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ullerton bserver FULLERTON’S FONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printed on 20%O recycled paper) • YEAR 43 #2 • EARLY FEBRUARY 2021 Submissions: [email protected] • Contact: (714) 525-6402 • Daily Stories at: www.fullertonobserver.com Mass Vaccination Sites Open State lifts Stay-at-Home Order, Though Many Restrictions Remain by Matthew Leslie Orange County continues to record double-digit numbers of deaths each day from COVID-19, but a slight downturn in patients requiring ICU beds in local hospitals and the beginning of mass vac- cinations suggest an eventual end to the year-long pandemic. As of the beginning of February, there have been 10,192 known COVID-19 cases in Fullerton; 1,174 of the known cases have been young people under age eighteen. 193 Fullerton residents have succumbed to the virus, 73 in skilled nursing facilities. Countywide, 2,868 OC residents are known to have died from COVID-19. 1,592 are currently in OC hospitals, 439 of those in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds. Fewer than 100 ICU beds are available throughout the entire county. Orange County residents line up to receive vaccines at Disneyland. Photo courtesy of County of Orange. See COVID-19, Page 3 LAST COMMERCIAL ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: ORANGE GROVE CUT DOWN •FULLERTONIAN GOES TO WASHINGTON The last commercial orange grove in exceedingly rare rootstock feature, other (p. 2) Fullerton, at the 65-acre former rare trees, and many forms of pollinators PRESORTED PRESORTED POSTAGE PAID PAID POSTAGE STANDARD U.S. STANDARD FULLERTON CA FULLERTON Kimberly-Clark site, was cut down on and wildlife that had adapted to the PERMIT NO. 1577 PERMIT January 28-29 as part of a plan to devel- orchard, including resident and migrato- •EVICTION MORATORIUM & op the property for warehouses by the ry birds that are just about to start their RENTAL ASSISTANCE company Goodman Logistics. nesting season,” said Jane Reifer of (p. 2) Nearly 500 trees were removed, many Friends for a Livable Fullerton (FFLF) of them over 60 years old. With their who had worked to preserve some of the removal goes some of the last vestiges groves. “This was, sadly, one of the few •CITY ALLOCATES CARES of the citrus industry, which once domi- open spaces left in a congested, urban, ACT FUNDING nated Fullerton’s landscape. The devel- and park-disadvantaged District 5.” (p. 4) oper has indicated that they will plant One of the Conditions of Approval for COM . over 600 new trees. the project was to avoid removal of trees •PARKS & REC “It’s distressing to see the disappear- “to the greatest extent possible during ance of the last commercial orange the nesting season (generally February 1 DEPARTMENT CHANGES BSERVER grove in Fullerton, which was also home through August 31).” (p. 5) O RESIDENT to a mature avocado grove with an See Orange Grove, Page 2 THE •REMEMBERING TOMMY EMAIL IN LASORDA OR (p. 6) 714-525-6402 Council to Re-Consider CURRENT FULLERTONOBSERVER Cannabis Ordinance by Jesse La Tour •“LET’S TALK WATER” @ DVERTISE (p. 7) OR A Voters in California approved A key point of contention with the ADS Proposition 64 (the Adult Use of recently-passed ordinance, which took •DR. CORNEL WEST GIVES Marijuana Act) in 2016, which legalized effect December 17, 2020, is residential FC CONVOCATION adult use and sale of cannabis statewide. “buffer zones”—that is, how far away In Fullerton the road to allowing legal potential cannabis businesses must be (p. 8) cannabis businesses, however, has from residential properties. proved much rockier. On November 17, The current ordinance has no residen- •ACLU SUES SHELTERS 2020, City Council approved an ordi- tial buffer, although it does not allow (p. 11) nance legally allowing a limited number cannabis businesses in residential zones. of cannabis businesses in the City. The ordinance does have a separation However, at their first meeting of 2021, “buffer” of 800-feet from schools, day- •EL CAMINO REAL BELLS the newly-configured Fullerton City cares, youth centers, youth organiza- (p. 14) Council voted 3-2 to bring back the tions or club facilities, parks, play- ordinance for discussion at their grounds, city community centers, and •SMALL BUSINESSES February 16 meeting, including the libraries. It also requires a 300-foot BSERVER ADAPTING PO BOX 7051 ULLERTON option to rescind the ordinance com- buffer between retail locations. O (p. 20) F pletely. FULLERTON CA 92834 CA FULLERTON See Cannabis, Page 4 Page 2 FULLERTON OBSERVER LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS EARLY FEBRUARY 2021 Ann Carlson Fullertonian Goes to Washington by Joyce Mason Born and brought up in Fullerton, Ann Carlson attended Raymond School, Wilshire Junior High, and Fullerton High School. After graduating from U.C. Santa Barbara and from Harvard Law School, Ann forged a career in Environmental Law, teaching at Uprooted orange and avocado trees. Photo by Jensen Hallstrom. U.C.L.A. Law School. She is currently writing a book on how Southern California has cleaned up its air pollu- Orange Grove Cut Down Continued from front page tion. On Wednesday, January 20, Ann was If the trees had been removed on Former Mayor Pro Tem Jan Flory sug- Planning Commissioners and sworn in as Chief Counsel for the Monday, February 1, a preconstruction gested a compromise regarding saving Councilmembers should report when National Highway Traffic Safety nesting bird survey would have to have trees that did not impact the warehouse they’ve had conversations and site tours Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA been conducted on Friday, January 29 to footprints, and offering avocado tree with development applicants,” Reifer is responsible for highway safety but see if active nests of species protected scions to the public, but there was no said. also has joint responsibility, along with by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and follow-up/implementation despite At the February 3 Planning the EPA, for greenhouse gas and fuel the California Fish and Game Code requests. Commission meeting, Goodman economy standards for the transporta- were present, in order to prevent distur- Reifer said she feels that the process Logistics is requesting to modify the tion sector. bances to nesting and baby birds. It is for allowing public input on saving the Site Plan with what they feel is a minor Carlson said, “I’m part of a group of possibly a coincidence, but the timing of groves was inadequate. At an October modification, but the Director of appointees that makes real the Biden- this seems calculated to avoid being 14, 2020 Planning Commission meet- Community and Economic Harris commitment to make tackling cli- technically subject to this condition. ing, the developer had 40 minutes to Development has determined that they mate change a whole government prior- Fullerton City Council voted unani- speak. Because of COVID-19, the pub- are not minor. ity.” mously on Nov. 2 to allow development lic was not allowed to comment in per- To view the Feb 3 Planning She will be working remotely in the of the property. son, and their e-mails explaining the Commission meeting agenda and submit near term but will then move to At that public hearing, representatives “hidden” biological resources, although public comments on this item, visit Washington, D.C. and commute back of FFLF asked to save a portion of the promised in the agenda to be read, were https://fullerton.legistar.com/Calendar.a and forth to her home in Los Angeles as groves. Though an Environmental not. spx. often as possible. Her husband Carl H. Impact Report (EIR) was done by the Reifer pointed out many other short- To learn more about Friends for a Moor is a judge in Los Angeles. developer as required by State law, comings with the process and the devel- Livable Fullerton, visit www.savefuller- Carlson was sworn in by President FFLF asked for a survey of the over 500 opment plan as it was submitted and ton.com. Biden just hours after his inauguration trees on the property, and for a biologi- approved. on January 20. cal assessment covering birds, mam- “The Council should consider an ini- mals, and pollinators. Such an additional tiative to clean up the process by which survey was not done. large projects are approved and State Extends County Launches Eviction Emergency Rental Moratorium Assistance Program California’s eviction moratorium The county of Orange launched an has been extended through June 30, Emergency Rental Assistance pro- 2021. gram on February 1 and will accept It was announced that up to $2.6 applications for a period of one month billion from California’s share of from eligible renter households with the latest federal stimulus bill will unpaid rent or utilities bills due to the be used for rental assistance. impact of COVID-19. “These critically-needed federal Local non-profit Pathways of Hope funds, targeted to the most at-risk received over $20 million. They will households with unpaid back rent, disburse these funds throughout 2021 will help tenants stay afloat during to residents of north Orange County and after this pandemic. Income- who are at risk of becoming homeless qualified tenants and their landlords due to the impacts of COVID-19. can choose to receive direct rental Pathways of Hope plans to serve assistance in exchange for forgiving approximately 3,000 households prior rental debt,” Governor (over 10,000 people) with these funds Newsom said. over the course of 2021. “COVID-19 continues to devas- If you or someone you know would tate communities across our State benefit from accessing the Emergency and too many Californians remain Rental Assistance Program and home- one paycheck away from losing lessness prevention services, please their apartments or homes.