Report to the People - Dec 2016

This report covers the period from Nov 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 550 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 - TBD
• 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), and you should feel free to comment there.

SPECIFIC ISSUES

Election - The big news was the impressive win for Leah Basile. At last count she had 27%+ of the vote followed by Robinson and Nick who each had 19%. She had 4,000 more than either one of them who are separated by only about 100 votes.

FWIW – the two incumbents received 19,000 votes while the 4 non-incumbents received over 30,000 votes. Basile and Nick received 23,600+ votes, Barajas and Robinson received 17,800 votes while the two unknown candidates received just under 9,000 votes.

Even More Beer and Wine – 99 Cents Stores was approved to start selling beer and wine in their Foothill Ranch store (Click Here) and now their El Toro store also wants to start selling beer and alcohol. It was approved at the Planning Commission meeting on Nov 10 (Click Here) even though there are already 10 stores in their tract which is suitable for only 3 stores, and there are 8 more stores nearby.

In addition, the Shell station on Trabuco and Lake Forest Drive was approved to sell beer and alcohol (Click Here). On a per capita basis we have more stores selling alcohol than our neighbors which may be one reason why our crime rate is also among the highest.

City Manager to Retire – You’ve probably already heard this, but just in case – our City Manager announced that he will retire in January. We are busy looking for a replacement. Click Here

Crime – Last year major crimes were up nearly 30% but this year from Jan to Oct we are down 15%. The biggest decreases are in robbery (-45%) and larceny/thefts (-20%) but rapes (+36%) are up. To check it out for yourself, Click Here.

BTW – Registration for the Child Safety Academy is now open. The classes start on Jan 25 and are held on Wed nights from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at the City Hall. Click Here for more information.

Civic/Senior Center –Click on the links for the latest story on the Civic Center and the Senior Center. These projects are moving forward. We expect to spend in excess of $70,000,000 to complete these projects. Thankfully the money is in the bank.

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.

Community Preparedness Academy – Registration is now open. Classes begin March 1 and are held for 6 consecutive weeks at 6 pm on Wednesdays at City Hall. Sign up now. Click Here.

Parks. The upgrade to our existing parks, including long neglected Village Pond Park, will begin soon. Click Here to learn more.

NETWORKING

Last month I attended the following meetings/events.

• Nov 1 – Office Hours
• Nov 1 - City Council Meeting
• Nov 8 – Office Hours
• Nov 9 – Legal Questions for Business Owners
• Nov 15 – Office Hours
• Nov 15 - City Council Meeting
• Nov 16 – ACC-OC Retail Space
• Nov 22 – Office Hours
• Nov 22 – Reception for Assemblyman Choi
• Nov 28 – Sober Living Homes
• Nov 29 – Office Hours
• Nov 30 – Special Meeting of City Council

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Dec 1 – Chamber of Commerce Mixer (5:30 – Wine Artist)
• Dec 3 – Breakfast with Santa (8:30 – Sports Park)
• Dec 3 – Heritage Hills Victorian Christmas (11 am to 3 pm)
• Dec 3 – Brunch with Santa (11:30 – Sports Park)
• Dec 6 – Kawasaki Motors Ribbon Cutting (11:30 – 26972 Burbank, FHR)
• Dec 6 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)
• Dec 6 - City Council Meeting (7 pm – City Hall)
• Dec 7 – Business Appreciation Day (11:30 – Sports Park)
• Dec 8 – Crime and Prop 47 (8:30 am – 311 W Peltason Dr, Irvine)
• Dec 8 – OC Shelter Design Advisory Board (9 am – Santa Ana)
• Dec 8 – Oke Poke Ribbon Cutting (10:30 – 23646 Rockfield Blvd)
• Dec 8 – STARS award banquet (6 pm - Lake 1 Clubhouse)
• Dec 8 – Planning Commission (7 pm – City Hall)
• Dec 9 – Lake 1 Boat Parade (6:30 pm – Lake 1)
• Dec 10 - Heritage Hills Candlelight (5:30 to 8:30 pm)
• Dec 11 - Heritage Hills Candlelight (5:30 to 8:30 pm)
• Dec 13 - Parking Issues for Cities (11:30 – Costa Mesa)
• Dec 13 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)
• Dec 15 - Parks and Recreation Commission (7 pm – City Hall)
• Dec 17 – Special Needs Dance (7 pm to 9 pm City Hall)
• Dec 20 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)
• Dec 20 - City Council Meeting (7 pm – City Hall)
• Dec 21 – Chamber of Commerce Mixer (5:30 – Outback Steak House)
• Dec 23 – So OC Economic Coalition (7:15 am – Laguna Hills)
• Dec 27 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)

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