Foothills Sentry July 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 6 July 2020 Orange Mayor Mark A. Mur- phy, on behalf of the City Coun- cil, issued a proclamation, June 11, declaring the City’s support of the ongoing peaceful demon- strations being held in the City of Orange, and across the nation, protesting the recent killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “The City of Orange stands to- gether with the African-American members of our community,” states the proclamation. “And those who have been marginal- ized and disenfranchised no mat- ter their race, creed, color or ori- entation. Our community stands as one.” As ongoing social justice dem- onstrations shine a spotlight on police practices across the coun- try, the proclamation also affirms Orange’s ongoing commitment to community-based policing. The Orange Police Department has long embraced de-escalation as part of its training and opera- tional practices. Each of its of- ficers is required to uphold the highest standards of honor, in- tegrity and accountability as they serve Orange citizens. “Our Orange Police Depart- ment’s mission is to perform law enforcement duties, with innova- tive leadership, accountable to the people they serve,” the proc- lamation continues, “…with a set of values that prioritize the com- munity in public safety and polic- ing efforts.” The proclamation closes with a promise from the council to the citizens of Orange: “The City will engage the community to pro- mote open dialogue about intoler- ance of racism, implicit bias, and discrimination. We are Orange and Orange is strong.” The proclamation is posted on the city website, cityoforange.org . The Orange PD's commitment can be found at cityoforange.org/ DocumentCenter/View/11198. Demonstrators gathered peacefully in the Orange Plaza, May 30, to protest the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The two Orange neighborhoods that are levied an assessment for landscape maintenance will see their fees for fiscal year 2020-21 remain the same as last year. The maintenance contracts will not include the use of non-chemical pesticides and herbicides. Many Orange residents have asked the city to switch to organic products to maintain landscap- ing in common areas citywide. Among the most vocal are fami- lies in the Santiago Hills neigh- borhood. In response to repeated requests to discontinue the use of synthetic herbicides and pes- ticides in the local park, the city agreed to use Santiago Hills Park as a test site, refraining from us- ing any weed or insect abatement products for a year. That pilot project was for the city park only, not the community landscaping. Santiago Hills resident Kim- berley DeLehman asked that the 20-21 landscape assessment not be approved without adjusting the maintenance contract to in- clude organics. “I know of many community members who sup- port organic land management,” she wrote in an electronic public comment. “We have not been invited to discuss the fate of our landscape district, and now ap- proval is on the calendar. We want to be involved in how our money is spent, and do not want it spent on toxic chemicals.” Assistant City Manager Bon- nie Hagan noted that the contract with the landscaping company expires next year, giving the city and Santiago Hills residents an opportunity to renegotiate.“The community will be asked when the contract expires whether they want natural pesticides or not,” she said. Santiago Hills and Sycamore Crossing are the only communi- ties in Orange that fund common area landscaping through the city’s community services depart- ment. Both landscape districts re- sulted from developer agreements in 1986 and 1994, respectively. In Santiago Hills, property owners pay $369 per year for the original levy (86-2) that reached its maximum allowable assess- ment level in 2007, and $244 for an overlay approved by voters in 2015. The fees are paid via prop- erty taxes. Santiago Canyon Col- lege contributes $25,287. Total Santiago Hills revenues for 2021 will be $900,296; expen- ditures are expected to be around $1,417,415. The shortfall will be covered by reserve funds. While both levies are subject to annual Consumer Price Index adjust- ments, Orange city staff deter- Orange City Council issues “Orange Stands Together” proclamation Landscape assessments remain unchanged mined that the districts would be fully funded without an increase. Sycamore Crossing’s annual levies of $293 for interior tract properties, $298 for units adja- cent to the improved landscaping, and $597 for the Harmony Creek senior housing site will also re- main unchanged. Photo by Jackie Steward