Mission Viejo Buzz - 08/10/13

The Buzz

A Buzz reader reacted to the city hall pseudo-greens’ request that senior citizens drinking coffee at the Community Center should bring their own coffee cups. Instead of reducing wasteful spending as the request implied, the city staff gave away TAXPAYER PROVIDED MUGS. From the reader’s email, “Do city employees bring their own dishes and silverware for dining on the job? If so, do they bring their own towels for drying their dishes and hands instead of ‘wasting’ paper towels?” It’s a start – at least city employees are trying to use the phrase “reduce wasteful spending” in a sentence.

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SOC912 will meet on Fri., Aug. 16, doors open at 6:30 p.m., Norm Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. The featured speaker will be Wendy Macy, presenting “Stand Up Front!” From the announcement: “With a passion for truth and a determination to protect liberty, Wendy is choosing a path to stand on the front lines to defend civil rights no matter the cost. We find ourselves at an unprecedented point in history where never before on Earth has a society benefited more from freedom and yet we are on the verge of losing all we have worked for.” Wendy Macy – actress, director and producer – hopes to produce original television programming at The Blaze TV. A donation of $5 is requested to cover costs; complimentary for first-time attendees. Visit the website, http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/131859642/

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Saddleback Republican Assembly doesn’t meet in August. For SRA’s September meeting, Brad Dacus will be the featured speaker. Brad served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Phil Gramm and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas, School of Law. He founded Pacific Justice Institute, where he serves as president and continues to defend religious liberties and parental rights. Read more about PJI at: http://www.pacificjustice.org/brad-dacus---president.html#sthash.vEXMJe21.dpuf . Save the date, Sept. 19, for the next SRA meeting.

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Laguna Woods Tea Party Sentinels will host Eyal Aronoff, co-founder of Fuel Freedom Foundation, at their meeting on Mon., Aug. 26, Laguna Woods Clubhouse 7. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. No charge to attend, and no security passes are needed at this gate. Fuel Freedom Foundation is dedicated to ending America’s dependency on foreign oil, instead encouraging markets for cheaper, cleaner and healthier replacement fuels. For more information about the meeting, including a map, visit http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/131864772/

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An advocate for a reasonably priced dog park told this blog, “I’m noticing that the city employees who fought for 10 years against a dog park now like it, since the dog park is the only activity making them look busy.”

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Here’s a link to the latest issue of Capistrano Common Sense, http://www.ccsense.com/  A group of San Juan Capistrano residents who wanted newspapers to do a better job of reporting facts formed a business and began their own community newspaper. They’re doing an excellent job.

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As other good news from San Juan Capistrano, city watchdogs challenged their water district’s use of tiered rates. A judge ruled last week that ratepayers can be changed only for the value of what they receive. CTA board member John Perry responded, “This is a huge victory for water consumers who have been gouged by cities using illegal water rate structures. I am pleased that the court upheld Proposition 218 and validated our assertion that cities can’t just charge what they want for such an essential service as water; that water rates must be based on the actual cost of delivering the service, as mandated by Prop 218.” The press release can be found at http://www.capotax.org/contact-us/news