Foothills Sentry Page 4 FEBRUARY 2026 JOHNSON MOTORCARS 34 Years of Specializing in the Service and Repair of Mercedes-Benz Gary Johnson 714-997-2567 982 N. Batavia # B13, Orange, CA 92867 gary@johnsonmotorcars.com @ramblingroseoc Circulation … 39,000 Published on the last Tuesday of each month and distributed to residences, businesses, libraries and civic centers. Printing by Advantage, Inc. 714-532-4406 foothillssentry.com 1107 E. Chapman Ave., #207 Orange, CA 92866 ©Foothills Sentry 2026 Publisher/Editor Anita Bennyhoff 1969-2013 Editor Tina Richards editor@foothillssentry.com Graphic Designer Jef Maddock graphics@foothillssentry.com Advertising Sales Andie Mills advertising@foothillssentry.com 714-926-9299 Office Manager officemanager@foothillssentry.com GGuuees st tCCoom m eennt taar ri ey s The spirit of the skies, why the Tustin hangar must fly again By Joe Greco and Brian Delahaut It towers above Orange County like a cathedral of wood — 17 stories high, 300 feet wide and longer than three football fields. Built in 1942 from Douglas fir, when steel was scarce during World War II, the Tustin LighterThan-Air South Hangar remains one of America’s last great timber aviation structures. For more than 80 years, it has watched the region evolve — from orange groves to innovation hubs — a silent witness to California’s ingenuity and ambition. But after the tragic 2023 fire that destroyed its twin, the North Hangar, this last remaining structure stands at a crossroads. We can let it decay, or we can give it a second life — as a monument to service, innovation and the boundless spirit of flight. A testament to ingenuity and service The story of the Tustin Hangar began in 1942, when the U.S. Navy commissioned the Santa Ana Naval Air Station as a base for blimps patrolling the Pacific Coast for enemy submarines. These lighter-than-air ships safeguarded our shores, their crews embodying quiet courage and professionalism. In the 1950s, the site became the nation’s first Marine Corps Air Facility designed exclusively for helicopter operations. Thousands of Marines trained here before deploying to Korea and Vietnam. At its height, the base supported nearly 5,000 military and civilian personnel — a city within a city devoted to the defense of freedom. In 1975, both hangars were declared National Historic Landmarks, recognized among the largest free-span wooden structures in the world — architectural marvels symbolizing American resilience and innovation. From loss to leadership The North Hangar’s destruction could have been the end of the story. Instead, it can mark a new beginning. The surviving South Hangar can, and should, become the Tustin Lighter-ThanAir Museum and Innovation Center — a space where history, technology and community meet under one awe-inspiring roof. Imagine walking beneath its massive arches to explore exhibits on World War II airships, helicopter engineering, and the legacy of Navy and Marine Corps aviation. Picture students from UCI, Chapman University, and Cal State Fullerton studying STEM principles inspired by its wooden design. Envision veterans’ ceremonies, concerts and film productions bringing new life to this masterpiece of American engineering. This vision isn’t just nostalgic — it’s forward-looking. The hangar can become a catalyst for Orange County’s cultural and economic growth, a destination as meaningful as it is magnificent. An economic engine for Southern California Preserving the hangar isn’t a burden; it’s an investment. With a defined mission as a museum and civic landmark, it can attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year — standing proudly alongside the USS Midway in San Diego and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Hawaii as a cornerstone of heritage tourism. Every visitor brings dollars to Tustin’s restaurants, hotels and shops, generating millions in local tax revenue. The hangar’s restoration would spur redevelopment around the base, inviting business investments, educational partnerships, and new employment opportunities. Preservation, in this case, is not about saving the past — it’s about fueling the future. A call for partnership and patriotism This endeavor requires vision and teamwork. The City of Tustin, the Navy League of Orange County, and the Tustin Area Historical Society have already laid the groundwork. But they can’t do it alone. It’s time for Southern California’s great companies — Boeing, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, Disney, Anduril and The Irvine Company — to join in. Their support would not only restore an icon of American ingenuity, but demonstrate corporate citizenship that reflects the very values that built their success: innovation, courage and community. To join this effort, visit SaveTheHangars.com or contact the Tustin City Council at citycouncil@tustinca.org. Together, we can ensure that this towering monument once again serves the nation — not through defense, but through education, inspiration and unity. Every generation inherits a piece of history to protect. The South Hangar is ours. If we act now, we can transform it into a living landmark — a place where students learn, veterans gather, and families are inspired by what vision and perseverance can achieve. If we wait, we risk losing a symbol that will never be rebuilt. Joe Greco is the president of the Navy League of the United States – Orange County Council. Col. Brian E. Delahaut is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps. Both authors advocate for the preservation of military heritage in Southern California. City of Orange’s end-run cash grab By John Nelson Have you noticed that your trash bill has increased nearly 30% since 2024? If you have a business in Orange, your trash bill has likely increased nearly 96% in the last two years. While recent headlines highlighted the City of Orange’s financial woes and its failure to pass a sales tax increase, little attention has been paid to the city sneaking in a “tax” and performing an endrun around state laws designed to protect residents from taxation without representation. Amended portions of California’s State Constitution, through the passage of Proposition 13, 26 and 218, plus many other laws, restrict the manner that taxes are imposed and force politicians to be transparent in the taxes and fees they charge. In early 2024, the City of Orange ended its agreement with trash hauler CR&R a year-and-ahalf early. The city did so, not for the purposes of finding the best price with a new hauler to protect residents against rate increases, but instead, to sneak in a new tax, buried and bundled into our trash collection rates. City staff do not monitor or enforce provisions in the contract that ensure the highest quality of service or provide stewardship and oversight of our tax dollars. It is well known that frequent “going out to bid” ensures that competition with other contractors, protects ratepayers and rewards high quality service. Instead, despite the poor trash and street-sweeping services that the hauler currently provides, the city rewarded CR&R with a new 15-year long contract (2024 to 2039), the longest in the history of the City of Orange. Buried in the staff report covering the adoption of this competition-killing contract, CR&R paid the city a $6 million initial “fee” to pay for street repair, and a $2.1 million “fee” (that increases annually) to be paid every year for the next 15 years. This is a $41+ million tax which was not voted on by residents. It is easy to see that trash rates dramatically increased to cover the cost of this new “fee.” This fee is expressly prohibited by law. As a former City of Orange employee for over 24 years, I witnessed, firsthand, poor promotional practices, poor leadership, poor business and management practices. The current predicament in which the city finds itself is a sum total of these systemic problems. For over a decade, this author has brought attention to these issues to management, three city managers, three mayors and multiple council members. I, and others, have asked for forensic audits and answers to our questions. While some progress was made, no substantial changes occurred to thwart the city’s fiscal woes. Recently, we’ve been forced to file a lawsuit to prevent the City of Orange from over-charging all of us, and thus lowering all of our trash bills. More efforts are coming to lower the costs of city services to all residents in the near future. Ask yourself: Why is Orange poorly run? Where is the oversight? Why does the City of Orange reward bad service, and why are you stuck paying for it? John Nelson is an Orange resident and chairman of the Committee for a Transparent City of Orange. Cold weather room program returns for second winter By Vicente Sarmiento, 2nd District Supervisor At our final meeting of 2025, the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously supported our effort to continue the Weather Activated RooMs for Families (WARM) program for a second winter as we go into 2026. We initially launched WARM in January 2025 to ensure that unhoused families with children have a safe, warm place to stay during severe storms or extreme cold. As we head into another winter, the need remains urgent, and we are committed to making sure families are not forced to endure dangerous weather in their cars or on the street. The WARM program will operate from January through April 30 and will cover motel stays, food assistance and program administration. In addition, Pathways of Hope will work with participating families to connect them to supportive services, helping families move toward greater stability beyond the winter months. We allocated $150,000 in Second District funds to Pathways of Hope to support a second winter of operation of the WARM program. The program partners with schools to identify unhoused families and invite them to opt into the program. When cold weather is expected, the families can be placed in hotels or motels, in the city where the children attend school for a minimum of two nights. They will also be provided with transportation and food assistance. I am grateful for the collaboration of our school districts and Pathways of Hope. Their partnership ensures we can reach families quickly and respond when it matters most. A blimp parked outside the hangar, circa 1940s.
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