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Trees, you say?

June 13, 2013 in City Council, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, Our Future, Our Priorities, Parks and Recreation

Trees are a big part of Rossmoor’s appeal. . . .

(6/13/2013, Los Alamitos) Dave E here.  Once again our Highlands Guy finds some things worth changing right outside your front door. . . and mine.  

by Highlands Guy:  Nope, not a very sexy title and isn’t related to the Cypress truck terminal, dog park, or political transparency.

But I think I can make the case that it does have some impact on quality of life issues and the dots can be connected back to taxes and city priorities.

Let me preface my comments, with my admiration and a big thank you to Public Works for doing more with less than most of our neighboring communities. They are to be applauded.

And under Purpose (12.24.010) of the city code, trees are “deemed important to the general welfare and the Read the rest of this entry →

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Here we go again. . . another dog fight, this time about a dog park!

May 30, 2013 in Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, Our Future, Our Priorities, Parks and Recreation

(Los Alamitos, 5/30/2013)This week’s Highlands Guy’s column is on a topic that has attracted more “contact us” emails than anything I can remember!   It’s a hot topic in the Highlands, and I was wondering how H.G. would handle it.  As usual, quite well.

Some time back we had the Briggeman/trash collection debacle.

We have been in the middle of the Prologis/Cypress actions for a while.

A few weeks ago there was the bizarre Kusumoto hit piece.

And now I am told, via a flyer on my doorstep, that Orville Lewis Park is under siege, by none other than your local pooch.

Like the Kusumoto hit piece, this flyer does not display the name of the group or any individuals who put it out, but I guess the lead title, ‘Preserve Our Park’ serves as their mantra.

Seems a group of Los Al residents are Read the rest of this entry →

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Connect the dots

May 23, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Cypress, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property)

Christo Bardis

(5/23/2013, Los Alamitos/Cypress)  by Highlands Guy:  Over the last few months I have been trying to keep up with the news and comments on the Prologis/Cypress debacle. And it ain’t easy.

Not only are there a lot of articles to be digested, but one also has to try and root out the facts from the prejudicial, emotional rhetoric. A May 20 post on Orange County For Us (OC4Us.com)  noted a direct connection between Cypress City Councilman Doug Bailey and a gentleman by the name of Cristo Bardis.

The connection was directly tied to the Bardis family via political donations.  Specifically, the Read the rest of this entry →

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Potential

May 16, 2013 in City Council, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, Our Future, Our Priorities, Planning & Community Development

(Los Alamitos, 5/16/2013) Our Thursday columnist hits the nail on the head once again!  by Highlands Guy: 

po•ten•tial:  adjective:

  1. Possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy.
  2. Capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety.
  3. Grammar . expressing possibility: the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go

I hate to say it, but Los Alamitos just isn’t there yet. By that I mean it has not yet reached its potential.

Think about it. With all its natural, cultural, and man-made resources it should be one of the best places to live in this little corner of the world.

At 33°48′8″N 118°3′52″W , it doesn’t get as hot as just little father in-land and it doesn’t suffer from the overcast days like the nearby coastal communities. The temperature rarely gets up to, or down to, any extreme number.

Coyote Creek keeps us safe from historical flooding. Freeway access in any directions is just a few of minutes away. Less than 5 miles to the sand. And although we’re in the middle of a concrete jungle, most neighborhoods are lined with trees.

First responders can be at your door within 5 minutes. The school experience is rewarding for students at the highest levels as well as those needing a little extra push. And we now have Read the rest of this entry →

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Straight to the top

May 9, 2013 in Cypress, Decency, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property)

(Los Alamitos, 5/9/2013) Dave E here.  I’m posting this late because I just returned from a fairly lengthy, hastily called meeting by a group of mainly Cypress residents concerned about ProLogis proposed facility.  There’s some interesting controversy developing within the opposition, but more on that later.

I think one thing all “sides” of the opposition can probably agree on is our Thursday columnist’s unique idea for a “top down” approach: 

 by Highlands Guy:  The more I read about how the area communities have come together for the common good, the better I feel. There are a lot of good folks around who have taken the time to get informed, talk to their neighbors, and speak up at city council meetings. And I must note that my vote for the current Los Alamitos mayor is already paying dividends.

He’s a good guy, but more importantly for his position, he is intelligent and renders decisions based on accumulated facts and the Read the rest of this entry →

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HG on Squishy Goals (More thoughts on Los Al’s 2013-14 Budget)

May 2, 2013 in City Budget, City Council Meetings, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, Our Future, Our Priorities

(Los Alamitos, 5/2/2013)In work in both the private and public sectors I’ve always been taught that  goals must be measurable.  So I was shocked to read the “goals” for our Council, City Manager, and others cited by our Highlands Guy below!

 Once again our Thursday columnist asks some very good questions, especially in light of this Monday’s 6 pm Council Session on the 2013-14 budget.  by Highlands’ Guy:

Yes, the Prologis/Cypress mess is still with us. And yes, there are still a lot of good neighbors from Cypress, from Los Al, from Rossmoor, from Long Beach, from Garden Grove still fighting the good fight.

But, as I noted last week, there are still other issues that must be prepared for and responded to with intelligence, insight and common sense. It is with this in mind that I offer some thoughts to our City Council on getting ready for the 2013/14 budget process that continues at the 6 pm portion of their Special Council Meeting this Monday, 5/6/2013.

Maybe the best way to determine if our city officials have been effective is to look at the “department goals” set down in stone in Read the rest of this entry →

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HG: It’s budget time. . . some thoughts for the Council

April 25, 2013 in City Budget, City Council, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns

(Los Alamitos, 4/25/2013) It’s Budget time again, this time for Los Alamitos’ 2013-14 Fiscal Year.  That means our Thursday policy wonk is back breaking it all down for us, with his own unique perspective:

by Highlands’ Guy [Part I]:  While the Cypress/Prologis debacle rightfully takes center stage with local folks, there are still other civic actions that require time and attention. Important for Los Alamitos is an upcoming vote on the 2013/14 budget.

It’s that time of year again, for our City Fathers (and Mothers) to make decisions that will affect our community for at least the next 12 months.

I have to tell you that I’m sometimes amazed that it takes so much capital to run a tiny city. The 2012-13 Adopted budget was $16,539,296, up Read the rest of this entry →

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HG: ProLogis by the numbers, briefly

April 18, 2013 in Decency, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property)

(Los Alamitos, 4/18/2014)  Dave E here.  More startling facts from our “Highlands Guy.”  Short but well worth a complete read, and possibly e-mailing the link to your friends in Cypress, whose City  Council meets at 6 pm this coming Monday, with a very short agenda .  

by “Highlands Guy:”   Please note: Today’s piece is short, on purpose. I do not want to interfere with folks still processing their feelings about the terrorist attacks in Boston and the events in West, Texas.

Our local folks are not only at odds with the Cypress City Council, but they must also contend with a San Francisco based real estate giant that is “as close to world domination as few ever get,” according to Blanca Torres in a February 1, 2013 article in the San Francisco Business Times.

Seems they have $45 billion, yes with a “b”, in assets and are becoming the world’s largest industrial real estate investment trust.

This is who we are up against guys. This will either make you shrink away, or get Read the rest of this entry →

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Have you thought about this stuff?

April 11, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Cypress, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Safety, Schools, Traffic

trucksx-largeOur Thusday columnist is still thinking about the implications of Cypress “33 acre project,”  & he’s come up with some I never thought of: (Los Alamitos/Cypress, 4/11/2013)  The proposed mega storage and distribution warehouse, and the intrusion of hundreds of weekly big rig trips through our little city has taken up much of the local thoughts and press recently.  And with good reason, I might add.

Although the discussion has reached its tentacles into various areas of our local life. I thought I would add just a couple of issues that have here-to-fore not been delineated.

Some may be a bit obtuse, but could have far reaching effects on Los Alamitos, Cypress, Garden Grove, and Seal Beach during the second decade of the 21st century.

Traffic:   Obviously the increase in traffic will be horrendous. But, for a moment consider the ripple effects.

Yes, every school Read the rest of this entry →

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The Stink on the Base

April 4, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Decency, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, Joint Forces Training Base, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Planning & Community Development, Seal Beach, Traffic

(Los Alamitos, 4/4/2013)  Like the gophers in Little Cottonwood Park, just when we think we’ve got the “recycling” problem solved at the Base, it pops up again, as a “mulching” and transportation problem.  Less garbage smell, same nasty trucks speeding by Los Al backyards on dusty dirt roads.  

Trucks to the North of  Carrier Row, trucks to the East of  the Highlands!  

Highlands’ Guy’s research focuses in on one more Los Al quality of life issue that, as he points out, actually affects us all:

By Highlands Guy: I am a staunch supporter of our JFTB. Always have been, probably always will.

The short time I was based there in the olden days, it was a positive experience.  For as long as I have been a Los Al resident, they have been a good neighbor.

To be honest, I sure hope they avoid the fall out from any future BRAC actions.  I much prefer the open space it sits on, rather than another inevitable mall or housing project.

Just as an aside, if they ever do close up shop, the responsibility for the clean-up of the subterranean toxic waste will be in the courts for the next 25 years.

But I digress. The focus today is the much misunderstood mulching project that is being supported by the JFTB.  Recently I heard about the an entire street in the Highlands neighborhood that is constantly bombarded with noise, a nasty Read the rest of this entry →

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