Foothills Sentry July 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 4 July 2020 "Public" continued from page 1 Public opinion on agendized items can also provide perspec- tive that does not arise during council discussions. The June 9 agenda included an approval of a landscaping contract for city facilities and rights of way. Four unheralded public comments brought up the city’s continued use of chemical herbicides and insecticides. Now hear this “I’m strongly opposed to this contract, as it doesn’t include synthetic-free or organic land- scape maintenance,” Jess Barber wrote in an email. “We prioritize the health of our children and pets over weed abatement. We’ve pre- sented organic options and you declined them. City council— please do better.” “We are not asking for organic by neglect,” another wrote. We are asking the city to give an hon- est effort to eliminate the use of these products. The evidence con- tinues to mount that this chemical that you are exposing your con- stituents to is not safe.” Councilwoman Kim Nichols did raise the issue of synthetics versus organics for landscape maintenance “to address resi- dents’ concerns.” She acquiesced when told that this particular con- tract was only for small pockets of landscaping, not parks, and the cost of organic maintenance was 23 to 75 percent higher. The council will likely revisit the is- sue when the park maintenance contract comes up, but without hearing the public comments, on- line viewers missed the depth of residents’ concerns about toxic chemicals in public spaces. Up a creek During a previous online meet- ing, the council approved an amendment to the municipal code to “meet the minimum require- ments of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relating to flood damage preven- tion” with no discussion at all. The context of the seemingly in- nocuous FEMA floodplain man- agement revisions was left to an unheard public comment. It was resident David Hillman who noted that the floodplain in question was Santiago Creek, the centerpiece of at least three con- troversial proposals. Chandler LLC plans to fill in a 14.8-acre parcel with construction debris. In doing so, Chandler will al- ter the flow of the creek and the floodplain boundaries. Chandler has asked FEMA to revise the 100-year flow designa- tion of the creek (pending) based on an engineering study done in 1990. The change would take its property out of the floodplain. “A change to the flow desig- nation is concerning,” Hillman wrote, “because that will not only impact the Chandler property, it would impact all the other prop- erties that are in the 100-year floodplain.” Will the floodplain manage- ment revisions affect Chandler’s plans? Because Hillman’s com- ments were unspoken, the council didn’t have to address that ques- tion. The rest of the story In another action, the council voted to declare three city-owned houses on La Veta Avenue as sur- plus property. Councilman Chip Monaco noted that several local nonprofits might be interested in acquiring one or all of those prop- erties, and suggested that they be offered for sale to them first. The council agreed that was a fine idea, but did not explain how the surplus property process works. Had a public comment by Adri- enne Gladson been read aloud, it would have been clearer. “With extensive changes to state law regarding local agencies declar- ing property as surplus,” she ad- vised, “I request this item be fully explained to council and the pub- lic. The action to surplus these contributing historic resources requires a thoughtful council review. I further recommend a framework and outreach process be established with key members of the community.” Guest Commentary By Adrienne Gladson The general election, which also includes our Orange elec- tion, is four months away. The filing deadline is Aug. 7; if an in- cumbent does not file by then, the fiing date is extended to Aug. 12. Because of my career of public service and community involve- ment, people have asked for my advice about running for office as they consider such a decision. I tell them they must earn voters’ trust. People don’t trust politi- cians, but that’s the most impor- tant asset an elected official can have. Inherent distrust of office holders must change. And it can. Here’s how: T ime and a pure heart Serving on the city council re- quires dedicated time, energy and grit to do the work. While the role is policy and leadership-driven, it is not a ceremonial title, nor is it a springboard to advance to the next political office. Voters in Orange can easily figure out your motives, and have extensive ar- chives of those who failed us. We do compare notes. If you’re only 2020 – Is this the start of change? in it to help your buddies or de- velopers get a pass on following the rules with an open and trans- parent process, the community will figure that out. If you don’t have a servant’s heart, want to put in the time, solve our systemic problems, listen, make decisions based on facts and the complete story, act so we know you are prepared, and are open to all good ideas, don’t run. R epresent and respect everyone Being elected to the council means you must represent ev- eryone. Yes, everyone. It means you must put community ahead of special interests and yourself. It also means you are required to represent those with different viewpoints, backgrounds, eco- nomic status, faiths, life-choices, colors, or personalities. If you’re not ready to do this, don’t run. As an elected official, your vote shouldn’t be for sale and the dais isn’t a vending machine. If personal financial gain or media fame is the goal, don’t run. U nderstand good public policy As a member of the city coun- cil, you must bring a track record of knowledge of how the city works or be ready to learn – fast! -- how the pieces fit. You’ll need to curate a solid generalist toolkit, with a working understanding of every aspect of city government and all sides of good public de- cisions. You will need smart and wise people in the wings to help with those areas you don’t know. Those advisors must have the freedom to tell you the truth and keep you focused so as to not do harm. The community is smart, and it will hold you accountable. Residents expect you to carry out the efforts and plans they worked so hard to get in place. If you want to roll back those achievements, don’t run. Also, each member of the council has only one vote. To accomplish anything, you need three more votes to get it done. You will be required to find com- mon ground and build consensus. If not, I believe your actions will result in delivering the greatest amount of damage in the short- est amount of time. If good public policy that helps everyone isn’t part of your DNA and your mind- set isn’t collaborative, don’t pull papers. S tand firm for ethical gover- nance and proper planning Trust is gone. People want pol- iticians to stop talking and start listening. They want their right- ful grievances, concerns, dreams, community plans, and opinions heard, and steps taken to address them. They want to be part of the process, every step of the way. They demand that you be above reproach and ethical, which means they will never see your toes even close to the line. And if behaving in a dismissive manner or name-calling is your commu- nication style, don’t run. T ell the truth Be honest, authentic, and don’t fall into the trap of becoming a hy- per partisan pretzel. Be you. Seek the office with a clear vision and achievable goals, where members of the community are included to join the effort with you. Be a champion for everyone by mak- ing ample room at the table. Find allies in the community who al- ways hold you accountable, and heed them when they do. Voters are fed up with politicians. Voters will turn out when toxic power patronizes and dismisses them. If speaking the truth isn’t your pledge, don’t run. Earning the public’s trust and keeping it requires integrity, char- acter, and the courage to go at it alone. It also means you need a sense of humor and the humble- ness to publicly admit when you are wrong. If you are up to the task in delivering trust, we need you to run. We need you to run so the city we all love can move forward. In this time of critically important personal and civic awakening, a health crisis and economic uncertainty, I am opti- mistic that trustworthy folks will step up to end the cynicism, be- cause in 2020 we need to restore trust more than ever. Adrienne Gladson is a certified city planner and served on the Orange Planning Commission from 2011 to 2018. Nathan Gonzalez, second from left, with his family, was the recipient of the Richard A. Freschi Award. The Schmidt Memorial Award winners were Verenice Patino, left, and Lena Shi. The Villa Park Rotary Foun- dation, created to endow worthy causes, serves as a legacy for past local Rotarians for whom the endowments are named. The foundation board includes Vito Canuso as chair, Pam Dunn as vice-chair, and Roy Berelowitz, Richard Engle, Marc Hurd and Bill Underwood. The Richard A. Freschi En- Villa Park Rotary grants endowments Photos by Turville Photography dowment provides a $1,000 scholarship to a graduate of Villa Park High School who will go to a trade school. Nathan Gonzalez was the recipient of that award. The Mark R. Schmidt Memo- rial Award of $500, designated for an outstanding student(s) at Santiago Canyon College, was presented to Verenice Patino and Lena Shi. VP disperses recovery funds The City of Villa Park an- nounced, June 23, that 17 small businesses within its jurisdiction were awarded recovery grant money made available from funds received by Orange County from the federal CARES Program. The county allotted $75 million for the program, with $15 million given to each supervisorial dis- trict. Supervisor Don Wagner, in turn, dispersed funds to each city in his Third District, based on population. Villa Park received $147,000. Grant applications were reviewed by volunteers from the city’s in- vestment advisory committee with no input from city staff or the city council. Thirteen Villa Park small busi- nesses received $10,000; one was awarded $7,500; two were given $4,000, and one, $1,500. When public property is de- clared surplus by a governing agency, it must first be offered to other public agencies. New state laws also require the property to be offered up for affordable hous- ing before it can be sold for an- other use, and stringent reporting requirements must be adhered to throughout the process. Need to know The La Veta properties were declared surplus with little pub- lic notification; the Old Towne Preservation Association, for ex- ample, knew nothing about it. The council’s decision not to read public comments aloud during online meetings was ad- dressed in a submission by Laura Thomas. “I believe there was an egregious oversight in not read- ing all public comments at the April 14 council meeting,” she wrote. “I’m respectfully request- ing during future virtual city council meetings all comments are read into the record. Freedom of speech in a public comment platform should be respected.”