Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Observer's Love Affair with Chevron - A love hate relationship

It doesn't take a reader long to recognize that the Fullerton Observer is a heavily biased publication. 

Each issue seems to surround Chevron, that "evil corporation that wants to destroy our beloved nature."  Some stories are emotional appeals while others raise valid concerns.  

Lacking any valid points,

at least in my opinion, the Mid-April issue is rife with emotional appeals, two of which I would like to explore here. 

First is the cover story with the flow chart.

The big fallacy, or dare I say lie, in the chart is where the project is approved with or maybe without conditions.  The project as it stands has MILLIONS of dollars in conditions.  Those conditions will not go away and neither will the law suit if the City chooses to deny the project again.

There are many other issues with the story and the chart but I'll leave those alone for now.

Next, let's look at the letter from Shirley Gregg titled "A Myth On Steroids, Chevron's 'No Money'" on page 3 of the same issue.

The author says that Chevron has refused to work with OCTA this year and that the agency has earmarked Chevron as "unwilling to negotiate at this time."  She later states that Chevron has communicated with OCTA this year but rejected their offers.

You can stick your fingers in your ears, close your eyes and pretend it ain't so, BUT Chevron sent a letter dated March 22, 2010 to OCTA wherein PCH project manager Jim Pugliese outlines what needs to happen for the County or the City or anyone else to purchase the West Coyote Hills property. 

Pugliese writes:

"...the current allocation amount of about $27 million is not sufficient to acquire, restore and maintain our 510acre property even if it received 100 percent of the funding, which is unlikely considering the property is a habitat island and there are no existing wildlife movement corridors between it and other native habitat areas (e.g. Puente Hills, Chino Hills). It is also unlikely to receive all of the funding because there are over 100 projects competing for funding throughout Orange County.
The issue of liability is another concern. Acquisition would have to include satisfactory indemnification of Pacific Coast Homes for any future liability from future public use of the land. It is not clear OCTA is in a position to offer this guarantee.
Lastly, we have made a pledge to Fullerton residents that after project approval we would open West Coyote Hills for public enjoyment through miles of trails, vista points and a nature center. Based on our conversation, it does not appear that public access is a priority for your program, and we are not prepared to go back on the pledges we have made to the community."
See actual letter at left.  Click images for full view.  To date, no one - OCTA, the City of Fullerton, or anyone else - has offered Chevron terms similar to those outlined in the March 2010 letter.

Ms. Gregg goes onto share her perceived deficit in parks in North Orange County. 

The fact remains North Orange County has plenty of parks.  Just to name a few which are all NORTH of the 91FWY:

State Parks:
Chino Hills State Park
County Parks:
Craig Regional Park
Clark Regional Park (next to WCH)
Carbon Canyon Regional Park
Featherly Regional Park
Yorba Regional Park
George Key Ranch Historical Park
Also listed as a "park" but not picnic worthy is the Yorba Cemetery

City Parks:
Constitution Park, La Habra
Corona Park, La Habra
Descanso Park, La Habra
El Centro-Lions Park, La Habra
Estelli Park, La Habra
Guadalupe Park, La Habra
La Bonita Park, La Habra
Las Lomas Park, La Habra
Loma Norte Park, La Habra
Loma Verde Park, La Habra
Montwood Park, La Habra
Oeste Park, La Habra
Old Reservoir Park, La Habra
Old Settlers Park, La Habra
Osornio Park, La Habra
Portola Park, La Habra
Richards Park, La Habra

Terraza Park, La Habra
Town Center Park, La Habra
San Miguel De Allende Park, La Habra
Vista Grande Park, La Habra
Vista Del Valle (Westridge) Park, La Habra
Vista Del Valle Park,  La Habra
Arovista Park, Brea
Brea Junior High School Park, Brea
Brea Sports Park, Brea
City Hall Park, Brea
Country Hills Park, Brea
Founder's Park, Brea
Greenbriar Par, Brea
Lagos De Moreno Park, Brea
Olinda Oil Museum and Trail, Brea
Olinda Ranch Park, Brea
Tamarack Park, Brea
Tri-City Park Maintained by the cities of Brea, Fullerton and
PlacentiaWoodcrest Park, Brea
Arroyo Park, Yorba Linda
Box Canyon Park, Yorba Linda
Brush Canyon Park, Yorba Linda
Bryant Ranch School Park, Yorba Linda
Dominguez Trailside Park, Yorba Linda
Eastside Community Park, Yorba Linda
Fairmont Knolls Park, Yorba Linda
Hurless Barton Park, Yorba Linda
Jean Woodard Park, Yorba Linda

Jessamyn West Park, Yorba Linda
Kingsbriar Park, Yorba Linda
Las Palomas Tennis Park, Yorba Linda
Phillip S. Paxton Equestrian Center, Yorba Linda
Rio Del Oro, Yorba Linda
Roland Bigonger Park, Yorba Linda
San Antonio Park, Yorba Linda
Shapell Park, Yorba Linda
Travis Ranch Park, Yorba Linda
Veterans Park, Yorba Linda
Yorba Linda Middle School Park, Yorba Linda
George Bellis Park, Buena Park
Lindbergh Mini Park, Buena Park
Smith-Murphy Park, Buena Park
Acacia Park, Fullerton
Adlena Park, Fullerton
Bastanchury Park, Fullerton
Brea Dam Park, Fullerton
Byerrum Park, Fullerton
Fern Drive Park, Fullerton
Ford Park, Fullerton
Hiltscher Park, Fullerton
Laguna Lake Park, Fullerton
Mountain View Park, Fullerton
Nicolas Park, Fullerton
Olive Park, Fullerton
Pacific Drive Park, Fullerton
Plaza Park, Fullerton
Pooch Park, Fullerton
Rolling Hills Park, Fullerton
Skate Park (at Independence Park) , Fullerton
Trail Rest Park, Fullerton
Woodcrest Park, Fullerton
Koch Park, Placentia
Pearson Park, Placentia
Tuffree Park, Placentia
Kraemer Park, Placentia
Parque de Los Vaqueros, Placentia
Parque del Arroyo Verde, Placentia
RiverDale Park, Anaheim

*Recreational trails were not included in the list.

Did I miss any?  I tried to exclude buildings and golf courses though many consider those to be "parks".

122 PARKS NORTH OF THE 91FWY!

How many parks do we need before we have enough?

2 comments:

  1. Hi there,

    I report on Fullerton for the Web site Examiner.com. Feel free to contact me any time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Kim. Please email me at the address on the top left.

    ReplyDelete

Greg Sebourn

The Beauty of a Storm

The Beauty of a Storm
Orange County, Ca.

My Grandma - A Eulogy

LET'S TALK ABOUT 1914 FOR A MOMENT.



FOR STARTERS, GRANDMA WAS BORN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1914 IN HER FAMILY'S ATWOOD RANCH HOUSE.



IT IS WORTH NOTING THOSE ALSO BORN IN 1914:

JACK LALANNE

JOE DIMAGGIO

DANNY THOMAS



AND WHO DIED IN 1914:

JOHN MUIR, THE FAMOUS NATURALIST FOR WHICH NUMEROUS ROADS, PARKS, HOTELS, AND NATURE RESERVES ARE NAMED.



IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT IN 1914 WOODROW WILSON SIGNS MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION AND BABE RUTH MAKES HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT WITH THE RED SOX. MOTHER'S DAY AND BASEBALL- TWO OF MY FAVORITES!! (PERHAPS HER NICKNAME "BABE" CAME FROM BABE RUTH???)



GRANDMA WAS BORN INTO A PERIOD OF TIME FILLED WITH TURMOIL. IN JUNE OF 1914 ARCHDUKE FRANZS FERDINAND WAS ASSASSINATED. WITHIN ONE MONTH WORLD WAR I RAGED ACROSS EUROPE. TWO DAYS AFTER HER BIRTH HOWEVER, GERMAN AND BRITISH TROOPS INTERRUPTED WWI TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. (PERHAPS THEY PAUSE KNOWING THAT A GREAT WOMAN WAS BORNE) WORLD WAR I CONTINUED UNTIL THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IN 1919.



ALTHOUGH SHE WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, SHE SAW THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS CREATED AND THE 19TH AMENDMENT WAS APPROVED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS GUARANTEEING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN TO VOTE.



SHE LIVED THROUGH MANY NOTABLE EVENTS. LIKE THE 1933 LONG BEACH EARTHQUAKE OR WHEN ATWOOD FLOODED ALONG WITH MOST OF ORANGE COUNTY IN 1938 AND THE FLOOD-WATERS CLAIMED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE, 43 OF WHICH WERE FROM ATWOOD! ALL OF THIS DURING A TIME THAT WE READ ABOUT IN SCHOOL AND KNOWN AS "THE GREAT DEPRESSION". SOMEWHERE IN ALL OF THAT SHE FOUND THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, GRANDPA LEO, GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, GOT MARRIED, AND HAD KIDS!



THEN THERE WAS WORLD WAR II. FROM PEARL HARBOR TO HIROSHIMA, GRANDMA WAS RAISING MY UNCLE BOB AND MOM ARLINE. WITH AIR-RAID SIRENS AND BLACKOUTS SHE WAS A WIFE AND MOTHER. WHAT A TIME TO RAISE CHILDREN! I BET GRANDMA'S PARENTS WERE ABEL TO TELL HER A THING OR TWO ABOUT RAISING KIDS IN WARTIME.



GRANDMA WAS THERE WHEN THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HELD THEIR 3RD ANNUAL NATIONAL JAMBOREE IN 1953. SHE SAW AIRBASES OPEN IN '42 AND CLOSE IN '99. SHE WATCHED WALTER KNOTT START UP HIS BERRY FARM AND WALT DISNEY TURN ORANGE GROVES AND STRAWBERRY PATCHES INTO DISNEYLAND!



SHE SAW THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE FADE AWAY INTO HISTORY AND SPACE TRAVEL EXPLODE BEFORE HER WITH THE FIRST LUNAR LANDING. JUST IMAGINE HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS. FROM TUBE RECTIFIERS TO SUPERCONDUCTORS; FROM TRANS-ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLES TO SATELLITE TV.



SHE SAW MORE IN HER 93 YEARS THAN MOST OF US WILL EVER READ ABOUT, LET ALONE LIVE THROUGH!



OF THOSE 93 YEARS IT IS MY HONOR TO HAVE BEEN HER GRANDSON FOR 35 OF THEM. SHE WAS MY MOTHER WHEN MOM HAD TO WORK. SHE WIPED MY NOSE AND PUT FOOD IN MY MOUTH. SHE LET ME PLAY WITH GRANDPA EVEN THOUGH SHE NEEDED HIM TO TAKE HER TO THE STORE. SHE WAS MY GRANDMA AND I WILL MISS HER IMMENSELY.



JUST LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM; SHE DID THIS. SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE INTO THIS WORLD AND TOGETHER TODAY. THIS IS HER LEGACY.



A Dedication To My Loving Wife, Stacey. Thank you for all you do for me!

Brad Paisley - I Thought I Loved You Then


I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
3 weeks later in the front porch light taking 45 min to kiss you goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet but I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I remember taking you back to right where I first met you
You were so surprised
There were people around
But I didn’t care I got down on one knee right there
And once again I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I can just see you with a baby on the way
I can just see you when your hair is turning gray
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before.

Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Well look back some day at this moment that we’re in
And I'll look at you and say I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then...