COMMUNITY Fullerton bsCeALErNDAvR Peage 1r 3-15 O EAR FULLERTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printed on 20% recycled paper) • Y 40 #4 • EARLY MARCH 2018 Submissions: [email protected] • Contact: (714) 525-6402 • Read Online at : www.fullertonobserver.com SNEAK PEEK AT THE FOX in free March 19 NUFF Forum Event Recently, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva announced that $2.5 million in funding for the Fox Fullerton Theater has been included in the California state budget proposal of 2018-19. This support resulted from a tour of the facility by Governor Jerry Brown last October. Neighbors United for Fullerton is offering the public an opportunity to learn more about this funding proposal and future plans for the Fox at a public forum to be held at the Fox Theater on Monday , March 19, at 6:45pm. Speakers will include City Planning Manager Matt Foulkes who will explain the latest information about the Fox Block development approved by the city council in December, and Leland Wilson of the Fullerton Historic Theater Foundation on how the state funds will be used. The Fox Theater is on the National Register of Historic Places and was saved from demolition in 2004 through contri - butions from the community. It is locat - By February 26th, the county had cleared out the entire homeless encampment along ed at 512 North Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, the Santa Ana Riverbed. Over 700 individuals have been moved to hotels and shelters Homeless Shelter CA 92832. by a court-ordered stipulation. PHOTO BY JESSE LA TOUR Zoning Public Hearing Neighbors United for Fullerton (NUFF) is a nonpartisan community Over $2 Million to House A public hearing to discuss and decide non-profit. Visit Nuffpac.org for more. on an amendment to Fullerton’s ordi - nance related to zone modifications on Riverbed Homeless in Hotels location and design of emergency shelters The Orange County Health Care period the county spent $67,500 so far on and multiservice centers for the homeless 7 . on city, county, state and federal land - A Agency and the county-contracted non- costs related to providing food vouchers 7 S D . 5 C I D 1 will take place at the March 6 council U profit City Net have housed 697 individ - for individuals to use during the duration A E . N P T D meeting at 6:30pm at city hall, 303 W. O uals from the Santa Ana Riverbed of their 30-day motel stays. O E R R N T G A Commonwealth. O encampments in motels from February 14 In answer to court stipulations, the R T A S D I E T E through February 25. Thirty-five addi - county has also increased capacity at the The staff report will be available on the L N S M R L A O P R tional individuals have been connected to Bridges year-round homeless shelter at city website at www.cityoffullerton.com. T U P E S F P shelters. Kraemer Place in Anaheim from 100 to Once there go to How Do I, Agendas & As of Friday, February 23, the county 165, providing accommodations for an Minutes, then City Council/Successor had spent $899,593 on motel costs so far additional 52 individuals inside the facili - Agency for the March 6, 2018 meeting. related to recent efforts to house individu - ty and an additional 13 in two temporary als encamped on the Santa Ana Riverbed structures on the facility property. between Ball Road/Taft Avenue and However, according to the county, some Residential Beekeeping Memory Lane. In addition, the County of these beds remain empty. has spent $1,681,805 on a six-month Additional costs, such as staff overtime, in Fullerton Passes lease with one motel. In the same time are still being calculated and finalized. by Jesse La Tour T N The City Council voted to allow resi - E L L dential beekeeping in Fullerton. Those D A Setting the Record Straight I C who wish to keep bees must obtain a per - S 2 E S E 0 R mit, notify their neighbors, and follow I E 4 R on Saving Coyote Hills T V “Best Practices” developed in conjunction 6 R - R T E by Angela Lindstrom The Friends of Coyote Hills filed a law - with professors from Cal Poly Pomona. E 5 V S N 2 D suit against the City because we do not This item was first introduced to coun - B E 5 At the February 20, 2018 Fullerton A - R O support any plan based on ignoring the cil in 2016 by Tony Package, a member of 4 City Council meeting, statements were O R E 1 2012 Measure W vote of the people. We the public in response to Colony Collapse T made about Coyote Hills that were inac - 7 U H do not support enriching a corporation. Disorder, which is affecting bee popula - T C curate, misleading, and contradictory. In 2015, we raised the first $1 million tions around the world. N I R Mayor Chaffee said he was working to for the acquisition of Coyote Hills. We After extensive public outreach (includ - O acquire the entire site for a park and the have since worked with Senator Newman ing an online survey), research, and the Friends of Coyote Hills killed it by suing and Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva for state help of university professors, the beekeep - the City. “The best opportunity to buy all funding. They listened and authored ing ordinance was developed by city staff the property was killed when the Friends Assembly Bill 510 and Senate Bill 714. and approved by the planning commis - filed their litigation,” he said. He painted SB-714 would provide $15 million of sion after it removed restrictions that were a picture where the Friends were standing non-competitive funds for the acquisition originally included. in the way of acquisition. Nothing could of Coyote Hills through the creation of a Members of the public were divided on be further from the truth. Coyote Hills Conservancy by the State the issue between those who support bee - The Friends of Coyote Hills is a 501c3 Coastal Conservancy. keeping and those who fear that allowing volunteer organization with a mission to The State Coastal Conservancy is an more bees will endanger public safety, par - 4 3 save all 510 acres of West Coyote Hills as 8 agency with a 40-year history of success - ticularly for those who are allergic to bee N 2 a park and preserve for now and the R 9 1 fully saving and restoring lands for parks stings. O 5 E A future. That has not changed since our 0 T V and recreation. Since its inception in Tony Package said he was concerned 7 C founding in 2001. None of our volunteers R R X N 1977, it has completed more than 1,500 about impact of Colony Collapse E E O O take a penny of compensation. We do this L S B T preservation projects up and down the Disorder on his local organic garden, and R L for the love of our community and our B O E California coast, including funding sup - felt that local beekeeping could help with P U L environment. We are not the enemy of O L port for our very own Laguna Lake pollination. “We all can do our part to F U saving Coyote Hills, not through folly nor F restoration, capriciousness. continued on page 5 continued on page 11 Page 2OBSERVER COMMUNITY OPINIONS CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 EARLY MARCH 2018 because of their absolutism, their unwill - OUT OF MY MIND ingness to save lives. ullerton Having done some work for the police F by Jon Dobrer © 2018 and the American Association of Chiefs of Observer Police, I don’t want our law enforcement officers out-gunned. When the Chief’s The Fullerton Observer Community Association asked the NRA to support a Newspaper, founded by Ralph and Natalie Florida’s Parkland Shooting ban on civilians possessing armor-piercing Kennedy and a group of friends in 1978, is ammunition, and the NRA refused, I staffed by local citizen volunteers who create, & the Kent State Massacre resigned. publish, and distribute the paper throughout This may be the moment when we the war. But it was a turning point in the our community. The NRA always argues the “slippery This venture is a not-for-profit one with all finally do something about the slaughter consciousness of America’s youth. slope,” that if they give up anything, soon ad and subscription revenues plowed back into of our innocent children. Frankly, up till Parkland Florida may stimulate the youth they’ll be left with nothing. This isn’t true. maintaining and improving our independent, now, I have been skeptical, as our politi - to counter pose themselves peacefully We banned Tommy Guns and other fully non-partisan, non-sectarian community news - cians have repeated the NRA talking against the NRA and our toxic gun cul - automatic weapons. You may not possess paper. points. When young children were ture. This could be the time politicians are Our purpose is to inform Fullerton residents a bazooka or a rocket-propelled grenade about the institutions and other societal forces slaughtered at Sandy Hook and we did forced to hear something other than the launcher. I’m guessing that owning a which most impact their lives, so that they may nothing but send our prayers, I despaired. standard excuses and NRA talking points. nuclear weapon might also be banned. In be empowered to participate in constructive Prayers are fine, but they can be a lazy, “Guns don’t kill people.