Mission Viejo’s proposed $300,000 Rose Bowl Float..what will they think of next to spend our tax $$$

At the June 19th city of Mission Viejo Budget Workshop the Council approved, on a 4-1 vote, adding $300,000 to the operating budget to enter a float in the January 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade in honor of the City’s 20th Anniversary.” Mayor Gail Reavis, again the voice of fiscal reason, vote NO.The float proposal is contained in tonight’s city council Agenda package.

Anaheim is the only city in Orange County to participate in this annual event seen around the world. It a tourist destination that can surely justify having a float in the parade.

Not to be left out our brain trust is looking for creative ways to spend taxpayer dollars. As we recently approved a golden toilet CIP in one of our parks for $430,000 I guess this proposal should not come as a surprise to anyone living in Mission Viejo.

Participating in the Tournament of Roses is typically not a one time event. Once you enter it represents a commitment of sorts. This is not Term Limits.
Perhaps the majority of our city council need a longer summer vacation. No, not to think of other ways to spend taxpayer revenue, but to take a cold shower. Quoting from Pastor Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life’s opening words. “It’s not about you.”

Many years ago the former Mission Viejo Company sponsored both a float in the Rose Bowl parade and a St. Patrick’s Day parade in our city. It’s called marketing 101. They did it for mass exposure to sell property while our California Promise was in it’s infancy. Today, Mission Viejo is a bedroom community that is now built out. We do not have the Anaheim Angels, Anaheim Arsenal, Anaheim Ducks, Disneyland, Downtown Disney, The Honda Center and a Convention Center to promote.
Anaheim has 19,128 hotel rooms who last year generated $76 million in bed taxes. Their annual participation is a great “return on investment.” The city of Mission Viejo has a grand total of two motels with 261 rooms
.

Winners need to do something spectacular to set themselves apart from the pack. As such, our float, decorated with real $100 dollar bills, will be disqualified as we are not using live flowers for the decoration.

And to believe their campaign literature, claiming to be fiscal conservatives, is a joke.


About Larry Gilbert