Mid April - Fullerton Observer

Page 4 FULLERTON OBSERVER
CITY COUNCIL NEWS
The City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
Upcoming agenda info and streaming video of council meetings are available at
www.cityoffullerton.com. Meetings are broadcast live on Cable Channel 3 and
rebroadcast at 3pm and 6pm the following Wed. & Sun. and at 5pm Mon.
City Hall is located at 303 W. Commonwealth, Fullerton.
Contact Council at 714-738-6311 or by email to: council@ci.fullerton.ca.us
Upcoming Council Agenda
Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30pm: Joe
Nation Report on Pension Liabilities;
Towing RFP; Revised OCTA 7-year capital
improvements plan; Award of Berkeley
Ave. reconstruction from Harbor Blvd. to
Korean Trade
City council voted unanimously
to enter into a memorandum
of understanding
with KOTRA, a non-profit
governmental agency of the
Republic of Korea to promote
free trade between the US and
South Korea through mutually
beneficial marketing and
promotion of each party’s
region. Mr. Ted Kim, chair of
the Korean Business
Community with the
Chamber of Commerce said
that the agreement would
make Fullerton a destination
for Korean companies inter-
ested in investing.
east of Lemon Street; Towing Request for
Proposals; Fair housing proclamation.
Tuesday, April 30: Budget Study
Session in the Library
APRIL 2, 2013 COUNCIL MEETING
Due to sequestration cuts the FAA
announced it would be closing the
Fullerton Airport control tower along
with 137 others. Fullerton appealed the
decision but the appeal was denied.
However, an extension to keep the tower
open temporarily over the next few
months while the city searches for a longer
term strategy was offered at a cost to the
city of $50,000. The time limit to accept
the extension made the item an urgency
item and council agreed to hear it.
The cost of Fullerton taking over the
contract with current tower control vendor
Serco out of Tennessee is $400,000 to
$500,000 per year. The council took
action to authorize City Manager Joe Felz
with the $50,000 extension.
Mayor Protem Doug Chaffee brought
up the issue of liability which would fall
to the city if direct contracting with the
vendor occurred. If the city allows the
tower to be closed the liability for any
accidents occurring remains with the FAA
according to City Attorney Richard Jones.
In addition to safety concerns, how the
tower closure would affect the city leases
of space to operators of businesses at the
airport was discussed.
About 7,000 operations involving the
tower occur each month said Bill Griggs
Sr., who operates a 50-year-old business
out of the airport which teaches pilots to
fly. He said he pays the city $12,000 a
month to lease his space. He said that the
airport can operate safety without a tower
but suggested that expenses could be cut
by reducing tower open hours to the
MWD Appointment
The council voted 3 to 2 to allow Thom Babcock to
continue to represent Fullerton on the Metropolitan
Water Board even though three councilmembers
agreed that applicant Pete Beard was the most qualified.
(Chaffee & Flory voted for Beard noting that his
father had helped build the CA Water Project.)
Council Compensation
The maximum annual pay and benefits eligible for
council members is $36,479 per year. That includes
health, pension, life insurance and salary. Current
councilmembers have opted out of the health benefits
and some have opted out of the CalPERS retirement
plan. The mean compensation for current members is
$10,925. Members also receive from $100 to $221
per meeting of certain boards they sit on.
Councilmember Fitzgerald asked that compensation
reform be adgendized for a future meeting.
Airport Tower Emergency Item
busiest - from 7am to 3pm. Currently the
tower is open from 7am to 9pm.
Councilmember Jan Flory asked if
operations can be handled safety without
a tower. Jim Gandy, president of Fullerton
Airport Pilots Assoc. and a 30-year pilot
and flying instructor at the airport, said
that Fullerton operates in the midst of the
busiest airspace in the world with LAX,
OC, Long Beach, and others nearby. He
said the FAPA provides monthly safety
education to pilots which includes the
rules & regulations of flying without
tower assistance. He said most airports in
the US are non-towered.
Pilot Tom Moss pointed out that there
are numerous safety organizations including
OC Fire Authority, Anaheim PD,
Mercy Rescue, Highway Patrol and OC
Sheriff’s - with helicopter operations flying
out of Fullerton Airport.
Mike Blackstone, owner of Air Combat
USA at Fullerton Airport said that safety
would be diminished significantly in this
congested airspace area if the tower was
lost. A number of other comments by the
public ran along the same lines.
Councilmember Jennifer Fitzgerald’s
suggestion that folks at the airport might
share in the cost of keeping the tower
operating if it is important, brought audible
groans from airport-connected audience
members. She asked if the city lobbyists,
Townsend Public Affairs (for which
her husband works), had been utilized to
work on reversing the tower closure decision
and if the sequester cuts were permacontinued
on page 10
CITY NEWS
MID APRIL 2013
1601 E. Orangethorpe, Fullerton
This property was listed as 28,000 sq ft at $94 sq ft/ including warehouse, 4,010 foot
office, large fenced yard, frontage on Orangethorpe, and access to 91 and 57 freeways.
(however current info on loopnet.com has the list price as $5,633,044 and the building
size as 59,926 sq ft)
1005 E. Orangethorpe,
Anaheim
$3,402,000
25,200 sq ft warehouse on
1.52 acre property, includes
shop, restrooms, secured
yard, 30 parking spaces,
Orangethorpe frontage,
access to 91 & 57 freeways. This property,
the former Equipment Company of Los
Angeles, was included as a comparable
property by assessor who did the assess-
Figures on Alternative for Homeless Shelter
Still Not Made Public
According to OC Supervisor Shawn
Nelson’s March 22 newsletter, several
alternative locations for the 24-hour yearround
homeless shelter were submitted by
the public and looked into but “appeared
to be in excess of the acquisition budget.”
The newsletter states, “Supervisor
Nelson and county staff have been
researching alternative sites along with
their cost and viability.” Why that
“research” is not made public has not been
explained.
The Observer asked both Nelson and his
office representative Scott Carpenter
what “appeared to be in excess” meant and
for a copy of the “research” done on the
properties. Neither answered those questions
- first asked on March 25th.
In a phone call April 10th, Nelson’s representative
Scott Carpenter said he would
send the county research on the properties
to the paper - however that has not been
done to date.
Carpenter asked how the Observer
found the price of the 1601 E.
Orangethorpe property and asked the
paper for the realtor’s contact. The
Observer found the price on the loopnet
site on March 25. The site stated that the
property is 28,000 sq ft and the asking
price is $94 a sq ft. equaling $2,632,000.
However a re-visit to the site on April
11, shows the list price as $5,633,044
and the building size as 59,926 sq ft. So
perhaps the first listing was in error or the
Observer found erroneous info elsewhere.
The County Proposed Site
301 S. State College $2,903,200
29,032 sq ft former Linder’s
Furniture sales room corner of Walnut.
Commercial zoning with 112 parking
spaces (shared) and rated at an average
minus quality of construction according
to the assessor's report done by
California Commercial Appraisers.
http://cams.ocgov.com/Web_Publisher
_Sam/Agenda01_15_2013_files/image
s/O00713-000002E.PDF
901 E. Orangethorpe,
Anaheim
Former Hostess Bakery
retail outlet. 20,849 sq ft free
standing building on 1.57
acre. Office space and warehouse.
Part of the Hostess
Bankruptcy. For more info
www.hostessrealestate.com,
register & fill out non-disclosure
agreement.
ment of the current homeless shelter site
on corner of St. College and Walnut. It is
located next to CM School Supply on the
Anaheim/Fullerton border.
Carpenter said the county had checked
on loopnet and was under the impression
that the property was in excess of $5 million.
He said that county staff and their
realtor (Cameron Irons/Vanguard) were
taking another look into the locations.
Releasing the “research” would certainly
go a long way in assuring the public that
Nelson is serious when he states: “We are
eager to evaluate any alternatives brought
to our attention. Please submit any recommendations
by June 1st to Fourth
District Policy Advisor Scott Carpenter at
Scott.Carpenter@ocgov.com.”
According to the newsletter, “When
considering alternative sites, certain criteria
must be met which includes, but not
limited to: 20,000 to 30,000 square feet
in size, less than 3 million dollars in cost,
accessibility to public transit, meets environmental
and regulatory requirements
and currently on the market for sale.”
Many parents of students of
Commonwealth School, a block from the
current proposed site, wish that “not
within a block of a school” was also a criteria
and suggested the alternatives.
While waiting for the county research
to appear - the Observer (which has submitted
a public records request) looked into
locations suggested by the public (excluding
the former Albertson’s site on Imperial
and Harbor which is not for sale). The photos
above show what we were able to find
out. The county’s proposed choice is
included below.