Foothills Sentry - July 2022

Foothills Sentry Page 4 July 2022 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 The day the homeless in Orange became homeless … again By Martha Wade Mary’s Kitchen has been like a home to countless people over the last 35 years. On June 10, it was forced to stop serving meals and given 60 days to secure an industrial site to store its inven- tory. Volunteers and staff will no longer have daily contact with those whom they have developed trusted relationships with over the years. The land near the Orange Po- lice Department was granted to this nonprofit in order to serve those who identified as homeless. In 2021, Mary’s Kitchen provided over 59,000 meals, plus laundry and mail services to thousands of Orange County’s population. Even with this marked impact, it is being forced to change. Now, Mary’s Kitchen is scrambling to find a location to store donated clothing, food, toiletries and more. They will only distribute donated items to new distribution centers. They will no longer be able to offer the sense of commu- nity. As a resident of Orange since 1995, I had heard about Mary’s Kitchen. I’d see volunteers drive around in their marked van, gath- ering day-old food from numer- ous locations to serve those in need. I knew they fed the home- less and provided other basic needs at their location on Struck Avenue. I did not truly understand Mary’s Kitchen until my daugh- ter and I committed to sort do- nated items, in preparation for Mary’s Kitchen’s relocation. It wasn’t until I visited the site that I truly grasped the historic work of Mary’s Kitchen. Mary’s Kitchen is way more than a distribution site for those who have fallen on hard times. Mary’s Kitchen has been a place of community, security and understanding. It’s the “Cheers” of homelessness, the place where everyone knows your name. Many people believe that Mary’s Kitchen hasn’t shown due diligence in ending homeless- ness. This was not its mission. Its mission is “Helping the less for- tunate. A place where everyone is welcomed. Mary’s Kitchen is a volunteer organization whose aim is to provide compassionate care for the less fortunate of Orange County. All services are conduct- ed in a manner which preserves dignity.” One of the men who started as a recipient of meals now volunteers his time. He shared that Mary’s Kitchen is very different from other kitchens. “Other places quickly pass out food and push us out. This is our community. They care about us, unlike any other place.” Many community members believe institutional solutions are the answer. After watching staff and volunteers interact and sup- port each person, I can see it is about relationships. Volunteers have shared that those who call Mary’s Kitchen home are anxious. They do not know who is going to help them with day-to-day tasks that seem overwhelming. For years, these volunteers have been their counselors, friends, mentors and advocates. These people who have congre- gated, eaten and socialized at Mary’s Kitchen from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. have no designated place to gather together. People are communal. It does not matter if you have a home or not; individuals need community. We have seen increased chaos, depression, and anxiety following the isolation we all experienced due to the lock down. As this city decision to close the kitchen moves into actuality, homeless individuals are being forced into isolation. Where will they congregate now? The little nook of Mary’s Kitchen, tucked on an industrial cul-de-sac, will be no more. So, will they end up on my street, or yours? Orange resident Martha Wade is Founder and Executive Director of A Quarter Blue’s Trauma Re- covery Center and Treasurer of Ryder Wade Foundation, Inc. Sully-Miller dumpsite remains hot topic Orange Citizens would like to respond to Orange County Su- pervisor Don Wagner’s perplex- ing rebuttal made in June to an Orange Citizens' press release printed in the May edition of the Foothills Sentry entitled, “County may allow toxic waste to be bur- ied in Orange.” In his response, Supervisor Wagner states that the article had, “unfounded accusations toward the County of Orange and his of- fice.” In fact, in the 543-word Or- ange Citizen press release, there was only one line that referenced Supervisor Wagner. That statement was: In 2022, shortly after County Supervisor Don Wagner became involved, the LEA [Local Enforcement Agency]stopped communicating with citizens. Complainants were told an agreement was pending. Indeed, several citizens who had been communicating regular- ly with the LEA since early 2020 found themselves getting the run- around. "Don Wagner says he encour- ages constituents to contact his office,” says Dru Whitefeather, a neighbor who lives near the site, “I last contacted Wagner's office on Feb. 17, 2022 requesting in- formation and I'm still waiting.” Wagner alleges, “the LEA has conducted numerous inspections since 2020. Currently, we have not observed any hazardous ma- terials at the site.” However, it is undisputed that there are NO records of what has been dumped on the site since 2013. At an October 2020 hearing involving the LEA (an arm of CalRecycle) and property owner Milan Capital, all witnesses testi- fied under oath. The LEA’s lead enforcement officer Kathryn Cross testified that the reports lack, “data that shows the concrete that has been brought in is uncontaminated.” She also stated, “I’ve seen plaster out there from pools…but it’s all mixed in and . . . it’s now buried probably 20 to 30 feet below.” According to the EPA, it is il- legal to dump certain building materials because they contain carcinogens and other toxins that pose a risk once they are crushed and become airborne. Cross testified, “that material, when it was brought in, should have been kept separated because once you mix it, it’s no longer able to be separated back out.” When asked if there were any other options other than removing all materials, Cross testified, “As an unpermitted facility, that’s ba- sically illegal disposal, so it needs to be taken off the property.” In Wagner’s response, he stated the LEA will now allow, “the re- moval of any parts of the on-site clean stockpile to an appropriate facility.” Since these materials are mixed and have now contami- nated all of the stockpiles, there can be no “clean” piles as Wagner claims. Wagner maintains that the LEA, “has since reviewed alter- native approaches,” that will al- low the site owner to, “implement a post-closure maintenance plan.” Given Milan’s poor record keep- ing, Orange Citizens have little confidence in the deal, which as Wagner says, would allow the site owner “to do pre-development analytical testing and investigate onsite stockpiles..” In fact, “pre-development,” as Wagner described, is not allowed. In the hearing closing arguments County Council (representing LEA) stated that the stockpiles may NOT be used for, “pre-de- velopment.” County counsel spe- cifically stated: According to CCR§ 17388(1): Once a solid waste facility re- ceives (i.e. "disposes" as de- fined in PRC § 40192,14 CCR§ 17388(e) material in a manner that is not consistent with the criteria set forth in 14 CCR § 17388(1), including pursuant to an Operation Plan not deter- mined "complete and correct" by the LEA, the stockpiled solid wastes cannot be artificially used to generate "fill" post facto for a future lDEFO (development). To hold contrary to this, would amount to a mockery of the entire regulatory permit tier system. After all of the laws that have been violated, there needs to be an outside independent expert overseeing this effort. It is outra- geous and unacceptable to allow this property owner to hire his own consultants to conduct test- ing. This site has been unregulated for years. There are no records of what has been dumped. No one knows what is buried below or in the 40-foot mounds. Allowing contaminated materials to remain onsite is a threat to the health of families in the surrounding neigh- borhoods. We urge the LEA and Supervi- sor Wagner to be fully transpar- ent, respect Cross’ testimony and properly enforce the law. Orange Citizens is an organiza- tion composed of East Orange residents who have closely fol- lowed the Sully-Miller dump- site issue since it was brought to LEA’s attention in 2020. The group's contact is Laura Thomas (714) 264-4242 Increased landscape assessment approved; chemical use to continue The Santiago Hills landscape district increase in assessments did not come up until after 10 p.m. at the June 14 Orange City Council meeting. That was appar- ently too late for in-person com- ments, although several residents had emailed pleas to eliminate the use of chemicals and toxic pesti- cides on the community’s com- mon ground. Residents raised the issue of chemical sprays on public land- scapes several years ago, citing the reported dangers of products such as Roundup and SpeedZone. The city agreed to stop using chemicals in Santiago Hills Park for a year to “see how it went.” After the year moratorium on the use of chemicals, the park, according to residents, “looked fine.” The park remains chemical- free, and community members would like to extend the chemi- cal-free zone to include landscap- ing within the assessment district. In an email sent to the city, resident Jess Barber wrote, “I would again urge you to switch to organic land management. Our Santiago Hills Park is beautiful and completely nontoxic. Why not make our entire neighborhood organic? Bayer has made the de- cision to pull the sale of Round- up for residential use starting in 2023 due to mounting lawsuits and liability. Now is the time to go organic.” “I have written several times to inform you of the dangers of synthetic herbicides,” Kim DeLehman advised. “Throughout California, the U.S. and world, glyphosate is banned. I cannot be- lieve the city continues to spray this in our neighborhoods where our children play. We are truly in the minority at this point.” Writer Mariam Tukhi cited a number of scientific studies indi- cating that chemicals in Roundup and SpeedZone are harmful to the health of children and pets. “Why is the City of Orange so hesitant to stop spraying these chemicals,” she inquired. “I ask that you make the health of our children your priority over weed control and switch to organic landscaping methods in all of our parks and open spaces.” The city previously surveyed Santiago Hills residents about switching from synthetics to organics in common areas. In- formed that the cost of organics would be substantially higher, residents declined. Santiago Hills property owners pay for landscape maintenance via two assessments The first, initiated in 1986, has reached its maximum at $369.44 for single- family homes and $221.66 for condominiums. An overlay assessment, ap- proved by voters in 2015, may increase up to 3% per year, based on the consumer price index. That assessment for 2022-23 is $255.60 for single-family units and $181.48 for condominiums. The total assessment, including fees paid by the Rancho Santiago Community College District, to- tals $920,715. Expenditures are expected to be $917,642. Excess funds will be added to the reserve balance, projected to be $375,279 at fiscal year end. Guest Commentary