Page 5 Foothills Sentry JULY 2025 JOHNSON MOTORCARS 34 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 @ramblingroseoc "Orange Audit" continued from page 1 "VP Housing" continued from page 1 "OUSD" continued from page 1 falls that came before. And the city’s debt continued to grow, reaching $259 million in 2019. Cavecche, who served as mayor of Orange from 2006-12, notes that the city’s failure to actively pursue economic development during those years bears part of the blame for the city’s current deficit. It wasn’t paying attention to its long-term debt. The city has little control over its pension liability, as it depends on the performance of CalPERS, a statewide agency that manages pensions and health benefits for state and municipal retirees. Employees and employers contribute to that fund, which was intended to be self-sustaining over time via investment returns. When CalPERS fails to earn needed funds through its investments, it goes back to employers (cities) to make up the difference. In 2021, the city issued pension obligation bonds totaling $265 million to pay off its CalPERS obligation. With lower interest rates at that time, the city believed it would be advantageous, in the long run, to pay off the unfunded pension liability with a bond. Orange now pays $15.6 million a year to service that bond, but escalating CalPERS costs to the city have been less than they would have been without it. As Councilman John Gyllenhammer put it, “the bonds were necessary to smooth out the curve.” Orange also issued a bond to finance its new fire department headquarters in 2020. It is paying off that $34 million bond at $1.8 million annually. CalPERS and bondage Both bonds were issued during the COVID years. The city coffers were boosted with $28 million from the federal government in 2021 and 2022. That helped, but, the committee reports, the city still had deficits in three reserve funds adding up to nearly $15 million. The committee concluded that the city never fully recovered from the recession or the payback to the Redevelopment Agency. In subsequent years, revenues were not enough to enhance set-aside funds and debt service. Pension contributions and bond payments have become 20.5% of the annual budget. The current city council and city management have largely inherited the deficit, and those who were on watch at the time are gone. These issues are not unique to Orange, Cavecche said during the presentation, but “nobody was seeing it for what it was.” Arianna Barrios pointed out that the committee presentation had standardized all the data, giving the council a clear overview. “Before the current director of finance,” she said, “everything was reported differently every year. Looking back, we couldn’t find like-to-like years.” Silence on the subject She also noted that while the council made adjustments in 2023 to increase staff, “not one person said ‛maybe you shouldn’t do this, that maybe this will put you way outside your pocketbook.”’ And, she said, “that includes the mayor at that time and the finance director at the time. No one said ‘boo,’ and shame on them.” Kathy Tavoularis added that when she was appointed to the council in 2021 and lobbied to hire more police officers, “no one said anything.” Following the presentation, Mayor Dan Slater asked the committee to confirm that it did not find anything “nefarious, malicious, suspect or dirty tricks.” Cavecche responded that the committee researched any apparent discrepancies and found they could be explained by changes in reporting requirements. The council agreed that finances would remain a focus for the future. “Going forward,” Mayor Dan Slater summarized, “we certainly have our work cut out for us.” permanently assigned to one. The consolidation committee, consisting of 30 teachers, principals, administrators and parents, convened in April. It was tasked to study school populations, classroom capacity, program needs, the state of school facilities, and environmental factors. In making its recommendations, the committee considered options that would allow programs to be enhanced, that could be managed efficiently and not exceed receiving school capacity. The committee also accounted for transportation impacts for general and special education students, availability of modernization funds and master plan improvements, repurposing of closed schools and the potential for future growth. The committee divided its work by high school feeder groups; that is, which elementary and middle schools fed into each of the district’s four high schools. After analyzing the potential closure or boundary changes for 11 elementary schools and two middle schools, the committee concluded the best outcome for district students as a whole would be the scenario presented to the board. No easy task “This is not easy,” Board President Kris Erickson said at the outset of the study session. “It’s not a simple process, and tonight is just the beginning. There is no set timeline. This is not a decisionmaking session, it’s a learning opportunity for the board.” It was noted that teachers and programs would follow the students to the school where they were transferred. The exception is Olive Elementary. Originally considered for consolidation, it was removed from the list because it is an “AVID showcase” school that was certified at that location and cannot be moved. Because Olive has a large field and historic gym, it could, in addition to its AVID focus, become a “sports academy” for parents interested in matching students to a sport at an early age. The potential closure of Imperial Elementary drew the most immediate attention, with a dozen teachers, parents and very young students in attendance to plead with the board to keep it intact. They noted the school’s sense of community, its connection with families and the continuity of teachers who taught siblings one after the other. Stakeholder input is welcomed “We’re taking your comments and concerns into consideration,” Andrea Yamasaki assured the audience. “We’ve read all your emails,” Ana Page added, “we’re thinking about the community’s concerns.” “We need to hear your perspectives,” Sara Pelly said. “We’re learning, and seeing your support for your school means a lot.” Imperial, it turns out, may not be a priority for closure. “This is a big deal,” Erickson advised. “School communities are what is great about our district.” She noted that Crescent was already a large school and was concerned that it had enough facilities to accommodate Imperial’s students. “It’s not our biggest priority,” she said. For Erickson, creating a magnet school and building programs at Jordan is a priority, as is combining Prospect with Esplanade. Both schools are tiny, she explained. Esplanade has already been remodeled, is a good candidate for matching funds and the two schools are only .6 miles apart. “It makes sense programmatically and geographically,” she said. Combining Portola and Yorba Middle Schools could be another priority, she suggested. Their combined enrollment would be just 800 students. Some of the other options would create “huge” schools that would need The rezoning of a portion of Smith Basin has been controversial, as it is a known riparian habitat, part of the flood control and Santiago recharge basin and a wildlife corridor. During public comments, two residents of Orange spoke to the long-lasting impacts on the animals and ecosystem to Villa Park, Orange and beyond, the fact that OCWD owns the property, and requested an alternate be found. One commenter had sent a letter to Sen. Stephen Choi, lamenting that the state mandate imposed an impossible burden on cities such as Villa Park, which would be forced to destroy much-needed open space. Councilman Kelly McBride drily noted, that at a Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) meeting, Villa Park was not the only city unhappily burdened with an untenable allocation. considerable modernization. No decisions yet Other board members were not ready to prioritize or decide next steps without getting more information. Stephen Glass wanted to learn more about the projected enrollment decline, possible worst case scenarios and when the district might reach its fiscal cliff. He also said there were issues of adolescent development to be explored, and that he had approached this meeting as a data gathering session only. Sierra Vane wondered about the academic prowess of the schools in question, and asked if student outcomes were part of the analysis? Board members also cited concerns about space for wellness centers, community resource centers and other non-classroom uses. Pelly wanted OUSD constituents to be sure that the board is doing its due diligence. “That’s the purpose of this discussion,” Superintendent Mike Christensen said, “so we can have these conversations. We can bring back specific information about specific schools, how many classrooms there are, who would be housed where. We can bring back more of that minutia.” “Looks like we’ll be back for another study session,” Erickson concluded. Once more information is available, the district intends to send out an opinion survey to OUSD constituents. Trustee Matthew Thomas summed up the sentiment in the room: “The challenges of declining enrollment are many – there’s so many. It’s rough. No one wants to think of school closures.” The Orange Elks Lodge #1475 hosted 110 Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard active personnel who visited the City of Orange during Fleet Week. The day started with a ceremony at Orange City Hall. Next stop was the Orange Elks Lodge for a hearty breakfast prepared and served by lodge veterans, assisted by the Orange High Marine Corps JROTC. Following breakfast, the servicemen and women visited the Hilbert Museum, had lunch at the American Legion Post and then went to Disneyland. Mayor Dan Slater, an Orange Elks member, presented a proclamation from the Orange County Board of Supervisors to Navy Rear Admiral Richard Meyer, Deputy Commander of the U.S. 3rd Fleet. Mayor Dan Slater (left) presents a county proclamation to Rear Admiral Richard Meyer. OCHS presents histories and mysteries of Black Star Canyon The Orange Community Historical Society (OCHS) invites the public to a free exploration of “The Histories and Mysteries of Black Star Canyon and Irvine Park,” presented by local historian and naturalist Joel Robinson. Robinson will lead a unique tour into the nature and history of those East Orange County landmarks, July 22 at the Orange Public Library Main Branch meeting room from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Raised in West Orange, Robinson began exploring Black Star Canyon in the late 1990s because, he says, “It felt like I was traveling back in time. It was a treat to wander the dusty road where rusty cattle fences, an abandoned corral and the gnarled oak trees offered a glimpse of the county before most of it was replaced with subdivisions, malls, freeways and theme parks. It was the closest place to home where I could find tangible evidence of the past and a chance to see a bobcat or deer.” His present day work is in environmental public education. Spending time talking with blacksmiths, homesteaders, Native American storytellers and soldiers in relic settings, including the Ainsworth House in Old Towne Orange, Olvera Street in Los Angeles, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, Wawona in Yosemite, Calico Ghost Town and Irvine Regional Park has given Joel firsthand accounts of many of the local histories and mysteries he’ll share. Orange Elks welcome military personnel to Fleet Week
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy