Property of Fullerton Public Library, Local History Room FULLERTON PUBLIC LIBRARY 353 W. COMMONWEALTH AVE. periodicals FullertonFULLERTON, CA 92632 ObserverFEB10 1993 [Fullerton’s Only Local Independent Newspaper (panted on recycled paper) No.211 February!5,1993 200 Angry Citizens Turn Out City Budget for Graffiti Indignation Meeting W orkshop Twenty-five Speakers Urge Strong Action Ranging from Strict Curfew to Gets Kudos Report Targets 71 By Jack Harloe Two-hundred serious, angry residents, Jobs for Elimination, vowing to ‘Take Back Our City” filled the Council meeting chamber to overflowing Lists Revenue Options Tuesday night, February 2nd, as the Council wrestled with the incontrovertible fact of and Strategy to Close citizen anger on the one hand, and on the Projected 1993-94 $4.2 other —the ephemeral and elusive nature of graffiti and its perpetrators. Million Budget Gap. The crowd, though emotionally super­ charged, responded with polite applause to By Jack Harloe each speaker, even the few who urged con­ sideration and understanding of the poor .Urging his senior task force members to home life of some youth. On the whole, “think outside the box,” and admonishing however, members of the crowd appeared them that the city is going to have to change, beyond the child-raising years. Mostly, these City Manager Jim Armstrong presented the were the affluent, property-value-oriented, City Council and members of the public with retrospective parents, not the down-and- the fruits of his task force’s efforts at a dirty, everyday, struggling parent with a 15 Budget Workshop held in the Fullerton year old skateboarding son. For most, the Senior Multi-Service Center (FSMSC), barrio used to be something “over there,” Tuesday night, January 26th. now suddenly it’s “right here.” Kindergarten students of Mrs. Harriet Brook wereone of the featured parts of The workshop, lasting from 5:00 to 10:30 The over-riding, undeniable fact —re­ TET New Year’s celebration at Richman School, with this traditional dragon p.m., was attended by the City Council and peated time and again, was that within a dance, using a 50-ft long dragon madebv Vietnamese parents and decorated fifty others, about half of whom were mem­ matter of a few weeks graffiti has appeared by the students. The head was provided by Fullerton College. bers of the general public, the balance city on practically every vertical surface in staff members. Fullerton. City police and the city mainte­ of the Fullerton Municipal Code, after first department, explained that in other years Armstrong spoke bluntly, as he told the nance department report themselves flooded showing a film prepared by the Los Angeles graffiti generally was regarded as the way in audience that the city is facing the most by the incidence of graffiti and the volume of County Sheriffs Department, interviewing which youth gangs marked their territories, severe fiscal crisis in its history. That the citizen complaints. anonymous youth who engage in graffiti, or and it had little significance beyond that. estimated $4.2 million deficit may even be The city’s graffiti hotline, set up to handle “tagging.” Now, DeVore pointed out, the city is experi- higher by $500,000 or less by that amount, just such crises as this, has simply added to Captain Lee DeVore of the city police Continued on p.11 - depending on actions the state legislature the backlog which city maintenance director -and admmistr’ation take with respect to the Bob Savage pronounced overwhelming, state’s OWn budget crisis. while holding aloft4 clipboards stacked with One thing is certain, according to Arm­ complaints. Diversion of Fern Drive strong, “In the last four years the City has “In 1992 we spent $134,000 removing suffered a $16.8 million loss in revenue. graffiti. $88,000 of this supported the graffiti There ’ s no way to solve our problem without removal crew. In January, 1993 alone my Students from Parks Junior reducing the number of people who work for department received 605 calls reporting the City.” graffiti. We need a contractor to augment our Members of the audience were impressed removal efforts, and we need a funding High to Nicolas Is Preferred with the format of the workshop and the source; otherwise we will be absolutely sty­ straightforward presentation of normally mied,” he told the audience. Board Discussion to Continue at Feb. 9 Meeting, with sleep-inducing fiscal detail. Community services director Susan Hunt Councilmember Norby complimented noted that her department was working Final Decision Sometime after Public Hearing on Feb. 16 staff on “ a very good presentation. In the past closely with school officials and that she By Ralph A. Kennedy and on Feb. 16 a public hearing will be held I have usually had difficulty following the welcomed more community involvement. to get the parents’ and other community details, but not tonight.” The police reported that during 1992 there After considering 7 alternative solutions members’ inputs on this sensitive decision. In a prepared statement, handed out before were 1,621 incidents of graffiti reported to (see chart on p. 5) to the overcrowding of Although no decisions were made at the the meeting began, Mayor Pro-Tern Buck their department. The police arrested 69 Parks Junior High School, the FSD Trustees Jan. 26 Board meeting, several Trustees Catlin attributed the city’s $4.2 million persons suspected of graffiti offenses. These eliminated one, created an eighth, and set indicated their preferences given the data budget gap to two factors: “First, the econ­ were sent to the Juvenile Court, because of dates for continuing their discussion and they had received to date. omy is bad, sales tax and property tax reve­ the seriousness of their act, rather than hearing from the public. Most definite was Trustee Elena Reyes- nues are declining or flat. This, we under­ placed in informal counseling or a diversion On Feb. 9 the Board will continue its Jones who indicated her strong preference stand. Second, the State legislature has abro­ program. discussion of the 7 remaining alternatives for switching Fern Drive School students gated its responsibility to its local constitu­ Fullerton’s police department presented a with the benefit of data indicating their rela­ from Parks to Nicolas Junior High. ents. it is trying to solve its problems on the draft of a “Graffiti Ordinance”, Chapter 7.31 tive impacts on District transportation costs, Continued on p. 5 Continued on p. 12 MORE INSIDE Parks 'Dream An Ecological Role for Fullerton’s Youth Proposed Page 3 Team’ Issues Frank Luke ‘Bores In’ on Graffiti in Fullerton Page 11 Cheating Edict Non-Profits Seek Housing Development Status Page 13 Page 4 Final Report on 1992 Council Campaign Financing Page 14 Bulk Rate Commentary Page 3 About Fullerton Page 6 FULLERTON OBSERVER CAR-RT Sort U.S. Postage PAID Calendars Page 7-10 POST OFFICE BOX 7051 Permit No. 1577 Classifieds Page 15 FULLERTON, CA. 92634 Fullerton, Ca. Obituaries Page 16 Property of Fullerton Public Library, Local History Room Page 2 FULLERTON OBSERVER NEWS February 15,1993 City Commission Grapples with Bicyclist of the Month for January Traffic Planning for Four Hours Transportation Commission Unavoidably tied to this problem is the flow of traffic between intersections. Opinion was Workshop, Attempting to divided whether, once intersections were Update City General Plan, “improved”, sections of the street leading to Finds Facts, Agreement the next critical intersection should be simi­ larly improved. Elusive. Bikeway Master Plan J. Kelly, Chair of the Transportation Also Unavailable. Commission, indicated that he would like to see a policy that would inhibit through traffic __________By Jack Harloe_________ on residential streets, using negative incen­ tives to discourage violations. Fullerton may be the planner’s “impossible Levels of Service, or LOS, that are defi­ dream,” with a physical layout, and an al­ cient are designated E or F. Currently, the ready “built-out” reality that defy planners’ city has six such intersections during the efforts to design a system that both meets P.M. period, and one in the A.M. Under two residents' needs and desires, and also fully different computer-generated scenarios accounts for “external” forces, such as (“external” growth only and “external and neighboring communities, freeways, and Fullerton” growth: Alternative A) the city existing structures. would experience 12 and 26 intersections Meeting on Monday, February 1 at 3 p.m. respectively that would fail to meet stan­ in city council chambers, the Transportation dards during P.M. periods. Dennis DiMarzio Commission conducted a four and one half Consultants retained by the city have “run” hour public workshop to receive views of several different models of city traffic flow, Dennis DiMarzio is the Observer’s Bicy­ Over the last 6 months of bicycle com­ residents on city traffic flow. Ken Bane, city based upon assumptions that reflect future clist of the Month for January 1993, and muting, Dennis has experienced only 2 planner, described the subject of the session residential and commercial development, never has an awardee done more to earn his flat tires which he patched, one tube that as “traffic system improvements that may be and augmentation of auto traffic with $20 gift certificate from Bill's Bikes, 801 blew up after repeated patching, and 1 necessary in conjunction with several ‘build planned levels of service from rail and bus. S. Euclid Street, Fullerton. broken spoke. out’ scenarios being considered as part of Intrinsic to the process is the always present During the last 6 months, Dennis, a January 25 was Dennis’ 30th commute, the General Plan Update.” potential that all such plans become the traf­ Fullerton firefighter, has commuted to and but he’s not planning to stop there.