ARROGANCE IN ACTION!  This is the unofficial motto of the Buena Park Royal Council.  Their Majesties recently huddled together in the royal conference room and emerged with the following royal decree:         

Take revenge against Buena Park voters. 

Buena Park still has term limits.  Art Brown and Patsy Marshall are termed out and Don McCay has publicly stated he will not seek a third term. 

In 2010, we the people can end “Majestic Rule” in Buena Park.

The City Council recently voted in favor of Buena Park becoming a charter city, and a measure has been placed on the November 4th ballot.  The proposed Charter contains only one page. It is open ended and loosely worded.

The Buena Park City Council claims they spent two years studying charter cities versus general law cities before appointing a Charter Exploratory Committee. 

Since July of 2003, I have personally attended over 270 City Council Meetings and Study Sessions. No in-depth discussions regarding charter cities were held during those meetings. Therefore, any ”study” done by the individual Council Members  was  probably done independently. 

The Charter Exploratory Committee contained only one person with any significant amount of knowledge and experience regarding charter versus general law cities. For the most part, these Charter Exploratory Committee Members were mainly visiting various groups to get their opinion about Buena Park becoming a charter city.

Most of the Charter Exploratory Committee members did not have enough information to explain the differences between these two forms of government nor to answer specific questions.

The public service announcements and the stories in the two issues of “Buena Park Today” did not thoroughly explain the charter. Listing a few pros and cons is not my idea of “thoroughly explaining” a serious change in Buena Park’s governmental structure.

The main supportable reason for becoming a charter city is to avoid paying “prevailing wage.”  The only specific “law” contained in this proposed one page charter stipulates that  Buena Park will pay “prevailing wage.”  

The Buena Park City Council gains more power. 

The Public Works Department’s budget  will  most likely become larger.   

Today, the people can go directly to the City Council and propose change.  As a charter city, ”that change requires paying for a charter amendment to be placed on the ballot” becomes the City Council’s mantra. 

 Individuals and groups have to pay out of their own pockets the cost of placing a charter amendment on the ballot.  Additional funds are then necessary in order to inform the public. 

 A charter amendment placed on the ballot by the City Council uses taxpayer money to cover all costs.  Opposing a taxpayer funded ballot based charter amendment is never cheap. 

So, what happens if Buena Park becomes a charter city?

The City Council wins.

The people lose.    

The Community Redevelopment Agency in Buena Park has been buying business properties from private companies.  The buildings on some of these properties are demolished while others are left intact.  The Agency then waits around for a new buyer. 

Why would the Buena Park Community Redevelopment Agency want to do this?  One of the main reasons is to bring new entertainment related enterprises into the E-Zone.   However, city governments have a poor record as real estate and business brokers. 

The old Movie Land Wax Museum property is still vacant years after it was purchased by the Buena Park Community Redevelopment Agency.  The Agency Board (totally comprised of the five current members of the Buena Park City Council) is still trying to figure out what to do with this property. 

The purpose of a re-development agency is not to change the physical dynamics of a business community. Its’ purpose is to provide the means to build major projects which will be beneficial to the general public.   

A good business plan does not include demolishing a run down hotel in the hopes that a four star hotel will then want to occupy the same space.  Marketplace dynamics should dictate what kind of business will prosper at this location. 

If the Buena Park Community Redevelopment Agency’s purpose is to increase E-Zone tourism, it should let the private sector handle it.  The E-Zone businesses have already banded together to address this issue.  To borrow from a James Bond movie theme- “The Private Sector Does It Better.”

Entertainment complexes are successful if two criteria are met:  1; A name that creates curiosity in the minds of the public and stirs their imagination.  2; An entertainment complex which provides multiple entertainment choices.  The Entertainment Zone has multiple choices.  However, the name “E-Zone” does nothing to entice people to come to Buena Park.   The name “E-Zone” sounds like a “map location.”  The name “Magic Mountain”  (mainly an amusement park with roller coasters)  was successful because the name created interest, excitement and,  mystery.  “Magic Mountain” also stirred people’s imagination to come and see what was so magical.  Buena Park’s Entertainment Zone needs a  name like “Magic Mountain.”   Names  such  as  “Innerspace” or,  ”The Epicenter” or, “Equinox” would be a start in the right direction.

Your friend,

Baron Night