Judges Have 90 Days to Render Verdict in Measure W Appeal Water
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ELECTION PULL OUT PAGES 9-12 COMMUNITY Fullerton bsCeALErNDAvR Peage 1r 3-15 O EAR FULLERTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printed on 20% recycled paper) • Y 40 #16 • EARLY OCTOBER 2018 Submissions: [email protected] • Contact: (714) 525-6402 • Read Online at : www.fullertonobserver.com Architect Alan Hess on the Hunt Branch Library by Matt Leslie Over a hundred people turned out Monday night, Sept. 24 to hear renowned architect and historian Alan Hess lead tours through Fullerton’s Hunt Branch Library before his evening presentation about the building and its architect next door at Pacific Drive Elementary School. The free program was organized by SaveTheHunt, a community group dedi - cated to keeping the currently closed library in public hands. The library is nor - mally closed to visitors because the build - ing and grounds are leased to neighboring Grace Ministries International (GMI), but access was arranged through the Fullerton Public Library. The large number of attendees necessi - tated two successive tours led by Mr. ADVANCE ! TO COLLEGE : Over 100 students and parents attended the annual Advance! to College event. Hess, who spoke about the structure’s See page 9 for story. PHOTO BY JESSE LA TOUR integration of indoor and outdoor spaces and other mid-century modernist design strategies employed by the library’s archi - LIBRARY BOARD TAKEOVER FAILS Judges Have tect William Pereira. by Jesse La Tour library board that calls for the appoint - 90 Days to Mr. Hess is a co-founder of Preserve ment of the city council members to serve Due to public outcry, Fullerton City OC (https://www.preserveorangecounty.org) as the trustees to the library board and to Council unanimously voted down a pro - Render Verdict in form a library advisory commission.” Continued on page 5 posal made by Councilmember Fitzgerald Before public comment, Mayor Chaffee to take over the Library Board of Trustees Measure W Appeal (sensing that he was facing a roomful of at the September 18th council meeting. opposition) made a motion that staff by Angela Lindstrom The issue will come up again at the 7 . A 7 bring back a new resolution deleting the S D The Friends of Coyote Hills vs. The . 5 C Tuesday, October 2 council meeting. I D 1 U part that designates councilmembers serve A E . City of Fullerton and Chevron-Pacific N P The proposal to replace the Library T D O as library trustees. O E R R Coast Homes (PCH) appeal was heard in N Trustees with councilmembers came in T G A O For the next two hours, members of the R T A S court on September 20, 2018. The D the context of a broader discussion of I E T E public spoke passionately in favor keeping L N S M R Friends sued the City in 2016 after it L reorganization of city commissions and A O P R T the Library Board of Trustees, and in U P E approved the West Coyote Hills Vesting S boards. Additionally, the agenda item F P defense of the library itself as an impor - aimed to bring Fullerton’s library codes in Tentative Tract Map (VTTM) that gave tant community resource and safeguard of compliance with state law. Chevron-PCH vested right to develop the democracy. However, the specific idea to replace the site. This was despite a successful 2012 Manuel Bass said, “The Board of Library Board of Trustees with council Measure W referendum that should have Trustees is, to me, the best safeguard of members was first introduced on May 1 overturned the City Council's approval of what a library is about…I think eliminat - by Councilmember Jennifer Fitzgerald. the Development Agreement. ing an independent board of trustees “I do want to bring the library board The lawsuit was first tried in October would do irreparable harm to our library code sections up to date,” she said at that 2016. The judge ruled against the Friends, system…If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” reasoning that Measure W did not over - T meeting, “I want to add that we substitute N a new organizational structure for the continued page 4 turn or terminate the Development E L Agreement. Rather Judge Claster said it L D A I negated the Mayor's authority to sign this C S by Jane Rands 2 E Water Rate & Sewer Updates Agreement. Therefore the Development S E 0 R I During Public Comment at the begin - revenue, enough to replace 2 miles at $1.2 E 4 R Agreement never came into effect. T V 6 R ning of the September 20 Water Rate to $1.4 million per mile. - R While this may seem like splitting legal T E E 5 V Study Ad Hoc Meeting resident Tony Fullerton Water Systems Manager Hye S N hairs, terminating the Development 2 D B E 5 Package stated that both roads and water Jin Lee added that construction costs had Agreement is significant because the City A - R O 4 mainlines need funding and the prior also been projected incorrectly at wrote in other ordinances that upon the O R E 1 water rate increase did not replace the 6 $900,000 per mile. The consultant con - T 7 U H termination of the Development T C miles of water lines per year as cluded that the problem was Agreement, all of the West Coyote Hills N promised. that the rate increase was too I R development approvals are automatically Current and previous Water ...before the fund dependent on water usage, O nullified. Rate Study Ad Hoc Member Fullerton had which varies, rather than The City holds the view that only they Patrick McNelly defended the 25-30 sewer connection fees that don’t. and Chevron-PCH can end the first Ad Hoc’s recommenda - overflows Another reason why main - Development Agreement, not voters tions via email after the meet - per year. lines were not replaced as because that is the power the City gave ing. “Our committee and the planned, is that spending In 2015-16 themselves in the Development consultant did not foresee the priorities changed. The Agreement. In the event of a successful drop in revenues due to the there were water utility “banked” $15 referendum, they have the option, not drought and mandatory water only 3. million and that money mandate, to terminate the Development conservation,” he said. went to non-pipe projects. Agreement (Section 2.3). Since they did - 4 This is consistent with analy - The Water System Manager 3 n't choose to terminate it after Measure 8 N 2 sis by Mark Hildebrand, a consultant for said that she decided to concentrate on R W, all other development approvals are 9 1 O 5 E Stantec, the consulting firm contracted by reservoirs and then a well broke. A 0 still valid; no auto-nullification. T V 7 C the city. He reviewed the results of the In response to an Ad Hoc member’s R Judge Goethal asked what was the point R X N E E annual water rate increase from 2013 to concern that the public was not informed O O of Measure W if the people's vote could L S B T 2018 and found that 9 billion gallons of of priority changes, Ad Hoc Member R L B not overturn the Council's approval of the O E P U water sales per year had been forecasted Mark Shapiro recommended that the new L Development Agreement? O L F but only 8.1 million gallons were actually plan should include quarterly reports. U F used. This resulted in $2.7 million less in Continued on page 5 continued page 3 Page 2OBSERVER SPECIAL REPORT EARLY OCTOBER 2018 Shelter from the Street by Jesse La Tour Faith Communities & the Homeless Father Dennis Kriz, the pastor of St. Congregational Church of Fullerton. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in The program has been a successful Fullerton, has become a regular presence (though limited) part of the homeless at Fullerton City Council meetings and shelter system for 30 years. Currently, the community forums where the issue of ISN is being re-organized (and hopefully homelessness is being discussed. expanded) by local non-profit OC St. Philip’s is one of the few churches in United, which is looking for more partic - town that allows homeless people to sleep ipating organizations. on their grounds overnight. The reason, Unfortunately, according to OC United according to Kriz, is simple. director Jay Williams, when he’s asked “If there’s no place for them to go, I new churches to participate in the pro - can’t send them away,” he says. gram, the most common response has As Orange County’s homeless popula - been, “No.” tion has increased in recent years, and “It’s been pretty frustrating for me,” said especially following the clearing of the Williams, “They’re responding with ‘no’ Santa Ana Riverbed earlier this year, cities because, for example, they’ve got a pre - across the county, including Fullerton, are school on their campus, and I want to say, struggling with how to provide shelter. well, so do these other churches that are Father Dennis Kriz with Robert, one of the homeless individuals he is allowing Currently, there is simply not adequate participating in the program, and they’re to stay at the church. Robert became homeless after the landlord of the home he was shelter space to house Orange County’s able to work because the guests come at renting died and the property was taken over by the man’s brother who continued homeless population.