Foothills Sentry Page 4 JULY 2025 Circulation … 40,000 Published on the last Tuesday of each month and distributed to residences, businesses, libraries and civic centers. Printing by Advantage, Inc. 714-532-4406 Fax: 714-532-6755 foothillssentry.com 1107 E. Chapman Ave., #207 Orange, CA 92866 ©Foothills Sentry 2025 Publisher/Editor Anita Bennyhoff 1969-2013 Editor Tina Richards editor@foothillssentry.com Sports Editor Cliff Robbins sportseditor@att.net Graphic Designer Jef Maddock graphics@foothillssentry.com Advertising Sales Andie Mills advertising@foothillssentry.com 714-926-9299 Office Manager officemanager@foothillssentry.com Best laid plans Dear Editor: As you might be aware, the member of Congress elected to represent the 40th Congressional District, Young Kim, is refusing to hold any open town hall meetings. Congresswoman Kim’s office recently reached out to canyon residents, who her staff considered “community leaders,” for a closed-door meeting regarding wildfires and other issues she prioritized. Her staff made it clear that it was invitation only (Supervisor Wagner and his staff were invited) and she set the agenda. The meeting was set for Friday, June 20, at the Silverado Community Center at 1 p.m. Canyon grapevine being what it is, the news circulated and a welcoming committee of residents of the 40th Congressional District was organized. The main topic of protest was the Senate version of the reconciliation bill now being considered. This version of the bill contains provisions to sell off/transfer millions of acres of public land in most of the Western states, including much of Cleveland National Forest. The protestors realized that Young Kim had NOT voted for this provision, because it was NOT part of the original bill that the House of Representatives passed earlier (that Kim voted for). The message for Young Kim was: Do NOT vote to approve the Senate’s version of the bill when it comes back to the House. Naturally, when Kim discovered an opportunity to face her constituents (gasp!) was planned, she canceled the inperson meeting, and it became a Zoom meeting. The protest was held, Kim got a 30-second view of her gathered constituents (76 of us) via Zoom and once again, the woman elected in the 40th Congressional District to represent her constituents refused to do her job. Young Kim, have you no shame? Voters of the 40th Congressional District: elect a candidate that will represent your concerns. They work for US! Julie A. “Rusty” Morris Silverado Dear Editor: On June 18, when we learned the Senate added the sell-off of National Forest Land as part of its budget plan, we expanded our planned Friday protest outside Silverado Community Center to include that issue, along with our protest about Young Kim having a closed meeting in our backyard. The instant ad hoc protest planning committee formed and started getting the word out. The Kim meeting was going to start at 1 p.m. so we invited people to arrive at the park at 12:30 p.m. We planned for a peaceful, respectful demonstration of our disappointment about the closed meeting and our concerns about our neighbor, the Cleveland National Forest, one of the forests on the For Sale list. We contacted friends and neighbors using social media and good old-fashioned phone calls. We did not want a huge crowd of “outsiders.” We just hoped for an opportunity to, at best, have Young Kim meet with us and hear our concerns or, at worst, let her see the crowd of people who were concerned about open democracy and the sale of public land. It turned out that selling the Cleveland National Forest was a hot issue for lots of people, and word spread about our protest faster than our dreaded wildfires. By Thursday, we saw a flyer someone had designed to promote the protest outside the canyons. Fortunately, it included our words "peaceful and responsible," and we were excited, but also concerned enough to make plans for a bigger crowd. We lined up some experienced rally monitors and discussed ways to de-escalate if the crowd started getting angry. We planned on a picnic table with snacks and water, music, and, maybe, even games on the blacktop. We would gather in the shade of the pepper tree about 60 feet from the building. At 9:42 Thursday night, Geoff Sarkissian, president of the InterCanyon League, texted to say the meeting at the community center had been called off, but would continue as a closed Zoom meeting. I wrote back, “I’m still having my picnic.” Young Kim’s excuse for the cancellation seems to be a flyer that looked a little bit menacing. It was distributed under the names of four organizations, two of which I have never heard of. It had the time and location wrong, misrepresented the intent of the demonstration, and tried to turn it from a demonstration about free speech and the federal budget into a political protest catch-all. Our picnic/demonstration was a joyful, fun event. We chanted, sang and had an open-mic speech fest. Anyone who wanted to talk signed up. The were no limits on topic or length. Fortunately, the speeches were heartfelt and the crowd remained engaged. Young Kim got a chance to see us when JJ Galvez came out with his computer and panned the crowd. At its peak, we had 76 people there. I had hoped for at least 35. I am mad at the unidentified organizers who tried to hijack our demonstration and gave Young Kim an excuse to run away. But I am much more angry at Young Kim. She is trying to run as a moderate, creating photo ops with community leaders, making promises she has no intention of keeping, all while following in lockstep with MAGA and being more concerned about what the President thinks than what her constituents think. Her credibility is dropping like a rock. Every time she dodges a real meeting with constituents, she makes it worse. Every time she runs away from a community gathering, we get angrier. She uses the excuse that she is afraid of a misbehaving mob while ensuring that if we ever get to see her, we will be mad as hell. Young Kim, if you are reading this, call me. I have some great advice. One is, stop relying on your staff who did not do enough legwork to find out all the preparation we did to make our rally peaceful democracy in action. And two, the longer you hide the worse it looks. LindaMay Silverado Localmotion Dear Editor: Hats off to everyone who participated in the No Kings rallies on June 14. Thousands of our community members came out in bipartisan gatherings to make our voices heard. The family-friendly event reminded us of everything we treasure about joining together to make our neighborhoods friendly places where children grow, families thrive, and we all do our best to make our neighbors feel safe and valued. We will undoubtedly see more – and bigger – rallies as word spreads that they are indeed the best that America has to offer: Speaking up for our freedoms while keeping it friendly and often quite funny. We’ve all seen the cheeky signs that make us giggle. I saw a crowd of hundreds dancing to an impromptu “Chicken Taco” song at the rally in Anaheim. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I was struck by the number of young people at the rallies. Our next generation cares. Let’s keep giving them this opportunity to find their voices in their communities. It’s the ticket to a better future. Ronna Sarvas Weltman Cowan Heights No sale Dear Editor: The Elisabeth Beall Letter to the Editor in the June edition titled "Shock and bah" had some great points. I've lived in Orange for 47 years. My three children were in the OUSD system, and over these 47 years, the board is far from being members of Phi Beta Kappa. Even an 83-year-old man knows you never give up school property. Neighborhoods change, old people die and new young people move in and quickly discover watching TV is boring and early to bed is more fun, and Voila! -- we need more classrooms. It happens. I know from experience. Also, what happens to our property values when new home buyers discover there are no schools nearby? Property values drop and take property taxes down. Hey OUSD, find a piece of property in Orange you could purchase to build a school on now. I'm talking a real school like La Veta or El Modena High School, not a little six room charter school. Duh, I'm waiting. Elisabeth, I'm your first vote for OUSD board member. Leonard Musgrave Orange It's the principal Dear Editor: I am a recent graduate of California iInspire Academy. I recommend that the Orange Unified School District keep Dr. Misty Brunasso at California Elementary. I started in kindergarten at California with Dr. Albert. I felt, back then, kids weren’t motivated to go to school, and school really wasn’t fun. When Dr. B came, she made all the difference. She knew all our names, and we felt like we belonged because we were known by her. I know that a lot of kids in our school were motivated to come to school, and it’s shown by the school winning the district trophy for attendance multiple times. I think students felt individually supported because she personally met with those who were having difficulties, and counseling was provided as needed. I have seen some kids go from sad kids who hang out at their classrooms all day, to kids who are out playing sports every day. Kids knew they are safe with her in charge. Dr. Brunasso also made school more fun. She turned boring assemblies into exciting experiences to get awards and interact with students at different grade levels. She was also out at the front of the school every morning to greet us with joy and make us feel welcome. If Dr. B doesn’t stay, kids might not feel as comfortable and find school as welcoming, and it could lead to lower attendance. And kids who don’t feel safe at school cannot do as well in school. Another principal wouldn’t likely be able to match her unique way of running the school. Please consider keeping Dr. Brunasso at California next year. Wesley Woody California iInspire Academy Class of 2025 Orange Ed. note: This letter is in response to an OUSD administration plan to move principals from one school to another. Orange Police Foundation secures funding to expand access to AEDs As part of National CPR and AED Awareness Week, the Orange Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting the Orange Police Department, announced a donation of $50,000 from Providence St. Joseph Hospital to purchase and deploy Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across the department. The funding will help the Foundation equip half of the 40 marked patrol vehicles with life-saving AED devices, ensuring rapid access to essential medical equipment during cardiac emergencies. Additional AEDs will be placed throughout specialized department units. This initiative is part of a broader effort to reduce sudden cardiac arrest deaths and improve survival rates. The AEDs will also be valuable in the unlikely event a police officer becomes a victim. In March 2023, an on-duty police officer had a heart attack. The availability of an AED in the first responding police car may have lessened the impact of his medical emergency. As AED technology has evolved, these devices have become more accessible and widely understood by the public. With AEDs already present in schools, businesses, and public spaces throughout Orange, expanding their availability in police vehicles ensures that life-saving tools are on hand when every second counts. Officers receive regular training in the use of AEDs, and this initiative will maintain consistency by deploying the same type of device in every vehicle. While less expensive AEDs exist, they are typically designed for stationary use and lack the rugged features required for mobile environments. "We are thrilled to partner with Providence St. Joseph Hospital to continue our mission of making life-saving resources more accessible to the public," said Sean O’Toole, President of the Orange Police Foundation. "Having AEDs in every patrol vehicle can mean the difference between life and death in a cardiac emergency. This funding ensures our officers are equipped to respond to emergencies swiftly and effectively." To join Providence St. Joseph in supporting our ongoing AED fundraising efforts, donations can be made online through the Police Foundation website at orangepolicefoundation.org. For more information about the AED program or to support the initiative, please visit the website or contact Dan Adams Dan@orangepolicefoundation.org. The Orange Police Foundation was founded in May 2023, to provide funding for training, programs and specialized equipment to ensure a safer City of Orange. New speed limits set in Villa Park The speed limits in Villa Park have changed – surprisingly, they have increased. On Center Dr., from Villa Park Rd. to Santiago Boulevard; from Santiago to Taft; and from Taft to Valley Drive, the new speed limit is 35 mph. On Cerro Villa Dr., between Rama St. to Canyon/Mesa, the new limit is 30 mph.
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