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The Buzz Look for additional reaction on this blog next week about the Capo school district budget fiasco. The reaction of parents to the budget will include comments from Julie Collier. An excerpt from her letter: “I have been to many public meetings over the last five years; however, I have NEVER witnessed such a dysfunctional and offensive public meeting as I did on June 27th at the CUSD school board meeting. This meeting was truly an insult to constituents as well as students in CUSD.” *** Mission Viejo residents are mobilizing against a proposal to create a “signage zone,” allowing electronic billboards from Avery to La Paz. A Kaleidoscope promoter presented the billboard proposal to the city council, which has the support of the council majority. Here’s how the votes lined up during the June 4 meeting: FOR the billboards -- Frank Ury (he is up for reelection in November), Trish Kelley and Dave Leckness. Against the billboards: Rhonda Reardon and Cathy Schlicht (she is up for reelection in November). In the audience was housing lobbyist Wendy Bucknum, a candidate for city council in November, running with Frank Ury. Bucknum recently benefited from a fundraiser hosted by the presenter of the billboard proposal. *** Comment from Buzz reader L.C.: “The Obama campaign set up an event registry on their website this week asking supporters to register their weddings, anniversaries and other events in order to convince their friends and family to make contributions to the Obama-Biden campaign instead of sending gifts. This latest campaign gimmick is a bizarre new low for the Obama team in that it makes every significant event in people's lives about Obama.” *** Mission Viejo residents should be on high alert regarding Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones on the July 2 agenda. Two weeks ago, the council majority attempted to trick community members into believing the council majority sided with residents on fire maps. A write-up followed the June 18 council meeting, in which OC Register writer/spinner Chris Boucly’s headlines stated “Council sides with residents, who worry maps will affect property values and insurance rates.” The Fire Authority lumps together the two phrases: Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones/Special Fire Protection Areas. The only outcome of significance during the June 18 meeting was the 4/1 decision (Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht dissenting) to INCREASE the number of homes in the “special areas” from 3,000 to 15,000. The repercussions remain significant because Civil Code 51182 requires that Realtors disclose to homebuyers that for-sale properties are in such areas. Nearly half of all Mission Viejo homes just got put into the zones. *** Here’s Item No. 21 on the July 2 council agenda: Recommended Action: (1) Adopt Resolution 12-XX Excluding all Areas Identified as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in the City of Mission Viejo and Adopting Findings Supported by Substantial Evidence in the Record Confirming said Determination; and (2) introduce Ordinance 12-XXX Repealing Ordinance No. 95-151 (Designating Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones) and Amending its Ordinance 10-287 to Delete the Defined Terms “Fire Hazard Severity Zones”, “Local Agency Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone” and “Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area” and in all Instances of Use Substituting the Term “Special Fire Protection Area” or “SFPA” for all Purposes. *** Residents are realizing they have only one council member, Cathy Schlicht, representing them. Council votes are increasingly gravitating to 4-1 on items of significance. At a recent meeting of the Saddleback Republican Assembly, an audience member asked how CUSD Anna Bryson had run on a reform platform but supported motions favoring the teachers union. A number of candidates who received SRA’s endorsement either abandoned conservative beliefs very quickly after they got into office or perhaps they never had any conservative beliefs. *** Here are a few gems for Mission Viejo residents to consider before casting their votes in November. “Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. “ George Bernard Shaw “Behavior which appears superficially correct but is intrinsically corrupt always irritates those who see below the surface. “ James Bryant Conant “Chicago is not the most corrupt American city. It's the most theatrically corrupt.” Studs Terkel “I think the American government is now the most corrupt government in the world.” Ginger Baker “I think when money starts to corrupt journalism, it undermines the journalism, and it undermines the credibility of the product, and you end up not succeeding.” Walter Isaacson “Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.” George Bernard Shaw “The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” Tacitus “When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.” Thomas Jefferson |
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