Wendy Bucknum Campaign Update
Part 11: Lobbyist represents her industry and fools residents

If a housing lobbyist won a city council race, who would benefit? In Wendy Bucknum’s campaign, follow the dots to her financiers. As a smokescreen, Bucknum appears at council meetings to promote Earth Day, Wounded Warriors, support for homeless animals, a cure for cancer, a million-dollar dog park, Bunny Days and so on. Is it a coincidence her interest in community causes developed at the same time as her political candidacy? By contrast, her longtime dedication to her employer’s cause – the housing industry – appears to be genuine.

The most incisive article to date about Bucknum’s council campaign was published last week in the Community Common Sense newspaper, http://www.ccsense.com/2014/04/mission-viejo_11.html#more . Mission Viejo city watchdog Joe Holtzman writes about Bucknum as a professional lobbyist. Holtzman cites her April 30 fundraiser as a shakedown of her employer’s contacts: members of Community Associations Institute (CAI).

CAI members include lawyers, HOA property managers (such as Bucknum’s employer), developers, apartment associations, Realtor groups, builders and any contractor in the business of homebuilding or property development and maintenance. Readers can follow the money to such donors as John Sanders, who owns the Unisys property on Jeronimo. For years, Saunders has promoted his property to city hall as a potential site for affordable housing. Saunders is also a donor to the campaign of another high-density housing advocate, Councilman Frank Ury.

Follow the money:

Wendy Bucknum’s
Council Campaign Financiers

CONTRIBUTOR NAME OF BUSINESS / DESCRIPTION AMOUNT
John Kurzet    Professional Community Management  $ 1,000.00
Building Industry Assn of Or. Co. Construction and housing, Irvine $  500.00
Matt Gunderson Audi Mission Viejo $  500.00
Beverly Montrella   retired            $ 500.00
John Saunders  Saunders Property Co. (owner of Unisys property) $500.00
Or. Co. Assoc. of Realtors PAC Real Estate Political Action Committee   $500.00
Roger Faubel Faubel Public Affairs (consultant, lobbyist) $  250.00
Mary Young Elected Official, Aliso Viejo resident $  200.00
Steven Roseman Attorney, Roseman & Associates $  180.00
Ryan Farsal      Farsal Group, LLC    $  150.00
Assoc. Builders & Contractors PAC of So. Cal. Political Action Committee
 $  250.00
EMS Management LLC (no information available) $  150.00
Building Industry Assoc. of So. Cal. Construction and housing, Irvine $  500.00
VCS Environmental Environmental Consultant, San Juan Capistrano $  150.00
CJ Segerstrom & Sons Real Estate Developer, Costa Mesa $  500.00
South Coast Apartment Assoc. PAC Political Action Committee, Irvine $ 500.00

GRAND TOTAL (as of December 31, 2013) $6,330.00

* Source: Wendy Bucknum for City Council 2014, Form 460

Source: http://dms.cityofmissionviejo.org/sirepub/cache/2/pkn5karke2jtjmk33eglpvr3/278213004052014044003556.pdf#xml=http://dms.cityofmissionviejo.org/SIREPub/cache/2/pkn5karke2jtjmk33eglpvr3/27821300405201404400357 1.xml

Bucknum has two angles – shaking down her housing industry financiers and selling out her community if she gets into office.