Proposed Placentia ordinance allowing marijuana dispensary draws opposition from Yorba Linda, school district leaders at City Council session

Another strong stand against allowing medical marijuana dispensaries within or adjacent to Yorba Linda's borders has been taken by this city's elected and appointed governmental and educational leaders.

Both the City Council and schools superintendent Doug Domene dispatched representatives to a recent Placentia City Council session to oppose an ordinance that would permit medical marijuana to be sold in a Rose Drive shopping center just outside Yorba Linda's westside limits.

Taking forceful statements to the neighboring city were Assistant City Manager Dave Christian and the school district's Director of Executive Services Richard McAlindin. Their voices, with dozens of other opponents, led Placentia's council to drop the plan previously approved 3-2.

An especially instructive statement was read by McAlindin, since Rose Drive Elementary School is within hailing distance of a potential marijuana storefront. As proposed, the law required any dispensary to be located within 1,000 feet of Placentia-Linda Hospital.

While noting a close partnership between the nearly 26,000-student school district and the city to ensure student safety by providing school resource officers and crossing guards for local campuses, McAlindin stated the district was “never consulted” on the marijuana matter.

Once school officials learned of the ordinance, McAlindin said, “We immediately contacted our assistant principals at all of our secondary schools and asked this question: Of the few students who are found in possession or under the influence of marijuana on our school campuses, what was the original source of the illegal drugs?”

According to McAlindin, the assistant principals indicated “more than 50 percent originated from medical marijuana dispensaries.” He noted, “While we do not experience many cases in our schools, we still have a responsibility to do what we can to minimize access.”

The city cited adverse effects – “increased traffic, noise, drug dealing, money laundering and firearms violations” – and warned that dispensaries “often do not comply with the operational requirements imposed,” resulting in “a multitude of disputes and litigation.”

The statement further stated the city “will take any and all actions to ensure that its citizens are protected to the extent possible from the impacts resulting from marijuana facilities you are allowing in such close proximity to Yorba Linda's boundaries.”

Despite state voter approval of medical marijuana in 1996, court rulings allow cities to ban or regulate sales and cultivation of the drug; thus, Yorba Linda prohibits all marijuana-related land uses, including dispensaries, deliveries and commercial cultivation.

The city's dispensary prohibition was adopted in 2006, with deliveries outlawed in January. A lone dispensary lasted less than a month in 2010, shuttering after the city began legal action, with owners surrendering their business license.

Half of Yorba Linda's registered voters cast ballots in June 7 primary election, making clear choices

About half of Yorba Linda's registered voters cast ballots in last week's primary election, nearly doubling the June turnout just two years ago and matching the number voting in the November 2014 general election.

While a few mail-in and precinct ballots remain to be tabulated, the choices of this city's Republican and Democratic voters are clear, with the results in one 15-candidate contest perhaps providing an early snapshot of the upcoming race for three slots on the City Council.

Here are some key results from Yorba Linda's voters:

--In the Republican presidential primary, 73.6 percent voted for Donald Trump and 20.3 percent for candidates who had suspended their campaigns but whose names remained on the ballot. Some 6.1 percent didn't vote for any of the listed candidates.

Percentages of the vote for candidates who previously dropped out: John Kasich, 9.5; Ted Cruz, 8; Ben Carson, 2; and Jim Gilmore, 0.5.

In the Democratic presidential primary, 73.5 percent of the votes were cast by Democrats and 26.5 percent by “no party preference” registrants who requested Democratic ballots.

Percentages of the vote were Hillary Clinton, 54.9; Bernie Sanders, 40.7; five other candidates on the ballot, 1.0; and none of the listed candidates, 3.4.

--Republican voters in Yorba Linda, Placentia, Brea and La Habra selected five Yorba Linda residents for the area's six-member Republican Central Committee delegation from a 15-candidate field that included 12 contenders from this city.

Top vote-getter was City Councilman Craig Young. Other Yorba Lindans elected were council members Gene Hernandez and Peggy Huang, 16-year Municipal Water District director Brett Barbre and businessman James Gerbus. Also elected was La Habra Councilman Tim Shaw.

Young and Gerbus are new to the committee, ousting incumbents Karla Downing and Dennis White from Yorba Linda. The six are scheduled to begin their new four-year terms on Jan. 16.

Tara Campbell, chair of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission, who ran on a slate with five of the winners, placed seventh. She's received endorsements in the November council race from Hernandez, Huang, Young and Mayor Tom Lindsey.

The support for Young and Hernandez – from Republican voters, at least – portend well for the pair as they seek second council terms in November. The Central Committee makes endorsements in local council races and are likely to endorse in a potential water board recall of two directors and on two director positions already scheduled for the November ballot.

--Also in Yorba Linda, Kamala Harris, Duf Sundheim and Loretta Sanchez ran first, second and third for U.S. Senate; Congressman Ed Royce placed 50 percentage points above his Democratic opponent; Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang won 65 percent of the vote against two Democrats for state Senate; and fewer than 100 votes separate Phillip Chen and Mike Spence for Chang's Assembly seat.

School costs, new businesses, CRV fee uses, DUI arrests and traffic tickets detailed for Yorba Linda

Here's another installment of occasional columns summarizing several matters of interest to Yorba Linda residents:

--Mixed news regarding the cost of benefits for employees of Placentia-Yorba Linda public schools for the fiscal year starting July 1 has been viewed by the district's elected trustees.

Premiums for six medical plans provided by Anthem Blue Cross jump 8.8 percent for a total $24 million expenditure, while premium for a Kaiser Permanente plan dips 0.7 percent to a $6.1 million expense. Delta Dental's premium edges up 0.13 percent for a $2.8 million cost.

Meanwhile, elementary and high school lunches will cost 25 cents more, since federal law requires schools to gradually increase costs to the subsidy level for free and reduced price meals, so federal monies aren't subsidizing a district's paid meals.

New costs: $1.50 breakfast and $2.75 elementary, $3 middle school, $3.25 high school lunch.

And $750 honorariums were awarded nine employees-of-the-year: classified workers Maria Alvarado, Alfred Fonseca, Martha Mann and Martha Suarez and certificated staffers Richard Castro, Michelle De Haven, Dave Flynn, Rey Lejano and Jennifer Luchesi.

--Among recent actions by the city Planning Commission is a denial for a 10-bed care facility for elderly residents on Arbor Gate Lane, east of Lakeview Avenue and south of Bastanchury Road.

Approved were two new businesses at the refurbished Valley View Shopping Center just north of Yorba Linda Boulevard: Pawradise pet grooming and day care facility and Kim's Taekwondo martial arts studio.

And cell phone reception should be improved by an antennae array added to an existing Southern California Edison tower on vacant land west of Eastside Park and addition of a back-up generator in a screened enclosure at Valley View Sports Park.

--A portion of the cash local shoppers pay for the CRV fee – known formally as the California Refund Value – paid on the purchase of plastic and glass beverage containers is returned to the city by the state's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.

Some $17,381 will be distributed starting in July through November, according to Assistant City Manager Dave Christian, who reported at a recent City Council meeting that the dollar amount from this and past years is used for container recycling and litter clean-up activities.

Cities receive a minimum $5,000 or a higher per-capita amount under the program, which aims for a statewide 80 percent recycle rate tor CRV containers.

--Arrests for suspicion of driving under the influence on this city's roadways totaled 30 in the first four months of this year: 11 in January, 6 in February, 3 in March and 10 in April.

During the same four-month period, 411 citations were issued for hazardous or moving violations and 331 for non-hazardous offenses, mostly involving equipment, registration and seat belts, noted a Sheriff's report to the Traffic Commission.

Twelve from Yorba Linda seek six county Republican central committee positions

Final tallies of Yorba Linda's votes in several contests in Tuesday's primary election will prove interesting, even though the major parties' presidential nominees appear to be in place for the November general election.

The margin of victory for Donald Trump from this city's 22,061 registered Republicans will show if Yorba Lindans will unify behind the often-controversial presumptive GOP nominee.

If “never Trump” sentiments exist among the city's Republicans, they'll be apparent in votes cast for the candidates who've suspended their campaigns but whose names remain on the ballot: Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Jim Gilmore and John Kasich.

And will this city's 8,803 registered Democrats choose Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders? Equally intriguing will be how many of the city's 7,555 independents vote for a Democrat.

Independents – registered as “no party preference” – can vote in the Democratic primary, but only registered Republicans can vote in the GOP primary, under rules specified by the parties.

Deadline for independent mail-in voters to request a Democratic ballot has passed, but precinct voters can select one at their polling place.

Another contest of interest to local Republicans is the race for six positions on the county GOP Central Committee. Eligible to vote are Yorba Linda's 22,061 Republicans, as well as 10,815 in Placentia, 10,103 in Brea and 8,333 in La Habra.

The contest drew 15 candidates for the unpaid, four-year terms, including an all-time high of 12 from Yorba Linda. Two reside in Placentia and one in La Habra.

Usually, incumbency and name recognition attract votes, since little or no money is spent to campaign. But this year has seen surprisingly higher outlays by some contenders.

A slate of six candidates has purchased expensive endorsements on nine voter guides mailed to Republicans. The for-profit guides use high-impact names, such as California Republican Taxpayers Association, Continuing the Republican Revolution, Budget Watchdogs and Save Proposition 13, for credibility.

The paid endorsements promote four incumbents – council members Gene Hernandez and Peggy Huang, Municipal Water District director Brett Barbre and La Habra Councilman Tim Shaw – joined by Councilman Craig Young and council candidate Tara Campbell.

Other Yorba Lindans are incumbents Karla Downing and Dennis White and challengers Nadia White, James Gerbus, Ed Gunderson, Susi Khan and Irene Yezbak, with the latter three paying for several roadway signs. Desare Ferraro and Mike Withrow are from Placentia.

In 2014, after fierce debate that split the local delegation, the committee voted to oppose the October recall of councilmen Young and Tom Lindsey, which failed, and endorse November winners Lindsey and Peggy Huang.

This year, the influential group is expected to make endorsements in a potential water board recall and the regular water board and council races on the November ballot.