Free Speech Picnic

To celebrate First Amendment rights, the Tea Party and other conservative groups are hosting a picnic on Sat., Feb. 8, from noon to 3:00 p.m. The event will be held at C. Russell Cook Park, 27100 Calle Arroyo, San Juan Capistrano. Attendees are invited to meet at the picnic tables.

From the announcement:

FREE SPEECH is one of our most dearly held First Amendment rights! Unfortunately, it is being threatened!  Let's together bring light on this issue! This is a joint effort of Tea Party and conservative groups from Orange County. 

Recently, the City of San Juan Capistrano majority on the City Council banned newspapers on public property . . . behind closed doors, no less. Why did they do this? Because one of the newspapers (Community Common Sense) exposes this City Council majority's often misguided and detrimental votes for the citizens of SJC, costing them much money.  

There will be music and speakers. Dr. Gina of the Dr. Gina Smart Life (radio) and Politichicks is our keynote speaker. Bring your friends and family. Bring your own lunch and enjoy the event with other like-minded Patriots!  Playground for children at the park, too! As speakers are confirmed, we will update this description! Rain or shine!

Local organizations are welcome to have a booth with information. Visit the website, http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/

Council Meets on Jan. 20

The Mission Viejo City Council will meet on Mon., Jan. 20. The general business meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. The agenda can be found at http://dms.cityofmissionviejo.org/sirepub/pubmtgframe.aspx?meetid=2178&doctype=agenda

A city watchdog forwarded the following summary of items that might be of particular interest to residents.

Items No. 2 through No. 10 contain the Check Registers and various Treasurer’s Monthly Reports.

Item No. 11 – Award the construction contract for the expansion of the Cattery.

Item No. 12 – Report on the CalCard audit.

Item No. 13 – Report on the unfunded liabilities.

Item No. 20 – Note this agenda item has been updated to reflect a title change and new report for the potential sale of Medix Ambulance Services.

Item No. 21 – Mission Viejo’s city attorney, Bill Curley, is leaving the law firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon, and the staff’s recommended action is to have the city follow Mr. Curley to his new law firm of Lozano Smith.

Item No. 30 – The city’s celebration of the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Olympic Bike race.  

Anyone who is unable to attend the meeting can add a comment into the record by sending an e-mail to City Clerk Karen Hamman, asking for inclusion in the public record: KHamman@cityofmissionviejo.org . Don’t forget to reference the agenda Item Number in your correspondence.

Non-government Events

Following is a sampling of events and activities that are not funded by taxpayers or promoted by the Nanny State. Please support private enterprise and non-profit groups.

Soka University concerts, Vladimir Feltsman solo piano recital on Wed., Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m.; International Guitar Night on Sat., Jan. 25, 8:00 p.m.; Tribute to Benny Golson on Sat., Feb. 1, at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, (949) 480-4278, http://www.performingarts.soka.edu

WineWorks, live music every Friday, happy hour Tues.-Sat., check the website for wine tastings and other events, 26342 Oso Parkway, Suite 103, Mission Viejo, (949) 582-0026, http://www.wineworksforeveryone.com/tastings-events.php

A Hidden Vine on the Lake, wine tasting on Fri., Jan. 24 (every Friday evening), 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., a wine specialist introduces six high-quality wines, paired with cheese, charcuterie and a chocolate treat, 27772 Vista del Lago, Suite B-15, Mission Viejo, (949) 916-4810, http://www.ahiddenvine.com/wine_tasting.html

Sunday Brunch at O’Neill’s Bar and Grill on Sun., Jan. 26, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., live jazz, R&B, soul and vocals. Enjoy made-to-order omelets, pastries, seafood, salad bar, hot entrees, desserts, etc., Arroyo Trabuco Golf Course, 26772 Avery Parkway, Mission Viejo, (949) 305-5100, http://www.arroyotrabuco.com/calendar.aspx

Cabrillo Playhouse presents “The Fantasticks,” Thurs. – Sun., through Feb. 2, 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente, (949) 492-0465, http://cabrilloplayhouse.org

“Ring of Fire” at The Laguna Playhouse, through Feb. 2, a riveting glimpse into Johnny Cash’s world, with more than 30 of his songs; 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787, ext. 1, http://lagunaplayhouse.com

Mount of Olives Church SHARE Food Drive on Sun., Feb. 2, (first Sunday of each month) helps families in crisis, http://moochurch.org/share . Mount of Olives Church, 24772 Chrisanta Drive, Mission Viejo, (949) 837-7467, http://www.moochurch.org/

First Thursday Art Walk, Laguna Beach, Thurs., Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m., member galleries throughout Laguna Beach, including the Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive at North Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 494-8971, http://firstthursdaysartwalk.com/

Mariachis at the Mission, Sat., Feb. 8, 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.; second Saturday of each month, 26801 Ortega Hwy, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 234-1300, http://missionsjc.com

La Vida Drum Circle, Fri., Feb. 14, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., group meets on the evening of every full moon (Feb. 14, Mar. 16, Apr. 15, etc.). Drummers should bring their drums. Firewood is appreciated for the bonfire, Aliso Beach, Aliso and Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 275-7544, http://www.lavidalaguna.com/things-we-dig/

St. Kilian’s Recycling Drive, Sat., Feb. 15, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, held on the third Saturday of each month. Organized by Knights of Columbus; acceptable items include aluminum, paper and plastic. No glass or cardboard. Lower parking lot, 26872 Estanciero Drive, Mission Viejo, (949) 472-1249, http://www.stkilianchurch.org

Holiday Ice Rink, Irvine Spectrum Center, private and group skate lessons are available, open daily through Feb. 17, Giant Wheel Court, Irvine Spectrum Center, 71 Fortune Drive, Irvine, (949) 753-5180, http://www.skatespectrum.com

Political and Government Events Calendar

Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees will meet on Wed., Jan.22. The board meets at the district office, 33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano. Agenda and supporting documentation are published on the website 72 hours prior to a meeting, (949) 234-9200, http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/

Santa Margarita Water District Finance Committee will meet on Fri., Jan. 24, 7:30 a.m., 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 459-6420, http://www.smwd.com

Nixon Library Concert, Sun., Jan. 26, Drew Tretick. Doors open at 1:30 pm, and the music begins at 2:00 pm unless otherwise noted. On Wed., Jan. 29, 10:00 a.m., Nixon Legacy Forum: “Richard Nixon and the Creation of the Modern Presidency at Franklin & Marshall College.” Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 364-1120, http://nixonfoundation.org/

Tea Party Sentinels of Laguna Woods will meet on Mon., Jan. 27. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:00 p.m., Laguna Woods Clubhouse 7, 24113 Moulton Pkwy, Laguna Woods. Guest speaker will be Steve Maikowski, author of books on the U.S. Constitution. His topic will be the founding fathers’ writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/159048292/

Orange County Board of Supervisors will hold a regular meeting on Tues., Jan. 28, 9:30 a.m., Board Hearing Room, First Floor, 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 834-3100. http://ocgov.com/cals/?ViewBy=7&CalDate=1/15/2013&EventDateID=89649

Saddleback Valley Unified School District will hold a meeting of the board “if necessary” on Tues., Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m.; 25631 Peter Hartman Way, Mission Viejo, (949) 586-1234, http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/

Rush Limbaugh Club of Orange County will meet on Sat., Feb. 8. Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m., and the program runs from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The group meets on second Saturdays of the month. The breakfast is $15.00 or attend the program for $5.00 to cover costs. The club pays for first-time attendees' breakfast or attendance fee. Casta del Sol Golf Clubhouse, 27601 Casta Del Sol Road, Mission Viejo, (714) 235-1430, http://rushlimbaughcluboc.com/

Free Speech Picnic, Sat., Feb. 8, 12:00 noon, C. Russell Cook Park, 27100 Calle Arroyo, San Juan Capistrano. Organized by Tea Party and other conservative groups in response to the ban of newspapers from city property in San Juan Capistrano. Visit SOC912’s website, http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/157855872/

Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT! for America will hold a General Meeting on Mon., Feb. 10. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. The meeting starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m., at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo.

OC Veterans Advisory Council, Wed., Feb. 12, 6:00 p.m. The council meets on the second Wednesday of each month. Veterans Service Office, Conference Room A/B, 1300 S. Grand Ave., Building B, Santa Ana, https://cms.ocgov.com/gov/occr/occs/veterans/advisory/default.asp

Moulton Niguel Water District meetings: Engineering and Operations on Tues., Feb. 18, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Finance and Information Technology on Wed., Feb. 19, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Board of Directors on Thurs., Feb. 20, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., MNWD Main Office, 27500 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-2500, http://mnwd.com/board-of-directors-2/

Capistrano Valley Republican Women Federated, Wed., Feb. 19, 9:00 a.m., at the Marbella Country Club, 30800 Golf Club Drive, San Juan Capistrano. CVRWF meets on third Wednesdays of most months. Call (949) 240-6799 for reservations, http://cvrwf.org

Saddleback Republican Assembly, Thurs., Feb. 20, 7:00 p.m. SRA meets on third Thursdays (except in July, August and December) at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Jacaranda Room-B, Mission Viejo. For information call (949) 769-1412.

The Buzz

An organization has formed in Orange County to oppose Common Core curriculum. Visit the website to read about the efforts of Orange County Concerned Citizens against Common Core (OCCCCC). From the website, “Common Core – a Trojan Horse for Education Reform. Common Core pretends to be a benign ‘state’ program, state written, and state controlled. It is none of these. It is a world-wide curriculum fitting the goals of the UN’s Agenda 21 – how the federal government will control education and eliminate teacher and parent influence over what is being taught to our children.” http://orangecountycccc.com/

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Two leaders from OCCCCC, Jeanne Goodin and Gloria Pruyne, will present information in Mission Viejo on Wed., Jan. 22. They are meeting with homeschool moms at Coco’s, 27750 Crown Valley Pkwy. Attendees are invited to have dinner at 6:00 p.m., and the presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m. For information, visit the website. Speaking engagements in Orange County can be found at http://orangecountycccc.com/speaking-engagements/

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Just because California is at or near the bottom of the academic barrel, no one should conclude it can’t get worse. Common Core, also known as ObamaCore, will have the same impact on education as ObamaCare is having on healthcare.

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Who will run for governor? Mission Viejo watchdog Larry Gilbert writes, “No, I have not been drinking today. With the Primary Election including the governor's race quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to stir the pot. Without taking anything away from announced GOP candidate Assemblyman Tim Donnelly and, unless Kevin McCarthy or Steve Poizner enters the fray, I would like to throw out another name for debate. No, not Jon Fleishman, as he declined responding to my challenge. I am thinking about the man who captured 79.5% of the vote in the 2012 presidential primary while facing 8 challengers (of which 4 were credible). Mitt Romney ended up with 4,839,958 CA votes in the General Election, which surely was negatively impacted by Obama's lies about affordable health care. Mitt Romney owns a home in Solano Beach, CA. He surely has name recognition and would not need to devote time to campaign fundraising. OK. Now it’s your turn to question my sanity or out-of-the-box thinking.”

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According to a spokesperson for the Orange County Superior Court, applicants are urgently needed for the Grand Jury. The deadline to apply is Jan. 24. To complete an application form, go to the jury commissioner’s office, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, or visit the website: http://www.ocgrandjury.org/ . For information, call (714) 834-6747.

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Before anyone gets the idea the Orange County Register is collapsing, note that observers who predicted the new owners wouldn’t last a full year were proven wrong. Last week, OCR fired 32 employees, including some of its department heads, columnists and reporters. As it was happening, “Media watcher extraordinaire Jim Romensko reports that one of his sources is describing the layoffs as ‘a blood bath . . . nearly every top manager replaced.’" http://www.ocweekly.com/news/

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Reporters and editors at The Patch.com received news of a similar nature last week. From an article describing a turn of events, a deal between AOL and Patch removes Patch from AOL’s financial books, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/business/media/aol-finds-a-partner-to-run-its-troubled-patch-division.html?_r=1 A Mission Viejo watchdog responded to the news, saying the Mission Viejo Patch lost readers by allowing one of its writers an open page to publish vulgar comments and lies.

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A Tea Partier forwarded a link about an Assemblyman’s initiative to end California’s so-called High Speed Rail. “Between this initiative and the challenges HRS has faced in courts, we may finally be seeing the end of this idiotic idea.” http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/01/california-lawmaker-files-initiative-to-scrap-high-speed-rail.html

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Did Councilman Frank Ury change jobs again? Ury-watchers are amazed with the number of companies he’s worked for during his nine years on the Mission Viejo City Council. Word slipped out that he may have had some “personnel issues” at his previous workplace that resulted from a fellow-employee’s complaint against him. Elected officials are supposed to submit Form 700 (Statement of Economic Interests, a report mandated by the state) when they change jobs, which would allow the public an opportunity to determine any conflicts of interest. Despite Ury’s many job changes – practically a different job each year – no one can find his Form 700 reports.

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