Fullerton Observer Local News Early May 2014
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COMMUNITY ullerton n bsCAeLENrDAvR Paege 12r-15 FFULLERTON’S INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (prinOted on 20% recycled paper) • YEAR 36 #8 • EARLY MAY 2014 ONLINE AT: www.fullertonobserver.com • Submissions: [email protected] • (714) 525-6402 UP-COMING FUN EVENTS •Sat & Sun, May 3 & 4: Railroad Days at Fullerton Train Station, 120 E. Santa Fe Ave. from 9am to 5pm. Free •Sat, May 10th at 9am: Downtown History Hike starts at the Museum Center on E. Wilshire between Harbor & Pomona. $5 •Sat, May 10th, 10am-4pm: Airport Day at Fullerton Municipal Airport, 4011 W. Commonwealth. Free •Sat, May 17, 8am to 2pm: HotRods Car Festival at the Muckenthaler, 1201 W. Malvern. $5 (Free/kids under 12). themuck.org •Sun, May 18, 10am-4pm: Concours d’Elegance Vintage Cars at the Muckenthaler Moter Car Festival. $10 (Free/kids under 12) •Wed, May 21, 6:30pm: Bike Ride of Silence 10-mile loop starts and finishes at the Museum Center on E. Wilshire between Harbor & Pomona. www.facebook.com/rideofsi- lence More on page 15 7 . A 7 S City Landscape crew Ramon Silva, Rodrigo Navarrette, Leo Gonzales, Cornmon Mcillonie, Leo Palacios, and David Bishop D . 5 C I D 1 U PHOTO BY MIKE RITTO A moved the historic bench and began creating a stone patio area. Drought tolerant plants will finish the bench’s new home. E . N P T D O O E R R N T G A O R T A S D I E T E L N S Historic Sandstone M R L A O P R T U P E S F P Landmark Saved City crews moved the historic sandstone bench from between the two 75-year old cypress trees at the corner of Commonwealth and Highland, that were crushing it, sav- ing both the bench and the trees. They also created a stone patio for its new location farther back on the City Hall lawn. Drought tolerant plants will follow. Meanwhile, on Friday morning, another longtime fea- T ture of Fullerton was not so lucky, as private contractors N painted over the “Norman Rockwell” style murals which L E L have graced the side of the former Ross Publications build- D A I C ing on the Amerige parking lot for decades. PHOTO BY MIKE RITTO 2 E Private contractors paint over the murals. S S 0 R E I E 4 T R V 6 R - R E This is the first time Chevron has agreed T E 5 V S ROGRESS ON OYOTE ILLS 2 P C H to be a willing seller, which is required in N D B 5 E A - The Fullerton City Council announced at groups (Open Coyote Hills, which had order to receive grants to buy the land. But O R 4 O its Tues., April 15 meeting, that there is broad worked with Chevron/PCH on its original the decision is based on whether those E 1 R T 7 H agreement on a conceptual framework to plan, and Friends of Coyote Hills, which had funds are found to be adequate by Chevron, U T C resolve the land-use issues involving gathered the signatures to let voters decide). and there is another condition. N I R Fullerton’s West Coyote Hills ongoing for The subject of the discussions had not been While these acquisition discussions are O over 40 years. made public until the April 15 council underway Chevron/Pacific Coast Homes After a past city council turned down the announcement. will file (and the city will process) a devel- Chevron/Pacific Coast Homes plan to build Fullerton Mayor, Doug Chaffee said, “We opment application. If the city approves 760 homes on the 510-acre property due to are pleased to announce that the main parties this application before acquisition discus- lack of adequate water and other factors, the in this issue – The Friends of Coyote Hills, sions are completed, the city will place on corporation filed a $1 million lawsuit against Open Coyote Hills and Pacific Coast Homes hold final approvals for some fair (undeter- the city. Chevron/PCH was allowed to resub- [Chevron] – have now agreed on what we are mined) amount of time. This will allow mit the same plan to the next council and it calling a “Path Forward” to resolve the issues those interested in acquiring the site an passed. That approval led to a citizen’s group over this property.” opportunity to raise funds to purchase and gathering signatures to put the issue before According to the agreement, preserve the site. 4 3 voters. In Nov. 2012, 61% of Fullerton's Chevron/Pacific Coast Homes will sell the While many details still need to be 8 N 2 R worked out, the groups involved and the 9 voters chose to overturn the approval of the site the parties can agree on a fair price and 1 if O 5 E A 0 Chevron/PCH development. This, despite a reasonable acquisition terms. mayor expressed excitement with the T V 7 C R R multi-million dollar campaign launched by A key factor to this agreement came about progress that has been made in reaching the X N E E O O the corporation to convince voters that a Yes when The Trust for Public Land agreement. Mayor Chaffee concluded his L S B T R L B O vote was a vote for a park, not a housing (www.tpl.org), a highly-regarded national announcement by saying, “As we move E P U L development. Last year it was announced that conservation group, joined the acquisition along this ‘Path Forward’ we will provide O L F U meetings were being held between discussions to help identify potential funding updates to the community when there is F Chevron/PCH, the city, and two citizen sources and timelines. significant progress to report.” Page 2FULLERTON OBSERVER LOCAL NEWS EARLY MAY 2014 obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business The department, which then boasted administration from the University of 170 officers, “was highly respected in Fullerton Redlands. the community and with allied agen- Wallis traces his interest in law cies. We were known nationwide and Observer enforcement to an L.A. Sheriff’s deputy respected for our professional training who befriended him when he was and standards. It was a family.” The Fullerton Observer Community young. Wallis has worked just about every Newspaper, founded by Ralph and Natalie “My home situation was not “I wanted to detail, including patrol, Kennedy and a group of friends in 1978, is the best,” Wallis recalled. “My CSI, SWAT, investigation, staffed by local citizen volunteers who create, parents argued a lot, so I took make sure and as a field training offi- publish, and distribute the paper throughout every opportunity to escape. someone else’s cer. He also served as arson our community. life was easier This venture is a not-for-profit one with The deputy used to park his investigator for the all ad and subscription revenues plowed back squad car on our street to watch than what I Fullerton Fire Department. into maintaining and improving our inde- for traffic violators, and I would had growing As a reserve officer, he over- pendent, non-partisan, non-sectarian com- stand by it and talk with him up. I believe saw the department’s Sexual munity newspaper. Our purpose is to inform Fullerton resi- endlessly. I started thinking it I was able Predator Registry, “making dents about the institutions and other socie- would be nice to have a career to fulfill sure all 130 convicted sexual tal forces which most impact their lives, so like his where I could help peo- that goal predators living in the city that they may be empowered to participate ple.” as a police were in full compliance with in constructive ways to keep and make these By the time he had turned the terms of the law.” private and public entities serve all residents officer.” in lawful, open, just, and socially-responsible 16, he had resolved on a law Wallis received numerous ways. enforcement career and became a stu- commendations in his career, including Through our extensive local calendar and Officer Bill Wallis Retires dent intern at the Brea Police being named “Officer of the Year” twice other coverage, we seek to promote a sense Department and, at age 20, a reserve by his fellow officers. He also received of community and an appreciation for the After four decades of reporting to work at officer. Around this time, the North the department’s coveted “Medal of values of diversity with which our country is so uniquely blessed. the FPD, Officer Bill Wallis has retired. With OC Community College District start- Bravery” award, as well as the “Medal of 40 years to his credit, he is believed to hold the ed a police academy, and Wallis joined Valor” awarded by the American SUBMISSIONS: record for longest service with the Fullerton the academy’s first class. In 1974, upon Legion. Submissions on any topic of interest are Police Department. finishing the six-week academy, he Wallis, who worked for seven police accepted from Fullerton residents and we try hard Actually, this is Wallis’ second retirement. started testing at area police depart- chiefs in his career, has no regrets over to get it all in. Sorry we sometimes fail. Shorter In 2004, he formally retired from his full-time ments, and Fullerton was the first to his decision to retire, noting that while pieces have a better chance. Send by email to job as an officer.