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Pinocchio Award for May It's time to award the Mission Viejo Pinocchio Award for the month of May. The only problem is which of the following council members deserves it: Mayor Kelley or Councilman Ury. At 6:07 p.m., during Mission Viejo's May 5 council meeting, Mayor Kelley explained why two of our five members were absent. Member Reardon is out for medical reasons. The mayor states: Council member Ury will be joining us, hopefully, sometime this evening. He is still at work and you may or may not know this is supposed to be a part-time job---some of us work at it full time but some of us up here have full-time jobs. Mr. Ury will get here as soon as he can." Fast forward to when Member Ury arrives at 7:42 p.m., as verified by simply viewing the council meeting video. A few minutes later Trish announced: "We have had council member Ury join us ---back from work and a busy day at work." Sitting next to Frank, Council member Schlicht asked: "Frank, were you at work?” His snarky response: "Who cares." This is followed by Trish stating, "I said I assumed he was at work." If she didn't know, he left her out to dry. The irony is that between 6:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Frank Ury and I were with approximately 20 Republicans in Tustin at the OC GOP HQ meeting of the endorsement committee where we both spoke. He was seated less than 10 feet away from me. I guess we could agree that campaigning is a form of work, but this begs the question "did Trish intentionally or unintentionally" deceive the public? Did Frank Ury notify our mayor and/or the city clerk that he might be late as he was at a Republican Party activity while our city council was in session? I seem to recall the Party making a consideration for council member interviews on dates that didn't conflict with council meetings. To verify the above timing simply read Chris Nguyen's blog report that includes the time of specific council member's participation. [ http://ocpolitical.com/2014/05/05/live-from-ocgop-endorsements-committee-round-three/ ] Frank Ury was angry because Robert Ming had just received the committee's 4 -1 recommendation of an endorsement to replace Pat Bates in the 5th District office of the Board of Supervisors. As a result of this communication that was sent to council and city manager, I can report that Frank Ury now speaks up saying he left her a message that he would be late. I have no way to verify that comment other than saying that it was pointed out that the Agenda was very light. Add that to traffic that evening, and he might have arrived after the meeting ended. Amazing. Member Reardon’s response was, "Did you ask Trish for an explanation?" Explanation. As neither Rhonda nor I were at the meeting, we expect the statements made during the meetings to be factual. Trish has apologized and said she "assumed" Frank was at work. We give the Pinocchio Award to member Ury, as Cathy gave him an opportunity to clarify Trish's statement of his absence, yet his response was typical for him. He became agitated and made a nasty comment that you can see and hear on the city meeting video. Member Reardon, I would not have to contact Trish if Frank had provided a simple reply to Cathy, but that was not going to happen and it didn't. |
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MV Common Sense Voter Guide
Constitutional Voter Guide – California Primary Election, June 3, 2014 Listed below are Community Common Sense’s recommendations for local (Orange County) races and/or candidates, based on the candidates’ support for fiscal reform/responsibility and adherence to constitutional principles such as protection of personal freedoms and respect for property rights: U.S. Representative, 45th Congressional District No recommendation. California State Senate, 36th District: Pat Bates is unopposed. California Assembly, 73rd District: Jesse Petrilla - YES; Sterling voting record for upholding fiscal conservatism. Board of Equalization, 4th District Van Tran - YES Diane Harkey - NO; accepted union money; endorses candidates who do not support the values she claims to support. Superior Court Judges: Office No. 14: Kevin Haskins - YES Office No. 20: Helen Hayden - YES Office No. 27: No recommendation; candidates are: Democrat Janet Motoike, incumbent judge appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown “No Party Preference” Wayne Philips has a private law practice – unknown political views Office No. 35: Jeff Ferguson - YES Orange County Board of Supervisors, 5th District Robert Ming - YES; Fiscally conservative leader; excellent voting record. Orange County Superintendent of Schools: Al Mijares is unopposed. Orange County Board of Education, Area 5: Linda Lindholm - YES; supports school choice (Charter Schools), has not accepted union money. Orange County Assessor: Claude Parrish - YES Orange County Auditor-Controller: Frank Davies - YES; current OC Property Tax Director. Orange County Clerk Recorder: Hugh Nguyen - YES; incumbent with a good record. Orange County District Attorney: No recommendation. Orange County Sheriff-Coroner: Incumbent Sandra Hutchens is unchallenged. Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector: Incumbent Shari Friedenrich is unchallenged. Steve Magdziak, would add to this: No on Prop 41 |
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ACT! for America Meets May 12 The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT! for America will hold its monthly meeting on Mon., May 12. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., and the meeting starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. The group meets at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Sycamore B Room, Mission Viejo. The featured speaker will be Robert Spencer, NY Times bestselling author and director of Jihad Watch. The program topic will be “The Truth About the War We Are in and the Dangers of Denying It – an Expert on Jihad and Islamic Terrorism Shares His Concerns.” From the announcement: Fourteen hundred years ago, Arab warlords declared eternal holy war against the rest of humanity. Today, radical Islamists are using the Middle East’s vast oil wealth to continue their bloody jihad against Christians, other Muslims, America and the civilized world. But, Barak Obama tells us Al Qaeda is no longer a threat. The mainstream media ignores the ongoing jihadist infiltration of our institutions. And liberal politicians deny that well-funded and highly motivated operatives are waging a stealth jihad inside America. Robert Spencer, one of the world’s leading experts on Islamic history, doctrines, and jihad, knows the truth about the current war Islamist are waging against us. He believes it’s critical for Americans to wake up and defend themselves from this existential threat, before it’s too late. What You Will Learn:
Robert Spencer is the vice president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and the director of Jihad Watch, a program of the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is the author of 13 books, including two New York Times bestsellers, The Truth About Muhammad and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades). His latest book, the Arab Winter Comes to America: The Truth About the War We’re In (Regnery), will be available for purchase at this presentation. Spencer has led seminars on Islam and jihad for the United States Central Command, United States Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group, the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the U.S. intelligence community. He is a weekly columnist for PJ Media and FrontPage Magazine, and in addition to his books, has written many hundreds of articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism. Spencer will speak for about 50 minutes, and he’ll answer questions for about 20 minutes. A $5 donation is appreciated to help cover the film rental and meeting room costs Bruce Mayall, Chapter Leader Sign up for our ACT! for America chapter announcements at www.act4oc.org |
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Wendy Bucknum Campaign Update Wendy Bucknum, a professional lobbyist in the housing industry, is running for a Mission Viejo council seat in November. Previous articles in this series document Bucknum’s lobbying activities, her special-interest financiers, how she gets endorsements from elected officials and the payoffs elected officials expect in return for supporting a lobbyist In addition to campaigning for herself, Bucknum currently is campaigning for Frank Ury (for OC Board of Supervisors) and Mimi Walters (for 45th Congressional District). Bucknum IS their campaign in Mission Viejo. Ury and Walters are stuffing mailboxes with slick mailers, but they lack ground troops. Campaign signs for Ury and Walters are being planted (or strung from trees) by Bucknum. Ury signs are often placed directly in front of Ming’s signs – the type of poor sportsmanship people notice. Bucknum’s connection to Walters is the typical relationship between a professional lobbyist and a career politician, but why is Bucknum campaigning for Ury? Ury is running for a nonpartisan county office, and that contest could end on June 3 if any candidate gets 50 percent plus one vote. It’s unlikely Ury will get a majority on June 3, so the following scenario is also unlikely. Ury’s supposed ascent on June 3 would leave a vacancy on the MV City Council. The remaining four council members would choose an appointee to fill the vacant seat until the November city election. Bucknum is counting on three votes: Kelley, Leckness and Reardon. Ury would have no vote because he’d be off the council, and Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht’s vote wouldn’t matter with the other three votes lined up for Bucknum. Unless BOS candidate Robert Ming gets a majority on June 3, the top two vote-getters in the 5th District (probably Ming and Ury) will face off in the November election. Bucknum is also campaigning for Anna Bryson, a candidate for the 73rd Assembly District seat. Bryson as a Capo school district trustee is a reliable supporter of the teachers’ union. She’s unpopular with political groups, activists, volunteers, conservatives and CUSD parents. Bucknum isn’t as energized for Bryson, but she’s putting a few of her signs on street corners. A Ury sign in a Mission Viejo yard identifies the address of an uninformed voter who has been approached by Bucknum. Rather than support for Ury, the sign placement is more a dress rehearsal for Bucknum, who will need the same yards for her own signs in November. |
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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. La Vida Drum Circle, Wed., May 14, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., group meets on the evening of every full moon (June 13, July 12, 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/ A Hidden Vine on the Lake wine tasting on Fri., May 16 (every Friday evening), 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 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 St. Kilian’s Recycling Drive, Sat., May 17, 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., May 18, 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 Dana Point Art Walk, Thurs., May 29, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Dana Point Art District, 24471 Del Prado Ave., Dana Point, (949) 429-5591, http://www.coastalarcadian.com/ Crossroads of the West Gun Show, Sat., May 31, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sun., June 1, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa, (801) 544-9125, https://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/purchase/event.php?eid=100063 Mount of Olives Church SHARE Food Drive on Sun., June 1, (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., June 5, 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/ Laguna Playhouse presents “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” with Leslie Caron and David Engel, through June 8, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787, ext. 1, http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com Soka University concert: South Coast Singers present “In the Spotlight” on Sat., June 21, 7:00 p.m., Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, (949) 480-4278, http://www.performingarts.soka.edu |
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Political and Government Events Calendar Moulton Niguel Water District meetings: Engineering and Operations on Mon., May 12, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Finance and Information Technology on Wed., May 14, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Board of Directors on Thurs., May 15, 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/ The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT! for America will hold a General Meeting on Mon., May 12. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. The meeting starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. Featured speaker will be Robert Spencer, NY Times bestselling author and director of Jihad Watch. The program topic will be “The Truth About the War We Are in – and the Dangers of Denying It.” The group meets at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. Orange County Board of Supervisors will hold a regular meeting on Tues., May 13, 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 hold a regular board meeting on Tues., May 13, 6:30 p.m. The board meets in the district building, 25631 Peter Hartman Way, Mission Viejo, (949) 586-1234, http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/ OC Veterans Advisory Council will meet on Wed., May 14, 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 Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees will hold a regular board meeting on Wed., May 14, 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/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1232963504734 Saddleback Republican Assembly, Thurs., May 15, 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, Mission Viejo. For information call (949) 769-1412. Santa Margarita Water District meetings: Engineering Committee on Fri., May 16, 7:30 a.m.; Finance Committee will meet on Fri., May 23, 7:30 a.m., 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 459-6420, http://www.smwd.com Nixon Library concert on Sun., May 18, North Orange County Children’s Choir. Doors open at 1:30 p.m., and music begins at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. On Mon., May 19, 7:00 p.m., Lynne Cheney and VP Dick Cheney will be at the library for the West Coast launch of Mrs. Cheney’s book, James Madison: A Life Reconsidered. Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 364-1120, http://nixonfoundation.org/ Capistrano Valley Republican Women Federated, Wed., May 21, 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 SOC912 holds informative and inspirational meetings each month to celebrate America and support the Constitution. No charge to attend; donations are requested to help pay for costs. Light refreshments. The group meets at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo, http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/176179492/ Rush Limbaugh Club of Orange County will meet on Sat., June 14. Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m., and the program runs from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Cost is $15 for breakfast or the program only for $5.00. 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/ |
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The Buzz The Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT! for America will meet on Mon., May 12. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., and the meeting starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. The group meets at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Sycamore B Room, Mission Viejo. Guest speaker Robert Spencer is a NY Times bestselling author and director of Jihad Watch. The program topic will be “The Truth About the War We Are in and the Dangers of Denying It – an Expert on Jihad and Islamic Terrorism Shares His Concerns.” *** Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht’s May 5 agenda item, a Resolution in Support of Prop 13, should have passed effortlessly, given that all five council members campaigned on conservative platforms. Only three of the five council members were present – Cathy Schlicht, Trish Kelley and Dave Leckness. Frank Ury was off campaigning for himself, and Rhonda Reardon was absent for medical reasons. Councilwoman Schlicht’s Resolution was fostered by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (author of Prop 13 to cap annual property tax increases at 2 percent). When Leckness admitted he hadn’t read it (one page), Councilwoman Schlicht read it aloud for his benefit. Kelley made strange excuses on why she wasn’t ready to vote on it. Leckness made such a fool of himself, the exchange was posted on Facebook: http://missionviejocommonsense.com/1/post/2014/05/proposition-13-and-council-member-dave-leckness.html *** Why would Kelley and Leckness not want to vote on the Resolution? Leckness doesn’t read the agenda material, and his incompetence doesn’t require explanation. Kelley asked Councilwoman Schlicht to table the Resolution for a later date. It made no sense except that Ury or Reardon weren’t there. Neither Ury nor Reardon will be able to say in their campaign literature that they defended Prop 13 with their vote for the Resolution. Council majority members (Ury, Kelley, Leckness and Reardon) covering for each other is practically a full-time job. *** The May edition of Community Common Sense was delivered to 20,000 Mission Viejo homes last week, and it is available on line, http://www.ccsense.com/. Along with voter recommendations ( http://www.ccsense.com/2014/05/constitutional-voter-guide-california.html#more ), read an article by Steve Magdziak on the benefits of policy changes including taxpayers getting their money back, a letter from Linda Shown about Frank Ury’s meltdown at a candidate forum, Ed Sach’s incisive look at a flawed city contract, an article by Larry Gilbert on restrooms for popular city parks and a wakeup call from Joe Holtzman to 15.000 homeowner who live in the city’s fire zones. *** Mimi Walters erred when she attacked Greg Raths, her opponent for the 45th Congressional District seat. Walters’ latest mailer attacked Raths for his service in the military when the Pentagon assigned him as assistant chief of staff in the White House during Clinton’s term. Walters sent her mailer to Republican voters, calling Raths a “Clinton Republican.” *** Here’s an example of how recipients of Walters’ hit piece are reacting. This post is from Larry Gilbert’s Facebook page: “Larry Gilbert Voter Guide change. Adding a YES for Greg Raths, Colonel USMC (RET), 45th Congressional District. Greg honorably served our country for 30 years. I spoke to Greg this morning at our La Paz and Marguerite rally supporting Robert Ming, Jesse Petrilla and Greg. We discussed the ‘hit piece’ from Mimi Walters attacking his military service while on assignment in the White House during the Clinton Administration. He remembered "Buzz" Patterson, who served with him in the White House at the same time. Ron Winship and I previously interviewed Buzz who carried the nuclear football for Clinton at the time of Greg's White House assignment. When the military gives you an assignment you do not protest and refuse because you may not support the Commander in Chief's party or positions. Yet we just received a ‘hit piece’ that attempts to smear Greg stating ‘Greg Raths proudly worked for Bill Clinton from 1996 to 1999.’ So did hundreds of thousands of our men and women in uniform, many of whose names are to be found in military cemeteries or VA hospital rooms.” *** Raths’ campaign sent an email message to his supporters, suggesting they let Walters know what they think of her mailer. His message included Walters’ campaign HQ phone number, (949) 235-2078. *** A negative mailer can backfire badly, which happened during the “Mission Viejo revolution” of 2002. Voters dumped councilwomen Sherri Butterfield and Susan Withrow for their virulent attacks against then-councilman John Paul Ledesma. *** SRA will meet on Thurs., May 15, 7:00 p.m., at the Norm Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. The program includes an analysis of propositions on the June 3 ballot, plus an update on the fire zones. Large portions of cities in Orange County were rezoned by their respective council majorities in 2012, placing homes in high-risk fire-hazard zones. The negative impact to homeowners includes higher insurance rates, a threat of losing coverage if a homeowner doesn’t stay current with insurance payments and lower property values when selling a home that’s in a fire zone. Call (949) 769-1412 for information about SRA. |
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