Foothills Sentry May 2023

Page 3 Foothills Sentry May 2023 7540 E. Chapman Ave. Orange, CA 92869 (714) 639-9792 MEAT&DELI, PRODUCE, BAKERY, FRESH FISH, GIFT BASKETS, WINE MON-SAT: 8am - 9pmSUN: 8am - 8pm www.Pac i�i cRanchMarket.com $ OFF Excluding alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. With coupon only. May not be combined with any other offer or discount. Limit one coupon per customer. Valid only at P aci�ic Ranch Market. When You Spend $25 or More * EXPIRES: 5/31/23 5 OC’s Premier ProduceMarket Evergreen Professional Tree Lacing Thinning Shaping Crown Reduction Citrus & Fruit Tree Pruning Expert Tree Removal High Risk Tree Removal Fire Safety - Weed Abatement Stump Grinding - Clean Ups Fully Equipped Emergency Tree Service 7 Days A Week RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Free Estimates Call Steve Anytime @ Workers Comp Insured State Lic# 817335 ࠮ Tree Service American Owner Operated Since 1985 Serving All of Orange County Progressive Thinking Catholic Worship Sunday Mass 9:30am www.holyangelsOC.com Priest: (657) 282-9009 Office: (714) 584-8078 19211 Dodge Ave. North Tustin, CA 92705 SACRAMENTS FOR ALL Baptisms Confirmations Weddings Funeral Services Quinceañeras Special Masses English Spanish Chinese Italian Ash Wednesday Service February, 22 7:00 PM After investigating two law- suits filed by parents of Orange Unified School District students, the Orange County District Attor- ney’s office found that the Board of Trustees did not violate the Brown Act with a special meet- ing called to fire Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen, Jan 5. The lawsuits, filed by Gregory Pleasants and Alex and Sarah Brewsaugh, alleged that the meet- ing was insufficiently noticed, the agenda did not adequately describe the proceedings, and a majority of board members had agreed on their actions prior to the meeting. Senior District Attorney Steven Shriver determined that the Jan. 5 meeting was legally posted with 24 hours notice, and that there was no evidence the board major- ity had met ahead of time to de- termine the fate of Hansen. Three’s company The key word is “majority.” The Brown Act ensures public exposure to government board, commission and council meet- ings and decisions, and prohibits members from meeting “off the record.” But, the Act states that “as long as a communication does not involve a quorum of the body, no ‘meeting’ has occurred.” The “off-the-record” com- munication cited in the lawsuit was an email written by Board President Rick Ledesma to col- league Angie Rumsey. Referring to the Jan. 5 meeting, Ledesma wrote: Remember John (Ortega) will make all the motions, and it would be best if you seconded at least the first one, if not every time he makes a motion. I will start the closed session meeting and once I begin to discuss why we’re meeting, John will at some point make the motion, I’ll ask for a second, then discussion. John nor I will say much so as not to D.A. says OUSD Jan. 5 meeting was legal get dragged into their discussion or try to defend as they go on the attack. If the other side decides to dominate the discussion and they keep objecting and go off on their rants, at some point John will ‘call for the question’ which you can second. That stops all the debate and we vote on whether or not to immediately take the vote on the item being debated. The email involved only three trustees. The fourth majority member, Madison Miner, told in- vestigators she knew nothing about it. The email, therefore, did not embrace a quorum. Results read aloud The district attorney’s findings were announced by Ledesma at the April 13 board meeting. He read excerpts from a letter written by Shriver absolving the board, but finding that one member had violated the Brown Act by pub- licly revealing a statement made during closed session. Kris Erickson, a board minority member, had been denied any ex- planation for the majority’s firing of Hansen or its hiring of Edward Velasquez as interim superinten- dent. She said afterward that she had never heard of him, knew nothing about him and when she asked about his credentials during the closed session, she was told she could “Google him.” That breach of closed session confidentiality, was, according to Ledesma, “a blatant Brown Act violation” that could hamper the district’s search for a full-time su- perintendent. Shriver suggested the entire board take a refresher course on the Brown Act. North Tustin resident Alan Zall was named Ambassador of the Year by the Tustin Chamber of Commerce. Zall is an attorney focused on real estate, business, and probate matters. He is also a licensed real estate broker with an MBA from California State University, Fullerton. His law de- gree is from Loyola Law School at Los Angeles. From left, Chamber members Sarah Mendoza, Alan Zall and Vincent Ng. Colleen Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., rec- ognized as the founder of modern Forensic Genealogy, will be the guest speaker at the Covenant Presbyterian Church Women’s Fellowship luncheon on Thurs- day, May 18. Fitzgerald is the founder of Identifinders International and the co-founder of the DNA Doe Proj- ect. She has worked on a number of cold case homicides for law enforcement, as well as histori- cal projects, including the identi- fication of the unknown child on the Titanic, the Abraham Lincoln DNAProject, and Holocaust liter- ary frauds. The luncheon and program is open to the community, and will be held in St. Andrew’s Hall on the church campus, 1855 N. Orange-Olive Road. The doors open at 11 a.m., and the program begins at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $15 per person; reservations and payment are required by Sunday, May 14, by calling Linda at (951) 237-9888. Reservations are also required to attend the program only at 12:30 p.m.; the cost is $5, payable at the door. Colleen Fitzpatrick Forensic genealogist to speak at Covenant The proposed redevelopment of the Tustin Hills Racquet Club (THRC), also known as Ranch Hills Planned Development, will come before the OC Planning Commission on Wednesday, May 10, at 1:30 p.m. The eeting will take place in the multi-purpose board room at 400 West Civic Center Dr. This meeting will determine if the THRC remains a valuable community recreational asset or is destroyed for high-density con- dos to profit developers. Every- one is invited to attend this meet- ing, speak, and show the strong opposition to what these develop- ers are planning for the club and our community. The meeting will be in-person only. Transportation will be pro- vided for those interested. Con- tact lorichew98@gmail.com . Save the Racquet Club Photo by Anthony Wong