Yorba Linda city council, Placentia-Yorba Linda school board update future planning documents

Earlier this month, Yorba Linda City Council members and Placentia-Yorba Linda school trustees adopted updated planning documents designed to guide future policy decisions.

The council's action readopted four citywide goals that were initially approved in 2011. The goals were reaffirmed in 2017, with 12 strategic budget priorities added to aid in making spending choices for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 fiscal years.

Now, three of the priorities have been revised to assist council in crafting budgets for 2019-20 and 2020-21 that are scheduled for approval before the July 1 start date.

One revision: “Continue the city's three-year progress toward accelerating the elimination of the city's pension and retiree medical liabilities and work toward eliminating the city's final remaining unfunded need – a small remaining deficit in required annual road maintenance funding.”

Another: “Continue to ensure that the (Landscape Maintenance Assessment District's) local landscaping zones do not require a general fund subsidy.” The city has been paying some costs in several of 34 zones because property owner assessments haven't met expenses.

And a third revision: “Continue to build upon recent advances in the city's communications efforts through an active community engagement strategy that uses the latest internet and social media technologies.”

In a report to the council, Finance Director Scott Catlett stated that because the goals are now eight years old, the city will hire a consultant to work with staff to develop a new strategic plan.

He noted the process would not be completed in time for results to be incorporated into the upcoming two-year budget, but the new goals would be used for the 2021-2023 cycle.

The current goals include “To provide a high-quality community environment for all Yorba Linda residents and businesses” and “To provide high-quality, constituent-friendly city services.”

Also, “To establish, maintain and encourage a vibrant commercial and retail environment that provides business opportunities throughout the community” and “To ensure the short-term and long-term financial security for the city.”

The school district adopted a five-year strategic plan for 2019-2024 that includes a revised mission statement: “We inspire all students through rigorous and relevant educational experiences that empower them to become responsible, ethical and contributing citizens.”

The plan readopts four core values – excellence, collaboration, integrity and innovation – and five focus areas – academic achievement, effective instruction and leadership, engaged community, safe and respectful environment and optimized resources.

Each focus area has five or six specific strategies that will “direct the work of our staff and the use of our resources,” according to a report to trustees from Rick Lopez, assistant superintendent for human resources, and Linda Adamson, director of educational services.

Yorba Linda played key role in electing Wagner as Orange County supervisor for Third District

Yorba Linda voters played the key role in electing Republican Don Wagner to the 3^rd District seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors held by Todd Spitzer until he became district attorney, based on unofficial results reported by Monday morning.

Wagner's largest margin over runner-up Democrat Loretta Sanchez in the seven-candidate field came in Yorba Linda – 2,817 votes. Wagner's margins over Sanchez in the district's other cities were substantially smaller, 847 votes in Orange, 839 in Anaheim and 488 in Villa Park.

Voters living in some unincorporated portions of the 258-square-mile district gave Wagner 1,958 votes over Sanchez, while Tustin voters cast 125 more ballots for Sanchez than Wagner. Some unincorporated territory was merged with city precincts for this election.

A big surprise came in Irvine, which twice elected Wagner mayor, in 2016 and 2018. This year, he lost the Irvine portion of the district to Sanchez by 2,500 votes. Wagner won 42 percent of the district-wide vote to 37.1 percent for Sanchez.

Wagner, an attorney who has served as a county Superior Court judge pro tem, has held two other public offices: 12-year trustee for the South Orange County Community College District and six-year member of the state Assembly.

The Yorba Linda vote in percentages: 51.4 for Wagner, 24.5 for Sanchez, 7.6 for former two-term Anaheim Councilwoman Kris Murray, 7.4 for retired county employee Larry Bales, 6.6 for former two-term Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly and 0.7 for Tustin attorney Katherine Daigle. District-wide placings were the same.

As expected, voter turnout was unimpressive – 21.1 percent district-wide. Yorba Linda turnout was 23.4 percent, topped by Villa Park's 32.4 percent and 26.6 percent in county territory, and followed by 21.6 percent in Orange, 20 percent in Anaheim, 19.1 percent in Irvine and 18.7 percent in Tustin.

Mail-in ballots were sent to 65.8 percent of Yorba Linda's registered voters, but only 29 percent were returned. Yorba Linda voters cast 80.4 percent of ballots by mail and 19.6 percent at precincts. District-wide ballots were 83 percent mail, 16.3 percent precinct and 0.7 percent early voting.

The position will be on the 2020 general election ballot for a full four-year term. Although nominally a non-partisan office, Republicans now hold four of the five supervisor slots.

The lone Democrat is former seven-year Fullerton Councilman Doug Chaffee, who represents the 4^th District that includes Brea, Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia and parts of Buena Park and Anaheim.

A related note: This election marks the last time voters will visit local precincts to cast ballots. Beginning in 2020, the county will have 188 vote centers to replace some 1,200 individual precincts.

The centers will open 10 days before an election, with voters able to cast ballots at any center. A computer data base will prevent people from voting twice in the same election.

Yorba Linda's city-owned Black Gold Golf Club raises greens fee to cover minimum wage increase

Patrons of Yorba Linda's city-owned Black Gold Golf Club will begin paying higher greens fees April 15, mostly to cover increased costs incurred by the state-mandated $12 hourly minimum wage that took effect Jan. 1.

And more increases are planned for future years, as state law calls for the minimum wage for large employers to jump to $15 per hour by 2022, according to Parks and Recreation Director Mike Kudron.

Kudron told City Council members at a March 5 meeting that he plans to ask for “incremental” increases rather than a big increase in three years, as costs mount to pay the many minimum wage employees at the facility. The last price hike came in 2017.

Also, Finance Director Scott Catlett told council members that the club's current $300,000 to $500,000 surpluses are being used to erase $2.5 million in operating losses posted from the years before the city used general fund reserves to eliminate the club's bond obligations.

Catlett also said the separate golf course fund is expecting to pay back the $19 million owed to the city general fund for the 2013-14 fiscal year payoff of the club's construction bond debt.

Maximum greens fees will increase from $1 to $5 for resident and non-resident players, senior citizens (starting at age 55) and juniors, depending on day and time played. Membership fees for three Player's Club categories will jump $10.

Monday through Thursday rates for residents will be $73, non-residents $95, resident seniors $49 and non-resident seniors $58. Friday rates: $83 for residents and $105 for non-residents. Saturday, Sunday and holiday rates: $93 for residents and $125 for non-residents.

Overall, the club's new rate schedule lists fees in 17 categories in each of the Monday through Thursday; Friday; and Saturday, Sunday and holiday pricing periods, ranging from $27 to $125 per round.

However, in a written report, Kudron noted the club “uses dynamic pricing, which is common in the golf industry, to regularly adjust green fees,” adding, “These daily adjustments account for times of peak demand as well as slow periods and when weather conditions are not optimal for golf.”

The daily average rate for the most recently completed fiscal year was $52.47, he reported.

The higher fees are expected to raise an additional $70,000 to $100,000 yearly, Kudron stated. He noted the difference in salaries for minimum wage workers from 2018 to 2019 would be about $70,000. Some of the added revenue will pay for higher costs in other areas.

Based on a market rate survey, Kudron reported the club “will continue to be positioned as a value-priced, high-end daily facility in Orange County.” Last year's green fee revenue was up about $225,500 from the previous year, totaling close to $3 million.

The new fee schedule was approved on a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Carlos Rodriguez – who said he wasn't a golfer – suggesting the increased fees only apply for non-residents.

Light turnout expected by Yorba Linda voters in special election; city's GOP registration drops below 50 percent in latest pre-election report

Fewer than one-third of Yorba Linda's 43,000 registered voters are expected to cast ballots in Tuesday's special election to fill the vacant 3^rd District seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

That estimate is based on the turnout for the city's two most recent special elections – both of which had a higher profile and were harder fought than the present low-key race to replace Todd Spitzer, elected district attorney in November, on the five-member county panel.

And most of the votes that will be cast will be on mail-in ballots, with fewer than 10 percent of voters visiting precincts to fill out ballots, again based on the city's experience in previous special elections.

The contentious October 2014 unsuccessful attempt to recall City Council members Tom Lindsey and Craig Young had a 31.6 percent turnout of the city's registered voters, with 22.7 percent using mail-in ballots and 8.9 percent filling out precinct ballots.

The June 2007 election to fill a vacant council seat won by Hank Wedaa, the city's longest-serving council member, had a 20.5 percent turnout of registered voters, with 14.6 percent using mail-in ballots and 5.9 percent filling out precinct ballots.

By contrast, 76.6 percent of city voters cast ballots in the 2018 general election, 47.6 percent on mail-in ballots and 29 percent on precinct ballots, and 50.5 percent of voters cast ballots in the 2018 June primary election, 30.7 percent on mail-in ballots and 19.8 percent on precinct ballots.

Two factors might increase Tuesday's turnout: the envelopes provided to return ballots this year are postpaid, and the law now allows “conditional” registration through election day.

District residents who missed the Feb. 25 registration deadline can register and cast a provisional ballot at the Registrar of Voters office, 1300 S. Grand Ave., Building C, Santa Ana.

The district has some 341,000 registered voters, 13 percent in Yorba Linda. Also included are Orange, Tustin, Villa Park and large parts of Irvine, Anaheim Hills and county territory, with registration percentages of 34.7 Republican, 31.2 Democratic and 30 no preference.

Irvine Mayor Don Wagner is endorsed by the county Republican Party, while former Rep. Loretta Sanchez is endorsed by the county Democratic Party for the nominally non-partisan positions. Three of the current board members are Republicans and one is a Democrat.

Other contenders are all Republicans: former two-term Anaheim Councilwoman Kris Murray, former two-term Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly, attorney Kim-Thy “Katie” Hoang Bayliss, retired county employee Larry Bales and small business owner Katherine Daigle.

One interesting note: Yorba Linda's GOP registration has dipped below 50 percent. At last count, total registration is 43,079: 21,511 Republicans (49.9 percent); 9,504 Democrats (22.1 percent); 10,411 no party preference (24.2 percent); and 1,653 others (3.7 percent).