It’s taken me years to finally get the City a Traffic and Parking Commission. Many cities in Orange County have a Traffic Commission and traffic and parking have consistently been two of the major problems troubling people who live and work here. Council members Voigts and Robinson consistently fought my attempts, joined by Hamilton prior to his recall. But now we are finally able to get on track and focus on these two important issues.
Because of the importance of these problems, we need to make good decisions about whom we appoint. Here is a list of the people and some brief biographic information. I’ve listed them alphabetically.
GRADY GLOVER
Grady has lived in Portola Hills for 20+ years, and works as a Senior Paralegal.
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Grady didn’t attend the Leadership Academy but he served on the Citizen Traffic Advisory Committee. He’s also been active in AYSO and OCFA and often attends Council meetings.
His main concern is “the steep rise in vehicle traffic” and wants a “more comprehensive/regional approach to transportation issues.”
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MONICA LEVACK
Monica is a 32 year resident of the City. She works as a Project Coordinator for IBI Group.
She didn’t attend the Leadership Academy and has not been involved in City related activities though she is active in the PTA, Little League, and is the ETHS Band Booster President.
Her main concern is “take a proactive role both in congestion and parking.”
JOHN MACLEAN
John is retired but serves as a Senior Mediator for the Superior Court of California. He’s lived in Lake Forest for 37 years.
He didn’t attend the Leadership Academy and has not been involved in City related activities.
His main concern is “overnight parking” and “a definite policy on parking on streets for street sweeping”.
ROBERT PEQUENO
Robert is a 29 year resident of the City. He works as a Deputy Sheriff and was assigned to Lake Forest from 2011 to 2015.
He didn’t attend the Leadership Academy and has not been involved in City related activities though he was active in Pop Warner, Little League, and ETHS Wrestling Team.
His main concern is “traffic safety and congestion”.
SONNY MORPER
Sonny is a 48 year resident of the City. He is a retired Principal. He is the former President and currently Vice-President of Lake 2 HOA.
He graduated from the Leadership Academy and has been involved in City related activities, often attending City Council meetings.
His main concern is “citizen input and a focus on long term solutions.”
JIM RICHERT
Jim works as a consultant in sales and operations management. Jim is the current President of Lake 2 HOA and serves on the Board of San Remo HOA. He’s lived in Lake Forest for 31 years.
He graduated from the Leadership Academy and has been involved in City related activities, attending almost every City Council meeting and often Planning Commission meetings, especially when they impact traffic.
Jim’s concerns are “traffic signal duration, signal synchronization, lack of dedicated right turn lanes, lack of PPLT left turn lights, lack of parking in apartment complexes.”
TINA ROSENBAUM
Tina is a 27 year resident of the City. She works as a Community Manager for Keystone Pacific Property Management.
She didn’t attend the Leadership Academy and has not been involved in City related activities
Her main concern – “The flow of traffic, amount of cars increasing because of the new builds.”
BEN SAYDMAN
Ben is an educator who has been actively involved in Jewish philanthropy. He’s lived in Lake Forest for 20 years.
He didn’t attend the Leadership Academy and has not been involved in City related activities though he works with faith based organizations like Families Forward.
His main concern is “Safety is number one.”
MARK TETTEMER
Mark is a 22 year resident of the City. He did not submit a resume.
He is a former City Council member who last served in 2010. Since leaving office he has not been active in city-related activities or committees, although he did run for office in the Special Election of 2018 where he was defeated by Col. Tom Cagley.
Mark’s main concern is “optimize mobility throughout the City.”
JORDON VILLWOCK
Jordon is a 10 year resident of the city. He works as an Emergency Operations Coordinator for the Laguna Beach Police.
He didn’t attend the Leadership Academy and has not been involved in City related activities.
His main concern is “traffic flow and evacuation routes.”
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 Twitter handle is @DrJimGardner. 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 Aug 16 at 7 pm at the Lake 1 Clubhouse (Ridge Route).
