(As published in the Butterfield Stageline)
Mayor Curt Hagman is actively running for the California Assembly seat currently held by Assemblyman Bob Huff. Assemblyman Huff is running for a Senate seat. Mayor Curt will do a fantastic job representing our city and the rest of our region. He has numerous endorsements in OC, LA County and of course in the Inland Empire. I respect what he has done for CH and look forward to his June election as the Republican nominee.
Mayor Hagman can only win the Republican nomination with your absentee vote, your "live" vote, and getting your friends in OC and LA to vote for him. The assembly district is made up of Anaheim Hills, Diamond Bar, City of Industry, La Habra, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, Orange, San Dimas, Villa Park, Walnut, Whittier and Yorba Linda. He is someone we can trust who will not go "crazy" once he arrives in Sacramento. Let's make it happen.
1) Mayor Hagman and Mayor ProTem Rogers were in Washington DC lobbying for major projects recently. During their four-day trip, many meetings with elected officials and staffs of various levels of federal government were held as we explained our federal agenda. We won't know until this summer if the visits pay off with hundreds of thousands coming our way (like in the past).
2) The Shoppes is set to open on Friday, May 23rd. A great majority of the tenants will open on the same day. That means retailers are seeking approximately 2,000 new employees in the next several months.
3) The City of Chino Hills is hosting a Job Fair for The Shoppes on Saturday, April 12th from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm at the McCoy Equestrian Center. The new Shoppes at Chino Hills are seeking individuals interested in working in upscale retail, restaurants, and eateries. Come prepared to meet Human Resource Personnel and hiring Managers by bringing your resumes and being interview ready. Chaffey College will also be in attendance offering Customer Service Training throughout the day. Visit our website for complete information <chinohills.org>. We are also working to arrange some after-school classes at Ayala High School and Chino Hills High School that would allow participants early access to the Job Fair at 9:00 a.m.
4) Avoid the intersection of Grand and Peyton until April 4th. The entire intersection must be rebuilt and only one lane with flashing red signal will be available most of the time.
5) The Farmer's Market is returning in April to the McCoy Center. The fresh vegetables and other items will be a welcome addition to our culinary choices. Check the Champion for the exact opening date.
6) I pay my CH utility bill through the CH website which accepts credit card payments. However, I also notice that an automatic credit card payment cannot be established, and I really like that convenience feature. Therefore, staff will look into my request.
7) If you are driving to Chino Hills High School and taking a right hand turn from Soquel to Pomona Rincon, a 60-day trial period has started for the shared right turn lane that many residents have requested. The Public Works Commission will review it to see what ramifications have occurred since the trial began.
8) Distressing news. Malting barley prices are setting records at twice the normal price because of grain shortages. And hops are running up to 25 times the norm. Distressing.
9) Wickman Elementary traffic issues have been discussed at the council level. Staff is changing the timing of the signal on Soquel and adding a protected left turn for east and west bound traffic. We are also looking at allowing a time limited drop off and pick up zone on Soquel.
10) I attended the grand opening of Chino Creek Wetlands Educational Park. It is a wonderful experience for kids of all ages and the best part, its free, educational, and right next door to us. Go to http://www.ieua.org/wetlands.html
11) An Arby's Restaurant in Chino Hills? Yes, soon to arrive on Pipeline and CHP, near the KFC.
12) The use of recycled water has grown dramatically these past few years. We started with only 42 acre feet of water our first year and last year it has risen to 1,565 acre-feet. (an acre foot of water is equal to a football field about one foot deep).
13) Villagio is a recently approved 286-unit apartment complex on BR Road at Picasso. The 15-acre site will have gated access with one and two bedrooms.
14) Stonefield is a proposed single family residential development located at Fairway Drive and Carbon Canyon, across from Western Hills Country Club. The 35-acre site will have 28 homes. About 30 residents attended a meeting and expressed concerns about its development, which must be addressed by the project's EIR.
15) A new ad-hoc committee was formed recently to address the potential water shortage during the summer months. We have met several times and will give the council direction as to an ordinance as we try to stay ahead of potentially disastrous situation, even with the snow pact seen in the mountains.
16) Here is another interesting article/editorial from the Sacramento Bee regarding our state prison system: "State prison system is as bad as I've ever seen on a single issue -- a program that is the state's fourth largest and gobbles up roughly $10 billion annually. The prisons now are crammed with 173,000 inmates in spaces built for 100,000. Meanwhile, a $7.9-billion prison expansion program is poking along, with new cell beds expected to cost, unbelievably, $222,000 each. We don't even spend $10,000 on a school child."
17) Several residents around Los Serranos Country Club have recently asked the city to help in requiring LSCC to put up nets in front of their homes. They understand it would be difficult to win a lawsuit because the course was there before the houses and I was accurately quoted in the paper with the following, "If the courts can't require the golf courses to put up nets, how can the city?"
18) There is a new Chino Hills web site that is operated by a resident, Joe Alagna, that is very informative, user friendly, and covers a wide range of information around and about this community. Check it out at <chinohills.com>.
19) The electronic age even affects our water system. Throughout the city we are gradually replacing water meters that are attached to the side of the house with "radio read" meters. The old style requires an employee to walk and manually read each meter. About 8,500 have already been replaced and another 2,000 this year are planned. This will eliminate the need for more employees to walk up and down streets. Instead, one person can drive and electronically receive your household usage.
20) Several months ago Chino Hills held a "protest vote" regarding increased charges in water, sewer and trash. We are the only city that held a protest vote and actually sent ballots to our residents to vote against these rate increases. About 1,100 "no" votes out of 23,000 were received. The water rate increases are necessary to ensure that the city has sufficient revenues to meet all operation and maintenance expenses of the water system and sufficient reserves for the Water Fund. The revenue from the Water rate increases will stay in the Water Fund, not in the General Fund. Sewer and trash were "pass through" charges. If they were not approved, who would pay for it?
21) As you are all aware, California is facing a very tough budget situation. California has a $3.3 billion deficit in the current fiscal year and it is projected to grow to $14.5 billion by the end of the next fiscal year in June 2009 unless strong action is taken. Not sure yet what that means for our city but I am sure we will suffer at the hands of the state. 22) SCE facts: This major utility covers 11 counties, over 13 million residents, and 428 cities. They do have an award winning rebate program for energy efficient programs and services, so check out their website for details. Please call or email if you have any question or ideas.
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