Update

Here’s an update on some of the things happening in the City-

CAT HOARDING

To date 135 cats were examined as a result of this case – 36 died or were dead on arrival, 77 were transferred to rescue, 17 were adopted through OCAC, and 3 went to foster. The DA is pursuing charges against the woman, including the costs of the services as well as criminal charges. Meanwhile you can help by fostering or adopting one of these cats/kittens. Contact Dream Rescue for more information.

EL TORO LIBRARY

Cutbacks by the County mean that the El Toro Library will move from 7 to 6 days a week, beginning Jan 1, 2019.

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Starts Wednesday Sept 5 and continues for 8 weeks, from 6 to 8 pm. This is a great opportunity to learn about the City. For more information, contact the City Clerk at 949 461 3423. There are only 25 seats available and it’s first come first served. Believe me, you will really enjoy and benefit from this series.

GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The first meeting is September 6 at 6:30 at City Hall. It’s open to the public. Let's see what's happening with the General Plan. So far it's been a big disappointment, but hopefully as our residents get more involved we will get a worthwhile result.

MOUNTAIN VIEW PARK

Upgrades to the park started earlier this summer and will now turn to resurfacing the tennis and basketball courts. About 30% of the people in the City do not belong to HOAs, so having tennis and basketball courts available for public use is really important.

SADDLEBACK RANCH RD.

The recent tragic death at Saddleback Ranch Rd as a result of construction traffic in a residential neighborhood prompted the City to get the developer to post additional signs. This is the second construction-related death in recent months in this area – previously a worker was crushed in an accident.

TRANSITORY HOUSING

A few months ago the Council passed an omnibus transitory housing ordinance that tries to keep the nature of our residential neighborhoods intact. (Click Here) In recent months the City has addressed dozens of owners of airbnb, birthing homes, and sober living homes to insure that they are obeying the law. If you suspect a home near you is being used for illegal purposes, contact the City’s code enforcement department at 949 461 3465. For more information, Click Here

DOG PARK SHADE

I received a few complaints about the dog shade structure in the city’s dog park. There are significant portions of the day when little or no shade is provided to people sitting on benches. I went there myself on a number of occasions and found this to be true. The City is adding benches to the shaded areas of the park to solve the problem: moving the shade structure would be too expensive. Going forward I’ve asked them to do a better job when we build the new dog park in Portola Hills.

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 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 Oct 18 at 7 pm at the Lake 1 Clubhouse (Ridge Route).