Laguna Hills Watch Dog
Laguna Hills City Council Meeting - June 11, 2013


SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS


What's On Your Mind? Meet with your Mayor, Barbara Kogerman, and Share your Questions/Concerns on Saturday Mornings has been suspended until September but should be back in Sept. in the Southern Part of the City.  We will keep you posted.

** YOU CAN LISTEN TO YOUR MAYOR, Barbara Kogerman. ON FM RADIO- KSBR (88.50). She is being interviewed the day before and the day after each City Council Meeting by Dawn Kamber of Saddleback Community College's FM radio station. The interviews will be played in 30-second spots, every hour and half-hour from 6 am through 9 am on the day of and two days after the council meetings. Their regular programming throughout this time is easy-listening jazz.


** Tuesday, June 25 will be the last City Budget Session Meeting and the Only Public Hearing to LEARN WHERE YOUR TAXPAYER MONEY GOES.  BE SURE TO REVIEW THE CITY OF LAGUNA HILLS, MAY 7, 2013 BIENNIAL BUDGET SESSION if you're interested in what the City of Laguna Hills plans to do with your money in 2013-2015 - scoll down to the Special Edition blog that is just below the May 14, 2013 City Council Meeting blog to see the where your Laguna Hills taxpayer money is going.


** Consider Attending a Council Meeting to express your opinion on items of interest to you or just to observe.  Citizen Alerts/HEADLINES for future City Council Meetings will be listed on this blog site within 4 days prior to a meeting.


Laguna Hills City Council Meeting - FEATURES DIRECTORY

** Closed Session - None
** Presentations and Proclamations:
Item 1.1 - LHHS Drama Dept. and Drama Coach Susan Lord - Music Presentation - "One More Day" from Les Miserables, plus Awards Announcements. **This was an extraordinary event for all who attended this council meeting!!
Item 1.2 - Recognition of Laguna Hills AYSO Region 1422 Winning Teams-Spring Season and Tournament
Item 1.3 -  Certificate of Recognition to Amanda Jaffee for serving as LHHS Student Liaison for the Spring 2013 Semester.
Item 1.4 - Last LHHS Student Liaison Report from Amanda Jafee - alternate Kerstyn Gonzales - WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW AT LHHS - AWARDS - Drama Dept., SPORTS - and FUND RAISERS - Grad Night Preview- June 18
Item 1.5 -  Laguna Hills 3/5 Marine Support Committee Board Members Karen Robbins and Evan Gost Report on the 2013 Laguna Hills Memorial Day + e-mails from the City's adopted 3/5 Marines with their thoughts about Laguna Hills Memorial Day.
** Public Comments - Greg Raths, 2014 Candidate for US House of Representatives for the 45th Congressional District,  Meg Gorham with update on LHHS Grad Nite Preview
** Consent Calendar - Warrant Register - $316,627.95
** Items of Interest from the Warrant Register - None
** Items Pulled from the Warrant Register - None
Items of Interest from the Consent Calendar:
Item 4.3 - Progress Payment 26 for La Paz Rd. widening at I-5 - $1,454.50 to SEMA Construction
Item 4.4 - Agreement Number 2 for City Street Sweeping Contract Services
Item 4.5 - Paseo de Valencia Traffic Signal Synch Amendment to Services Agreement with Hartzog and Crabill, Inc and purchase of equipment
Item 4.6 - Amendment to Consulting Services Agreement with Oros Consulting for Information Technology Support.
Item 4.7 - Lump Sum Payoff of CALPERS Employer Side Fund, but still no mention of the PARS Retirement Fund that is also provided by the City of Laguna Hills for City Employees?
** Items pulled from the Consent Calendar pulled for discussion - Items 4.5, 4.6 and 4.7
** Planning Agency/City Council Public Hearings - None
** City Council Public Hearings- None
** Administrative Reports:
7.2.1 - City Views and Community Services Activity Guide Changes - Was there any Public Input on this issue?
7.3.1 - Grant of Easement to SDG&E along easterly side of Aliso Hills Dr. Northerly of La Paz Rd. - Public Services Director/City Engineer.  ** This item was continued.
7.3.2 - Equestrian Trail Crossing Enhancements and Traffic Safety Improvements - see what traffic safety enhancements were approved and where.
7.4.1 - Traffic Safety and Enforcement - Chief of Police Services. - Traffic Control is the number 1 problem in Laguna Hills and discussion of motorcycles vs autos to provide traffic control + unanswered questions.
7.4.2 - FY 2013-2014 Law Enforcement Services Agreement with the County for another year - any changes?
** Matters Agendized and Presented by Council Members and Mayor- None
** City Council Member Comments - Carruth re. leaning poles and underground utilities, Peace Officer's Memorial Ceremony and Eagle Scouts,  Blount's adventure on the Ronald Reagan Aircraft Carrier,  Kogerman's update on West Nile Virus and review of Meet the Mayor Saturdays.
** City Council Members Report Card - How did they score?
** Information, Comments, Questions, Concerns from LH Watch Dog Readers from the previous blog post - ABOUT:  Signage Issues for the Shops at La Paz and Moulton,  No Right turn on Red on La Paz/Cabot, The OLD BARN in Laguna Hills,  Laguna Hills Memorial Day Event 2013
PLUS ***WIN-WIN-WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE OF RESTAURANTS

** You can place comments in the "COMMENTS" section at the bottom of this blog report and see comments there from others and you can send comments to BlandMJ@aol.com  Your name will not be used in the comments section unless you give permission

** HOW TO SUPPORT OUR 3/5 ADOPTED MARINES and UPDATES FROM - TEAM DARK HORSE - ** See 2 very special messages to Laguna Hills below from 3/5 Marines, Wounded Warrior Capt. Cameron West and Corporal Travis Haggerty, after an extraordinary Laguna Hills Memorial Day this year and be sure to attend the City's 4th of July Celebration to see the Marines and their equipment and talk with them.
** 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
** FIND the CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD - Look at Crime Reports for your Neighborhood
** WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER


Laguna Hills City Council Meeting - June 11, 2013
All Council Members were present except Council Member Bressette
=========================================
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

CLOSED SESSION - None
**Congratulations to Mayor Barbara Kogerman, who suggested this "Closed Session" change, and to the new Council Members who changed the order of the council meetings to place "Closed Sessions" 1st rather than last on the Agenda. This significantly increases transparency for Laguna Hills Citizens and allows for Public Comments as well as a report to the citizens, from each Closed Session, during the regular time period for City Council Meetings.

PRESENTATIONS and PROCLAMATIONS:

Item 1.1 - LHHS Drama Dept. and Drama Coach Susan Lord - Music Presentation - "One More Day" from Les Miserables.
(**Editor's Note - Be sure to listen to the Online Audio of the beginning of this meeting on the City's web site because this Musical Number from LHHS Les Miserables was AMAZING and received a standing ovation!) 
This presentation was introduced by Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Blount who noted that Susan Lord is the award winning LHHS Drama Coach with the cast of Les Miserables. He said we are extraordinarily proud of all the accomplishments of the students at LHHS that is really a top notch school.

The LHHS Drama Dept. Received 2 MACY (Music and Art Commendation for Youth) Awards for Les Miserables for Bringing Literature to Life and Stage Crew Excellence 
The Individual MACY Award Winners from Laguna Hills High School this year are as follows:

Highest Achievement for technical Theater:   Reed Jones for set design and production slide designs
For Highest Achievement:  Adam Wong, Jonah Buckels and Victoria Johnson
For Outstanding Achievement:  Briana Lawson, Jackie Blackburn, Mikey Lathon, Reed Jones and Tiffany Carinchi
For Achievement:  Anthony Kairouz, Chancey Allen and Sabrina Ickes
Special Recognition:  Ryan Battenk
Bright Spot: Tahlia Nie, Tustin Talbot and Grant Harris
LHHS Drama Students were also nominated in 11 categories for Cappies Awards for Les Miserables or To Kill a Mockingbird.

Ms. Susan Lord introduced this musical and drama presentation from the Under Dog Cafe' - One Day More.
This performance was followed by a standing ovation!!  We were also glad to see Adam Wong, our former Student Liaison again.


Item 1.2 - Recognition of Laguna Hills AYSO Region 1422 Winning Teams-Spring Season and Tournament. The teams receiving the awards were The Blue Angels, Hawks, Silver Blades, Kick Chicks, and Gold Strikers.  Congratulations to all of them!!
Mayor Kogerman Presented Certificates of Recognition to Laguna Hills AYSO Region 1422 Coaches
and Team Members, as follows:
• Division U-12 Girls Team - Coach Jensen – came in first place in the Extra Flight
during the Spring Season and beat Mission Viejo 1-0 in the Championship Game of
the Spring Tournament.
• Division U-10 Girls Team – Coach Frey – won the Championship Game in the
Spring Tournament beating Aliso Viejo 3-0.
• Division U-10 Boys Team – Coach Bair – came in first place during the Spring
Season with a 5 win, 0 loss and 2 tie season.
• Division U-10 Boys Team – Coach Najah – came in first place in the Spring Season
and won the Championship Game in the Spring Tournament beating Rancho Santa
Margarita 6-2.
• Division U-10 Boys Team – Coach Huber – came in first place during the regular
season and came in 4th place in the Spring Tournament.


Item 1.3 - Mayor Kogerman Presented a Certificate of Recognition to Amanda Jaffee, who has served with dedication and distinction as LHHS Student Liaison for the Spring 2013 Semester. Amanda said she is interested in working in politics or something in government. Mayor Kogerman asked Amanda what she learned from this experience and Amanda said this experience showed her how to organize and contrast, relate and see first hand how it all comes together. 
(**Editor's Note - Goodbye to Amanda, and good luck to her.  She is the brave Liaison who introduced, and assisted with carrying through, the concept of having the City share event information from LHHS with the Community and vice versa.)


Item 1.4 - LHHS Student Liaison Report from Amanda Jafee - alternate Kerstyn Gonzales
To Subscribe to Hawk Happenings:  http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/schools/lhhs/subscriptions.html
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW AT LHHS -  Amanda said this will be her final report and Graduation is Next Wednesday the 19th.  There are new ROP classes in the Fall in Engineering, Design and Manufacturing.
See the Win-Win-Wednesday web site for a complete list of local dining establishments for every Wednesday that will give back a part of the proceeds from your meals to LHHS when you download the flyer from the web site at http://www.winwinwednesdays.com/ and present it to the dining establishment. 
The "EVERY 15 MINUTES" program is coming to LHHS again in the Fall.  This is done every 2 years and is a mock drunk driving accident where students from LHHS are acting out the parts in vivid detail including deaths and going to jail, etc.
AWARDS: Last Night were Senior Awards and there were $2.9 Million given out in merit scholarships. Amanda Said she will be going to Stanford in the Fall and Adam Wong, last semester's LHHS Student Liaison will be going to Harvard. Last week Cappie Drama Awards were given out and the MACY awards were given out before that. (See individual awards above under the Musical Presentation for tonight.)
SPORTS -  Nothing tonight
FUN FUND RAISERS -  GRAD NITE SNEAK PREVIEW - Parents and other curious ADULTS (no children please) will get a sneak peek at this year’s Grad Nite on Tuesday, June 18th from 5:00 to 7:30pm. Mayor Kogerman added that in addition to having a great time on Grad. Night there is an important safety issue involved related to keeping the grads safe at our school as opposed to being on the highways, etc. and the City Council helps support this. SEE YOU THERE!
The HAWK CHALLANGE is coming in the Fall on Veteran's Day to raise funds for LHHS. SUMMER COOKING CLASSES - are coming from Win-Win-Wednesday -   Come find out this summer!Chef Heather and other local "celebrity" guest chefs will be cooking up something special every Wednesday, beginning July 10th through August 14th. This special Culinary Arts Program fundraiser will be open for registration beginning Saturday, June 1st for two-hour cooking classes in our own lab. Space will be limited, first-come, first-served and are expected to fill up fast. Watch for details in next week's Hawk Happenings.
JULY 4th EVENT - Put on by the City. and LHHS will also be involved in this. GO-HAWKS!


Item 1.5 -  Report on the 2013 Laguna Hills Memorial Day Event from 3/5 Marine  Support Committee Board Members Karen Robbins and Evan Gost.

Karen Robbins, Team Dark Horse Board Member and Laguna Hills Resident thanked the council for their support when the committee was up and going again because it's been a tremendous gift to our community and to the Marines.  She said you all will remember that when we put the 3/5 Marines' banner up on the community center, we told the 3/5 that we would not turn the lights off until they all came home.  At that time, none of us knew that deployment would be as bad as it was for the 3/5.  In fact 25 never did come home and 180 came home wounded.  Some of them came home with no limbs and we feel very strongly that when you adopt a battalion or a child or a pet, whatever you adopt, you adopt for life. You have a commitment and an obligation.

This year, on Memorial Day, if you were there you would have felt that the Marines believe now that we really have adopted the 3/5. Karen said specifically what she noticed this year were families of the fallen.  These families don't live around here but are beginning to hear that Laguna Hills is committed to remembering their sons.  The sister-in-law from the family of Joseph C. Lopez e-mails through our 3/5 Facebook page.  She ran in our race last year and wanted to let everyone know that they are having a race in their hometown of Rosmond, CA.this year and asked if we'd let everyone know through our 3/5 Facebook page.  The Kelly family we have heard about because the Father is 4 star Marine Corps. General John Kelly. His son First Lt. Robert Kelly in the 3/5 was killed.  We didn't know the Ceniceros family was going to be at the Memorial Day Race, but they came to our 3/5 booth and introduced themselves to Judy Rigdon and Micki Zettel.

This past week there was monument memorial dedicated at Memorial Park in Camp Pendleton. It was spearheaded by Dana Point that came to the cities that adopted battalions and asked for funds for that and our committee came up with the goal they gave us and we attended the dedication. General Kelly gave the speech and these are a couple of the things he said.  At the conclusion of his speech to the Marines and families and everyone present, General Kelly said, "Keep Memorial Day sacred for this purpose, never forget, we owe them at least that much."  Karen said, I think people in Laguna Hills should remember that, and that when any of the families want to go somewhere on Memorial Day and be remembered, they can come here and see the flag with the names of the fallen and they'll know that we mean what we said.

Finally, we can all ask ourselves, what does the community gain from this type of affiliation, beyond that we know we're remembering these men?  I think what we gain are very strong civic bonds and duties to our children and to our country. If you talk to any families of the fallen, what they will tell you is that they don't know if the country is really aware of the sacrifices their country has made, but we let them know that in our city.  Also General Kelly said, America's greatest strength will always be a unified people, with a common history and values focused on a shared dream that is America.

Karen concluded with, on Memorial Day, her sons were in town and at the end of the ceremony Karim Nairooz, who is the manager of Ashley Furniture, in Laguna Hills, stepped forward when Evan Gost asked him to donate something to the wounded warrior, Josue Barron, who was our Grand Marshall.  Our sons were watching that presentation and they noticed that in that group was Josue, an Hispanic American, wearing a T-shirt honoring General Kelly's son who was arguably from what is called the upper 10%, at least, of this country, and presenting the gift to Josue was a Middle Eastern American man. For children at that event watching that disparate yet bonded group, I can't think of any stronger statement about our country than that.

Camp Pendleton monument honors fallen Marines June 7, 2013 by Erika Ritchie Orange County Register - http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marines-511656-5th-regiment.html

General speaks from broken heart at memorial's dedication - At the unveiling of a Camp Pendleton monument, Marine Gen. John Kelly shares the sorrows of the grieving. His son, a lieutenant, was killed in Afghanistan June 6, 2013 by Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marine-memorial-20130607,0,3503350.story



Evan Gost, Team Dark Horse Board Member and Laguna Hills Resident said he wanted to bring the council up to date about some additional events leading up to the Memorial Day Event. He said Captain Cameron West, another Wounded Warrior from the 3/5 who lost a leg and the vision in his right eye in Afghanistan, was going to run and Cameron had recently traveled to Boston to comfort the amputees from the Boston Marathon, so Vikki Vargas from NBC News interviewed Cameron. In one part of this video, Cameron is leaning over the hospital bed of an amputee and saying to her, this doesn't matter, this is just scenery, referring to her missing leg.  Evan said he didn't think many of us could communicate that but someone with a prosthetic leg probably can, so they went back to show the people that there is hope. This video also had a lot of information about our Laguna Hills race.  
For the NBC News Video Interview for the 2013 Laguna Hills Memorial Day Event Go to:  http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/Marine-Amputee-Quick-to-Help-Marathon-Bomb-Victims/208907861

Additionally Josue Barron, our Grand Marshall, had made National TV, being photographed with Prince Harry in Colorado.  www.marines.mil/Photos.aspx?igphoto=2000020293  This led to a feature article in the Orange County Register Newspaper which all helped build momentum for our Memorial Day and brought more people out.

On Sunday night before the Memorial Day Race,Team Dark Horse, hosted a dinner for the Marines who had come up from Camp Pendleton to stay at the Hills Hotel.  It was a chance for our committee members and some of our council members to meet some of our dedicated Marines. Our Mayor was able to arrange a suite for Josue at the Hills Hotel.  5 rooms at the Hills Hotel were complementary and the other 5 were discounted.  Then the Surf and Sands Hotel agreed to provide complementary suites to both Josue and Debbie Barron and to Cameron West and his fiance'.

Evan said he received an e-mail from the Manager at Splashes Restaurant, in Laguna Beach who said he was a prior Marine and it was a great honor to be able to seat these wounded warriors, give them a round of drinks and give them a 25% discount, but did get a lump in this throat when he looked at these 2 wounded warriors and a tear in his eye and said God bless the American men and women who serve in the armed forces.  Evan said he believes that statement reflected the spirit that we all felt on this Memorial Day.

On the day of the race, at 4:00 am the convoy left Camp Pendleton and arrived here at the start line at about 6:00 am and the rest of the vehicles went to the Community Center. As the runners gathered at the starting line TJ, a Marine who had cardiac bypass surgery a week before, warmed the crowd up with jokes and got the adrenalin pumping. Josue, the Grand Marshall, climbed into the Humvee and preped for the start of the race.  Mayor Barbara Kogerman opened the Ceremonies and introduced the Commanding Officer while the 3/5 Lt. Col. Griffin read an e-mail from the previous Commanding Officer who was Lt. Col. Morris who was in command when they lost all the men in Afghanistan.  Evan read from Lt. Col. Morris's email that said, "On this special day, Memorial Day, when we remember the millions of Americans who have given their lives defending our great nation and our liberty, it is fitting that we remember the close linkage that the citizen and the soldier have shared since our nation's founding."  "The City of Laguna Hills has taken it's place in the ranks of patriotic cities that support the troops and honor their sacrifices."

The color guard displayed the colors, the National Anthem was sung, Josue fired the starting horn and the adrenalin induced crowd was off and running. Prominently in the lead was young Corporal Travis Haggerty, running once again with his Memorial Flag, that contains the 25 names of his fallen comrades. He ran 13 miles last year and this year and the spirit of those 25 ran with him.

Evan described the race route and showed slides of Memorial including himself and his grandson running in the race and noted how heartening it was that so many people were out in the streets of Laguna Woods cheering the runners on. He showed additional photos back at the community center where the race ended including the 3/5 booth that displayed an American Flag that was given to Jean Bland's mother by the Marines when Jean's father, Lt. Col. James R. Einum, a 30 year career Marine, was buried. Jean donated the flag and Mike Bland had the names of the 25 written on it so that we now have a memorial flag of our fallen warriors.  (**Editor's Note - We thank graphic artist and Laguna Hills Resident, Jennie Kinnett, so much for the very generous donation of her time and her talent involved in carefully printing the names of each of the 25 fallen 3/5 Marines on this flag.)

Evan showed more photos and observed that at the Marines' static display at the Laguna Hills Community Center the kids with racing medals around their necks were having fun bonding with the Marines and politicians getting their photos taken with Travis Haggerty, etc. He noted the company commander and his wife, the family readiness officer, the stroller warriors and Zack Peters, and the Marine Lt. who was the coordinator for the Marines. Evan said Zack would be the one he'd want out front defending the country. Evan said his last photo illustrated that even in camo. garb, Marines are Chick Magnets.  He recounted that the ceremony at the Community Center began with the Drum and Bugle Corps., then Mayor Barbara Kogerman did a wonderful job as the MC, awarding the gifts and proclamations including the $2000 gift from Karim Nairooz, who is the manager of Ashley Furniture, in Laguna Hills to Josue Barron, our Grand Marshall, and his wife Debbie. Evan added that when he searched for donors most of the responses he received were cold shoulders and advice to "go to corporate" but Karim listened and said he would go to corporate to see what he could do and possibly get a $300 gift certificate and then came back with a $2000 gift certificate. Evan added he learned yesterday that Karim, in Arabic, means "Giving".  Evan introduced Karim to a lot of applause from the audience.

Evan continued the Josue Barron's glass eye is embedded with the 3/5 emblem that signifies his commitment and bonding with his fellow Marines. When asked for a comment Josue said, "This day isn't about me but about the Marines who didn't come back." Evan read from some e-mails received after the event. The first e-mail was from  Captain Cameron West, who lost his right leg and the sight in his right eye while serving with the 3/5 in Sangin, in 2010, who said about the 2013 Laguna Hills' Memorial Day Event,  “Last night after all the festivities and the day came to a close, I thought to myself that there was nowhere else I would rather have been on this Memorial Day.  And that’s a pretty big deal thinking of all the family and friends that I could have been with, but I realized for that day Laguna Hills took their place, and did a fine job doing it."  As said before by others, it's important that we continue to carry the names of our fallen heroes every day because they are why we're able to be here and live free. The race was wonderful, the people were wonderful, the day was wonderful and the time was wonderful.  I appreciate all the work y'all  have done for 3/5 Marines. The Marines will not forget this and they look forward to next year's race. I think you get all of us and with American support like yours this country is gonna be just fine."

The Second e-mail was from Major John Bobo, who ran in our race for the 3rd time and he said, "I believe this event epitomizes the spirit of Memorial Day.  I was in awe of the presence of Team Kelly, Cameron West, Corporal Barron, and all of the other Marines that ran for their fallen brothers. The closing ceremony was top notch and a stark reminder of what this day is all about.  Corporal Barron summed it up when he stated that the day wasn't about him but about his fellow Marines who didn't make it home. That's a strong statement from a warrior who sacrificed so much."

Third e-mail was from Corporal Travis Haggerty who said, "I would like to thank you for yesterday and all the things that Team Darkhorse and Laguna Hills made possible for Memorial Day. Every time we see the people interacting with all the Marines and truly taking time to remember our fallen brothers is a honor. A success would be a understatement for how yesterday went. All of you have done so much for our battalion, and even more for our Gold Star families and wounded warriors, and we can not thank you enough for taking care of our brothers. Again, everything that all of you have done and the efforts that you have put forth do not go unnoticed.   Thank you and Semper Fi"

Evan concluded with a thought that he would like to think that the Gold Star Families, who have lost their sons will continue to want to come here and see that we treat our adopted sons with the same reverence as if they grew up who here in our city.  He thanked the council and staff for helping us to create a significant Memorial Day and said maybe we'll even be able to do better next year!!

Mayor Barbara Kogerman said we just want to thank you Evan and Mike and Karen and the entire team. You've done so much for us and for the city and for the Marines,  but it certainly comes back to the city and our young people and our citizens.

Council Member Dore Gilbert added,  I just have to think that Mike Bland is just sittin' out there right now just so proud.  Him, and Karen and everyone else who is part of that committee. As a father of a Marine in the 1/5 that replaced the 3/5 (in Afghanistan) I get it and I don't know how many people get it?  But I know in my heart that what your committee has done has made it possible for so many other people to understand what it's about to serve and sacrifice for one's country and that we honor all of those who have served and sacrificed in every war in every service when we do something like that. It truly is what Memorial Day should be. And Karen, you were speaking, that was so moving, I had to really fight back the tears. Your comments were absolutely beautiful and really make Memorial Day exactly what it should be.  I thank both of you so much for addressing us and really putting it in perspective.  What great honor, Mike and your committee bring to this city of ours.  Thank you so much.  
This was followed by more applause from the audience!


PUBLIC COMMENTS - Mayor Kogerman always clarifies that speakers are asked to complete a pink speaker form to be given to City Clerk Peggy Johns. Providing your name and address is a courtesy but is not required unless you would like to be notified about your issue.

Col. Greg Raths, USMC Retired, said he was so sorry for the losses in the 3/5 Marines and it's so good to see the support for them from a community that will stick with them and help them on their way to recovery.   He said he came to invite the council members to an event on Saturday the 15th but has learned there is a conflict with a 3/5 event, but will be announcing his 2014 Candidacy for the US House of Representatives for the 45th Congressional District so is going to all the city councils in the 45th district. He said he came here in 1978 as a young Lt. flying an F4 Phantom and retired in 2005 after 32 years of service. He then became an airline pilot and ran a successful auto parts business.  He is now retired and is a Republican running against John Campbell who is also a Republican, a career politician, and wants more support for Veterans.  He then ran out of his 3 minutes of time.  www.gregraths2014.com
 
Meg Gorham, Laguna Hills Resident said The LHHS PTSA is proud to present Grad Night 2013.  Over 250 volunteers and thousands of hours including fund raising and a year of planning went into this. Games, prizes, entertainment, rides, food are provided all night long. It's a lot of money and time and investment in our kids and community that is all worth it!!  We are keeping our kids safe, sober and substance free and here with us on Grad Night.  Please come to GRAD NIGHTSNEAK PREVIEW The whole community, parents and other curious ADULTS (no children please) will get a sneak peek at this year’s Grad Nite on Tuesday, June 18th from 5:00 to 7:30pm.  Meg said she remembers so many 18 year olds coming up to her at 4:45 am and saying, Oh, you were so right, this was the best.

Mayor Barbara Kogerman added that she went to the preview last year and it was amazing so the kids would have to appreciate it and in addition to having a great time on Grad. Night there is an important safety issue involved related to keeping the grads safe at our school as opposed to being on the highways, etc. and the City Council helps support this.

Council Member Dore Gilbert said he and his wife had the pleasure of working Grad Night and it is an amazing experience and all the parents can go to bed that night and don't have to worry about their children.

 
CONSENT CALENDAR - Warrant Register = $316,627.95
Items of interest from the Warrant Register -  None
Items of interest pulled from the Warrant Register  for discussion - None

Consent Calendar Items:
Item 4.3 - Progress Payment 26 for La Paz Rd. widening at I-5 - $1,454.50 to SEMA Construction.

Item 4.4 - Agreement Number 2 for City Street Sweeping Contract Services - Contract expires June 30, 2013 with Jonset Corporation, dba Sunset Property Services (Sunset). 
Fiscal Impact - Total Contract Amount shall not exceed $135,000 for FY 2013-14.  Staff Report states these new rates represent an approximate 3.7% reduction over current rates.

Item 4.5 - Paseo de Valencia Traffic Signal Synch Amendment to Services Agreement with Hartzog and Crabill, Inc and purchase of equipment. Hartzog & Crabill, Inc., (HCI) has completed the design work for the project. Upon completion of design, it was determined that it is not necessary to construct new improvements; rather, it is only necessary to plug in new field equipment and modify the traffic signal computer network at City Hall. Accordingly, HCI was invited to submit a proposal to implement the field installation and City Hall work for the project.
Fiscal Impact - The original project cost was estimated to be $238,427.50. The cost of the additional consultant services and purchases of equipment described in this report has been reduced to a total project cost of $232,042.60. The cost reduction results from savings realized in the equipment costs. The project is funded 80% by an OCTA grant and 20% of City Match(one-half of the City cost is provided by in-kind services of ongoing traffic signal maintenance over a two-year period).

Item 4.6 - Amendment to Consulting Services Agreement with Oros Consulting for Information Technology Support. Mr. Robert Oros, with Oros Consulting Services, LLC., provides the City with IT support services under an existing two-year contract that is set to expire June 30, 2013.
Fiscal Impact - As of May 2013, Mr. Oros has reached the not-to-exceed cost of $110,240 prior to the end of the two-year term due to the need for more IT support hours. Staff is requesting the City Council to approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an amendment to the Agreement with Oros Consulting Services to increase the not-to-exceed amount in the Agreement and to extend the Agreement until November 30, 2013. Extending the term to November 30, 2013 will allow the City to receive IT support while it conducts recruitment for a full-time IT support position.

Item 4.7 - Lump Sum Payoff of CALPERS Employer Side Fund  CalPERS is the City Employee's Primary Retirement fund in addition to the PARS retirement fund for City Employees. .
SUMMARY - In 2003, the City was obligated to join the Miscellaneous 2% at 60 Pool with CalPERS. At that time, a side fund was created to account for the difference between the funded status of the pool and the funded status of the City’s plan, in addition to the City’s then existing unfunded liability. As of June 30, 2011, the date of the most recent actuarial report from CalPERS, the City’s side fund was $616,192. The projected liability of the side fund as of June 30, 2013, is $557,805, with a remaining amortization period of eight years. The City will pay an average of $86,766 annually over the remaining amortization period, or a total of $694,187. A lump sum pay off of the side fund equivalent to the projected liability of the side fund would save the City a total of $136,382 in interest expense and eliminate the portion of the employer contribution rate associated with the side fund amortization. For fiscal year 2013/14, the City’s employer contribution rate would be reduced by 2.533%, from 11.738% to 9.205%. Given the anticipated savings, staff is recommending the lump sum pay off of $557,805, by June 28, 2013, to CalPERS, sufficient to eliminate the employer side fund.

ITEMS of SPECIAL INTEREST from the CONSENT CALENDAR  - Item 4.7
ITEMS PULLED from the CONSENT CALENDAR - Item 4.7 was pulled by Council Member Carruth and Items 4.5 and 4.6 were pulled by City Manager Channing for technical corrections.

VOTE - The remainder of the Consent Calendar was passed 4 - 0

Council Member Carruth said she wanted to call attention to the fact that in Item 4.7 the city is doing a good job in paying off the CalPers side fund. She asked Assist City Manager Don White to explain this.  The explanation is noted in the Summary for Item 4.7 above.
VOTE - Item 4.7 was approved 4 - 0.
VOTE - Items 4.5 and 4.6 technical corrections were added and approved 4 - 0.

CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING - None
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARINGS - None

 
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS -

7.2.1 - City Views and Community Services Activity Guide - Assist.City Manager.

Staff Recommendation was presented by Melissa Au Yeung, Senior Management Analyst - Reduce the City Views Section of the City Newsletter, Issue Requests for Proposals for Printing and Graphic Design Services, Authorize the City Manager to extend the existing contract with Faubel Affairs for 3 months.
SUMMARY - At its March 12, 2013, City Council meeting, the City Council expressed interest in reducing costs associated with the development of the City's quarterly City Views & Community Services Activity Guide publication. Consequently, staff provided the City Council with four cost savings options at its April 23, 2013, City Council meeting. At that time, the City Council established an ad-hoc committee (of Council Members Dore Gilbert and Randy Bresseette) to examine the various options presented by staff as well as additional ideas to reduce costs. Based on direction received from the ad-hoc committee, staff recommends the City Council direct staff to move forward with reducing the City Views section substantially. Furthermore, staff proposes issuing Requests for Proposals for printing and graphic design services. Additionally, because the development process for the Summer issue of City Views is scheduled to begin prior to the end of the fiscal year, staff requests a three month extension of the existing Professional Service Agreement with Faubel Public Affairs to allow adequate time for the transition with no disruption in publication mailings.
FISCAL IMPACT:  Staff anticipates these modifications will result in approximate savings of $8,500 per publication, or $34,000 annually in actual costs. The City currently budgets $105,000 annually for the development, printing, and mailing of the City Views/Community Services Activity Guide, of which approximately $36,000 represents the City Views portion of the brochure.  Reducing the paper size of the current publication to 8 1/2" x 11" would result in cost savings of $2,000 annually. However, staff feels the larger brochure size helps distinguish the publication from junk mail and other catalogs many households receive.

Mayor Barbara Kogerman asked Council Member Dore Gilbert if he wanted to add anything to the information reported above .  Council Member Dore Gilbert said his concern was to save money and still have a City Views. He said he thinks this is a very good start to moving this in house to save money to be used elsewhere.

Kogerman also asked Gilbert if any changes to the content of City Views were discussed related to people in the Community stating that they would like to see more about Community Activities in addition to the city or were just the just the number of pages discussed?  Gilbert responded that they discussed everything and tried to come up with a compromise that would include content, to the best of our ability along with the City's ability to advertise programs. so I think this gets the point out and I'm satisfied with the compromise.

Council Member Melody Carruth noted that she was concerned with the appearance of the beautiful City Views Publication and was glad to see that the ad hoc committee did not change that.
(**Editor's Note - The Question of whether there was input taken from the public by the ad hoc committee considering changes in City Views was not asked or answered.)
VOTE - was 4 - 0 in favor of passing this item.


7.3.1 - Grant of Easement to SDG&E along easterly side of Aliso Hills Dr. Northerly of La Paz Rd. - Public Services Director/City Engineer.  Staff Recommendation - Approve the easement to install and maintain electrical facilities.
SUMMARY - The San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has requested an easement from the
City, in order to install new facilities to improve the reliability of their electrical distribution system, located in the open space parcel at the Northeasterly corner of La Paz Road at Aliso Hills Drive. The easement, consisting of approximately 952 square feet, will allow for the installation of underground electrical cable and an above-ground Trayer switch box. The location of the above-ground box has been situated approximately 14’ easterly of the curb line of Aliso Hills Drive and 85’ northerly of the curb line of La Paz Road. Approval of
the Grant of Easement is recommended. Fiscal Impact - None 
** This item was continued, per City Manager Channing to work more on the draft of the easement.


7.3.2 - Equestrian Trail Crossing Enhancements and Traffic Safety Improvements - Public Services Director/City Engineer.  

Humza Javen Associate Civil Engineer presented the Staff Recommendations - Staff says at the city council meeting on Oct 9, 2012 the council authorized up to 2 locations to be identified for installation of flashing beacon safety lights. On May 15, 2013 the Traffic Commission reviewed and approved the recommended equestrian trail crossing enhancements and traffic safety improvements noted below and City Staff recommends the same:

Recommendations from Hartoz & Crabill, Inc.  - A 3 way stop sign installation at the intersection of Nellie Gail Rd and Gallup Circle. A marked crosswalk on the west leg of Nellie Gail Rd. Post signs at the equestrian crossing across Nellie Gail Rd. located 50 ft. west of Gallup Circle to lead any pedestrians bicyclists and equestrians to use the newly marked crosswalk at the stop-controlled intersection.

Additional Recommendations:
1.  At Nellie Gail Rd 500 ' South of Oso Pkwy -
a) Maintenance of raised pavement markers as some need replacement.
b) LED Flashing warning signage at crossing facing both directions.
c) Addition of an "Ahead" to the advanced equestrian sign.
d) Left turn striping into the Equestrian Center for southerly bound Nellie Gail Rd.
Fiscal Impact - $10,700
2.  Nellie Gail Rd at Gallup Circle
a) Installation of stop control on east and west bound Nellie Gail Rd. at Gallup Circle to complete multi-way stop controlled intersection.
b) Installation of a marked crosswalk on the west leg of Nellie Gail Rd. at Gallup Circle
c) Access ramp modification on the north-west corner of Nellie Gail Rd. at Gallup Circle.
d)Removal of existing horse crossing striping and equestrian signage.
e) Addition of "Stop Sign Ahead" warning sign on eastbound Nellie Gail Rd. approaching Gallup Circle
f) Installation of the full sign package at the equestrian trail crossing of Gallup Circle located 375 ft. north of Nellie Gail Rd.
Fiscal Impact - $6,000
3. Nellie Gail Rd. at Oso Pkwy.
a) Installation of a pedestrian countdown timer at both legs of the crosswalk.
Fiscal Impact - $800
4. Nellie Gail Rd 200 ft north of Lost Colt Dr.
a) LED flashing warning signage at the crossing facing both directions
b) Add "Ahead" to the advanced equestrian sign.
Fiscal Impact - $7,700
5. Knuckle Corner of Greenfield Dr. and Hidden Trail Rd.
a) Installation of yield lines to complete the installation of the sign package.
Fiscal Impact - $500
6.  Hidden Trail Rd. 170 feet noth of Stageline Dr.
a) Relocate the Advanced Equestrian Warning sign along eastbound Hidden Trail Rd. closer to the trail crossing.
Fiscal Impact - $300
b) Utilize traffic speed enforcement as resources are available.
7. Nellie Gail Rd between Dapple Grey and Houston Trail
a) Installation of yield lines to complete sign package
Fiscal Impact - $500
8.  Nottingham Court 200" south of Oso Pkwy.
a) No further changes recommended

Total Fiscal Impact - $26,500 - Funds available in Public Works Maintenance Budget

Council Member Melody Carruth asked multiple lengthy questions and made multiple comments relative to restating much of the information that is already printed here so her questions and comments can be heard on the City web site's audio

Mayor Barbara Kogerman repeated a problem she had noted at a previous council meeting, but apparently had not been corrected and that was that trail crossing signs were not facing in the direction of traffic but were facing the horses and riders.  The obvious impact there was that for improved safety, the traffic needed to be aware of where the crossings were.

Humza Javen Associate Civil Engineer answered that he had not heard about this before and those signs are supposed to be oriented towards the driver and not the horse.

Mr. Jim Anderson, Laguna Hills Resident from the ad hoc committee for theTrail Crossing Enhancements and Traffic Safety Improvements thanked the council and staff for this effort and said there are more areas that need attention and they will continue to work on that. They will try to work with the Association on efforts to better educate drivers through the Pony Express Publication. He added that residents on Hidden Trail and Stageline said there are rolling stops at their stop signs that needs attention as these are close to a park.

Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Blount asked Mr. Anderson if he thought this plan is actually going to help.

Mr. Anderson answered that he hoped so and he thanked Bonnie Adams for bringing this to everyone's  attention again a year ago. Mr. Anderson also noted the problem of some streets like Nellie Gail Rd. starting at 30 mph as the speed limit for a brief stretch and then reducing to 25 mph which is confusing. Many people wish that beginning 30 mph could be reduced to clarify the overall speed limit.

VOTE was 4-0 to pass this item, followed by applause from the audience.

Council Member Dore Gilbert added that  we should be making our streets safer for all our citizens and following up with this annually to see if upgrades are needed because we all become familiar with our environment and need reminders.

Mayor Barbara Kogerman stated that although she does not live in Nellie Gail Ranch she thinks the identity with that area is treasured and provides a unique identity so it's better for our city as a whole to make people more comfortable and aware of dealing with horses in the community.


7.4.1 - Traffic Safety and Enforcement - Chief of Police Services.

Staff Recommendation - City Council receive a presentation on the importance of Traffic Safety and Enforcement in the City.

Staff Report was presented by Laguna Hills Police Chief Lt. Behrerns  - Preventative patrol Time averaged 43% in Laguna Hills in 2012 and the City of Laguna Hills Police Services works hard at maintaining an aggressive traffic safety program related to generating a general deterrence effect on motorists, to modify behavior, with the goal of reduced vehicle collisions, injuries and deaths.

Revenues the city receives from traffic citations is far less then the amount spent on equipment and staffing. The Traffic Index as a measure of the ratio of fatal and injury collisions to the number of hazardous citations issued in a particular time frame. It gives an example of one month when 100 traffic citations are issued and the number of injury collisions = 4, the traffic index for that month is 25.  The city of Laguna Hills has maintained an Average Traffic Index of 30 over the past 3 years which is acceptable. Motorcycles were discussed as being the best choice for traffic control due to their maneuverability especially when a rapid response is needed. Over the past 3 years, in Laguna Hills, fewer hazardous citations have been written and injury collisions have increased due to a 16.6% reduction in the Laguna Hills Police Services force related to losses of one motor deputy with a work related injury and another with extended health problems.  The report states is has been the practice not to backfill vacant motor positions with overtime so the lower hazardous citation numbers reflect lower productivity due the that practice.

The staff report closed with - Often with a citizen is being issued a traffic citation they ask the Deputy, "Don't you have anything better to do" and the answer to that question is that they don't have anything more important to do because safety is their priority and collisions cost the public millions of lost dollars in injuries and property damage.

Laguna Hills Police Chief Behrens  informed us that:
In Laguna Hils there are:
6.4 sq. miles and a population of 30,344.  There are 83 miles of city streets of which 60 miles are residential, 23 miles are arterial, and there are 20 major intersections and 5 Freeway exits. The average daily traffic volume at some major intersections is greater than 50,000 vehicles per day and our Deputies target the heavy collision areas for citations and receive reports monthly on the heaviest collision areas of the city. He added that the Traffic Index measuring tool is a formula as follows:

Traffic Index = Hazardous Citations
                        Fatal/Injury Collisions

In Laguna Hills in 2012 there were no fatal collisions, but there were 117 collisions and non injury collisions decreased by 14.7%
In 2011 there were 107 collisions
In 2010 there were 79 collisions, so as the citations dropped off due to some vacancies in the police force, we had one deputy that was injured on the job and was out for several months and another that had some long term health issues and these positions were not filled with overtime, the collisions did increase.

Chief Behrens added that motorcycles are the gold standard in traffic enforcement because they are higher so they can see violators better and they can get to the violators quicker, easier and safer cutting through traffic. Motorcycles are also the best first responders.
He said the average number of motor deputies in OC Cities is 2.9 and we are at 3.

COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS

Mayor Kogerman said since motorcycles appear to be a necessity for traffic enforcement she does not understand why do the Sheriff's contracts not include motors (motorcycles). She noted that the cities have to pay for the bikes, the upkeep, etc. that would not have to be paid by the cities for patrol cars.

City Manager Channing responded that cities have felt it was cheaper to own and maintain cycles themselves as opposed to paying the county additional overhead money to do it. He added that they have studied the issue of whether it was cheaper to do the same with the Sheriff's Deputy's cars but have not been able to wrestle those away from the county.  He added that the Sheriff's Deputies drive the motorcycles to and from their homes.

Mayor Pro-Tem Blount noted a common misconception related to traffic citation revenue for the city.  He said it costs the City about $250,000 a year or about $1000 a day for a Sheriff's Deputy and our city has 3 motor (motorcycle) deputies.  The city revenue from traffic citations is only about $30,000 a year and the cost of a motorcycle is about $54,000, so ticket revenue is not a money making machine. He said that $30,00 in ticket revenue represents only about 11 or 12% of the total value of the ticket and out of $1000 the city gets only about $125.00, so where does that rest of that money go? 

Laguna Hills Police Chief Tom Behrens answered it goes many places including the State, DMV fees, the Court System that processes the tickets, some to a company called Data Ticket to gather info. and collect fines, etc. Some also may come back to the cities in the form of Grants such as a DUI Grant that pays for some of our roving DUIs and some check points and as funding for the "Every 15 Minutes" program for the high schools. He said he did not have all that information with him but there are probably other uses for that money as well.

Blount asked abut Officer Steve Parsons who died in Laguna Hills in the line of duty some years ago when hit by a driver not following the law, and asked about the process of recruiting motor officers.

Chief Behrens explained that candidates are chosen from those who are interested in that line of work and then given extensive training.

Blount said it looked like about 12% of our officers are motor officers and asked if it was accurate that we have only 27 sworn deputies?

Chief Behrens responded there are about 24.9 deputies and 3 non-sworn personnel.

Blount asked if neighboring cites are also running about 14% of their staff as motor deputies. He added it appears we are leading the pack related to the number of officers per 10,000 population and per sq. miles.. He noted that per the chart displayed at the council meeting (but not in the online staff report) we quadruple the number of officers in Dana Point, 5 times that of Aliso Viejo motor deupties, 2 times that of Laguna Niguel and 2 times that of Lake Forest.

Chief Behrens responded that there are many considerations such as long stretches of arterial roadways where traffic can get up to high speeds and we have more of those roadways miles than Aliso Viejo does but only one more motor deputy than Aliso Viejo has. He noted that it all comes back to the Traffic Index formula and wanting to stay within a certain safe level there.

Blount asked about how motorcycles came to be in common use for traffic control in cities.

City Manager Channing answered that prior to incorporation traffic enforcement was performed by the CHP (CA. Highway Patrol).  After incorporation the Sheriff did not offer that as a primary part of their service. He said we could have stayed with the CHP but there was some (undisclosed) dissatisfaction with the CHP's service, so the city opted for the Sheriff's service.

VOTE was 4 - 0 in favor of this report being was received and filed.


7.4.2 - FY 2013-2014 Law Enforcement Services Agreement

Staff Recommendation - Authorize the Agreement.
SUMMARY:  Staff Report states - The City of Laguna Hills has provided police services for general law enforcement and traffic enforcement under an Agreement with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department since FY 1992-1993. Renewing the Agreement will provide the City with an Equivalent Police Department of 41.22 full-time employees, as well as access to specialized Sheriff’s personnel.  The City's numbers for Police staffing are 27.97 full time employees plus 13.25 shared staff.  
(**Editor's Note- The number of EQUIVALENT Police Employees has decreased by 1 compared with the information from the Law Enforcement Services Agreement discussion last year at the May 22, 2012 Laguna Hills City Council Meeting. The number of shared staff decreased by 1 from 14.25 in May 22, 2012 to 13.25 now.  This discrepancy may also be related to the above mention of the loss of one motor deputy with a work related injury and another with extended health problems but that is not adequately explained in this report?)

Staff's breakdown of 27.97 full time personnel and 13.25 shared staff includes: 3 Motorcycle Deputies, 1.97 Patrol Sergeants, 2 Investigators, 14 Patrol Deputies, 1 Lieutenant, I Administrative Sergeant, I School Resource officer, I Directed Enforcement Deputy,  Plus Non Sworn staff consisting of 1 crime Prevention Specialist and 2 Community Service Officers.

(**Editor's Note - We know from the city's 2012 report that the 13.25 "shared Staff" are Fractional Shares that were equal to approx. 1.3 full time positions and last year. Last year Council Member Kogerman said she calculated the total fractions of time the City is allotted from those 14.25 Shared Staff Officers and it added up to the Full Time Equivalent of about 1.06 of a full time Officer.  We also know that the City's math is always questionable related to this issue of the number of  EQUIVALENT Police Department full time employees.  ** We also hope this very brief report is not a substitute for the in depth review of the Annual Police Services Report that provides residents/taxpayers with more complete information related to crime in the city in 2012 and compares that information with crime in the city in 2011 including a crime report from our SRO.)

FISCAL IMPACT:  The total cost for law enforcement services for FY 2013-2014 is $6,811,407. This represents an increase of $178,239 (2.69%) over the FY 2012-2013 adjusted Law Enforcement Agreement of $6,633,168 and is within the adopted budget for public safety. The County is currently in negotiations with the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS) and an adjustment of the contract cost may be necessary at some future time.

COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS

Mayor Pro-Tem Blount asked about cost and said he just learned tonight that the city is responsible for the costs of patrol cars. He said that if they switched to patrol officers rather than continuing to use motors they would incur an additional $170,000 expense. He asked for an explanation for that.

Tricia Bella from the Sheriff's Dept. answered that the $170,000 would be an approximate one time acquisition expense for acquiring 3 autos. from the county.  She added each vehicle can range from $30,000 to $45,000 and needs to be outfitted, so there would be that one time implementation cost and in the future you would be paying a per mileage usage rate and in that mileage usage rate is an amount for the future replacement of the vehicle as well as fuel, maintenance, labor, administrative overhead and a cost for the mobile data computers, that range from $10,000 to $12,000 each, in the autos., plus there is an annual recurring cost if you now go into that program. A patrol Video system that records every stop a deputy has made. The salary of a deputy in a car is $5000, less then a motor deputy. She added that the city would also have to dispose of the motorcycles. She explained that if that was a choice the city council wanted to make tonight they should adopt the agreement as presented then it would go to the board of supervisors later this month, then come back to the city with more accurate pricing, then there would be an amendment agreement for the city council/city manger to sign then that document would return to the Board of Supervisors for approval.

Blount asked if we were simply to add officers we'd have an initial cost of $56,665 for each new officer that is brought on?  Tricia responded that is correct and added in response to a question from Council Member Carruth that if the city decided to eliminate a deputy tonight they would need to approve the agreement with direction that an amendment would be executed as soon as possible to make that change. The Board of Supervisors could adopt that on June 25, an amending would come back to you for a signature and an effective date to be determined or if you cannot come to an agreement the sheriff and the city manager are already authorized in the existing agreement to extend the existing agreement for 2 months to allow more time.

Mayor Barbara Kogerman reminded the council that we authorized a staffing study to be done later this summer so it may be premature to make changes at this time.

Council Member Melody Carruth asked about details of the study to be done and added, "I am concerned that our staffing levels are too high" but perhaps we should wait for the results of the study.

Mayor Kogerman added that in the past couple of years a couple of us thought we should be increasing  rather than decreasing so there are questions to be answered by the study.

VOTE was 4 - 0 in favor of extending the current contract.


MATTERS AGENDIZED AND PRESENTED BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR - None


CITY COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:

Council Member Carruth thanked Mayor Kogerman for running a great meeting tonight, then noted that some telephone poles on the west side of Cabot Rd. were leaning toward the sidewalk and asked how to address that.  Ken Rosenfield, Public Services Director advised he would check with the San Diego Gas and Electric Company about those poles (that apparently are not telephone, but electric power poles) and ask them to inspect the poles. 
Carruth also asked about the city being in line for additional underground utilities along Carlotta near furniture row. Ken Rosenfield, Public Services Director said about 10 years ago the city, working with SDG&E installed underground conduits along Cabot Rd. and Oso Pkwy. but the underground funds ran out and the city does not have sufficient funds to fund that themselves.  The Carlotta lines would cost somewhere in the area of more than $1 million per mile and again the city has no funds (he noted the city has about $77,000) to pay for that, so this in unlikely to happen.
Carruth stated that she and Mayor Kogerman attended the OC Peace Officer's Memorial Ceremony at the new location in Tustin and recalled that Sheriff's Deputy Steve Parsons, who died in 2000, was only 35 years old. She also noted that 6 Laguna Hills Boy Scouts received their Eagle Scout Rank last week were: Steven Rheems, James Fondues, Carl Madley, Matt Klister, Alex Sarkosky, and Hunter Kemp. She thanked community members, city staff David Reynolds, Dan Meehan and Peggy Johns and LHHS for assisting these scouts to identify their projects.
Carruth also noted she is celebrating the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. She noted that Edison handled this facility very badly.

Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Blount was enthusiastic about his experience last Friday and Saturday at the Coronado Naval Base on board the Ronald Reagan Air Craft Carrier that was 45 miles off the coast of San Diego.  He said he flew from Coronado to the carrier on a C2 Greyhound Plane, which was a scary experience, going from 120 mph to 0 mph in just over 1 second.  He noted that take offs and landings can occur simultaneously on the deck of this massive carrier. He met the ship's Captain Tom Burke and was amazed that the crew of the ship were all so young, about 18 to 21 years old, and the pilots were so new, but they were all in charge of this multi billion dollar ship that is integral to protecting this country.  He recalled that they experienced "Qualifying Day" where pilots who had never taken off or landed on a carrier before were practicing.  He obvserved that there was a lot of Reagan memorabilia onboard and emphasized the massive amount of coordination and team work that goes into making up the defense of our country. He learned that the people in this young crew were rotated on and off the ship and into and out of different positions yet they were able to do an extraordinary job and loved talking about what they were doing. The ship was spotless and he concluded that it gives you a great amount of hope to know that our armed services are as fine as anything you've every seen in your life.

Mayor Barbara Kogerman spoke about West Nile Virus and noted there was a report issued in error that there were 10 human cases in Orange County but that should have been sites were the mosquitos that carry the West Nile Virus were identified. She said last year we lost 2 residents and over 40 others were severely disabled by West Nile. She cautioned everyone to eliminate standing water to prevent the reproduction and development of mosquitos. She noted that mosquitos do enter homes and feed on sleeping individuals. She added that she finished 4 months of Saturday Morning Meet With the Mayor sessions and will resume them in Sept.  She said not only did she learn a lot about the city but she often contacted Ken Rosenfield, Director of Public Services, about situations that needed attention and within a day the situation was solved or in the process of being solved.  She thanked staff for their responsiveness!

The Next regular City Council Meeting is Tuesday, June 25, 2013 - 7 pm, at City Hall Contact Laguna Hills City Council Members atccouncil@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us

** In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in City Council meetings, you should contact the office of the City Clerk at (949) 707‑2635. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to this meeting. She then reviewed the past
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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:

Blount  
P - for voting to reduce the cost of City views but no applause related to no report of any consideration given to public input on this issue.  
P - for pay off of some of the CalPERS City Employee Retirement Fund Debt
F - for lack of transparency related to no questions about or explanation of the cost to the taxpayers for the PARS City Employee Retirement Fund that is also provided for Laguna Hills City Employees
P - for vote for traffic safety enhancements in Nellie Gail Ranch
P - for vote in Traffic Safety report to receive and file
P - for vote to make no changes to Law Enforcement Contract until there is more information.

Bressette - Council Member Bressette was absent from this council meeting

Carruth 
P - for voting to reduce the cost of City views but no applause related to no report of any consideration given to public input on this issue. 
P - for pay off of some of the CalPERS City Employee Retirement Fund Debt
F - for lack of transparency related to no questions about or explanation of the cost to the taxpayers for the PARS City Employee Retirement Fund that is also provided for Laguna Hills City Employees
P - for vote for traffic safety enhancements in Nellie Gail Ranch
P - for vote in Traffic Safety report to receive and file
P - for vote to make no changes to Law Enforcement Contract until there is more information

Gilbert   
P - for voting to reduce the cost of City views but no applause related to no report of any consideration given to public input on this issue. 
P - for pay off of some of the CalPERS City Employee Retirement Fund Debt
F - for lack of transparency related to no questions about or explanation of the cost to the taxpayers for the PARS City Employee Retirement Fund that is also provided for Laguna Hills City Employees
P - for vote for traffic safety enhancements in Nellie Gail Ranch
P - for vote in Traffic Safety report to receive and file
P - for vote to make no changes to Law Enforcement Contract until there is more information

Kogerman  
P - for voting to reduce the cost of City views but no applause related to no report of any consideration given to public input on this issue. 
P - for pay off of some of the CalPERS City Employee Retirement Fund Debt
F - for lack of transparency related to no questions about or explanation of the cost to the taxpayers for the PARS City Employee Retirement Fund that is also provided for Laguna Hills City Employees
P - for vote for traffic safety enhancements in Nellie Gail Ranch
P - for vote in Traffic Safety report to receive and file
P - for vote to make no changes to Law Enforcement Contract until there is more information

City Manager 
P - for pay off of some of the CalPERS City Employee Retirement Fund Debt
F - for lack of transparency related to no explanation of the cost to the taxpayers for the PARS City Employee Retirement Fund that is also provided for Laguna Hills City Employees

 
** INFORMATION, COMMENTS QUESTIONS and CONCERNS from Watch Dog Readers since the last council meeting:

ABOUT: Signage Issues for the Shops at La Paz and Moulton,  No Right turn on Red on La Paz/Cabot, The OLD BARN in Laguna Hills, Signage Issues, Laguna Hills Memorial Day Event 2013

ABOUT: Signage Issues for the Shops at La Paz and Moulton
Anonymous said...
If I'd been there I would have told them that commercial property at Moulton and La Paz has never been very profitable so good luck to them and I seriously doubt any Nellie Gail residents will be riding over there on their $80,000 warm bloods since there is no equestrian crossing for that very wide street!

ABOUT:  No Right turn on Red on LaPaz/Cabot
Anonymous said...
Thank you! It's news to me that there is a no right turn on red at La Paz and Cabot now. I didn't see the signs and nobody else seems to know about it either. Was that published somewhere for all of us to see?

ABOUT: The OLD BARN in Laguna Hills
Anonymous said...
We went to see the old barn in Laguna Hills last year and it's very much worth doing. You don't find barns like that anywhere around here anymore, so be sure to take your kids and it's was fascinating for me as a hobby carpenter. Be sure to look at the photos of how it was rebuilt and restored.

ABOUT: Those Signage Issues
Anonymous said...
So much time taken for signage issues. Another big to do about nothing. Carruth seems to like to hear herself talk.

Anonymous said...                                                                                                               
Speaking as a RESIDENT and a consumer, contrary to Melody Carruth's elitist opinion and apparently plenty of time to spare, I don't have time to search through every strip mall in the area when I need to shop.  I want a Directory of Shops clearly posted at every shopping outlet for consumer convenience so we can all know if we are interested in looking further. The malls seem to agree with me about posting tenant signs, so if it's so important to Ms. Carruth to always be part of the latest design craze and/or to do things her way, perhaps she should try writing an advice column in a newspaper rather that trying to dictate to residents and businesses in a city.

Anonymous said...
I agree with the last comment.  I too want a directory at every shopping center or strip mall with more than a few quickly identifiable stores.  There are many good looking shopping centers with good looking directories that benefit both the shops and consumers.  Trendy is not always enduring or practical.

ABOUT:  Laguna Hills Memorial Day 2013
Mayor Barbara Kogerman said...
Congratulations again to Mike Bland and our 3/5 adoption committee, Team Dark Horse, for their participation in the Operation Enduring Freedom Memorial Monument, dedicated yesterday in an amazing ceremony at Camp Pendleton. Gen. Kelly's remarks were heartbreakingly frank and inspiring. I have asked for a copy of his speech and will gladly share it. - Barbara Kogerman

Anonymous  said...
It occurred to me, after I read this that what the Team Dark Horse 3/5 Marine Support Committee and the City of Laguna Hills did on Memorial Day this year and will continue to do is give these 3/5 Marine families of wounded and killed a place they feel is home where they can come and reunion each Memorial Day, if they can make it, and know they will be among others who know and care. This goes to the heart of being an American. Thinking also of what Cameron West said. He couldn't think of any place he'd rather have been.

Anonymous  said...
Thanks to the team effort of all involved, it was a fantastic day. I felt honored to be able to meet Lt. Robert Kelly's mother Karen, his widow, Heather and his brother, John. Some of you may not know that General John Kelly, Robert's father, gave a significant Veteran's Day speech in St. Louis two days after Robert was killed. If you search the internet under General John Kelly, you will find that exceptional speech.  I learned another wonderful fact about the Kelly family. Josue told us that General Kelly and his family came to the Bethesda Hospital after Josue was injured and undergoing treatment there. General Kelly asked Josue if he needed anything and Josue responded that he would like to have some Gatoraid. Robert was killed several days later, but the Kelly family did not let their grief from the loss of Robert override their commitment to provide Gatoraid for Josue.
I still am reeling with joy over the experience of being able to add a little pleasure to the lives of these very deserving heroes and am very grateful for the support of Ashley Furniture, the Hills Hotel and the Surf and Sand. I also feel very honored to serve on Team Dark Horse along with all of you wonderful and caring patriots. Evan

Blogger Jean Bland, et al., Citizens of Laguna Hills said...
The extraordinary Professional Photographer who takes so many wonderful Memorial Day photos for Team Dark Horse every year is Dee Dee Gollwitzer. Her web site is at www.USWildLifeImages.com
Our other wonderful photographer is Jerry Zettel from Martin Lock and Safe Co. in Laguna Hills 949-582-5652

Blogger Jean Bland, et al., Citizens of Laguna Hills said...
Huge thank you to Judy and Micki who manned the Team Dark Horse 3/5 Support Committee booth at the Memorial Day Event. They are so dedicated and do such a wonderful job every year!

Anonymous said...
That sure was a great event. The lovely ladies manning the booth did a wonderful job! It was so neat to see Mike get the award too for all his hard work and of course Cpl Barron and his pretty wife! Every year it gets better!

Anonymous said...
I was in awe to be in the presence of Team Kelly, Cameron West, Corporal Barron and all of the other Marines that ran for their fallen brothers. The closing ceremony was top notch and a stark reminder of what this day is all about. Corporal Barron summed it up when he stated that the day wasn't about him but about his fellow Marines that didn't make it home. That's a strong statement from a warrior that's sacrificed so much. I thank you again for the invite and for everything that you do for the battalion and the Marine Corps. I look forward to next year's event and will compete as long as I'm physically able!

Anonymous  said...
I would like to thank you for yesterday and all the things that Team Darkhorse and Laguna Hills made possible for memorial day. Every time we see the people interacting with all the Marines and truly taking time to remember our fallen brothers is a honor. A success would be a understatement for how yesterday went. All of you have done so much for our battalion, and even more for our Gold Star families and wounded warriors, and we can not thank you enough for taking care of our brothers. Again, everything that all of you have done and the efforts that you have put forth do not go unnoticed. Thank you and Semper Fi

Anonymous said...
Just want to write a note as the mother of a Marine from the 3/5 that went over on that fateful deployment. It really warms my heart to see the support you have been to the 3/5. They have had a rough time since then. Those that came back physically whole are discovering the toll it took on them all emotionally having that many of their comrades wounded and killed. Thank you for all you do to encourage and honor their sacrifice.
Sincerely,

Anonymous said...
I wanted to relay that as a racer, as a Marine spouse, and as a citizen who feels so very fortunate to have brave warriors, like those of Darkhorse making the choice to serve - the Memorial Day race is really something special. To know that there is a community outside of our Marine Corps family that cares so much for us means a great deal.

Anonymous said...
I can't say enough about young Travis. We are so blessed to have a chance to meet such find young men like him.

Anonymous said...
What a great day yesterday. It was incredible. So many great conversations with the families, the Marines, the stroller warriors, Karen Kelly, Debbie and Josue, Cameron. I'm sitting here wondering how to even put any of it into words, it feels too big to be able to capture it all.

Anonymous said...
Meeting the Marines and some of the other people was a highlight for me.


** WIN WIN Wednesdays!! is an on-going series of restaurant fundraisers, a project of the Laguna Hills High School PTSA.  Eat at these great local restaurants on Wednesdays and in return, they donate a percentage of the proceeds to the LHHS PTSA. It’s good for us AND it’s good for the local restaurant community. This allows 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 and Schedules go to our web site at: http://www.winwinwednesdays.com/ and please be sure to "LIKE US" on Facebook!

** Bring those 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.

June 19 - CPK (LH Mall)
June 26 - Poeology, Irvine Spectrum
July 3 Latte Da (Alicia Pkwy @ Hon – LH) Every Day
July 10 Flamingo’s Mexican Grill (McIntyre – LH) All Day
July 17 La Rana Mexican (Moulton Pkwy – LH) All Day
July 24 Subway (Alicia Pkwy @ PdV – LH) Every Day
July 31 Golden Baked Ham (Alicia Pkwy @ Hon – LH) Every Day

**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!


** HOW TO SUPPORT THE 3rd BATTALION, 5th MARINE DIVISION adopted by the City of Laguna Hills
Team Dark Horse says THANK YOU, **BE SURE TO GO TO THE TEAM DARK HORSE web site at http://teamdarkhorse.org/ to SEE HOW YOUR DONATIONS ARE HELPING, see the Laguna Hills 3/5 Adopted Marines Face book page by clicking on this link - http://teamdarkhorse.org/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laguna-Hills-Team-Darkhorse/132765660119128?ref=ts&fref=ts  Donation checks can be made to "Laguna Hills Team Dark Horse" and mailed to - Team Dark Horse, 27251 Lost Colt Dr., Laguna Hills, CA. 92653 or anyone can now donate via PayPal on the web site at http://teamdarkhorse.org/ 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.

Please see 2 very special messages below from Wounded Warrior Capt. Cameron West, who lost his right leg and the sight in his right eye while serving with the 3/5 in Sangin, and Corporal Travis Haggerty, who runs in our Memorial Day race every year carrying an American Flag containing the names of all the 3/5 Marines lost in Afghanistan during their deployment in 2010 and does such a wonderful job of expressing thanks from all of us.  In 2010, the 3/5 Marines were sent to Sangin, the most dangerous place in Afghanistan.  Their task was to regain the Taliban stronghold, a notorious poppy growing region in a mountainous area north of Marja.  The DarkHorse Battalion lost 25 Marines during that deployment.

Capt. Cameron West, said about the 2013 Laguna Hills' Memorial Day Event,  “Last night after all the festivities and the day came to a close, I thought to myself that there was nowhere else I would rather have been on this Memorial Day.  And that’s a pretty big deal thinking of all the family and friends that I could have been with, but I realized for that day Laguna Hills took their place, and did a fine job doing it."

Mr. Bland,
I would like to thank you for yesterday and all the things that Team Darkhorse and Laguna Hills made possible for memorial day. Every time we see the people interacting with all the Marines and truly taking time to remember our fallen brothers is a honor. A success would be a understatement for how yesterday went. All of you have done so much for our battalion, and even more for our Gold Star families and wounded warriors, and we can not thank you enough for taking care of our brothers. Again, everything that all of you have done and the efforts that you have put forth do not go unnoticed.   Thank you and Semper Fi,    Corporal Haggerty

For the NBC News Video Interview for the 2013 Laguna Hills Memorial Day Event Go to http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/Marine-Amputee-Quick-to-Help-Marathon-Bomb-Victims/208907861

Camp Pendleton monument honors fallen Marines June 7, 2013 by Erika RitchieOrange County Register - http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marines-511656-5th-regiment.html

General speaks from broken heart at memorial's dedication - At the unveiling of a Camp Pendleton monument, Marine Gen. John Kelly shares the sorrows of the grieving. His son, a lieutenant, was killed in Afghanistan June 6, 2013 by Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marine-memorial-20130607,0,3503350.story


** NEWS STORIES AND BLOGS ABOUT LAGUNA HILLS:
Please Click on the links below to see the stories.

Robbins:Supporting Team Dark Horse, by Karen Robbins, March 8, 2013 The Orange County Register http://www.ocregister.com/news/dark-498871-horse-marines.html
Latest Update on the Orange County Animal Shelter in the OC Register Newspaper - The 54 percent overall death rate was pretty much the same as 2011 http://www.ocregister.com/news/cats-496442-percent-animal.html
Distinguished Budget Award’ more about good looks than financial health January 17, 2013 - OC Watchdog by Keegan Kyle, http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2013/01/17/distinguished-budget-award-more-about-good-looks-than-financial-health/165287/  
Resident's Resolutions for Laguna Hills, Lake Forest at http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-382833-lake-forest.html
Laguna Hills Needs an Identity of its Own at http://www.ocregister.com/news/laguna-382827-hills-town.html
Ka-chinghe sound of a city manager being fired - just click on http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/10/19/ka-ching-the-sound-of-a-city-manager-being-fired/163292/
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/
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/
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 http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fewer-338291-killed-shelter.html?pic=1
Total euthanasia rate of 53%. 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. Euthanasia Rate Stuck at Nearly 50% at O.C. Animal Carehttp://ranchosantamargarita.patch.com/articles/shelter-euthanizes-fewer-animals-in-2011 County Shelter finally admits killing animal for space.
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/ 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
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
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 onhttp://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/
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."


** FIND the CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD - For a roundup of Laguna Hills police calls check Sheriff's Blotter information - County of Orange at:http://ws.ocsd.org/Blotter/then choose a city/area and either a 7 day view or a 30 day view. The Sheriff's Open Calls,Cities and Areas - Media Page allows members of the media and residents of the community to see all open calls for all cities and areas. The Sheriff's Blotter enables residents to know what activity is occurring in their communities. A regular review of the calls in your area and the year-to-date crime statistics, at the bottom of each page in the OCSD Patrol Areas section, will provide you an accurate view of law enforcement activity in your community. It will also show you Official Radio Codes. You can contact the Sheriff's Dispatch by phone at 949-425-1800.
** You can also check the Saddleback Valley News every Friday for some of the police calls.


** WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR of the Orange County Register Newspaper - E-mail to letters@ocregister.com Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published). Letters of about 200 words or videos of 30-seconds each will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.