. 28. Scan and email it to opasoc@gmail.com or fax it to 949.305.5564, Attn: OPA SOC Staff. The school will be public, tuition-free and open to all students in California. No entrance exams. For more information, call Linda, 949.521.0805.

***

Who were those folks who staged a large rally at Marguerite and Oso Parkway on Oct. 23? Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach refers to their group as Those Happy Union Guys. The T.H.U.G.s would like everyone to vote for their items on the Nov. 2 ballot. T.H.U.G.s want to take control of the Capo school district and put union supporters on the board of trustees. Just say NO to Measure H and the Recall.

***

Please help – Operation Keep Warm – note from Cecelia: “Just a reminder that this is the last week I'll be able to collect your clothing and coats/jackets for women, men and children. I'll take your donations to the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles the first week of November. Contact me, and I'll be happy to pick them up. Thank you for your generosity again this year. I have a new email that I'd love for you to use. You can still use wcb49@cox.net for a couple weeks more, or use my new email address, cecelia.burks@gmail.com.”

***

Check out an item on MissionViejoDispatch.com regarding a battle of forums at Casta del Sol, http://missionviejodispatch.com/politics/did-candidate-conceal-employer . The article began with a revelation that council candidate Richard Sandzimier dodged a question about his employer, Parsons-Brinckerhoff. Along with information about Sandzimier’s potential conflict of interest, look for a post about dueling forums within the Casta gates. The resident commenting says the homeowners association forum drew only 50 attendees, and it was poorly run by a biased moderator.

***

Mission Viejo voters who want to watch the council forum on Cox have had trouble finding it. A scheduled airing was canceled last week. A disappointed resident posed the question, “Did the incumbents perform so poorly that Cox doesn’t want anyone to know?”

***

A reader responded to the struggle between parents wanting reform in the Capo school district and the union (and its organization, Children First) wanting to protect its members. She emailed her reaction to articles in the OC Register: “The so-called Children's First president's message is: ‘Failure to respect the most valuable asset in the district - its employees.’ Shouldn't the most important asset in a school district be the STUDENTS? This is the crux of the problem; the reform-minded parents believe the primary mission of a school district is EDUCATION, and the employees and their followers believe the primary mission is EMPLOYMENT. So, out of the so-called Children First president’s mouth (or hand) it is really UNION FIRST (they should change their name if they want to be about honesty and integrity). The rest of her dribble is conjecture. So the only failure she listed we can agree on is that Board puts Students First behind the employees. CUSD just surpassed Saddleback in API scores, so I would say trustees are doing a good job for the Children of CUSD.”)