Foothills Sentry April 2023

Foothills Sentry Page 10 April 2023 Doris Reed passed away peace- fully at St. Joseph's Hospital in Orange with her beloved family at her side. She was 84 years old and survived by her three chil- dren (and spouses), nine grand- children, one great-grandchild, and many nieces and nephews. Her family all adored and cher- ished her. Doris was born and raised in the City of Orange to Alfred and Celesta Behneman. She had a younger brother, John Behneman, with whom she was very close. Doris attended St. John's Lu- theran School and Orange High School, where she made lifelong friends. She attended college at USC, where she met her future husband William Reed II. Dur- ing her two years at USC, she joined Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and then transferred and gradu- ated from Stanford University, where she obtained her nursing degree. While attending Stanford, Bill and Doris were married on Dec. 19, 1959. After college, Do- Doris Behneman Reed 1938-2023 ris practiced nursing as a school nurse in Orange and later in life obtained her marriage and family counseling certificate and worked at St. Joseph's and St. Jude's hos- pitals helping families with ad- diction. She also enjoyed work- ing at local farmers markets sell- ing citrus from the family-owned groves in Valley Center. Doris was a loving wife, moth- er, grandmother and friend to all. Doris was deeply involved at St. John’s Lutheran Church where she had attended her whole life. She loved attending her weekly Bible studies and sharing the Gospel with everyone she met. Doris enjoyed waterskiing, spending time at Lake Arrow- head, playing bridge and domi- noes, cheering for USC football, traveling with family and friends, and spending time with her chil- dren and grandchildren. Doris was a longtime resident of Villa Park. Her family takes solace in the knowledge that Doris is at peace and with her Savior Jesus Christ. A celebration of her life was held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in March. Commentary The state wants to build in your backyard By Tina Richards Clenching California’s housing crisis into a tight fist, the state is pummeling cities and neighbor- hood communities with legisla- tion that gives developers rights to build just about anywhere they choose with minimal local oversight. There is no plan for the impacts to neighborhoods, infrastructure or the unfunded mandates this imposes on city budgets. Forget local zoning ordinances, General Plans, even voter refer- endums, the state wants to build housing in your backyard. It started with legislation to encour- age property owners to build ac- cessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their lots with cities required to approve them. SB9 and 10 en- able single-family properties to be split to accommodate duplexes along with ADUs or multi-story apartment buildings. Again, lo- cal jurisdictions are forced to ap- prove these projects whether they fit within a city’s General Plan or not. AB2011 allows owners of commercial properties to put in high-density, multi-story residen- tial units regardless of zoning. An even more insidious theory (an interpretation of SB330) al- lows developers to override city planning and build housing wher- ever they want if the city has not completed its state-mandated housing element, which defines a jurisdiction’s plans for growth. It’s untested in the courts. Leg- islators are either unaware of what they have unleashed with all these unproven bills, or are just looking the other way -- but developers have nothing to lose. As long as their housing plans include 20% “affordable” units, they have the state’s blessing to trample over local neighborhoods and the city ordinances designed to protect them. If these residen- tial units are with one-half mile of public transportation (a bus stop, for example) they do not have to provide parking spaces. Three such preliminary plans have been submitted to the City of Orange on parcels without residential zoning. Cities must complete a state- mandated housing element every eight years. The California Hous- ing and Community Develop- ment (HCD) agency determines how many units must be built statewide to meet anticipated needs. For the current cycle, 2023-2031, HCD assigned 3,936 units to Orange, 296 to Villa Park and 10,406 to unincorporated Or- ange County. For the previous cy- cle, 2015 – 2023, those numbers were 394 units for Orange and 14 for Villa Park. HCD claims this year’s num- bers are so high because new housing construction has not kept up with demand. The state auditor, however, determined that HCD overestimated needed housing in California by some 940,000 units. HCD was asked to explain the methodology it used to come up with its needs as- sessment (some 2.1 million units statewide), but has not responded. The state legislature has declined to address it. Cities have been scrambling to meet those inflated numbers and are being punished when they don’t. The legislative “punishment” has been promoted and encour- aged by a statewide organiza- tion called CA YIMBY. YIMBY stands for Yes In My Backyard, except those embracing the con- cept aren’t talking about their backyards, they’re talking about yours. CAYIMBY, funded by Big Tech, views single-family proper- ties as “selfish,” with one family taking up space that could accom- modate eight or more. The group is active in Orange County, but uses the name People for Hous- ing. It's goal is to replace single family homes and neighborhoods with rows of high-density, multi- family units. Follow the money CA YIMBY claims that it is promoting “housing justice,” to make more residential units available to more people. Its an- swer is to abandon local land-use planning and allow developers to build units anywhere and every- where. While CA YIMBY and People for Housing have little understanding of land-use plan- ning, they are very good at public relations. The pitch for housing justice suggests a desire to help lower in- come families. But CAYIMBY’s desired building boom has little to do with justice, and more to do with the building industry and real estate investors who are financing the group’s efforts. It is not pushing for “affordable” housing, which offers little mone- tary incentive, but a complete de- regulation of the housing market. Both SB9 and 10 call for “market rate” units. SB330 requires that only 20% of the new units be “af- fordable.” Localities that resist the march to multi-family units are criti- cized by YIMBY legislators as catering to wealthy homeowners, using historic preservation as an “excuse,” and fighting growth simply to protect property values. A recent Los Angeles Times edi- torial bemoaned that multi-unit developments were being halted by residents who expressed con- cerns about “traffic, and damage to their neighborhoods.” As if protecting one’s neighborhood and one’s home is a bad thing. The “solution” to California’s housing crisis, as defined by short-sighted legislators, is being laid at the feet of single-family neighborhoods with bedrooms and backyards that homeowners, apparently, don’t deserve. CPOC to hold workshop The Conservative Patriots of Orange County invites the public to attend a round table discussion, Thursday, April 20 at 5:30 p.m. The CPOC is a grassroots con- servative organization and wel- comes all to join them. The meet- ing is at the Elks Lodge, 1751 S. Elk Lane in Santa Ana. A buffet dinner will be served prior to the meeting at $30 per person. Reservations may be made online at conservativepa- triotsofoc.org or contact Peggy Baranyay, (714) 828-1289 or swt- mthr@sbcglobal.net . Dinner tick- ets are available at the door, $30 for members and $35 for non- members. The Conservative Patriots of OC will be part of the Orange May Parade on the 6th at 10 a.m.