Over the past few years I have heard third party accounts of demands placed on developers by Mission Viejo Director of Public Services Keith Rattay. As I do not wish to spread unfounded rumors I have not written anything about him or those allegations until now.
Last night I was multitasking in that I spent the first three hours at our city council Budget Workshop than departed to the other end of our city hall building to attend the regular meeting of our Planning Commission.
I arrived in the early P.C. staff presentation where our local Lexus dealership representatives have applied for a Planned Development Permit (PDP2009-214) requesting a major expansion of their existing dealership.
When I was called upon to speak at this Public Hearing my first question was whether or not Park Place (Lexus) was seeking any “corporate welfare” from our redevelopment agency as this location is within our Redevelopment Project Area. The response from the G.M. was no which made it easy for me to express my support of the proposed expansion and responding to a few of the Planning Commissioner questions regarding conditions of approval.
Let me set the stage before explaining “pay-to-play” as the title reads.
In the city council Budget presentation our Assistant City Manager/Treasurer Irwin Bornstein confirmed that our revenues will continue to decline. In quoting from a Chapman University report he told this full house audience, televised meeting, that the recession will last beyond 2011. Irwin said that “we see three years of stagnant revenue.” He also pointed out that we have lower revenues per capita when matched up with the cities against whom we benchmark pointing out that Mission Viejo is built out and they are not.
I will not provide Irwin’s comments about potential shifts in revenues from Sacramento in that we all acknowledge that those trial balloons change almost every hour.
So here we are with a strong auto dealership wishing to begin a multiyear expansion making their presentation which I fully support at a time when development in Mission Viejo is virtually stagnant. The timing of this application is a “win-win” in that by the completion date the economy will be on the upswing and their newer products will be well received by owners.
However, here’s the catch.
The applicant was told that if you wish to have this application approved you must kick into our city’s “public art program.” So in this application Lexus will need to pony up $10,000. Perhaps I have been living in seclusion in that I cannot speak for any similar policy by neighboring cities. It was pointed out by a member of city staff that our new Sonic fast food restaurant applicant had a similar requirement which they met by installing a mock-up 1957 T-bird on a pedestal, representing art, in front of their location on Jeronimo Road.
This is different from in-lieu park fees’ where a housing developer does not meet the required park acreage for a new housing development. We charge them for this omission and use those funds elsewhere in the city, such as $2 million used towards the expansion of our Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center prior to even receiving the funds because the proposed project is on life support.
If I turn the clock way back in time we once told applicants wishing to design our library that they had to “pay-to-play.”
Reading from an architect firms letter of Oct 9, 1992 it reads: XXX Architects were delighted to learn that we were selected to receive an RFP for the new Mission Viejo Library project. It is a fantastic project and we would really like to be involved.
Your requirement, however, that we contribute $1,000 to be included in the RFP process is on very shaky ground, morally and legally, and we would not wish to participate under these circumstances.” That shakedown was well covered by the LA Times on Oct 20, 1992.
Juice readers. What “pay-to-play” experiences can you share from your own cities?
I would suggest that you refrain from using your true name to protect yourselves but be factual.
Why is it that the Mission Viejo City Treasurer seems to be the last one to know that the recession is brutal and deep?
He sat silently while the council’s MacLean-Ury-Kelley regime earlier this year condemned activists for pointing out the city’s precarious finances. Activists were heads up on the world recession and how the crumbling state government financial structure would impact on the city well into the future. The regime kept approving discretionary expenditures and no-big contract extensions/renewals.
i just got a message from Mr Pilger requesting my changing the no-big to read no-bid due to his typo!
After sitting through a 3-hour city council meeting you go and sit through a planning commission meeting? Jesus Larry, you need a life! Do you have any interests or hobbies? Or are you satisfied just being a crotchety curmudgeon?
Rattay is way out of line holding businesses hostage to pay for his artsy-fartsy decoration. I drove by the “car” at Sonic today. What a laugh! $10,000 for something that looks like the prize in a Cracker Jack box.
I’m grateful Larry takes time to keep an eye on the city creeps. If people wonder how government got so bad, and it’s because almost no one is paying attention.
Email from James K. Polk:
“this is more of Rattay’s extortion of our business community. Collectively we should all be ashamed of this hold up by a “[Public servant “. I would tell him to stick it”
anon.
I have more on my plate then I can tackle. So your solution is to cease being a community watchdog on behalf of those afraid to speak out or to take the time to conduct topic research?
For your information this was the first meeting of our planning commission that I have attended in over a year. That is due to the simple fact that for the most part I trust their decision making. I cannot make the same comment on our city council as evidenced by their free wheeling expenditures during this recession.
The city council meeting was a Budget Workshop that was expanded to include action items to continue spending taxpayer money while our treasurer says we are operating in the red. If there is ever a meeting that citizens should attend it would be those where future expenditures are discussed and programmed.
As to hobbies and interest why don’t you come with us as we go on a safari to South Africa later this fall. Thanks for your concern as to how I spend my day. Best regards, Larry
email from MV resident:
“That’s incredible exposure, Larry. I hope the day or reckoning is coming soon.”
We are so lucky to have such a vigilent watchdog looking out for our wonderful community. What would we ever do without your tireless efforts to uncover evil lurking at every turn. I do have a suggestion that you might wait for other people to weigh in on a topic before you post and repost responses and follow ups so that it doesnt look like your having a one sided conversation. (3 within 15 minutes, its sad, I agree with Anon,”Jesus Larry, you need a life”! )
john.
What you are not aware of is that I send these blog posts around the state via e-mail. If you take the log out of your eye you will notice that two of the three consecutive comments bearing my name were simply passing on comments from off-line readers.
Feel free to find something to challenge my posts but don’t blow your credibility by making obvious remarks that can easily be dismissed.
Wow….such hostility. First its your claim to “multi tasking”….now your reference to round the State travel…all combined with your rapier wit. Your a true “Renaissance” man. We are so lucky to be blessed with one such as you. Speaking of a log in my eye… good advice…I might offer the same to you by suggesting that you extract your head from your trousers and focus on the many wonderful things in life and not waste so much time and energy yet produce nothing of value. Maybe that’s why you have been rejected so many times by the voters of Mission Viejo.