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The Buzz The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT for America will hold a General Meeting on Mon., Oct. 14. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., and the meeting starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. The speaker will be Nonie Darwish, author and human rights activist. Her topic will be “Understanding the Turmoil in Syria and Egypt: an Egyptian-American’s perspective on the Arab Winter.” The organization meets on second Tuesdays of the month at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Sycamore B Room, Mission Viejo. *** Saddleback Republican Assembly will host a roundtable discussion on government problems and solutions on Thurs., Oct. 17. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. Call (949) 769-1412 for additional information. *** On Fri., Oct. 18, 7:00 p.m., SOC912 members and guests will view the documentary “Fracknation.” From SOC912’s announcement about the video, “It is a journalist's search for fracking truth and a direct rebuttal to the leftist production of the documentary ‘Gasland!’” SOC912 meets at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. Visit SOC912’s website, http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/143785502/ *** According to an attendee of Ury’s big-bang campaign kickoff on Sept. 25, it bombed. Ury’s opening event to run for OC Board of Supervisors was held in Laguna Hills. The attendee said 35-40 people were there, and half of them were “comped.” If Frank were to gather all his friends in one place, they could meet in his car. *** As examples of Ury’s campaign misfires in Mission Viejo, he had no ground game during his 2008 or 2012 council races. On the one occasion when he tried having a street-corner rally, a single person was holding a Ury sign at La Paz and Marguerite. When engaged in a conversation with a city watchdog, the sign-holder said he didn’t know Ury. He didn’t say he was paid to stand there, but those who do know Ury certainly weren’t holding his signs. Last fall before the city election, two Ury guys were observed placing his signs around Trabuco Hills High School on Back-To-School Night. In the crowd of parents and volunteers from other campaigns in casual dress, Ury’s backers emerged from their black luxury car in three-piece suits to place signs on school property. An observer said, “I haven’t seen anyone dressed like that for Back-To-School. They looked like hired guns.” Less than three minutes after Ury’s shills got back into their fancy car, school administrators came out and removed Ury’s signs from school property. *** Mission Viejo’s perpetual council candidate Wendy Bucknum is having another fundraiser on Nov. 6. While it’s unusual for a city council challenger to have a fundraiser a year ahead of the election, Bucknum has never stopped campaigning following her November 2012 loss. Her current money problems stem from an $8,000 debt, the amount she loaned her campaign shortly before the November election. She had run out of Other People’s Money, so she kicked in $8,000 of her own. She held a fundraiser on Feb. 26 and she netted only a few hundred dollars. At that rate, she’d need 10 to 20 such parties just to pay herself back. If Bucknum can’t raise enough money to pay off her 2012 debt, perhaps she’ll have second thoughts about launching another losing campaign for 2014. *** Observers of the 2012 city election noted Bucknum’s extensive lineup of endorsements. At city events, Bucknum presents herself as a community member and mom. However, a non-incumbent house frau wouldn’t be able to amass such endorsements. For a fact, Bucknum is a professional lobbyist who is employed in the housing industry, and her endorsements are her lobbying “customers.” With that knowledge, voters should be disgusted with the names on her list – elected officials who sell their votes to special interest. In the 2012 election, Assemblywoman Diane Harkey and State Senator Mimi Walters were doing back-flips to get Bucknum on Mission Viejo’s city council. Harkey is now running for state Board of Equalization, and Walters is a candidate for John Campbell’s Congressional seat. *** During the Oct. 7 council meeting, Ury left in a huff as soon as the meeting ended. His anger stemmed from an exchange with Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht. She stated that voters should get money back from the city if there were truly a “budget surplus.” Ury said residents don’t want their money back. Instead of becoming distracted with Ury’s ridiculous remark, everyone should question whether there’s really any money to give back. The city has been running a deficit for several years, with another deficit likely for the current fiscal year. A phony “budget surplus” results from city staff’s underestimate of revenue. Their annual error is then compounded by a misnomer when they call the miscalculation a surplus. Councilwoman Schlicht suggested returning any surplus to taxpayers instead of allowing city employees to “piddle it away” on such wasteful projects as a million-dollar-plus dog park. *** Questions regarding a city charge card were posted on this blog last week, http://www.missionviejoca.org/html/buzz88.html . In the last fiscal year, more than $250,000 was charged to the card, which is in City Manager Dennis Wilberg’s name. Use of the card was approved by the council several years ago when Wilberg said he wanted to simplify the process of making reservations to attend conferences. The council moved during the Oct. 7 meeting to audit expenses on the card. Consider the questions of where money is coming from or if it is being used for such things as propping up city hall’s failed Farmer’s Market. As another question, how did a July 13 dog park “fundraiser” in front of city hall report $20,000 in “proceeds” without disclosing expenses of ads, printing, promotion and who paid for “free” tickets? According to council direction, the audit will be internal with a city staffer accounting for Wilberg’s $250,000 slush fund. *** The Orange County Fire Authority received a slap on the wrist during the OC Board of Supervisors’ Oct. 8 meeting. Supv. Todd Spitzer’s agendized item addressed an email solicitation issued by OCFA, inviting current ambulance vendors to a private meeting on bids the fire agency will consider. The email appeared to give current providers preferential treatment. The document can be read at *** The Oct. 11 Saddleback Valley News reported “the city” paid a private security company $1,920 to guard a contractor’s equipment on public property. It shouldn’t have and, by the way, the article makes no sense. A contractor’s equipment is covered by its insurance. SVN’s article looked like a press release from city hall with a newspaper reporter’s name on it. During the Oct. 7 council meeting, Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht questioned the expenditure, which may have precipitated city hall writing a press release about it. During the council meeting, the amount reported to the public was only $620. |
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