The Buzz

Reader reaction about the campout Mayor Dave Leckness is planning on the Oso Trail: "I wonder how much the taxpayers will be shelling out to cover the expense of city staffers camping with Dave since it’s unlikely anyone else would want to spend a night down where the transients loiter. The city will probably also offer free food, drink and entertainment to draw the usual crowd of moochers."

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For additional commentary on the campout, look at last week’s edition of this blog, http://www.missionviejoca.org/News/2011_Q4/2011-10-01/article2/article2.html , and posts on MissionViejoDispatch.com, http://missionviejodispatch.com/city-aestheics/coming-soon-camp-oso/

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If residents wonder why they don’t see more campouts in Mission Viejo, it’s because patrolmen spot transients and transport them to the city limits. Occasionally, some slip by them. Four months ago, a transient who was enjoying the great outdoors along Olympiad Road near La Paz lit his campfire, which got out of control. He was taken into custody on June 1. A homeless person was arrested in September for camping out on the roof of Newhart Middle School.

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Two seats will be up for grabs in the November 2012 council election, and incumbents Cathy Schlicht and Frank Ury are running for reelection. A council challenger who recently filed paperwork, Wendy Bucknum, is throwing a fundraiser for herself at a lakefront home on Tindaya on Oct. 24. Bucknum has been campaigning for more than a year, attending political gatherings and fawning from the public microphone during council meetings. Her employer, PCM, manages homeowner associations, and the financial benefit to PCM of having Bucknum on the council is obvious. Bucknum aggressively campaigned against Measure D, the ballot initiative that would have given Mission Viejo voters the final say in major rezoning decisions.

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How’s it working out for those folks who didn’t support Measure D in June 2010? The first residents to feel the pain live near the high-density project on Oso near the freeway. The second high-density project approved by the council was UDR’s switch from 250 townhomes to 320 apartments on east Los Alisos. O’Neill School could be the next parcel to be rezoned for high-density housing. For anyone in denial, read http://missionviejodispatch.com/budget/mv-rejects-leasing-oneill-school/ . Casta del Sol residents should know that Councilman Frank Ury told one of his commission appointees in February about his goal to develop the Casta golf course. Mayor Dave Leckness put his name on an article in Patch.com about revamping the retail center at La Paz and Marguerite (translation: a three-story nightmare with apartments on top of stores). Incredibly, a resident recently commented on a blog that such zoning decisions should be up to a vote of the people. Hello?

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Those who watch Mission Viejo’s council meetings might wonder why Frank Ury wants to stay on the council. If his antagonism toward residents and other council members weren’t clear, his body language confirms his disgust. He pushes back in his chair, distancing himself from the exchange. He rocks back and forth and fidgets, speaking up only to take cheap shots. He sits next to Mayor Hee-Haw Leckness and rolls his eyes at the constant denigration of council business to slapstick and yukking. A year ago, Ury indicated he’s biding his time to run for higher office, but where’s the opening for him?

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To add on to a statement from last week’s blog, those shining a light on city government include two privately owned blogs AND many residents. Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht leads the effort from the dais, and all those who demand open government are to be commended. The city newspaper, Saddleback Valley News, abruptly ended its investigative reporting in 2009 after SVN Lindsey Baggio revealed City Hall’s corrupt role in Easelgate – the trashing of custom-made easels after the city’s failed attempt to engage residents in a photo display. Following last week’s article on this blog about SVN, the paper corrected its list of employees: SVN has no city reporter.

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During the Oct. 3 council meeting, Leckness touted his golf cart brigade on Oso Trail, bragging that 28 people took part. Somehow, he neglected to report how many highly-compensated city employees were among them. Three years ago, a city staffer informed this blog that employees are coerced into “volunteer” participation. They are either paid to take part in city-sponsored activities outside the office or their evaluations reflect their taking part.

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Human Events describes David Limbaugh’s new book, “Crimes Against Liberty.” as “the most comprehensive and devastating indictment of what is turning out to be the most destructive presidency in American history. From exploiting the financial crisis for political gain, to restricting our personal freedoms through invasive healthcare and ‘green’ policies, to endangering America with his feckless diplomacy and reckless dismantlement of our national security systems, Limbaugh proves — beyond a reasonable doubt — that President Barack Obama is guilty of crimes against liberty.” https://members.humaneventsonline.com/order.php?offer=2559

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Check public opinion on Obama’s presidency in a daily tracking poll, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking _poll