YLRRR recently sent out an email news blast stating that the FPPC has concluded that I am unable to vote on Town Center Discussions. In their missive, they imply it is improper for me to file letters with the FPPC regarding the town center project. This is a politically driven misrepresentation of the facts.

There have  been opinion letters submitted to the FPPC on various parts of the town center project. These letters  are evaluated by their Attorney’s and they consider my request for  “immunity”, allowing my  participation in the discussions. I did this to fulfill my duty as a Council person, representing the community to the best of my ability. Nothing covert or improper.

The most current FPPC ruling dealt with the Altrudy site and the State Brothers site. Site 13, which is directly behind my home, will always be a conflict and was not a part of the evaluation. The Certified Appraiser I hired, evaluated my home and based on the potential uses identified in various City documents, ascertained the value of my home would not be affected by those uses. In order to meet the standard, the appraiser had to look at the impacts of the visual, noise and traffic consequences that potentially would affect my property.

The FPPC did not agree and stated I would not be allowed to vote on items affecting Altrudy and Stater Bros.  I am allowed to participate in the discussion regarding projects outside the 500 foot radius of my home that are not connected with Altrudy, Site 13 and Staters Bros sites.

I am disappointed in YLRRR’s misuse of information for political gain. I am hopeful this type of communication with the public ceases.
I have periodically posted comments on my web site regarding my ability to participate in the discussion and my intent to obtain FPPC rulings. To view these posts, go to:

• http://www.horton4yl.com/local-concerns/community-development/
• http://www.horton4yl.com/goals/
• http://www.horton4yl.com/community-news/my-conflict-of-interest-with-site-13-and-altrudy/

YL Conflict Question unmasked:

It has been no secret that I have a potential conflict of interest issue because my residence borders the Town Center Redevelopment area and is with in 500 feet of some of the parcels, including Site 13 and Altrudy. The issue has been written about in the local paper prior to my election in 2006 and has been discussed numerous times over the years in public council meetings available on cable and the Internet.

The sole reason I entered the political arena was due to a high density housing project proposed in my “backyard” on the redevelopment site 13. My role as community activist, prior to my election, was to stop the 2006 high-density commercial and residential town center project and restore a reasonable development process.

The very people who are currently making a POLITICAL issue of my potential conflict were my supporters during my election.

Why are they fighting me now?

Since elected, I have taken my role as Councilwoman very seriously . My oath of office directs me to represent the entire community to the best of my ability.

Very soon after my election in 2006, the 9-10 member YLRRR board began directing me how I should vote on certain issues. Even though they put incredible pressure on me, I REFUSED to be TOLD how to VOTE which resulted in loss of their support.

Cost associated with my conflict:

Mr. Anderson and the YLRRR board member who filed the pubic records request a year ago, now allege that I owe the community $8400. Their assertions are based on a misrepresentation of the facts. These attorney bills are the result of City generated costs, not at my request.

These costs included:
• Meetings called by the City Manager including the City attorney to discuss and determine the extent of my conflict
• Calls to my attorney by the city attorney to provide information for filing my self-funded FPPC rulings
• Costs associated with the City attorney to interpret the FPPC rulings received and to direct staff on how to apply these rulings to projects coming to Council
• City staff generated FPPC requests on specific projects in the town center.

I promised the community to file these letters with the FPPC at my own cost and I have kept that promise. The FPPC is the only agency that can give a public official immunity and is the final word on conflict issues. To date, I have paid over $5000 in legal bills in order to obtain necessary FPPC rulings. With these rulings I have acquired permission to participate in many discussions regarding the town center development to date, with the exception of the sites within 500 feet of my home.

I never stated I would pay for City generated costs.

It is unprecedented for a Council person to pay for any FPPC rulings while performing duties as an elected official.

Recognizing my conflict of interest, I accepted financial responsibility as a sign of good faith on my part. Even though I have made every effort to be honest and fair, I am now being attacked and my integrity is being questioned.

On April 20th during a council meeting, Mr Anderson used Council Policy A-12 to impugn my integrity even though this policy does not state a Councilperson has to pay for their own FPPC rulings. The policy states, the City Attorney can work with the Councilmember to determine if a conflict exists. If the potential conflict is unclear, the policy states the FPPC will have to make the final determination. The policy does not outline who pays for the FPPC inquiry. To view this document, click on image below:

The bigger question is:

When will Mr. Anderson start begin acting as a Council Member instead of a Prosecutor?

Instead of trying to block my ability to participate in the town center project, when will he and the majority Council he controls take steps to determine the use of Site 13 and the Altrudy site?

By doing this they would ensure that the entire Council could participate in creating a viable Town Center.

Can this happen?

Yes it can.

Why will this never happen?

Mr Anderson and I do not agree on the direction of the town center development. One example, he and the majority Council he controls appear to favor using taxpayer redevelopment funds to refurbish the older homes on Lakeview stating they are historic.

My position:

• Old does not mean historic.
• They are situated on valuable town center real estate that will not accomplish the goals of a viable town center project.
• It will cost 100’s of thousands of dollars to rehabilitate these homes.
• This is not a good use of our redevelopment funds.

Unfortunately, the 2010 campaign for the Yorba Linda City Council, has already turned ugly. Current councilmembers, Individuals or groups often will attempt to create issues without a full explanation and/or with misrepresentation of the facts. This is typical political strategy familiar to us all.

I would ask that you examine all sides of the issues before you believe a few peoples opinion. I encourage everyone to watch the Council meetings on cable or via the internet. It is important to view the entire discussion about topics of interest and the reasons for the decisions being made.

If you have a hard time navigating the Council meetings and the agendas, let me know and I will send you links to the topics you are interested in. In short, make your own informed decisions.

Please join the Yorba Linda City Council and the Planning Commission Tuesday, October 13, 7 PM at the Travis Ranch Elementary School and take part in the Town Center Development process. We are dedicated to making sure everyone is given the opportunity to participate in this important community project. Your opinions are important to us and will be given every consideration while we proceed with developing plans to re-vitalize the town center.
At the previous three meetings, there has been discussion about various aspects of this development project and our consulting firm has refined the plans for our collective review. I am interested to know what would attract residents from the east side of town. Are you interested in an expanded library? A Cultural Arts center? More retail? If so, what types of stores would attract you to the area? What are your feelings about a parking structure? A bridge over Imperial? These are all items that have been discussed.
Hope to see you all there Tuesday evening!

The City of Yorba Linda is in the process of developing a Specific Plan for the Town Center. A Specific Plan is a regulatory tool used y local governments to guide development in a precise area. This effort was prompted by a report created by a Blue Ribbon Committee which established a vision for the Town Center area. Nine Priority Topics were identified as part of the vision for the Town Center byt the Blue Ribbon Committee including: Context, Public Open Space, Entertainment, Circulation, Parking, Housing, Restaurants, Retail and Cultural Arts. On September 8, 2009, RRM Design Group will conduct the first Community Workshop with assistance from the City to gain input on the work done to date.

In the first portion of the workshop RRM will present a brief overview of the goals and objectives of the project and background information that has been conducted and analyzed. This material will include market demand, traffic, circulation, and land use data and input gathered at previous Planning Commission/ City Council Study Sessions.

The second part of the workshop will involve facilitating an interactive information gathering exercise aimed at reviewing a preferred land use plan and land use alternative, as well as, plan details including building scale, massing and character, streetscape concepts, public amenities including parks and plazas and buffering strategies.

The Community Workshop has been scheduled as follows:
When: September 8, 2009
Where: Yorba Linda Community Center, Yorba Room
4501 Casa Loma Avenue, Yorba Linda
Time: 6:00 PM

This is a Public Workshop for information gathering purposes only. For additional information regarding the Community Workshop, please contact David Brantley, Senior Planner at 714-961-7130

Tuesday, February 10, at 6:00 PM the Yorba Linda City Council will hold a study session regarding the Town Center planning process. It will be held at the Yorba Linda Community Center to accomodate more people. Come join us and become part of the process!