City Hall Flaunts Buffoonery

City council majority members Trish Kelley, Frank Ury and Dave Leckness aren’t satisfied with being center-stage on the dais. Since the public lacks interest in going to the circus-like meetings at City Hall, the circus is coming to them.

In January, Mayor Hee-Haw Leckness invited residents to “Meet the Mayor” at a coffee shop on a Saturday morning. His publicity stunt bombed. If city staffers hadn’t summoned their shills, Mayor Hee-Haw would have had no one to talk to.
 

As his next grab for attention, the Hee-Haw mayor will chat with residents while he walks around Lake Mission Viejo. A pundit from another city said, “Leckness probably misunderstood when someone told him to go jump in the lake.”

During the March 7 council meeting, Leckness, Kelley and Ury voted to add decorative stuff to a marker on Olympiad Road. In 2004, the city’s Heritage Committee wanted to commemorate the finish line of the bike race from the 1984 Olympics. The request for a line in the pavement grew into a viewing spot with a park bench.

The 1984 Olympics are over, and the finish line has already been memorialized. But many of the city’s 150 employees have nothing to do, so why not spend another $30,000 to make them look busy?

Drivers who are trying to dodge the holes on Olympiad Road won’t notice enhancements to the marker. A city that cannot maintain its streets is now trying to Disney-fy a finish line. While it’s not the role of government to decorate anything, city staffers like to demonstrate their prowess at creating eyesores. Look at the junk they put on Crown Valley Parkway.

Adding to the waste of $30,000, Hee-Haw asked the city to place a donation box at the marker site to collect cash for the Rotary Club – to which he belongs. If residents aren’t stupefied with all this, perhaps what happened next will do it. The motion passed 3-2 with Kelley, Ury and Leckness voting for it.

Will the city now need a security firm to guard the donation box? If that sounds crazy, consider what happened when the city went wild buying patio furniture for the community center. Although the pricey outdoor furniture is bolted to the concrete, it still requires policing.

Instead of calling attention to Mayor Hee-Haw in the newspapers, shouldn’t City Hall try to keep it quiet?

Non-government Events

Following is a sampling of events and activities that are not funded by taxpayers or promoted by the Nanny State. Please support private enterprise.

.“Gallery Talk: First Californians,” docent-led tour of the exhibit, Tues., March 15, 1:00 p.m., Bowers Museum, 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, (714) 567-3600, http://www.bowers.org/index.php/art/exhibitions_listing/current

Noel Coward’s “Private Lives,” March 15 – April 10, Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787, ext. 1, http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com

“St. Patrick’s Day Party, Thurs., March 17, beginning at 6:00 p.m., Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo, 50 Enterprise, Aliso Viejo, (949) 643-6700, http://www.renaissanceclubsport.com

Wildflower Walk at Richard & Donna O’Neill Conservancy, Sun., March 20,
9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 28672 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 489-9778, http://www.theconservancy.org/Calendar.aspx

“Requiem for a Dream: Mozart’s Last Masterpiece,” Orange County Women’s Chorus, March 20, 3 p.m., Newport Harbor Lutheran Church,798 Dover Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 451-8590, http://www.ocwomenschorus.org

10th Annual Dove Dash and Pancake Breakfast, March 20; 5K run starts at 8 a.m., Kid Run starts at 9 a.m., benefit for Ryan’s Reach brain injury victims, 32003 Dove Canyon Drive, Dove Canyon, (714) 815-0009, http://www.ryansreach.com

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

Farmers Market, Laguna Hills, Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Laguna Hills Mall, (714) 573-0374.

Farmers Market, San Juan Capistrano, Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Historic Town Center Park, (949) 493-4700.

Renee Fleming, Soprano, Tues., April 5, 8 p.m., Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, (714) 556-2121, http://www.scfta.org/home/Events/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1132&NavID=132

Art Exhibit, “Reflections from the Garden,” Joseph Raffel, through April 15, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Soka University, Founders Hall, First Floor, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, (949) 480-4237, free, http://www.soka.edu/default.aspx

Governor Brown’s Countdown

Gov. Jerry Brown set March 10 as his deadline to put a special election on the ballot in June . The deadline passed without the needed Republican votes, but five GOP state senators have been negotiating with Brown to put his $60-billion tax extension on the ballot.

In an Action Alert from Tea Party Patriots, voters were urged to call the five wavering lawmakers. Dawn Wildman warned against a Special Election, “This would be a disaster for taxpayers because Brown’s government employee union allies are prepared to spend tens of millions of dollars on a campaign to fool voters into approving the largest tax increase in state history. It is critical that these lawmakers hear from taxpayers before a deal is struck.”

Patriots are encouraged to make the calls, telling senators to hold firm against a special election and any other attempt to extend or increase taxes.

• Tom Berryhill, District Office (559) 253-7122, State Capitol (916) 651-4014
• Sam Blakeslee, District Office (805) 549-3784, State Capitol (916) 651-4015
• Anthony Cannella, District Office (209) 577-6592, State Capitol (916) 651-4012
• Bill Emmerson, District Office (951) 680-6750, State Capitol (916) 651-4037
• Tom Harman, District Office (714) 957-4555, State Capitol (916) 651-4035

Why would these five consider supporting the tax extensions?

Tom Berryhill of Oakdale (Central Valley representative) doesn’t have to worry about reelection until 2014.

Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo (Central Coast representative) replaced Abel Maldonado. Democrats have courted him with committee appointments.

Anthony Cannella of Ceres is the Central Valley representative in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans. He isn’t up for reelection until 2014.

Bill Emmerson is from Hemet, and voter registrations in his district are increasingly Latinos and Democrats.

Tom Harman, Huntington Beach, is a moderate Republican who barely defeated Diane Harkey in 2006. He terms out of the Legislature in 2012, but he might be looking for a gubernatorial appointment.

SRA Meets on March 17

Saddleback Republican Assembly will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thurs., March 17, at 7:00 p.m. The location is Atria Del Sol, 23792 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. The guest speaker will be California Republican Assembly President Celeste Creig. She is a candidate for re-election as president of CRA.

Visitors are welcome. For more information, contact SRA President Matt Corrigan at 949-830-8088.

Congressional Update
From the office of Congressman Gary Miller

Last week (beginning March 7):

FHA Refinance Program Termination: On March 10, the House approved H.R. 830, the FHA Refinance Program Termination Act, by a vote of 256-171. The bill would rescind and permanently cancel all unexpended balances, currently $8 billion, made available under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (aka “TARP”) that have been allocated for the program. According to Treasury’s TARP Progress Report, only $50 million of this $8 billion had been disbursed as of Feb. 3. While the Administration originally estimated this program would help between 500,000 and 1.5 million homeowners, only 44 loans have been refinanced as of mid-February and only 245 applicants have been submitted. The FHA Refinance Program is yet another example of the Administration using TARP dollars in questionable, ineffective ways.

Emergency Homeowner Relief Program Termination: On March 11, the House approved H.R. 836, the Emergency Homeowner Relief Program Termination Act, by a vote of 242–177. The bill would rescind and permanently cancel all unobligated balances made available under section 1496(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, reducing federal budget deficits by $840 million over the FY2011-2021 period according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Obama administration, in its FY 2012 budget proposal, estimates the program to have a 98 percent subsidy rate. This means for every $1 spent on this federal program, the taxpayers will lose 98 cents. The program was initially authorized in 1975 and was never funded during its 35-year history.

Other Items

Financial Services Committee Passes Congressman Miller’s Bill to End Ineffective Government Spending Program: This week, the House Financial Services Committee held a markup of H.R. 861, a bill Congressman Miller introduced to prevent an additional $1 billion in taxpayer funds from being spent to continue the troubled Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The program, which has allocated nearly $6 billion in funds to state and local governments to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed and abandoned properties, does nothing to help struggling homeowners stay in their homes. Instead, it allows lenders to off-load their foreclosed properties onto taxpayers. The program has failed to target resources to areas with the most need. In fact, the Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has identified multiple cases of misuse of NSP funds, while the Government Accountability Office has said HUD does not have the proper tools in place to ensure proper use of funds. Even worse, there is no requirement for repayment of the allocated funds. H.R. 861 will terminate this ineffective and unaccountable program, saving taxpayers $1 billion in funds that have yet to be allocated. Congressman Miller firmly believes that the government must stop wasting taxpayer dollars on ineffective and unaccountable programs and work to get our economy back on track.

Next Week (beginning March 14):

Ending Wasteful Housing Funds: Next week the House is expected to consider legislation to end two costly and ineffective foreclosure mitigation programs to save taxpayers money. H.R. 839 would terminate the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and rescind all unspent TARP funds obligated for the initiative, saving $30 billion. H.R. 861 would end the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and prevent $1 billion from being spent on a program for which the Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has identified multiple cases of misused funds while the GAO has detailed HUD’s inadequate tracking of the program’s funds.

Continuing Resolution: Next week the House is expected to consider a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to provide funding for discretionary government programs beyond March 18, 2011, when the current CR expires. The CR will provide three weeks of discretionary funding, through April 8th, and cut approximately $6 billion from the FY 2010 spending levels. On March 1, 2011, the House passed a short term CR which provide discretionary funding from March 4th through March 18th and cut $4 billion. The reported $6 billion in savings over three weeks would be in line with the savings from H.R. 1, the full year CR which the House passed on February 19th and would save $61 billion from FY 2010 spending and extend discretionary government spending through September 30, 2011.

Powers Resolution: Next week the House is expected to consider a resolution offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), under the requirements of expedited procedures, to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution provides that any time U.S. Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the U.S. without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, the President must remove those forces if Congress adopts a concurrent resolution directing the President to do so. While the constitutionality of such a resolution is in question in light of the INS v. Chada decision (prohibiting “legislative vetoes”), it has been used several times in the past to force a debate on a particular conflict.

Job Creation and Cutting Government Spending

• The solution for reviving our economy is straightforward: cut job-destroying spending to help the economy grow and empower employers to create jobs.
• Historic debt leads to historic tax increases, which will lead to historic unemployment. We must address this spending-driven debt crisis now.
• It is not a coincidence that the national debt, federal spending, bureaucratic regulatory costs, and unemployment all climbed to record highs at the same time.
• To create jobs and save our children from national bankruptcy, we have to stop spending money we don’t have.
• It’s time to shrink the federal budget so that we don’t shrink the family budget.

Putting an End to Expensive and Ineffective Government Programs

• The best way to help homeowners prevent foreclosures is with a job.
• Last week the House passed legislation that will terminate two costly and ineffective government foreclosure mitigation programs that will save taxpayers money and help create an environment for job-creators to hire more workers.
• The lack of jobs—not unsustainable mortgage terms—is now the driving force behind foreclosures and mortgage defaults. That is why job creation—not government spending—is the most effective tool to prevent further foreclosures.
   
• The unemployment rate has now hovered around or above 9 percent for the past 22 months, topping 8 percent for the last 25 months. To restore certainty to the economy and foster job growth, we must stop spending money that we don’t have. Historic debt leads to historic tax increases, which stifles job growth.
• In order to grow the economy and provide an environment in which Americans can prosper, we need to end expensive and ineffective government programs and remove the barriers of uncertainty that prevents employers from hiring.

The Buzz

The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT for America will hold its general meeting on Mon., March 14. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., with orientation for first-time attendees beginning at 7:10. The meeting will begin at 7:30 and end at 9:30. The featured speaker will be Dr. Georgy Gournev, educator, consultant and author. His topic will be defeating the worldwide jihad. The group will meet at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo.

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Aliso Viejo Republican Women Federated will meet on March 24, 6:30 p.m., Aliso Viejo Conference Center, 31 Santa Barbara Drive, Aliso Viejo. Guest speaker Chuck DeVore’s topic will be “The Middle East; what’s happening and how does it impact us?” Reservation deadline is March 21. Call (949) 859-2818 or (949) 735-0718.

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From the March 12 Capistrano Dispatch, “St. Joseph’s Day and the Return of the Swallows will take place on Sat., March 19, at historic Mission San Juan Capistrano, an all-day festival filled with fun, food, song and dance for all to enjoy, while recognizing the Mission’s rich history. The swallows migrate to Goya, Argentina, every October, and return to their spring and summer home in San Juan Capistrano each March.” For a schedule of festival events, go to http://thecapistranodispatch.com/bookmark/12312326

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There was no regular OC Board of Supervisors meeting last week. The next meeting will be on Tues., March 15, 9:30 a.m. The location is the Hearing Room, First Floor, 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

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From Supv. Bill Campbell’s March 11 newsletter: “This week, the State received preliminary census data and published the information in online tables. View the data at http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/state_census_data_center/census_2010/view.php ” Also available is a comparison of the 2000 and 2010 census population by supervisorial district. The target population for each supervisorial district is 602,046, which is an increase from the target population of 569,258 in 2001. Campbell’s Third District saw the greatest increase in population by 6.86 percent.

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Email forwarded by G.P.: “Biting the bullet, cutting expenses – I hope everyone will participate. The President ordered the cabinet to cut a whopping $100 million from the $3.5 trillion federal budget. I have decided to do the same thing with my personal budget. I spend about $2,000 a month (groceries, household expenses, utilities, etc.), but it's time to get out the budget-cutting axe, go line by line through my expenses, and cut back. I'm going to cut my spending at exactly the same ratio, 1/35,000 of my total budget. Instead of spending $2000 a month, I'll have to cut that number by six cents! I'll to have to get by with $1,999.94, but that's what sacrifice is all about. Did anyone think we couldn’t do the math?”