Foothills Sentry Page 6 MAY 2025 SATURDAY, MAY 24th 10:00AM - 5:00PM Visit Our Showroom 13031 Newport Ave. Suite 114, Tustin, CA FREE Estimate & 3D Drawing Financing Available o.a.c. 21 Months 0% Interest On Approved Credit www.CabinetFB.com Licensed and Insured (714) 422-4000 Yes, and know S MRP D , m eet RP TTF Recent Silverado-Modj eska Recreation and Parks District (SMRPD) committee meetings --- lately, four in a row on one Tuesday evening! --- document the size and scope of our only local governance agency’s mission. Whether maintaining a facility (two, actually) or developing policy, SMRPD is administered by elected and appointed directors. President Ted Wright and both remaining and outgoing board members reported last month on both the success of essential programming and recent struggles. Good news: the weekly seniors “ Lunch Bunch” regularly hosts a dozen attendees, and enrollment is solid at the district’s singular and enduring proj ect, the Silverado Children’s Center. Short-term challenges include working with the Abbey to address use and liability concerns on or adj acent “The Riviera,” with negotiations over proposed fencing and a crosswalk. SMRPD hopes to sponsor nature camps or walks this summer. Responding to complaints, the board drafted a reasonable and enforceable good behavior policy. Our buildings, concert stage, courts, and playground are not in OC Parks' j urisdiction. Independent-minded canyonites seem to like that, but it requi res extra care by way of posted rules and regulations to encourage playing well with others. The resignations of director Brittney Kuhn and treasurer Tamara Beauchamp mean the board invites interested residents to self-nominate, with excellent possible appointees already being considered. “M iscellaneous” All of the above is complicated by a funding crisis, fully apprehended by President Wright only after months of scrupulous auditing and examining county funding sources since 2019, and next year’s incomplete proj ections. With further info unavailable, it aSSears that signi¿cant funding may have, over past years, been provided on a limited basis with uncertainty if it will be fully renewed, largely including monies from the Redevelopment Property Tax Trust Fund (RPTTF), last contributed to SMRPD in August 2024. Weirdly, this huge line item is categorized as “ Miscellaneous” and, as reported by Wright, the county’s AB8 process will allocate “most, but probably not all” of property tax revenue distribution that historically comes our way. Fingers crossed that the Constitutionally requi red state reimbursement to local agencies and school districts once again includes us. No word on whether this year’s massive shortfall ($95K ) will arrive. Next year’s allocation numbers arrive in September. Fortunately, your board has maintained a healthy surplus, giving directors more opportunities for further meetings! Wright encourages attendance at monthly meetings, invites committee membership, and says, “ SMRPD’s dilemma is that, because of the unexpected shortfall in county funding, the district’s savings are proj ected to run out this summer. U ncertainty surrounding the outcome of the AB8 process means we cannot even get a loan to bridge us until increased funding might be available.” S eeing red Notwithstanding all-scarlet federal, state, and supervisorial governmental representation of the canyons, many locals attended recent regional “Hands Off´ rallies and anti 0usk dem onstrations outside the Mission 9ieMo o൶ces of Congresswoman Young Kim (CD-40) . Modj eska, Williams and Silverado voters are represented by Republicans State Senator (37) Steven Choi, Assemblymember (71) Kate Sanchez, and Supervisor (5) Don Wagner. Good to know. A rs gratia canyonis Canyon Artists invites you to its ¿fth annual Studio 7our, Sat urday, May 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sponsored by local real estate agent Marion Schuller, 13 estimable artists invite you to their studios in Silverado and Modj eska, with a ¿nal stoS at the (1C Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. Look for numEer Àags on your tour Maps are available at Canyon Market and canyonartists.net. Info: artist, organizer Alice Phillips at silveradoglass@ cox.net. If you attend Laguna’s Pageant of the Masters this summer, look for work by and about our own local artist, Madame Helena Modj eska, among the tableaux vivants. G rading How to know who is grading on local hillsides, or if it’s legal? Modj eska residents recently noted bulldozing above Markuson Road, started asking questions, and alerted Code (nforcement No site mediation (bales, markers, sandbags), a vehicle parked on the property, mud from recent rain, and the eyesore of denuded landscape on a previously scenic ridge got the county’s interest. Memento Mori May is Older Americans Month. Happily, it’s a long month. Celebrate longevity and creativity with diverse Library of the Canyons programming, including origami and knitting classes, rock painting and bingo. This month’s Wednesday, May 7, 5 p.m. Book Club read is " A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, who was a young 45 when he attempted his trek of the Appalachian 7rail Book and ¿lm adaS tation DVD available, of course, at the library. Dems feature Supervisor The Central Orange County Democratic Club will welcome Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, and Orange County Board of Supervisors candidate, Connor Traut to its Wednesday, May 28 meeting. They will discuss the state of Orange County now and into the future. Snacks at 6: 30 p.m., general meeting starts at 7 p.m. Visit the club website calendar, Mobilize.us or the club Facebook link to RSVP. RSVP is requi red to attend. Central OC Dems meet at St. Paul¶s (SiscoSal Church, 1221 Wass St. in Tustin. Local author spins tale of Scottish Romance By C arrie G raham Fans of the show " Outlander" looking for their ne[t kilted ¿[ when the show ends may want to step away from the screen and into the imagination of local author (r ica Mae. Mae’s book, “ The Stars of Scotland,” is a romance novel that follows memoirist and single mom Brielle Hunter as she embarks on a trip of self-discovery and healing after divorce. After devoting herself to rebuilding her children’s lives in the wake of the split, she’s gifted a trip to Scotland with her best friend where she runs into kilt-clad Bryce Fraser, unaware that he’s the star of a popular Scottish show centered on a Highland warrior $s the days of her triS Ày by so do the sparks. Mae, a lifelong Orange resident, always wanted to be a writer, and now her book is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. “ My little girl dreams came true,” she says. ” I started writing about fairies and Àowers as a kid Ee cause I was shy, and writing was how I expressed myself. Now it feels like I achieved one of my life' s dreams.” The mom of two, who also works full-time, began writing “ Stars” during the pandemic, after her husband was involved in an accident. She says at times she felt like a single mom, and imagining Brielle’s Scottish vacation and romance gave her a chance to live another life and heal from the ordeal. The author has Scottish heritage and has always wanted to visit, so thought it would make a perfect setting ³,t helSed me ¿nd Seace and j oy and escape in a moment that was very trying, and I wanted to share that with other women.” So far, she seems to be doing j ust that. The book has a rating of 4 .4 out of 5 on GoodReads and 4 .7 on Amazon, receiving praise from reviewers for her descriptive language, the relatability of her characters and the main character’s j ourney of self-empowerment. While Mae says there are some steamy scenes, fans are more taken with the tenderness with which Bryce treats Brielle as he attempts to keep her identity a secret from the paparazzi and teaches her to love again. In addition to “The Stars of Scotland,” Mae has written a holiday romantic comedy based around cooking, called “Falling for Lemon Snowballs” that she says is a q uick read meant to be similar to a Lifetime Christmas movie. Though romance is her primary genre, she also writes children’s books. She’s done several picture books and is currently working with her son on a book about a magic tractor as a means of encouraging him to read. Her son isn' t the only family member she’s motivating. After seeing her mom’s book on sale at Barnes and Noble, her daughter says she wants to write a book too. And those who think Mae’s Scottish warrior sounds like their cup of tea are in luck, because ³Stars´ is Must the ¿rst in a three part series, with the other two installments planned for falls of 2025 and 2026 . She also has a sSin off Slanned Erica Mae Rare fruit and plant sale 7he nonSro¿t OC ChaSter of the California Rare Fruit Growers will hold its annual sale of rare and unusual fruiting plants on Sat., May 10, from 8 :3 0 a.m. to 1:3 0 p.m. The event will be held at the Costa Mesa Women’s Club, 6 10 W. 18 th Street. For more information, see ocfruit.com “ plant sale.” Proceeds will help fund scholarships for college students maj oring in the plant sciences.
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