Report to the People (Continued)

Yesterday I presented Part 1 of my monthly report to residents about activities at City Hall. Today we’ll finish up.

PS – For those of you who received the Monthly Report by e-mail, you’ll find that the report that appears in The Patch is slightly changed and updated.

CONSTITUENT REQUESTS

During December I fielded nearly two dozen requests from residents concerning issues such as getting speed bumps, street lights, street sweeping signs, traffic signal lights, etc. I’m going to create an FAQ to save time for everyone, because many people seem to have similar concerns. Here’s my top pick for December –

Street Sweeping Signs – From all parts of the City people are upset that the street sweepers rarely sweep the streets because of all the parked cars that don’t move on street sweeping days. One of the main reasons for why cars don’t move may be that they don’t know what day the streets are being swept, and several people have asked that their streets have signs that indicate the days/times when cars should move. The City has a policy for looking into this, but obviously from the complaints I’ve received the policy isn’t adequate. In the near future the Council will be discussing the street sweeping contract and I’m going to ask for a review of the policy at that time. If you have a complaint about street sweeping in your area, it would be good for you to come to the Council meeting at that time.

MISCELLANEOUS

Website changes. I am trying to get changes to the City’s website to make it more responsive to the community. Here are some of the changes

· Expand the City Calendar to include all city-wide events not simply those directly sponsored by the City government.

· Include a list of ALL volunteer activities in the City, not only those that are directly sponsored by the City government.

· Fallen Heroes page – a page dedicated to those firemen and police who gave their lives for the City.

Do you have any other suggestions for ways you’d like to see the City’s website improved? Go to Lake Forest Town Square and comment.

Lake Forest Arts Community. As part of the “Put Lake Forest First” challenge I am trying to put together a coalition of all of those resident artists (painters, sculptures, performers, etc.) so that the City can help promote them. We could have exhibits at City hall and at the Sports Field Recreation Center, feature them in our events, etc. We might even create our own “Lake Forest Arts Council” as many other cities have.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• · Jan 6 – City Council Meeting (7 pm - City Hall)
• · Jan 7 to 8 – Snowfest registration for residents (12 pm to 7 pm)
• · Jan 8 – Planning Commission (7 pm - City Hall)
• · Jan 9 – Kiwanis (7:15 am to 8:30 am – Mimi’s Café. Speaker – Dr. Melissa Byers)
• · Jan 9 – Snowfest registration for non residents (12 pm to 7 pm)
• · Jan 13 – SVUSD Board meeting (6:00pm – Mission Viejo)
• · Jan 14 – New Business Reception (6:00 pm to 7:30 pm –City Hall)
• · Jan 14 – Neighborhood Watch Meeting (6:45 pm – Foothill Library)
• · Jan15 – Parks and Recreation Commission  (7 pm - City Hall)
• · Jan 15 - Senior Advisory Group - TBA
• · Jan 16 – Kiwanis (7:15 am to 8:30 am – Mimi’s Café. Speaker – Stan Yombo)
• · Jan 16 – Mini Town meeting (1:30 to 3:00 – Outback Steak House)
• · Jan 20 – City Council Meeting (7 pm - City Hall)
• · Jan22 – Planning Commission (7 pm - City Hall)
• · Jan 23 – Kiwanis (7:15 to 8:30 – Mimi’s Café)
• · Jan 24 – Snowfest (11 am to 3:45 pm – Pittsford Park)
• · Jan 27 – Chamber of Commerce (5:30 pm – Slater’s 50/50)

• · Jan 27 – SVUSD Board meeting (6:00pm – Mission Viejo)
• · Jan 30 – Kiwanis (7:15 to 8:30 – Mimi’s Café)
• · Jan 31 – Whispering Hills Workshop #1 (Sports Park)
• · Feb 2 – Parade Committee meeting (6 pm – City Hall)
• · Feb 3 - City Council Meeting (7 pm - City Hall)
• · Feb 5 – Hotel Roundtable – (9 am – City Hall)
• · Feb 17 - City Council Meeting (7 pm - City Hall)
• · Feb 20 – Commercial Brokers Workshop - TBA
• · Feb 25 – Meet the Mayor - TBA
• · Feb 27 – South Orange County Economic Coalition - TBA
• · Mar 6 – Lake Forest Economic Summit (9 am – City Hall)
• · April 24 – Secrets and Strategies for Business Success - TBA

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Here are some of the legislative issues on tap –

• · Appointment of Commissioners
• · Baker Ranch desire to add more homes near Sports Park
• · Meritage Homes desire to add more homes in Foothill Ranch area
• · Wildlife feeding prohibition at Village Pond Park (Deferred more than a year)
• · Prohibiting city contractors from contributing to city council campaigns
• · Tree maintenance (deferred from Dec 2)
• · Appeal of 99 Cents Stores and Mobile Gas to be able to sell beer and alcohol
• · More street sweeping parking restrictions proposed on Packer Place, Bandricon Lane, and Raymond Way.

CONTACT

You can discuss issues at the Facebook page Lake Forest Town Square. Or you can e-mail me at GardnerforCouncil@ gmail.com. Better still, come in during office hours on Tuesday from 2 pm to 5 pm at the City Hall.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. 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.