Thursday, February 21, 2013

Year-Round Emergency Shelter and Multi-Service Center Update


(the following is from the City of Fullerton website: http://www.cityoffullerton.com/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1553)


Latest Update:

A Community Meeting regarding the Emergency Shelter and Multi-Service Center is scheduled for Monday, March 11, 2013 at 6:30 pm at the Fullerton Main Public Library located at 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. in Fullerton. 

Background:
At their regularly scheduled meeting on January 15, 2013, of the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a purchase and sale agreement, in the amount of $3,150,000, for the purchase of property at 301 South State College Boulevard in Fullerton for a year-round emergency shelter and multi-service center for at-risk and homeless families and individuals in Orange County.
The action by the Orange County Board of Supervisors is part of the County’s approved “Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness” which includes goals and implementing strategies to effectively end homelessness in Orange County. Plan goals and implementing strategies include but are not limited to:
  • Improve the emergency shelter and access system.
  • Develop year-round permanent emergency shelters to replace the seasonal Armory Emergency Shelter Program.
The County will make a presentation before the Fullerton City Council on February 19, 2013. The County is also making arrangements to hold a public meeting to discuss this project.  That meeting date will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.
In advance of upcoming presentations, meetings, and the development of a management plan, the following provides some preliminary details about the proposed Shelter and Multi-Service Center:
  • The Shelter will be owned by the County of Orange and operated by a nonprofit contractor. The nonprofit contractor will be contractually required to operate the facility in compliance with the County’s good neighbor policy which requires collaboration with the City of Fullerton, residents, businesses, and other stakeholders regarding shelter operation and provision of services.
  • The facility will be designed to provide emergency shelter for homeless individuals and their families. It will also provide a wide variety of multi-disciplinary services designed to successfully transition clients from homelessness to permanent housing.
  • In addition to assisting those who are already homeless, the multi-service center will provide homeless prevention services and support to assist homeless families and individuals that are at-risk of losing their housing due to unforeseen circumstances.
  • The proposed shelter and multi-service center will replace the existing shelter at Brookhurst and Valencia which has approximately 200 beds. Design features, including the number of beds, types of services, requirements for services, and collaborative partners will be determined at a future date through the County’s contractor selection process.
  • The facility will be staffed by the contracted operator 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. 
The facility will have 24 hour a day / 7 day a week security.  Security plans will be coordinated with the Fullerton Police Department and the County of Orange. 
  • The facility will be managed by the contracted operator in collaboration with various collaborative partners including but not limited to, multiple County Agencies, other nonprofit service providers, and local churches to coordinate services offered to the homeless and at-risk community.

For agenda and minutes of the January 15, 2013, Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting:
http://cams.ocgov.com/Web_Publisher_Sam/Sam01_15_2013.htm 
Homepage for the Orange County Board of Supervisors: http://media.ocgov.com/gov/bos/default.asp
Updated: February 19, 2013

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Value or Cost - Fullerton Water Rates

Last night's Fullerton City Council meeting brought forth much discussion on the subject of water rates.

The issue which generated the greatest debate was "cost of service" and how "costs" should be determined.  

I argued that the actual "costs" were already known, accounted for, and collected by the City as those costs are indicated on this pie chart from the City. (click image to see)

The chart identifies the "expenses" of operating and maintaining the water system which were budgeted for FY2011.  Let's keep in mind that the reason the Franchise Fee was put in place was to help pay for administrative costs of the City Administrator, City Clerk, and City Attorney.  

As you can see, "Other Expenses" and "Administrative Services" appears to cover those expenses.  Therefore, the Franchise Fee was a double dip into the Water Fund and the "costs" were already accounted for.  

What was presented by staff and agreed to by some members of the Council is the "value" of the water service.  This was best represented by lease-back option that was floated by staff.  The lease-back would have required that water rate payers pay a fee for leasing the property on which the reservoirs were built.  It is the left hand charging the right hand for the honor and convenience of being connected to the same body.  It is predicated on a single word: IF.  IF the water system had to rent the land...  That same logic could be applied to ALL of our city services with dangerous consequences.

How long will it be before this is brought back to Council so that the left hand can take another swipe at the right?  

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...