Signals synchronization project approved for Yorba Linda Boulevard; Yorba Linda's Lasorda Fieldhouse approved to be emergency shelter

 Traffic along Yorba Linda Boulevard through the cities of Fullerton, Placentia, Yorba Linda and Anaheim is expected to flow more smoothly after a seven-month traffic signal synchronization project is completed next year.

Yorba Linda is the lead agency on the project because the city has 23 of the 47 traffic signals on the 12-mile stretch of the thoroughfare that runs from State College Boulevard in Fullerton to Oak Canyon Drive in Anaheim.

Councilmembers in Yorba Linda recently approved a near-$2.4 million contract for the work scheduled to begin this month, with completion anticipated in February. A 15% contingency of $357,119 can be added to the bid for “potential additional services and unforeseen work that may arise during construction,” stated a council report.

Project funding comes from a Comprehensive Transportation Funding Program grant that's administered by the Orange County Transportation Agency. A 20% local match is required that's expected to total $461,257. Winning bidder was Irwindale-based Crosstown Electrical & Data, Inc.

Traffic impacts during construction will be minimal and limited to temporary lane closures during approved working hours. Lane closures are typically between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily, reported Tony Wang, city traffic engineering manager.

The project “will implement optimized traffic signal timing and synchronization along the corridor. Work will consist of performing traffic counts at key intersections, updating field equipment, performing signal timing analysis and installing/updating timing plans,” noted Wang in a report to county officials.

Yorba Linda's portion of the project runs from Van Buren Street to New River Road. Existing closed-circuit television cameras are located at the Yorba Linda Boulevard intersections with Imperial Highway and Lakeview Avenue.

Nine cameras are proposed to be added at the following intersections, from west to east: Valley View Avenue, Richfield Road, Eureka Avenue, Fairmont Boulevard, Village Center Drive, San Antonio Road, Via De La Escuela, Stonehaven Drive and New River Road.

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Yorba Linda's council members have approved a facility use agreement with the American Red Cross to allow using the Tommy Lasorda Jr. Field House on Casa Loma Avenue for a temporary emergency shelter.

Under the agreement, the Red Cross can conduct emergency shelter operations in the event of a disaster, including storage of supplies, parking of vehicles and service center operations.

The Red Cross doesn't pay to use the facility as a shelter, but the city can be reimbursed for food services, custodial support and utility expenses incurred from shelter operations.

“This agreement provides a proactive, no-cost preparedness measure for the city, while ensuring adequate coordination and liability protection during emergencies,” Chris Pena, the city's emergency management coordinator told the council.

Placentia-Yorba Linda school district, city of Yorba Linda approve new budgets for 2025-26 fiscal year

 According to general fund budget adoptions for the fiscal year that began July 1, the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District will finish the year with more expenses than revenue, while Yorba Linda's city government will end up with a modest surplus on June 30, 2026.

The school district expects a deficit of close to $43 million, based on total expenditures of some $399 million, while the city anticipates a surplus of $114,256, based on expenses of $49 million. And since the city adopts a two-year budget, another $34,362 surplus is expected in June 2027.

School officials project that the district deficit will drop for each of the next two fiscal years, to a bit over $20.2 million by June 30, 2027, and to about $15.6 million by June 30, 2028. Most revenue comes from state funding, but an estimated $10 million is from federal sources.

Another “budget stabilization plan” will be presented school trustees before they adopt a budget for the next fiscal year. The plan is expected to include established timelines for ongoing budget planning and actions.

According to the plan, “Reductions presented may include tighter staffing at school sites, position reductions and non-personnel cost reductions. Under these assumptions, the board projects the need for $15.6 million in budget reductions in 2026-27 in order to maintain fiscal solvency.”

Enrollment on the district's 34 campuses is expected to be 21,777, a drop of 175 students from last year. Administrators expect the number to dip to 21,608 next year and 21,438 the year after.

The district's Orange County School of Computer Science charter at the Bernardo Yorba Middle School campus on Fairmont Boulevard estimates an enrollment of 747 sixth- through eighth-grade students. The budget is expected to show an $848,645 deficit, based on expenditures of about $10 million.

Most of the city's income will come from property and sales taxes: some $27 million is expected in property taxes and $8.53 million in sales taxes this year and $28 million in property taxes and $8.75 million in sales taxes next year.

Interestingly, both the school district and the city are involved in a search for a top manager, with both the school superintendent and city manager positions expected to be filled before the end of September.

School superintendent Alex Cherniss resigned while he was on leave from his Placentia-Yorba Linda position for a similar post in the 3,100-student Beverly Hills Unified School District. Mark Pulone is retiring as Yorba Linda's city manager after 12 years in the position. The application deadline is July 14 for the city manager job.

Update: Opening date for students who will attend the Magnolia Science Academy charter school on the west campus of Esperanza High School is Aug. 26. Trustees approved an agreement for transitional kindergarten through second grade students to occupy seven portable classrooms on the west Aztec campus.