Council has influence beyond city limits
Yorba Linda’s City Council members have an impact on public policy that extends well beyond the town’s borders due to their positions on a number of county and regional boards with various levels of decision-making authority.
They serve on 12 such boards, in addition to five city committees and three community panels, although some of the groups rarely, if ever, meet.
Earlier this month Mayor Allen Castellano, in consultation with his colleagues, updated appointments to the 20 bodies, including naming Jan Horton and Jim Winder to a new committee to sift through 23 applications for two Traffic Commission posts.
The key assignments are the paid positions at the county Fire Authority and Sanitation and Vector Control districts, since the three agencies affect daily quality-of-life issues. Horton will serve with the Fire Authority and Winder at Sanitation and Vector Control.
The Fire Authority job, previously held by former Councilwoman Keri Wilson, pays $100 per meeting, with a $300 per month maximum, although the 24-member board, representing 22 cities and unincorporated county territory, normally meets monthly.
Winder replaces former Mayor Mike Duvall on the 25-member Sanitation District board, which serves a 471-square-mile north and central county area. The board usually meets once a month but pays $170 per meeting for up to six meetings a month.
Winder also retains his job on the 35-member Vector Control District board, overseeing the work of 51 full-time employees handling mainly fire ant, mosquito and rat problems. The position pays $100 per session, with board members usually meeting once a month.
The only other paid assignment is with the Transportation Corridor Agencies, commonly called the toll roads board, normally meeting monthly. Horton assumes the position held by former Councilman Ken Ryan at $120 per meeting for up to 18 meetings per quarter.
Other regional appointments include Four Corners Transportation (Winder), League of California Cities (Castellano), National League of Cities (Winder), Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency (Castellano), Southern California Association of Governments (Winder) and Trauma Intervention Program (Castellano).
Groups meeting less often, if ever, are North Orange County Interjurisdictions Planning Forum for Growth Management Areas 1 and 4 (Castellano) and North Orange County Cities Transit Feasibility and Alignment Study (Horton).
Two council members serve on each of four city committees which meet behind closed doors: city audit (Anderson and Winder), cable television (Castellano and Winder), police contract (Anderson and Castellano) and solid waste (Anderson and Horton).
Anderson is the delegate to the Chamber of Commerce and Winder continues with the Yorba Linda Water District and the bond committee, if the district initiates a bond issue.
A FINAL NOTE
One key decision facing the fifth council member to be chosen in the June 5 special election involves opening the council’s closed-door committee meetings to the public. Current members are split 2-2 on the issue, based on comments each made at a recent meeting.
Newly elected members John Anderson and Jan Horton favor opening the secret sessions to public scrutiny, while Mayor Allen Castellano and Councilman Jim Winder appear opposed to subjecting the meetings to the “sunshine” provisions of the state’s Brown Act.
The matter should be an important issue in the upcoming campaign because of disputes over what occurred during Town Center Ad Hoc Committee meetings in 2005 and 2006.
Filing for the council position begins Feb. 12 and ends March 9 at City Hall.
They serve on 12 such boards, in addition to five city committees and three community panels, although some of the groups rarely, if ever, meet.
Earlier this month Mayor Allen Castellano, in consultation with his colleagues, updated appointments to the 20 bodies, including naming Jan Horton and Jim Winder to a new committee to sift through 23 applications for two Traffic Commission posts.
The key assignments are the paid positions at the county Fire Authority and Sanitation and Vector Control districts, since the three agencies affect daily quality-of-life issues. Horton will serve with the Fire Authority and Winder at Sanitation and Vector Control.
The Fire Authority job, previously held by former Councilwoman Keri Wilson, pays $100 per meeting, with a $300 per month maximum, although the 24-member board, representing 22 cities and unincorporated county territory, normally meets monthly.
Winder replaces former Mayor Mike Duvall on the 25-member Sanitation District board, which serves a 471-square-mile north and central county area. The board usually meets once a month but pays $170 per meeting for up to six meetings a month.
Winder also retains his job on the 35-member Vector Control District board, overseeing the work of 51 full-time employees handling mainly fire ant, mosquito and rat problems. The position pays $100 per session, with board members usually meeting once a month.
The only other paid assignment is with the Transportation Corridor Agencies, commonly called the toll roads board, normally meeting monthly. Horton assumes the position held by former Councilman Ken Ryan at $120 per meeting for up to 18 meetings per quarter.
Other regional appointments include Four Corners Transportation (Winder), League of California Cities (Castellano), National League of Cities (Winder), Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency (Castellano), Southern California Association of Governments (Winder) and Trauma Intervention Program (Castellano).
Groups meeting less often, if ever, are North Orange County Interjurisdictions Planning Forum for Growth Management Areas 1 and 4 (Castellano) and North Orange County Cities Transit Feasibility and Alignment Study (Horton).
Two council members serve on each of four city committees which meet behind closed doors: city audit (Anderson and Winder), cable television (Castellano and Winder), police contract (Anderson and Castellano) and solid waste (Anderson and Horton).
Anderson is the delegate to the Chamber of Commerce and Winder continues with the Yorba Linda Water District and the bond committee, if the district initiates a bond issue.
A FINAL NOTE
One key decision facing the fifth council member to be chosen in the June 5 special election involves opening the council’s closed-door committee meetings to the public. Current members are split 2-2 on the issue, based on comments each made at a recent meeting.
Newly elected members John Anderson and Jan Horton favor opening the secret sessions to public scrutiny, while Mayor Allen Castellano and Councilman Jim Winder appear opposed to subjecting the meetings to the “sunshine” provisions of the state’s Brown Act.
The matter should be an important issue in the upcoming campaign because of disputes over what occurred during Town Center Ad Hoc Committee meetings in 2005 and 2006.
Filing for the council position begins Feb. 12 and ends March 9 at City Hall.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 AM
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