Foothills Sentry November 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 6 November 2020 Puzzling postcards A couple of months ago, some canyon residents were surprised to receive mail informing them that they had moved. “Check and sign the correct box below,” instructed the lit- tle green card from the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Oth- erwise “your registration may be permanently canceled.” Alarmed, Canyon Beat’s gov- ernment affairs bureau called the phone number on the card. Was this part of a conspiracy to purge selected names from voter rolls? No, said the Registrar of Vot- ers office: they wanted to verify some addresses in their records. And if a voter did not return his card, the address currently on file would not be changed. Perhaps address information obtained from third parties like Experian contained conflicting information. In any case, to check your own voter registration sta- tus, call (714) 567-7600 or go to ocvote.com and click on “regis- tration.” Park direction At its Sept. 15 meeting, the Board of Directors of the Sil- verado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District (SMRPD) ap- pointed Stephanie Bailey to serve the remainder of Anjan Purohit’s term following his resignation. They then moderated a forum for the three candidates running for two board seats in November: Michele Agopian, Julie “Rusty” Morris, and Celeste Veerkamp. The Inter-Canyon League (ICL) featured a similar forum Oct. 6. All three candidates gave similar answers to some of the questions: the Children’s Cen- ter should be a top budget prior- ity; surveying residents before creating new programs would be good; information and im- proved signage for trails might be possible by collaborating with other agencies; and the Silverado- Modjeska Specific Plan (Sil-Mod Plan) is a good idea, but not really an SMRPD issue. Not asked were questions like how SMRPD should handle po- tential conflicts of interest. For instance, suppose that you were a director of a park district (like SMRPD) who received income from events such as weddings. If you (like Agopian) also worked at a private event center, how would you respond if asked to recom- mend a wedding venue? Further- more, how would you reconcile professed support for the Sil-Mod Plan with working at a busi- ness (like Giracci Vineyards and Farms) that is out of compliance with the plan? The Sil-Mod Plan prohibits commercial activity in the San- tiago Canyon scenic corridor. But the Giracci owners (Agopian’s parents) received a use permit anyway, due to a court decision citing claims of commercial use (stables) prior to adoption of the Sil-Mod Plan. OC Planning has termed the current Giracci land use “existing non-compliant.” But is the cur- rent use the same as the prior use? Or did the court seemingly create a loophole for piggybacking addi- tional prohibited uses on top of an original use? Vineyards and farms do not even require permits. Whether Giracci’s current business consti- tutes continuation of an “existing” use could probably be determined by asking how many weddings took place in the old stables. Exploring fire The Modjeska Fire Explorer program was founded 20 years ago by longtime Station 16 Chief Bruce Newell. As part of a change in OC Fire Authority sponsorship, however, only one Fire Explorer post per battalion will now be supported, resulting in termination of the Modjeska program. The same program will be offered in Tustin and Rancho Santa Margarita, though. “It’s a good program,” said Newell, “even if canyon participants have to travel farther for meetings.” Country roads Due to complaints about speed- ing, a traffic study was done on Silverado Canyon Road. Due to study results, the county planned to lower the speed limit on a sec- tion of road west of Ladd Canyon. Due to protests about changing the speed limit, however, the county’s latest plan, reportedly, is to do nothing. (But the traffic study now allows more traffic pa- trols.) Meanwhile, OC Public Works installed high-friction surface treatment in selected spots on Santiago Canyon Road. This should increase traction, pre- venting cars from flying off the road and damaging nearby native plants. Speaking of which … Fall colors Driving from the canyons to Orange, just before the 241/261 bridge, are some tall bushes adorned with yellow flowers. That is Menzies’ goldenbush, ac- cording to Ron Vanderhoff of the California Native Plant Society. It is native to the western U.S., growing in disturbed or sandy soil. Pollinators appreciate Menzies’ goldenbush blooming “often be- ginning as early as April and ex- tending well into the fall,” says Vanderhoff. So it’s a valuable nectar source, long after other flowers have dried up. Pull over and watch the bees, before some guy starts charging you $10 to see bushes. And buy a postcard. And get your photo tak- en with costumed characters Prin- cess Goldie and Glory Bee. Then grab a Goldenbush Arches burger near the animatronic “Shrubs of the World,” hear golden old- ies performed by Bush League at the amphitheater, and exit via the rechristened Goldenbush Gate Bridge. Of course, paving the parking lot will first require bulldozing all the bushes. VPCS Foundation’s annual holiday fetes will go on – with modifications With the help of a popular old bearded guy, the Villa Park Community Services Founda- tion (VPCSF) will spread miles of masked smiles throughout the city during the holiday season. On Sat., Dec. 5, kids of all ages will get to see Santa as he is chauffeured around town on an Orange County Fire Department fire truck. Though there will no lap time, treats will be shared for those wearing masks. It is time to design your vessel for the “Joy to the World,” 23rd annual VP Dryland Boat Parade, to set sail at 5 p.m. on Sun., Dec. 13. Just about anything that will safely make its way on the VP as- phalt harbor is eligible. A decorated truck, trailer, ski boat, homemade sleigh or maybe a jazzy yacht in this entourage of mask-a-raders may earn you and your crew an award. Award categories are: Best Overall, Most Original, Most Joyful, Best Youth Group and Best Use of Lights. All entries must be registered, with proof of vehicle insurance, by 4 p.m. on Thurs., Dec. 10. Forms are available at VP City Hall or on the VPCSF website. Late registrations will be accept- ed at the VPHS check-in site on Dec. 13 at 3:45 p.m. There will be no group celebra- tion in the VP Town Center after the event this year, but everyone is encouraged to grab a bite from a local restaurant or have it deliv- ered. To view the VP Santa Tour schedule, Boat Parade route map, or find Boat Parade registration forms, see vpcsfoundation.org.