Foothills Sentry April 2022

Foothills Sentry Page 2 April 2022 714 282 0828 jadtec.com aco 4202 jadtec.com $ 15 95 /mo SECURITY JADTEC And while you’re out... let us protect your family, home and business from burglary, fire and medical emergencies. See "Orange council" continued from page 1 to residents. Addressing people’s desire to keep Santiago Creek as a natural boundary between Districts 4 and 6, she advised that natural boundaries were rampant in Map 128. “You may identify with a single one (the creek), but we have to look at all of them,” she maintained. “We have to make this work for most people, not just those who wrote to us.” Winners and losers Gutierrez allowed that she was OK with 128, but believed that natural boundaries as defined by residents had to be respected and that the council was not hearing their voices. “Map 119,” she stressed, "represents what everyone has said. It’s the one with the least amount of change and it helps out all citizens.” Barrios began her comments by asking that Map 121 be removed from the discussion because it had no rhyme or reason. She said she preferred Map 119 because it “balances things nicely,” but that 128 would be her second choice. During the public comment portion of the hearing El Modena resident Sammy Rodriguez criticized the council for being corrupt liars and cheats, selecting maps that “represented themselves.” Rodriguez had spoken at previous meetings, reading the letters fromShenkman to alert the council of its duty to respect Latino voters. “ElMo continues to be discriminated against,” he insisted, “we will fight you in court.” On the defense Rodriguez’s comments drew ire from the dais. “We are not corrupt,” Jon Dumitru countered. “We are 100% in compliance.” He lobbed a hard ball at Rodriguez and “his hero Shenkman,” advising that “this Map will withstand a challenge, and if it is challenged, I look forward to winning.” Tavoularis had earlier referred to Shenkman as a “Democrat activist,” who was essentially misleading Rodriguez. She laughed at Dumitru’s “hero” remark. Chip Monaco and Kim Nichols also defended themselves against the public perception voiced by Rodriguez. “There’s no collusion, there’s no conspiracy,” Monaco thundered. “It was a public process,” Nichols said. “All the maps are part of the public record. We don’t know who submitted them, but the council as a body did not draw any maps.” Arianna Barrios reminded her colleagues that when the council discussed the first batch of maps in December, they didn’t go through all of them. “It was the fastest meeting we had on the subject,” she said. “I understand why people feel something nefarious is going on based on the speed of that first meeting. We don’t have to be rude.” I think the best map is 128, Mark Murphy concluded. The vote was 6-1, with Gutierrez opposed. Orange Police Chief reports city crime stats Orange Police Chief Dan Adams provided an overview of department activities at the March 8 city council meeting, at the request of Councilmember Arianna Barrios. Adams reported that the department received 138,000 calls in 2021, with 59,402 asking for a direct police response; 33,000 were from police units themselves; the remainder were to the non-emergency phone number. Response time to emergency calls was 4.3 minutes; non-emergency response time was 10.7 minutes. Commercial and residential/ garage burglaries decreased from 351 in 2020, to 229 in 2021, and from 153 to 114, respectively. The majority of garage burglaries were for bicycles and tools. District 1 suffered the most residential intrusions, with 29; Districts 4 and 6, the fewest, with 13 each. Thefts from vehicles increased by 1%, with tailgates and wheels being popular targets. Catalytic converter thefts grew from 20 in 2019 to 70 in 2020, and 185 in 2021, consistent with statewide crime trends. The top five locations for thefts from vehicles are on the west side, and include The Outlets and locations on Chapman, Town and Country, La Veta and S. Lewis St. Vehicle thefts increased 5%, with 451 in 2021. The most frequently stolen vehicles are full-size Chevy/GMC pickups. District 2 reported the most, with 169; District 6 had the fewest, with 18. The highest number of motorcycle thefts occurred on State College Blvd. Overall, violent crime (homicide, sexual assault, robbery) increased in 2021, but the numbers remain low. Homicides jumped from four to six, due to the mass shooting incident in March 2021. Sexual assaults numbered 20, and robberies, 67. Aggravated assaults decreased from 109 to 84. The number of transient arrests for assault and property crime was about 43, not including misdemeanors. The department prefers referrals over handcuffs, and has eight officers on The Heart (Homeless, Engagement, Assistance and Resource) Team that works with other county agencies, nonprofits and nearby jurisdictions to offer such services as shelter, detox, hygiene, food and mental health referrals. Of 4,637 individuals offered resources last year, only 86 accepted. The department also issued 7,161 moving violations to motorists. “Our traffic goal,“ Adams said, “is to slow people down. They drive too fast.” He noted a Feb. 24 incident, when a driver speeding down Chapman neglected to follow the roundabout at The Plaza and plowed straight through Plaza Park. That happened six times last year; this year, it’s already happened four times. The city’s public works department installed yellow delineators on both sides of Chapman at the intersection of the traffic circle. The poles are intended to slow errant vehicles and protect park pedestrians. They are, admittedly, unattractive but, Adams said, “Public safety isn’t pretty.” The department’s goals for the future are to increase staff, hire more officers and upgrade its computer-aided dispatch and records management system. Book sale coming The Woman’s Club of Orange will hold a Gigantic Book Sale on Saturday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sale will be in the Woman’s Club courtyard at 121 S. Center St. All sales will di- rectly support the club’s philan- thropies. Map 119 was favored by residents but rebuffed by the city council.