Foothills Sentry October 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 16 October 2020 Learn more at eocwd.com Max Ngo, a student at Pioneer Middle School in Tustin, earned first place in the middle school age category of Orange County’s Child Abuse Prevention Council’s 2020 Blue Ribbon Youth Art Con- test. His artwork was selected out of entries representing 16 middle schools. The 12-year-old received a certificate, gift card and large poster of his winning entry. Fireworks funds nonprofits The three entities that operated safe and sane fireworks stands in Villa Park before the July 4th holiday have reported sales and earnings for 2020. Villa Park High School Parent, Faculty, Student Organization (PFSO) reported gross sales of $111,495 and a profit of $51,460. Rotary Club of Villa Park indicat- ed sales of $110,256 and $42,302 profit. The Villa Park High School March N’ Spartans had $55,990 in sales, and $27,519 in profits. Proceeds will fund programs for the nonprofits. During the sales period, no violations were reported after inspections by OC Fire Authority and city staff. Guest Commentary Other city councils listen, why not Orange? By Stephanie Lesinski Last fall, Orange residents packed city council chambers to voice their opposition to the 128- home Trails at Santiago Creek development on the former Sully- Miller site. Residents told council members it wasn’t responsible to put homes near a flood plain, in a high-risk fire area, next to a methane-emitting landfill. They urged council not to change the “resource/open space” designation of the General Plan, which prohibits houses on the site. They wanted long-standing community plans upheld that des- ignate the land as “open space.” Ignoring those concerns, council members – Mark Murphy, Chip Monaco, Kim Nichols and Mike Alvarez -- voted unanimously to change the General Plan to “resi- dential,” paving the way for the large housing development at the already traffic-jammed intersec- tion of Santiago Canyon Road and Cannon Street. Residents fought back. In just 27 days, more than 13,000 Or- ange voters signed a referendum to put the issue on the ballot this November. Only 7,001 signatures were needed. This should have come as no surprise to city coun- cil. It was the third referendum drive in recent history. Cities, and ultimately, taxpayers, bear the cost of validating referendum signatures. In Orange, that cost was $29,716. Cities rack up even greater costs when issues go to litigation. Attorney Charles Kro- likowski, who represents several Orange County citizen groups, says it can cost cities hundreds of thousands of dollars to respond to citizen group lawsuits. When asked how cities can avoid litiga- tion, Krolikowski says, in a word, “transparency.” Residents in Santa Ana open council’s eyes In February, the group North Santa Ana Preservation Alliance led a successful referendum drive after the Santa Ana City Council voted 4-3 in favor of a 256-unit apartment complex. Another group, Santa Ana Citizens for Responsible Development filed a lawsuit, claiming the Envi- ronmental Impact Report (EIR) failed to address impacts on sur- rounding neighborhoods. On his Facebook page, Councilmember David Penaloza called residents’ efforts to gather 19,000 signa- tures in 30 days “inspiring” and “eye-opening.” Following the referendum drive, the council voted to repeal the actions that re- zoned the property, negating the need to put the issue on the ballot. According to Dale Helvig, who lives near the site and participated in the referendum, their district representative Jose Solorio re- peatedly sang the praises of the project. When it came to voting on repealing the ordinance, Solo- rio abstained. “They’ve got to re- alize,” Helvig said, “it’s the peo- ple that put them in, and it’s the people that can remove them.” Two of the current council mem- bers are running for mayor in No- vember. One of them is Solorio. Anaheim Hills residents turn up the heat In February, the Anaheim City Council reversed its approval of the Residences at Nohl Ranch, a 54-unit condo development that would have wiped out a popu- lar neighborhood retail center in Anaheim Hills. In the EIR, the property owner claimed the center at Serrano Ave. and Nohl Ranch Road was “under utilized.” However, residents who showed up in large numbers painted a dif- ferent picture. A neighborhood group Citizens Advocating Re- sponsible Development (CARD) filed a lawsuit over what it called “inaccuracies” in the EIR. Dur- ing the second reading, Council- member Denise Barnes was the swing vote that stopped the proj- ect from moving forward. “When residents keep showing up, citing the same concerns and sharing the view that the process is unfair, then it is clear we are not offer- ing assurance to residents who trust us to make decisions that impact our long-term quality of life,” said Barnes. Council voted 3-3 to deny rezoning. It would have taken four votes to uphold it. Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Ste- phen Faessel, who voted in favor of the development, is up for re- election, as is Barnes, who voted against it. Showdown coming to Orange Meanwhile, the battle rages on in Orange. The group Orange Citizens challenged the valid- ity of the EIR by filing a lawsuit against the city and the developer, Milan Capital. After the success- ful referendum drive, Orange City Council had the same option to rescind its vote and extend the olive branch to angry citizens. In- stead, it voted to put it on the bal- lot, fueling outrage heading into November, when Mayor Mark Murphy is up for reelection and several new district seats are to be decided. One of those is District 3, lo- cated north of Collins Avenue and west of Tustin Street. This district hosts a popular recreation center at the Peralta School site that resi- dents fought to keep when OUSD tried to sell the property to a de- veloper. Current Mayor pro Tem Mike Alvarez terms out in No- vember, but is running anyway in District 3, in defiance of the more than 80 percent of Orange voters that voted for term limits. “People are becoming more ac- tive in politics,” warned Helvig. “You have to listen to the people you represent, or you’re not going to be in there again.” Stehanie Lesinski is a resident of Mabury Ranch. Tustin to offer free health services In conjunction with St. Joseph Heritage Healthcare, the City of Tustin Parks and Recreation Dept. will offer a Resource Fair and Flu Shot Clinic from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Tustin Area Senior Center, 200 S. C St. The free event will offer flu shots for seniors, age 60 and up, as well as hearing screenings; complimentary oral exams and hygiene packets from local den- tists. Housing information; advo- cacy groups; and representatives to provide medicare insurance information will also be on site. Raffle prizes, giveaways and light refreshments will be avail- able.