City Council Preview - Aug 21

Here’s what’s coming up Tuesday night –

FIRE-FIGHTERS

I asked the Council to set aside some time to recognize the bravery of the fire fighters who rescued a woman who otherwise might have died when she was attacked by a swarm of bees on July 16.

• Fire Captain Tim O’Hare
• Engineer Jay Sellers
• Firefighter Nicholas Zimmer
• Firefighter Ryan Wilson

PARADE

Lake Forest has a great 4th of July Parade but it would not be possible without the dedicated work of nearly 50 volunteers. Tuesday night we will recognize their service along with awards for the outstanding participants in the Parade. In addition, 8 people will be recognized with 10 year (Jim Gardner, Martha Halverson, Matt Rayl, Michael Varma) and 25 year (Marty and Robbie Deutschman, John and Sybil Wilson) service awards.

Here are the award recipients

• Mayor’s Award: Nuevo Amanecer Folkloric Group
• Best of Lake Forest Award: Lake Forest USMC Support Committee
• Best Community Outreach Award: Santiago De Compestela Church
• Best Sports Theme Award: Hard Core Fitness Studio
• Best Musical Unit Award: El Toro High School Royal Blue Regiment
• Best Animal Entry Award: Mini Madness Miniature Therapy Horses
• Most Patriotic Award: 1 st Law Enforcement Battalion, USMC
• Best Spirit Award: Lake Forest Seniors
• Best Vehicle Award: Vintage Fire Chief Car
• Best Dance Unit Award: Corazones Alegres Ballet Folklorico Dance Group
• Sandy Mink Award: Freedom Village

SHOP AND DINE

I asked our Economic Development team to turn the “Shop and Dine Week” into a month’s long celebration, and this year is the premiere of the concept, and to go along with our launch, they created a video.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORT

Last year I created a Business Development subcommittee and we have been working hard to update the City’s business development goals and programs. Staff created an action plan that consists of 6 elements –

• ribbon-cutting notifications
• organizing promotional events at shopping centers
• establishing a Mayor’s Business Council
• retail revitalization
• business registration records
• regional workshops

The Action Plan leverages existing strengths and identifies opportunities for additional economic development efforts through coordinated effort by addressing the following core areas:

• Marketing and Brand Opportunities
• Business Retention Efforts
• Expanding the Business Attraction Program
• Creating and Encouraging Private Reinvestment
• Promoting Local Businesses through Shop and Dine
• Providing Educational, Training, and Networking Opportunities

Tuesday night we'll discuss the plan.

COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION

Generally, CCAs enable local jurisdictions to form a separate public agency that aggregates the purchase of energy directly from power suppliers. The goal of the CCA is to obtain power at rates that are lower than the investor-owned utility such as Southern California Edison. Consequently, a CCA can potentially provide a means to reduce energy rates for residential and businesses customers. CCAs may use operational savings to fund sustainable energy programs or offset the cost of energy as a way to incentivize economic development.

While CCAs may lower energy cost for resident and commercial users, potential constraints may influence the potential benefits of forming a CCA. These constraints include fluctuations in energy prices, upfront costs of establishing the agency, ongoing operating expenses, State mandates, and regulation by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Staff recommends a feasibility study ($60,000) that analyzes the potential energy and cost savings to the community. Staff is aware of other Orange County cities including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine, and Mission Viejo who have started this process.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest where he serves as Mayor. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a town hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be Oct 18 at 7 pm at the Lake 1 Clubhouse (Ridge Route).