SRA and SOC912 Meet This Week

On Thurs., Feb. 20, 7:00 p.m., Saddleback Republican Assembly and SOC912 will have a joint meeting to co-host a dynamic guest speaker. Loren Spivak, who founded "Free Market Warrior" in 2009, will present an informative program on American politics and economics. He has delivered his famous seminar on “Economic Literacy” to more than 200 groups in 20 states.

The meeting will be at the Norman Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. SRA members should note the room change to Sycamore B Room for this meeting. For additional information, go to http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/161553102/

Bucknum Campaign Update
Part 3

Wendy Bucknum is running for a council seat in the November election. If Mission Viejo voters understand who and what Bucknum is, she’ll finish in last place on Election Day.

Part 1 of this series identified Bucknum as a professional lobbyist in the housing industry ( http://www.missionviejoca.org/html/article3105.html ). Part 2 documented the donations of her special-interest financiers – apartment builders, consultants and property owners who hope to benefit from Bucknum’s support for high-density housing ( http://www.missionviejoca.org/html/article3106.html ).

Part 3 addresses Bucknum’s lengthy list of endorsements. To the uninformed voter, the list is impressive. To those who know how she collected the endorsements, it is disgusting.

Upper-level elected officials endorsing Bucknum know about her lobbying job because she’s lobbying them. At every political meeting they attend, Bucknum is there as head cheerleader for her employer’s industry. Elected officials who sell their votes get “donations” to their campaigns from Political Action Committees and similar sources, which voters generally don’t hear about. If voters knew, they would throw out almost every incumbent in every election. However, voters also need to beware of challengers who represent special interest. The money trail could not be more obvious than in Bucknum’s campaign.

• Some of Bucknum’s endorsements came from such lower-level elected officials as Central Committee members and political club presidents. One such Central Committeewoman told why she endorsed Bucknum in 2012:
• Central Committeewoman: “I endorsed Wendy because I serve on a board of directors with her, and I was concerned about friction if I didn’t endorse her.”
• Mission Viejo Watchdog: “Do you know what Wendy does for a living?”
• Central Committeewoman: “She told our group she works for Laguna Woods.”
• Mission Viejo Watchdog: “Do you know she’s a lobbyist and her employer is Professional Community Management?”
• Central Committeewoman: “No. She didn’t say anything like that.”

When pressed about her employment, Bucknum refers to herself as a “legislative liaison.” By the time she sends out her first 2014 campaign mailer (paid for by apartment builders, consultants and others wanting high-density housing projects), all voters should recognize Bucknum as a professional lobbyist for the housing industry.

Council Meets Feb. 17

To view the agenda for the Feb. 17 Mission Viejo City Council meeting, go to http://dms.cityofmissionviejo.org/sirepub/pubmtgframe.aspx?meetid=2181&doctype=agenda

Forwarded by a city watchdog:

Read through the Consent Calendar Items (Nos. 2 – 13), including the Minutes, the Check Registers and numerous financial reports.

There is one item under Old Business, Item No. 14:  Pavion Park Rehabilitation (CIP 303).

Under Council Comments, note Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht’s Item No. 20, asking for an investigation into the fiscal management of the November 2013 International Tennis Federation (ITF) Wheelchair tournaments:

“Recommended Action: Order an Independent Investigation to evaluate compliance with established city fiscal policies and ordinances, internal controls and processes; to verify that there was not a gift of public funds; to document that the terms and conditions of the ITF contracts were met; to check that the invoices charged to ITF met the terms of the contractual commitments; to ascertain if purchasing policies as well as internal communication policies were followed; to establish if check and balance mechanisms were in force; find out what revenue was received and how those funds were disbursed; to authenticate the number of individuals that where an expenditure, obligation or debt was created; demonstrate that sufficient back-up material needed for the City Council to take its action was received.”

Those who are unable to attend the meeting but wanting their comments to be part of the public record, can email City Clerk Karen Hamman, KHamman@cityofmissionviejo.org , asking for inclusion in the public record. Don’t forget to reference the agenda Item Number on 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.

Concordia University Faculty Concert, Tues., Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m., Category V Woodwind Quintet, Concordia University Irvine, 1530 Concordia West, Irvine, (949) 854-8002, http://www.cui.edu/AcademicPrograms/Undergraduate/Music/tabid/302/ctl/Details/Mid/2322/I temID/238/Default.aspx

A Hidden Vine on the Lake, wine tasting on Fri., Feb. 21 , 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Six high-quality wines paired with delicious 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

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

Soka University concerts: Dale Kristian and Bill Hutton, “The Glorious Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber,” on Sun., Feb. 23, 3:00 p.m.; Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra on Sat., Mar. 1, 3:00 p.m., Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, (949) 480-4278, http://www.performingarts.soka.edu

Mount of Olives Church SHARE Food Drive on Sun., Mar. 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., Mar. 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., Mar. 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

St. Kilian’s Recycling Drive, Sat., Mar. 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

Cabrillo Playhouse, Sun., Mar. 16, 6:00 p.m., “Local Sunday Sessions,” every third Sunday, three local musical acts, 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente, (949) 492-0465, http://cabrilloplayhouse.org

La Vida Drum Circle, Mar. 16, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., group meets on the evening of every full moon (Mar. 16, Apr. 15, May 14, 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

Political and Government Events Calendar

Nixon Library, Presidents Day Celebration on Mon., Feb. 17, starting at 10:00 a.m.; meet Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt; the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West will perform; free admission all day. Free Concert on Sun., Feb. 23, performance and presentation award winners: cellist Bingxia Lu and pianist Hsin-I Huang. Doors open at 1:30 p.m., and music begins at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 364-1120, http://nixonfoundation.org

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, bus tour to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library instead of a regular meeting, leaving Strands Park in Dana Point at 9:00 a.m. CVRWF meets on third Wednesdays of most months. Call (949) 240-6799 for reservations, http://cvrwf.org

SOC912 will hold a joint meeting with Saddleback Republican Assembly on Thurs., Feb. 20, 7:00 p.m., at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. Guest speaker will be Loren Spivak, who founded “Free Market Warrior” in 2009 in an effort to make a positive difference in American politics and economics. http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/161553102/

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

Santa Margarita Water District Finance Committee meeting on Fri., Feb. 21, 7:30 a.m.; 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 459-6420, http://www.smwd.com

Orange County Board of Supervisors will hold a regular meeting on Tues., Feb. 25, 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 Board of Trustees will meet “if necessary” on Tues., Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m. The next regular meeting will be on Tues., Mar. 4, 6:30 p.m. (first Tuesday due to calendar conflict); 25631 Peter Hartman Way, Mission Viejo, (949) 586-1234, http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/

Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees will meet on Wed., Feb. 26, 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/

Rush Limbaugh Club of Orange County will meet on Sat., Mar. 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/

OC Veterans Advisory Council, Wed., Mar. 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

The Buzz

Sorting out last November’s professional wheelchair tennis tournament is so complex that Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht is asking for an investigation. City Manager Dennis Wilberg’s explanations don’t make sense, and the numbers don’t add up. Apparently, the city staff made unapproved commitments of taxpayer funds and spent a big pile of money to keep the event afloat. Prior to the council’s approval last July, Wilberg and his staff said that hosting the tournament at a city-owned tennis facility would not cost taxpayers anything.

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Clearly, taxpayers paid for the week-long use of a city-owned facility by a for-profit group. Additionally, management-level city employees were turned into solicitors and fundraisers for the International Tennis Federation (ITF). A total of $48,215 was spent for meals (including “in-kind donations” from local restaurants and other businesses) for the 36 professional tennis players and 89 other people – no explanation of who the other 89 are. Another curious amount is $21,000 for “transportation costs for players and guests,” when the distance is short from the Ayres Hotel in north Mission Viejo (where the honored players and guests stayed at taxpayer expense) to the Marguerite Tennis Center.

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For a summary of data on the ITF fleecing of taxpayers, go to http://www.ccsense.com/2014/02/mission-viejo_4805.html#more

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For insight on city issues, check out Steve Magdziak’s amazing Facebook page. Within 10 days of his starting Mission Viejo Common Sense, its popularity grew to 559 “likes.” Steve serves on the city’s Community Services Commission, and he frequently casts the lone vote against wasteful spending. Readers are invited to “like” his page at https://www.facebook.com/missionviejocommonsense

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Post from Mission Viejo city watchdog Larry Gilbert: “Two years ago I covered a presentation of the Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD), held in Mission Viejo, in which they were to receive water from the desert in Eastern San Bernardino County to supplement our existing source of water in conjunction with the Cadiz Project. Several angry residents, who would be impacted by removal of their groundwater basin source in the desert, drove for hours from their homes to testify at our Murray Center expressing opposition to SMWD taking their local water. One of the photos with this link states that 70% of water is used for agriculture, 20% for industry and the balance for homes. There is no question of our being in a drought this season, yet we have developers commencing some major housing projects from Rancho Mission Viejo to the Great Park in Irvine. The protestors felt we were taking their water for lawns, swimming pools and golf courses. As a property rights supporter, this is a challenge for me. We have a finite supply and growing demand for safe drinking water. We are ‘fueling excessive development by promising more water than we can realistically deliver.’

“Around 10 years ago the Ranch negotiated with the OC Board of Supervisors to develop a 23,000 acre project with 14,000 homes and relinquished 17,000 acres of their private property to be retained as open spaces for the right to develop their land. The only problem is a cause and effect. Safe drinking water is a finite and unpredictable resource yet we continue approving developments in the desert known as southern CA. Roughly half of our water comes from the Colorado River Aqueduct and the remainder from the State Water Project in Northern CA. The Colorado water is shared among multiple states and is not as readily available for us today as in past years where we used some of the allocations for Arizona and Nevada. It's a zero sum gain. With their state's developments they have less, if any water, to share with us. The following is an update to the Cadiz Project that has hit a snag. http://sbsentinel.com/2014/02/mojave-water-agency-holds-off-on-purchasing-arrangement-with-cadiz-inc/ ”

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While other levels of government in California are acknowledging the severity of the water shortage, Mission Viejo city hall has a different approach. They’re using as much water as possible. On April 15, 2013, city hall bragged about “being named a Tree City for the 14th straight year for its commitment to urban forestry.” The city hall folks should definitely be “committed” for planting thousands of water-absorbing trees in a coastal desert climate. The April 15 article states “Mission Viejo is home to more than 45,000 trees.” Someone in city hall apparently forgot the city has been touting its one million trees for years. A picture alongside the April 15 article shows a Sycamore. The city’s thousands of Sycamores were a poor choice – riparian trees that can’t tolerate the soil’s high mineral content – especially the salt that builds up in the absence of rain. Irrigation doesn’t wash it out, which is why this “Million Tree City” is in trouble. http://missionviejolife.org/2013/04/15/mission-viejo-tree-city-usa-14th-straight-year/

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This week’s message from the defenders of family values and quality education – Orange County Concerned Citizens against Common Core ( http://orangecountycccc.com/ ):

Grassfire Alert: "Stop Common Core" petition. The federal standardization and takeover of our nation's educational system, called Common Core, is under way and set to be implemented in 46 of our nation's 50 states. The aim of Common Core is to limit parental choice and shut their voices out of their child's education. Teachers too would have little control over their classrooms.

Grassfire has launched a national "Stop Common Core" petition that will be rushed to Capitol Hill in an effort to defeat this federal attempt to steal control away from parents, state and local communities. If you oppose the implementation of national Common Core standards on education in California and the indoctrination of our children with the statist agenda, go here now to sign the "STOP COMMON CORE" petition:

www.grassfire.com/2014/02/stop-common-core

After signing, alert your friends and family by:
1. Sharing this petition on Facebook.
2. Forwarding this email alert to your family and friends.

Thank you, in advance, for taking action.

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For an objective article that states facts regarding the banning of newspapers in San Juan Capistrano, go to
http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_south/article_a6bd9436-933f-11e3-b120-0019bb2963f4.html

To Comment on any of our articles this week please email us by clicking on this link. All emails will be held in the strictest confidence. If you want you comment considered for publication, please put “Publish” in the subject.