Report to the People - September

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

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. Nov, 2 to 4 pm, at Foothill Ranch Library.

THE ELECTION

The big news for the next two months will be the election. Here’s my initial impressions, subject to change, of the six people running for a seat on the City Council –

Adam Nick has been true to his promise to fight for honesty, transparency, and good government even though most of his initiatives were shot down by the Gang of 3. His demeanor was a little unpolished at the beginning of his term, but he has improved enormously. Nick takes no money from special interests and thus he represents the people. No one on the Council has fought more for the quality of life for the residents than Nick.

Dwight Robinson is the worst kind of politician. I’ve written about him recently and there is little I can add to those thoughts. Click Here

Francisco Barajas is a junior member of the Gang of 3. They put him on the Parks Commission so he would have some street cred when he ran for Council. What they didn’t expect was that Barajas would miss more meetings that the rest of the Commissioners combined, that he would go for a year and a half without making a single motion, and that he would rarely show up at important City events.

Leah Basile is bright, energetic, and concerned with our community. She is the President of the Portola Hills HOA and personally I believe that being an HOA President is the best way to prepare for a City Council position. She’s been to many City Council meetings and many City wide events and can hit the ground running. She’s also a woman and right now we have an all-male Council. Perhaps we would be less dysfunctional if we had a woman present.

The Other Two Guys. Prior to deciding to run for the Council I don‘t think the other two guys had even been to a City Council meeting, or a Commission meeting, or a major workshop on issues like the senior center, civic center, parks, etc. Where do they get the idea that the first thing they can do is sit on a City Council? Makes no sense to me. My best advice – if they really want to get involved, get involved. There are committees to join, local volunteer groups that need your help, the Chamber of Commerce can always use more people, etc. I can think of 200 people, at least, who have put in more time and energy and who could run for the Council.

SPECIFIC ISSUES

Even More Homes – Toll Bros. recently had 250 new homes approved for the area opposite the Sports Park. Now they want to expand even more, by adding a 3rd story to a few dozen of their homes, increasing the number of bedrooms. The Planning Commission approved their decision but Councilman Nick and I asked the Council to review the decision. A few weeks ago Toll Bros asked to meet with me and discuss Lake Forest’s housing needs. After an hour discussion I concluded that Lake Forest could benefit from affordable housing built close to the Freeway, and I worried that the 4,500 new homes all built near the 241 was too high a concentration. So what does Toll Bros. propose? More luxury bedrooms around the 241!

Even More Beer and Wine – 99 Cents Stores wants to start selling beer and wine in their Foothill Ranch store, even though their tract is recommended for only two stores and there are already 7 in that tract and 8 more nearby. Their request was approved by the Planning Commission and Councilman Nick and I requested a review. It comes up this week at the Sept 8 Council meeting. Click Here

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 July we are down 16%. The biggest decreases are in robbery (-40%) and aggravated assault (-16%) but rapes (+22%) and stolen vvehicles (+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. In the interim, Councilman Nick and I got the Council to allowing the Bennett Ranch proposal to go through review.

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)

NETWORKING

Last month I attended the following meetings/events.

• · Aug 2 – Office Hours
• · Aug 2 - City Council Meeting
• · Aug 9 – Office Hours
• · Aug 10 – Lake Forest Day at OC Fair
• · Aug 16 – Office Hours
• · Aug 16 - City Council Meeting
• · Aug 18 - Parks and Recreation Commission
• · Aug 23 – Office Hours
• · Aug 26 – Special Needs Dance
• · Aug 27 – Adam Nick’s Town Hall
• · Aug 27 – Community Policing and Diversity
• · Aug 29 – LF Marine Support Fundraiser

UPCOMING EVENTS

• · Sept 6 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)
• · Sept 6 - City Council Meeting (7 pm – City Hall)
• · Sept 8 – Planning Commission (7 pm – City Hall)
• · Sept 8 – Speech to senior citizens (7 – pm)
• · Sept 13 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)
• · Sept 14 – Leadership Academy Starts (6:30 to 8:30 – City Hall
• · Sept 15 – Ribbon Cutting – Burger Boss (10 am - 23642 Rockfield #502)
• · Sept 15 - Parks and Recreation Commission (7 pm – City Hall)
• · Sept 16 – Lake Forest Garden Club (9:30 – Lake 1)
• · Sept 17 – City 25th Anniversary Celebration (11 am - Sports Park)
• · Sept 20 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)
• · Sept 21 – Chamber of Commerce Mixer (5:30 – Outback Steak House)
• · Sept 27 – Office Hours (4 to 6 pm – City Hall)
• · Sept 30 – Ribbon Cutting – Frescas Mexican Grill (11 am – 22681 Lake Forest Dr)
• · Oct 6 – Chamber of Commerce Mixer (5 to 8 pm)
• · Oct 8 – Lake 1 Garage Sale (7 to 11 am – Lake 1 parking lot, Ridge Rte)

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.