On February 15th I posted a story about Mission Viejo vice mayor Lance MacLean based on a report in the OC Register where he got into an altercation with another employee at UCI. Several residents have questioned the three month delay in that assault being made public. Having just received the more detailed report from the University of California Irvine, UCI newspaper,”The New University.” There appears to be some confusion in that the UCI story is dated June 5, 2006 while the incident occurred Oct 26, 2007.
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Written: June 5, 2006
Former ASUCI Director Charged with Assaulting Fellow Employee
By Taylor Hudson
Lance MacLean, former associate executive director of the Associated Students of UC Irvine, has been charged with assault and battery stemming from an incident witnessed by several students at last year’s annual “Shocktoberfest,” in which MacLean pinned a fellow UCI employee against the wall and grabbed his neck before nearby police officers wrestled him to the ground.
MacLean, 49, who is also a councilmember and former mayor of the city of Mission Viejo, pleaded not guilty to the two misdemeanor charges, filed in December, according to an Orange County Register report. The Orange County District Attorney will drop the charges if MacLean successfully completes a court-approved anger management course. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for June pending his completion of the course.
The incident took place the night of Oct. 26, 2007 at the newly constructed Student Center, when several students were waiting to be let into the Pacific Ballroom for a concert at Shocktoberfest, according to the police report of the incident obtained by the New University.
According to the report, four police officers were standing outside the ballroom assigned to the event at about 11:15 p.m., when MacLean, visibly upset, entered the area saying, “Where the FUUU is Jack. Jack locked up all the restroom [sic] upstairs and I have people peeing all over the place. You need to tell Jack to open the fUUUing doors.”
MacLean then spotted the victim, identified as Jack McManus, director of UCI Hospitality and Dining Services, and began yelling at him. After a short verbal altercation, MacLean then placed his hands around McManus’ neck and shoved him against the wall, then began to lift him up by the neck.
The four nearby officers intervened and ordered MacLean to let go, but he refused, prompting them to forcibly separate the two. MacLean, who is 6-feet-5-inches and 200 pounds according to the police report, resisted their orders several times and continued to struggle until an officer directed him to a prone position and handcuffed him.
MacLean was detained and released from the scene. McManus suffered minor injuries and refused medical treatment, as did MacLean.
The police report lists three offenses by MacLean: assault, battery and resisting a peace officer.
According to Kay Rackauckas, MacLean’s attorney, MacLean was reacting to the fact that many more students than anticipated had arrived for the concert, but the nearby bathrooms had been locked.
“There were about 2,000 people there and Lance saw many [students urinating] outdoors. He was trying to avert a crisis,” Rackauckas told the O.C. Register. Only 850 students were allowed inside the ballroom for the concert, according to the police report.
UCI spokesperson Jason Mednick said Saturday that UCI Police Department had conducted a criminal investigation into the incident and forwarded it to the District Attorney’s office.
MacLean left his post at the university as of Dec. 17, 2007, according to Mednick. The university was in the process of conducting an administrative review of MacLean at the time of his leaving. MacLean told the Register he has taken an early retirement from UCI and “plans to begin a second career in public relations—something he’s been thinking about for a while.”
MacLean is an alumnus of UCI, where he received bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science.
Gilbert comment: While I do not engage in profanity I did not wish to alter the newspaper account of the incident. I did alter two profane words that are easily identified.
If this account is true is this the type of leader we need representing the city of Mission Viejo and the Toll Roads?
If it took four police officers to handcuff Lance how do you expect senior citizens with valid issues to attend city council meetings to confront decisions being made by Mr MacLean?
There are times when it’s ok to get a little physcial. The title is Councilman not Councilwimp! Some of you in the PC crowd have lost your manhood!
Larry:
From my exposure to Councilman MacLean he does have an anger management problem. Ask his fellow council members about his conduct in closed door sessions–slamming books down, slamming conference room doors and so on.
This is not the type of person that should represent Mission Viejo in any public or private situation.
Lance MacLean should resign his council seat and take care of his problem. There is no place or a bully on our council.!!
I think Larry is making an excellent point.
Since when does physical attacks and other means of intimidation to get issues resolved pass the smell test for a “representative” of the community?
This whackjob needs to be cut free.
Good pursuit of this issue Larry. We need accountability and leaders who lead by example, not by acting like lawless thugs.
Goons are NOT leadership material for a city like MV.
Even with two descriptions of the incident, something’s missing. Why didn’t McManus unlock the doors? MacLean’s reaction was bizarre for the situation described — way over the top. Sounds like this wasn’t the first clash between McManus and MacLean.
If Lance MacLean was a REAL man he would resign.
Lance obviously feels that HE is more important than the CITIZENS he represents. Any sane and rationale person would have admitted and dealt with his anger management issues long before his latest outburst. You can’t tell me this is the only time this kind of thing has happened. And we accept this bruiser as our council member? And HE truly believes he deserves to continue serving as our council member???? Please —- get this guy some help and healing outside of MV!
I agree with Anon #1. Many of the young punks on college campuses need the kind of tough love Lance dished out. Stop trying to grind your politial axes on this site.
Hey Art,
Is Lance’s attorney named Kay Rackauckas a realtive to our own county DA?
Joe.
Kay is the former wife of our current DA
Anon #1 and 9:37 pm
Regardless of the original altercation trigger did you ignore the fact that it took four police officers to subdue him?
If Lance has issues perhaps he should join the military and spend a few weeks in basic training.
Lance MacLean has been an excellant councilmember. I am inclined to give him a second chance. All of us have made mistakes so let’s hope he has learned from his own.
Annon 9:37,
Lance did not work over a “young punk”! He attacked a college staff employee. No reason beyond self-defense or coming to the defense of others being harmed would justify a physical attack.
Mission Viejo needs to look onto how this episode meets their standards of conduct of an elected official. Resignation would seem quite appropriate.
Thanks Larry for that clarification.
I’m perplexed why anybody would not feel it inapropriate that a relative of a public official could negototiate a deal with that that holders office without the obvious percieved implications.
If I was a criminal, I would certainly hire the DA former wife if I thought maybe I could negotiate a better deal. Who woundn’t?
Given that, perhaps we should examine how the DA usually negotiats this types criminal offenses?
Moreover, lets examine Mrs. Rackauckas dealings involving the OC DA for consistency.
Joe.
Be careful the picture you paint with regard to the former wife of our DA. I would not assume anything with respect to any special treatment of her clients.
My sense is that she is a fine attorney..
anon 11:04 am
Perhaps you can share your credentials in telling us how good a councilman Lance has been when you remain anonymous. In fact you might be our former city manager whose campaign sign was in front of Lance’s home in the last election. You might even be Lance himself signing on anonymously. I have watched Lance in action since 2002 when we helped hinm get elected and have personal knowledge that he has not been good for the residents of Mission Viejo.
I just received an email from a distinguished resident of our city asking if I would “attempt to recall Lance”.
This MV resident is not a gadfly nor does he attend our city council meetings.
I agree with Anon 11:04! Lance has served us well in MV and I appreciate his good work. He responds quickly to calls and what I like most is that he is not influenced by a small number of gadflys who wish they had total control of all Council actions. Good for you Lance for being willing to do what many MV residents are afraid to do!
Larry,
I don’t know If I’m assuming as much as you seem to assume I am.
However, my question is do you believe our DA is soft on violent criminals or hard on violent criminals.
Telling a violent criminal, with the followin charges, assault, battery and resisting a peace officer, to go to classes for anger management rather than face the charges that were commited doesn’t pass the smell test.
By the account that was detailed in the police report, I can compare what happened there with any “Cops ” show. The difference is that the cops throw out a laundry list of charges, here it’s only two misdemenors.
Is this the going-ons from our DA’s office?
You pick up someone by the neck and shove him against the wall and repeatedly ignore police officers demands to stand down. That give you two misdemenor charges that can go away by taking classes.
Millard F. here —-
Attempting to strangle someone and having to have your hands wrestled from someone’s throat by 4 policeman — is simply not normal behavior. Those who have commented that the guy got what he deserved (you know, all that punk college rabble), must believe that Nazi and Gestapo tactics are always justified.
I have a hard time believing that this is the first anger management incident from Big Mac. Hopefully he hasn’t been taking his anger out on his own family!
Mission Viejo’s council members should be ashamed of themselves for not reprimanding this criminal. He is a disgrace and should crawl back under his rock.
If Lance were to mary Michelle Martinez, would that produce a violent candelight vigil?
anon 8:50 pm
It’s hard for me to speak for the DA’sd recommendation. Some readers have questioned special consideration in that Lance was our mayor at the time of the assault.
How many times have you heard that those who are represented by Public Defenders are less fortunate than the OJ’s of the world who can hire the best. No one said that life is fair.
We should have a fixed set of laws that match punishement to crimes. Hopefully passing an “anger management” class is part of an established policy so that we can focus on major criminals and keep our limited jail beds open for them to occupy.
Good afternoon Millard F.
You are on to something that I cannot put into writing (just YET).
At last nights’ Mission Viejo city council meeting local activist Cathy Schlict asked the council to draft a formal Resolution to have Lance step down. You could hear a mouse in the house. Not a peep. We have our own Thin Blue Line.
Hmm. When we have our own “pet projects” in the future we can remind Lance that we had his back at a time when some have asked to throw him under the bus. In fact yesterday I received an email asking if I would participate in a Recall of Lance. Who knows what lies ahead?
I agree with Millard Fillmore. Time to peel down the onion and find the real smell in this issue.
Grover C.
To anonymous
3/03/087 5:06
Way to go Ms. Kelley, stand by your man.. he is your swing vote on the city council for all the dumb thing you propose for the city to spend money on. Like your stupid Character program.
Grover.
We have investigators researching some rumors to make sure they are facts we can hang our hats on.
From what I have heard (from multiple sources) the picture will not be pretty.
If true we may not need to spend time and money on a Recall.
Larry, Millard here again
I really hope the truth on Mr. MacLean’s possible other brushes with the law come out. But I doubt it. If there were incidents within our city, I have zero confidence in our Police Department to either have filed a report, or even better, find an older complaint or report.
More importantly to all of us in the city, is the continuing shameful display of silence from our sitting council members. Are they hoping this all goes away? Where are all those character-first devotees like Trish and JP? Does their silence on the matter condone these actions by Big Mac? And where does our Queen stand on the matter? Or is Mrs Reavis more concerned with pandering for votes than cleaning up the rubbish on our council. These people need to stand up! Maybe they are simply terrified that Big Mac may snap again if frustrated and try to take them all out!
Millard.
Thank you for reminding me about Mission Viejo’s “community of character” program where we have a different word for every month of the year. They are as follows:
Responsibility
Respect
Thankfulness
Caring
Perseverance
Unity Integrity
Service
Moral Courage
Citizenship
Fairness
Self Control
I like the last one and may do a post on it.
Stay on it Larry. “Leaders” who lack personal self control with outrageous displays of violence and anger often are up to no good in other areas. That same lack of self control can often manifest in petty and criminal offenses being committed on the job. Bullying is often the tip of an iceberg that points to behavior that is very disfunctional and counter-productive to an organization.