Foothills Sentry February 2022

Page 5 Foothills Sentry February 2022 Circulation … 41,750 Published on the last Tuesday of each month and distributed to residences, businesses, libraries and civic centers. 714-532-4406 Fax: 714-532-6755 foothillssentry.com 1107 E. Chapman Ave., #207 Orange, CA 92866 © Foothills Sentry 2022 Publisher/Editor Anita Bennyhoff 1969-2013 Editor Tina Richards editor@foothillssentry.com Sports Editor Cliff Robbins sportseditor@att.net Graphic Designer Aimee Armstrong graphics@foothillssentry.com Advertising Sales Andie Mills advertising@foothillssentry.com 714-926-9299 Office Manager Kathy Eidson officemanager@foothillssentry. com Guest Commentary Residents renew efforts to fight Tustin Racquet Club site development By Scott Logue All politics is local, particu- larly when the politics surround- ing the state of California’s homegrown affordable housing shortages converge within your very own neighborhood as a con- densed housing development of 37 condominiums. The only re- maining hurdle for a proposal to rezone and construct an incongru- ous jumble of duplexes piled up to fit on property that was never meant to solve a problem that Sacramento created, are the ex- traordinary efforts of North Tus- tin residents. The Save the Racquet Club Steering Committee, a coalition of neighbors, has been working vigorously to protect local zoning procedures that would prevent de- velopers Tracy and David Beau- champ of Ranch Hill Partners LLP from dodging current county zoning restrictions and sidestep- ping a 47-year-old covenant to construct high-density condos on the site currently known as The Tustin Hills Racquet Club (THRC). The previous owners, no doubt cognizant of the importance of maintaining the character of the neighborhood, the value of sur- rounding properties, and potential future developer shenanigans, agreed to a covenant in 1974 that limits the future use of the proper- ty. The covenant limits the site’s use to a commercial or non-com- mercial tennis club in perpetuity. Despite the North Tustin Advi- sory Council unanimously voting down the proposal and 1,500 resi- dents signing their opposition, the developers continue to move for- ward with a project that will im- pact property values and increase the threat of continued urbaniza- tion and in-filling throughout unincorporated Orange County, an area that distinguishes and dif- ferentiates itself from the rest of Orange County with its pastoral spaces and low-density neighbor- hoods. The THRC is a community treasure and our last recreational- ly zoned land parcel in North Tus- tin. Countless children and adults have learned to swim and play tennis at the club, and more than 80% of the club’s current tennis clinic participants are nonclub members. With your support, the success of the Steering Commit- tee will preserve this neighbor- hood attraction for the continued use and enjoyment by all. The Steering Committee has learned that the county has en- gaged an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the purposes of evaluating the proposed zone change and high-density devel- opment. The EIR will be ready for release to the public as soon as the first week of February. The public will then have 45 days to review and comment during the comment period. As soon as the EIR is made available for public review, the Steering Committee will orga- nize a community meeting (either in-person or remotely) to answer questions and aid with letters to the county. They will also be looking for community members that have relationships with the OC Planning Commissioners or the Board of Supervisors. This is not the first time, nor the last, that the residents of North Tustin will face an uphill battle against well financed owners and developers attempting to make a buck at our expense by wedging dense urban housing amongst the open airy lots that make North Tustin a unique and desirable place to live and raise families. As your neighbors who com- prise the Save the Racquet Club Steering Committee and The Foothill Communities Asso- ciation continue to organize and mount this effort against well financed opposition, please con- sider contributing any amount you can. You can donate and learn more at the Foothill Communi- ties Association website (www. fcahome.org/tustin-hills-racquet- club/ [fcahome.org ]). Thank you for your enthusi- asm, involvement, and support! Together we can Save The Rac- quet Club! Scott Logue is a North Tustin resident and serves as communi- cations director for the Foothill Communities Association. city. One can only speculate on the reasons those councilmem- bers voted against Nelson’s ad- vancement. Residents do not want selective adherence to a “tradition”; they want a mayor with good judge- ment who consistently advocates for their best interests. Robert Collacott Villa Park City Council Cooler heads Dear Editor: I would like to thank the four OUSD board members who work tirelessly for equitable public education for ALL students resid- ing in OUSD’s boundaries, and who take the time to learn about running a school district. It is be- cause of you that our district has continued to be on the forefront of education in Orange County. Unfortunately, not all board members are here for the right reasons. John Ortega, Rick Ledesma and Angie Rumsey con- sistently put self-interests, politi- cal aspirations, and even religious interests, above the interests of the roughly 27,000 children they were elected to represent equally. At the Jan. 13 board meeting, those three board members pon- tificated, once again, on issues irrelevant to OUSD business. OUSD has no authority to rescind state laws regarding masks or vac- cines, and continuing to bring up this topic is an outlandish waste of resources for a school district already strained by the pandemic. Ortega, who is still recovering from a bout of COVID that had him hospitalized several months ago, continues to sit in the meet- ing maskless, while making statements demonstrating that he doesn’t understand how vaccines work, and trying to pass a resolu- tion about medical issues. He spread an internet conspira- cy theory about “COVID concen- tration camps” as though it were truth, instead of something that was easily disproved with a cur- sory internet search. Lastly, for the members of the public who show up every month to speak on the same topic, I’m sorry that outside groups have manipulated you to believe that continued disruption at the dis- trict level would make any kind of difference on vaccine man- dates. Your argument is at the state level. You have been used by groups that have anti-public edu- cation goals much larger than the mask or vaccine issue, whose aim is to chip away at school districts from the inside out, in an effort to undermine the public education system. If you truly feel strongly on these issues, I suggest you call your state senators and state as- sembly members. Michelle Weisenberg Orange Dear Editor: I am a parent of two OUSD stu- dents and a teacher in the district. I am appalled at a second attempt by OUSD Trustees John Ortega, Angie Rumsey and Rick Ledes- ma to put forth another flawed resolution, stating they want the district to not follow mask man- dates or a possible vaccine man- date in the future. This resolution is a waste of the school board’s time. Resolutions have no teeth to them; they have no action be- hind them. They simply state an opinion. Putting forth a resolution demanding to no longer follow mask mandates, potentially en- dangering our students and staff, is asinine. School districts must follow state guidelines or face financial ramifications that would impact services and programs our stu- dents need and deserve. This is all political theater for Ortega, Rumsey and Ledesma. Taking time to write and debate resolutions that will produce no actionable outcome takes time away from doing the important work the board was elected to do. As a parent, I want these man- dates in place because it keeps my children safe and healthy in these uncertain times. As a teacher, it keeps me and my students safe and healthy. Since OUSD schools have been back in session from winter break, I’ve had at least one student each day staying home due to COVID. Without the mask mandate, I fear there will be more students unable to attend school in person. If keeping schools open is the goal of our board, then wearing masks and following all health and safety guidelines is a small price to pay. Ortega, Rumsey, and Ledesma need to stop with all of this noise. We have bigger problems that need solving: like staffing issues at all of our sites, students home in quarantine, with limited learn- ing taking place, and teachers home sick and not able to teach their students. I have been an OUSD teacher for 21 years, and have never seen Ortega or Ledesma set foot on my school’s campus. If they truly cared about the students and staff, they would visit our schools to see what is needed, have conver- sations with teachers to see how the board can best support them. But they don’t. Instead they make a mockery of board meetings and turn them into a three-ring circus. I want to thank the other four board trustees, Andrea Yamasa- ki, Kris Erickson, Ana Page and Kathy Moffat, for trying to col- laborate with the three misguided board members, to amend the resolution in the hopes of find- ing consensus. Those trustees are always out visiting our schools, finding out what is needed and working for the greater good of our community. K. Barone OUSD teacher and parent Neighborhood watch Dear Editor: Every resident of VIlla Park and Orange should pay close at- tention to the 2022 ballot initia- tive to overturn California Senate Bills 9 and 10. Passed in 2021, these bills overrule single-family residential zoning in every city in California. These bills enable development of up to six units on any new or existing single-family residential lot, regardless of local zoning laws or the impact on nec- essary infrastructure. SB9 and 10 went into effect this year. When a house is sold, it will likely be sold to institutional investors and developed for mul- tiple market-rate rentals. In clear terms, the single-family house next door can be developed into six residential units! To stop this madness, Our Neighborhood Voices has orga- nized to get an initiative on the 2022 ballot to put zoning and land-use under local authority, permanently. The ballot initia- tive is backed by Republicans, Democrats, Orange, Villa Park and cities statewide. One million signatures on the petition must be submitted by April 30. What can you do? One: This initiative will be expensive! Visit ourneighborhoodvoices.com to view the initiative and donate Two: Sign the petition. Call (714) 998-1310 to find our where the petition is being circulated. Look for circulators at Ralphs. Do not think getting this ini- tiative on the ballot will be easy. Big money is opposing the ballot initiative to overturn SB9 and 10. But, if you don’t want to see the investment in your home de- stroyed, act now! Sign the peti- tion. Donate to the effort. Mary Beth Felcyn Villa Park