So is it a 'good thing' that your family moved to Chino Hills? For Denise and I, our move to CH happened by accident back in '88. Our boys were starting elementary school, and we needed to escape downtown Anaheim and its underachieving schools. The move was unbelievably beneficial for our family. I just hope our sons can find the same quality of live as they grew up with here in our city. Time will tell if adulthood for Kyle (lives in Riverside), Jarad (condo hunting back in the OC), and Brett (visiting the Pakistan/Afghanistan border) will bring them the type of family environment as Chino Hills.
VICE MAYOR ED, I HAVE A COMPLAINT: I do not mind those calls from residents and this one worked out well. If you were west bound on Chino Hills Parkway, turning right at Peyton (Walgrens corner) there were shrubs blocking your view of cars on northbound Peyton. Staff agreed the site line was bad so they immediately removed the shrubs and replaced with ground cover.
HOOP IT UP: Our roller hockey courts at Grand Ave Park are now also lighted basketball courts to increase practice space for NJB and have open play some nights. Being a die-hard BB player, varsity coach, and lover of the game, this is good news.
PLANES NO FAME: Occasionally I get questions about plane traffic over CH so here is some general information. FAA is the agency that governs aircraft in flight as they establish patterns, routes, etc. There is no federal law regarding how long aircraft may remain over a residential area. Minimum height is1,000 feet above populated areas; the limit is set for safety not to mitigate noise impacts. The planes flying over Chino Hills are flying at about 9,000 feet to 7,000 as they descend into LAX or leave Ontario. One thing the FAA won't do is shift noise. There is a local telephone number for the Aviation Noise Information Line for the Western Pacific Region - 310-725-3638 www.faa.gov
NEIGHBOR COMPLAINT: what happens when a tree branch grows over the neighbor's yard? Ownership and maintenance responsibilities of private trees and plants are determined by the location of the trunk of the tree or base of the plant. Your neighbor is within his rights to ask you to trim your plant if you are the owner. However, your neighbor also has the option to trim the branches himself or sue you in civil court to compel you to trim the branches. And your neighbor that trims the plant material himself is not required to meet any aesthetic standards. The only requirements are that he can only trim to the property line and that they cannot intentionally kill the plant.
THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY APPEAR: I received bad info and am now making a correction to last month's article about El Tepeyac Rest. being related to the original one in east LA. They are not affiliated with each other, though you can see many similarities. I would guess Manuel's Original El Tepeyac Cafe is not happy with the CH version.
WIRELESS: NextG Networks will soon install small wireless facilities on our city poles. They are a wireless wholesaler that will charge other companies to use their system to enhance cell coverage in our city.
DEVELOPMENT NEWS: a) Country Club Villas is a 70-condo unit along Pomona Rincon Road across from Chaparral Elem. The new owner states he will build out the remaining 46 units. b) Oppenheimer Investment Firm is opening an office at CH Corporate Park near Denny's off of Soquel Canyon. c) There are new owners of Gordon Ranch Marketplace so that's a good thing. d) Vista Belle Townhomes, near BR Road and St. Gaudens, is going through the planning process for 65 townhomes on 4.6 acres. The units will be 3 stories and range from 1700 to 1850 square feet.
TAKE DOWN your Christmas lights. You know who you are and so do your neighbors.
GROW IT AND THEY SHALL COME: I am an avid reader of Sunset Magazine and they have had articles on community gardens. After meeting with staff, there is a distinct possibility that a CH Community Garden can occur at the McCoy site. Several other cities in SoCal have started one so we can learn from them. We are just in the discussion phase as to how it would work but I am excited to begin. Let me know if you would like to be involved.
DOOR TO DOOR SOLICITORS: A resident contacted me about whether we can institute an ordinance banning or limiting the time that anyone can sell door to door. He said that a thief used his 'salesman' line to case his house. After conferring with our attorney, there is nothing we can do because of that pesky 'free speech' thing. But anyone who comes to your door, ask to see his or her CH business license. And if you think anyone is 'fishy', please contact the police at their dispatch number 909.465.6837. Chino Hills can only increase its ranking of the 13th safest city in the US through your involvement and diligence.
BUSINESS COFFEE, TEA, and QUESTIONS: Staff is preparing a business outreach to our community that includes a study, evaluations, and the famous SWOT analysis. I prefer to sit down with our owners/managers of each shopping center and listen to their concerns to see what can we do to help. I will know more after the next meeting. I am also hopeful that the council will pass a temporary sign extension for our businesses and lower that fee too.
LOS SERRANOS ELEMENTARY: will soon reopen as an adult school and virtual high school next year. Also, they are allowing the City's Summer Day Camp Program to use the site in summer, which will allow us to increase participation by 50%, (120 children). This will free up the Mystic Canyon Community building for other uses.
RAINFALL MAKES SOME BRAINS GO DEAD: When we had the heavy week of rain in January, road closures were necessary due to flooding. On the first night 40 citations were written at one location as some motorists decided to drive around the barriers. It's a mystery why some continue to do that when people in Chino have died from driving around barriers.
ELECTRONIC: The city's Parks and Landscape division has changed all 200 of our manual water meters to 3G radio read water meters. All the meters can be read in minutes. This will enable staff to generate water use reports within one day of reading the meters, track water consumption, and conserve water more efficiently.
SAVE YOUR MONEY: My street is swept twice a month, and I must move my car in the street onto my driveway. I know it's swept on Tuesdays because there is a sign near the entrance of my tract that states so. Avoid a ticket. If you are confused about which day we sweep, find the sign in your tract or contact the city.
SHOW ME THE MONEY: The council recently held a workshop with our federal lobbyist. They are responsible for interacting with Congress to secure some federal dollars for us. We were recently awarded $250K for enhancements for our library. During the next budget cycle we developed a priority list that includes the Los Serranos Stormwater Infrastructure and Streetscape as a first priority and a new Community Center as a second.
NEW TICKET CHARGES: Do airlines love those extra charges for bags & seats? You Bet! Last year they increased their revenue to the tune of $4 billion (Kiplinger Newsletter).
CAN'T SLEEP? You can now view the entire city council agenda packet on the City's Website. (I can hear the WooHoos rolling across our great city). From the city's home page; look for the 'Follow Your Government' tab. Go to 'Agendas', 'City Council', then choose the latest file. Enjoy! When you bring up the specific item on the agenda and click on it, the report I receive comes up immediately.
LONG TERM CARE: The older I get the more concern I have about not being a burden to my family (although they would say I already AM a burden). A critical part of any good retirement plan is estimating the cost of long term care. A report from MetLife stated the average cost of a private nursing home room is $80k this year. The average cost of assisted living is $38K a year.
GOOD? California is looking for a few good citizens. Proposition 11, which voters passed last year will establish new district political boundaries for the state Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization. We need to get political seats out of the hands of California legislators. Instead, a 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission will be drawing those maps next year after the 2010 Census tallies its numbers. The state auditor's office will oversee the process of winnowing the applicants down to a 60-person pool of those most qualified. Applications will be accepted from Dec. 15 through Feb. 12 for the commission, which must be established by the end of 2010. As of this writing, over 6,300 applications have been submitted.
I thank the numerous people that stop me to say hello. As I wander through the grocery aisles, or sit in restaurants don't hesitate to stop and ask a question or register a complaint. It is part of the job that I was elected to do and I welcome your input.
Yours in service,
Vice Mayor Ed
