Report to the People - August

This report covers the period from July 1 to 31. It represents the views of Councilman Gardner and does not reflect official City policy. These reports are produced monthly. Past copies are available on request.

INVOLVING PEOPLE

One of my main concerns is to involve more people in our local government.

Office hours are every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm. Inquire at the Clerk’s office. Occasionally things change, so be sure to check first.

Town Square – Lake Forest Town Square has over 500 members and growing, providing valuable input on issues facing the council as well as general issues. Please join.

Listen and Learn – To date I’ve met with nearly a dozen groups around the City. If you have a group and want to share your concerns, let’s get together.

Mini Town Hall Meetings – Next meeting - Sat. Aug 13, 2 to 4 pm, at Foothill Ranch Library.

The Patch – In case you were unaware, I post a column in the Lake Forest Patch, usually 3 to 5 times a week (to date there are over 1,000 up there). The City Attorney advised me not to respond to comments lest I inadvertently violate the Brown Act (some of my colleagues are known to comment using pseudonyms), but you should feel free to comment there.

SPECIFIC ISSUES

Crime – Here’s a link to my latest article on crime. Last year major crimes were up nearly 30% but this year from Jan to June we are down 14%. The biggest decreases are in robbery (-60%) and aggravated assault (-12%) but rapes (+57%) and burglaries (+8%) are up. To check it out for yourself, Click Here.

Civic/Senior Center –Click on the links for the latest story on the Civic Center and the Senior Center. These new projects are vital to our quality of life. If you haven’t been involved yet, it’s not too late. The August 6 meeting was cancelled. We expect to have public hearings in September. I’ll keep you posted.

Sober Living Homes – I got some good information about what we can do if there are problems with a sober living home in your neighborhood. Click Here to learn more.

Permit Parking – The Council turned down a request from Bennett Ranch to start permit parking on 4 of their streets, but Councilman Nick and I voted to put the matter on an upcoming agenda, along with a thorough review of the permit process. The Council voted to give the issue to the Planning Commission to report back what we can do.

Animal Services – The “Gang of 3” (Voigts, Hamilton, Robinson) voted against having our own local animal shelter. Click Here for the sad details. Now we are only 1 of 2 cities in all of South OC that still sticks with the County’s infamous shelter. As predicted, our high costs (nearly $600,000 per year) are going to get even higher. We could have had better service, better care, less death, no killing of kittens and puppies, for less money and kept the bulk of our expenses in Lake Forest. Instead the Gang of 3 voted to stay with the County. I’m grateful for Councilman Nick’s support in this effort, but in the end, the Gang of 3 had the votes. If Councilman Robinson is defeated in November we will have one last chance to cancel the contract and develop our own local service.

Drones – The City responded to a Grand Jury report and set some guidelines for how the City will deal with drones. Click Here for more info.

Still Waiting – Previously we discussed several issues and we’re waiting for the City response.

· a better way of alerting the public (City Manager)

· revisions to the Portola Park to accommodate the seniors who will live nearby (Parks Director)

· shuttle service to Sports Park when major events are held (Parks Director)

· the $15,000 RFP for supplemental animal services (City Manager)

· review of license to sell beer and wine by 99 cents store (Planning Director)

NETWORKING

Last month I attended the following meetings/events.

· July 4 – 4th of July Parade (10 am to 12 pm)

· July 4 – Lake 1 4th of July Celebrations (11 am to 3 pm)

· July 5 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· July 5 - City Council Meeting (7 pm – City Hall)

· July 7 – El Ranchito 50 year anniversary

· July 12 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· July 19 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· July 19 - City Council Meeting (7 pm – City Hall)

· July 21 - Parks and Recreation Commission (7 pm)

· July 25 – USMC Support Fund Raiser (11 am to 9 pm – Biagios Italian Restaurant)

· July 26 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· July 30 – Relay for Life Lake Forest (10 am – Sports Park)

UPCOMING EVENTS

· Aug 2 – National Night Out – Crime Prevention (4 to 8 pm – Sports Park)

· Aug 2 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· Aug 2 - City Council Meeting (7 pm – City Hall)

· Aug 5 – Movies in the Park – “Aladdin” (7:30 to 9:30 pm – El Toro Park)

· Aug 6 – Civic Center Workshop (10 am – City Hall) CANCELED

· Aug 7 – Fund-raise for Underdog Rescue (12 pm - Cismontane Brewing Co., RSM)

· Aug 8 – Portola Parkway widening project begins

· Aug 9 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· Aug 9 – Fall registration for recreation classes begins

· Aug 10 – Lake Forest Day at OC Fair (12:30 – OC Fairgrounds)

· Aug 11 – Deadline for businesses to join “Shop & Dine”

· Aug 11 - Planning Commission (7 pm)

· Aug 12 – Movies in the Park – “Up” (7:30 to 9:30 pm – Sports Park)

· Aug 12 – Annual Skate park Summer Campout (10 pm to 9 am – Etnies)

· Aug 16 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· Aug 16 - City Council Meeting (7 pm – City Hall)

· Aug 18 - Parks and Recreation Commission (7 pm)

· Aug 19 – Band Night at the Skate park (6 to 10 pm – Etnies)

· Aug 21 – Concert in the Park – “Men Without Hats” (5 to 7:30 pm – Sports Park)

· Aug 23 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

· Aug 25 – Deadline for applying for Neighborhood Paint Program

· Aug 26 – Special Needs Dance (7 to 9 pm – City Hall)

· Aug 29 – LF Marine Support Fundraiser ( 11 am – 9 pm - Cuca’s Mexican Food)

· Aug 30 – LF Marine Support Fundraiser ( 11 am – 9 pm - Cuca’s Mexican Food)

Most of the events are FREE but some may charge admission. Be sure to check.

CONTACT

You can discuss issues at the Facebook page Lake Forest Town Square.