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Foothills Sentry January 2021

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Foothills Sentry January 2021 *********ECRWSSEDDM**** Residential Customer The Best News In Town Since 1969 East Orange • Old Towne Orange • Orange Park Acres • Villa Park • Silverado/Modjeska Canyons • North Tustin A Monthly Community Newspaper January 2021 NEWS INSIDE RIGHT AND WRONG Respected nonprofi t scuttled by Old Towne design standards. See Ronald McDonald, page 2 FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN As fl ames threaten a neighborhood, The Bond Fire started in a residence in the Cabinlands area of Silverado Canyon, Dec. 2. Accelerated by strong winds, it burned 6,686 acres, destroyed 31 structures and damaged 21 others. Photos by Paul Dixon residents pull together with hoses and heart. See Canyon Beat, New Orange Canyon residents rally to protect page 6 City Council each other against Bond Fire as members communication systems fail speak up By Tina Richards Canyon Watch to report gunfi re,” rounded the small community of A loud, insistent pounding on he says. When he looked out his houses behind the Silverado Café A CLEAN SEEP By Tina Richards the front door woke her up at 1:30 window, the hillside was lit up. on three sides. Residents wielded Local water district is The newly elected-by-district on the morning of Dec. 3. The He saw a ball of fi re. His neigh- garden hoses. “The fi re went up one of the fi rst to fi lter Orange City Council members hit knocking was accompanied by bor’s house was in fl ames. the hill from my house toward chemicals detected in the ground running during their shouts of, “There’s a fi re, we have The power had been shut off Williams Canyon,“ Dixon re- ground water. fi rst appearance on the COVID- to go.” that evening at 7 p.m. There was ports. “It fi nally settled down at dictated virtual dias. Monica Edwards, still in a stu- no phone service, no internet. “I 4 a.m. At that point, there was no See Serrano, Page 7 Arianna Barrios (District 1), por from sleep, packed her car couldn’t call 911,” he explains, sense in leaving.” Ana Gutierrez (District 5) and and prepared to leave her home in “so I used the radio to report the Jon Dumitru (District 2) all took the eastern portion of Silverado fi re.” The Canyon Watch volun- Ready this time the opportunity to raise commu- Canyon. “It was dark, but I saw teer manning the radio that night Phil and Melody McWilliams nity and governing-related issues an orange glow on the ridge,” she got a message out to someone lost their Modjeska Canyon home during the “reports from council said. “It looked like it was moving else to call 911. Fire trucks ar- in the 2007 fi re. “I watched it PINES AND members” meeting segment. away, instead of coming closer.” rived about 20 minutes later. burn down on the TV news,” he NEEDLES Barrios raised the topic of term Edwards and a neighbor paused Meanwhile, Dixon’s neigh- recalls. “We both cried for 10 limits, fresh in Orange residents’ their evacuation plans to get a bor, block captain Rich Pfeiffer, minutes, looked at each other, and Festooned trees turn minds after Councilman Mike better look at the fi re’s direc- also awakened by the sound of said ‘let’s rebuild.’” Villa Park town center Alvarez ran for a third term, de- tion. “We decided to stay,” she exploding ammunition, raced Rebuild they did. Their new into a festive forest. spite a 1996 vote by citizens that said. “There were embers rain- to grab a fi re hose that he had dwelling is a molded fi reproof See Holiday, page 9 capped consecutive terms to two. ing down. My neighbor grabbed stashed for such emergencies. He dome. “We didn’t know about the Her attention to the issue was a hose and started putting them also had a key to the nearby fi re fi re until Thursday morning. We reaffi rmed by a public comment out. It’s a good thing we stayed. hydrant. With the hose hooked felt safe staying,” McWilliams asking the city to “set the record At that point, there wasn’t a fi re up, he became the fi rst responder says. “We watched the fl ames straight on why term limits were truck in sight.” tackling the fl ames, wearing only come over the hill toward us. My discarded.” a bathrobe and slippers. “His wife neighbor’s guest house caught WALK ON THE A shot in the dark later brought him protective gear fi re. It sounded like a 747. It was Coming to terms Hours earlier, Paul Dixon awoke and a helmet,” Dixon recalls. “He completely gone in 20 minutes. WILD SIDE Barrios asked that the subject from what, he said, sounded like was the only one standing against A curious canyonite be agendized for a future council gunshots. “It was a little before the fi re for the fi rst 20 minutes un- See "Canyon fi re" captures the after- discussion. “Things may or may 10 p.m. I thought someone was til the fi refi ghters arrived.” hours activity along not be murky,” she said. “I’d like continued on page 3 going crazy and went to radio At one point, the fi re sur- Silverado Creek. an analysis of the current ordi- nance. Can we administratively See Nightlife, page 14 fi x it, or must we go back to vot- Court challenge to Alvarez’s third term fi led ers?” Aside from agreeing to bring it up at a later date, Mayor A challenge to the re-election revoke, modify or make reference sence, Alvarez ran for a new seat Mark Murphy and City Attorney of Mike Alvarez to the Orange to the existing term limits in the and is, therefore, starting over. Gary Sheatz remained silent on City Council was fi led in Supe- stipulated judgment given to the The challenge was fi led, ac- FOLLOW US at the issue, as did the other council rior Court by John Russo, one of court. Further, the city has not cording to Russo, to settle the Foothills Sentry veterans. two candidates who ran against brought any measure to the voters matter for now and into the fu- Barrios also asked if her col- him in the November race. revoking, modifying or otherwise ture. There are still two council leagues would be interested in The challenge claims that Al- altering the Municipal Code. seats held by at-large incumbents. Letters To The Editor Page 4 pursuing Certifi ed Local Gov- varez is ineligible to hold offi ce Alvarez had just completed If a new district seat offers a clean ernment (CLG) status. The CLG because of term limits enacted by two consecutive four-year terms slate for term limits, those at- Canyon Beat Page 6 program was established as part Orange voters in 1996. The city’s as a councilman. The challenge large incumbents will also be al- Service Directory Pages 11-13 of the National Historic Preserva- Municipal Code states that, “no asserts that his new term violates lowed to exceed their term limits tion Act to empower municipali- person shall serve more than two the plain language of the code. if they choose to run as by-district Prof. Directory Page 13 ties in their preservation planning consecutive four-year terms as a According to Alvarez’s attor- candidates. activities and to assure support member of the city council.” ney, with the concurrence of City “Voters need to know, one way Classifi eds Page 13 The document also notes that Attorney Gary Sheatz, the newly or the other,” Russo said. “I don’t Real Estate Page 15 when the city converted to by- instated District 3 seat (that he See "New council" expect to get anything out of this district elections as part of a le- now fi lls) is different than the at- continued on page 5 other than a clear answer. Is Alva- Obituaries Page 15 gal settlement, the council did not large seat he held before. In es- rez’s third term legal or not?” Foothills_January2021.indd 1 12/23/20 11:54 AM Page 2 Foothills Sentry January 2021 Ronald McDonald House expansion plan meets resistance at DRC By Tina Richards edged, “but context is important.” Expansion plans for Ronald Committee member Anne Mc- McDonald House (RMH) were Dermott noted that two historic rejected by Orange’s Design Re- houses were demolished to make view Committee (DRC) because room for the original Ronald they failed to meet standards McDonald House and wondered and design criteria established to if, given the design standards in guide development in Old Towne. place now, is it likely the house Ronald McDonald House, lo- would have been built. The an- cated at 383 S. Batavia on the swer from city staff was a reluc- western border of the Old Towne tant “no.” Historic District, wants to expand DRC member Robert Imboden from 21 rooms to 44 to meet a expressed his continuing con- growing demand for its services. cerns with the setback, height and The nonprofi t houses families scale of the expanded RMH, and Ronald McDonald House wants to add a 17,325-sq.-ft. expansion to its existing 12,580-sq.-ft. footprint. The who come to the area because its visible tuck-under parking, addition would be built above a ground-level parking lot. they have sick children in local which, he noted, is not an early hospitals. 20th century design element. He that doesn’t meet them? It seems Mission vs.
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