For those who may have read today’s OC Register story entitled “Mission Viejo zoning petition scheduled to go to registrar” let me allow you to jump on this moving train. The story link is included below. According to the applicants I am told that over 10,000 signatures have been submitted to our city clerk which surely exceeds the number required.
To understand this effort it is vital to know our prior history to appreciate Mission Viejo activist actions. We would not have taken on this volunteer effort if we trusted our city staff and council majority to do the right thing. Based on hours devoted to standing in front of supermarkets and other business locations collecting signatures I would opine that the watchdogs of Mission Viejo love their city more than their spare time. We have given our hired guns and elected council numerous opportunities to protect the “California Promise” that we bought into long before cityhood. To read today’s Register comments that our “grass roots” effort is opposed by the Building Association of Orange County and that “officials have said taking the vote out of the hands of elected officials and professional staff members caters to special-interest groups and that city officials are the ones who have an overall picture of what’s good for the community”makes me laugh. We the citizens of Mission Viejo are “special interests?” I guess that’s true. We have no desire to convert our Casta del Sol public golf course, where property owners paid a premium to live around the greens, to add housing. Oh, we won’t let that happen. Trust us. No way.
Some illustrations. Dale Tyler, the current initiative author, was very active in opposing the 1996 rezoning of commercial land adding luxury apartments in the southern part of our city. The Citizens for Responsible Government collected thousands of petition signatures opposing the rezoning which the city council ignored. They eventually challenged the city action in court. In a Nov 1996 SV News article, covering a special city council meeting, Mission Viejo resident Deborah Montenegro is quoted saying “one of the reasons we’re here today is because we learned not to trust our city politics.” Based on the history of Mission Viejo I would agree with her assessment.
Losing $1.4 million on the Vigilante’s, a transplanted minor league baseball team from Long Beach because one leader said “I love this game.” Even the council meeting for the initial redevelopment agency approval was very deceptive. i.e. “Oct 28, 1996 Memorandum of Understanding between P& P Enterprises for lease of property. Recommended action: Approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the city of Mission Viejo and P & P Enterprises.”
Folks: Would you stick around at a council meeting at 12:30 a.m. when this item was finally addressed and understand thatthe MOU was for a baseball stadium at Saddleback College? Can anyone see between the lines on the text Vs the true purpose? I couldn’t. We call it Agenda management.
Another redevelopment agency example was funding the Kaleidoscope project on Crown Valley Parkway at Interstate 5. According to city documents we had a Profit Sharing Agreement in which the project was to be sold or refinanced in three years with a residual profit available for distribution of $1,643,873. Although the project was sold we never saw that money.
The Murray Center. A July 5, 2005 City Agenda report which read: “A considerable amount of time has been focused on identifying those elements of the project that could be completed within the $5.5 million budget established for the project especially given the continuing increase in construction cost.” That’s what the public heard from our talented city leaders when we supported the CIP. The March 4, 2005 SV News/ OC Register reads that “the city has been discussing expansion designs and how to come up with the $5.6 million needed to cover the cost of the expansion.” Telling the public that the expansion of our Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center expansion was to cost less than $6 million yet approve around 15 costly Change Orders resulting in a final cost upwards of $15.5 million does not give me any warm and fuzzy feelings as to their competence in managing projects nor taxpayer funds.
Last straw. Tournament of Roses parade where Mayor Ury simply doesn’t get it. Yes, the city has money in the bank. That cushion is not justification to squander over $300,000 for a “feel good” project. Were the taxpayers ever asked if we supported that expenditure before awarding the float contract? No. Did our council consider that many of our residents, whose money is in the city bank account, are losing their personal savings, homes and jobs? “Sechel” is a Jewish word that comes to mind regarding our council majority which translated into English means “common sense.”
Based on our history I respectfully disagree with the city comments referenced above. To see this Register story simply go to the following link.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/city-initiative-council-2292489-mission-viejo
The latest. Our City attorney has issued a Memorandum which lists three council options on this land use Initiative
(a) Adopt the ordinance, without alteration, at the regular meeting at which the certification of the petition is presented, or within 10 days after it is presented.
(b) Immediately order a special election, to be held pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1405 at which the ordinance, without alteration, shall be submitted to a vote of the voters of the city.
(c) Order a report pursuant to Section 9212 at the regular meeting at which the certification of the petition is presented. When the report is presented to the legislative body, the legislative body shall either adopt the ordinance within 10 days or order an election pursuant to subdivision (b)
The report must be presented to the city council not less than thirty (30) days after the City Clerk has certified the sufficiency of the initiative petition. after receiving the report the City Council has the duty to either:
1. Order the requested special election between 88 to 103 days later.
2. Adopt the initiative ordinance within 10 days.
As this point we will await the council reaction to this grass roots effort. Let me point out that every member of the current city council was supported by the very same people who devoted countless hours gathering signatures.
We carried them across the finish line but that’s old news Larry. Waste Management has already picked up our recycled newspapers.
Remember. Your windshield is much larger than your rear view mirror for a reason. While it’s good to know the past you need to look where your going as you move ahead. And we do have plans for the future. Stay tuned!
How interesting to see that the Business Assoc. of OC thinks MV residents are unwisely taking away the authority to make decisions from the council and city staff. Your article gives more examples than most people remember about the council and staff’s dismal record of decision making.
Lobbyists and trough feeders can make campaign donations to three council members and lock up the vote, but it’s not so easy (or cheap) to sway the electorate. Let’s hope Mission Viejo voters keep on protecting their “special interests.” That would be their own property values and quality of life.
The real facts are that our Mission Viejo city officials and politicians DO NOT listen to the average citizen. These same offficials and politicians are “herded up like sheep and feed” by the special interests.
The Orange County Building Association only thinks of their own special interests and not the communities interests. To think they have a grasp on this communities needs and desires is laughable.
There are example after example of waste, fraud, and abuse by those “selected elite” that know what is best for Mission Viejo. Let me list some of them: Easels to display useless pictures–then tossed into the dump, expenditure on an OC fire station to satisfy a sitting politician, moving rocks around in Lower Curtis Park, a Rose Parade Float with with all expenditure associated at over $400,000, paying a local hack politician consultant outrageous fees for information on the Crown Valley rework that is 200% over schedule, paying the same hack political consultant for a “get out the vote” campaign, and an expansion of a community center that came in 300% over the original estimate.
All this while our slopes are ignore and our streets have gaping cracks and holes in them.
You tell me–should we trust the same folks who continue to ignore the citizens desires and needs.
I say NO. They should go away and take their builder association friends with them.!!
If this come to the MV citizens to vote on and passes, it will be a strong statement to the (god like) politicians of that city.
For those who would vote no and the city hacks who are against this restatement of city purpose, I invite them to come and live here in Santa Ana where all (government decisions) are for sale.