Do you Need Sprinklers in Your House? (Part 1)
by Dale Tyler

On December 6, 2010, the Mission Viejo City Council considered a modification to the city's building codes that would require homeowners to install fire sprinklers in their entire home if they make changes to their house, such as a room addition.

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is pushing this change. Although the 2010 edition of the state fire code requires sprinklers for all new housing, it does not have any such requirements for additions to existing housing. Other groups, such as the Building Industry Association (BIA), oppose the OCFA's addition to the 2010 California building code.

One has to wonder what motivates government agencies to add more regulations at any time, but especially now when the housing industry is under such great financial pressure. Although there might be some slight theoretical basis for installing sprinklers in new houses, the cost of retrofitting existing housing, especially single-family homes, far exceeds any benefit. The OCFA will probably cite studies like the 2007 NIST study “Benefit-Cost Analysis of Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems.” This study slants the costs for installation of fire sprinklers to the point of absurdity. They claim that it will cost as little as $829 for a 1,100-square-foot ranch, to $2,075 for a 3,300-square-foot colonial-style house with basement to install fire sprinklers.

These costs are understated by at least a factor of five, even in today's market. I know of one homeowner who paid in excess of $10,000 to add sprinklers to a tear-down remodel. This is for new construction. Imagine what it would cost to rip out all of the ceilings in an existing house, run water pipes though the space and then patch the ceiling back together. Add to that the cost for leaking pipes, mold damage and the mess should someone knock off a sprinkler head and flood the house.

The same study has numbers for the benefits of sprinklers. However, most of those numbers are just as  inflated as the costs are understated, especially for Mission Viejo. We have very few residential fires here and even fewer deaths and injuries because most of us have smoke detectors and our houses are easy to escape from in case of fire. In addition, we have a large number of firehouses nearby that can get to anywhere in the city quickly.

Even if fire sprinklers were free to install, never leaked and never discharged accidentally, there would be some people who would prefer not to have them for aesthetic or other reasons. Why is the government getting involved in what should be an individual right to choose? I am sure that if private  insurance companies found fire sprinklers to be cost-effective in lowering their costs, they would offer significant premium reductions in those houses that were covered by sprinklers, instead of the pittance offered today. Once again, private industry offers common sense instead of our nanny state.

Safety in one's own home is of paramount importance to everyone. If fire sprinklers are such a good idea, why do we need government to mandate their installation? The simple answer is that while sprinklers are a good idea, they fall short on a risk/reward basis for the average person. Those who like them are free to install them. Those who think they have better uses for the money, won't install them. Who do you think knows best how to spend your money - you or some government bureaucrat?

This issue will be decided for us by the Mission Viejo City Council on December 20. Please call the city and let them know you don't need government to force fire sprinklers down our throats.

Editors Note: The City Council will not meet on December 20. The fire sprinklers issue will be decided after a public hearing on January 3, 2011.

Hee-Haw Revisited

Mission Viejo residents who listen to KSBR, Saddleback College’s radio station, had a chance to hear comments from the city’s new mayor, Councilman Dave Leckness. A KSBR listener described Leckness as Mission Viejo’s new Hee-Haw mayor, adding, “After the embarrassment of Trish Kelley as mayor, I didn’t think it could get any worse, but it is.”

For those too young to remember the TV show that began in 1969, “Hee-Haw” included banjo music and bad jokes in a setting of Kornfield Kountry, a fictional rural community. The name “Hee-Haw” is the braying of a donkey.

During the past week, several Mission Viejo residents attended council meetings in Lake Forest and Rancho Santa Margarita to observe their new council members taking the oath of office. In the November council elections, Scott Voigts was Lake Forest’s top vote-getter, and Jesse Petrilla got the most votes in RSM. Voigts was sworn in on Dec. 7, and Petrilla took the oath of office on Dec. 8. Another newcomer on the RSM council is Steve Baric. Voigts is a former president of Saddleback Republican Assembly, and Petrilla is a member of SRA.

In both the Lake Forest and RSM city elections, voters removed council incumbents.

Mission Viejo residents who attended the RSM meeting said they were in awe after hearing comments from Tony Beall, who was unanimously elected as his city’s mayor. Beall spoke eloquently, emphasizing his commitment to preserving his city’s Master Plan and its exemplary city government. RSM has18 full-time employees. In contrast, Mission Viejo has approximately 150 full-time employees. While RSM still has land to develop – a reason to have planners and engineers on the payroll – Mission Viejo is built out. Beall referred to a project on the horizon – a sports park and an opportunity to add revenue-generating businesses – but no high-density housing.

While some might blame Mission Viejo council members for failing to represent residents, Mission Viejo voters failed on Nov. 2 to reject incumbents who lack common sense, intelligence, diplomacy and a record of responsible public service.

CUSD Elects Board President

On Dec. 7, Capo school district Trustee Jack Brick was elected as school board president. Also elected were Trustee Gary Pritchard as vice president and Trustee John Alpay as clerk. Brick lives in Dana Point, Pritchard lives in Aliso Viejo, and Alpay is a San Clemente resident.

Five board members took the oath of office at the Dec. 7 meeting. Pritchard, Alpay and Lynn Hatton (of Mission Viejo) won seats in the Nov. 2 General Election. Trustees Ellen Addonizio and Anna Bryson won their bids for reelection on Nov. 2. Addonizio is a Mission Viejo resident, and Bryson lives in Laguna Niguel.

Some CUSD parents who attended the meeting said they anticipated changes, despite four majority members representing the “reform” philosophy. Trustees Brick, Addonizio, Bryson and Sue Palazzo ran on a reform platform. However, Brick voted on Dec. 7 for Alpay and Pritchard. Only the vote for Alpay was unanimous.

Nativity Scene Returns

Those traveling on the I-5 to San Diego will again see the large nativity scene on the west side of the freeway just south of Mission Viejo. The location is Saddleback Church’s Rancho Capistrano campus.

According to the Capistrano Dispatch, the Christmastime display had not been used for several years after it was damaged by Santa Ana winds. A Saddleback Church member, Tamara Carnine, took charge of restoring the 3000-sq. ft. scene, and a team of volunteers began repairing it on Nov. 8.

The 170-acre Rancho Capistrano formerly was owned by the Crystal Cathedral. Saddleback Church acquired the property in May, and it plans to open a regional church there on Christmas Eve.

The Capistrano Dispatch article about the nativity scene can be found at http://thecapistranodispatch.com/view/full_story/10566233/article-Large-Nativity-Scene-Returns-to-Capistrano-Hillside?instance

Reader Comments

A blog reader responded to last week’s article about retail centers along Los Alisos Blvd.:
“Taco Bell and the ice cream shop are visible from the street [Los Alisos and Trabuco], but you have to drive in to see three great places to eat, Taco Mesa, Thai Bowl and The Mediterranean Cafe. Taco Mesa is the only one that advertises of the three that are on the southeast corner. These are great restaurants, so please tell others about them.”

What’s the national motto? A blog reader emailed:
“On Monday, some members of Congress called on Barack Obama to correct the record after he misidentified the national motto in a speech in Jakarta, Indonesia, last month. ‘In the United States, our motto is E pluribus unum -- out of many, one,’ he said, comparing it to the motto of Indonesia, ‘Bhennika Tunggal Ika -- unity in diversity.’

“The national motto, of course, is ‘In God We Trust,’ and has been since 1956, when it was changed from E pluribus unum. Obama, though, has a habit of leaving God out of the discussion. On several occasions, he has quoted the Declaration of Independence and spoken of being endowed with unalienable rights while leaving out the all-important ‘by our Creator.’

“In a letter, the representatives wrote, ‘By misrepresenting things as foundational as the Declaration of Independence and our national motto, you are not only doing a disservice to the people you represent, you are casting aside an integral part of American society.’ As Ronald Reagan once put it, ‘If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.’”

Happy RamaHanuKwanzMas!

Enjoy singing Ten Politically Correct Christmas Carols:

1.“O Holiday Tree”
2.“Have Yourself a Merry Little Day of Winter”
3. “Frosty the Snowperson”
4. “Chestnuts Roasting Over a Safely Contained, Continuously Monitored, Eco-friendly, Nontoxic Outdoor Fire (with an appropriate permit)”
5. “Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
6. “Grandma Got Allegedly Run Over by an Unidentified Non-human Perpetrator”
7.“Deck the Halls with Boughs of Undamaged Foliage (if office policy approves)”
8. “Hark! The Herald Mythical Winged Creature Sings”
9. “I Saw Mommy Greeting Santa Claus with a Purely Platonic Expression of Inoffensive Mutual Affection”
10. “I'll be Home for a Short Time in December”

Have a Happy Whatever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p91GXkQ-Sas&eurl=http://www.redstate.com/stories/archived/a_politically_correct_december_25th

The Buzz

What has happened with Orly Taitz’s quest regarding the “birther movement” challenging whether Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as president of the United States? On Dec. 8, Taitz released information that the Supreme Court distributed her case to all nine justices for conference, to be held on Jan. 7, 2011.

***

The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT for America will meet on Mon., Dec. 13, at the Community Center. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the meeting runs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Orientation for first-time attendees begins at 7:10 p.m. The featured speaker will be Jim Horn, Retired Foreign Service Officer. His topic will be “Islam and Corruption in the American Government: Why Our Government is Failing to Protect Us from Infiltration and Terrorism.”

***

On Nov. 2, voters in Mission Viejo’s senior citizen homeowner associations (Palmia and Casta del Sol) gave victories to incumbent council candidates Trish Kelley and Dave Leckness. Rhonda Reardon placed third in both HOAs. Sooner or later, the council will hear developers’ plans to build high-density housing near these HOAs. The project on east Los Alisos near Palmia will be sooner. Why would homeowners trust Trish Kelley to protect their property values? She has already voted on behalf of developers each time they gave her a “campaign donation.”

***

From Congressman Gary Miller’s Dec. 10 “Weekly Roundup,” Doc Fix: On Thursday, the House approved H.R. 4994 (“Doc Fix”), by a vote of 409 to 2. The bill would prevent a reduction in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients. Without this legislation, doctors would have seen a 25-percent reduction in reimbursement rates beginning on Jan. 1, 2011. The legislation would maintain current doctor payment rates until Dec. 31, 2011. Congressman Miller supported the legislation. In other votes last week, Congressman Miller opposed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 (which would provide $1.089 trillion in discretionary funding of government operations), and he voted against the DREAM Act (amnesty for illegal immigrants who entered the country before they reached the age of 15).

***

From a Dec. 7 email from Caleb Yee, the Tea Party has a new youth group in California. “Thank you for adding me as one of the leaders of the California Tea Party groups. My name is Caleb Yee, and I and my friends have started and are running the first high school Tea Party club/movement in America. We're located in Hacienda Heights (20 miles from LA) in a public high school, Glen A. Wilson High School. I just wanted to make myself known to you all and to let you know that the youth does care and is now standing up for the future of our nation. Please check out our website and facebook page when you have time to get some additional info on our purely student-run movement. www.ATeamYouth.org, http://www.facebook.com/ATeamTeaPartyYouth .” From the group’s site: “Tired of liberally biased teachers and professors in both high school and college campuses? Tired of the constant biased stereotypes by the media? We believe it's time we put a stop to this.”

***

Mission Viejo patriot and military Veteran Chuck Burzumato passed away on Dec. 5. Chuck became active in city politics in 2002 when aligning with a large group of reform-minded citizens who hoped for improved representation on the city council.