Foothills Sentry April 2024

Foothills Sentry Page 8 APRIL 2024 Make every day Earth Day! dan@DanSlater.com 714-744-2202 1537 E. Chapman Ave. Orange, CA 92866 DAN SLATER Orange will ask voters to consider sale of legal fireworks The Orange City Council agreed to take the legalization of safe and sane fireworks to the voters on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. Fireworks have been prohib- ited in Orange since voters reject- ed the idea in 1990. Because the fireworks ban was the result of a vote, sales can only be brought back by the voters. Legalizing the sale of safe and sane fireworks came up at a council meeting last month. The council was interested in pursu- ing the idea to give local non- profits another fundraising outlet. And, because neighboring cities sell them, Orange residents have access to them anyway. City Manager Tom Kisela was asked to look into the details and report back, which he did at the coun- cil’s March 12 meeting. Kisela reported that it would have to be a ballot measure. Due to fire danger in East Orange, fireworks should not be permitted east of Hewes Street or Cannon. Legislation allows a city to re- cover 7% of total fireworks sales and, based on what other cities al- low and advice from a fireworks manufacturer, the city could issue eight permits to nonprofits to sell them. Arianna Barrios had specifi- cally asked Kisela to find out if cities that allowed safe and sane fireworks experienced fewer calls for service. Of the seven cities he contacted, he said, six said they had no quantitative data, but that it appeared to make little differ- ence. A lone public commenter asked the council to reject the idea and forego a ballot measure. He noted that the subject came up 10 years ago and was tabled. “Now it’s back,” he said. “If the concept of safe and sane is no risk, why stop them at Hewes? If fire is a risk, why not ban them in Old Towne? Fireworks don’t stay in one place.” Both Mayor Dan Slater and Councilman Jon Dumitru said that eight permits for safe and sane sales is too low. “This is supposed to help nonprofits,” Slater explained. “I was thinking of 15 to 20,” Dumitru added. Dumitru has no problem put- ting it back on the ballot, he said. Prohibiting them in fire-prone East Orange would work, be- cause “Anaheim does it,” and the city would capture revenue that could be used for additional enforcement and suppression of illegal fireworks. “I’m ready to put it on the ballot now,” he as- serted. “I’m tired of kicking the can down the road.” Denis Bilodeau agreed that the issue has to be decided by voters. Ana Gutierrez commented that she can see both sides of the is- sue, but “we‘re not making the decision, voters are.” Arianna Barrios reflected that it is clear the issue has to be placed on the ballot, but, she asked, do we have to decide this right now? “We’re already talking to resi- dents about other things (see Vot- ers, page 1). This will muddy the waters.” “The 1990 vote was decided by 480 votes,” Slater advised. “Thir- ty-four years later, it’s time to do it another way. Last year we tried to increase enforcement. It didn’t work. Let the debate begin.” The vote to place safe and sane fireworks on the November ballot was 6-1, with Barrios opposed. It will cost an estimated $8,000 to put the measure on the ballot. Temple invites public to Haggadah display Temple Beth Shalom will dis- play over 500 illustrated Hagga- dot from April 12 to May 5. Haggadah is a compilation of biblical passages, prayers, hymns, and rabbinic literature meant to be read during the Passover Seder, a ceremonial meal held in Jewish homes to commemorate the Isra- elite redemption from Egypt. The earliest known Haggadot still in existence date back to the seventh and eighth century. Many of these books are, them- selves, works of art, some in metallic casings, others with em- broidered covers or leatherbound. The books include historical ver- sions and editions for children. The exhibit is open to the pub- lic Fridays from 4 -6 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesdays by appointment. Temple Beth Shalom is located at 2625 North Tustin Street. Work is underway on the City of Orange’s Well 28, located at 225 W. Maple. When the well is complete, the property will become Antepasa- do Park, (Ancestors Park), a dash of landscaped public open space cel- ebrating the families who have lived in the surrounding Cypress Street Barrio for generations. Wilson Automotive celebrated the sale of its 1.5 millionth automobile on March 16, almost seven years to the day that it sold its millionth (March 11, 2017). Wilson Automotive has several dealerships in the City of Or- ange, including David Wilson's first -- Toyota of Orange on Tustin Street, purchased in 1985. From left, Allen Moznett, general manager Toyota of Orange; Vikki Murphy, executive vice president, Wilson Automotive; David Wilson, CEO, Wilson Automotive; and Craig Whetter, president, Wilson Automotive. Photo by Jonathan Zimmerman Orange Elks meet Make-a-Wish family The Orange Elks presented the local Make-A-Wish chapter with a $5,000 check to aid in its mission of granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Lodge members also met Make-a-Wish recipient Zach Mauldin and his parents. Zach, now a senior at Canyon High School, was diagnosed with thy- roid cancer. He told the story of his treat- ment and his wish, which, as a huge baseball fan, was to meet Angel's ballplayer Mike Trout. Zach and his family were picked up in a limo, given a stadium tour and then met Trout. During Left to right are John and Janice Mauldin (Zach's parents), Elk Exalted Ruler Janine Storm, Kathy Perrea of Make-A-Wish, Zach Mauldin, Orange Elks Matt Ferrero and Terri Schatz Central Dems offer how-tos The Central Orange County Democratic club will offer a be- ginner’s guide on how to get in- volved and make change at the government level, from how to serve on planning boards and commissions to how to run for office, at its Wednesday, April 24 meeting. Doors open, snacks and chats at 6:30 p.m. and general meeting at 7 p.m. RSVP via Mobilize or the club website is required to at- tend. Central OC Dems includes the Tustin, Tustin Hills, Orange, Villa Park, and surrounding communi- ties. All Democrats are welcome to join. Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 1221 Wass St. in Tustin. Central OC Dems is not affiliated with St. Paul’s. For information, visit www. CentralOCDems.com or the Cen- tral Orange County Democratic Club page on Facebook. the meeting, he was also intro- duced to baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani. Zach earned the rank of Eagle in Boy Scouts. His Eagle project was to build a hope chest with board games for Make-A-Wish. The local Make-A-Wish Chap- ter was established in 1983, and has granted nearly 8,000 wishes. A survey of both parents and medical professionals indicates that experiencing a wish signifi- cantly improves the emotional health of the child and of the en- tire family.