The Buzz

The annual mooning of Amtrak is held on the second Saturday in July. The next one, July 9, will be the 32nd Annual Mooning of Amtrak and the 6th Annual Mooning of Metrolink. No one is in charge, and no one claims credit for establishing a website, http://www.moonamtrak.org , which hasn’t been updated lately. The location is the area across from Mugs Away Saloon, 27324 Camino Capistrano, #102, Laguna Niguel. Disclaimer from the website: “Attending this event may be hazardous due to the large concentration of silly people ... .”

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The yearly mooning event has been subdued since 2008 when deputies turned away 8,000 to 10,000 people after some participates were cited for having way too much fun. Hundreds of deputies have been assigned to the site in recent years, and the City of Laguna Niguel put up No Parking signs north of Avery to discourage attendance.

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Constitution 101: Bob Serrao writes, “How much do you know about the Constitution? The quality of your life depends upon it. Know your rights! Join interactive classes from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sun., June 19 – The Declaration & U.S. Constitution, and Sun., June 26 – The U.S. Constitution and Your Rights. No admission charge, no pre-registration. Laptops and notebooks are optional. Everyone is welcome – bring a friend.” Bob will present the classes at Heritage Park Library, 14361 Yale Avenue, Irvine 92604, (949) 936-4040.

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In reference to Mission Viejo’s status as a “Tree City,” a blog reader forwarded a paragraph from the June 3 issue of Patriot Post, asking, “Is this what a Tree City is all about?” The city of Charlotte, NC, fined a church $4,700 for violating a tree-trimming ordinance. After the church finished trimming its trees, the city said the trees were over-pruned, assessing the church $100 per branch. The city’s spokesman – a senior urban forester – said over-trimming creates a “dangerous situation.” It took public outcry to get the city to drop the fine. The dangerous situation in Charlotte turned out to be their city government. http://patriotpost.us/edition/2011/06/03/digest/print

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The Saddleback Valley school district might be taking steps to sell its O’Neill campus. Before it can sell the property to a housing developer, the district is legally required to offer it to government agencies. With the current economic climate, this step shouldn’t take long, but the city of Mission Viejo is evaluating its use for the facility. As soon as SVUSD clears the legal hurdles, it could sell the property without strings attached regarding its use. A housing developer should have no trouble getting a majority of city council members to approve rezoning the property to high-density housing with a portion set aside for affordable units. How do the homeowners near O’Neill now feel about the defeat of Measure D, the Mission Viejo Right-To-Vote? Had the Measure passed, any zone change would need voters’ approval.

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How did residents who live near O’Neill school vote on Measure D? The precinct that surrounds O’Neill is 47-293, which has 1,079 registered voters. Those residing near O’Neill who voted in the 2010 June Primary helped to defeat Measure D, with 156 voting “yes” on D and 239 voting “no.”

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From OC Supv. Bill Campbell’s June 10 newsletter, “Moody’s Investor Services announced Wednesday that it was downgrading the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency from a Ba2 to a B1 with a negative outlook rating. The statement issued by Moody’s stated that the downgrade was due to lingering uncertainty about the fundamental performance of the toll road despite the recent bond indenture amendments approved by bondholders.”

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Four months into Gov. Jerry Brown’s hiring freeze, how is it working? From Feb. 15 through May 25, the government hired 1,516 employees, according to state controller's payroll data. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/09/3687496/the-state-worker-is-jerry-browns.html

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From the June 9 Patriot Post, “Obama Proclaims June ‘Gender Confusion’ Month… .The community-organizer-in-chief took time out from his busy Memorial Day golfing schedule to proclaim June ‘National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month,’ as he has done annually since his election. ‘The story of America's LGBT community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union,’ said Obama, who apparently comes from both an odd family and neighborhood. He instructed all Americans to ‘rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.’" Read this on the Web at http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2011/06/09/obama-proclaims-june-gender-confusion-month