Laguna Hills Watch Dog
Laguna Hills City Council Meeting - October 9, 2012


FEATURES DIRECTORY


** Special Announcements - The Orange County Register Newspaper endorsed candidates Andrew Blount and Raghu Mathur for Laguna Hills City Council - to review the reasons why just click on - http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/city-374220-council-hills.html


** For the 2nd time in a row the City of Laguna Hills web site has Blocked Public Access (on Sat. and Sun.) to the Agenda for a Tues. night City Council Meeting. This is after the City Manager pledged on behalf of the City, on Aug. 28, 2012, to uphold the provisions of the Brown Act including the preparation and posting, at least 72 hours before a regular meeting, of an agenda with description of each item of business to be transacted. - City Staff told us last night that this is not deliberate and they are working on the problem.


** Candidates we endorse for Laguna Hills City Council in the 2012 November Election are:
Raghu Mathur, Ph.D www.mathurforlagunahills.com - University Administrator, Educator and President of the Laguna Hills Homeowners Association, before Cityhood
Andrew Blount www.blountforlagunahills.com - Small Business owner


*** WE STRONGLY ENDORSE RAGHU MATHUR AND ANDREW BLOUNT for LAGUNA HILLS CITY COUNCIL because after thoroughly questioning both Dr. Mathur and Mr. Blount on the issues, we believe they have the needed experience to serve, the dedication to being fiscally conservative, the dedication to serving residents and businesses, an extensive knowledge of our city government, a genuine interest in our schools and NO TIES to bind them to previous council policies of lack of Transparency and Accountability for taxpayers. Perhaps, most importantly, they have pledged to proactively listen to residents and businesses. We encourage you to check the candidates' web sites for endorsements from current and previous long term Laguna Hills City Council members who have clear records of voting against transparency and accountability and we hope you will make a decision to Vote in Favor of Maximum Transparency and Accountability in our city.


** Other Candidates are:
AJ Djowharzadeh, http://www.ilovelh.com/ Small Business Owner.
Dore Gilbert, MD, http://www.doregilbert2012.com/index.html
Dermatologist and Army Reservist
Bill Hunt. http://billhunt.org/ Private Investigator, former OC Sheriff's Deputy and Professional Illustrator-web site: www.illustrationbyhunt.com


** You can Learn More about the Candidates, (except Bill Hunt who reportedly chose not to participate) in the Orange County Register Newspaper online at: http://www.ocregister.com/news/candidates-351403-different-voter.html including their answers to important questions about the City of Laguna Hills.
** Please Remember that the candidates of your choice need your help. Contact them through their web sites and do your best to assist them in any way you can.


** Citizen Alerts for future City Council Meetings will be listed on the blog site within 4 days prior to a meeting - Consider attending a meeting that interests you.


** LHHS Student Liaison Report - Adam Wong - alternate Amanda Jafee Back to School Night, Homecoming, Marching Band Competition, "Entertainment Book" sale, Eleanor Blott is National Achievement Semi- Finalist in National Merit Scholarship Competition, Cross Country Team is going to New York, Win-Win-Wed. on October 17, is at Flamingo's Mexican Grill and Bar (Laguna Hills).
** Presentations and Proclamations - El Toro Water District Explains Recycled Water Expansion Project
** Public Comments - OC Fire Authority Chief offers a Cooking Fire Safety information at Laguna Hills Mall - Oct. 19 at 9 am; Ralph Terrell from Johnson Controls Construction Company delivered a commercial announcement for his company;  Karen Nichols spoke about the dying landscape near Tocaloma Court and a very large Eucalyptus Tree that is not doing well and could take out her neighbor's house if it falls; Andrew Blount, Laguna Hills Resident and 2012 Candidate for City Council spoke about the destruction of political candidate signs that belonged to him and others in Laguna Hills and received a surprising response from the Mayor; AJ Djowharzadeh, Laguna Hills Resident and 2012 Candidate for City Council spoke about his candidacy.
** Consent Calendar - Warrant Register - $539,565.43
** Items of Interest from the Warrant Register - $15, 865.43 for Fall issue of City Views - does not include postage.
** Items Pulled from the Warrant Register- None
** Items of interest in the Consent Calendar -
Item 4.3 - AMENDMENT # 15 TO AGREEMENT BETWEEN OC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (OCTA) and CITY of LAGUNA HILLS for COMBINED TRANSPORTATION FUNDING PROGRAMS PROJECT
Item - 4.4 - AMENDMENT NO. 1 FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE AND DESIGN OF THE WIDENING OF PASEO DE VALENCIA
Item - 4.5 - MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY AND CITIES OF IRVINE, LAGUNA HILLS, LAGUNA WOODS, LAKE FOREST AND COUNTY OF ORANGE FOR AMENDMENT OF THE MASTER PLAN OF ARTERIAL HIGHWAYS
Item - 4.6 - FINAL PAYMENT FOR TURF RENOVATION LAGUNA HILLS COMMUNITY CENTER AND SPORTS COMPLEX, IN THE NET AMOUNT OF $1,620.00
Item - 4.7 - PROGRESS PAYMENT NO. 18 FOR LA PAZ ROAD WIDENING AT I-5 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT - IN THE NET AMOUNT OF $280,167.44, AND CONTRACT CHANGE ORDER NO. 6
** Items pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion - None
** Planning Agency/City Council Public Hearings - Item 5.4 - A REQUEST, ON BEHALF OF SADDLEBACK MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER, FOR A JOINT USE PARKING PERMIT TO ESTABLISH OFF-SITE STAFF PARKING AND FOR A 3,160 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING ADDITION AND MINOR SITE IMPROVEMENTS. ** This item was continued to The next City Council Meeting on Oct. 23, 2012
**Administrative Reports -
Item 7.2.1 - REPORT ON THE LABOR NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS RE. CITY EMPLOYEES
Item 7.3.1 - CLARIFICATION OF MUNICIPAL CODE FOR TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND TRAFFIC COMMISSION MEMBERS
Item 7.4.1 - EVALUATION OF TRAFFIC SAFETY NEEDS FOR EQUESTRIAN TRAIL CROSSINGS including Public Comments
** Matters Agendized and Presented by Council Members and Mayor- None
** City Council Member Comments - Apology for the lack of public access to the City Council Agenda;  Team Dark Horse Chairman approved to speak in the future under Presentations and Proclamations; New Regional Housing Needs Assessment number for Laguna Hills.
** City Council Members Report Card - How did they score?
* Information, Comments, Questions, Concerns from LH Watch Dog Readers from the previous blog post   About - City Web Site problems,  Laguna Hills' City Council Candidates,  Council Member Bressette's Question to Janice Voshall,  City's Response to the Grand Jury and Grand Jury gets last laugh on Pension Transparency,  and Proposed widening of PDV, plus Win-Win-Wednesday's Schedule of Restaurants. You can place comments in the comment section at the bottom of the LHWD blog site or send your comments to BlandMJ@aol.com Your name is never used in the comments section unless you give permission.
* How to support our 3/5 Adopted Marines and Updates - Team Dark Horse is Collecting Donations Now to pay for gift cards for a Baby Shower for 23 Marine Expectant Mothers whose husbands are deployed to the Middle East.
* News Stories and Blogs about Laguna Hills - find more in the OC Register online under "City-by-City News" - "Laguna Hills" and in the OC Watchdog
* Crime in your Neighborhood


Laguna Hills City Council Meeting - October 9, 2012
All Council Members were present
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See information for Win-Win-Wednesdays under - INFORMATION, COMMENTS QUESTIONS and CONCERNS from Watch Dog Readers, Contact Laguna Hills City Council Members at - ccouncil@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us


LHHS STUDENT LIAISON REPORT by Adam Wong - alternate Amanda Jafee


Thursday, Oct. 11 is Back to School Night for Students, Parents and Members of the Community to see the school and find out what students are doing and will be doing for the rest of the year. Hot dogs, tea will be provided and the New Culinary Arts Class will provide cookies. Homecoming will be next Sat. Oct. 20 at 7 pm at LHHS - the Homecoming Theme is Up Late in the Golden State. Marching Band Competition will be Oct. 13 at LHHS HAWK Stadium at 5:30 pm. LHHS Drama Dept. is hosting a fund raiser "Entertainment Book" sale through mid October. Only $35 for the Entertainment Book with hundreds of 2 for 1 coupons. Mrs. Lord is the contact for the entertainment book. Eleanor Blott is one of the 13 Orange County Students to have been named National Achievement Semi- Finalist in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Competition - This is a designation awarded to black students for their high PSAT scores. Cross Country Team is going to New York to compete in the largest Cross Country Meet in the US. They will run against the best team on the East Coast. Win-Win-Wed. on Oct 10 is On the Border and next Wednesday October 17, - Flamingo's Mexican Grill and Bar (Laguna Hills).


PRESENTATIONS and PROCLAMATIONS -


El Toro Water District re. Recycled Water Expansion Project - Mr. Bob Hill, General Manager of the El Toro Water District said the District is undertaking a comprehensive, multi-phase Recycled Water Expansion Project that will enhance local water supplies and reliability, reduce dependence on imported water and expand recycled water deliveries to meet future customer demand. He reminded us that we get our water from the State Water Project in Northern CA. 450 miles away, so anytime we can produce local water it reduces the need to move water long distances. He said we are dealing now with waste water recycling, conservation including a re-bate program for water use efficiency, ocean water desalinization and brackish water desalting.


He said challenges are - Energy Costs to treat and move water to customers; Financing for investing in new Projects and re-investing in existing infrastructure; Climate Change makes it more difficult to predict wet vs. dry years ahead and manager resources; Endangered Species related to the Delta. 2008 restrictions on how much water can be imported caused a 30% loss of that supply; Seismic Activity a significant earthquake could cease exports from the Delta for 6 months to 3 yrs.


He continued that ETWD is looking at projects - the proposed Baker Water Treatment Plant in Lake Forest to treat raw Colorado River Water. Right now we rely on a plant 35 miles away. The concentration is on expanding recycled water. Senate Bill (SB 7 x 7) requires retail water agencies to reduce their per capita consumption by 20% Reduction by 2020. He said ETWD has the largest covered reservoir in Orange County that is used to meet emergency demands for local consumption and irrigation. He stressed there will be a significant incentive water rate for reducing consumption. He said this is a $35 million project and will create jobs. Project funding is a $4.5 million Grant from Proposition 50 and they are working on a low interest rate 20 year loan. Metropolitan has an incentive program for local project development - for every acre foot of water ETWD produces and delivers, they will receive $250 an acre foot from Metropolitan which will be about $200,000 a year. Go to http://www.irwd.com/your-water/construction-projects/baker.html to read more about the proposed Baker Water Treatment Plant.


Mr. Hill discussed building a distribution system for the proposed Water Treatment Plant of over 100,000 feet of pipeline in the cities of Laguna Hills and Laguna Woods and they will be converting about 800 to 1200 acre feet of water to recycled water. He said consumption has been down for various reasons. He discussed public outreach efforts to communicate this project starting here and noted they are dealing with a lot of HOAs at this point and the next phase will be more neighborhood specific. He said construction should start in 2013 and be completed by mid 2014. In answer to council member questions Mr. Hill stated and restated that water rates would not be increased for this project he said, "The water rate payers are not funding the water recycle project, it's really the Grant, it's our reserves, it's the recycled water customers will pay 90% of the tier 2, we'll need to service the debt which will be coming from recycled water revenue and the MWD rebate for the incentive program that we have, so."


He added that a better conveyance system is being considered now in bringing water here from the Delta in Northern CA. and it is estimated now that will be a $14 billion project that over time would result in an increase of about $7 or $8 on a water bill. He also answered that the lobbing efforts of ETWD related to ensuring our water supply in So. CA are through the Association of the CA. Water Agency (ACWA) to which Northern CA. Water Districts also belong. He added that they do take on local issues with individual neighbors but collectively work through the ACWA. He answered that they will be boring under Moulton Pkwy. and working with the cities to dig in other areas to layout pipelines for the recycled water system including plumbing all of the parks and keeping businesses running during this process.


PUBLIC COMMENTS -


Orange County Fire Authority Chief Bryan Brice announced they partnered with Farmer's Ins. to offer a Cooking Fire Safety information on Oct.19 and 20 they have volunteers that will canvass the neighborhoods and deliver information to keep residents safer when they are cooking. He invited all interested parties to come to Laguna Hills Mall on Oct. 19 at 9 am for a media presentation and a handout. In answer to questions from the council members he added that Countywide a cooking fire occurs about every 3 days. Males between the ages of 20 and 29 and Seniors over the age of 70 are the most effected. He reminded us not to put water on a grease fire, don't try to carry a flaming pan outside and in so doing cause more fire, have a fire extinguisher and know where it is and how to use it, keep the baking soda handy. He added that batteries need to be changed in smoke alarms twice a year and that smoke alarms only last for 10 years and have to be replaced because the detection material inside the devices has a shelf life of only 10 years.


Ralph Terrell from Johnson Controls Construction Company delivered a commercial announcement for his company. He said Johnson Control is a construction company with the ability to design, build, operate, own and maintain infrastructure for cities. You can read more about this company at  makeyourbuildingsworklosangeles.com/


Karen Nichols, Laguna Hills Resident said the landscape on the Aliso Hills Slope near Tocaloma Court has been declining over the past 2 years. She said the sprinklers on  the bottom half of the street are not working so the slope landscape is dying and there is a need for the City to check into this. She added that people from this community have called many times about this problem, but nothing was accomplished. She also noted there are a couple of Eucalyptus trees that her next door neighbor has called about. She explained that one of these trees is on City Property, is very large, not doing well and could take out her neighbor's house if it falls. Ken Rosenfield, Director of Public Services responded that he would check into this and get back to Ms. Nichols.


Andrew Blount, Laguna Hills Resident and 2012 Candidate for City Council spoke about the destruction of political candidate signs that belonged to him and others in Laguna Hills. He said that on Friday night 25 of his signs, 25 of Raghu Mathur's Signs and 15 of Mr. Gilbert's signs were destroyed at a location west of PDV, north of La Paz and south of Aliso. He said they filed a police report for vandalism and the 3 candidates (Blount, Mathur and Gilbert) put out a reward for finding the people who destroyed the signs. He added that another 15 of his signs were destroyed right on Paseo de Valencia as well as another 15 of Raghu Mathur's signs and another 5 or 10 of Mr. Gilbert's signs. He described that his signs were seen hanging from trees, which was creative, but not right side up and were ripped to pieces and shredded. He said the Police Dept. has been very responsive and he would certainly appreciate anything the police or anyone on the city council could to find who did this. He explained that the signs are expensive and difficult to put out. The response from Mayor Carruth was, "We all have stories" and she continued that she remembered one election year when somebody gathered up her signs and put them right on her front door. ** (Editor's Note - Mayor Carruth, as mayor, is that really your opinion about vandalism in the City? ** Anyone with information about the destruction or removal of campaign signs in Laguna Hills is urged to contact sheriff's Deputy/Laguna Hills Police Officer Ryan Hoopii at 949.425.1900. There is a $1000 reward for the first individual whose information leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators. Multi Candidate signs for 4 of the Laguna Hills City Council Candidates, Mathur, Blount, Gilbert, and A.J were reportedly vandalized and one sign for Bill Hunt.)


AJ Djowharzadeh, Laguna Hills Resident and 2012 Candidate for City Council said yesterday he also noticed that some of his signs were missing. He said he didn't file a police report and didn't know who or way anyone would take his signs but maybe it was the work of some special interests who don't want and Average Joe (AJ) who is the voice of the people to win. The people who know me know that my motivation is to serve, give back to the community to a city that I love and I wouldn't change for any other city in the world and I wouldn't also change the time in history. I think we are all living in a great time in history. I have raised 2 good kids here that are adults now at UCLA, one graduated, thank God.  Also, I want to show our young people that with Faith, Love, Hope, and Hard Work even an Average Joe can win, just like I won over cancer. Our young people have lost hope in the future and the political system and I think an Average Joe like me can show them that even though I don't have the money that my competition has or the support that they have. Nobody supports me except you the citizens. To show my heart, I joined the CA. State Military Reserves and I want you all to remember me this weekend, I need your prayers, because this weekend I'm going on active duty. It's an honor to be part of the National Guard and to serve. God Bless America, God Bless this Freedom. Let's not lose this freedom not to politicians, or traitors or anybody who attacking us from outside.


CONSENT CALENDAR - Warrant Register = $539,565.43
Items of interest from the Warrant Register - $15, 865.43 for Fall issue of City Views - does not include postage.


Items of interest from the Consent Calendar -


Item 4.3 - AMENDMENT NO 15 to AGREEMENT BETWEEN OC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (OCTA) and CITY of LAGUNA HILLS for COMBINED TRANSPORTATION FUNDING PROGRAMS PROJECT- City of Laguna Hills has an agreement with the OCTA that governs The City's duties associated with the expenditure of Measure M and Measure M-2 funds. The language from OCTA in tha agreement will add clarifications to the governing of project reviews, the financial audit timeframe and the return of any funds expended that are found to be NOT in accordance with OCTA guidelines.


Item - 4.4 - AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH STV INCORPORATED FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE AND DESIGN OF THE WIDENING OF PASEO DE VALENCIA, CIP NO. 145A - Staff Recommendation is that the City approve this agreement.
A public information meeting was held to introduce this project concept on April 16, 2012 and approx. 20 people attended. Several residents expressed concern about existing settlement within their properties on Sunset Place and whether the potential widening of PDV would have an impact on this pre-existing condition. STV, Inc. is currently in the environmental evaluation and preliminary design stages of the project and has proposed an additional geotechnical investigation to confirm the in-situ soil conditions adjacent to the project site within the City greenbelt area south of Beckenham St. An amendment to the STV, Inc. Professional Services Agreement is proposed to add this work to the Scope of Services in the Agreement.


This project proposes to widen PDV from Kennington Dr. to Laguna Hills Dr., to complete the lane configuration of 3 travel lanes in each direction, add bicycle lanes, add sidewalks, and install a street tree pattern and landscaping. The potential widening of PDV is estimated to be a width of 10 ft. of a roadway that is approx. 75 feet from the property lines of residences on Sunset Place. The residents concerns cannot be directly related to a project that has not yeat occurred and are likely not relevant given the distance of PDV to their homes. Nevertheless, Staff believes it prudent to evaluate the soil conditions within the City's property adjacent to the Sunset Place homes within the greenbelt south of Beckenham St.  A maximum contract amount has been established of $412,871.00 for this study.


Item - 4.5 - MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY AND CITIES OF IRVINE, LAGUNA HILLS, LAGUNA WOODS, LAKE FOREST AND COUNTY OF ORANGE FOR AMENDMENT OF THE MASTER PLAN OF ARTERIAL HIGHWAYS
Staff report says the City of Irvine has proposed changing the Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH) to eliminate the extension of portions of Bake Pkwy., Ridge Route Dr. and Santa Maria Ave. from traversing the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park west of the Laguna Hills city boundary. The process to amend the MPAH requires all affected parties to agree. The MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) provides the City with financial compensation for the traffic impact resulting from the MPAH amendment in the amount of $352,434. City Staff recommends authorize the agreement.


Item - 4.6 - PROGRESS PAYMENT NO. 3, FINAL, FOR TURF RENOVATION LAGUNA HILLS COMMUNITY CENTER AND SPORTS COMPLEX, IN THE NET AMOUNT OF $1,620.00 TO CSA HOLDINGS INC., DBA SPORTS FIELD INSTALLATION SPORTS FIELD SERVICES, FOR TURF RENOVATION LAGUNA HILLS COMMUNITY CENTER AND SPORTS COMPLEX


Item - 4.7 - PROGRESS PAYMENT NO. 18 FOR LA PAZ ROAD WIDENING AT I-5 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT - IN THE NET AMOUNT OF $280,167.44, AND CONTRACT CHANGE ORDER NO. 6 TO SEMA CONSTRUCTION, INC., FOR THE LA PAZ ROAD WIDENING AT I-5 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, CIP NO. 159.


Items pulled from the Consent Calendar - NONE
Vote - Consent Calendar was passed 5 - 0


MINUTES - The City Council Approves the Minutes of the previous City Council Meeting for publication on the city web site. The minutes from tonight's meeting will not be approved for publication until the next city council meeting so there is always a significant delay for the public related to timely documentation of information but you can now watch and listen to the City Council Meetings on the City's web site at www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us


CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING -
Item 5.4 - MINOR SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT/PARKING USE - A REQUEST BY WBSA ARCHITECTS INC., ON BEHALF OF SADDLEBACK MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER, FOR A JOINT USE PARKING PERMIT TO ESTABLISH OFF-SITE STAFF PARKING FOR USE BY MEMORIAL CARE CANCER TREATMENT CENTER, WHICH PLANS TO OCCUPY THE EXISTING BUILDING AT 24302 PASEO DE VALENCIA, AND FOR A MINOR SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FOR A 3,160 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING ADDITION AND MINOR SITE IMPROVEMENTS
RECOMMENDATION: THAT THE PLANNING AGENCY CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING; AND APPROVE THE MINOR SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT/PARKING
** Item 5.4 was continued to The next City Council Meeting on Oct. 23, 2012


** According to the City web site under the Planning Dept. We won't be hearing more about the the Fritz Duda Company's proposal to REDEVELOP the OAKBROOK VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL RENTAL UNITS, UNTIL a new date is announced - Public Hearing Scheduled for: TBD


ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS -


Item 7.2.1 - Assistant City Manager Don White introduced this item that is outlined in the staff report and asked if there were any questions. There were none.
VOTE - this item was passed 5 - 0.

The following is a summary of the online Staff Report - LABOR NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS - Staff Report says - On Nov. 22, 2011, Resolution # 2011-11-11-3 recognized the Laguna Hills City Employees Assoc. as the exclusive representative of the City's full-time and extended part time non-management and non-confidential employees. The next step was to adopt procedural rules and regulations in the form of an Employer-Employee Relations Resolution (EERR) to address issues. An EERR was reviewed by the City Council on Jan. 24, 2012 and approved on Feb. 14, 2012. This included dispute resolution, meet and confer and impasse procedures which will be used by the City during negotiations and the City Council designated the City Manager, or his designee, as the individuals who will represent the City in matters of labor relations.


The staff report then offers a disclaimer stating that the negotiators "will not be directly impacted by any of the terms the City Council may choose to offer to the Association, nor will they be directly impacted by any terms that the City Council ultimately agrees to." It goes on to say their contracts are not tied to the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) which will ultimately be entered into. Staff reasons that it would therefore be unnecessary to hire an outside negotiator or an outside financial analyst to prepare a cost analysis which could be prepared more quickly and cost-effectively by the Assist. City Manager who is familiar with the City's existing programs and benefits.


Staff report continues that - On Aug. 23, 2012 Management met with reps. from the Employees Assoc. A revised proposal was issued by the Assoc. and presented to the City Council in closed session at the Sept. 25, 2012 City Council Meeting for the purpose of further explanation of the labor negotiation process and the roles of the Council and its designated labor negotiator, but the City retains authority over offers and final decisions. It says labor negotiations will proceed in Closed Sessions and states - The Current Personnel and Salary Resolution, which is posted on the City's web site will be the Starting Point for negotiations. Once a tentative agreement is reached the MOU will be placed on the open session agenda for final approval and ratification and will be "available" to the public prior to formal approval and once approved it will be placed on the City's web site.


The Staff Report concludes with - Once the MOU is approved, the Personnel and Salary Resolution will also be amended to reflect that it no longer will apply to those non-management employees who are part of the Employee Assoc. insofar as the MOU will be the controlling document going forward. Thereafter, the Personnel and Salary Resolution will only apply to the City Manager, Assist. City Manager, Executive Assist. to the City Manager, City Clerk, Public Services Director, Community Development Director and Deputy City Manager/Director community Services. Fiscal Impact - Unknown.


Item 7.3.1 - CLARIFICATION OF MUNICIPAL CODE FOR TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND TRAFFIC COMMISSION (Both Commissions established in 1992) - Staff recommendation - City Council introduce an Ordinance amending the previous Municipal code section, to change the terms of office of the commission members from 2 years to 4 years.


Council Member Kogerman asked why this change that occurred in 2005 took so long to be acted upon regarding cleaning up the language officially. City Clerk Peggy Johns responded that the changing the code on this item was previously overlooked.
Kogerman said she would vote no on this item because she would like to address the whole system all at one time, regarding terms of office, what commissions we will have, etc. in the next few months. Council Member Bressette also said he would vote no on this item because he believes 2 years is long enough for Commission Member Terms until the council re-evaluates at some point in time he is hoping to add term limits in the code for commissions.
Vote - Item Passed 3 - 2 (the 2 no votes were Kogerman and Bressette)


Item 7.4.1 - EQUESTRIAN TRAIL SAFETY EVALUATION -

Humza Javed, Associate Civil Engineer of the City of Laguna Hills introduced the Staff Report that is summarized here - At the Traffic Commission Meeting of July 18, 2012. Ms. Bonnie Adams, a resident of Lost Colt Dr. spoke re. the lack of equestrian trail crossing safety. Her concerns included vehicular speed, failures to yield, and she suggested the installation of additional traffic control devices. The City contracted it's long term consulting engineers Hartzog and Craybil, Inc. to do a speed and traffic data collection for a week and review traffic collision histories in the area. Staff found that speed on Nellie Gail Rd. East of Lost Colt Dr. is a concern and is now recommending Installation of advance "Equestrian" Warning signs and installation of "Horse Xing" pavement markings in both directions approximately 350 feet in advance of the trail crossing, in both directions, as well as installation of white chevrons to delineate the crossing location.


At Nottingham Court South of Oso Pkwy a street with a vertical and horizontal curve, staff is recommending the Installation of an "Equestrian" Warning Sign in the southbound direction in advance of the crossing. installation of white chevrons to delineate the crossing and re- installation of the "Horse Xing" pavement legends 350 feet south of the trail crossing for northbound traffic, and just south of the Oso Pkwy, intersection for southbound traffic. Staff also recommended trimming of vegetation to optimize site visibility, increased law enforcement and that an ad-hoc equestrian committee be formed to continually assess needs.


At the Traffic Commission Meeting of September 19, 2012 approx. 8 residents spoke and the Commission recommended to the City Council the implementation of the Staff recommendations noted above.


Hartzog and Crabil Inc.'s recommendations for the 2 locations above were:
Marked crosswalks - are not justified due to low pedestrian activity and according to their studies marked mid block crosswalks at uncontrolled locations have higher collision rated then at unmarked crosswalks.
In-Roadway Warning Lights - are not justified do to low pedestrian activity and low vehicular volume.
Speed Humps - are not justified due to the steep grade of the roadways and to low traffic volume.
Fiscal Impact - about $1,500.


Council Member Kogerman asked if there are any State Guidelines/Standards applicable to Equestrians.  Humza Javed, Associate Civil Engineer answered, The MUTCD (CA. manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices) does not have any criteria for equestrian crossings, the vehicle code mentions that motorists must yield to pedestrians but nothing for equestrians.  Kogerman responded that the issue in this instance, with a focus on equestrians, somehow needs to be addressed and after going on a ride with the equestrians to see this for herself she noted that the current sign packages were on the street at the entrance to the trail, so she joked that these would only be helpful to a horse who is lost, because drivers will not see them prior to being almost in the crossing. Mr. Javed stated that the warning signs that are supposed to be posted ahead of the crossings were for unknown reasons not posted at all of the crossings. Kogerman asked, since the recommendation for the posting of the warning signs was made in 2008 is there any need for any further wait to post them? The answer was that signs may not have been posted in advance of a trail crossing in some places because there was not the 350 ft. distance needed for advance posting.  Mr. Javed did later state that it was not necessary to have the 350 feet distance at every location, signs could also be posted at 200 ft. from a trail, etc.  Kogerman also asked about brush trimming needed to allow for more vision and cars parked in or near trail crossings.  The City response was brush trimming should be no problem and the ad-hoc committee could review any car parking problems but only one car parking problem had been reported to date. Kogerman asked about the possibility of making an ordinance to address reckless driving near horses related to those who refuse to yield, blow horns, etc. and could equestrians take auto license #s etc. to turn those people in?  City Attorney. Greg Simonian stated he would have to research this but doubted that would be enforceable since provisions like that would not be in the vehicle code. If such provision were in our municipal code there would be questions related to enforcement related to an police officer actually observing the violation. Kogerman noted that the crosswalk lighting systems standards appear to rely on pedestrian policies so is there a way to apply these to equestrian crossings? Mr. Javed responded that would be at the discretion of the City Council.


Council Member Bressette asked more about parking restrictions in cross walks and Ken Rosenfield, Director of Public services answered CA. Vehicle code prohibits parking in marked cross walks, but in this case we are not talking about marked cross walks and he repeated Hartzog and Crabil's concerns noted above about marking crosswalks in mid-block locations.  He noted that if these trail crossings were at public intersections they could be so much better controlled. Bressette also inquired about the chevron markings and was advised by Ken Rosenfield, that the size and color of the chevrons and other traffic signage are standardized by the State of CA. and the Federal Govmt. to be recognizable to all drivers within a state and from one state to the next.  It was noted in response to a question from Mayor-Pro-Tem Lautenschleger that there are approx. 15 dangerous trial crossings related to downhill and blind curves, etc.


Council Member Songstad said he was not sure drivers understand that they are supposed to yield to horses and noted the need for YEILD signs close to the trail crossings and asked about installation of some kind of flashing lights at crossings to give drivers a warning. He was advised by Mr. Javed that this could be a consideration by the ad-hoc committee for part of the incremental approach to this issue suggested by staff which would be a few thousand dollars per sign for a blinking LED sign triggered by sensors or a pole with a button to be pushed by an equestrian.  He added that the yield signs could definitely be added to the sign package. Songstad pointed out a sign on Nellie Gail Rd that says equestrian crossing where there is no crossing. Mr. Javed explained that sign is one of the warning signs place 350 ft in advance of an actual crossing.
Mayor Carruth asked if it is possible for the city council to direct the ad-hoc committee to study specific things such as which of these crossings has the most activity, so we could eliminate a crossing package for crossings with low activity.  Mr. Javed answered this could be reviewed at the ad-hoc level.  Carruth asked that the ad-hoc committee also be charged with identifying any crossing that could be modified to be re-directed to intersections.


PUBLIC COMMENTS for the Equestrian Safety Issue -


Bonnie Adams, 14 year Laguna Hills Resident and Equestrian said she spearheaded this issue because the safety issues keep coming up.  She said most of intersections are at the bottom of big hill and a blind curve, so an advance warning system is needed.  The sign package has been in existence for several years and has done nothing to help. Bonnie related that she recently almost got hit and that prompted her to address this issue again. She added that her friends have multiple stories about close calls. She noted that children crossing to get to the swim club also have problems with cars not stopping for them.  She added that horses are unpredictable and easily spooked so if cars scare them by swerving around them, they will slip and go down if they are fitted with horseshoes. A problem is that cars often don't have enough warning to know what's ahead and not enough clear vision to see around blind curves and up and down hills. She displayed images of the in pavement Light Guard System System which gives advance warning 200-400 feet ahead of the crossing to drivers and doesn't blend into the landscape because it only blinks if there is someone in the crossing. She noted that the equestrians don't want to cross at major intersections because those are very dangerous with cars turning in, even where there is a traffic light. She noted an example in Laguna Beach where people were getting hit in crosswalks until they put in the new Light Guard System where the driver is alerted 200-400 ft. back. She noted a crossing at Sheriff in Nellie Gail that is especially dangerous where people crossing cannot see until they are in the middle of the road. She added that the "in street lights" are not visible until someone is in the crossing and then they blink.  Bonnie also showed a power point display for the council and the audience to see the in pavement light system and the dangerous crossing areas.  At this point Mayor Carruth asked how much longer the presentation would be so Bonnie quickly flashed through the pictures to wind it up.


Council Member Songstad said if this in the street lighting is a significant cost item it would have to be considered in the budget next year but wouldn't flashing light warning signs help?  Bonnie answered that they would and she would like to try 3 crossings with the "in street lighting" as a pilot project but would like to see those flashing signs in the curves ahead at as many crossings as possible and noted they are solar powered. She reported it has been her experience that most drivers seldom yield to horses.


David Howser from Light Guard Systems showed a 3 minute video of the Light Guard System.  The video said the in street system is impervious to water and vibration, hard wired for reliability and in use for over 10 years. In answer to questions from council members, Mr. Howser stated the lights have a 3 year warranty but are expected to last for 5 to 7 years when properly installed and maintained and designed for a significant amount of traffic flow. He noted that if one light goes out it does not effect the others and lights can be easily replaced onsite. Equipment cost is $12,000 to $15,000 on a typical 2 lane road plus labor so approx. $20,000 to $30,000 for a system and costs can vary related to other choices and needs. To activate the system there is a choice of push button or infrared light beam sensor technology.  Push button activated signs would be $750 per pair of push button devices plus $795 for each sign plus the cost of controllers (that receive the signal from the push button and transmit it to the sign and also control the length of the flashing time) so about $5,000 to $7,000 for that type of system.  He stated that the concern for a hazard is considered not just volumes of traffic as this system is used to protect lives in this active warning system.


Paul Fuller, Laguna Hills Resident said this car issue with the horses and riders has gotten out of hand and we've done the signage thing, the trailer thing, increased enforcement and the traffic surveys but nothing changes.  He said the signage blends into the landscape but this active system would get attention. Something like this is needed to cause behavioral change.  He said he liked Songstad's idea about the flashing yield signs.  He said drivers keep roaring down the hill by the Equestrian Center and the stuff in the road hasn't helped. He said he knows this is expensive but a lawsuit would be more expensive especially since this has been repeatedly brought up to the council over the years. He suggested 1 to 3 pilot locations to see how they work.


Council Member Songstad suggested adding to the staff recommendation language that says "Yeild" to the sign farthest from the crossing and add a flashing light to the sign to be activated by the equestrian in 2 pilot intersection crossings to see how it works with the ad-hoc committee evaluating.  He added that this should also be studied for the budget discussion next year for this and other crosswalk problems in the city.  Songstad then made a motion with his added recommendations.  The motion was seconded by Council Member Bressette.   Mayor Carruth argued that the intersection that Bonnie Adams brought up has had the least equestrian traffic amounting to 1 or 2 equestrians every few days so was a poor choice for a pilot program. Carruth suggested an intersection with higher volume to be included as a pilot intersection. Songstad said leave it open to any intersections that staff and the ad-hoc committee agree on and he added that "in street lighting" should be included as part of the discussion for the budget process for this and for  pedestrian use as well. Council Member Kogerman suggested allowing the ad-hoc committee to choose the 2 crossings for a pilot program of the measures suggested here and suggested some trail crossings that are more dangerous may be currently getting less equestrian traffic for that reason.


City Attorney Greg Simonian recommended the motion be revised to amend the component concerning the ad-hoc committee to read - refer the establishment of an equestrian ad-hoc committee to prioritize and evaluate other equestrian trail crossing locations in the community to the discretion of the city engineer and the city manager.  The reason for that is when this legislative body creates a standing committee it falls under Brown Act Principles which may create additional time and expense so defer the establishment of the ad-hoc committee to the discretion of the city engineer and city manager.  Carruth added the Nellie Gail HOA will also participate in the ad-hoc committee.
VOTE was 5 - 0 in favor of the modified staff report motion by Council Member Songstad.


MATTERS AGENDIZED and PRESENTED by CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS and MAYOR - NONE


CITY COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS -


David Reynolds, Deputy City Manager and Community Services Director apologized for the lack of public access to the City Council Agenda over the weekend and said the City is in the process of isolating the problem now. He offered that it could be servers being updated and staff will be more proactive related to this problem during weekends. Council Member Kogerman conjectured that this may be the result of vendors not realizing that weekends are important. Mr. Reynolds said he would be sure that they do have that information.


Council Member Kogerman suggested that Mike Bland, Team Dark Horse Support Group Chairman for the 3/5 Marines adopted by the City of Laguna Hills be approved by the council to speak in the future under Presentations and Proclamations, as long as he contacts the City Clerk Peggy Johns ahead of time, so he would not be subject to the 3 minute maximum for Public Comments. This was approved.


Mayor Pro-Tem Lautenschleger announced that he attended OC Council of Government and the Southern CA Council of Governments meetings and noted that the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) has been approved again for the next year that the new number of housing units required for Laguna Hills is 2.


CLOSED SESSION –


Item 10.1 - ANOTHER SESSION FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S ANNUAL PUBLIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION


Item 10.2 - CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR - Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6(a)City Designated Representative: Bruce Channing, City Manager, and Don White, Assistant City ManagerEmployee Organization: Laguna Hills City Employees Association - City Employee Organization


The Next regular City Council Meeting is Tuesday, October 23, 2012 7 pm, at City Hall.
Contact Laguna Hills City Council Members at ccouncil@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us
================================


CITY COUNCIL and CITY MANAGER REPORT CARD - Categories - (T) Transparency for Citizens, (A) Accountability to Citizens, (CI) Championing Citizen Related Issue, (AG) Achieving Citizen Related Goal Grades - (P) Pass, (A) for Authoring a Citizen Friendly Item, (F) Fail, (A+) Extra Credit. City Manager will be scored related to online and agendized Staff Reports and Requests:


Bressette -  F -  for Item 7.2.1 - LABOR NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS because the City Council designated the City Manager, or his designee to represent the City in matters of labor relations. We believe that because of the long history of lack of transparency re. compensation issues there should be an outside negotiator and auditor representing the taxpayers.  P - for Item 7.3.1 TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND TRAFFIC COMMISSION.  P -  Item 7.4.1 EQUESTRIAN TRAIL SAFETY EVALUATION - we agree with the need for careful consideration of traffic safety needs in all communities in the city.


Carruth -  F - for Item 7.2.1 - LABOR NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS because the City Council designated the City Manager, or his designee to represent the City in matters of labor relations. We believe that because of the long history of lack of transparency re. compensation issues there should be an outside negotiator and auditor representing the taxpayers.  F - for Item 7.3.1 TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND TRAFFIC COMMISSION we believe this entire process should be readdressed, nor just the number of years of office. P - Item 7.4.1 EQUESTRIAN TRAIL SAFETY EVALUATION - we agree with the need for careful consideration of traffic safety needs in all communities in the city.


Kogerman -  F - for Item 7.2.1 - LABOR NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS because the City Council designated the City Manager, or his designee to represent the City in matters of labor relations. We believe that because of the long history of lack of transparency re. compensation issues there should be an outside negotiator and auditor representing the taxpayers.  P - for Item 7.3.1 TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND TRAFFIC COMMISSION.  P - Item 7.4.1 EQUESTRIAN TRAIL SAFETY EVALUATION - we agree with the need for careful consideration of traffic safety needs in all communities in the city.


Lautenschleger -  F - for Item 7.2.1 - LABOR NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS because the City Council designated the City Manager, or his designee to represent the City in matters of labor relations. We believe that because of the long history of lack of transparency re. compensation issues there should be an outside negotiator and auditor representing the taxpayers.  F - for Item 7.3.1 TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND TRAFFIC COMMISSION we believe this entire process should be readdressed, nor just the number of years of office.  P - Item 7.4.1 EQUESTRIAN TRAIL SAFETY EVALUATION - we agree with the need for careful consideration of traffic safety needs in all communities in the city.


Songstad -  F - for Item 7.2.1 - LABOR NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS because the City Council designated the City Manager, or his designee to represent the City in matters of labor relations. We believe that because of the long history of lack of transparency re. compensation issues there should be an outside negotiator and auditor representing the taxpayers.  F - for Item 7.3.1 TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND TRAFFIC COMMISSION we believe this entire process should be readdressed, nor just the number of years of office.  P - Item 7.4.1 EQUESTRIAN TRAIL SAFETY EVALUATION - we agree with the need for careful consideration of traffic safety needs in all communities in the city.


City Manager - was absent from this meeting  F  - for another weekend without access to a City Council Agenda for the Public prior to a City Council Meeting.


** INFORMATION, COMMENTS QUESTIONS and CONCERNS from Watch Dog Readers:


ABOUT CITY WEB SITE


Anonymous said... Why would the city web site function in other areas, but all weekend won't allow us to see the City Council Agenda for next Tuesday or the most recent agendas for the Traffic Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission? Is there some reason why that information would not available to the public on weekends?


ABOUT CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FOR 2012


Anonymous said... The Orange County Register Newspaper's endorsement for Andrew Blount and Raghu Mathur nailed it. Their first line is : "That (the decisions of Songstad and Lautenschleger not to run again) presents Laguna Hills voters an opportunity to add two new members to the Council who can help move it beyond its internecine squabbles and deal squarely with transparency, executive compensation and other issues facing the city of some 30,000 residents. "


About Dore Gilbert, they said, "Mr. Gilbert decided to run for council only after Mr. Lautenschleger and Mr. Songstad, whom he counts as longtime friends, informed him they weren't running. We imagine some voters might wonder whether Mr. Gilbert would chart his own course on the council or follow a path set by his friends, the outgoing councilmen."
And about Bill Hunt they said, "Mr. Hunt is a former O.C. sheriff's lieutenant, in which capacity he served as San Clemente's de facto police chief. He also ran for sheriff in 2010, losing to Sandra Hutchens. There were news reports last summer that he was being considered for chief of Fullerton's troubled police department, a position that may better suit his skill set than serving on the Laguna Hills City Council.


Anonymous said... We must get honest knowledgeable folks running our local county state and national government. It is our country and they work for us they are our employees and must do their jobs or be replaced. Clint Eastwood said it so well!!! Back to "We the People"


Anonymous said... From OC Political - A right of center blog covering local, statewide and national politics.
Posted by Republican Willie Brown on September 25, 2012 http://ocpolitical.com/tag/bill-hunt/
Hunt’s Hypocrisy: A Menagerie of Special Favors and the ‘Code of Silence’
Sep 25, 2012 ... The bottom line: Electing Bill Hunt to the Laguna Hills City Council will mean one thing – opening up all the scandals and disgraceful behavior.


Anonymous said ... Did any of those long term city council members thoroughly vet Bill Hunt before they endorsed him and if so what were they thinking? I took a look at the web site for his illustrations at www.illustrationbyhunt.com and there is no doubt that he is a talented illustrator, but the content of the illustrations would, from my perspective, be very inappropriate for the community coming from a city council member. Hunt absolutely has a right to freedom of speech including his illustrations and I as a voter have a right to decide the standards I wish to be upheld by members of our city council. For me, This is just not an acceptable image for our city.


Anonymous said... If you print this be sure to make it clear that there is a 1st Amendment Right to say what you want and draw what you want. Most of us probably don't care what you or that anonymous comment think is appropriate for a council member, we all have rights to private lives.


Anonymous said... Hunt's artwork reminds me of stuff my son did back in his dark days. It’s clever and effective, just a little scary.


Anonymous said... If you look at Bill Hunt's candidate web site now, he has removed the web address for his illustrations, so apparently he no longer wants them connected to him running for city council either.


Anonymous said... This is the link for the OC Register Newspaper Orange County Register Voter's Guide. http://www.ocregister.com/news/candidates-351403-different-voter.htmL You will find information from all of the Laguna Hills city council candidates except Bill Hunt who the OC Register states chose not to participate.
This is the link for Bill Hunt in the OC Register Newspaper Orange County Voter's Guide: http://www.ocregister.com/news/candidates-351403-different-voter.html?appSession=954102660744287#article-data
Bill Hunt chose not respond to a request to participate in the voter guide. and answer the following questions:
Where does the candidate stand?
1. What are the skills, qualities or accomplishments that make you the best person for this job?
2. Is everything being done to attract businesses to the city? If not, what would you do differently?
3. What is your position on a plan by the developer of Oakbrook Village to convert the center into a mixed-use site, adding high-end apartment buildings with close to 500 units?


ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBER BRESSETTE'S QUESTION TO JANICE VOSHALL


When Ms. Janice Voshall took the speakers stand at Tuesday night's City Council meeting little did she know she was about to be subjected, yet again, to abuse from a Laguna Hills councilman. "Can you tell me approximately how many hours you contributed to Mrs. Kogerman's campaign?" Randy Bressette asked. Thinking the question was how many hours of research Ms. Voshall did, she answered 120…The undisputed fact is Ms. Voshall didn't work for Barbara Kogerman's campaign..Instead, she and another student earned college credit for the 120 hours they spent doing the research used in council woman's Barbara Kogerman's report, and Bressette and Carruth and Lautenschleger and Songstad all know that!


Reasonable people can disagree. Citizens who opposed the councils' response to the Grand Jury took to the podium and made their disagreements known. None were mean spirited or disrespectful. Then Bressette, ever the political opportunist, went to the gutter to discredit and destroy Ms. Voshall…..again. Why? Simply to prove to the old guard he's a team player. Ms Voshall's reputation and career should be above the petty politics often on display in our chamber and as such if Bressette misspoke, he needs to publicly apologize and set the record straight.  John Bosch


ABOUT THE CITY COUNCIL'S RESPONSE TO THE GRAND JURY


Anonymous said... If they have nothing to hide, then they should support having the transcripts released. Only then can we find out the truth. Songstad is the past president of the ACCOC I believe.


Editor's Comment said ... Now, hopefully the City of Laguna Hills will have to report their PARS Employee Retirement Plan in addition to their Cal-PERS plan and how much they pay for employer and employee contributions for both including management and non- management employees.
Grand Jury gets last laugh on "Shadowy" pension costs - Orange County Register OC Watchdog - Oct. 8, 2012  
http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/10/08/grand-jury-gets-last-laugh-on-shadowy-pension-costs/162930/  
“Governmental costs for funding pensions for each employee should be brought out of the shadows and made transparent,” the grand jury declared. “These costs should be reported by each Orange County government on its website as part of employee compensation cost reporting.” The controller has issued new instructions to agencies on how to report calendar year 2011 compensation that will, indeed, drag these costs from the shadows into the light:


ABOUT THE CITY'S PROPOSED WIDENING OF PASEO DE VALENCIA


Anonymous said... Here is another reason why we don't want an added bike lane heading south on Paseo de Valencia. Making the car lanes smaller and adding a bike lane on top of it will only add to more accidents. We get at least one accident a week it seems on Paseo de Valencia down from Sunset Place. We have a nice greenbelt with a bike path for bikers now. Why should we and they risk their lives to ride on the street http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cyclists-372241-killed-year.html


** WIN WIN Wednesday is an ongoing series of restaurant fundraisers that allow the Laguna Hills High School PTSA to fund many worthwhile programs such as "EVERY 15 MINUTES" (a vividly realistic drunk driving prevention presentation), the Award Winning "I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE" program and the SAFE and SOBER all night "GRAD NIGHT" that keeps our kids not only safe but in Laguna Hills and on campus continuing a 23 year tradition that makes us HAWK Proud! ** For Weekly Flyers & Schedule go to our web site at www.winwinwednesdays.com and please be sure to "LIKE US" on Facebook!


** Bring the WWW!! flyer to these participating restaurants on these dates and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the LHHS PTSA and you can now get durable and attractive business card size Win-Win-Wednesday Fan and Supporter Cards that contain all the info. for W-W-Wed on one side including how to subscribe to W-W-Wednesday to get your flyers, dates and Restaurant Information sent to you weekly on Wednesdays and the other side of the card will serve as a universal flyer, if you forget to bring a flyer. You can sign up for an e-blast at WinWinWednesdays@gmail.com  to have the weekly schedule and flyers for Win-Win-Wednesdays e-mailed to you.


October 17, - Flamingo's Mexican Grill and Bar (Laguna Hills) click on Flamingo's Mexican - all day
October 24 - Chipotle (Laguna Niguel) - ** (Only 4 pm to 7 pm)
October 31 - Mountain Mike's Pizza (Laguna Hills) - all day
November 7 - Five Guys Burgers (Mission Viejo) - all day
November 14 - Wine Works For Everyone (Mission Viejo) - all day
November 21 - Polly's Pies (Laguna Woods) - all day ( + Pies for Marine Families in cooperation with Teen Darkhorse at LHHS.)
November 28 - El Pollo Loco (LH) - all day
December 5 - Ruby's (LH) - all day
December 12 - BJ's Brewhouse (LH) - all day
December 19, Cafe Rio (LF) - all day
December 26 - Golden Baked Ham (LH) - all day everyday


**Don't forget to see our "WWW Everyday Partners - Alpha Cleaners, Golden Baked Hams and ToGO's on our web site. Bring the flyers for these everyday partners and Support the businesses that support us! Sneak Peek at GRAD NIGHT Preview Nite event: Wednesday, June 13th, with our delicious participating restaurant sponsors.


** HOW TO SUPPORT THE 3rd BATTALION, 5th MARINE DIVISION - Adopted by the City of Laguna Hills


*** Team Dark Horse is Collecting Donations now to pay for gift cards for a Baby Shower for 23 Marine Expectant Mothers whose husbands are deployed on ships to the middle east. When the Laguna Hills adopted Dark Horse Marine Battalion left Camp Pendleton on September 17th for a seven to eight month deployment, they left behind 23 expectant mothers. These mothers-to-be are being honored at a baby shower scheduled for October 13th.


Update on the deployed 3/5 Marines from their Chaplin Matt Pickering - We are sailing the high seas headed west. The weight equipment has been a great addition on the Green Bay. I've personally been using it. The books have also been almost all checked out of the library here. I'll see if I can't get a picture. I hope that helps for now, but as long as we are just sailing the high seas we are out of harm's way and I pray it stays that way.


Donation checks can be made specifically to "Laguna Hills Team Dark Horse" and mailed to - Team Dark Horse, 27251 Lost Colt Dr., Laguna Hills, CA. 92653. The Non-profit Corporation 501 (C) (3) status has been approved so all donations are tax deductible. E-mail Mike Bland at 35bland@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, etc. The city's e-mail for the 3/5 is 3/5-support@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us City Clerk Peggy Johns is the City Liaison to the 3/5 Support Committee. Go to the City web site by clicking on this link - http://www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us/


**Be sure to Go to the Team Dark Horse web site at http://teamdarkhorse.org/ to see how your donations are helping, and see the Laguna Hills 3/5 Adopted Marines Facebook page by clicking on this link - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laguna-Hills


** NEWS STORIES AND BLOGS ABOUT LAGUNA HILLS: Click on the links below to see the stories.
Grand Jury gets last laugh on "Shadowy" pension costs - Orange County Register OC Watchdog - Oct. 8, 2012http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/10/08/grand-jury-gets-last-laugh-on-shadowy-pension-costs/162930/
City officials abused power, grand jury says July 6th, 2012, 1:22 am · · posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/07/06/city-officials-abused-power-grand-jury-says/158361/
Reader's weigh in: OC lacks will to battle 'shadow governments' Fred Smoller has been thinking about how to make local governments more efficient and accountable for some time. http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/05/05/readers-weigh-in-o-c-lacks-will-to-battle-shadow-governments/154356/
City among worst for alcohol fueled crashes
Fullerton and Laguna Hills had the worst rates of crashes that involved underage drinkers
Read more at: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cities-348774-crashes-among.html
New Reports with 2011 Statistics for the 70 year old Orange County Animal Shelter that Laguna Hills still uses for it's citizens
Fewer Animals Killed at OC animal shelter in 2011http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fewer-338291-killed-shelter.html?pic=1
Total euthanasia rate of 53%. Fewer were killed in 2011 because fewer were impounded at the County Animal Shelter in 2011. January 31, 2012 Teri Sfzora
Three out of four cats still don't leave shelter alive http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/02/16/three-out-of-four-cats-still-dont-leave-shelter-alive/148403/ Teri Sforza OC Watchdog
Kill Rate for Cats at the OC Animal Shelter in 2011 was 74% and only 17% adopted, down from 19% in 2010
Euthanasia Rate Stuck at Nearly 50% at O.C. Animal Care http://ranchosantamargarita.patch.com/articles/shelter-euthanizes-fewer-animals-in-2011 County Shelter finally admits killing animal for space in this story.
Fred Smoller,The Brandman University Professor of Public Administration, "who offended the power elite" when his Master's Degree students won awards assisting Council Member Kogerman to research the total compensation of City Managers in Orange County has just resigned from his post. Why did this happen? - Click on http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/10/12/professor-who-offended-power-elite-resigns-post/109833/
LAGUNA HILLS CITY WORKERS: 12 PERCENT UNDERPAID? http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/09/01/laguna-hills-city-workers-12-percent-underpaid/95765/
Which city council makes the most money? http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/07/11/which-city-council-makes-the-most-money/88311/#comment-169311
LA Times: Laguna Hills City Manager Salary http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oc-salaries-20110621,0,1126677.story
In O.C., city pay can be steep, but it’s not ‘abusive’ June 20th, 2011 http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/06/20/in-o-c-city-pay-can-be-excessive-but-its-not-abusive/85631/#comment-165059
June 9, 2011 ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT - Compensation Study of Orange County Cities http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/comp-study-oc-cities/Compensation-Study-of-Orange-County-Cities.pdf
City manager says compensation is fair http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-303264-channing-compensation.html
Political rebel faces an uphill battle http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-303262-kogerman-channing.html
Councilwoman: Public pay report inaccurate, self serving http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-299908-report-council.html
OC Watchdog Lavish health benefits slashed in Laguna Hills, Tustin http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/05/12/lavish-health-benefits-slashed-in-laguna-hills-tustin/82833/
After attacks, city-manager-compensation sleuths win state award March 21st, 2011, posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/03/21/after-attacks-city-manager-compensation-sleuths-win-state-award/78545/#comment-139633 Click on http://www.publicceo.com/ for more of this story.
No more $60,000 SUVs for city manager? http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/02/09/no-more-60000-suvs-for-city-manager/75030/
Gold-plated benefits? New councilwoman just says ‘no’ http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/01/18/gold-plated-benefits-new-councilwoman-just-says-no/72532/
OCREGISTER: Laguna Hills councilwoman says no to health benefits http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-282972-benefits-council.html
O.C. cities lavished health benefits on council members http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2010/12/06/oc-cities-lavished-health-benefits-on-council-members/69544/
Who has the best-paid city council in California? (updated) http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2010/12/02/who-has-the-best-paid-city-council-incalifornia/69418/ In Laguna Hills the Taxpayers pay the entire cost of heath care premiums for the elected part time city council members and their families. In addition, the City Manager's contract states "To the extent that payment of all or any portion of the dependent rate of premium, is not approved by the city council for all city employees, Channing shall be entitled to a salary increase or cash payment sufficient to cover the amount of premium or rate for dependent coverage not provided by the City plus applicable income taxes on that amount."
OCREGISTER: Chris Norby: Local officials susceptible to 'Bell syndrome http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/elected-276253-city-syndrome.html "Bell syndrome thrives where elected boards vote in lockstep, where groupthink is elevated, and skeptics are ostracized, and where top staff are seen as irreplaceable experts – with rubber-stamped salaries to prove it. Bell syndrome thrives when self-congratulation trumps self-examination."


** CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD - For a roundup of Laguna Hills police calls check the Saddleback Valley News every Friday or click on - www.ocregister.com/news/saddleback You can contact the Sheriff's Dispatch at 949-425-1800.