Foothills Sentry September 2024

Page 5 Foothills Sentry SEPTEMBER 2024 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 "Budget cuts" continued from page 1 needs of our school district negatively impacted the children and community of OUSD. Our children and our community deserve better than this. Everyone elected to the school board should make the education and safety of the children attending our public schools their top priority, managing our tax dollars responsibly. Top schools lead to higher home values for our community. Rocco is only running for the school board to find any public platform to spew his conspiracy theories. They don’t even relate to our school district. The voters of Orange Unified made a huge mistake 20 years ago. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again. Terri Rasmussen Orange Dear Editor: Among the many things we take for granted, our water supply ranks high among them. How often have you stopped to consider that in this climate we call home, the population far outstrips the water that can be provided naturally. But for the ingenuity, foresight, investment, and proper management by a select group of individuals, life here would be impossible as we know it. John L. Sears is one such individual, and he is asking for your support and vote for Director of the East Orange County Water District (EOCWD). As a nine-year member of the EOCWD Board of Directors, our neighbor John Sears has proven his stalwart stewardship and effective management of this precious resource time and again. John’s involvement as a respected water advocate working for our community on water issues and local control dates back more than 15 years. As a director of the Foothill Communities Association, John chaired the Water Issues Committee, campaigning for lower water rates and better local governance. John was appointed to the EOCWD Board of Directors in 2015, first elected in 2016, and re-elected in 2020. John spoke for us before the California Public Utilities Commission numerous times in an effort to reduce water rates for parts of Tustin, Orange, North Tustin and Santa Ana. John spoke for us again before the Local Agency Formation Commission of Orange County in a hard-fought decision in favor of EOCWD ratepayers. That decision resulted in the district acquiring the area-wide sewer operation that not only provided dependable sewer service for most communities, but also resulted in a 50% reduction in sewer rates for over five years, a rate that is still below the original OC Sanitation District rate. As a member of the EOCWD Board of Directors, John has supported the lowest rates possible by maintaining one usage tier, only charging EOCWD ratepayers the cost of delivering their water, and ensuring the financial stability of the district now and into the foreseeable future. Additional benefits for those served by EOCWD include the purchase of a fresh fleet of water and sewer maintenance vehicles; the completion of the new VanderWerff well that is now pumping groundwater for residents served by EOCWD instead of relying on the Colorado River; and the design and construction of a new PFAS Treatment Plant, a decisive improvement. John Sears has the respect and endorsement of Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, former Tustin Mayor John Nielsen, EOCWD President and former Tustin Mayor Doug Davert, John Wayne Airport Commissioner Bruce Junor, former California State Senator John Lewis, Foothill Communities Asso- ciation President Richard Nelson, and former EOCWD President, now President Emeritus Bill VanderWerff. Please support the reelection of John L. Sears as a director of the East Orange County Water District to continue his decades of ratepayer advocacy, dedication, sound management, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and local governance for our continued clean, safe, reliable drinking water. Scott Logue North Tustin ing, Concerts in the Park) have been picked up by other organi- zations. The Veterans Day com- memoration and Treats in the Streets have not. TheVeterans Day tribute may be combined with the Orange Community Foundation’s Field of Valor. That door remains open, however, if someone else wants to take it on. A haunting decision The orphaned Treats in the Streets initiated a council dis- cussion about whether it should be terminated, as originally de- cided, or reprieved from the cut- ting block. Its cost was listed as $14,141, but that did not include the services of public works, com- munity development, police and fire. When staff time was added, the cost rose to $68,000. Arianna Barrios asked if the city could continue the event with some costs reduced. “It’s so large at this point,” she said. “The streets are packed. I’m concerned that if anyone else takes this over, there will be thousands of people with no place to go.” John Gyllenhammer suggested the event continue, but at a smaller scale, as was done for the Third of July event. “Think about what’s core to Treats in the Streets, and reduce fringe costs,” he offered. “I’m thinking about when the event started,” Barrios added. “The merchants did it. It was on the sidewalks, not the streets. Now we have vendors and community booths. Do we need them?” It was agreed that with no stage, no DJs, no booths with candy, the event would cost less. “So, it would be no treats, just streets.” Dumitru summarized. Points to ponder Maybe not even streets. Physi- cally closing the streets around the Plaza costs about $16,000. Not closing them at all was an option to be considered. “It’s a great event, but not pri- ority,” Bilodeau said. “We should look for a sponsor.” “If we pass on it, and a spon- sor shows up, would that be OK?” Tavoularis asked. Asked if staff had time to put the event together if the council chose to keep it, Community Services Director Leslie Hardy said yes. “But,” she added, “I’m concerned about going too thin. We still want a quality event that is safe.” The council agreed to approve everything on the cut list, except Treats in the Streets. Hardy was asked to break down the event’s costs item by item, and bring it back to the next meeting. The vote to reconsider canceling the event was 6-1, with Jon Dumitru voting “no.” This round of cuts re- duces the city’s operating deficit to about $6.7 million. City of Orange presents State of the City 2024 The Honorable Mayor Dan Slater will present the State of the City address on Friday, Oct. 18, 3-6 p.m., at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University. He will share plans for the coming year, as well as review the past year. Citizen of the Year and Businesses of the Year awards will be given. A cocktail party at Aitken Arts Plaza, the lawn in front of the Musco Cen- ter, will follow the program. The event is sponsored by the Orange Chamber of Commerce. Sponsorship opportunities at the platinum, diamond, gold and Orange table level are available; contact connie@orangecham- ber.com . Individual tickets are $75 for Chamber members, $85 for nonmembers. Parking is free upon registration. See Orange- chamber.com for tickets and in- formation. WCO clubhouse turns 100 The Woman's Club of Orange will celebrate the 100th anniver- sary of its landmark clubhouse on Monday, Sept. 16, from 12-1:30 p.m. at 121 South Center St., at a members-only affair. The celebration includes a ca- tered luncheon, ribbon cutting and an aerial photograph of members in front of the clubhouse. Kathy Thomas, club historian, will share a brief history of the clubhouse. Orange Mayor Dan Slater, Gaddi and Elaine Vasquez and AJ Ricci are the guests of honor. The club is a service and social organization, and works to sup- port a dozen local charities and philanthropies, among them: Al- zheimer’s Association, Friends of Orange Public Library, OC Fam- ily Justice Center, Orange Senior Center, Patriots and Paws, the HUB and Threads of Love. The organization also supports tree conservation, awards scholar- ships and recognizes inspirational young women. The club itself celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015.