Foothills Sentry May 2024

Page 5 Foothills Sentry MAY 2024 JOHNSON MOTORCARS 34 Years of Specializing in the Service and Repair of Mercedes-Benz Gary Johnson 714-997-2567 982 N. Batavia # B13, Orange, CA 92867 gary@johnsonmotorcars.com @ ramblingroseoc "Orange budget" continued from page 1 "OUSD board" continued from page 1 Deep cuts looming One of the most notable is the replacement of fire stations two, three, four and five. All built in the 1960s, these stations have met or exceeded their intended lifes- pan. But with a cost of $7-8 mil- lion to replace each one, the city's firefighters will have to continue to make do. In addition to the out- of-date fire facilities, other servic- es citywide may also be reduced or eliminated entirely. Resources for property crime prevention, homelessness inter- vention, neighborhood patrols and code enforcement could all see reductions. With a lack of equipment and staffing for city emergency services, response times may increase and the qual- ity of service may decline. Servic- es for youths and seniors, as well as the city’s long-standing Treats in the Streets, 3rd of July, and Tree Lighting celebrations could be cut out entirely. Mayor Pro Tem Arianna Bar- rios noted that the deferment of projects makes the budget look less imperiled than it really is, and stressed the importance of mak- ing it clear that the city is not on sturdy financial footing. Reserve funds available It wasn’t all bad news though. The city has reserve funding (sep- arate from the general fund) that can only be used on specific capi- tal improvements. An enterprise fund, for example, must be used for water and sewer. Special reve- nue funds must be spent on parks, libraries and public safety. Using that reserve funding, Community Services will be im- proving several parks, including the installation of safety netting on baseball fields in El Camino Real and Steve Ambriz Parks and protective fencing to prevent un- authorized vehicles in Serrano Park. A new park is also slated for West Orange, but due to a current water department project, those plans are still in development and will not be finalized until some- time next year. El Camino Real Park is also expected to receive exercise equipment; however, this will be funded through a grant and will have no impact on the city’s budget. In the works Public Works will be continu- ing a number of annual upkeep and maintenance projects as well as the 2025 completion of a new well and pocket park currently under construction. Sewer line maintenance and replacement, annual maintenance of pavement and concrete, and the replacement of water pipelines will continue through this year. The Santiago Bike Trail Proj- ect is also expected to move on to phase four, pending a nearly $5 million grant through OCTA. In an effort to inform residents of the financial situation facing Orange, the city has launched an informational webpage, Protect Orange.org. The page provides basics about the budget crisis, contact information for the city manager, and a schedule of up- coming in-person community meetings to update those interest- ed in the city’s finances, as well as what options are currently under consideration to protect the city’s long-term financial future. The next meeting will take place May 16 at 5 p.m. at El Camino Park. Residents and business owners are encouraged to attend. tion to Areas 4 and 7,” he said. “They haven’t been represented for the last 15 months. We need involved, rational people who are involved in the schools and the district.” Jon Sanks agreed that it was “critical that vacancies are filled,” emphasizing an “honest dialogue” with candidates who have experience with an OUSD school, advocate for the OUSD community and will bring no sur- prises or political stunts to board meetings. “Let’s make OUSD board meetings boring again,“ he said. Connie Concepcion noted that she wanted to see the vacancies filled, that the open trustee Area represents large numbers of La- tinos and that the previous board members “didn’t hear us.” The board voted 4-1 (Ortega dissenting) to move forward with the appointment process. Applica- tions for the seats were accepted as of April 12. The openings were advertised on the OUSD website and local media. Candidates will be interviewed by the board during a public meet- ing, tentatively announced for May 2. Depending on the number of applicants, a second interview meeting might be necessary. The board assured all OUSD stake- holders that “deliberations will be in public.” The appointments must be made by May 21. Orange police chief reports a decrease in citywide crime The Orange Police Depart- ment’s 2023 Annual Report in- dicates that the number of rob- beries, assaults and residential burglaries was lower than in 2022. However, in his March 26 presentation to the city council, Chief Don Adams advised that comparing those two years statis- tically is difficult because the FBI changed the reporting format. “What used to be one robbery with 10 victims, is now consid- ered 10 robberies,” Adams ex- plained. “If we had one person committing three crimes, we would have reported only the most serious one; now we must report all three. And, a death re- sulting from a DUI is now con- sidered a homicide.” Despite those reporting chang- es, Adams assured the audience that there were 319 fewer crime victims in 2023 and no “disturb- ing trends” on the horizon. Community focus The police department has ini- tiated a “crime reduction” model, wherein incidents are mapped weekly and additional resources are allocated to areas with higher activity. A new crime reduction unit, consisting of patrol and un- dercover officers, has, according to Adams, “truly put a dent in crime,” with 300 arrests made by just four individuals. The department received 97,679 calls for service in 2023. The average response time was four minutes for an emergency and 11 minutes for non-emergen- cies. In some cases, Adams re- ports, officers arrived at the scene while staff were still on the phone with the caller. Two dedicated homeless out- reach workers were added to the force in 2023, resulting in 6,132 contacts, with 165 placed in shel- ters and 134 mental health refer- rals. That may not sound like a lot, Adams acknowledged, but it is. Orange was number two in placements at the Buena Park homeless shelter. Overall, there are 100 to 120 homeless people living in the city, with no in- creases reported by the HEART (Homeless Engagement, Assis- tance and Resource Team). A community engagement bu- reau, headed by Lt. Phil McMul- len, has, the chief says, “ … put outreach at an all-time high.” McMullen’s team has joined the Chamber of Commerce, in- creased participation with local organizations and held 46 neigh- borhood watch meetings in the last year. Last year’s crime statistics to- tal five homicides, nine sexual assaults, 97 robberies and 206 aggravated assaults. Commer- cial burglaries numbered 350; residential burglaries, 168; theft from vehicles, 501; and stolen vehicles, 372. Integrated crime fighting In a separate action, the city council approved a two-year lease of 43 Flock safety cameras, 13 live-stream video cameras and software to combat organized retail crime and improve investi- gative resources. The Flock cam- eras read license plates and store the information in a database to provide alerts and intelligence. All data and video can be as- sessed through a single platform, integrated with third-party cam- era systems and be shared with other jurisdictions. The system essentially combines citywide surveillance, including non- Flock camera streams, into one platform. The Orange Police Department plans to mount the Flock devices at city entry and exit points, tar- geting areas “where there are problems.” While the system can recognize license plates and ve- hicles, it does not identify people. The contractor, Insight Public Sector, will install and maintain the cameras. The two-year lease will cost $411,980, including equipment, installation and in- tegration. The money is drawn from a city capital bond fund ear- marked for safety expenditures. Architects Orange celebrates 50th anniversary The Orange-based architecture firm AO (Architects Orange) was honored by the city and Mayor Dan Slater, who proclaimed March 27 as “AO Day” to cel- ebrate the firm’s 50th anniversary and recognize its contributions to the community. Founded by Orange High grad- uate, Jack Selman, Architects Or- ange opened its first office in Old Towne Orange in 1974. He later purchased the building at 144 N. Orange Street where the firm is headquartered today. It was re- branded as AO in 2019. Mayor Slater presented the proclamation to AO partners and managing partners before com- munity members including one of their philanthropic partners, Friendly Center. Over the past 50 years, AO has made a significant impact as the firm designed numerous iconic buildings: 1,600-plus apartment units and over 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial space in Orange alone. It has grown to become one of the largest architecture firms in OC and one of the major employers in the City of Orange. AO also expanded its footprint nationally and internationally, with projects from Boston to To- ronto to Jakarta. From left, Orange Mayor Dan Slater and AO partners Hugh Rose, Jack Selman, RC Alley, Ken Smith and Steve Gaffney Young Women of the Month feted The Tustin Area Woman’s Club named Payton Thatcher and Leilah Patel its Young Women of the Month for April. Payton Thatcher from Foothill High participates in girls varsity la- crosse, which has won consecutive Division 1 championships over the last three years. She is currently the Associated Student Body sec- retary and has served as publica- tions commissioner and Inter Club Council vice president. Thatcher is a member of the National Honor Society, the California Scholarship Federation and is currently pursu- ing her level 10 Piano Certificate of Merit. She founded the Solar 4 Salvador project, raising over $11,000 to provide solar panels to families living in poverty. She plans to major in political science and anthropology and ultimately attend law school. Tustin High School’s Leilah Patel is a student member of the District Board of Education. Last summer she participated in the American Legion Auxiliary’s first ever co-ed “Girls and Boys State.” She has been a varsity wrestler for four years, as well as the girls’ team captain for two years. In the future, Patel hopes to continue her athletic passions in college while also pursuing a career as either a psychiatrist or a sports psycholo- gist. Jolene Chou, from Beckman High and Amani Shezad from Legacy High were also honored in April Peyton Thatcher Leilah Patel