Foothills Sentry August 2021

Page 5 Foothills Sentry August 2021 Circulation … 41,750 Published on the last Tuesday of each month and distributed to residences, businesses, libraries and civic centers. 714-532-4406 Fax: 714-532-6755 foothillssentry.com 1107 E. Chapman Ave., #207 Orange, CA 92866 © Foothills Sentry 2021 Publisher/Editor Anita Bennyhoff 1969-2013 Editor Tina Richards editor@foothillssentry.com Sports Editor Cliff Robbins sportseditor@att.net Graphic Designer Aimee Armstrong graphics@foothillssentry.com Advertising Sales Andie Mills advertising@foothillssentry.com 714-926-9299 Office Manager Kathy Eidson officemanager@foothillssentry. com CAREGIVER/HOUSE KEEPER URGENTLY NEEDED Sand storm Dear Editor: As a resident and parent living near the Sully-Miller sand and gravel operation, I am writing to express concern for the health ef- fects that it will have on East Or- ange residents who will breathe the dust and diesel exhaust. Dust from surface mining op- erations produces airborne pollu- tion, including crystalline silica that can cause lung cancer, sili- cosis, COPD, kidney and auto- immune diseases; increases sus- ceptibility to infections like TB; and increases hospitalizations for heart disease. The dust from gravel mining may also contain heavy metals and radon, both of which cause cancer. Even if these emissions are within the allow- able limits of state regulations, the potential health effects will not be eliminated. Dust landing on the property of nearby residents will be stirred up during daily activities, thus mag- nifying the health consequences, particularly for active young children and babies in utero. Ex- posure of pregnant women will extend the health consequences to more than one generation, be- cause of increased pollution and diesel exhaust damage effecting chromosomes and fetal develop- ment. Diesel emissions will add to the health hazard. Diesel exhaust is a carcinogen and is more toxic than gasoline vehicle exhaust. Long- term exposure to even low levels of diesel exhaust raises the risk of dying from lung cancer about 50% for residents who live near industrial operations, and about 300% for the workers. Based on the scientific evi- dence and proven health effects of pollutants produced by gravel pit mining, I consider this opera- tion to be entirely incompatible with what should be the City and County of Orange officials’ first priority – protection of pub- lic health, families, children and pregnant mothers living in nearby residential areas in East Orange. There must be a reasonable solu- tion. Finding a remedy is one of the most important issues to ad- dress in East Orange in 2021. Mark Moore Orange Black and white Dear Editor: Lately, I have noticed that a par- ticular skunk travels through our neighborhood. It always scents the air with a smell that pervades through walls and into nostrils. Its fragrance can wake one out of a deep sleep! Making sure there is no residence for “Pepe LePew” anywhere on our property, I won- der who is harboring this black and white “stink bomb.” My hope is that my neighbors will make sure this critter is not in their yard. It is up to each resident to keep his/her property clear of this type of wild life. If people would make sure their property is free from places where skunks like to live, like debris piles or un- kempt brushy areas, then the pes- ky stink bombs will pass by and go to a more natural habitat. I am sure this is happening not only in my neighborhood. There is little information out there for this type of thing. If people are not educat- ed on how to keep skunks from inhabiting neighborhoods, it can only increase, as skunks, like hu- mans, like to have families. More skunks mean even more stink and danger to animals and humans alike. Mary Keough Orange To be clear Dear Editor: We appreciate the opportunity to be included in your story about the State of Old Towne. We have three important corrections re- garding Alisa Driscoll’s quotes in the article “State of Old Towne addressed at annual meeting.” First, Alisa specified that the plans for the Killefer School are that the space is to be used for research, academic or possible other administrative space versus office space. Second, Alisa specified that the potential properties we are look- ing for to house students are near Panther Village, on the western end of town. Third, the “old apartments” to be renovated are the Davis Apart- m ents on campus – an existing c omplex. P amela Ezell Asst. VP, Communications Chapman University Trash talk Dear Editor: The article on the front page about Waste Management’s com- plete and obvious control over the County Board of Supervisors makes me think it is time to bring in the Attorney General to inves- tigate this abuse and potential graft from WM. These contracts with this com- pany cannot be legal any more than the “mafia-run” businesses back in the 1920s. They have been ripping the people off for many years now, and it has be- come obvious to me that the county supervisors are being paid off in order for WM to receive such a golden pay raise at the ex- pense of the people. There seems to be no end to what this compa- ny can get away with. Especially when compared to “CR&R” in the same article. Please, wake up” that attorney general. Joe Del Rio Orange From the desk of... Dear Editor: Foothills Sentry readers should share my disappointment at Tina Richards’ article about new trash contracts in the July edition. Since readers only heard one side, let me share the full story. When my office heard con- cerns over the manure rates from the OPA community for the first time the week before the con- tracts were to be approved, I im- mediately directed county staff to renegotiate the manure rates and I said so on the dais. From that direction, we signifi- cantly negotiated down the trash rates. Buried at the back of Ms. Richards article, she character- izes the rate reductions we ac- complished as a “bit” lower. In fact, we negotiated an over 30% reduction in manure rates. Now the manure rate is only a $1.08 increase from the last year. Similarly, Ms. Richards tries to compare the new OPA rates to those charged by a different company set years ago in the City of Orange. The comparison is absurd. It ignores (1) changes to state laws regarding environmen- tal treatment of waste in OPA that were not in effect in Orange when those “comparison” rates were set and that drive up current rates, and (2) what the new Orange city rates are expected to be given Sacramento’s new mandates. The simplistic comparison is the equivalent of comparing Union76 gas prices today to Shell gas prices three years ago across town. Furthermore, the county solicited bids from multiple waste haulers. The waste hauler for the City of Orange bid on the con- tract for OPA, and did not provide pricing anywhere near what the current rates are in Orange. Finally, Ms. Richards strangely accepts without challenge -- and certainly without even bothering to ask me about it -- that OPA and El Modena somehow should be lumped together by the county in a trash contract. But those com- munities are vastly different. They have long been served by different providers, and they offer no “economies of scale” or other benefits by necessarily being con- sidered together. Moreover, in the meeting with OPA residents, we discussed this issue in detail and I sided with our OPA residents in asking this question of our OC Waste & Re- cycling experts. We vetted that option and it was found that the increase was not reduced by any economies of scale. Any question and concern from our residents we take seriously and vet in their entirety. We con- tinue to work with our OPA resi- dents to ensure that they are pro- vided the best service and that we hold our contractors accountable. After hearing the concerns from the OPA community, I have asked to appoint an OPA Board Mem- ber to the Orange County Waste Management Commission. If any resident has a problem with trash collection, please let our office or Orange County Waste & Recycling know so that we can help address those issues. Don Wagner Third District Supervisor Ed. Note: The story was based on what was said and done at Board of Supervisors meetings and publicly available documents and correspondence. County waste rates are substantially higher in July than they were in June. One OPA county resident reports that her manure waste bill went from $280 in June to $377 in July. Another’s rose from $43 to $217. A “bit” more than $1.08. Jan Breslauer, author of last month’s waste fee Commentary replies: "Waste Management’s alleged “manure rate” exists only on paper, and is not actually avail- able to customers. The reason there is no “manure rate” is be- cause Waste Management does not recycle manure or anything else. If you “negotiated an over 30% reduction in manure rates,” then why did my bill just increase 35%?" Orange Park Acres resident Lo- gan Eldridge graduated from Cal Poly Pomona summa cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in elec- trical engineering and a bach- elor’s degree in computer engi- neering. While Eldridge attended Canyon High School, he also took classes at several junior colleges concurrently in order to complete his UC/Cal State undergraduate requirement and the calculus se- ries prior to his high school grad- uation three years ago. Eldridge accepted a full-time po- sition as an electrical engineer with the firm where he interned. During college, Eldridge also worked on campus in the IT de- partment as administrative desk- top support, and spent his free time creating and coding web- sites. He will be back at Cal Poly this fall attending the Master of Business Administration pro- gram.