Big change in commission posts

A big change will impact the 33 individuals who fill 43 positions on four city commissions and two citizen advisory committees, as the City Council has decided to align the terms with council election cycles and make new appointments for all the positions later this month.

Current members can reapply for the positions they now hold, and applications are available for residents who want to serve on the council-appointed bodies. Deadline is 5 p.m. Jan. 9 at the City Clerk's office.

Some appointments on each commission will be for an initial two years, with other appointments for four years to continue staggered terms. The 12-year limit will apply to all positions and include retroactive service for members reappointed.

Commissioners and committee members have served at the council's pleasure since the first body, the Planning Commission, was created a month after the city's 1967 incorporation.

A member of that first commission, George Machado, was the first to be dumped, when he feuded with the council about housing density. He won a council seat in 1970, after he left.

Council created the Parks and Recreation Commission in 1979 and the Traffic Commission in 1987. Elected library trustees became commissioners in 1985, when the city took over the

Yorba Linda Library District, independent since 1914.

Other commission-council disputes led to firings, including four parks and recreation members in 1993 on a 3-1 council vote and a planning commissioner in 2011 on a 4-1 vote.

A few commissioners opposed the changes at a recent council meeting, but a lone “no” vote came from Councilman Mark Schwing, who said the process wasn't broken. Some see aligning terms with council elections as further politicizing appointments, accenting a “who supports who” factor.

Here's the current lineup of commission and committee members, with the final year of eligibility under the 12-year limit for commissioners:

Planning: Robert Lyons, 2019; Jim Nebel, 2021; Robert Pease, 2025; Karalee Watson, 2023; Jim Wohlt, 2019.

Parks and Recreation: Doug Dickerson, 2025; Doug Knarr, 2019; Terri Memole, 2021; Stewart Rixson, 2023; Tom Watts, 2021.

Traffic: Nathaniel Behura, 2021; Jerry Brakebill, 2026; Mary Carbone, 2018; Mark Long, 2025; Al Yalda, 2025.

Library (not previously term-limited): Marilyn Adams, Carin Benner, Cheri Hansen, Randie Noell, Natalie Odebunmi, first appointed in 2000, 2010, 2006, 1994, 2013, respectively.

Landscape advisory: Eileen Barme, Bobbie Cooper, Kay Dotson, Greg Gianelli, Dan Hildebrandt, Judy Murray, Ken Peterson, Bill Schuler.

General Plan advisory: Lindon Baker, Ryan Bent, Peggy Huang, Ken Peterson, John Rafter, Ed Rakochy and commissioners Adams, Behura, Benner, Carbone, Hansen, Lyons, Noell, Watson, Watts.

I'll update who's in and who's out to see if political opponents of current council members survived, especially in light of last year's tumultuous recall and November election ballots.