The Buzz

On Tues., Apr. 1, 7:00 p.m., SOC912 will present “Let’s Celebrate America! – One Nation Under God!” Guest speaker will be Sandra Ruppert, author of Rise and Shine, America: A Call To Pray for the Healing of Our Land. Greg Prete will host the group in his office building, 9870 Research Drive, Irvine. http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/173080782/

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Save the date, Sat., Apr. 12. The Rush Limbaugh Club of Orange County will host Star Parker as its guest speaker. Parker is the founder and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, a 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank that promotes market-based public policy to fight poverty. Before involvement in social activism, Parker had seven years of firsthand experience in the grip of welfare dependency. Now, as a social policy consultant, she brings new energy to policy discussions on how to transition America's poor from government dependency. The meeting begins at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast, $15 with reservation or $20 walk-in. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and includes a $30 cash raffle. The location is Casta Del Sol Country Club, 27601 Casta Del Sol Road, Mission Viejo, http://www.rushlimbaughcluboc.org/

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Some Mission Viejo residents got a call last week from a group appearing to do a survey. By the end of the call, it was obvious -- polling by Frank Ury’s campaign for Board of Supervisors. The first questions in the survey were about OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, “Do you know who Sandra Hutchens is?” and “Do you have a positive opinion of Sandra Hutchens?” The caller then asked the same questions about OC District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. Eventually, the caller got around to promoting Frank Ury. Since he has endorsements from Hutchens and Rackauckas, he will likely feature them on his mailers. Ury has no grassroots support, so his campaign will focus on slick mailers with vague claims about his accomplishments.

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If Ury is trying to claim he has improved anything about Mission Viejo, that’s campaign rhetoric. One thing that can easily be demonstrated is that he makes city council meetings unpleasant. He takes shots at residents in the audience and ridicules anyone who has the nerve to make public comments. The current OC supervisors might not agree with each other, but their meetings are civil, and they respectfully listen to citizens who make comments from the public microphone. Ury has demonstrated throughout his council tenure that he has no interest in listening to anyone.

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City hall wants residents to cut water use by 20 percent. In its promotion of conservation, the city has given an impression it has cut water use by 20 percent. However, what city officials are touting is a cut in potable water use, while increasing the use of reclaimed (recycled domestic) water. Would they like to reveal their total water use? Given the city’s history of wasting water (flooding streets with overflowing irrigation during late-night watering), the overall use has probably increased dramatically.

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On Mar. 27, the OC Register reviewed some of the campaign finance reports for the most recent reporting period. Of interest in the June Primary is the 73rd Assembly District race, which includes Mission Viejo. According to OCR, candidates Jesse Petrilla and Anna Bryson both have more than $100,000 cash on hand. Bryson’s $109,000 includes her personal loan of $70,000 to her campaign. Petrilla’s balance of $101,000 includes a loan of $3,500. Other candidates are Paul Glaab ($69,000 on hand and an outstanding loan of $100,000) and Bill Brough ($22,000 with no loans). The only Democrat in the race is Wendy Gabriella ($6,000 with a $3,000 loan).