Yorba Linda adopts program to help 'bricks-and-mortar' small businesses; some community notes

 A program designed to assist Yorba Linda’s small “brick-and-mortar” businesses with digital marketing and growth strategies has been approved by the City Council at a recent meeting.

The Yorba Linda Small Business University aims to help up to 25 commercial enterprises “adapt, innovate and thrive,” according to a report to council members from Colleen Callahan, the city’s economic development manager.

The selected businesses must have been in operation for at least one year, be in compliance with regulations required by governmental and regulatory agencies and have between two and 100 employees, Callahan said.

Program cost to the city will be $32,500, which includes 25 $1,000 grants to the participating businesses and a $7,500 administrative fee to the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center. The center was organized in 2003 and is based in Irvine.

The program will offer local businesses access to training, individualized consulting from development center counselors and financial assistance upon completion of the program, Callahan noted.

She said an example training opportunity is a digital marketing program designed to equip businesses with the skills to establish an effective online presence to increase sales and customer awareness.

The program would include four to five group sessions and an individualized consultation with experts from the development center. Businesses that complete the program will receive a $1,000 grant to be used for their company’s digital marketing efforts.

Businesses that complete the training may access further development center services, including business planning, financial analysis, marketing strategy development, operational improvements and workforce support.

The city will collaborate with Yorba Linda’s Chamber of Commerce to promote the program, which will be underway within the next two months. Similar programs are available in Cypress, Huntington Beach, Lake Forest and Westminster.

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Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies will conduct an e-bike training and safety session at City Hall on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 9 to 11 a.m.

Deputies also award local business gift cards to riders they see wearing helmets, obeying traffic laws and riding responsibly in the city’s “caught being good” program.

Citizen of the Year nominations are due Tuesday, Sept. 1. Selection is by a five-member committee that includes the mayor and one member each from the city’s four council-appointed commissions. Nomination forms are available on the city’s website. 

The award will be made at the mayor’s State of the City address Oct. 14 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

A wildfire preparedness community meeting is scheduled for Oct.1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Yorba Linda Public Library. Safety experts will explain practical steps to prepare family and home and outline evacuation zones and neighborhood exits.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District revenue to exceed $400 million first time in history; one-time state funding leads to first surplus in several years of deficit spending

 Revenue is expected to exceed $400 million for the first time in the history of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, 2027, according to a budget adopted on a 5-0 trustee vote at a recent meeting.

The anticipated revenue number is $402 million, with expected expenditures of $395 million, leaving an approximate one-year surplus of some $7 million, which is a significant change from the past several years of deficit spending.

The surplus put the district in “really good (financial) shape,” according to a statement to trustees by John Pappalardo, chief budget officer. The surplus is from about $26 million in one-time funding from the state, he said.

The district will apply the funds to expenses this year and the next two years, according to current plans. Deficit spending could return for the 2029-30 school year, unless the district’s stated goal to “work on efficiencies based on declining enrollment” is successful.

Most of the this year’s surplus will be used to pay a 2.5% salary increase granted teachers at a May meeting for the just completed 2025-26 school year. The increase, retroactive to July 1, 2025, was not included in the budget. Salaries and benefits make up 82.2% of the budget.

Student enrollment for this school year is expected to be 21,335, a drop of 388 students from last year. Next year’s number is predicted at 20,947, with 20,559 students the year after.

Enrollment at the district-operated charter school, the Orange County School of Computer Science for sixth- through eighth-grade students on the Bernardo Yorba campus, is projected to be 560 students this year, with 548 next year and 536 the year after.

Average daily attendance, which plays a key role in state funding, is projected to be 20,215 this year, a drop from 20,598 last year. Next year’s projection is 19,810, with 19,469 the year after.

State lottery funding is $272 per ADA. This year’s total, $5.5 million, is less than 1.4% of revenue.

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This year’s cost of placing school resource officers at the four comprehensive high schools is not to exceed $420,000. A contract with Anaheim places an officer at Esperanza High, with cost split 50-50 between district and city.

The contract with Placentia places one officer each at El Dorado and Valencia highs at a cost of 79% to the district and 21% to the city. The contract with Yorba Linda places a deputy at Yorba Linda High, cost divided five-twelfths for the district and seven-twelfths for the city.

Although each contract is slightly different, generally the resource officers are involved in campus safety, crime prevention and student outreach. They do not discipline students.

Trustees also approved a $30,000 retainer with The Titan Group for professional investigation services that could include surveillance, interviews, data searches and report writing, with fees from $95 to $285 per hour.