Laguna Hills Watch Dog - HEADLINES/ ITEMS OF INTEREST for Tuesday, August 27, 2013 LAGUNA HILLS CITY COUNCIL MEETING - 7 PM at City Hall

** Please consider Attending a City Council 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.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

** 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.

** The WIN-WIN-WEDNESDAY RESTAURANT for August 28, 2013 is Veggos Green Cuisine (El Toro Rd.-LF) ** For Weekly Flyers to take to the designated restaurant to get a donation, for the LHHS PTSA, from the proceeds of your meal go to the Win-Win-Wednesday web site at: http://www.winwinwednesdays.com/  and download the flyer for the designated restaurant!!  **Don't forget to see our "WWW Everyday Partners - Alpha Cleaners, Golden Baked Hams and ToGO's on our web site." Take our flyers to these everyday partners and Support the Businesses that Support Us!

LAGUNA HILLS' CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEATURES DIRECTORY for Tuesday,  August 27, 2013

1.  CLOSED SESSION - None

2. PRESENTATIONS and PROCLAMATIONS:
10 year City Of Laguna Hills Employee Award for Nancy Gaggioli
Certificates of Recognition for KIDS KONNECTED and Crossline Community Church
Presentation from SDG&E on Summer Readiness Tips for Energy Conservation.

3. CONSENT CALENDAR and WARRANT REGISTER:

Warrant Register - $2,292,471.20
Items of Interest from the Warrant Register -  2 Payments in the warrant register totaling $46,117.00 to the Orange County Animal Shelter for Jan. through March 2013 and April though June 2013, after Assist. City Manager Don White told us on April 16, 2013 that this year the City is not going to pay anything for Animal Care Services because canvassing has shifted that burden to the residents and the city still has a $28,000 credit going into the 4th quarter.  Our Question - What Happened?

Items of interest from the Consent Calendar:

Item 4.7 - 17th Annual Intercoastal and Watershed Cleanup Day - Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 9 am to 12 noon at the Laguna Hills Community Center. The City is requesting Volunteers, Community Groups, Residents and Families to attend and assist in the Clean-Up of the Aliso Creek watershed.

Item 4.8 - Development of Impact Fees - The Public Art Fund Balance continues to be in the red with a negative balance of $245,214.

Item 4.9 - Approval and Implementation of a "50/70" Little League Baseball Field at Cabot Park.

Item 4.11 - July 4 Post Event Report

Item 4.12 - City's Response to OC Grand Jury Report on Equal Opportunity Employment

4. CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING AGENCY PUBLIC HEARINGS -  Item 5.4 -  Request from Judi's Laguna Pet Spa to relocate from the Moulton/La Paz Center (now the Village at Nellie Gail Ranch) to the Western Country Plaza at Oso and Moulton Pkwy.

5. CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARINGS: None

6. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:

Item 7.1.1 - Employment Classifications, Salary Ranges and Benefits for Laguna Hills City Management, Confidential and Part-time Employees - This is a follow up to Requests for Raises and Additional Benefits from the last city council meeting. Management is now recommending that if the City Council cannot reach agreement on adopting the staff's resolution, the City Council should appoint two of its members at the next Council meeting to act as labor negotiators and meet in closed session with the rest of the Council pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6 to determine its preferred course of action.

Item 7.1.2 - Request to allow $25,000 for a Consultant for a Police Services Study to compare LH Police Services with 9 other cities in OC related to demographics, area, signalized intersections, housing data, expenditures and revenues, crime rated, calls for service, arrests, clearance rates and police staffing levels.

Item 7.3 - Evaluation of Holiday Banner Program

Item 7.4.1 - 2013 Memorial Day Race Post Event Report and Resolution Authorizing Funding for the 3/5 Marines adopted by the City of Laguna Hills via the 3/5 Support Committee.  At its November 22, 2011, meeting, the Laguna Hills City Council voted for an additional $3 charge for each 5K, 10K, and half marathon participant in the Memorial Day Race for the continued support of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Division Marines adopted by the City of Laguna Hills and Supported through the 3/5 Marine Support Committee - Team Dark Horse.

7. MATTERS AGENDIZED and PRESENTED by COUNCIL MEMBERS and MAYOR - None
8. CITY COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS - To be Announced After the Meeting
9. CITY COUNCIL MEMBER REPORT CARDS - To be Tallied After the Meeting

** Information, Comments, Questions, Concerns from LH Watch Dog Readers from the previous blog post -
ABOUT:
1.- Setting Boundaries for the City Manager plus questions about his contract and compensation,  
2 - A Last Message to Laguna Hills Residents on Continued Poor Services and High Price for the County Animal Shelter from a long time LH Citizen who has recently moved away, 
3 - City of San Juan Residents get new Dog Park and Lake Forest looking to do the same,  
4. - Comments on Manure clean up and Safety issues related to the horse corral to be located at the remodeled shopping center on Moulton/La Paz,  
5. - Comments on 4th of July fireworks failure,  
6. - Water and Sewer Districts Awash in Cash story comment

** The 3/5 Marines 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. Team Dark Horse now has PayPal online, in addition to its mailing address, and see the Laguna Hills 3/5 Adopted Marines Face book page by clicking on this link - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laguna-Hills-Team-Darkhorse/132765660119128?ref=ts&fref=ts
** As the 3/5 Marines would say we "Got Some" great information from the Medical Branch of the Marines who attended the Nellie Gail Ranch Emergency Preparedness Expo. for all the residents of Laguna Hills on Sat. August 24, 2013.  Please scroll down to see blog located below this one.

NELLIE GAIL RANCH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE LAUNCHED FIRST COMMUNITY EXPO on August 24, 2013 for all Laguna Hills Residents


This Expo was informative, stimulating and appeared to be well attended.  Although we didn't get a chance to speak with all the vendors, we were able to chat with Be Ready Earthquake and Survival Products  http://www.2beready.com/,  Orange County Vector Control  www.ocvd.org , SDG&E,  OCRACES  County of Orange (California) Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service Orange County Sheriff's Dept. - Communications Division http://www.ocraces.org/  , The Nellie Gail Ranch Emergency Preparedness Committee, Trauma Intervention Program (TIP)  www.tiporangecounty.org , and our own Brittney Oldham, Crime Prevention Specialist from the Orange County Sheriff's Department Laguna Hills Police Services (949) 707-2641 boldham@ocsd.org  
**Brittney is currently announcing the next Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy that will start on Sept. 5, 2013 and run weekly through Oct. 24.  The reality is that this "Emergency Preparedness Academy" is a must for all Laguna Hills citizens who care about knowing what to do for themselves and their families, how to help and how to survive when a significant earthquake or other disaster hits.

We learned that about 24 cities in Orange County have City Emergency Plans but there is No City Emergency Plan for Laguna Hills, there is only the County of Orange Plan for citizens to register to be called on land lines and cell phones through Alert OC at www.alertoc.com  
** We completed a Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy a couple of years ago and recommend it highly!  It was exceptionally informative as well as a real adventure that included a bonus of a tasty meal provided at each session.

As the 3/5 Marines would say we "Got Some" great information from the representatives from our Marines who attended the Expo.  We followed the military hierarchy to try to get a feel for the actual field operations, so began with Lt. Joe Darin, a Naval Physician's Assistant, who is a Battalion Surgeon, which translates to head of medical assistance for a Battalion. In battle he makes decisions in concert with his adjutant and reports from his medical corpsmen related to immediate medical need and need for transport and extended care. He also tracks and manages routine functions such as immunizations, physicals, audio, visual, dental and readiness for active duty assessments. Lt. Darin was stationed at the Naval Hospital in Guam from 2008 to 2011 treating military personnel and all natives of Guam who were related to military personnel at any point in their family history. ** For our animal friends, we were interested to learn that the military medical unit cares for war dogs in battle as well as humans and that veterinarians are assigned to military bases in war zones. We also learned that PTSD is something that can occur in dogs as well as in humans.

Marine 2nd Lt. Andy King is a 2012 graduate of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, who elected to serve in the Marine Corps, and is an adjutant (assistant) to the Battalion Surgeon. He takes care of all the administrative functions of the medical unit.  He receives information from the field via the Battalion Surgeon and arranges to send what is needed, such as rescue helicopters and/or other transportation in a war zone for wounded military personnel.  It was interesting to hear from Lt. King that there is a 6 week period of battlefield training after, and in addition to, the Naval Academy to prepare for a war zone and for any chosen or assigned specialty such as medical.

We spoke with the 2 Naval Corpsmen (Navy Medical Specialists) Martin Chavez and Louis Huerta who told us the story of Manny Gonzalez, a Naval Corpsman who, after being wounded himself, applied tourniquets to the legs of a Marine who had been severely wounded and saved his life.  We hope to speak with Manny soon to get his story. 
** Correction - The Laguna Hills Watch Dog received this message from Navy Corpsman Manny Gonzalez through the Laguna Hills Team Dark Horse face book page via Karen Robbins on 8-26-13 

Emmanuel Gonzalez 7:22pm Aug 26 I am contacting you to request for you to take down the article "Baptism by fire". I am mentioned in the article and what is said is wrong. I did treat a casualty after being injured myself but he did not survive. The Marine passed away and I do not want people to think I did something I didn't. I would greatly appreciate it.

and we apologize to Manny and the 2 Corpsmen Martin Chavez and Louis Huerta for our error in assuming that this Marine's life was saved.  We are so sorry to learn that ultimately this Marine's life was lost but thank Manny and honor him for his scrupulous honesty and his heroic effort to save this Marine's life. Jean Bland , Laguna Hills Watch Dog, 8-27-13. 

The corpsmen described their jobs as equal to Nurses, we believe that would be emergency room nurses.  Martin was in Sangin, Afghanistan with the 3/5 in 2010 when the 3/5 lost 25 of their men killed in action.  We were all surprised to learn that tourniquets, used in the battlefield, can be left in place up to 6 hours. The corpsmen are the battlefield first responders who immediately assess and evaluate (triage), treat as needed and feed vital information about their patients to the Battalion Surgeon. There are 9 essential levels of reporting, known to them as the "9 Line" that they are required to communicate for every patient including vital signs, and other clinical status details related to need for treatment, assistance and/or continued care. They often have to communicate via radio locators for special needs such a blood, supportive apparatus, and additional fire power to support rescue efforts. To avoid revealing information to the enemy they frequently send "pop" smoke signals in various colors to communicate special needs and current situations related to need for assistance. We asked what led them to this very intense profession and were told that in addition to the need to serve, sometimes the advice came from family related to the ease of transition from the military to other medical positions in civilian life including Tech. positions in X-ray, Respiratory and Labs, as well as entrance into the field of Nursing, Physicians Assistant and Medical School. We can't image receiving medical treatment from more qualified, caring and willing participants and so much appreciate their participation and our education regarding their duties and service to our country.

Medical Branch of the Marines attending the Nellie Gail Ranch Emergency Preparedness Expo on August 24, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Regarding the Emergency Preparedness Expo. on Saturday, August 24, 2013, for all Laguna Hills Residents. The 3/5 Marines have come through for us again!

***There will be free giveaways, as well as free opportunity drawings for emergency preparedness "grab and go" kits.  Mark you calendars and don't miss this event!

Despite the fact that there has just been a significant change of command for the 3/5 Marines and they have a conflicting prior engagement, we are glad to be able to report that 2nd Lt. King, who is an adjutant (assistant) to the Battalion Surgeon, and 2 Corpsmen (Navy Medical Specialists) will support the Nellie Gail Emergency Preparedness Expo. on Saturday, August 24, 2013 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Gallup Park, located at the corner of Nellie Gail Road and Gallup Circle.   This Emergency Preparedness Expo. welcomes all residents of Laguna Hills and will also feature First Responders, Civilian Emergency Experts, Representatives from local Public Utilities plus Emergency Supply Vendors and Members of the Emergency Preparedness Committee for the purpose of providing valuable information to everyone in the City related to how to survive until help arrives when a disaster hits.

*** Please see additional information about this Expo. in the blog located just below this one.

NELLIE GAIL RANCH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE LAUNCHES FIRST COMMUNITY EXPO  

and 

LAGUNA HILLS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

plus

staying current with ** Win-Win-Wednesdays 

 

 
NELLIE GAIL RANCH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE LAUNCHES FIRST COMMUNITY EXPO

On Saturday, August 24, the Nellie Gail Ranch Emergency Preparedness Committee will welcome residents of the Ranch and the Laguna Hills Community at large to an exciting and informative inaugural event featuring First Responders, emergency experts, representatives from local utilities plus emergency supply vendors and members of the Emergency Preparedness Committee.  All presenters and committee members are eager to inform citizens of the resources available to them during disasters and to promote citizen involvement in the program.

The Expo is scheduled from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Gallup Park, located at the corner of Nellie Gail Road and Gallup Circle.  Among agencies and organizations participating will be the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Team, the Orange County Fire Authority, Moulton Niguel Water District, San Diego Gas and Electric, local Boy Scouts, Mission Viejo RACES/ARES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency/Amateur Radio Emergency Services) and Laguna Hills ARES communications support groups, as well as Be Ready Earthquake and Survival Supplies.  Committee volunteers and experts will conduct a variety of how-to activities including First Aid demonstration, instruction on how to shut off utilities, build home and personal earthquake kits and more.

Mr. Dennis Blough, current Nellie Gail Ranch Emergency Preparedness Committee Chairman said “the Nellie Gail Ranch EPC is looking forward to this first of many informative events and we are eager to meet with residents of Nellie Gail and Laguna Hills.  This is a wonderful opportunity to share information.  I hope that residents of Nellie Gail Ranch and Laguna Hills will learn how to be better prepared and want to volunteer to support this important program.”

Mr. Blough went on to explain the purpose of the Committee, stating that EPC members strongly advocate the principles of ‘Neighbor Helping Neighbor’.  “We strive to inform citizens of what they can do to help their families and neighbors to survive the inevitable emergencies and disasters until First Responders can arrive. It is critical for all of us to remember that when it comes to disasters, it isn’t a question of if but of when”.

The Nellie Gail Ranch Emergency Preparedness Committee was formed in 2007 to provide a variety of resources to Ranch Residents when fire, earthquake and other disasters occur. 
Among other resources, the Committee has established an emergency communications command center on site and has enlisted a group of Area and Block Coordinators to provide direct communications during any emergency and to communicate the needs of residents, therefore allowing for the most efficient response to critical needs. In addition Dr. Kenneth Cheng authors monthly articles on preparedness published in the Nellie Gail Ranch Pony Express and other Orange County community publications.

CONTACTS:

Dennis Blough                                                                         
Email address bloughd@aol.com                                             
Cell Phone: 949-677-0457    

Loree Blough
Email address: loreeb@cox.net                                                    
Cell Phone: 949-441-6526


Laguna Hills National Night Out

Laguna Hills National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 was very well done.  It was valuable, interesting and enjoyable for the community that attended. For the kids there were rides and for everyone there were animals, treats from local food vendors, a lively performance by Aliso Viejo's Taekwondo Academy, and an OC Sheriff's Dept. Crime Scene Investigations truck with supplies and demonstrations.  There was an especially compelling booth from our own Laguna Hills Student Resource Officer, Deputy Brian Gunsolley, with a surprisingly large and interesting display of drug paraphernalia that he presented and explained with the benefit of his expertise and experience.

There were informational handouts provided from many organizations including the American Red Cross, Alert OC and our own Laguna Hills Crime Prevention Specialist Brittney Oldham who is currently announcing the next  Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy that will start on Sept. 5, 2013 and run weekly through Oct. 24.  The reality is that this Emergency Preparedness Academy is a must for all Laguna Hills citizens who care about knowing what to do, how to help and how to survive when a significant earthquake or other disaster hits.  There is no Laguna Hills City Emergency Preparedness Plan, there is only the County of Orange Plan where citizens can register to be called on land lines and cell phones through Alert OC at www.alertoc.com   We completed a Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy a couple of years ago and recommend it highly.  It was stimulating and exciting as well as exceptionally informative, with the added plus of a tasty meal provided at each session.

We were told, by one Laguna Hills Council Member, that our City Manager "needed" to have his $60,000, 4 wheel drive vehicle to drive up those "hills" to rescue us in a disaster.  If you believe that, you probably won't be interested in planning for yourself and your family, but we hope residents will very seriously consider attending the Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy to learn for themselves  what to do and how to survive for what may be an extended period of time when a disaster occurs.  You can contact Brittney Oldham, Laguna Hills Crime Prevention Specialist for more information at  BOldham@ocsd.org

LH National Night out also provided crowd pleasing surprises such as the Percheron Horse named Clyde who is 16.3 hands tall (each hand = 4 inches) and is part of the OC Sheriff's Department's Mounted Equestrian Unit with his owner who is a Sheriff's Deputy.  Clyde is about 13 years old, was rescued after being abandoned by farmers in Pennsylvania and now lives in the City of Norco, CA. The Mounted Equestrian Unit is an integral part of Sheriff's Operations offering high profile patrol to the parks, beaches and special events throughout Orange County. Deputies on horseback reemerged some 35 years ago when some enterprising sheriff's deputies commandeered a string of rental horses at Irvine Park to address an unruly crowd that had gathered. The department recognized the effectiveness of this force multiplier and organized an official Mounted Unit.
 

And there was Reserve Deputy Don Hanson, a friendly and dedicated Search and Rescue provider with his irresistibly huggable and lovely 12 year old female Bloodhound Sonsee. These two are delightful veterans who have been successfully helping to find missing persons throughout Southern CA. for many years.



** Don't Forget WIN WIN Wednesdays!, the on-going series of restaurant fundraisers that is a project of the Laguna Hills High School PTSA.  Everyone can eat at these great local restaurants on Wednesdays and in return, they donate a portion of the proceeds to the LHHS PTSA. It’s good for us AND it’s good for the local restaurant community. This all year long fund raising effort 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"!

** Keep taking those Win-Win-Wednesday flyers to the participating restaurants on the dates shown below to raise money for more projects such as the classroom projectors, and the State of the Art Language Lab to give LHHS students an international edge in the world and in our community. 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.

WWW!! Weekly Events
August 14, 2013 – Veggie Grill (La Paz Rd. - LN)
August 21, 2013 – ToGo's (Alicia Pkwy @ Hon - LH)
August 28, 2013 – Veggos Green Cuisine (El Toro Rd.- LF)