Early March 2019
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COMMUNITY Fullerton bsCeALErNDAvR Peage 1r 3-15 O EAR FULLERTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printed on 20% recycled paper) • Y 41 #4 • EARLY MARCH 2019 Submissions: [email protected] • Contact: (714) 525-6402 • Read Online at : www.fullertonobserver.com New Bar Regulations Proposed by J.A. Kaluzny On February 27, Community Development Director Ted White pre - sented to the Planning Commission a series of proposed new regulations for downtown bars, in an effort to deal with the numerous problems created by the late night downtown scene. White characterized the proposed regu - lations as “A reset of restaurant regula - tions, one component of the Downtown Game Plan.” The new regulations apply to business - es that serve alcohol. The last revision of these regulations was in 2008, commonly known as “the alcohol ordinance” which was a reaction to a 2002 restaurant over - lay district ordinance. The proposed ordinance modifies both the applications for Conditional Use Permits (CUP) and Administrative Use Permits (ARUP) as well as some enforce - ment methods. All restaurants that serve COYOTE HILLS OR CONCRETE HILLS ? Part of the 510-acre West Coyote Hills. Next time we take a photo from this angle alcohol and have entertainment must will we see this view or Chevron’s 760 unit housing development? Once developed it will not come back. - PHOTO IRA MCNABB obtain a CUP as well as an Entertainment Permit. Continued on page 5 Supreme Court Declines Review of Petition on Case Against Chevron & City but Friends Remain Hopeful In bad news for protection of the public What does this mean for the effort to Acquisition of the rest of the site is now 7 . A much more expensive. But ironically, I no 7 vote and citizens’ constitutional right to save Coyote Hills? The development enti - S D . 5 C I D 1 U petition their government, on February tlements for West Coyote Hills stand. It longer believe this is a money issue: this is A E . N P T D O 27 the California Supreme Court denied a will now cost a lot more to buy the land. a people issue. Chevron can agree to sell O E R R N T G A O request from Friends of Coyote Hills to The 2016 appraised value of $150M for the rest of the property by allowing us say R T A S D I E T E review its case against Chevron/PCH and the property may be the selling price. two years to raise the money. The Council L N S M R L A O P R can agree to do something great and last - T the City of Fullerton. It's a good time to review our accom - U P E S F P In response, the Friends of Coyote Hills plishments since 2001 - 18 years of fight - ing by working with the Friends to keep have planned a rally in front of City Hall ing to save all of Coyote Hills for a park looking for funding. on Tuesday, March 5 at 5:30 before the for our community. We've been lucky to Since the land is now valued at its high - city council meeting to encourage enjoy this quiet and beau - est entitlement, Chevron can take advan - saving all the land. A Rally will be tiful open space neighbor tage of donating the land to the maximum Several lawsuits and finally the that staved off horrendous tax write-off. They can take advantage of petition to the Supreme Court held in front traffic, blight and noise. It Federal and State Conservation tax incen - were filed after Council ignored of City Hall anchored me to the City of tives to donate part of the land to reduce the results of the referendum on Tuesday, Fullerton, and called upon income taxes paid by Chevron M T R O Measure W in which 61% of my best self to help save Corporation. And that's without doing N E March 5 C . V the work of developing the site over sever - E local voters rejected the council just this little piece of R R at 5:30 D E E approval of Chevron’s 760 home nature and last piece of our al years,” Lindstrom said. I S V S prior to the B R 2 housing development for West community's natural char - See related item on page 10 E E 0 O S Coyote Hills. city council acter. 4 R B T E I 6 Friends of Coyote Hills Our Measure W refer - O - S meeting to H T I N 5 T President Angela Lindstrom said, endum - your votes - V N Fire at the Fox 2 O encourage the E N “The Friends and the City can helped to persuade R 5 T I - R R O continue their fundraising council to save Chevron to set aside a tract 4 E E Connected to R S L 1 I momentum to save all of West all the land. adjacent to the Ward L 7 U T U R C Coyote Hills. Everyone has a part Nature Preserve as open F Homelessness E . in solving this problem. We space, moving 59 housing V R W D raised $30M in a contentious environ - units to other tracts on the site. That more On February 23, the Fullerton Fire O W A Department responded to calls regarding W ment. Think what we can do when every - than doubled the Ward Nature Preserve. one is on the same side! Let's pick our - Our lawsuit gave us and the City more a fire at the Fox Theater. selves up and save all of Coyote Hills as a time to raise funds to buy the land. In Fullerton/Brea Fire Division Chief/Fire park and preserve for now and the future. fact, most of the nearly $30 million of Marshal Kathy Schaefer said the initial It came as a great disappointment today funds raised to-date were done in just the call was placed by people walking by the when the California State Supreme Court last couple of years. scene. The fire was up against the east side denied our petition review our Measure Through our efforts, the City now has of the structure, next to the door by the W lawsuit. It doesn't mean they don't access to funds to purchase two other stage. The Fire Department arrival time as think it's important or that they side with tracts near the Ward Nature Preserve to 8:57am. When Fire Engine #1 arrived on the 4 the City or Chevron or The Friends, but save the entire east side of Coyote Hills. 3 8 scene they reported heavy smoke coming N that they had too many other cases to Had we not taken action, the entire West 2 R 9 1 from the rear of the structure. Additional O 5 E review. Coyote Hills site would have been devel - A 0 T V fire crews were called in and FPD was 7 C What does this mean for voters' right to oped starting in 2016 to early 2017! R R X N requested for traffic control. E E referendum? It's hard to say when the tac - To recap, our effort to save Coyote Hills O O L S B T Eventually 4 fire engines, 2 fire trucks, tic used here may be repeated elsewhere. has not been in vain. We've saved the site R L B O E and 2 battalion chiefs were assigned to the P Some other brave civic group will have to east of Gilbert directly adjacent to the U L O L incident (26 to 28 personnel in all). F fight that battle, and perhaps set a legal Ward Preserve. U F precedent we were not able to do here. So where do we go from here? Continued on page 2 Page 2FULLERTON OBSERVER LOCAL& REGIONAL NEWS EARLY MARCH 2019 CORRECTIONS In the Mid February Observer two stories repeated after the skip to page 2. Below are the full stories for our print customers. Sorry for the error. Two Face Court for Sign Theft Paulette Marshall Chaffee, an attorney arraignment at 8:30am in Dept. N8 of the and former candidate for Fullerton City North Justice Center in Fullerton. Council, is scheduled for sentencing on She and her family bought a home in March 20, in Dept. N-9, North Justice Buena Park District 1 about a year before Center, Fullerton. On Dec. 20, 2018, she the election. Her law practice is also locat - pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor ed in Buena Park. counts of petty theft in an incident where Park’s campaign was targeted by her she was caught on video surveillance tape opponent in the race with signs saying taking down political signs targeting her “No Sunny Carpetbagger.” In October, as a carpetbagger. prior to the November 6, 2018 election, She and her husband Doug Chaffee Park was video-taped taking down the (recently elected OC supervisor), who live signs. The video posted online shows in District 2, had been criticized for pur - Kenny, the husband of Virginia Vaughn, chasing a one-bed condo in District 5 Park’s opponent in the race, yelling at Park allegedly to qualify for that district’s coun - during the sign-stealing incident for tak - Firefighters climbed to the roof to ensure the fire had not spread. cil seat. She suspended her campaign after ing down signs that he says “we paid for.” PHOTO BY MATT KARAFFA being charged.