Loretta on Traffic, Over-development, & Wildfire Safety. PLUS 2020 Supe Chismes!

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It looks like Loretta Sanchez has never stopped running for Todd Spitzer’s open (district 3) seat on the Board of Supervisors, even after Don Wagner beat her back in March.  And she just might have a good chance against that Irvine rightwinger, in the coming anti-Trump Blue Wave election of 2020.  For one thing, Loretta has never stopped sending out a monthly newsletter, packed with local issues, which she’s given me permission to re-print here.  (Oh this is Vern.)

Having attended a few recent BOS meetings, I have to say that despite Wagner’s many rightwing pathologies and Trump love, he’s still more entertaining and likable than the other four bumps-on-a-log up there.  But that is faint praise indeed.  Put me down for Loretta 2020 for sure. 

All five of those mediocre clowns have to go, but barring some deus ex machina we are stuck with Steel, Bartlett and Chaffee till 2022.  Still, as we watch Andrew Do cozy up to Sheriff Barnes until they’re indistinguishable, we wonder WHO is going to try and take out the ill-tempered 1st district Supe next year? 

Well, this blog has been known to traffic in chismes, which we hear from unnamed pajaritos, and this is the unprepossessing trio we’re heaing of right now, planning to run against Andrew Do in 2020: 

• The Small Dark Lord, Miguel Pulido, evidently terrified of the free time he may have, and sudden inability to trade favors, when his quarter century of Santa Ana Mayorship is finally wrested from him by cruel Term Limits. 
• Former Supervisor and State Senator Janet Nguyen, having hit the limits of her corrupt mediocrity and been taken down by fellow career politician Tom Umberg last year, is going to try to retrieve her old stomping ground, burning with an inner vengeance against her former ally Do. 
• And dark-horse former Westminster Councilman Sergio Contreras, an opportunistic cipher that made Diana Carey’s council tenure miserable, and who just now is starting to show himself north of the 22.

Damn, none of those three seem worth trading in Andrew Do for.  (Michele Martinez tells me she’s done with politics, wants to get into city management, and is convinced that more and more cities are going to go belly-up due to pension debt – refreshing to hear a Democrat who’s at all concerned about that.)  

SAL TINAJERO, ¿¿¿WHERE ARE YOU???

But look at me going on.  Here’s Loretta:

Hi everyone!  I love being in my community of OC, and it has been a busy month meeting with constituents. 

I’ve heard your concens about the Trump administration and OC Supervisor Don Wagner, and I promise to continue working hard to strengthen and protect our neighborhoods in the Third District. 

Come chat with me at an upcoming event or contact me on Facebook or Twitter.  I’m listening and I want to hear from you!

Traffic Congestion in O.C.

With more peoplle living in the Inland Empire and commuting to OC for work, traffic congestion has grown exponentially.  Transportation agencies in Orange and Riverside counties recently agreed on a number of construction projects along the 91 Freeway to help address that.

New development at The Trails at Santiago Creek.

Rececntly the OC Board of Supervisors gave the green light for construction on the Trails at Santiago Creek.  Loretta has been against this development and the Orange City Council refused to hear the voices of the majority of Orange residents by approving this development, which is dangerous and will only add to traffic congestion.

While Loretta understands that we have a housing shortage in Orange County, she also wants to ensure that we are building in locations that will not endanger our current community.

Wildfire Damage & Impacts

The widespread power outage in Northern California and the fires in Southern California this month are yet another reminder of how vulnerable our communities are to wildfires.  As the effects of climate change continue to grow, we must be pro-active in building robust emergency response measures. 

Hills for Everyone, a conservation group based in Bread, recently released a report noting that Chino Hills State Park had a nearly 50% rise in wildfires between 2012-2018.  During that time, homes were destroyed, people displaced, and acres burned.  These threats are happening in our community today, and Loretta is calling for action that requires us to think about long-term solutions. 

Loretta recently penned an op-ed about her plans,  and her record shows that she knows how to get these projects done and protect Orange County.

“She ran calling Wildfire…”

whoops I posted that by accident – just for that I’ll re-print Loretta’s op-ed.

Keeping Orange County Safe from Wildfires

The 2018 wildfire season in California was the deadliest and most destructive season in the state’s history. This was punctuated by the tragic loss of life in Paradise, CA, where 85 people were killed when a wildfire ripped through this community, destroying homes and devastating lives. Rather than an anomaly, scientists say that the changing climate and weather — coupled with increased development near wild-land vegetation — is making wildfires increasingly likely across the West.

When I look to my community in Orange County, I am concerned. A recent analysis from the The Arizona Republic reflected the significant danger Orange faces. On a scale of 1–5, with the median being 2.08, Orange ranks at 3.21 for wildfire hazard potential. Paradise was 3.81.

Our (in)ability to escape a fire is equally disturbing. In the communities of Serrano Heights, Mabury Ranch, Orange Park Acres, Hidden Hills, Hidden Oaks, Hidden Creek Trail, North Colony, Jamestown, The Reserve, Parkridge, Portofino, Santiago Hill’s 1 East Orange, and Entitled Santiago Hills 2 East Orange, approximately 8,000 people have only one western escape route.

According to this report, it would take approximately four hours to evacuate via this one road. Paradise, with its six evacuation routes, saw 11 people perish in their cars amidst bumper-to-bumper traffic.

While wildfires rage through our state, District Supervisor Don Wagner has done little to properly secure our community from this growing threat. At a recent Fire Prevention workshop sponsored by Wagner, residents were urged to plan their escape route in advance. But what good is an escape route that will be clogged with cars?

We need a universal fire warning system with a message akin to an “Amber Alert” that can message residents in real time of the need to evacuate. Such a system was not in use in Paradise, depriving residents of the critical extra time needed to leave their homes. We need to stop adding new housing developments in these high-risk fire areas where evacuation routes are inadequate. A feud between agencies is blamed for the delayed response to the recent Canyon 2 Fire that destroyed 15 homes and forced the evacuation of 10,000 residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange and North Tustin. We need better communication and coordination between ALL agencies. Finally, we need specific policies in place to support those disproportionately impacted during emergencies of this nature, including the elderly, children and disabled individuals.

As temperatures heat up, wildfires are becoming more commonplace. Reactive, small-scale solutions, such as those proposed by Supervisor Wagner, are not nearly enough — not when our residents’ lives are at stake. We need to approach this safety issue with the seriousness that it requires.

As a 20-year member of Congress who secured funding to fortify the Prado Dam, made our county the only water-secure space in all of California, and worked on transportation and infrastructure projects such as widening the 5, 10, and 405 freeways, I have the experience and know how to protect our community. I’ve been successfully doing it for years, and I hope to continue as your next District 3 Supervisor.

Well, that about wraps it up I guess – keep coming back to the Orange Juice Blog for “Loretta’s Letters!”  – Chairman Vern.