2016 MID FEBRUARY 2016 Text & Photos by Mike Ritto [email protected]
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COMMUNITY ullerto♥ n bsCeALErNDAvR Peage 1r 4-15 FULLFERTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printedO on 20% recycled paper) • YEAR 38 #3 • MID FEBRUARY 2016 Submissions: [email protected] • Contact: (714) 525-6402 • Read Online at : www.fullertonobserver.com PUBLIC ’S VIEW ON SHORT -TERM RENTALS SOUGHT The city is researching potential regula - tion of short-term vacation rentals located in residential neighborhoods. A commu - nity meeting will be held at 6pm on Thursday, February 18th at the Fullerton Community Center, 340 W. Commonwealth (across from City Hall and the Library. After a presentation on short-term vacation rentals such as AirBnB, HomeAway, VRBO and others, residents will be able to make comments and recommendations about potential future regulations. For more information contact Senior Planner Matt Foulkes at [email protected]. An online survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Fullert onSTVR Zika Virus Alert The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that while no locally transmitted Zika cases have been reported in the continental US, cases have been PHOTO BY BRENT ADAMS reported in travelers returning to the con - CSUF Communications majors Stephanie Wong, Angel Perez, Olivia Havelaar, Casey Barahona, tinental US from visits to affected areas. and Matt Salazar are helping organize Fullerton’s Day of Music 2016. See story on page 14. COYOTE HILLS The virus is active in many countries and PDATE -Friends of Coyote Hills is expected to continue to spread. U Flory Continued on page 8 ESALINATION by Jane Rands In December 2015, the Friends of D recommended Coyote Hills announced our intent to On February 3 the Orange County Water District OCWD take legal action as a result of the October (OCWD) Board of Directors began considering options for complete 2015 West Coyote Hills Vesting Tentative 7 . A 7 how they would distribute the water produced by Tract Map (VTTM) approval by the S D . the expansion 5 C I D 1 U Poseidon’s Desalination Project. The proposed project Fullerton Planning Commission, and the A E . N P of the T D O would convert seawater into potable water through an envi - subsequent November 2015 City Council O E R R N T groundwater G A O ronmentally destructive, expensive, and energy intensive denial of our appeal. As part of this R T A S D I E T E facility first and VTTM approval, the City ignored L N process. S M R L A O P R T The 50-year term proposal, negotiated between OCWD then consider Measure W, the people's 2012 referendum U P E S F P and Poseidon last May, requires OCWD to purchase all building its that should have overturned the develop - 53,000 acre feet of water produced per year (14.38 billion own desal ment approvals for West Coyote Hills. gallons) from Poseidon at a decreasing percentage rate facility, rather The council's decision set in motion a (20% to 5%) above the cost of expensive, imported re-appraisal for the property as if it were Metropolitan Water District (MWD) water for the first 40 than going with entitled for development. That and the years to ensure Poseidon will have a profitable project. The the expensive acquisition timeline of basically one year desalination costs would be passed through to OCWD 50-year made it clear the acquisition plan we water customers including Fullerton’s rate payers. Poseidon deal. thought we were collaborating with the Continued on page 8 City and Chevron since 2013 was not T being offered to the public in October N E 2015. L L D Fullerton Soccer Club Leaders Resign Our request was simple - allow the pub - A I C S 2 lic a realistic opportunity to acquire the E After Embezzlement Revelations S E 0 R I entire West Coyote Hills site for a public E 4 R T by Tracy Wood voiceofoc.org also being restructured to include more V 6 R park. That means: - R T E parents, providing more opportunities for E 5 The top two leaders of the Fullerton V 1) a fair price considering Measure W, S N 2 accountability and transparency within D B Rangers Youth Soccer Club have resigned E 2) a reasonable timeframe of at least 3- 5 A - the organization.” R O in the midst of the club's treasurer plead - 4 5 years during which time funds can be O R E 1 ing guilty to felonies related to The new president is raised to purchase individual parcels in an T 7 U H A Change.org Munish Bharadwaja, a 20- T more than $174,000 in embez - C order that the public and habitat the best year resident of Fullerton, a N zlement and money laundering petition with value for the money. I R from the club, city officials 230 signatures current member of the By December 2015, the Friends were O confirmed Tuesday. called for the Ranger’s board of directors ready to take legal action to defend the The resignations of President and a law enforcement offi - people's referendum. The City asked us to resignation of, cer and specialist in public Raul Valdivia and Vice the now delay taking legal action until February President Raymundo Valdez relations. 15, 2016 because they had not completed were the first of several “sweep - former, “I have mandated that appraisals by November 30, 2015 per the ing” changes to the club's oper - board the organization provides VTTM. The Friends agreed. ations, said a news release from president. all necessary information to As February 15, 2016 approached, the city. city staff ensuring full com - appraisals and "reconciliations" were still “This immediate change in leadership is pliance with policies, including supplying not complete. The latter should have been required player information, following 4 the Rangers’ first step in rebuilding trust complete by January 15, 2016 per the 3 permit processes, and conforming with 8 and relationships within the community,” N City's VTTM. 2 R 9 1 the City of Fullerton’s Parks and O Mayor Jennifer Fitzgerald said in the news 5 E The City is yet again asking the Friends A 0 T Recreation’s policies,” Bharadwaja said in V 7 C release. Her two children play on Ranger to withhold their legal action. We will be R R X N teams. the release. “I will be collaborating with E E having a dialog with the City on the pur - O O L S B players, families, coaches, managers, T “The Rangers are also doing a complete pose of an additional delay especially con - R L B O board members, and City staff to move E revision of their bylaws to ensure trans - P sidering our appeal for a realistic acquisi - U L O L forward as the region’s premiere soccer F parency to the board, parents, and com - tion plan which was denied in November U F organization.” munity,” she added. “The committees are Continued on page 12 2015 Page 2FULLERTON OBSERVER COMMUNITY OPINIONS MID FEBRUARY 2016 PASSION FOR JUSTICE by Synthia Tran © 2016 home and talked to my family. They also ullerton called me and left another message. F It was my first day, and I was busy learn - Observer Father Left Us & Uncle Followed ing how to do my job. My phone was in my purse in the drawer unchecked, and I When I told the doctor on duty in the his place. When father had been well, he The Fullerton Observer Community had no idea that I had just become father - Newspaper, founded by Ralph and Natalie emergency room that my father wasn’t often told us not to visit Vietnam from less that fateful afternoon. Kennedy and a group of friends in 1978, is breathing regularly he told me just to September to February because of the bad My brother was by father’s side when he staffed by local citizen volunteers who create, remind him to breathe. So all day, with weather in our city. By now it was passed, and it was a huge comfort for publish, and distribute the paper throughout tears filling my eyes, I stood by his bed November, and he had been in the ER for father to know that his oldest son would our community. with my hands on his shoulder “Father, over a month. This venture is a not-for-profit one with carry out his final wishes. all ad and subscription revenues plowed back please wake up and breathe, please!” As I arrived at LAX and went through The funeral procession made three into maintaining and improving our inde - Father woke the next day and told my customs, the immigration officer said to stops before going out of town. It stopped pendent, non-partisan, non-sectarian com - aunt who was visiting that he had left the me “Welcome home! How long have you for five minutes at his sister’s house and munity newspaper. world, but had come back. My aunt been gone?” “Over a month,” I said, “My five minutes at his brother’s to say good- Our purpose is to inform Fullerton resi - asked him where he had gone and if he father was sick.” “Is he okay now?” He dents about the institutions and other socie - bye. The third stop was at the temple. tal forces which most impact their lives, so had met our grandparents. He said he asked. Tears came to my eyes, “No, my After that, the entourage went on the 10 that they may be empowered to participate had traveled in the air without any direc - brother came and replaced hour trip to our village where in constructive ways to keep and make these tion, but didn’t see the grandparents.