Thanks are owed to past civic leaders who shaped Yorba Linda's identity, growth against big odds

Yorba Linda residents should give thanks to many of the community's past citizens whose actions led to the ambiance and amenities enjoyed by close to 70,000 individuals in 2019.

Today's 20-square-mile city wasn't destined to become a self-governed entity, since some powerful interests opposed incorporation in the 1960s, and later plans for the surrounding area threatened the city's identity as a safe, less-urban haven for families.

The first attempt at cityhood came in 1956 with the formation of a citizens committee to study the issue. Other incorporation groups organized and disbanded during the next decade, with all facing intense opposition, mainly from large landowners and holders of oil and gas leases.

Finally, a favorable court ruling and less resistance from the county Board of Supervisors led to the long-sought special election in 1967, with incorporation winning by a 1,964 to 638 vote.

Without that decade-long incorporation effort and successful election, residents today might be living in Brea, Placentia and mostly Anaheim, since each city had attempted annexations in the past, and they were prepared to continue piecemeal efforts in the future.

But incorporation didn't solve all of the community's problems, since proposed nearby developments would have made living in the rapidly growing city much less desirable.

One challenge that appeared in the 1970s has faded from many memories today. But the possibility of a regional airport on 25,000 acres in the Chino Hills, initially supported by the Anaheim City Council, galvanized Yorba Linda residents into opposition.

Thirty-year City Council member and five-time mayor Hank Wedaa, who died Nov. 13 at age 95, played a key role in preventing jet runways from being built only a few miles from the city.

Wedaa, several leaders in nearby cities and newly arriving residents worked to prevent a four-runway facility with 500,000 annual commercial and private flights from becoming a reality by forming a citizens action group, Prevent Airport Traffic in Chino Hills, or PATCH.

Although the Federal Aviation Administration gave conditional approval to a smaller project in 1972, the agency ruled in 1974 that federal funds wouldn’t be available. PATCH continued to play whack-a-mole as powerful airport proponents tried to revive the plan for several years.

Wedaa’s long council service was partly due to his role as an effective airport opponent. He served 1970-1994, won a seventh term in 1996 and retired in 2000. A final stint came when he won a special election in 2007, but voters nixed his bid for a ninth term in 2008.

Wedaa's position as a leader at the South Coast Air Quality Management District; the Southern California Association of Governments, including the aviation subcommittee; and other regional bodies gave Yorba Linda outsized influence on such matters as the airport, as well as the once-proposed Gypsum Canyon jail facility.