The Buzz

The May 7 council meeting was a bad one for residents. Despite objections from their constituents, the council voted 4-1 for high-density housing and an overpriced redecorating project for a library room – new lights, wallpaper and fake trees for $500,000. Information came out during the meeting that the city is $9 million in the red for the year.

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Residents who have been watching the UDR project said it proceeded because the city needs the developer fees to make ends meet. The council majority has overspent on the tennis resort expansion (at Casta Drive and Marguerite Parkway), and the library room’s cost is already at $500,000, well exceeding the published figure of $358,334. The city’s bank account is upside down, with $9.4 million more in cash disbursements than cash receipts through the first three-quarters of the fiscal year – no denial from the city manager or city treasurer on this. If not for the shortage of cash, why would the city ask UDR for park fees upon granting the building permits?

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UDR has been trying to get high-density housing approved for the site since at least 2005, relying on its point man on the council, Frank Ury. The project’s directors haven’t done a good job of selling residents on the idea, and their reports to their own corporation may have lacked full disclosure about the site. UDR’s stated corporate objectives include placing its projects in the vicinity of commercial enterprise and access to freeways. The property is below an earthen dam. Is it true that UDR’s managers for this project incorrectly identified the earthen dam as “open recreational space”? The adjacent toll road is not a good match for the economic level of those who will occupy the apartments. Do UDR’s board of directors and investors know the true picture, including the struggling marketplace next door and the risks of building on property with an easement for a spillway?

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The Planning Commission meeting on May 14 at 6:30 p.m. includes a request (Agenda Item No. 10) for The Shops of Mission Viejo: a Special Sign Permit to construct a sign 30 feet high to attract the attention of those on the freeway. Agenda Item No. 11 is a presentation by Kaleidoscope on its proposed sign program, including large electronic signs. Residents can send comments to the commission by emailing the director at cwilson@cityofmissionviejo.org

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How does the state keep going despite its massive deficit? By refusing to pay its bills! OC County Supervisor Shawn Nelson’s May 11 newsletter summarizes the county’s lawsuits against the state: “Last week, the Board unanimously authorized the law firm of Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk to litigate on behalf of interim Auditor-Controller Jan Grimes against the State’s VLF revenue lawsuit. The State Department of Finance and the Community Colleges Chancellor are asking the court to let the State continue taking the County’s VLF revenue and force the County to pay the State property tax currently withheld, as well as future property tax. This week, the Board authorized filing a claim against the State for approximately $23 million, the difference that the County was shortchanged in FY 2010-11 from accepting declining VLF revenue due to lower vehicle sales instead of property tax from increasing property values since 2004. In fact, the County has experienced an average $23 million shortage per year for the past seven years.”

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To vote in the statewide Primary Election on June 5, citizens must register by Mon., May 21. To register to vote, either pick up a voter form at the post office or visit the Registrar of Voters website, http://www.ocvote.com/registration/register-to-vote/ Voters can also find their polling place on the website.