The Buzz

ACT for America is planning a potluck picnic on Sat., Aug. 11, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., location to be announced. Those interested in attending may contact the Mission Viejo chapter leader at act.local.mv@cox.net

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Concordia University invites the public to its Concerts on the Green. The next one is Sun., July 22, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., featuring Joyspring Jazz Ensemble and Peggy Duquesnel. Bring a beach chair, blanket or a picnic basket and enjoy the music. Location is on the lawn between Grimm Hall and the C.U. Center, 1530 Concordia West, Irvine. For more information, call Grace Saldana, (949) 214-3185, or visit http://www.cui.edu

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Mission Viejo’s Tea Party Patriots held a get-together to celebrate the outcome of the June Primary. Nearly the entire MV Tea Party slate won on June 5. One of the Patriots summarized the results, “There are two political parties that win elections: Republicans and Democrats. Candidates calling themselves conservatives cannot win by running against both major parties. Our Tea Party group supports the most conservative Republicans we can find, and we try to warn voters about candidates who change their political party when they decide to run for office or otherwise misrepresent their background.”

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Is the city-subsidized Farmers Market on Friday mornings evolving into another all-inclusive event? City Hall’s trademark parties are conglomerations of arts and crafts, music, global warming, health, safety and the glorification of big government. Initially, the concept was a farmers market, and the stated limit of taxpayer funding was to be $500 total. City Hall routinely places full-page ads in Saddleback Valley News and involves city employees to perpetuate the events. There’s little distinction between the hoopla of a City Hall event outside the Murray Center and the weekly so-called farmers market. Regardless of how many different angles the city adds (from global warming to a health fair), what residents look for in a farmers market is genuinely homegrown produce (not commercial vendors and food trucks) and competitive prices.

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Reaction from a Mission Viejo resident: “City hall spends a fortune on public relations, glossy brochures and advertising to convince taxpayers of things that aren’t true. City hall is trying to fool residents that Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones are different from Special Fire Protection Areas. If city administrators were dedicated to serving the public instead of serving themselves, no public relations program would be needed.