Mission Viejo News

While candidates are still pulling papers, the first “hit piece” in the 2008 Mission Viejo city council race is now being drafted.

Laguna Niguel Mayor Paul Glaab, who is also the local representative of ATS which has an exclusive contract with our city on citing cell towers, has just made a Public Records request on council member Gail Reavis.

For those unfamiliar with our history, and based on Paul’s request, it appears we need to turn the clock back to 2005 where this story begins. At that time the secretary of our former city manager filed a claim against the city for harassment naming Gail Reavis in that allegation.

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It was VIP night Thursday in the downtown area as movers, shakers and policy-makers gathered on the red carpet to gawk at the Center Stage Theater, then take in a show at the city's landmark m lange of art-deco ...

For those who have not been following this story the city of Mission Viejo budgeted between $300,000 and $350,000 for a Rose Parade float to celebrate our 20th anniversary.

Mission Viejo Planning Commissioner Rich Atkinson and I had a friendly chat this afternoon during which we discussed his initial focus as a candidate for the 2008 Mission Viejo city council. As someone who has frequently attended our city council meetings since day one, I have not met, seen or spoken to eight year MV resident Atkinson previously. He was appointed by Mayor Kelley to replace Neil Lonsinger who stepped down from that appointed Board position in 2006 saying he “would not seek a new term on the Commission.”

Rich said he wants to “continue with (the) progress made in public safety and make sure that it continues.” He went on by saying that as a member of the city traffic subcommittee he “wants to improve traffic flow” and that his desire would be to be “part of the council that works with State and Federal Agencies to get funding.”

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Six years ago we had a well organized “grass roots” and I.E. effort to remove both the Mission Viejo mayor and Vice Mayor and we succeeded by a three to one vote. There were no surprises as to our objective in that November city council election. You can still find OC Register Senior Editorial Writer and Columnist Steve Greenhut’s editorial on that victory which he labeled “The Revolution in Mission Viejo.”

Well, as we approach another city council election I am hearing about some “skulduggery” at work among one or more of our current council members. According to multiple sources, Mayor Kelley and (possibly) Vice Mayor Ury have convinced Planning Commissioner Rich Atkinson to run for a seat on the council in their attempt to remove council woman Gail Reavis.

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Neil Lonsinger, former Chairman of the Mission Viejo Planning & Transportation Commission, has just met with our City Clerk and joins the growing list of the 2008 City Council candidates. He will challenge incumbent council members Gail Reavis and Frank Ury in the November General election.

Neil, a 25 year resident/retired business owner, has been in the arena before and told me that he is throwing hit hat in the ring at this time for a number of reasons starting with our council’s “lack of money management (that) is absolutely obscene.” He said there are “a multitude of expenditures such as the cost overrun on the Murray Center” adding we have a council majority engaged in “out of control spending.”

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Lately I have written about the city of Mission Viejo's upcoming council election where there are multiple candidates seeking one of the two brass rings up for grabs.

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Earlier today 24 year Mission Viejo resident Cathy Schlicht met with Karen Hamman, our city clerk, to become the third citizen to pick up the 2008 City Council Candidate Handbook. During her one hour meeting the City Clerk reviewed all of the timelines and related filing documents including the candidate statement that will cost each candidate $1,953. if they choose to submit one for the General Election ballot. While there are two open seats in this years November election, as of now only incumbent council woman Gail Reavis (and commissioner Rich Atkinson) have started the process. The other council seat up this year is held by Frank Ury.

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Residents may have noticed something strange lately at the Oso Reservoir on the border of Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita.

Former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona thought Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas was trying to "take me out" and that their relationship had deteriorated into "one of those death spirals" after a special ...

Mission Viejo When the 11-year-old boy with a knee injury was admitted to the hospital, he never thought his stay could be fun.

UNDERAGE DRINKING: Sharry Graham says her son's life changed forever the day an underage driiver coming from a house party drunk slammed into him and his friends leaving him in a coma for several weeks, CHART ...

Balloon vendors can't seem to catch a break these days. With helium costs skyrocketing and supply shortages developing, the balloon industry has struggled for more than a year to compete as worldwide demand for ...

Police were called out to break up the annual "mooning" of Amtrak trains in Laguna Niguel on Saturday when the crowd grew to 8,000 and many began baring more than just their behinds.

It was due to happen. Years ago Mission Viejo tried to control the local OC Register by threatening to stop paid announcements.

My oversight. Although I know the background of why the city considered dropping all paid ads I failed to explain their motivation in the original post. It was due to the vast number of negative Letters about the city which we wrote that were published in the local edition of the OC Register.

Most recently they have expressed concern over local blog reports such as “easelgate,” “firegate” and our coverage of city council meetings that you have read about in multiple blogs as well as the OC Register. We have recently questioned their judgment on participation in the Rose Parade where our city manager is an official. In fact, the city has already blocked a few areas along the parade route and have tickets for sale at $85 each.

Thanks to the First Amendment they cannot control our content.

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Well, folks. We just had a successful RECALL of two Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District, CUSD. So here we are, two weeks after the swearing in of the two new members Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox only to find the city of Mission Viejo approving the drafting of a (potential) lawsuit against CUSD due to a proposed reduction in bus service for our students.

Mayor Trish Kelley reported that CUSD has a plan to reduce bus service from 62 to 18. The impact on Mission Viejo would be as follows: A decrease at four elementary schools from a total of seven buses in the morning and seven in the afternoon to two and two. The Newhart Middle school will see a reduction of nine and nine to three and three. Capistrano Valley High School will see a reduction from six in the morning and nine in the afternoon to three and three. Collectively this would represent a two-thirds reduction of bus service for Mission Viejo schools.

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A Lake Forest man accused of shooting his estranged wife and abducting his 9-year-old son died after being struck by a bus in Mexico, ending a days-long run from the law during which he changed vehicles, tried ...

I just got word that the Mission Viejo High School Marching Band and Color Guard won the big international band competition in Calgary last night.