Police partisans call each other 'liar,' 'unethical' but other Yorba Linda issues are also important
The contentious debate surrounding this city’s police services contract continues to swirl with passionate partisans on both sides tossing around the terms “liar” and “unethical” at City Council meetings and on numerous websites, blogs and Facebook pages.
Soon, thoughtful Yorba Lindans who are not part of the pro-Brea police or pro-Sheriff cliques will tire of the negativism and look for independent-thinking candidates for the three council slots on the Nov. 6 ballot. (Filing at City Hall ends Aug. 10.)
Meanwhile, other issues merit attention from residents interested in better governing practices rather than the low-level of political discourse exhibited on the police issue.
First is the Friends Christian High School matter. Deadline for substantial action by the school in meeting past-due lease payments totaling more than $630,000 for the city’s 32 acres of Bastanchury Road property planned for a 1,200-student campus is approaching.
The last of four required reports from school officials is slated for an Aug. 21 council session, which marks the end of a 120-day delay granted on a 3-2 council vote before acting on a default notice sent to lease-holder Yorba Linda Friends Church in April.
School officials paid the city $50,000 in April, which, when added to $50,000 already on deposit, met council’s condition for a quick $100,000 payment to forestall action to terminate the 99-year lease. The last regular payment was made in October 2011.
According to the third report presented at the July 17 council meeting, “Negotiations on the amount, terms and timing of project financing have begun and will continue over the coming weeks.” The report noted the church is working with three lenders, not identified.
Also, “Review of the ground lease is underway by lenders” and “additional review is also continuing by counsel for Yorba Linda Friends Church….” At a previous meeting, school officials indicated financing could be difficult to obtain due to current lease terms.
Second is an issue similar to the development matters that led to a number of attempts to incorporate Yorba Linda in the 1950s-60s and the successful 1967 incorporation election.
Many early residents opposed the county’s development standards vis-a-vis lot size and too many service stations along Yorba Linda Boulevard, once labeled “gasoline alley.”
Now, some residents near proposed 486-home developments in the Urban Wildland Interface region of unincorporated Yorba Linda near San Antonio Road worry about county conditions for projects that probably will be annexed to the city.
The Sage/Cielo Vista and Yorba Linda Estates projects are within the Yorba Linda Water District, so some residents seek water infrastructure that would double the minimum fire-flow requirement listed in the state’s fire code.
A Final Note: An era ends with Ric Collett’s retirement from the company that hauls away this city’s trash. Collett’s father founded Yorba Linda Disposal in 1959, and Ric, one of my first Valencia High students, worked his way from the trucks to an executive office. He was elected a water district director in 2004.
Soon, thoughtful Yorba Lindans who are not part of the pro-Brea police or pro-Sheriff cliques will tire of the negativism and look for independent-thinking candidates for the three council slots on the Nov. 6 ballot. (Filing at City Hall ends Aug. 10.)
Meanwhile, other issues merit attention from residents interested in better governing practices rather than the low-level of political discourse exhibited on the police issue.
First is the Friends Christian High School matter. Deadline for substantial action by the school in meeting past-due lease payments totaling more than $630,000 for the city’s 32 acres of Bastanchury Road property planned for a 1,200-student campus is approaching.
The last of four required reports from school officials is slated for an Aug. 21 council session, which marks the end of a 120-day delay granted on a 3-2 council vote before acting on a default notice sent to lease-holder Yorba Linda Friends Church in April.
School officials paid the city $50,000 in April, which, when added to $50,000 already on deposit, met council’s condition for a quick $100,000 payment to forestall action to terminate the 99-year lease. The last regular payment was made in October 2011.
According to the third report presented at the July 17 council meeting, “Negotiations on the amount, terms and timing of project financing have begun and will continue over the coming weeks.” The report noted the church is working with three lenders, not identified.
Also, “Review of the ground lease is underway by lenders” and “additional review is also continuing by counsel for Yorba Linda Friends Church….” At a previous meeting, school officials indicated financing could be difficult to obtain due to current lease terms.
Second is an issue similar to the development matters that led to a number of attempts to incorporate Yorba Linda in the 1950s-60s and the successful 1967 incorporation election.
Many early residents opposed the county’s development standards vis-a-vis lot size and too many service stations along Yorba Linda Boulevard, once labeled “gasoline alley.”
Now, some residents near proposed 486-home developments in the Urban Wildland Interface region of unincorporated Yorba Linda near San Antonio Road worry about county conditions for projects that probably will be annexed to the city.
The Sage/Cielo Vista and Yorba Linda Estates projects are within the Yorba Linda Water District, so some residents seek water infrastructure that would double the minimum fire-flow requirement listed in the state’s fire code.
A Final Note: An era ends with Ric Collett’s retirement from the company that hauls away this city’s trash. Collett’s father founded Yorba Linda Disposal in 1959, and Ric, one of my first Valencia High students, worked his way from the trucks to an executive office. He was elected a water district director in 2004.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 AM
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