Fenwick's activism helps needy

(Note: This is the complete column of a slightly edited version that appeared in the Star.)

I’m afraid one of my civic heroes, community activist Sue Fenwick, will be unhappy with this week’s column. She’ll say I devoted too much space to her and too little to the causes she represents.

Since the holiday period is an especially busy time for Fenwick, maybe she won’t notice, but if she does, I’ll explain that the worthiness of her numerous endeavors is a given with Yorba Linda residents.

Fenwick is active in all aspects of community life, including the political arena, where she’s worked to preserve the city’s historical heritage and low-density environment by raising funds and walking precincts for City Council candidates with similar goals.

In fact, if Fenwick’s advice for council to create a blue-ribbon citizens committee to make recommendations regarding Old Town redevelopment had been heeded in 2005, the city could have avoided the fractious wrangling of 2006.

Fenwick was a California delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and she’s been active at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church and in the Interfaith Council.

Fenwick directs a charity that markets handcrafts made by the poor in projects sponsored by missionary and Peace Corps volunteers. The charity has a shop in Old Towne Orange and sells the crafts at area churches, including recently at Yorba Linda Presbyterian.

Also, Fenwick will make her third Christmas Day visit to patients at the Long Beach Veterans hospital along with local vet group members. Residents can help by calling Fenwick at 777-4551 to arrange pick up for donated items needed by patients.

Fenwick says vets need white socks, cans of nuts, novels, crossword puzzle books, hygiene items and gift bags of apples, oranges, cookies and sugarless and regular candy. They plan another trip Valentine’s Day, and Fenwick can arrange transportation for both.

Of course, Fenwick continues to raise funds for the armed forces memorial at Veterans Park, with dedication now set for July 4. She says contractor Gary Brattain, whose son Joel died in Iraq, is donating design work to help meet a stepped-up schedule.

A FINAL NOTE

The Town Center Blue Ribbon Committee report wisely asks City Council to create a watchdog group to keep an eye on the downtown planning process.

The proposed Town Center Specific Plan Citizens Advisory Committee would “uphold” the blue ribbon body’s recommendations during planning stages as well as provide input that supports a community vision for Old Town.

The group would help the current council avoid the mistakes of the past council, which allowed planning to occur behind closed-door ad hoc committee meetings.

A lot to be thankful for

Yorba Lindans are pretty passionate about their city and often get caught up in correcting every last fault, so it’s worthwhile to pause today and reflect on the community’s positive features, especially those nourished by residents’ attentive efforts:

--A school system that continues to meet and exceed expectations in academic and extracurricular arenas, one reason so many parents give for moving to Yorba Linda.

--A City Council newly responsive to citizen requests for more transparency and fewer closed-door meetings, thanks to initiatives from the three most recently seated members.

--City commissioners who work for little pay (Planning) or no pay (Parks and Recreation, Traffic and Library) to handle the nitty-gritty details important to a still-growing community, and, significantly, so many residents applying to serve in these posts.

--New-found historical respectability and a more diverse guest speaker schedule at the Nixon library under executive director Tim Naftali and National Archives sponsorship.

--The city’s longest-serving officials ever: Paul Armstrong, 25 years on the water board plus 14 on the old elementary school board, and Hank Wedaa, 29 years on City Council.

--Yorba Linda Arts Alliance groups, which, despite few resources and fewer venues, bring an astonishing variety of entertaining events to residents throughout the year.

--The longstanding, successful arrangement with Brea for police services, pioneered by an early ‘70s City Council to replace a contract with the county Sheriff’s Department.

--Equestrian leaders who often remind residents of the city’s historic roots and work to preserve an environment that’s also appreciated by homeowners without horses.

--The recent success of City Council candidates who use local volunteers in campaigns rather than paid professional consultants who also work for outside-the-city developers.

--A Town Center Blue Ribbon Committee that worked 18 months to deliver a cogent set of guiding principles and recommendations for future Old Town development.

--The men and women of the several service organizations who work countless hours planning and manning the events that raise money for local classrooms and charities.

--A committed group of volunteers who’ve united the community through efforts to raise funds for and otherwise publicize the armed services memorial at Veterans’ Park, and the community-spirited donor groups who share the vision, including Shapell Industries, $25,000; Shinnyo-en Foundation, $10,000; and Sunrise Rotary, $10,000.

A FINAL NOTE

And let’s not forget the Yorba Lindans who volunteer time and talents in religious, sports, 4-H, Scout and other organizations providing programs for city youth.

These farsighted individuals are Yorba Linda’s real strength in nurturing the environment responsible for the city’s success as a family-oriented community.

Council ready to cycle through seats and other thoughts

Let’s catch up on the local scene:

--Jim Winder will begin a one-year term as mayor and Jan Horton as mayor pro-tem Dec. 4, if political or personality clashes don’t disrupt a sensible rotation system for the offices established by the first City Council in 1967.

Winder’s reign will give him more visibility for his 2008 third-term re-election race, and Horton, as 2006’s top vote recipient, is next in line for the mayor’s chair. John Anderson would follow, with Hank Wedaa next, if he wins in 2008.

Last year, in a rare break with the rotation tradition, Horton cast a lone vote against Winder as mayor pro-tem.

--Former Councilwoman Keri Wilson’s Oct. 25 letter to the editor criticizing Anderson prompted me to e-mail her, “Are you in the race for ’08?” Her reply: “With regard to 2008, my campaign committee will remain open.”

Also, Wilson’s letter drew e-mail from Greg Brown countering her comment he has “nothing more than allegations” in claiming improper city conduct in a now-dead Old Town development deal. He reaffirmed the charges “with my right hand on the Bible.”

--Assemblyman Mike Duvall said he was with Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez for the latter’s now well-publicized trip to France, during which he observed Nunez spending campaign funds on wine, a bike and clothes.

“Term limits are important,” Duvall told a Town Hall gathering in Yorba Linda, noting Nunez’s “own actions are killing his initiative” to give lawmakers more time in office.

--Wedaa’s idea to pay Parks and Recreation, Traffic and Library commissioners merits consideration, if they aren’t made city employees to earn health and retirement benefits as council members do for their $560 monthly salary.

Planning Commissioners now earn $60 per meeting (maximum $120 per month), so a modest $50 per meeting stipend for the others would reimburse them for expenses incurred in on-site inspections and other duties.

--The city should benefit from Wedaa’s expertise on environment and transportation issues when Winder makes appointments to five key county boards next month.

Currently, only Horton and Winder hold director seats paying $100 to $170 per meeting on the fire authority, sanitation and vector districts and two toll road boards.

A FINAL NOTE

A 3-2 council vote to renew a two-year, $32,000 Chamber of Commerce pact to provide business, industrial and residential information wrongly limits chamber political activity.

And since the recent downtown redevelopment dispute shows chamber interests don’t always match resident wishes, the chamber should develop alternate funding so the city can drop the subsidy in 2009.

Election time is coming again--soon

Yorba Lindans looking for respite from endless electioneering the past couple years won’t find relief any time soon, as voters face four ballots full of local measures and candidates next year.

Informational campaigns are underway in two of the elections, with one set of sample ballots scheduled for mailing late next month.

First up is a Feb. 5 presidential primary, including the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District’s $200 million bond measure, which, if approved by a 55 percent vote, will add $29.50 per $100,000 assessed valuation to property tax bills for 25 years.

A Campaign for Kids 2008 group of some 50 volunteers, co-chaired by Jim Roberts and Mary Weddle, is promoting the bonds, with plans to distribute flyers listing bond-funded projects proposed at each school site.

The district’s 88,208 registered voters include 41,194 in Yorba Linda, 26,482 in Placentia and 20,532 in Anaheim, Brea, Fullerton and county areas. A 2002 bond measure tallied 18,300 yes and 9,435 no votes, a 66 to 34 percent margin.

Property owners now pay about $29.50 and $15 per $100,000 assessed valuation, respectively, for PYLUSD and North Orange County Community College District bonds from 2002.

In a mailed-ballot election during the same time period, city property owners will be asked to raise the annual arterial street lighting and landscaping zones payment from $47.29 to $91.

The ballot also will seek voter approval to increase the assessment each year to cover costs, but not more than the Consumer Price Index plus three percent.

Estimated election expense is $65,000, including a $15,000 “public education program” that legally must end by Dec. 4, when the City Council plans officially to call for a vote with ballots mailed Jan. 14 to be returned by March 4.

The June 3 primary and Nov. 4 general elections include races for four legislative seats, four positions on three water boards, two county board seats, seven school trustee terms in two districts, three council jobs and several low-profile party posts, all representing Yorba Linda.

A FINAL NOTE

The 3-2 City Council vote naming Mark Abramowitz to complete a two-year Planning Commission term is due as much to politics as to qualifications, since the former water board director and longtime Hank Wedaa ally might run for council in 2008.

Opposed to Abramowitz were Mayor Allen Castellano and Councilman Jim Winder, whose council seats, along with Wedaa’s, will appear on the November 2008 ballot.

Duvall's time in state office

“I’m a red-neck businessman turning into a libertarian,” freshman state Assemblyman Mike Duvall told the 24 people attending his first Yorba Linda town hall-type meeting recently.

The two-time mayor said the transformation is due to “what’s going on in Sacramento,” and he later explained, “One of the things I hate in government is screwing the good guy and rewarding the bad guy.”

Duvall was elected to the 80-member Assembly last year from the 72nd District, which includes western and central Yorba Linda and all or parts of six other cities.

A 38-year resident, Duvall has run an insurance business for 30 years and was elected to the City Council in 2000. In 1993, he chaired the committee charged with updating the city’s original low-density 1971 General Plan.

“When I first got to Sacramento, I didn’t have a clue what to do,” a candid Duvall said; but he quickly got into the thick of legislative matters as a member of the budget, insurance and transportation committees.

Duvall contrasted his six council years—“I was more effective behind-the-scenes”—with his first Assembly year—“I am more effective on the floor”—by citing examples.

On council, Duvall said he worked in closed-door committee meetings to refinance $18 million Black Gold Golf Course bonds to 4.25 percent, saving $87,000 interest annually.

In Sacramento, Duvall spoke about his gardener’s truck to kill a high-priority Democratic bill for a $2,500 surcharge on V-8 engines, “a tax on the state’s hardest-working people.”

And Duvall said his floor work helped extend the “baby drop-off” law’s penalty-free period from 48 hours to seven days, noting, “I took heat from GOP leaders on that one.”

Although Duvall’s a sure bet to win two more two-year Assembly terms and he’s bought a house four miles from the Capitol, the genial lawmaker looks to return to Yorba Linda when his legislative career ends.

Unlike some in the Sacramento crowd, Duvall explained, he has non-political ties to his hometown, including a successful insurance firm and a thriving business he and his wife Susan recently purchased from her father.

Anyone attending a Duvall event expects superior story telling, and he didn’t disappoint, with an account of a visit to the governor’s smoking tent, his imitation of Arnold’s voice and cigar habit and kidding from legislators about Yorba Linda’s oleander issue.