Foothills Sentry September 2023

Foothills Sentry Page 10 September 2023 Orange Elks feed Marine Vipers Several times a year, the Orange Elks head down to Camp Pendleton to serve lunch to a group of U. S. Marines. This time, they served the Light Attack Helicopter Squadron HMLA 169, known as the Vipers. Ten Orange Elks served pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, corn, cole slaw, potato salad, watermelon, and cookies to over 400 enlisted men, women and their families on the beach. The BBQing teams, When Pigs Fly, Master of Disaster, 7 Sins BBQ, The Woodshed and Double Barrel Smoker, started preparing the meats the day before. Commanding Officer, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 Lieutenant Colonel Jason Caster expressed appreciation for the food and support for his Viper unit. Left to right, Elks Kathy Swindell, Toni Wilkerson, Jeffrey Bellis, Brian Fitzpatrick, Theresa Charity, Patti Peters, Heidi Lasky and Steve Lef- ferdink drove to San Diego to serve a BBQ lunch to the military. Lynn Turner Sign Up for Family History Fair Registration is open for the OC FamilySearch Center’s Annual Family History Fair, “Branch Out,” to be held Saturday, Oct. 14, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Lynn Turner, director of the Salt Lake City FamilySearch Library, and an accredited genealogist in Spanish research. Local genealogical societies will also have booths and rep- resentatives at the conference to answer your questions. They include the African American Study Group, the Society for His- panic Historical and Ancestral Research, and the Genealogical Society of North Orange County. The free fair will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, 674 S. Yorba, Orange. See ocfamilyhistory.org to register and for more information. CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SPOTLIGHT CALIFORNIA GOLDENROD Learn more about drought resistant landscaping at eocwd.com Orange's Santiago Creek preservation committee formalized An ad hoc citizens committee to explore the preservation and rehabilitation of Santiago Creek, and approved unanimously by the Orange City Council, will be redefined as an official city com- mittee or commission. After holding its inaugural meeting with Councilmembers Ana Gutierrez and John Gyllenhammer presiding, an attorney who was present filed a public records request and complained that the loosely formed creek committee was not subject to the Brown Act or public noticing. That prompted Mayor Dan Slater to rethink the makeup of the committee. “We concluded,” Slater report- ed at the Aug. 8 council meeting, “that the best way to handle it is for the council to step back. De- velopers won’t be nervous, and if the commission brings anything to the council, we will be able to vote on it without question.” He recommended creating a seven-person body, like other city committees and commis- sions, with members appointed by each councilmember. It would be advisory only, tasked to make recommendations on city-owned parcels, identify potential acqui- sitions, finish the creekside trail, and propose other recreational opportunities. The group would also serve as a liaison with vari- ous water boards and other proj- ects along the Santa Ana River. “We want people who want to preserve the creek,” Slater stressed, “to make it the signature open space for city. Yes, city com- missions and committees take up staff time. But the creek should be prioritized.” Shirley Grindle, a founder of the Greenway Alliance and a longtime trail and bikeway proponent, advised the city council that none of these lands can be built on in their present condition. The county now has requirements to reclaim mined areas, she said. It’s time forOrange to step in and oversee restoration. "You can’t rely on small nonprofit organizations to do it." And, she made clear, “I don’t want to see developers on this commission. They are not about preserving a creek, but about building six- story buildings.” City staff was asked to come back to a future meeting with recommendations for the com- mittee/commission. The council approved it in a 7-0 vote.