It's War in Rancho Santa Margarita and SAMLARC fights back!

City Council Candidate Jesse Petrilla is at it again. From his campaign literature to his campaign signs, he is doing everything he can to turn Rancho Santa Margarita into a war zone. His campaign pieces stress both how he will fight for the residents and his military service record as his qualification for the city council seat, but say little else.

Over the past couple of weeks, Jesse has turned RSM into his own personal battlefield. He has continuously placed illegal campaign signs throughout town on City and SAMLARC (the Master Homeowners Association representing 80% of the residents) owned property. He illegally posted a campaign sign right next to the banner announcing the City Council Candidates' Forum sponsored by the Community Associations of Rancho (including SAMLARC). As soon as the signs are taken down by the authorities, new illegal signs show up in other areas of town. It costs city residents and homeowners each time the authorities have to send staff out to pick up the signs.

At the Candidates' Forum, which was recorded by Cox Communications and can be seen on Cox Cable Channel 3 and On Demand, Jesse proudly announced that he was going to hold the Homeowners Association (HOA) Board of Directors' feet to the fire if he was elected. The City and the HOAs have separate jurisdiction, so this statement is nothing more than inflammatory, and doesn't bode well for him as a member of the council, which must work cooperatively with the HOAs in areas such as community event planning and city beautification projects.

On Friday, SAMLARC finally struck back. They issued a press release announcing that they have initiated legal action against Jesse Petrilla for continuing violation of SAMLARC rules regarding candidate signs. It will be interesting to see how Jesse responds. Will he cooperate, or take this battle to the next level?