Single Page Text Only - 10/26/13

Sad and Sickly Sycamores
by Paula Steinhauer

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a problem in Mission Viejo City -- our very sick sycamore trees. In the right environment they are beautiful. But in Mission Viejo they are (shall we say?) struggling: 

In the Spring the trees burst forth with new life, but by Summer their leaves are half dead.

In the Fall their leaves finally dry up. (They do not change to brilliant reds and yellows.)

By Winter, as they await their next sad cycle, their only purpose seems to have been to provide messy sidewalks and make-work for landscape crews.

The trees need lots of water (winter snow and summer rain), but providing them enough irrigation water would cost us lots of money. 

The trees could be pruned properly and to smaller sizes, but that would cost us lots of money too.

Not to worry! We could make something fun out of our trees with a Halloween Contest for the naming of "especially sad and sickly sycamores." Winning names could be posted at appropriate trees throughout the city. In time we could hold an annual Festival of Halloween Trees. The trees would be enjoyed not only at Halloween but also throughout the year and identified affectionately each time we pass them by. Mission Viejo could be known as "Ugly Halloween Tree City" and people could come from far and wide to drive throughout the city in the Fall and at Halloween, enjoying our trees with special lighting for those that are particularly scary. 

So, dear reader, this October as Halloween approaches, as you drive along our streets -- pick an ugly sycamore, or several ugly sycamores, and give them appropriate names. Look for them along Marguerite, Los Alisos, La Paz, etc.  To start you off, consider these trees and possible names: 

Look at Bryson’s Record

Capistrano Unified School District Trustee Anna Bryson is a candidate in the 73rd State Assembly District race. If she’s running on her record, is she a conservative or a union supporter?

Craig Alexander of Dana Point says he supported Bryson’s first election to the CUSD board in 2006 and her reelection in 2010. From his Oct. 21 article, “After the 2010 elections, many of my friends who also supported her and I were aghast that she so blatantly switched sides and voted with the Trustees who were elected by the teachers and classified unions.” http://ocpoliticsblog.com/gop-blogger-wonders-if-73rd-a-d-candidate-anna-bryson-is-a-union-hack/#more-16449

From Bryson’s campaign website: “Anna took a leading role in the often-painful process of balancing the budget while increasing educational excellence. Employees took salary reductions, competitive bidding was enacted, and anti-nepotism rules were passed. The checkbook and budget were placed on-line so parents could be empowered to act. Soon, the district was in the black.” http://www.annabryson.us/about

According to school board data, the district’s current budget shortfall is $50.2 million. ( http://disclosurecusd.blogspot.com/ ) Here’s a sampling from a two-year period that shows how the district went from a balanced budget prior to the Nov. 2010 election to financial collapse.

In the Nov. 2, 2010 election, three union-backed candidates won seats, but reform trustees still had a 4-3 majority. Soon after the election, former reform trustees Bryson and Jack Brick started supporting the union.

  • Mar. 16, 2011, open session revealed the board had restored millions of dollars in pay cuts to union members during a closed session in December. Bryson made the motion, Brick seconded (again) in open session.
  • April 11, 2011, the board approved 3 furlough days (and 3.5 the next year) – loss of instruction for students. Bryson made the motion, Hatton seconded.
    July 11, 2011, two minimum instruction days – loss for students. Alpay made the motion, Bryson seconded.
  • Sept. 12, 2011, board provided bargaining training for district and union leadership. Bryson moved, Alpay seconded.
  • Nov. 13, 2011, pro-union majority increased the district’s contribution to union members’ healthcare premiums. Bryson moved, Alpay seconded.
  • Dec. 12, 2011, Bryson voted with pro-union majority to elect a union-supporting trustee as board president.
  • Jan. 9, 2012, Bryson voted with pro-union majority to authorize borrowing of funds instead of cutting union salaries and benefits.
  • Jan. 25, 2012, Bryson voted with pro-union majority to approve retirement incentive (“Golden Handshake”) to certificated employees, costing $2 million per year for five years with no data or contract to review. Paid for by increasing class sizes. Alpay moved and Bryson seconded.
  • Feb. 29, 2012, pro-union majority approved borrowing an additional $12.66 million from County of Orange without reading the agreement. Alpay moved, Bryson seconded.
  • Mar. 12, 2012, Bryson voted with pro-union majority against reinstating audiotaping closed-session meetings and against the recommendation of the District Attorney’s report).
  • Mar. 28, 2012, Bryson voted with pro-union majority to approve the PARS fixed-annuity plan for certificated non-management employees, $2 million per year for five years, plus $6,000 per year for retiree health benefits. Paid for by increasing class sizes. Alpay moved, Bryson seconded.
  • June 11, 2012, Bryson was at a Flag Day dinner when the pro-union majority transferred $21.3 million from programs (education and maintenance) to the general fund (salaries and benefits) on a 4-2 vote.
  • Aug. 20, 2012, Bryson voted with pro-union majority to levy a special tax in 11 Mello-Roos districts. She has annually voted to approve this levy every year she’s been on the board except in 2013 when the board voted not to increase it for the 2014 tax year.

A current assessment of the Capistrano Unified School District finds it under the control of trustees such as Bryson. The backwards majority approves furlough days: students are sent home so the district can keep schools open for the employees. See http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1219972013237/1218998864154/6380803883097680478.pdf for a list of the "Pupil Free Days" – Oct. 29, Oct. 30, Feb. 7, Oct. 4, Jan. 6 and Apr. 12.

Throughout the financial free fall that followed the November 2010 election, trustees who voted in the minority on behalf of reform were Ellen Addonizio (Mission Viejo) and Sue Palazzo (San Juan Capistrano). After Palazzo was eliminated by redrawing of area lines and the passage of a union-backed measure to elect representatives by area, Trustree Jim Reardon was elected in 2012. He and Addonizio are the reliable voices of reform on the CUSD board.

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: Juilliard String Quartet on Tues., Oct. 29, 8:00 p.m.; Estonian National Symphony Orchestra on Sun., Nov. 3, 3:00 p.m.; solo piano recital by Vladimir Feltsman on Sun., Nov. 17, 3:00 p.m. Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, (949) 480-4278, http://www.performingarts.soka.edu

Big Bucks Bingo, Wednesdays, 6:15 p.m. early bird and 6:45 p.m. regular games, Mission Viejo Elks Lodge, Marguerite and La Paz, Mission Viejo, 949-830-3557. 
http://www.mvelks.com/

Hallelujah Harvest Festival on Thurs., Oct. 31, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., free event for families and all ages, petting zoo, animal rides, bounce houses, face painting and more, Reverence Bible Church, 22081 Hidalgo, Mission Viejo, (949) 215-3787, http://www.reverencechurch.org

Fall Fest hosted by Compass Bible Church, Thurs., Oct. 31, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., free, family-oriented event, costumes are encouraged (no scary ones, please), Compass Bible Church, 150 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, http://fallfest.publishpath.com/

Orange County Wine Cruise at Dana Wharf, ongoing, Fridays and Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., aboard a luxury catamaran. Dana Point Harbor, 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, (949) 496-5794, http://www.danawharf.com/cruises.html

Holiday Ice Rink opens Nov. 1 in the 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

The Laguna Playhouse presents Noel Coward’s “Fallen Angels,” through Nov. 3, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787, ext. 1, http://purchase.lagunaplayhouse.com/single/psDetail.aspx?psn=3576

Mount of Olives Church, Sun., Nov. 3, (first Sunday of each month) bring food for the SHARE Food Drive, http://moochurch.org/share . Mount of Olives Church, 24772 Chrisanta Drive, Mission Viejo, (949) 837-7467, http://www.moochurch.org/

Concordia University’s Studio Theatre presents “Falling,” Fri.-Sat., Nov. 8-9, 7:30 p.m., drama about a family raising an autistic teenager, 1530 Concordia West, Irvine, (949) 854-8002, http://www.cui.edu/AcademicPrograms/Undergraduate/Music/tabid/302/ctl/Details/Mid/2322/I temID/161/Default.aspx

St. Kilian’s Recycling Drive, Sat., Nov. 16, 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

La Vida Drum Circle, Sun., Nov. 17, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., group meets on the evening of every full moon (Nov. 17, Dec. 17, Jan. 16, Feb. 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/

Political and Government Events Calendar

Nixon Library concert on Sun., Nov. 3, chamber music with Constanze and Friends. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 2:00 p.m. On Mon., Nov. 4, 7:00 p.m., “Meet Ann Coulter,” Distinguished Speakers Series Lecture and Book Signing, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 364-1120, http://nixonfoundation.org

Mission Viejo Chapter of ACT! for America will hold a General Meeting on Mon., Nov. 4. 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. Note the change of date to the first Monday of the month for this meeting.

Orange County Board of Supervisors will hold a regular meeting on Tues., Nov. 5, 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

Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees will meet on Wed., Nov. 6, 7:00 p.m., 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 meetings: Engineering Committee on Fri., Nov. 8, 7:30 a.m.; Finance Committee on Fri., Nov. 15, 7:30 a.m.; Board of Directors on Wed., Nov. 20, at 7:00 p.m., 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 459-6420, http://www.smwd.com

SOC912, Fri., Nov. 8, 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., Norm Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. A $5 donation at the door will help pay for costs; free to first-time visitors and young people through age 24. http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/145277542/

OC Veterans Advisory Council, Wed., Nov. 11, 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

Saddleback Valley Unified School District regular board meeting on Tues., Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m., 25631 Peter Hartman Way, Mission Viejo, (949) 586-1234, http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/

Moulton Niguel Water District meetings: Personnel and Salary on Wed., Nov. 13, 9:00 a.m., Engineering and Operations on Mon., Nov. 18, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Finance and Information Technology on Wed., Nov. 20, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Board of Directors on Thurs., Nov. 21, 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., Nov. 20, 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) 496-2525 for reservations, http://cvrwf.org

Saddleback Republican Assembly, Thurs., Nov. 21, 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

ACT for America will meet on Mon., Nov. 4. Note the change of date to first Monday of the month for November. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. The meeting starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. Guest speakers Ron Williams and Dr. Manny Tau will present “Identifying and Deterring Potentially Deadly Behavior.” The speakers are threat-management experts who will share tactics on survival. Williams served in the United States Secret Service for 22 years and supervised all divisions of the Los Angeles Field Office. Williams is CEO of Talon Companies, providing security consulting, including critical infrastructure protection requiring Top Secret clearance. ACT for America meets at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo.

              ***

SOC912 will meet on Fri., Nov. 8, 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., Norm Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo. From the announcement: “Learn how to sign up and use Facebook and Twitter! Learn some of the tools like hashtags, which is the pound symbol #.
Learn why it is important to use it - it can change opinions and reach more people than you can imagine. Let's discuss the risk, too, but why it is important. Bring your cell phone and/or laptop. We'll try to get you going right away. Invite your friends and other like-minded patriots.”

A $5 donation at the door will help pay for costs; free to first-time visitors and young people through age 24. http://www.meetup.com/SOC912/events/145277542/

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OC Weekly has selected 30 of Orange County’s Scariest People for 2013 http://www.ocweekly.com/2013-10-24/news/scariest-people-2013-dorner-spitzer-moreno/. The article contains OCW’s trademark humor mixed with its usual obscenities

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No. 3 on OCW’s scariest list is OC Register owner Aaron Kushner. The paper could have folded by now if not for Kushner’s infusion of cash and his concept of journalism – substituting advertorial for news. Kushner’s primary impact on Orange County is to save OCR readers a lot of time. They can read the entire paper in less than 5 minutes.

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It’s official. Professional lobbyist Wendy Bucknum announced she’s running again for Mission Viejo City Council. Bucknum lost in 2012 despite a campaign funded largely by special interest and those who don’t live in Mission Viejo. Just before Election Day in 2012, she made a personal loan of $8,000 to her campaign, and she’s still trying to get her money back. In February, her attempt at a debt-reduction party was a bust. On Nov. 6, she’s having another one, this time calling it a fundraiser (or maybe a debt raiser, depending on the outcome) for her re-launched candidacy. Her party hosts are her clients as a lobbyist – elected officials who sell their votes.

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Two months ago, this blog asked if city hall would roll out the red carpet for Community Common Sense, a monthly newspaper expanding into Mission Viejo. Founded in San Juan Capistrano several years ago, CCS began distributing 10,000 copies in Mission Viejo in August. Following the decline of such newspapers as Saddleback Valley News, CCS fills a void by covering the community and exposing corruption in city hall. By contrast, SVN city reporters put their names on press releases written by city employees. There was no ribbon-cutting ceremony for CCS in August, and City Manager Dennis Wilberg took a shot at the newspaper in an email last week.

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The expansion of Community Common Sense in Mission Viejo helped to expose the cost of a dog park, now at $1.4 million in Phase 1. Those watching the project are predicting the final cost will be $3 million. Last week, city staffers asked the council for an additional $190,000 to pay for irrigation that was “forgotten” in the design. This is the same approach used by the staff in remodeling the Marguerite Tennis Center, where the irrigation system had been “forgotten.” The city hall amnesiacs also “forgot” the dog park will need lighting, as it is open until 10:00 p.m.

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