According to this piece in the LA Times, it looks like housing builder Lennar Corp is getting a great deal.

Oh yeah, you know the golf course they were contracted to build in exhcange for the right to build a few houses?

Well, never mind that, forget the golf course.  Just give us a fairly paltry 58 mil, and we’ll call it even.  Well, more than even because now you get to build up to 5,000 housing units on land surrounding the park.

Because that’s exactly what I go to a park for, to be surrounded by thousands of houses.

Nobody attracts controversy like the Mouse.

It would seem at the very least, the hotel workers really don’t like the offer made by Disney to Unite Here 11 (the union representing the people who clean rooms, wash dishes and wait tables at the Resort hotels). The members of the Unite Here 11 union rejected the theme park’s most recent offer of a revised healthcare plan by a whopping 92%.

What this means in the grand scheme of things is we could see an nasty repeat of the 1984 strike where nearly 1800 angry Disneyland Cast Members staged an ugly scene for 22 unpleasant days. I remember what it was like with the media coverage back in the eighties, but can you imagine how the media would pounce all over a strike in these modern times? It’d be like a 24-hour media circus.

No, I am not talking about flatware.

Whilst scouring the world wide web for ideas to post about Orange County (after all, these little gems I write don’t just land on my desk you know), I stumbled across this newish housing development called Orange County. The twist is, it’s located in China. Apparently the obsession with Western culture doesn’t just end with Disneyland, but also extends to Disneyland’s home in the real Orange County California. Some genius created a housing development that looks and feels just like living in Orange County — South County to be exact. I’ll leave you to ponder that for just a moment.

At least I assume it’s based on California as there are eight different Orange Counties sprinkled throughout the United States (who knew). You can view some articles and magnificent photos by clicking here, here or here. They have ridiculous pointless guarded gates, just like we do. All the homes have a remarkable sameness about them, just like ours do. They park Hummers in their driveway, just like we do. And if you look at some of these pictures, you’d be hard pressed to distinguish this Chinese OC from an Irving Company development.

What I find stunning about this is, the part of culture they seem to be obsessed with. We have so many other distinct American communities to use as inspiration that don’t look like Woodburry or Portola or Mariner Square. Wouldn’t they do better to copy Colonial Williamsburg or row houses in Boston or even the log cabins of the Northwest, rather than the stucco familiarity of our planned communities? Eh. Maybe not.

Well, sir, there’s nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car monorail! What’d I say? Monorail!!

OK, folks do we want buses or do we want a monorail? Well the city is gunning for an “elevated system“ to take us to their new transit hub, so our choices are “light-rail buses that would run under a guidewire, automated people-mover cars or a monorail similar to the one at Disneyland”.

I swear it’s Springfield’s only choice! Throw up your hands and raise your voice! Monorail!

Actually, truth be told, I support a people mover system. They are inexpensive to build, easy to maintain, efficient, safe and never break down. Still I’ll take a monorail too – anything to alleviate the nightmarish traffic that currently clogs the arteries of the resort district.

I had dinner at the Ruby’s at the Irvine Spectrum last night, along with my wonderful colleagues here at the OC Metblogs.

Now, I asked for a grilled cheese sandwich, and a side of Frings. You know, that delectable mixture of fries and onion rings.

The waitress said that wasn’t an option for a side, and I could only get it as a separate appetizer.

Now, maybe some early Alzheimer’s is kicking in, but I swear I have ordered Frings as a side to my main entree before and even though I was charged extra, I got what I wanted.

Can anyone tell me if my memory is correct, or am I lying to myself?

The OC Register just ran a story about how Disney/Pixar granted an Orange County girl’s dying wish to see Up. After hearing about Colby’s situation, Pixar sent someone to her house the next day with a DVD for a special in-home screening. Grab your kleenex before you click because this one’s a tear-jerker. I don’t have much more to say, mainly because I am a blubbering mess at the moment.

After years of expressing support for a high-speed rail project originating from Anaheim to Las Vegas, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid now favors a line that begins in Victorville.

That is bad news for Anaheim, who has been anticipating the high speed rail system in the plans of their newly approved design of the transportation hub, dubbed ARTIK, that has been in the works for years.  I know that the city of  Anaheim has lobbied aggressively for the maglev.

What gives, Mr. Reid?  I can tell that he doesn’t live here.

Because whilst I have no grudge against the expanse of sand that is Victorville, I would like to point out that often the longest and hardest part of the commute to Vegas is from Los Angeles/Orange County to Victorville.  Once you are up the Cajon, it usually gets much easier from there, depending on construction projects on the 15.  Yeah, it may be cheaper to build from Victorville, but once you’re already made it to the high desert, it seems to me you might as well keep on going. 

This is the problem with so many mass transportation projects in SoCal.  Just do the damn thing right the first time!

Yes folks, it’s true. According to this OC Register article, the fair committee approved (and apparently already filmed) a 3-D movie about “Al’s brain” to be shown at this year’s OC Fair. The 10 minute film will be shown in a temporary tent that will be set up for this year, however there are plans to build an $8 million permanent building at the fairgrounds site.

OC Fair CEO Steve Beazley likened the film to Disney’s “Captian EO”. (I personally would love a full-scale Weird Al spoof of the entire Captain EO short instead of a journey “inside his brain” but….whatever). He goes on to compare the fair to Disneyland (hehe), by stating Disney opens new attractions every year to keep interest in the parks, and they want to do the same with the Fair.

Feel free to read the full article and see the pros and cons to putting this into the fairgrounds.

But I want to know, what are your thoughts? Do you agree with spending $2.5 million on this film, just for the OC Fair? Or do you think this is about as smart as building the New Year’s Eve Orange Drop thingy?

Better yet….let’s do a poll! But please feel free to comment as well!

**Special thanks to former OC Metblogger Mike for sharing this via his twitter account.

If anyone cares what I think, I say build the thing. I don’t think we’re in a position to rule out ANYTHING that could possibly end up making money for fair. Let’s just hope it at least makes $2.5 million to cover the cost of the film!

Just in case you couldn’t see it, The Irvine Spectrum Center installed a new 10 foot+ monolith sign at the corner of Pacifica and Irvine Center Drive. My question is how do you miss it? The angle it is facing assumes one either excited off the freeway or was heading North/East on Irvine Center Drive. The Spectrum is fully visible day or night coming from that direction. /rant

Santa Ana, that bastion of right-wingacy in Orange County, is set to host what is projected to be thousands of “teabaggers” protesting something along the lines of “too much taxes, too much government, wah wah waaaah.” Never mind that the federal government was expanded in an unprecedented manner by George W. Bush, not Barack Obama.

Let’s not confuse things up with facts, now.

And I have to ask, why, oh why would you name yourselves after something like this? It just goes to show it takes a special sort of person to embrace this movement.

So, apparently there will be some hootin’ and some hollerin’ going on, and I totally respect their right to hold a peacful, planned rally.

Just as they need to respect people’s right to flip them the bird as they drive by.