Foothills Sentry - November 2022

Foothills Sentry Page 4 November 2022 SIX POINT PLAN -------- The Dan Slater -------- Dan Slater for Mayor of Orange (714) 886-3160 slaterformayor@danslater.com 1537 E. Chapman Ave, Orange CA 92866 1. PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS Pro-actively protect our neighborhoods, remaining undeveloped lands and our open spaces, including the Sully-Miller property. 2. PROMOTE STRONGER POLICE PRESENCE THROUGHOUT ORANGE Ensure a stronger police presence to combat criminal activity. 3. ENFORCE THE LAWS Fight for stronger enforcement of existing laws to protect against blight, graffiti, and poorly maintained public spaces. 4. ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS Employ workable solutions to get homeless people off the streets and out of our parks and help get them back on their feet. 5. FIGHT OVERCROWDING Protect our neighborhoods from traffic, parking intrusions, accessory apartments and un-kept rental properties. 6. BRING A BUSINESS APPROACH TO CITY HALL Provide transparency, financial oversight in government spending and support for local businesses. Paid for by: Slater for Orange Mayor 2022, ID# 1438598 NYLM welcomes class of 2026 The Greater Orange Chapter of the National League of Young Men (NLYM) welcomed its new class of 2026 Young Men and Provisional Mothers. The class of 2026 includes freshmen from Canyon, Villa Park and Orange Lutheran High Schools. They are: Cole Chastain, Aiden Douglas, Niko Jacoby, Jake Kotlar, Bryce Lloyd, Zach Miles, TJ Mullahey, Andrew Okamura, Gavin Patin, Alex Pham Vu, Dale Ramus, Dean Rhode, AJ Sanchez, The NLYM Class of 2026 put together robotic car kits for local stu- dents, as part of their philanthropic project. Lucas Winter and Pierce Zoss. National League of Young Men, Inc. is a nonprofit organi- zation for young men in grades 9-12. This structured program for mothers and their sons promotes the development of young men into community leaders through the four pillars of leadership: in- volvement, charitable and com- munity service, cultural experi- ences, and protocol education. See nationalleagueofyoungemen. org/greater-orange/ for info. Orange city manager has left the building Orange City Manager Rob Houston has not been in his office at city hall since Sept. 14. It was announced at the Oct. 11 city council meeting that his resignation had been accepted during a closed session in a five- two vote. No details have been forthcom- ing. Houston joined the city on March 14 of this year. He was hired by a unanimous council vote. A Sept. 13 closed session council meeting, during which his performance was discussed, reportedly lasted until midnight. A second closed meeting, Sept. 27, was called to continue the discussion. Apparently, the council voted to accept his resignation during a third closed meeting about Houston, Oct. 11. In a statement issued Oct. 12, the city said, “The City Council and City Manager Rob Houston have mutually agreed to part ways. While the decision was not made lightly, it ultimately served the best interest of both parties. The City Council would like to recognize and thank Mr. Houston for his dedication to public service and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” No interim city manager has been officially identified, but As- sistant City Manager Susan Gal- van appears to be holding down that fort. "Old Towne" continued from page 1 reward preservation, not absentee landowners seeking a tax break,” resident Analisa Goode advised. It’s the council’s call “The Mills Act should ben- efit the entire community,” Gary Zdenek added, “not just the land- owners.” Asking the council to deny the applications, he urged them to “please do what’s right.” Tony Trabuco of the Old Towne Preservation Association said that the organization opposes the Mills Act contract for these prop- erties, and that previous councils have acted to halt overdevelop- ment in the historic district. “The contracts should be put on hold until the full scale of develop- ment is known,” he said. Councilmembers seemed un- aware of the latitude they have in approving or denying Mills Act contracts. “Do we have discretion to exclude investment proper- ties?” Chip Monaco asked. City Attorney Gary Sheatz said that there has to be a reason for denial. He pointed out that the zoning on the property is r-2 and development can occur by right. If they’re willing to make it Kim Nichols stressed that before a decision is made, “We must make sure we are absolutely on point. We must understand our legal and ethical obligations.” “The Mills Act covers an entire property,” Arianna Barrios ad- vised. “If there was ever a prop- erty that required CEQA review, this is it.” Jon Dumitru reported that he was not inclined to give a tax break to commercialize a prop- erty; Kathy Tavoularis indicated her discomfort with corporations buying homes and getting Mills Act contracts. Ana Gutierrez went a step further: “We need to look at the zoning in this area. We need to downzone it to single-family resi- dences.” The council agreed to hold off on those two properties, as well as another on Shaffer Street, until Sheatz could determine exactly what the council’s authority is re- garding Mills Act approvals. Two historic homes in Old Towne have been bought by a corporation and turned into student housing. Neighbors say they should not qualify for the Mills Act.