Thursday, January 25, 2018

Placentia-Yorba Linda school district trustees call for 'full and fair funding' in new resolution

Of the dozens of resolutions adopted by local governing boards each year, easily one of the most significant was approved on a unanimous vote last week by the elected trustees of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

The resolution calls for “full and fair funding” of the state's public schools. Specifically, local trustees want the state legislature to fund schools at the national average or higher by 2020 and at or above the average of the top 10 states nationally by 2025.

Currently, state schools are funded at about $1,961 per-pupil less than the national average – or $3,462 per-pupil less when adjusted for California's status as a “high-cost” state. California trails the average of the top 10 states by almost $7,000 in per-pupil funding.

Other North County school districts are expected to consider similar resolutions next month. The matter was on the Brea-Olinda Unified School District's board agenda earlier this week.

The “full and fair funding” resolution originated with the California School Boards Association, which represents some 1,000 local school boards and county boards of education throughout the state.

Representing North County school district boards on the association's delegate assembly are Placentia-Yorba Linda trustees Carrie Buck and Karin Freeman and Robert Singer, a 38-year trustee for the Fullerton Joint Union High School District.

The resolution states some pretty dismal figures for school funding, considering California is the world's sixth largest economy and has the largest gross domestic product of any state in the nation.

Overall, “the state falls in the nation's bottom quartile on nearly every measure of public K-12 school funding and school staffing,” and K-12 funding “has not substantially increased, on an inflation-adjusted basis, for more than a decade,” according to the resolution.

Among the statistics cited in the resolution: The state ranks 45th of 50 states in the percentage of taxable income spent on education, 41st in per-pupil funding, 45th in pupil-teacher ratios and 48th in pupil-staff ratios, with funding just this year returning to 2007 pre-recession levels.

On another matter, Placentia-Yorba Linda trustees approved a first interim report for the 2017 -18 fiscal year with a “positive certification,” which means the 25,432-student district will meet financial obligations for the current and two more fiscal years, based on current projections.

However, expenditures are expected to exceed income through June 2020, according to the current year's first interim budget and multi-year projections, with the lag in income made up from the district's reserves, the cash stockpile built up in past years.

The “reserve for future deficits” stands at $12.3 million this year, with projected drops to $7.1 million next year and zero dollars the year after. The projections do not include cost-of-living salary increases. 

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Yorba Linda's city-owned Black Gold Golf Club posts positive profit picture, water use savings

Two key topics were among the several subjects covered in a recently released report on Yorba Linda's city-owned Black Gold Golf Club: the 219-acre facility continues to return a profit and a seven-year transition to Kikuyu grass has saved millions of gallons of water.

Revenue for the 2016-17 fiscal year approached $5.8 million, resulting in $629,719 income after expenses. Course improvements totaled $267,761, leaving a net income of $361,958, according to the written report from Parks and Recreation Director Mike Kudron.

The revenue total still lags behind the 2006-07 fiscal year total of nearly $6.5 million achieved before the Great Recession, but the profit picture is more positive since the city used general fund reserves during the 2013-14 fiscal year to pay off $15.6 million of remaining principal on the club's initial construction bonds.

Club income exceeded the previous year total by $91,109, but fell short of the $243,921 increase that was predicted when the budget was adopted in 2016. Green fees and golf shop revenues were better than the previous year, while food and beverage income dropped some.

During the year, the club hosted an estimated 132,334 visitors: 56,627 for golf rounds, 25,345 at the practice range, 17,823 for banquets and meetings, 13,748 for a la cart dining, 10,341 at events and tournaments and 8,450 at weddings.

The year's capital projects included renovation of driving range tee area and replacement of range netting, renovation of 10 course bunkers, leveling par 3 blue and white tee boxes and new banquet chairs, ballroom audio-visual system and clubhouse Wi-Fi capability.

The Kikuyu grass transition that converted 112 acres of rye grass “has been classified as completed,” stated Kudron's report, with “almost full coverage” of fairways and rough. The project started in 2010 and saved an estimated 19 million gallons of water in the past year.

The warm season Kikuyu grass is drought tolerant, which enabled staff to eliminate daytime watering of established areas without endangering turf health,” stated Kudron. The transition success was noted in an independent audit by a United States Golf Association agronomist.

Also reported:

--The club hosts Yorba Linda, Esperanza, El Dorado, Orange Lutheran high schools and Cal State Fullerton golf teams and classes in the city parks and recreation department for young and adult golfers, as well as four camps and academies that enroll young golf enthusiasts.

--Ratings from 1,559 customer surveys from golfers who used the facility for golf, food and beverage were 9.4 out of 10. A Net Promoter Score index that tracks customer satisfaction and willingness to promote the facility jumped from 70.7 to 79.3, highest in club history.

--Non-golfers are attracted to the club facility for July 4 fireworks viewing, holiday brunches and buffets, daily happy hours, weekly Sunday brunches and popular Taco Tuesday dining. 

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Yorba Linda's City Council, school boards, water agencies choose officers for 2018 calendar year

No surprises surfaced during the annual election of officers for Yorba Linda's City Council and the several school and water district governing boards with jurisdiction in Yorba Linda.

Each panel wisely follows a rotation method of choosing officers, giving all of each board's elected representatives the opportunity to serve a one-year term as mayor and mayor pro-tem for the city or president and vice president for the school and water district boards.

Most exceptions have occurred in the yearly selection of the mayor and mayor pro-tem, when members on the short side of 3-2 and 4-1 voting splits have been, at times, pettishly excluded from the largely ceremonial positions.

This time, however, the council hewed to the rotation policy practiced when the first five members each served six months in the top offices in order of the vote totals won in the
first council election in 1967.

Gene Hernandez was named mayor and Tara Campbell mayor pro tem on 5-0 votes. Hernandez, elected to a second council term in 2016, also served as mayor for 2015.

Campbell was the top vote-getter in the 2016 election, and if a rotation policy is followed next year, will be mayor in 2019, with Beth Haney next in line for the mayor pro tem slot.

One advantage to serving as mayor – or as president of the school and water boards – is higher visibility in the community, which is especially helpful in an election year. However, the council positions on this year's ballot are now held by Peggy Huang and Tom Lindsey.

In the Yorba Linda Water District, Al Nederhood was selected president and Brooke Jones vice president. Both were elected to two-year terms in 2016 recall elections, with the slots they now hold scheduled for the November ballot.

Yorba Linda resident and Esperanza High grad Brett Barbre was named president of the seven-member board of directors of the county's Municipal Water District. He represents Division 1, which includes Yorba Linda, Placentia, La Palma, La Habra, Buena Park and Brea.

Barbre also represents the Municipal district on the 38-member board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California that serves some 19 million residents in six counties.

The seat held by Barbre since 2000 is scheduled for the November ballot. He is a past Yorba Linda Water District director and recently was named the district's assistant general manager.

In the Placentia-Yorba Linda school district, Placentia's Carol Downey was named president, and Yorba Linda's Carrie Buck and Eric Padget vice president and clerk. Seats held by Buck and immediate past president Karin Freeman are slated for the November ballot.

In the North Orange County Community College District, Anaheim's Jacqueline Rodarte was selected president and Yorba Linda's Jeff Brown and Ryan Bent vice president and secretary. All three represent parts of Yorba Linda, with Brown's seat scheduled for the November ballot.

Thursday, January 04, 2018

Yorba Linda voters face choices in 2018

Yorba Linda voters – along with those in other north county cities – face intriguing choices in the 2018 primary and general elections, including the probable recall vote on Josh Newman, the first Democrat elected to represent Yorba Linda in the state Senate since 1936.

Newman squeaked by then-Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang in the 2016 election by 2,498 votes out of 317,962 cast in the 29th District, which includes portions of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, to win a four-year term.

Chang, a probable candidate in the recall, easily won Yorba Linda 22,568 to 11,262 and also took Brea, La Palma and Placentia, while Newman won Fullerton, La Habra and Buena Park.

California secretary of State Alex Padilla is expected to certify the recall petition signatures Jan. 11, which would make the June 5 primary the almost-certain date for a recall ballot. A stand-alone election can't be held within 180 days of a scheduled election by state law.

Recall election costs would be split among the three counties, with estimates of $2.67 million for a stand-alone ballot and $961,000 for combining the matter with the June 5 primary ballot.

Another interesting race for local voters involves Ed Royce, who has represented the area in the House of Representatives since 1992. Democrats have targeted Royce's 39th District this year, since Hillary Clinton ran 8.6 points ahead of Donald Trump in the district in 2016.

Royce outran Democrat Brett Murdock 85,035 to 55,520 in the June 2016 primary and beat him 150,777 to 112,679 in November, winning Yorba Linda and the other north county cities 89,106 to 61,202. Several candidates have announced bids against Royce this year.

In addition, 35 Superior Court judge positions and seven county-wide offices are slated for the June ballot. Nomination papers will be available from the Registrar of Voters Feb. 12-March 9.

Sign-ups for City Council, school trustee and water director positions on the Nov. 6 ballot will be accepted July 16-Aug. 10 at city halls for council slots and the county Registrar's office for school and water district positions.

Yorba Linda has two council positions open, now held by Peggy Huang and Tom Lindsey.

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District will have two seats on the ballot, now held by Carrie Buck and Karin Freeman. Pending two governmental approvals, only voters in two of five trustee areas will cast ballots this year.

The Yorba Linda Water District will have three seats on the ballot, now held by Phil Hawkins, Brooke Jones and Al Nederhood. The seat held by Yorba Linda resident Brett Barbre at the county's Municipal Water District will be on ballots in Yorba Linda and five other north county cities.

The North Orange County Community College District seat now held by Yorba Linda's Jeff Brown will be on the ballot. He represents a tiny part of west Yorba Linda and parts of five other north county cities.