Town Center, ethics policy on council agenda
Two items of importance this week:
First, public participation in the latest round of Town Center redevelopment planning has yet to match the number of residents who turned out to comment on the 2004-05 effort at various community meetings held four and five years ago.
The most recent meeting last week drew 44 residents and assorted City Council members, city staff and consultants to a session designed to explain planning status and gain public input. An August forum audience started with 54 residents and ultimately dwindled to 32.
By contrast, residents packed the Community Center’s Yorba room at council-sponsored meetings and the Masonic Lodge at developer-run workshops in 2005, and a 2006 Yorba Linda Residents for Responsible Redevelopment meeting attracted more than 150 people.
Eventually, the 2004-05 plan collapsed after opponents gathered 8,647 signatures on a petition calling for the public’s “right-to-vote” on major changes to zoning regulations and 9,790 signatures to overturn council’s higher density zoning for the Old Town area.
Current planning is conducted in open forums with no closed-door meetings of council members, city staff and developers as in the past, and it’s a bit strange to hear normally conservative Yorba Lindans describe how the city could develop other people’s property.
Next opportunity for public input is at a joint council-Planning Commission study session scheduled Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Community Center.
Second, chances are good that at least three council votes can be mustered for a strong ethics ordinance. Council scheduled a study session on the matter Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m.
A law preventing council candidates from accepting campaign contributions from city contractors and placing time restrictions on donations from individuals and businesses whose interests are affected by council decisions will be on the agenda.
Other topics include a code of conduct for elected and appointed officials, “whistle-blower” protection, closed-door sessions, ethics training and taping closed meetings.
A written definition of ethics might gain new support in light of former Mayor Mike Duvall’s reported Sacramento behavior. Fortunately, the state Assembly has a formal ethics policy, so Duvall should be held accountable after an appropriate investigation.
Interestingly, at a 2007 Town Hall gathering, Duvall told a small group of 24 Yorba Linda constituents, “When I first got to Sacramento, I didn’t have a clue what to do.”
He said his family moved to Yorba Linda when he enrolled at Valencia High School in 1969, and he described himself as “a red-necked businessman turning into a libertarian.”
My Nov. 1, 2007, column noted Duvall’s meeting comment, “One of the things I hate in government is screwing the good guy and rewarding the bad guy.”
First, public participation in the latest round of Town Center redevelopment planning has yet to match the number of residents who turned out to comment on the 2004-05 effort at various community meetings held four and five years ago.
The most recent meeting last week drew 44 residents and assorted City Council members, city staff and consultants to a session designed to explain planning status and gain public input. An August forum audience started with 54 residents and ultimately dwindled to 32.
By contrast, residents packed the Community Center’s Yorba room at council-sponsored meetings and the Masonic Lodge at developer-run workshops in 2005, and a 2006 Yorba Linda Residents for Responsible Redevelopment meeting attracted more than 150 people.
Eventually, the 2004-05 plan collapsed after opponents gathered 8,647 signatures on a petition calling for the public’s “right-to-vote” on major changes to zoning regulations and 9,790 signatures to overturn council’s higher density zoning for the Old Town area.
Current planning is conducted in open forums with no closed-door meetings of council members, city staff and developers as in the past, and it’s a bit strange to hear normally conservative Yorba Lindans describe how the city could develop other people’s property.
Next opportunity for public input is at a joint council-Planning Commission study session scheduled Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Community Center.
Second, chances are good that at least three council votes can be mustered for a strong ethics ordinance. Council scheduled a study session on the matter Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m.
A law preventing council candidates from accepting campaign contributions from city contractors and placing time restrictions on donations from individuals and businesses whose interests are affected by council decisions will be on the agenda.
Other topics include a code of conduct for elected and appointed officials, “whistle-blower” protection, closed-door sessions, ethics training and taping closed meetings.
A written definition of ethics might gain new support in light of former Mayor Mike Duvall’s reported Sacramento behavior. Fortunately, the state Assembly has a formal ethics policy, so Duvall should be held accountable after an appropriate investigation.
Interestingly, at a 2007 Town Hall gathering, Duvall told a small group of 24 Yorba Linda constituents, “When I first got to Sacramento, I didn’t have a clue what to do.”
He said his family moved to Yorba Linda when he enrolled at Valencia High School in 1969, and he described himself as “a red-necked businessman turning into a libertarian.”
My Nov. 1, 2007, column noted Duvall’s meeting comment, “One of the things I hate in government is screwing the good guy and rewarding the bad guy.”
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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