In the past few articles we’ve look at the “State of the City” in terms of public safety, the local economy, resources/amenities, traffic, parks, and finances - all of which might be labeled “outcome variables”. Today we’ll look at a “process variable” - the functioning of the Council.
CITY COUNCIL
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The City Council might be labeled the “do nothing” council. Their achievements in the past year have been minimal, and when they have managed to do some things, it usually has been to the detriment of the citizens. That has created something I’ve called the “Voigts' Void” in honor of all the unresolved issues that were leftover when Mayor Voigts stepped down. His stewardship of the City in 2013 was the worst on record, and meant that we entered 2014 with a serious disadvantage. To review briefly Voigts’ disastrous turn at the helm –
Scandals about cronyism and appointments to Commissions.
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More resignations from Council and Commissions than in the complete history of the City combined. In fact, these resignations were unprecedented.
More appeals of decisions by the Planning Commission, and more overturned decisions by the Planning Commission in 2013 than in all the previous years combined.
Meetings lasted longer than ever, with fewer decisions being made.
The Voigts' Void is a list of more than a dozen important issues that never got resolved, either because the government was bogged down with scandals, or simply the inability of Voigts to run a meeting. Here’s a sample from the list –
PROTECTING LAKE FOREST – Now that maximum security prisoners are slated to be added to Musick Jail, it’s time to develop a system to alert residents when prisoners escape.
SPENDING IN LAKE FOREST - Last year we hit an all-time low in the percent of our annual budget spent on our own people and businesses. Whenever the issue is raised, the City Council member snarl and roll their eyes, but month after month, spending stays at an all- time low (under 2%).
LAKE FOREST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION - We could be raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the many worthy nonprofit organizations in our community, just like almost every other city in Orange County.
TRAFFIC COMMITTEE - Despite all the campaign promises, we are still without a traffic committee and still faced with 35,000+ new vehicles trips per day being added to the City in the near future.
VILLAGE POND PARK - For years the waterfowl have fouled this park, and finally last year the Council signed a contract to get the problem resolved. But then they couldn’t decide on an ordinance to prohibit feeding (despite a substitute ordinance I sent to them) and the consultants devising the Plan did such a poor job that the project appears in limbo.
DOG PARK - Over a year ago the Parks and Recreation Commission were given the job of searching for a location for a dog park. They spent 8 months, did just about nothing, and then said they would report their lack of progress to the Council. But we’re still waiting to hear how poorly they did.
REAL TERM LIMITS - Last year the Council passed a bogus term limits ordinance that will be on the ballot in November. It limits their tenure to 24 of the next 26 years. Can the City really survive 24 more years of Scott Voigts or Kathy McCullough? Of course, 24 of 26 years is better than the lifetime appointments people thought they were entitled to.
BBK & OOPS - Isn’t it time we stopped reversing ourselves? How many ordinances do we have to repeal before you get the message? How many meetings and decisions must skirt the Brown Act before it’s clear what’s going on? How many bad recommendations must we have before it’s clear that the City needs to be looking for another law firm? Bear in mind that BB&K is the firm that advised the City of Bell!
WEBSITE TRANSPARENCY - We’ve done a good job getting more transparency on the website, but it’s clearly not done. What about salaries not ranges? the worth of the benefit packages? forms for Committees that operate within the City?
SUNSHINE ORDINANCE - Thanks to Mayor Pro Tem Nick we got a chance for a Sunshine Ordinance last year, but it got shot down. Let’s give it another try. Sunshine Ordinances will make it more difficult for Council members to engage in the type of hanky-panky Lake Forest Council members are now famous for (or should I say “infamous”?).
PCN REVISIONS - What happened to the discussion of the PCN process? That’s the process by which a variance can be issued for “public convenience or necessity”. In April last year the staff agreed to bring it back for consideration. The current PCN process puts the power in the hands of staff on decisions that should be made at the Council level.
COMMUNITY GARDEN - In the middle of last year, an earnest and enthusiastic group of people came forth asking for a community garden. A community garden might not make the list of many people’s top 10 things we “need” in Lake Forest, but it’s a good idea, has people willing to work on the issue, and shouldn’t be allowed to die.
Not a single one of these items has been raised, much less resolved, by the 2014 Council. Yet their meetings are just as long, often going beyond the normal 10:30 pm quitting time. Mayor Robinson seems as unable to effectively conduct a meeting as did his BFF former Mayor Voigts.
One of the major problems we face is the inability of Mayor Robinson to control the long and tedious monologues that Council members engage in. This is especially true for Councilwoman McCullough whose trips down memory lane, flights of fancy, and constant questions about what is going on have become a bit of a laughing stock. Despite the humorous element, the sad fact is that McCullough takes up a lot of valuable time that could be used for better decision making. Unless Robinson can get better control of his colleagues, we will be doomed to long unproductive meetings.
Tomorrow we'll look at the City staff and the Commissions
