Foothills Sentry - July 2021

Foothills Sentry Page 4 July 2021 JOHNSON MOTORCARS 31 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 Guest Commentary Refuse hauler turns waste into windfall By Jan Breslauer It’s Christmas in July for Waste Management, thanks to the Or- ange County Board of Supervi- sors. That’s when the company’s new 10-year franchise contract kicks in, taking its price-goug- ing to new levels. It’s a license to steal, and a virtual monopoly, handed to a company that does not care about its customers, the community or the environment. Those unconscionable rates are shameful enough. But the really trashy part of this story is how this contract got passed. The Board of Supervisors has stealth- ily given their stamp of approval to an extortionate rate structure and ongoing violations of state recycling law. Orange Park Acres, established 1928, is an equestrian community that straddles the City of Orange and unincorporated county. Those of us who live in the county pay much more for WM than the folks on the other side of the street pay for service from WM’s competi- tor, CR&R Environmental Ser- vices. Plus, CR&R recycles ma- nure, where WM does not. In late May, the Orange Park Association got wind that the WM franchise was coming up for a vote at the May 25 meet- ing of the Board of Supervisors. Residents who expressed concern were led to believe input was pos- sible, and that Supervisor Wag- ner was going to pull our section from the vote at that meeting. We called, we wrote letters, we made our displeasure known. At the meeting, when the item came up for a vote, it seemed that Wagner did indeed pull our area and another, mumbling some- thing about state law as he did so. That appeared to buy us two weeks to rail against the pro- posed 300% increases. But in the last two minutes of that meeting, amid the usual confusion, Wagner decided not to pull our area after all. We citizens were not the only ones who missed that little ma- neuver. When one of our col- leagues – a veteran political consultant who happens to be a county OPA resident—went to the fifth floor of the Hall of Ad- ministration to have a chat with the chiefs of staff and supervisor staffers he knew, they all thought Orange Park Acres was still on the agenda for the first meeting in June. It wasn’t. Later, we were told Wagner did indeed get a reduction in manure processing rates. That implies that WM does something differ- ent with manure than it does with trash, which does not appear to be the case. It also raises serious questions about abuse of pro- cess. If a contract such as this – a government-sanctioned virtual monopoly -- is open to private re- negotiation long after the original bids have been tendered, it starts to look as though CR&R and oth- ers weren’t given a fair crack at bidding in the first place. When my husband and I first moved to Orange Park Acres with our two horses in Febru- ary, there were WM trashcans of various colors on our property. The previous owner explained that the brown ones were for ma- nure. We opened a WM account, filled those manure cans, and then watched them sit in front of our property for over three weeks. Despite repeated requests, WM would not empty the bins. They would tell us they’d be picked up, and then no-show. This happened again and again. Multiple phone calls were ignored, and countless misrepresentations were made. Hours were wasted speaking to WM “supervisors.” After more than a month of watching any number of WM trucks drive by – with their “Think Green. Think Clean.” slo- gan on the side — we were told we had to switch to dumpsters, and that we had to open a com- mercial account. Yes, a commer- cial account -- even though we live in a small farmhouse and there is no business on our prop- erty. WM said we’d have two dump- sters: one dumpster for manure, and one for trash. That sounds like the manure is going to be recycled, right? Why else would you separate? And yet, every Tuesday since then, I have watched those green WM trucks do their dirty busi- ness. The truck comes along, dumps one of the dumpsters. And then it pulls up and dumps the other dumpster. The contents of both of my carefully separated dumpsters – one trash, one ma- nure – are going to the same place in the same truck. No recycling. California law requires com- mercial customers to sort and re- cycle as of 2016 (AB 1826, Ches- bro). Yet here we are in 2021, with the OC Supervisors handing a 10-year franchise to a company that flagrantly ignores the law. Giving this to WM, without al- lowing community input, was an abuse of the constituents’ trust. And we should no longer have any trust in supervisors who are facilitating this cavalier disdain for the public welfare. Jan Breslauer is a resident of Orange Park Acres. Guest Commentary Pick excellence over expediency By Adrienne Gladson The surprise announcement at the June 8 Orange City Council meeting of City Manager Rick Otto’s pending retirement, and the release of the June 18 job flyer seeking qualified candidates, with a rushed closing date of July 7 for applicants to apply, begs the question of how to select the best candidate for the job. What tenets should be used in selecting our next city manager? What leadership traits should this person have to ensure our future? Is it time to look outside our or- ganization to bring in needed change and fresh ideas? Some in Orange may not know the council only directly hires two city em- ployees, the city manager and the city attorney. I offer the proven core prin- ciples of the International City/ County Management Association (ICMA) as the best place to start. The mission of ICMA is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering pro- fessional local government man- agement worldwide. Here are ICMA’s core tenets: 1. We believe professional management is essential to effi- cient and democratic local gov- ernment by elected officials. 2. Affirm the dignity and worth of local government services and maintain a deep sense of social responsibility as a trusted public servant. 3. Demonstrate by word and action the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all public, professional and per- sonal relationships in order that the member may merit the trust and respect of the elected and ap- pointed officials, employees, and the public. 4. Serve the best interests of the people. 5. Submit policy proposals to elected officials; provide them with facts, technical and profes- sional advice about policy op- tions; and collaborate with them in setting goals for the commu- nity and organization. 6. Recognize that elected repre- sentatives are accountable to their community for the decisions they make; members are responsible for implementing those decisions. 7. Refrain from all political activities that undermine public confidence in professional admin- istrators. Refrain from participa- tion in the election of the mem- bers of the employing legislative body. 8. Make it a duty continually to improve the member’s profes- sional ability and to develop the competence of associates in the use of management techniques. 9. Keep the community in- formed on local government af- fairs; encourage communication between the citizens and all local government officers; emphasize friendly and courteous service to the public; and seek to improve the quality and image of public service. 10. Resist any encroachment on professional responsibilities, believing the member should be free to carry out official policies without interference, and handle each problem without discrimina- tion on the basis of principle and justice. 11. Handle all matters of per- sonnel on the basis of merit so that fairness and impartiality govern a member’s decisions, pertaining to appointments, pay adjustments, promotions, and discipline. 12. Public office is a public trust. A member shall not lever- age his or her position for per- sonal gain or benefit. The first question the council should ask of every candidate who applies is, “are you an ac- tive and long-term member of ICMA?” and second, “how will you carry out ICMA’s 12 tenets as our next city manager?” It’s my view that no one should be hired who cannot answer these questions correctly and provide references that verify past perfor- mance. I encourage everyone to attend the next council meeting to pro- vide comments about this crucial decision and share which tenet needs improvement or is missing. The next city council meeting is on July 13 at 6 p.m. Adrienne Gladson is a former Orange Planning Commission chair. Pride unfurled Dear Editor: I want to see the Pride flag fly above Orange City Hall. Nine cities in Orange County fly the flag, but sadly, Mayor Mark Murphy and the Orange City Councilmembers refuse to support the LGBTQ commu- nity by doing this simple thing. It would appear that they have learned nothing about equity, di- versity or inclusion. I want to live in a community that values all people regardless of wealth, ethnicity, skin color, disability or sexual preference/ orientation. I am dismayed that our city leaders don’t support this basic right of recognition. Melanie Weir Orange Paradise lost Dear Editor: I truly appreciated the article in April, ”City and fill operator out of touch with state and resident reality.” It was well-written and very informative. If it weren’t for the Foothills Sentry reporting, the people in this area would have little idea about this alarming giveaway of a precious resource to an out-of-town corporation that wants to destroy it for profit. Reminds me of the chorus in John Prine’s song “Paradise:” Daddy, won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County? Down by the Green River where Paradise lay. Well, I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking, Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away. We have our own paradise here in Orange along Santiago Creek, and Chandler‘s dump truck wants to cover it up. We cannot allow this to happen. As a longtime resident of this city, I hope, in- stead, we may someday make it a beautiful recreational green belt we can all be proud of. Arlene Johnson Orange Home zone Dear Editor: Thanks for reporting on the Wanda Street rezoning issue. It’s interesting to hear the inner workings of VP, where folks are wringing their hands over the RHNA requirements to identify POTENTIAL sites for infill hous- ing. As every city in OC struggles with this issue, it becomes in- evitable that sites small and large will need to be re-zoned or up- zoned to come close to meeting the requirement of 296 units. (As a comparison, Irvine’s require- "Letters" continued on page 5