Foothills Sentry Page 4 MARCH 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 Commercial zoning protects a city’s financial health By Doug Hamilton "One of the greatest privileges that a councilmember has is zoning." This statement was burned into my brain and has stuck with me for years. I would like to explain why that statement is so profoundly important for each and every one of us to understand. It was about four years ago that I was making the rounds to meet with each of the Orange city councilmembers. I was laying out a set of ideas to make the Village at Orange viable and Orange a better place to live. On this particular occasion, I met with two councilmembers at the same time. The conversation started off with resident concerns about the Orange mall area and the North Tustin Street corridor; namely, blight, and the proposed Orange mall redevelopment plans. A major concern was the economic impact that would occur if the city council changed zoning from commercial to residential or mixed use. This zoning change would have profound impacts on land use, the General Fund and the city’s budget. Please note: giving up commercial zoning that produces critically important sales tax revenue should concern everyone. The North Tustin Street Preservation Group had been formed to tackle these issues and provide input and alternate solutions to the city. Group concerns are focused on land use, proposed mixed use rezoning, the resulting elimination of sales tax revenue and much needed infrastructure improvements. It was rezoning that would replace commercial zoning with mixed use zoning that might include thousands of residential dwellings (up to 4,200 units). It was at that point in the meeting that a councilmember explained with "great passion" the privilege and voting responsibility of councilmembers as it GGuuees st tCCoom m eennt taar ri ey s relates to zoning and land use. I recognized before the meeting that councilmembers voted on zoning and land use issues, and that's why I had requested the meeting. However, his "passion" put the zoning issue in a whole new light. Sales tax revenue is one of the largest streams of revenue in the City of Orange’s budget (44% in the 2024-25). It is one of the city council’s greatest responsibilities to carefully preserve and manage zoning, and thereby protect the city's primary source of tax revenue, as well as its budget and fiscal health. By doing so, they can then provide very important city services, namely, code enforcement, police, fire, street maintenance and infrastructure improvements. All of these services are completely dependent upon a robust budget, and the budget is dependent upon a healthy stream of sales tax revenue. To summarize: sales tax revenue is completely dependent upon commercial zoning, and zoning is one of the greatest responsibilities of each and every one of the City of Orange's councilmembers. The first sentence in this set of thoughts has a whole new meaning when you understand the cascading set of negative consequences that can occur when councilmembers change zoning for the wrong reasons. Orange residents must get involved in this effort to protect both commercial zoning and the financial health of our city. The recent Grant Thornton Report to the city council includes a dire warning that the City of Orange could potentially go bankrupt in a little more than three years without a healthy stream of sales tax revenue and a one percent sales tax increase on everyone that shops in Orange. The issue currently at hand is two large parcels of commercially zoned properties with proposals that will come before city planning and the city council in the near future, both having the potential of a council vote that could change zoning to residential and/or mixed use and allow the loss of large portions of property currently zoned commercial. This is zoning that the City of Orange can’t afford to lose and, most likely, will never be replaced. The outline above is one very important aspect of a very complicated series of problems. Please get involved, learn more and help stop this from happening to our city. Join the conversation; you can find our group on nextdoor.com/g/96fvu6scq. Doug Hamilton is a 39-year resident of Orange and actively involved in land use issues throughout the city. His main focus continues to be the North Tustin Avenue corridor. OUSD is focused on student achievement, safe campuses and fiscal stability By Dr. Stephen Glass As the newly elected president of the Orange Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Education, I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to this community for its continued trust in our public schools. OUSD has a long history of excellence, and it is both an honor and a responsibility to help steward that legacy during a pivotal time. In recent months, community members may have noticed an increase in board study sessions, governance discussions and public engagement. That is intentional. If we are asking our teachers, principals and staff to pursue excellence for our students, we as a governing board must hold ourselves to the same standard. Strong governance is not performative. It requires preparation, reflection and disciplined oversight. Our focus is clear: student achievement, safe campuses and long-term fiscal stability. For several years, this district has maintained healthy financial reserves. That decision required restraint and careful planning. Those reserves were not accumulated without purpose. They were held in anticipation of the moment when we could responsibly reinvest in our schools. That moment is now. We are moving forward with approximately $40 million in facilities investments across the district, with a particular focus on our elementary and middle schools. These investments include such critical infrastructure improvements as roofing repairs, HVAC upgrades, safety and security enhancements, modernization of classrooms, and campus maintenance projects that have been deferred for too long. Safe, functional and modern learning environments are not luxuries. They are foundational to student success. These decisions are aligned with what Superintendent Dr. Rachel Monárrez heard during her listening tour and with our Local Control Funding Formula priorities. Families told us they want safe schools, strong academics and responsible leadership. This investment reflects that input, and demonstrates that fiscal discipline and reinvestment can coexist. At the same time, we must be honest about the challenges facing public education across California. Declining enrollment is a reality in many districts, including our own. Uncertain economic conditions and state funding volatility require careful long-term planning. Our responsibility is to address potential challenges before they become crises. To that end, the board is forming committees and engaging in forward-looking planning processes focused on enrollment trends, financial sustainability and the long-term viability of our schools. These committees are designed to ensure parent, staff and community input from the outset so that planning is transparent and collaborative, rather than reactive. These conversations are not about panic. They are about prudence. They are about ensuring that every decision we make protects instructional quality and preserves opportunity for students across all neighborhoods. If difficult conversations become necessary in the future, including conversations about the long-term configuration of our schools, they will be guided by data, transparency and meaningful community input. Our promise is simple: we will confront issues directly and early, not after options have narrowed. Leadership requires courage, but it also requires openness and trust. I remain deeply grateful to our educators, classified staff, administrators and families. I visit our campuses regularly and continue to be inspired by the dedication I see in classrooms and offices across this district. Our students deserve adults who are focused on solutions rather than division. Public education is one of our most important civic institutions. It reflects both who we are and who we hope to become. As board president, I am committed to thoughtful governance, strategic investment and transparent engagement with the community we serve. Together, we can ensure that Orange USD remains not only a district of excellence in name, but in action and in outcomes for every child. Dr. Stephen Glass has served on the OUSD Board of Education since 2024. He was elected president in December 2025. He is a Distinguished Faculty in Residence at California State University, Long Beach. Students' rights Dear Editor: If you’ve read a paper, been on social media, or been to the Circle in the past month, you’ve heard about the walk-outs and protests students have staged in regards to ICE. It has been disappointing to see comments wanting students “locked-up” both by OPD and OUSD. We should not entertain conversations like this. I find it interesting that people with no experience in crowd control think that a few administrators or officers can stop hundreds of students, even if they wanted to. OUSD and OPD must follow the law. The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." Students are marked absent if they leave campus, but cannot face additional punishment for the sentiment of the protest. In California, students' civic protections go even further. SB955, passed in 2022, allows for secondary students, with parent permission, one excused absence to participate in civic or political activities. Instead of learning about history, they can participate in it. This is a pivotal moment in history, but also for local families. Regardless of where parents stand on the current federal administration or ICE enforcement, they have been given the opportunity to have real, meaningful conversations with their children about things happening right now in their community. It isn’t history, it isn’t abstract, it’s current and tangible. I urge parents to have meaningful conversations with their children, whatever their viewpoint. Darshan Smaaladen Orange Candid Canyon Dear Editor: Thank you for the expansion of the Canyon Beat. We look forward to the canyon areas news each month, and it was a delight to see the column was expanded. While we have grown accustomed to seeing area tidbits in an abbreviated space, we appreciated the longer, more thorough items. Especially interesting was Tonkovich’s experience with Rep. Young Kim’s lack of communication. I have had the same problem with her office. Again, thank you so much for expanding the Canyon Beat. Rusty and Keith Morris Silverado
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