Foothills Sentry May 2023

Page 5 Foothills Sentry May 2023 Circulation … 40,000 Published on the last Tuesday of each month and distributed to residences, businesses, libraries and civic centers. Printing by Advantage, Inc. 714-532-4406 Fax: 714-532-6755 foothillssentry.com 1107 E. Chapman Ave., #207 Orange, CA 92866 © Foothills Sentry 2023 Publisher/Editor Anita Bennyhoff 1969-2013 Editor Tina Richards editor@foothillssentry.com Sports Editor Cliff Robbins sportseditor@att.net Graphic Designer Stephanie Gundran graphics@foothillssentry.com Advertising Sales Andie Mills advertising@foothillssentry.com 714-926-9299 Office Manager Kathy Eidson officemanager@foothillssentry. com The Old Towne Preservation Association (OTPA) held a State of Old Towne Forum, address- ing residents' areas of interest via questions to and from city offi- cials, the police chief and Chap- man University. Mayor Dan Slater, Mayor Pro Tem Arianna Barrios, City Man- ager Tom Kisela, Police Chief Dan Adams and Chapman Vice President Alisa Driscoll fielded questions from OTPA President Rob Boice. Attendees learned that Orange Plaza safety improvements, de- layed by rainy weather, should be finished in a few weeks, the Paseo is dead, residential crime in Old Towne is down and this year’s Chapman freshman class is 14% lower than previous years. Alisa Driscoll reported that there are currently about 9,000 students at Chapman, the univer- sity is planning on smaller classes over the next few years, and a new dorm facility was purchased inAnaheim with the goal to house 50% of students on campus. Due to the Anaheim purchase, expan- sion plans for Panther Village are not being considered right now. She also noted that Chap- man’s expansion plans would cap at 10,500 students, that Presi- dent Daniele Struppa agrees with that number and expects further growth to focus on the Irvine Campus. Boarding houses, particularly on Cambridge, are a recurring problem in Old Towne. They have gotten worse with the ad- vent of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Barrios explained. ADUs do not need to go through the Design Review Committee or Planning Commission. “We ini- tiated regulations to protect Old OTPA hosts State of Old Towne Forum Towne,” she noted, but as far as boarding houses, “we lack the political will.” She cited a con- versation she had on the subject with the former city attorney who claimed the city couldn’t go after boarding houses because there was no clear definition of “fam- ily.” Broadly defined family units are protected by state law. Tom Kisela offered that he had seven boarding-type houses near his home, and that the city is look- ing at regulating them as it does for short-term rentals. The goal is to target the owner, he said, not the renter. To date, the city has been thwarted by landlords who have a single renter listed on the lease, but allow that renter to sublet to others. The landlord and renter can then claim that the residence is not a boarding house because there is only one name on the lease. Kisela hopes to change that by requiring a conditional use permit or some other restriction. Mayor Dan Slater addressed the issue of homelessness in Orange. He noted that the city-sponsored HUB facility has moved a num- ber of people out of homeless- ness. Barrios said she thought the number was 127. When he took office, Slater formed a homeless task force intended to create a shelter within city limits. “You can’t enforce street camping un- less you have beds to offer to people,” he explained. The city is currently exploring its shelter options. We can buy a warehouse and convert it, or build one,” he said. One such site is on Struck Avenue where Mary’s Kitchen used to be and its replacement, HUB, is now located. The homeless population is a concern for the police depart- The Orange City Council agreed to enact an ordinance to levy administrative fines on re- peat municipal code violators, April 11, but not without push- back from several council mem- bers. Orange is the only city in the county that does not impose fines for code infractions. To date, the city has depended on voluntary compliance. Failing that, the city was compelled to file misde- meanor charges in court. Crimi- nal prosecution is not only costly, but a fairly draconian response to such minor violations as over- grown vegetation, leaving trash cans out or making too much noise. A fine structure would give more backbone to code enforce- ment for violations ranging from the mundane to building require- ments, electrical and plumbing infractions and street vendors. Fines could be levied by the city departments responsible for various sections of the munici- pal code, i.e., police, fire, public works and finance. Fines would, however, remain the big gun in the arsenal. Rafael Perez, code enforcement supervi- sor, assured the council that viola- tors would be given warnings and opportunities to comply before a fine is issued. Even after repeated warnings, fines would be discre- tionary, applied mainly to repeat offenders. Several public commenters at the meeting applauded the coun- cil for “doing something about the people who continue to abuse the city and their neighbors.” Councilman Jon Dumitru, how- ever, had concerns about the ordi- Orange resident Laurie Cesina has been reporting building code viola- tions to the city for years. This 2,400-sq.-ft. structure is just 28 inches from her property line (fence) and was recently modified with a 30-ft.- tall roof. The building was apparently permitted many years ago, but has since been enlarged and structurally changed without permits. Code enforcement, according to Cesina, has done nothing and, she says, her property value has suffered. Code enforcement to be toughened with fines for oft offenders nance. He said the recommended fine of $85 was too high, and that an appeal was possible only after the fine was paid. "You can’t get a hearing until after you pay the fine, and that creates a financial hardship for some people," he said. “You should not have to pay for justice.” Fix it first Denis Bilodeau agreed, insist- ing that “we have to make it clear that people will get a warning first and a chance to fix the problem. “You shouldn’t have to pay the fine first,” he said. He also want- ed clarification on who would hear an appeal. It can’t be a city employee, he insisted, “we need to get a company with the right credentials to serve as a hearing officer.” Both councilmen recommend- ed the language in the ordinance be changed before approval. Mayor Dan Slater said he want- ed to move forward on the ordi- nance because it is “important to the community.” Mayor Pro Tem Arianna Barrios, who has made code enforcement a priority, also suggested that the council move forward with the way the existing ordnance is written to give staff “the tools they need tonight.” Perez reinforced the provision that code violation warnings al- ways come first. “We receive a complaint; an officer is assigned to investigate, then notice is giv- en. More egregious violations require a written notice; enforce- ment does not occur until after that.” Dumitru stressed that since various city employees will be authorized to issue administra- tive fines, he wanted to see spe- cific language about the scope of duties in the ordinance. “I don’t want lifeguards issuing building citations,” he said. He also reit- erated that a fine of any amount would be a hardship for low-in- come residents, and that an ap- peal should be allowed before payment. ment, too. Chief Adams reported that the department has hired two civilian outreach workers to deal exclusively with the homeless. That, he said, is working well and has allowed several officers to re- turn to patrol duty. Chapman student parties also fall within the police department's balliwick. Adams noted that the department is getting fewer party calls right now, but, he said, “Any party that disturbs your peace is a problem.” How officers deal with a particular party situation depends on how many calls the department gets and how loud and unruly it is. The police can issue a warning or a citation, or shut it down. The department also works with a university li- aison who makes house calls to existing or potential party houses. Chapman, Driscoll added, is taking disruptive students seri- ously. Students who disturb Or- ange neighborhoods are required to attend “good neighbor” class- es. If the behavior continues, a fine up to $800 is attached to their tuition bill. The university’s position is, she said, “If there’s a loud party in your neighborhood, call the police after 10 p.m. Then throw the book at them.” Other topics included sanitation rates: Orange has the third lowest residential trash rate in the county and the lowest commercial rate. The old fire department head- quarters: it may be turned into a parking lot, but only with public input and community buy-in. Re- zoning the barrio area to r-1 to put it in line with the General Plan: The state won’t allow downzon- ing. An option to protect those neighborhoods, however, might be to transfer development rights to another area. Slater countered the $85 levy with $50. “There should be some cost,” City Manager Tom Kisela point- ed out. “People will appeal just because they can, and hearings cost the city.” The council agreed to bring back the ordinance with revised language at a future meeting.