What Does It Take To Become a Tree City USA? Part One

According to the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA/standards.cfm , a city or town must prove they have the following to become a Tree City USA:

• A Tree Board or Department
• A Tree Care Ordinance
• A Community Forestry Program with an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita
• An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation

In City Management terms, a bureaucracy must be established and staffed, a municipal code promulgated, a good deal of money must be spent every year, and a Celebration must be held annually.

Before becoming a Tree City USA, Mission Viejo was quite thoroughly landscaped as part of the original Master Plan. Slopes were covered with trees and shrubs. Numerous well-planted open spaces were maintained within the city budget.

Since becoming a Tree City USA, Mission Viejo has torn out countless plants and chopped down scores of full-grown, healthy trees. Why?

In order to retain the Tree City USA designation, the city MUST SPEND at least $2 per capita, annually. Does that mean we just keep tearing out, chopping down and re-landscaping in perpetuity?

Mayor Hee-Haw Holds Court

Saddleback Valley News reporter Kristy Chu was evidently summoned by city officials to a Mission Viejo coffee shop to cover a staged event on Jan. 29. Dave Leckness, the city’s Hee-Haw mayor, scored an article five sentences in length in the Feb. 4 newspaper.

According to Chu, Leckness “set up a table outside” the coffee shop on a Saturday morning. However, a photo alongside the SVN article shows Leckness inside the shop, standing next to a table where three teenagers are seated. If the implication is that the teens came to the shop to discuss city issues with Mayor Hee-Haw, that’s quite a stretch.

City Manager Dennis Wilberg and Leckness’ appointee to the planning commission apparently came to the shop to meet the mayor. The two were photographed talking to each other.

Perhaps Mayor Hee-Haw will next borrow from the city council’s rich history by reviving ex-councilman Lance MacLean’s idea, a musical performance to open each meeting. Anyone with a talent for playing the washboard would be a nice touch to open Mayor Hee-Haw’s meetings.

Non-government Events

Despite the constant drumming from Mission Viejo’s city hall, government is not the center of life. Following is a sampling of events and activities that are not funded by taxpayers or promoted by the Nanny State.

Movies, Edwards Kaleidoscope Stadium 10 in Mission Viejo, 27741 Crown Valley Pkwy, (949) 582-4020, get show times, watch movie trailers, see what's coming soon at
http://www.moviefone.com/theater/edwards-kaleidoscope-stadium-10/32/showtimes

“Create a Fairy Garden,” Feb. 12, 10 a.m., Cottage Home and Garden, 31720 Los Rios St., San Juan Capistrano, (949) 493-3920, http://www.cottage-homeland-and-garden,com

Laguna Beach Music Festival, through Feb. 13, enjoy a wide range of music including chamber music concerts, Feb. 7 through 13, various venues in Laguna Beach, (949) 715-9713,  http://www.lagunabeachmusicfestival.com

Orange Flea Market, Feb. 12 and every second Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., 146 N. Grand Street, Orange, (714) 721-2257, http://www.oldtownfleamarket.com

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” through Feb. 20, South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 708-5555, http://www.scr.org

Holiday Ice Rink, through Feb. 21, outdoor skating rink, open for an extended season. Call or check the website for prices. 71 Fortune Drive, (949) 748-8280, http://www.skatespectrum.com

Lewis & Clark Exhibit, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Mission Museum Exhibit, through March, 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, 92675, (949) 234-1315, http://www.missionsjc.com

“Ocean Friendly Gardening,” hosted by Surfrider Foundation, Feb. 19, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Tree of Life Nursery, 33201 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, 92675, (949) 728-0685, http://www.californianativeplants.com

Hershey Felder: Mosier Chopin, Feb. 17 through Feb. 27, Laguna Playhouse, Mouton Theater, $30, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787, http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com

Whale Watching Cruises, daily throughout February, The Harbor Grill. Champagne breakfast every Sunday morning. In March, enjoy Mardi Gras flavors from 3/1 through 3/8, 34499 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, (949) 240-1416, http://www.harborgrill.com

Who Will Stop Them?

Last week, Jared Law, founder of the 9.12 Project, emailed a call to action that began, “We each have a sacred duty to do what we can, in our own way, to help restore America.”

At the very least, reform-minded Americans can exercise their right to vote. In the Nov. 2 election, Mission Viejo had one of the highest voter turnouts in Orange County. Still, only 61.4 percent of the city’s eligible voters participated.

California residents will likely get another opportunity to vote in June, this time on whether or not to continue taxing themselves silly. Will Californians rise up, telling Governor Moonbeam that the best way to balance the budget is to reduce spending?

Steve Greenhut’s Feb. 6 editorial http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2011/02/union-rally-exposes-republicans-weak-links?quicktabs_1=0 describes the unlikelihood of reform when officeholders won’t make cuts. Greenhut names three Republican Assemblymen, Brian Nestande, Jim Silva and Paul Cook, who joined a pro-union rally to oppose cuts, “These men didn’t betray their conservative principles, given that they always were fairly unprincipled sorts.”

In the discussion of balancing the budget, it’s strange how much of the hype is about cutting police and fire services instead of bureaucracy. From an alphabetical list, here’s a small sampling of state agencies.

California Academic Performance Index (API) * California Access for Infants and Mothers * California Acupuncture Board * California Administrative Office of the Courts * California Adoptions Branch * California African American Museum * California Agricultural Export Program * California Agricultural Labor Relations Board * California Agricultural Statistics Service * California Air Resources Board (CARB) * California Allocation Board * California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority * California Animal Health and Food Safety Services * California Anti-Terrorism Information Center * California Apprenticeship Council * California Arbitration Certification Program * California Architects Board * California Area VI Developmental Disabilities Board * California Arts Council * California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus * California Assembly Democratic Caucus * California Assembly Republican Caucus * California Athletic Commission * California Attorney General * California Bay Conservation and Development Commission * California Bay-Delta Authority * California Bay-Delta Office * California Biodiversity Council

Please follow the link (click here), to see the entire list, which fills six single-space pages. Is there nothing that can be reduced except for fire and police services?

The Buzz

The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT for America will hold its general meeting on Mon., Feb. 7, at the community center, 24932 Veterans Way (Sycamore B room). Doors open at 7 p.m., and the meeting starts promptly at 7:30. Guest speaker will be Orlean Koehle, whose presentation will include her experiences with propaganda and corrupted textbooks. First-time ACT meeting attendees are invited to arrive by 7:10 for orientation. The general meeting ends at 9:30 p.m. A $5 donation will be appreciated to help cover costs of the meeting.

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“If you watch only the network evening news, you might not have heard that on Monday, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson ruled the obvious: ObamaCare violates the Constitution. Twenty-six states had filed suit over the law, specifically arguing that the mandate that individuals purchase health insurance violates the Constitution by granting Congress too much power under the Commerce Clause. Vinson, a Reagan appointee, agreed and struck down the entire law.” http://patriotpost.us/edition/2011/02/04/digest From Judge Vinson’s ruling, "Never before has Congress required everyone buy a product from a private company (essentially for life) just for being alive and residing in the United States.”

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Comment from a patriot, Sue, regarding ObamaCare and the mandate for those without insurance to buy coverage under penalty of law: “What’s next? Will homeless people be mandated to buy a house?”

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The next OC Board of Supervisors meeting will be held Tues., Feb. 8, at 9:30 a.m. in the Board Room on the first floor of the Hall of Administration, 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana. The agenda and meeting information can be found at http://www.ocgov.com/ocgov/Info%20OC/Departments%20&%20Agencies/Clerk%20of%20the%20Board/Board%20of%20Supervisors/Board%20Agendas%20&%20Minutes

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Thank you to Mission Viejo patriot MaryAnn S. for giving Homeland Security a boost and forwarding a very funny video, “How to spot terrorists at Wal-Mart,” http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=5A4B5D4B84344D5D9CBD262A53D8B071

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Announcement from South Orange County Republican Assembly President Craig Alexander: “Our next SOCRA meeting will be on Thurs., Feb. 10, at Sarducci's Capistrano Depot, 26701 Verdugo Street, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 493-9593 (right at the railroad station). For those who wish to attend the dinner portion of the meeting, arrive anytime between 5:30 and 6:15 p.m. Those who attend the dinner will receive a 10% off discount for your entree. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. As usual, you do not need to attend the dinner to attend the meeting at 7 p.m. We are honored to have as our guest speaker this month California Republican Assembly President Celeste Greig.”

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r anyone who doesn’t have the time or patience to follow how the Mission Viejo council majority is spending Other People’s Money, here’s the bottom line. By June 2011, the shortfall is estimated to be $2.4 million. Regardless of spin, the city continues to spend more than it takes in. Relevant impacts on the city’s financial picture include aging infrastructure, barren slopes and an estimated cost of $80 million to bring city streets up to good condition. The city has a unique way of estimating its “discretionary reserves” to include money that’s already spent, obligated or needed to meet payroll and maintain essential public services. Comment from a Buzz reader, “Is it just a coincidence that the predominant color in the city’s glossy mailers is red?”