Presents or coal: who's getting what this year
Cheerily wrapped presents or bare lumps of coal: here’s a look at who’s getting what this holiday season:
--Residents who believe government should play a major role in redeveloping Old Town will receive early next year the opportunity to offer input into the selection of companies who will submit plans for retail development, a key component of a new Town Center.
An “anticipated selection process” will allow public participation during an informal presentation and workshop by developers and formal interviews by the City Council, according to a report by Community Development Director Steve Harris.
The city received proposals from six retail developers which will be winnowed to three or four firms who will submit detailed, comprehensive development proposals, Harris noted.
The most valuable retail parcels are expected to be the land fronting Imperial Highway, including property now occupied by the library, since council decided to locate a new 50,000 square-foot library costing about $30 million on an interior street in Old Town.
--Long-serving Councilman Mark Schwing received an early but welcome gift from his council colleagues: the mayor’s chair in 2012. Since Schwing is expected to seek a fifth term next year, a ballot designation as “mayor” will be a significant campaign boost.
Jim Winder’s one-vote 2008 victory was aided by his “mayor” listing on that ballot, and many of John Anderson’s 2010 campaign signs stated “Re-elect Mayor John Anderson,” which, with a ballot “mayor/deputy DA” occupation, added fuel to his first-place finish.
Schwing was elected to council in 1988 and re-elected in 1992 and 1996, losing in 2000 and 2002 before placing first out of nine candidates for three 2008 seats. The three-term limit law took effect days after he was installed in 1996, so he can serve two more terms.
--But a lump of coal again was left for Winder, who’s been overlooked by two different council majorities during his three terms. He won the most votes in 2000, but he wasn’t named mayor until April 2003, when he was given a shortened eight-month term.
Winder’s only full year as mayor came in 2008, after his single stint as mayor pro-tem in 2007. He holds the record for the least time in the two jobs for a council member elected to two or more terms. Jan Horton is the only council member never to serve as mayor.
--The Placentia-Yorba Linda school district’s gifts to stakeholders in the form of ever- increasing test scores, including state-mandated testing, SAT scores and big bumps in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate results, are well-reported.
But I’ve never seen in print a figure I ran across while perusing material compiled for a trustee meeting, in a chart telling the number of students who didn’t pass the California High School Exit Examination.
The chart noted 29 students from the district’s class of 2009 potential graduates failed one or both parts of the CAHSEE, dropping to only 16 for the 2010 class.
Even more interesting is the very small number of students “who elected to receive intensive instruction and services” to help pass the exam: 2 in each 2009 and 2010.
Next week: annual year-end review.
--Residents who believe government should play a major role in redeveloping Old Town will receive early next year the opportunity to offer input into the selection of companies who will submit plans for retail development, a key component of a new Town Center.
An “anticipated selection process” will allow public participation during an informal presentation and workshop by developers and formal interviews by the City Council, according to a report by Community Development Director Steve Harris.
The city received proposals from six retail developers which will be winnowed to three or four firms who will submit detailed, comprehensive development proposals, Harris noted.
The most valuable retail parcels are expected to be the land fronting Imperial Highway, including property now occupied by the library, since council decided to locate a new 50,000 square-foot library costing about $30 million on an interior street in Old Town.
--Long-serving Councilman Mark Schwing received an early but welcome gift from his council colleagues: the mayor’s chair in 2012. Since Schwing is expected to seek a fifth term next year, a ballot designation as “mayor” will be a significant campaign boost.
Jim Winder’s one-vote 2008 victory was aided by his “mayor” listing on that ballot, and many of John Anderson’s 2010 campaign signs stated “Re-elect Mayor John Anderson,” which, with a ballot “mayor/deputy DA” occupation, added fuel to his first-place finish.
Schwing was elected to council in 1988 and re-elected in 1992 and 1996, losing in 2000 and 2002 before placing first out of nine candidates for three 2008 seats. The three-term limit law took effect days after he was installed in 1996, so he can serve two more terms.
--But a lump of coal again was left for Winder, who’s been overlooked by two different council majorities during his three terms. He won the most votes in 2000, but he wasn’t named mayor until April 2003, when he was given a shortened eight-month term.
Winder’s only full year as mayor came in 2008, after his single stint as mayor pro-tem in 2007. He holds the record for the least time in the two jobs for a council member elected to two or more terms. Jan Horton is the only council member never to serve as mayor.
--The Placentia-Yorba Linda school district’s gifts to stakeholders in the form of ever- increasing test scores, including state-mandated testing, SAT scores and big bumps in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate results, are well-reported.
But I’ve never seen in print a figure I ran across while perusing material compiled for a trustee meeting, in a chart telling the number of students who didn’t pass the California High School Exit Examination.
The chart noted 29 students from the district’s class of 2009 potential graduates failed one or both parts of the CAHSEE, dropping to only 16 for the 2010 class.
Even more interesting is the very small number of students “who elected to receive intensive instruction and services” to help pass the exam: 2 in each 2009 and 2010.
Next week: annual year-end review.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 AM
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