The Buzz

City Hall is into its third straight year of deficit spending, with declining revenue and no attempt to cut costs. When the state informed City Manager Dennis Wilberg it was collecting $1.2 million in “redevelopment money” owed by Mission Viejo, did he hit the panic button? (link to his letter at the end of the article, http://www.missionviejoca.org/html/article124.html ). Wilberg wrote OC Supv. Pat Bates that the loss of $1.2 million would result in cutting city services. How does he reconcile this statement with claims to residents the city is rolling in cash? Whenever a resident wants a tennis resort upgrade, library room remodel, etc., a council majority member pipes up, “We have the money – let’s spend it!” City Hall spent its discretionary funds a long time ago, along with money from contingency funds, which it now cannot replace.

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Mission Viejo residents are generally unaware of fire map issues that affect their property values, insurance costs and marketability of their homes. While the fire maps have a negative financial impact on homeowners, a larger issue is deception from City Hall and spin to newspapers. Saddleback Valley News (a product of OC Register), formerly published news and letters about local issues, but SVN has been silenced by City Hall. Activists captured emails from City Manager Dennis Wilberg following his meeting with SVN personnel in which he directed them to get quotes and input from his hand-selected group. City Hall, a major advertiser in SVN and OCR, uses taxpayer dollars to buy compliance. So-called news articles appear in a variety of outlets with the same verbiage, likely written by the spinners in City Hall.

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The OC Register deceived readers by saying the council on July 2 rejected the high-risk fire zones ( http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire-362050-state-zone.html ). The council majority (Councilwoman Schlicht dissented) implemented (did not reject) the fire zones. The name changed, but not the concept, application, impact, policy, etc. The OC Register headlines should have indicated the council majority accepted the fire zones, and it deceived the public as well.

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Another city, Villa Park, used the same approach to the fire maps as the Mission Viejo council majority and got the same results. Repeatedly, the fire authority states there is no difference between a Special Fire Protection Area and a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Villa Park changed the terminology in city hall, which had no effect on the maps. From http://www.ocfa.org/menu/departments/FirePrevention/PlanningDevelopmentFAQ.aspx
 “Do I need to submit plans for a gazebo, patio, or fireplace in my backyard? Such projects may require an evaluation by OCFA if adjacent to or in an area designated as a Fuel Modification Zone, Special Fire Protection Area (SFPA) or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ).The terms “SFPA” and “VHFHSZ” are interchangeable terms for a high fire hazard area designated by specific cities and the county. Contact Planning and Development at 714-573-6100 to inquire if your project is in this zone. Please submit the appropriate form, either the Accessory Structure Form or the Outdoor Fireplace Form in person or via fax to 714-368-8843. There is no charge for this service, and the process can generally be completed in 10 business days. Contact Planning and Development at 714-573-6100 to inquire if your project is in this zone.”

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So, City Hall is deceiving residents – what’s new? City activists convened last week to discuss how City Hall tramples residents’ rights, lies to them, quashes letters to the editor, substitutes City Hall’s spin for news and hides financial data. Longtime residents have been asking about the Committee for Integrity in Government. The watchdog group is back. By the way, the city’s shell game is over, as there is no money under any of the shells.

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A blog reader asked about the extensive and expensive street upgrades on Camino Capistrano. To see the street (adjacent to the train tracks in south Mission Viejo), drive west on Avery and turn right on Camino Capistrano. Taxpayers will discover how their money was spent – thousands of plants, decorative curbs, trees, flowers and concrete planters where parking spaces should be.

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Here’s a watchdog’s reaction to the curb project: “This two-mile long section of road has always had street parking for local business. Now there is less parking, though never used before, because of all the new cutesy little planted islands. For as far as the eye can see from below In and Out to the depot and beyond, you will find only a small portion of this parking used in the past or today. I realize that the new extension bridge from Cabot will drop down there onto Camino Capistrano, but no logic whatsoever suggests a new need for highly upgraded street parking along this railroad track. If the city has this kind of Measure M money, why wasn’t this money spent on YOUR street?”