New Edition of Newspaper

The February issue of Community Common Sense (CCS) was released last week and delivered to 20,000 Mission Viejo residences. The watchdog newspaper was founded in San Juan Capistrano in 2009, and it expanded into Mission Viejo last August.

Four articles in the February issue are about Mission Viejo.

On the front page is “Ethics Matter” by Joe Holtzman. He reveals Wendy Bucknum’s failure to recuse herself as a city commissioner when she had a conflict of interest. At stake, thousands of dollars were being given to organizations requesting taxpayer funds. Bucknum acknowledged her conflict of interest (her association with a group requesting funds). She participated in the discussion by staying on the dais. Bucknum, a housing lobbyist, is a council candidate, and the council decides on proposals to develop apartments and other high-density housing. Bucknum’s lack of concern regarding her conflict of interest should be a red flag for voters.

On page 7 is the lowdown on the city staff’s fiasco, hosting a wheelchair tennis tournament. Despite the spin about a “good cause,” the tournament is for professional players – it is not a charity. City Manager Dennis Wilberg diverted funds without council approval, and he used city employees as “volunteers” during business hours. Taxpayers provided 36 professional tennis players and their entourage a five-day luxury vacation at a four-star hotel. Other amenities included $45,000 in “free” meals, plus a private party for the players at the Mission Viejo Country Club.

On page 8, city watchdog Larry Gilbert peels back a claim by Councilman Frank Ury on the city’s “Improve Don’t Move” (IDM) program. Ury touts IDM for waiving permit fees for residential and commercial improvements. Gilbert shows the improvements would have been done anyway, and the city didn’t need to give away $470,000 in fees. Instead of charging the homeowners and businesses benefiting from their own property improvements, taxpayers paid an independent contractor $550,000 for plan-check and inspection services.

On page 9 is an article by City Commissioner Ed Sachs, who serves on the city’s Financial Advisory Board. He describes the high cost of big government, including the 41 city staffers whose salaries exceed $100,000 annually. The city increasingly involves itself in events and programs that compete with the private sector. The article also provides links to the wages and compensation of all government employees.

Read the February edition of CCS online, http://www.ccsense.com/