Happy Holidays & New Year! COMMUNITY ullerto♥ n bsCeALErNDAvR Peage 1r 4-15 FULLEFRTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printed oOn 20% recycled paper) • YEAR 37 #21 • MID DECEMBER 2015 Submissions: [email protected] • Contact: (714) 525-6402 • Read Online at : www.fullertonobserver.com The School Choir Goes Caroling Fullerton First Night Ready to Go COUNCIL CONSIDERS HORT ERM ENTALS Above, the Laguna Road Choir stu - Come ring in the New Year at the City of Events will take place at varying locations S -T R dents sung for staff and residents at Fullerton’s 24th Annual "First Night in historic downtown Fullerton between City council will consider an ordinance the Crittenton Center. Fullerton" New Year's Eve Celebration on Harbor Blvd. on the west and Pomona Ave. regulating short term vacation rentals in See “Caring Hearts” on page 10 Thursday, December 31, 2015. on the east. residential neighborhoods at its Dec. 15 The all-ages event, annual alcohol-free Tribute bands will provide music: Plaza meeting. The measure, if adopted, would celebration starts at 7pm and will include main stage - Woodie & the Longboards amend the zoning ordinance to regulate children's activities as well as live music and (Beach Boys); Pomona stage- HELP, hosting platforms such as AirBnB, Homeaway, VRBO and others. 7 entertainment, art galleries and a 10- (Beatles); Wilshire stage- Skynyrd Reloaded . A 7 S D . 5 C minute fireworks show finale that will cap (Lynyrd Skynyrd); Harbor stage- The growth of alternative lodging I D 1 U A E . options for travelers has grown over the N P the celebration at midnight. U2Xperience (U2). Elvis & Madonna stilt T D O O E R R past few years. AirBnB, for example, N Admission is free but a fee of $2 to $7 walkers; magic show at First Christian; and T G A O R T A S D which started with a single listing in San I E will be charged for the children's rides and the Museum exhibit will be open. T E L N S M R Francisco in 2007, now has over 2 million L A activities, balloon art, bounce houses, face First Night Fullerton is produced by the O P R T U P E S listings worldwide and had 10 million F painting and hot air balloon rides. Fullerton Parks and Recreation P A variety of food booths will be selling Department. Call the Fullerton Museum guest bookings in 2014. items throughout the evening, and most Center at (714) 738-6545 for more infor - While short-term rentals diversify downtown restaurants will be open. mation. options for travelers and create revenue for homeowners, it has also caused nega - tive impacts in single family residential Correction: LINN Operating Oil Facility Fire neighborhoods. A review of short-term rental websites in November 2015 found The Early December “Oil Tank Facility 30 listings in Fullerton that offered indi - Fire” reporting on the November 22 fire at T vidual bedrooms to entire homes. a LINN Operating Inc pump and tank N Under the city’s current regulations E facility had numerous errors (for which the L boarding houses and bed and breakfast L D Observer editor regrets) . The errors are cor - A I inns are not allowed in residential areas. C S 2 rected below with thanks to Fullerton/Brea E However, the code does not prohibit peo - S E 0 R I Fire Chief Wolfgang Knabe and Fire E 4 R T ple from renting out rooms in their homes V 6 R Marshall Division Chief Julie Kunze: - R T E provided that Continued on page 9 E 5 V S N 2 1) The “Danger: H2S Poisonous Gas” D B E 5 A - sign at the bottom of the huge tank does R County Joins O 4 O R not describe the contents of the tank. The E 1 T 7 U H sign warns that H2S is present, or may be Whistleblower Lawsuit T C present, at the site, according to Chief N Against Wireless Carriers I R Knabe who said their are hundreds of these O signs on oil properties. Orange County has joined with 10 Other signs on the tank clearly mark it as other California counties and dozens of containing “Crude Oil/Water” other government entities across the state “Flammable” “Natural Gas” “GS-1.” Also in a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower on the tank is the regulatory diamond PHOTO BY FERNANDO VILLICAÑA against Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T- sticker showing hazard levels of the con - chemical situation she would have called in Mobile alleging they collectively over - tents: a Blue #1 (slightly hazardous, breath - hazmat units.” charged government customers by more ing apparatus may be worn); Red #3 than $100 million. o 3) The fire was originally identyfied as a The suit, brought in Sacramento (Serious Flammable. Flash Point 73 F to brush fire, said the Chief, so a 2-alarm fire 100 o F), and Yellow #0“ (“Minimal. County Superior Court under the 4 was called because brush fires can get out of California False Claims Act, alleges that 3 Normally stable. Does not react with 8 hand quickly. “Chief Schaefer downgraded N 2 the wireless carriers ignored cost-saving R 9 1 water.”) the call to one-alarm after she realized it O 5 E requirements included in master contracts A 0 T V 7 C involved machinery not brush. 2) The yellow fire suits, respiratory face - under which their services were purchased R R X N E E masks and compressed air tanks described 4) The description of the flash back fac - O by various government entities. The OC O L S B T in a caption as “Firefighters in full protec - tor of H2S in a paragraph from OSHA Board of Supervisors authorized joining R L B O E P tive gear” are always worn at every fire and U describes H2S compressed tanks. This was the lawsuit on September 22, 2015. L O L F are not hazmat suits. If Battalion Chief not the case at this fire as there are no H2S However, the lawsuit was filed under seal U F Schaefer had felt there was a hazardous tanks of any sort. Continued on page 9 until this week. -JP Page 2FULLERTON OBSERVER COMMUNITY OPINIONS continued on page 18 MID DECEMBER 2015 The Value of School Resource Officers Due to budget and funding constraints, ullerton the city which fully funded this program F Re: “Questionable Use of Campus other current trends. in the beginning, moved to shared fund - Observer Officers,” opinion by Chris Norby, A resource officer also handles most ing with the school districts, and is now page 18 Community Opinions incidents and reports from start to finish, having the school district fully fund the Mid November Observer. interacting with students, parents, and the The Fullerton Observer Community position. Fullerton was the first city in the Newspaper, founded by Ralph and Natalie legal system, which can provide alterna - county to start a DARE program, which Kennedy and a group of friends in 1978, is As a retired Fullerton police officer, and tives to incarceration in some instances. in the early 2000s was eliminated at the staffed by local citizen volunteers who create, one who worked closely with fellow police Also working with resource officers are discretion of FSD Superintendent publish, and distribute the paper throughout officers assigned to our local high schools probation counselors and outreach groups Cameron McCune. The our community. as the designated “School Resource who often know their clien - This venture is a not-for-profit one with choice was between keeping all ad and subscription revenues plowed back Officer,” I can assure you that their pres - tele better than a detective While it is the DARE program (K-8) or into maintaining and improving our inde - ence not only on the school campus, but assigned to the case days unfortunate that having a full time middle pendent, non-partisan, non-sectarian com - also in our community is a valuable asset. later. school/junior high campus munity newspaper. The City of Fullerton and the police As a parent of three chil - police officers police officer rotate among Our purpose is to inform Fullerton resi - department were one of the first in dren who have attended dents about the institutions and other socie - should be the campuses. The FSD tal forces which most impact their lives, so Orange County to have an officer Fullerton schools, I am needed on a chose the school resource that they may be empowered to participate assigned to the high school campuses. thankful that our city and full-time basis officer because, at the time, in constructive ways to keep and make these This is not a “fluff” assignment, but police department, along the high school resource offi - private and public entities serve all residents rather forward thinking on the part of the with our school districts at school sites, cer was often being pulled in lawful, open, just, and socially-responsible school district and the police department. (FJUHS and FSD) embrace ways. it is in fact from the high school campus Through our extensive local calendar and The responsibility in the early years was and fund this valuable and a reality - to tend to crimes on the jun - other coverage, we seek to promote a sense shared among more than one high school necessary position. I know just look at the ior high campus. Yes, Mr. of community and an appreciation for the campus per officer and they were also a first hand as an officer that Norby, crime does occur at values of diversity with which our country is resource, as needed, for our junior high “scurrying kids to class or daily news across so uniquely blessed.