Page 5 Foothills Sentry NOVEMBER 2025 "OUSD" continued from page 1 Not furloughed! Waste not, want not Waste Management representatives, for whom a customer wastes, er, waits 20 minutes on the phone, first talking to robots while humming along to sleepy electronic hold music, confirm updates reported in a recent WM communication. Three free bulky item pickups per year is back, with a total of four items per pickup. Additionally, in Area 5 (Irvine and the canyons) one additional bulk pickup is available for new residents. We recommend scheduling online. In other news(letters) Irvine Ranch Water District’s (IRWD) newsletter is titled “Pipelines” for a reason. Notice a bigger pumping surcharge on your water bill? Increased usage means more work getting water up or over a hill. Predictions of a dry winter mean you might consider a graywater system. Want to see the source? Tour the renowned San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary and waste treatment site on Friday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Lunch provided. Supervisor Don Wagner’s newsletter is “The Supervisor’s Scoop.” Think ice cream or pet waste and celebrating Leif Erickson Day (but not Indigenous Peoples’ Day). Rep Kim’s dispatch is “Catch up with Young Kim,” and displays her staff’s affection for gerunds. Action verbs galore! Wag the dog Supervisor Wagner attacked Prop 50 via a measure to undermine faith in, no kidding, the county’s Registrar of Voters. Despite assurances from OC Vote and the District Attorney, Wagner implied massive fraud after a Costa Mesa Republican (!) was prosecuted for felonious dogvoting, the single and singularly ironic case. “What are we doing to find out if cats are registered?” asked Wagner. As Republicans, we assume. Wagner has held perhaps more elected offices than anybody in OC. Meow. Speed Kills The Orange County Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) survey process speeds along, ha ha, toward reducing fatalities and injury on unincorporated county roads and to “eliminate these crashes by 2050.” So, not speeding. Canyon locals, familiar with reckless motorcyclists, midnight racers, deer and afternoon freeway traffic, will not be surprised by “Safety Trends” observed across unincorporated OC: “Crash severity is highly dependent on vehicle speed,” with 30% of injuries from speeding and 22% of fatalities and injuries involving alcohol. Bipartisan Signed by Governor Newsom and now law, AB247 compensates incarcerated hand crew members who fight wildfires, in addition to awarding sentencing credits. “Incarcerated individual hand crew members: wages” takes effect immediately as an “urgency statute.” Stipulations include an hourly wage of $7.25 “while assigned to an active fire incident.” To be clear, “inmates convicted of rape or other sex offenses, or arson, or those with an escape history are automatically disqualified from participating as a firefighter. Inmates with high-profile cases, active warrants, or medical issues are also ineligible.” Introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Bryan, it was supported by the Progressive Caucus and the Legislative Black Caucus, opposed by the California State Sheriffs’ Association, with canyon reps State Senator (R-37) Choi and Assemblymember (R-71) Sanchez voting "yes." In related news, I’d love to introduce our new Cleveland National Forest (CNF)/Trabuco District Ranger Matthew Bokach. He’s eager to chat but with government shutdown and public affairs reps furloughed, Bokach can’t do media without their OK. This frequent mountain bike rider offers an unofficial on-site Harding Trail report from a stalwart CNF volunteer who recently replaced a picnic table at lower Laurel Springs and reminds us that firefighters do not use the now-empty concrete cistern at upper, instead able to quickly assemble a 1,500-gallon portable water collection system just about anywhere, until the old concrete reservoir is repaired. Expiration date Four years ago, grant writer Francesca Duff secured block captain's emergency packs, including bottled water and first aid kits, solar-charged power banks and water filtration systems. Likely unused and unopened, it’s time to check adhesive on the Band Aids and perhaps charger levels, replace drinking water and aspirin. This resident keeps a gallon of gas (safely stored), a megaphone, conventional batteries, flashlight, fire extinguisher, pet carriers (pet food and litter box), contact lenses, medications, protein bars, and go-bag near his cars, along with a complete set (hidden) of vehicle keys. Fair thee well Inter-Canyon League (ICL) prez and Country Fair organizer Geoff Sarkissian thanks all volunteers who helped make it a success, with 15 acts on stage and 41 vendors displaying mostly handmade arts and crafts. Special thanks to three generations of volunteering Kirklands — Ken, Katie, and Hope — along with Alice Phillips, Lisa Enochs, Lisa Unger, Jane Bove, Cody Mileham, Dee McKibben, Bic Tran Edwards, Ted Wright and Nina MacDonald. Christmas Boutique organizer Scott Breeden reports a net of about $1,900 for Friends of the Library and thanks volunteers Phillips, Judy Myers, Mary Pearson, Barbara Carrier, Pam Lau, Diane Young, Bic Edwards, Linda Osborn, Mitzi Perry, Andrew Tonkovich, Melody McWilliams, and Janet Coughlin. Some "regulars" are actually ex-canyonites who return to help. cess revisited at the board’s Sept. 25 meeting. Erickson admitted that the committee was formed in the waning days of Interim Supervisor Mike Christensen’s tenure, and there was, in fact, a perceived rush to judgement. “The board should have thought further ahead,” she said. She also stressed the need for clear guidelines regarding the board’s role, the committee’s role, staff’s role and the community’s role in the process. Monárrez advised that the “why” should come from the board, that the committee should be given detailed criteria to examine what individual schools, have or need to have, and how classrooms are being used. No schools would be named; it would just be data points. She agreed that community involvement is essential, but that it should wait until the district is closer to a realistic proposal. The goal is not to feed rumors about school closures. “Why would a parent enroll their child in a school that might close; why would a PTA launch fundraising drives?” she asked. Going forward, the process will be more structured, regarding framework and timeline. Actions include a comprehensive facility audit, building stakeholder knowledge, creating a fact and rumor management plan and establishing progress updates. The facilities committee will be consulted; alternate uses for facilities, i.e. pre-K and family programs, multi-purpose rooms, wellness rooms will be considered. “We want to be prepared not just for today’s learning,” Monárrez said, “but be nimble enough for the future.” Community included Erickson stressed the need to engage the community, “not just the people who come to board meetings or those who know they can send us emails,” she said, “We don’t want to just report out, we want the process to be interactive.” She suggested enhancing the district website to allow constituents to offer advice and opinions. “We need to make a commitment to the community, to let them know why we are doing this.” The board will learn more and have progress reports at subsequent meetings before making a decision. “This is going to take a lot more time,” Monárrez concluded. “We’re not rushing the process.” The Orange Elks Lodge's 3TueKitchenCrew donated $500 to support the El Modena High School Culinary Program. From left, EL Modena High Culinary Arts teacher Jim De Leo, and Elks Americanism Chairman Chris Michaelis Orange Elks Lodge members visited 27 Orange Unified School District elementary schools to deliver 1,723 U.S. Pocket Constitutions. From left, Americanism committee members Amelia Castro, Melissa Hatch, Dana Encheff and Dara Walker. The committee also donated 25 American flags for classrooms. Orange Elks donations support students Remembering the et als. in Mendez v. Westminster The Orange Community Historical Society will look at how an Orange family figured prominently in a landmark case that fought educational inequities, at its Tuesday, Nov. 18 meeting. The society will welcome Michael Ramirez, son of Lorenzo Ramirez, who was part of the Mendez et al. v. Westminster lawsuit, decided in 1947. Often, this landmark case is abbreviated to Mendez vs. Westminster and the et als. – Ramirez, Guzman, Estrada, Palomino – lost to history. Michael Ramirez was born in 1955 at St. Joseph Hospital and lived in El Modena throughout his childhood. He attended Lincoln Elementary and Jordan Elementary, built to eliminate the memory of segregation. He was a business owner, currently works for the Moreno Valley School District and has been married to his high school sweetheart for 49 years. He founded the Et Al Committee to preserve his parents’ legacy and that of the other families who joined this suit. Members of the Estrada, Guzman and Palomino families will be on hand as well. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Orange Public Library, 400 E. Chapman. Dr. William Langstaff marks 50 years in Villa Park This year, Villa Park celebrates a familiar face and steady hand in local healthcare — Dr. William Langstaff, who marks the achievement of 50 years in practice. Throughout decades of change, Dr. Langstaff’s unwavering commitment to patient care has made him a trusted fixture in the community. After navigating a period of unexpected challenges, the practice has found renewed strength with his son taking over as CFO, and new trusted local associate Dr. Alia Kabarra joining the team. With fresh new energy, and the same heart for service that has guided Dr. Langstaff for half a century, the Villa Park Dental Care team looks forward to continuing the tradition of compassionate, trustworthy dentistry that has defined their work for generations of local families in Villa Park and neighboring communities. Dr. William Langstaff and wife Toby in 1975. She is still helping schedule patients in the office. Dr. William Langstaff today
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