Foothills Sentry - September 2022

Page 3 Foothills Sentry September 2022 7540 E. Chapman Ave. Orange, CA 92869 (714) 639-9792 MEAT&DELI, PRODUCE, BAKERY, FRESH FISH, GIFT BASKETS, WINE MON-SAT: 8am - 9pmSUN: 8am - 8pm www.Pac i�i cRanchMarket.com $ OFF Excluding alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. With coupon only. May not be combined with any other offer or discount. Limit one coupon per customer. Valid only at P aci�ic Ranch Market. When You Spend $25 or More * EXPIRES: 09/30/22 5 OC’s Premier ProduceMarket I pledge the following as a member of the Orange City Council: Make Public Safety a top priority Vote against any tax increase Work with other city leaders to eradicate the homeless issue in our city Paid for By Chris Horton for Orange City Council 2022 FPPC ID #1450743 My family has lived in Orange since 1944. My wife and I have chosen to raise our sons here and own and operate a successful small business. I also believe it is important for elected officials to be held to a higher standard and be above reproach. If elected, I pledge to serve as a councilmember with respect, integrity, and full transparency. (714) 832-0750 462 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 92780 WWW.IVYS.COM • Iridology Consults • Wellness Tips IMPROVE HEALTH NATURALLY! • Awesome Lunches • Organic Cofee & Tea Old Town Tustin Village at Orange neighbor Darren Kempkus told the council that he supports revitalization, but not the Specific Plan as, “It seems to be backed by developers and state grant money.” Resident Jeff Lawrence added that the plan seemed to financially benefit developers, and that the city had already met its state- mandated housing requirements. Grant comes with a catch Residents Doug and Matt Hamilton have carefully studied the city's grant application and documents funding the NTSSP, and reported that housing is an expected result of the government’s investment. “The application says it’s going to be affordable housing,” Matt Hamilton said, “but the EIR says it’s going to be market rate. Those documents conflict with what the city has been telling us.” He also fears legal liability if the city spends the money and doesn’t build housing. Planning Director Susan Gal- van clarified that the grant money was issued to satisfy two things: work on the city’s housing ele- ment, and the Tustin Plan. The housing element money has al- ready been spent, and the report sent to the state. The common thread among residents’ public comments was that the mall property should retain its commercial zoning and not include residential. Mall property owners disagreed, saying that the mall is reaching the end of its useful should take a serious look at why you are on the council. You are here to serve us.” “If you are sick of hearing residents complain, you should resign,” Dru Whitefeather underlined. “Sometimes the public knows more about an issue than you do. This falls on Mayor Mark Murphy.” Laurel Maldonado insisted that, “this pattern of bullying and dis- respect needs to stop. It damages the entire council. I’m asking you to bring back respect, dignity and professionalism.” The right to slight Dumitru pointed out that the city code does contain two sen- tences about decorum, but, he said, “It’s worthless.” Hammer- ing on the constitutional right to free speech, he highlighted the need for “lofty discourse,” even if it was discomfiting or abrasive. “We have the freedom to speak foolishly and without modera- tion,” he said, citing a number of court cases confirming that bad behavior on the dais is legal. “What’s on the books now is more restrictive on the public than the council,” Murphy said. “Maybe we could seek a balance between what is expected of the public and the council.” Noting that the July meeting was the “ex- ception rather than the rule,” he vowed to “tighten the reins on the procedural part of council meet- ings without infringing on the rights of an individual to have an opinion.” Speak easy City Attorney Gary Sheatz asked what the council wanted staff to do. “Should we come back with a policy?” “I’d be happy to see something come back,” Kim Nichols ad- vised. “There’s always room for self-reflection. But we have to be careful not to prevent free speech. If there’s something on the books, let’s fix it.” But, she added, we don’t want language that would lead to lawsuits. Sheatz acknowledged that he would “come back with something.” Chip Monaco was silent during the entire discussion. Before addressing the next agenda item, he offered an apology of sorts. “I apologize to my colleagues,” he said, “for being the source of an hour of time that we shouldn’t have to have at the dais.” Later that week, he announced that he would not be running for the District 4 council seat. life, and consumers are no longer drawn to large malls. “We want a place where residents come to shop and dine, and maybe live,” one said. “The problem is, economics won’t let strictly commercial zoning work.” Shop where you live Another noted that introducing residents into commercial areas has worked in other locations. “It’s an opportunity to activate this mall,” he said, “to put resi- dents close to a retail center. We have plans for a couple hundred homes, not high-rises, just two- to three-story. It will increase sales taxes and property values.” “This plan is flawed,” Tavoularis insisted. “I’m frustrated by the lack of transparency or notice. Nobody knows what this plan is. I move that council cancel the plan, return the grant money, shorten the scope to Lincoln and Meats, and appoint an ad hoc committee.” Chip Monaco seconded the motion, saying, “This plan, this process, has spun out of control. The community became con- fused. There’s no way to move forward in a productive way. We need an ad hoc committee with staff, the community, and proper- ty owners. And send the money back to the state. Kathy Tavou- laris should chair the committee.” Plan B Mayor Pro Tem Kim Nichols, chairing the discussion in Murphy’s absence, agreed that, “We don’t have consensus. We are on a path to step back.” She advised that they move with caution, “We survive on development,” she said, “We don’t want to be adversarial.” She then suggested Monaco serve on the committee, as District 4, which he represents by default, borders the Tustin corridor. Ana Gutierrez, whose District 5 grazes the NTSSP boundary, had asked to be on the commit- tee at the July council meeting. She again expressed her interest. “No,” Nichols told her, “it can only be two councilmembers to comply with the Brown Act.” City Attorney Gary Sheatz summarized the discussion, confirming that the vote was to cancel the Specific Plan, return the grant money earmarked for the plan, refine its scope, and create an ad hoc committee with Tavoularis and Monaco. It was not clear who else would be invited to join the committee. "North Tustin St." continued from page 1 "Civil Servants" continued from page 1 Silverado resident Jean Millar has been named to the board of MOMS Orange County, a non- profit dedicated to the health of pregnant women and newborns. Millar is regional executive direc- tor of the Women and Children's Clinical Institute, Providence, and has leadership experience in healthcare operations, physician relations, financial management and quality improvement. MOMS aims to help vulnerable families have healthy babies, and to dis- rupt the dynamics of poverty, lack of health insurance and barri- ers to care. MOMS serves 5,000 mothers, babies and fathers an- nually. Richard Suckling will be the featured artist at the Tustin Art League’s September online work-in-progress demonstration. Art League presents demo The Zoom meeting will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8. The link can be found at TCFA.org .