COMMUNITY ullerto♥ n bsCeALErNDAvR Peage 1r 4-15 FULLEFRTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printed oOn 20% recycled paper) • YEAR 37 #20 • EARLY DECEMBER 2015 Submissions: [email protected] • Contact: (714) 525-6402 • Read Online at : www.fullertonobserver.com YEAR -R OUND HOMELESS SHELTER APPROVED The OC Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at the Nov. 17 meeting to purchase the building at 1000 N. Kraemer Place in Anaheim for use as a 200-bed year-round 24-hour multi-service shelter to serve the homeless. Guidelines for the first year-round emergency shelter in the county include prohibiting those with criminal backgrounds and walk-ins. Instead a bus system will take clients to and from the center. Eighty-five people spoke at the meeting, the majority in favor of the plan. Continued on page 5 Council Explains $4.9 Million Settlement in Kelly Thomas Wrongful Death Lawsuit by Sinh Dang At a special council meeting held at 8am Nov. 25, Fullerton City Attorney Richard Jones announced that the council voted to approve a settlement with Ron Thomas in a 3-2 vote (Sebourn and Whitaker, no). The city’s insurance provider will pay the $4.9 million, with no city funds spent. Each councilmember spoke about the reasons behind their votes (except Jan Flory who was absent from the meeting). Councilmember Chaffee said he voted yes to protect the city from further liability and expenses. He explained that the settlement was negotiated by the insurance carrier with the help of a retired judge. The deal was reached after much dis - cussion. The mediator gave a note to each side regarding the amount, and everyone said "Yes.” Chaffee stated that the coun - cil had no input on the amount, He would be happy with zero, but that wasn't available. Continued on page 5 Julian’s Blanket 4 Homeless Program: Julian, age 8, pictured above, has launched a program to provide blankets for the homeless and you can help. Story on page 8 Wrong “Facts” 7 . A 7 S D . 5 C I D 1 U A E . Wrong Decision N P T D O O E R R N T G A O R T A S on Coyote Hills D I E T E L N S M R L A O P R by Angela Lindstrom T U P E S F P On November 17, 2015, the Fullerton City Council upheld the Planning Commission’s decision to approve Chevron-Pacific Coast Homes’ Vesting Tentative Tract Map (VTTM) for the West Coyote Hills development. In doing A Ñ so, they ignored the voters’ 2012 virtual A C I mandate of no development on West L L I T Coyote Hills. V N O The 61% of votes against Measure W D E L N was a decisive veto of the City Council’s L A D N A I R 2011 development approval. This VTTM C E S 2 E F S proceeding was illegal. It should not have E 0 R N I I E 4 R L T occurred absent of the development P V 6 R A - R H T E approvals that were nullified with E 5 C V S N 2 E Measure W. The City Council ignored D B R E I 5 A F - their constituents and rationalized their R O Y 4 B O R decision with misinformation. They have E 1 O T 7 U H T all but challenged the public to defend O T C H P their constitutional right to referendum. N I R Councilmember Jennifer Fitzgerald O rationalized that the Measure W vote only Fullerton/Brea Battalion Chief Kathy Schaffer commanded the response to the fire. affected the Development Agreement. While it is true that Measure W was a ref - Oil Tank Facility Fire Photos by Fernando Villicaña erendum on the Development Agreement approval, it should have had an effect on Fullerton/Brea Fire Department units of the fire is under investigation. the other development approvals such as responded to a fire at an oil pump and tank The quick and skilled action by com - the General Plan Revision and Specific facility operated by LINN Operating, Inc. mand and fire units protected a large capac - Plan Amendment. The City wrote those near Wildcat Way just north of Lambert ity flammable liquid tank within 30 feet of approvals in such a way that the Road in Brea at 7:25pm Sunday, Nov. 22. the fire involved area. The tank holds H2S Development Agreement had a domino 4 The company (Hydrogen sulfide) a by-product of oil 3 effect. If terminated, the other approvals 8 N 2 Upon arrival the facility was well operations which is highly poisonous, flam - R 9 1 contained language that nullified them - O 5 E involved with fire. Brea Fire Department mable and explosive. A 0 selves. Councilmember Doug Chaffee T V 7 C executed attack on the fire under direction Schaefer was promoted to the Battalion R R X agreed that this should have been the N E E of Battalion Chief Kathy Schaefer who Chief position this year. She was hired by O O effect of Measure W. L S B T called for a 2nd alarm response due to the Brea Fire in 1990 and became a captain in R L B O Councilmember Fitzgerald may have E P U fire load and exposure risk. 2000; and Battalion Chief in 2015. She is L O relied on the City attorney’s advice that L F The fire was extinguished in approx. one the first female to hold these positions in U F hour with no injuries reported. The cause the Brea Fire Dept. More on page 13 Continued on page 4 Page 2FULLERTON OBSERVER COLUMN & COMMUNITY OPINIONS EARLY DECEMBER 2015 PASSION FOR JUSTICE by Synthia Tran Fear Mongers Fullerton Father & The Reunion Threaten Our Observer This December 2015 marks the 10th Father told me that after we had escaped, Country anniversary of my father’s passing. He was a relative in Saigon had written a letter to by Rusty Kennedy The Fullerton Observer Community diagnosed with a rare disease called Aplastic him and signed my name saying that my Newspaper, founded by Ralph and Natalie Pneumonia, meaning his body stopped family and I had received the official paper - Kennedy and a group of friends in 1978, is When the Japanese Americans making blood; thus it was susceptible to work to leave the country, and that I was staffed by local citizen volunteers who create, were interned during World War II, publish, and distribute the paper throughout infections and diseases even though he sorry I had to go. Armed with that letter, even as their family members our community. received blood transfusions as needed. father brought the family book to the ward, fought valiantly in the 442nd This venture is a not-for-profit one with When I heard the bad news, I called and and the officer crossed out our names with all ad and subscription revenues plowed back Regiment, the United States was asked his doctor how much time we had. the note “Left the country officially”. It was into maintaining and improving our inde - shamed. The doctor said he didn’t know, but we smart of father to do that to avoid trouble pendent, non-partisan, non-sectarian com - When 900 Jews, fleeing Hitler’s munity newspaper. should arrange time to come back and be with the local government, and it made our Germany aboard the ship St. Louis, Our purpose is to inform Fullerton resi - with him, and we did. entry back into the country to were denied port and sent back to dents about the institutions and other socie - Since the US and Vietnam visit easy. tal forces which most impact their lives, so I was amused the holocaust, and thousands more normalized their diplomatic I was very fearful about com - that they may be empowered to participate denied refuge, the United States relations, we came home to at how much ing back to Vietnam, even for a in constructive ways to keep and make these was shamed. private and public entities serve all residents visit father every year. The my family visit, but a lot of people had When thousands of Latino labor - in lawful, open, just, and socially-responsible first time I saw him was in done so long before I did. had learned about ers were deported to Mexico in ways. 1998. He came with my Hanoi and the Communist Through our extensive local calendar and life sweeps that included some Mexican cousins to greet me at the air - Party had ordered their local other coverage, we seek to promote a sense in the US Americans, the United States was port, and I saw him right officers to facilitate all processes of community and an appreciation for the from the shamed. values of diversity with which our country is away from a distance. He was to encourage Vietnamese in for - Today short-sighted opportunists so uniquely blessed. older but still the same, tall people who eign countries to visit and bring are stoking those same nativist fears with distinctive figure. We had returned back the needed revenue. Most SUBMISSIONS : that have led our great country to were extremely happy and of the local ward officials com - Submissions on any topic of interest are to visit sooner commit these shameful acts. emotional to reunite after plied except in some remote accepted from Fullerton residents and we try hard than I had. We must stand as one communi - almost 18 years of separation.