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On Site Waste Water Treatment- Local Agency Management Program (LAMP)

11/12/2018

0 Comments

 
Fact Sheet 1
Fact Sheet Update
Waterboards Source page
Proposed LAMP
OC LAMP Cover Letter
OC LAMP 6-30-2018
OC LAMP Appendices I-V
LAMP Comments and Responses
0 Comments

Traffic Updates from Board of Supervisor's October meeting

11/11/2018

1 Comment

 
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1 Comment

Letter from Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society

1/11/2018

1 Comment

 
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1 Comment

Janet Wilson's Letter Concerning the Saddlecrest Project

4/16/2017

0 Comments

 
Apr. 11, 2017

Hon. Todd Spitzer
Third District Supervisor
Orange County, CA

Shane Silsby,
Director, Public Works
Orange County, CA

Dear Supervisor Spitzer and Director Silsby:

Attached please see photos of large oak trees along Santiago Canyon Road on the Saddlecrest project site that were razed in recent weeks. Mature cacti that are prime habitat for the threatened cactus wren are also being bisected by roads and destroyed. This is of course the worst possible time to be doing earth-moving, during the best nesting and flowering season in years.


The trees were healthy, spring-blooming coast live oaks, exactly the kind needed to sustain heritage populations at a time when drought followed by heavy rains, borers and other stressors are wiping out trees across California en masse.


Yet the oak razing and other destruction appear to be perfectly legal in Orange County, thanks to inexplicable foot-dragging by county officials. Staff say it would take $100,000 in consulting fees and a year to 18 months to do anything on a tree ordinance or other protection. This is inexcusable. We urgently request that you expedite work on the proposed tree ordinance, which has languished for a year. A team of land use law and biology experts developed draft language for Orange County last spring. Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks submitted it to county planning staff last June. It was supposed to come before the Board of Supervisors last December. That was scrapped. Supposedly some funding may be allocated in July but there is zero sense of urgency.

It should not take another year or more to finalize an ordinance and/or implement other protective measures. Orange County is not breaking new ground here - we are woefully behind. Most other communities, the University of California and others promptly adopted or expanded tree protection programs to combat pests and to preserve trees that remain. At a minimum, developer-friendly jurisdictions require special, publicly noticed permits for the possible removal and transplantation of large native trees.

Here? Current law allows the SaddleCrest developers and others to replace mature trees with acorns. To phrase it politely, this policy is cause for astonished disbelief among prominent tree experts. We are sure you will agree that preserving the trees that remain in Orange County should be a top priority.

In addition, the time is long past to rectify the terrible evisceration of the Foothill Trabuco Specific Plan by a former supervisor who has been out of office for several years and his colleagues. Please act promptly and responsibly to overturn their actions and once again allow reasonable development consistent with the county's rural edge. These areas provide valuable breathing space and recreation for all county residents and the region. Bulldozing hillsides, bombing creeks and axing live oaks is surely not the legacy you want to leave behind.


As always, please let us know how we can help.


Sincerely,


The Inter-Canyon League Board of Directors


Linda May, Janet Wilson, Geoffrey Sarkissian, Dion Sorrell, Scott Breeden
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Update on Verizon Wireless Rollout (Jan. 2017)

1/3/2017

1 Comment

 
For those who are eagerly awaiting decent cell service in the canyons, there's some reason to be hopeful.

Verizon no longer is looking at the Children's Center as its central switch site because of issues obtaining a sublease there. Verizon now is looking at the Silverado Community Center for its site. They have just done the preliminary review there.
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This is a complex matter both technically and legally, so it will take a little time to complete all the reviews and engineering. Verizon also is planning to install a backup generator and batteries at the Community Center so there will be service during power outages and disasters (the SCC is a designated Red Cross shelter.) These need to be installed on raised platforms, and space and esthetic design is needed for this equipment and platforms.

Hopefully by summer all of this will be settled and the roll-out can commence, though that is only a guess at this point. So don't toss out those Network Extender boxes just yet, but be hopeful.

Verizon will be installing cell radios on existing electric poles: 6 in Modjeska and 12 along Silverado Canyon Road. More information for this are in prior blog posts. Click the "Wireless" category to the right to see all those, or click here to view the post from May 2016 with Verizon's coverage and site maps.
1 Comment

IRWD Construction Work Near SCR and 241

12/7/2016

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IRWD is converting the northern segment of its Irvine Lake Pipeline to recycled water.

During the months of December 2016 and January 2017, contractors' trucks will be utilizing E. Santiago Canyon Road near Jamboree and the 241 Toll Road to transport dirt and materials. Traffic delays are possible on Santiago Canyon Road during peak traffic hours.

​For more information, please click here to visit the IRWD site.
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Click to See Enlarged Map
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CEPA: Canyons Emergency Preparedness Academy 2017 Sign-Up

11/28/2016

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NOTE: CEPA enrollment is now filled and has been closed for the Jan/Feb. 2017 sessions
Announcing Canyons Emergency Preparedness Academy
by Bruce Newell, Reserve Firefighter
 
One of our common Community goals is to increase our safety, our preparation for all risks and our resilience after an emergency. If we experience a major earthquake, a fire or a flood, do you have a detailed plan for yourself and your household? 

(please click "Read More" below/right to view the rest of this post.
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Bruce Newell

Read More
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2016 Country Fair

11/6/2016

1 Comment

 
A Saturday Morning "un-parade," outstanding entertainment, skits, a saloon, ​and a tribute to our very own Cowboy Hall-of-Famer: Rusty Richards made 2016 one of the most successful Silverado Country Fairs ever.

Click to visit our 2016 Country Fair page for highlights and financial results.
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1 Comment

Letter to OC Development re Older Homes and Permits

11/1/2016

1 Comment

 
At its Nov. 2016 meeting, the ICL board voted to send the following letter to O.C. Development Director Colby Cataldi. The letter was originally drafted by local realtor Russell Taylor. It asks for a meeting to resolve permitting issues with older canyon homes.

​Click the read more link below/right to read the letter.

Read More
1 Comment

Sil-Mod Plan Will Be Enforced

10/28/2016

2 Comments

 
The email below was received by ICL director Janet Wilson on Oct. 27th, 2016 from our 3rd district supervisor Todd Spitzer.

Sup. Spitzer's email was a response to a legal opinion that ICL submitted to his office earlier this summer from noted local land-use attorney John G. McClendon, laying out why the SMSP is enforceable. The opinion was commissioned by a coalition of groups including the ICL, Rural Canyons Conservation Fund, the Saddleback Canyons Conservancy and the Canyon Land Conservation Fund.

Sup. Spitzer states he has directed county staff to comply with, and enforce, the Sil-Mod Specific Plan's provisions. You can also view the directive letter he sent to O.C. Public Works director Shane Silsby below.
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​Dear Janet,

Thank you for your recent email to me regarding the questions raised in the legal opinion from John G. McClendon (June 21, 2016)  related to validity of the Silverado-Modjeska Specific Plan (Sil-Mod Plan). I am writing in response to your request for me to direct County staff to comply with and enforce the Sil- Mod Plan.

In April, I spoke at the Inter-Canyon League (ICL) to help answer community questions related to updating and upholding specific plans in addition to other canyon issues. I attended in the spirit of providing the community access to the County by bringing representatives who provide services to the Canyon to help answer questions.

I apologize that the characterization of the Sil-Mod Plan that was shared during the ICL meeting was found offensive by the community volunteers who helped craft the Sil-Mod Plan and to those who want it enforced.

Please rest assured that while the Sil-Mod Plan was adopted by the Board of Supervisors by Resolution in 1977, the County’s recent interpretation of the zoning for the Sil-Mod area does not render the Sil-Mod Plan invalid, or “not binding”. The Sil-Mod Plan may be interpreted by the Board and must be read in conjunction with the underlying zoning and the uses of land permitted under that zoning. The Sil-Mod Plan contains legally enforceable policies and guidelines.  
 
It is important to me as the Third District Supervisor to protect the natural beauty and resources in the Canyons. That is why, I have instructed County staff to comply with and enforce the Silverado-Modjeska plan and its conditions.
​
Thanks again for your service on the Inter-Canyon League and to the community. If I can be of service to you on any other county-related issue, please feel free to contact me again.
​
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2 Comments

County Presentation on Santiago Canyon Road Safety

10/19/2016

3 Comments

 
Hosted by OCPW and chaired by Sup. Spitzer, the county held a roughly 2-hour meeting on Tuesday 10/18/2016 at the Calvary Church in Silverado on Santiago Canyon Road accidents and safety.

OCPW director Shane Silsby and his staff prepared a slide presentation with statistics, charts and maps, as well as proposed road improvement. These are available for download using the link below.


The chart at the right is from the second slide, and shows the percentage of fatal accidents grouped by cause over the last five years.
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The slides also list changes under consideration at OC Planning for Santiago Canyon Road in the medium and longer term. These include adding four one-mile-long passing lanes, flashing speed warning signs, high-friction surfacing, lane delineators and metal guardrails.
If you have questions or comments on this project, here is the OCPW contact:
Khalid Bazmi, P.E.
khalid.bazmi@ocpw.ocgov.com
(714) 667-3213
SCR Town Hall Slides (5MB)
File Size: 5614 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

◄ Download the slides using the link at the left
3 Comments

OCPW Bridge Repairs In Silverado Canyon

10/6/2016

1 Comment

 
Below are slides presented by O.C. Public Works given at the Oct. 2016 ICL regular meeting on bridge repairs being conducted throughout Silverado Canyon. They have promised there will be no road closures, though there may be delays at times during the day.

You can view the slides here. Use the arrow box at the lower right of the frame to view them full screen. If you want to download these slides, you can download the full meeting document package for the Oct. 4th, 2016 regular ICL meeting by clicking here.

Read More
1 Comment

ICL Sends Letter Supporting SCR Cyclist Memorial Sign

10/4/2016

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At its Oct. 2016 meeting, the ICL board voted to send the following letter to O.C. Public Works in support of a standardized memorial sign for a cyclist recently killed by a DUI driver on Santiago Canyon Road. The family of the victim and OCPW had both requested ICL's input. Click the "Read More" line see the letter.

Read More
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OCPW Will Be Installing Monitoring Cameras

9/10/2016

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We have received an email from OCPW that they will be installing cameras to monitor road & flood channel conditions in preparation of storm events. You can download the full notification PDF from OCPW using the link below. For more information, contact Melanie Tep at OCPW:

Melanie Tep
Strategic Communications Specialist OC Public Works
Office: 714.667.1618 
Melanie.Tep@ocpw.ocgov.com
Camera Notification (2MB)
File Size: 1857 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

0 Comments

Legal Opinion: Sil-Mod Specific Plan

7/5/2016

3 Comments

 
At the April 2016 ICL meeting, Sup. Todd Spitzer and other county officials presented their view that the Sil-Mod Specific Plan is no longer seen as a binding, enforceable land-use and development document. The county's legal rationale was that the Plan had originally been passed by resolution instead of by ordinance.

In response to this, ICL along with three other canyon groups, voted funding to obtain a legal opinion from local attorney John McClendon, a senior partner with the Irvine law firm of Leibold McClendon and Mann. His analysis details why the county's view is legally incorrect.

This opinion has been sent to Sup. Spitzer. You can view it at the right (click the box at the lower right to view full-screen.). You can download it to your device using the link below.

The original Sil-Mod Specific Plan itself is available by clicking here.
Sil-Mod Plan Legal Analysis
File Size: 153 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Click here for link to a Foothills Sentry article by Ray Chandos on this topic
3 Comments

Road & Driveway Brush Clearance Grant

6/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Orange County Fire Authority has obtained a grant that runs through March of 2018 to provide assistance to homeowners in clearing back brush and tree branches from private roads and driveways. Sorry, no yard cleanups.

All work will be performed free of charge. For more information, contact Kim Brown at OCFA:
     kimbrown@ocfa.org
     (714) 573-6175
0 Comments

Verizon Wireless Update

6/10/2016

1 Comment

 
(Update 6/7/16: OC Public Works has told us Verizon has not yet responded to the original plan check comments. We will keep tabs on the issue and let you know of developments)

Following our May meeting where the Verizon proposal was outlined to the membership, ICL submitted its comments letter to O.C. Public Works regarding the project. These comments had been requested by OCPW in April. At the May ICL meeting.

The ICL comments letter is available for download on our 2016 Documents page, click here. Our original blog post on the matter is below. We will continue to post here as we get more information.
1 Comment

Verizon Wireless Canyon Permit Applications

5/1/2016

1 Comment

 
Verizon Wireless has made permit applications with the county for new wireless infrastructure in the canyons. There are applications for 18 cellular antennas to be placed on existing electric poles, with some poles being replaced. A small, central fiber switch site will be leased from the Children's Center/SMRPD at the far north side of that property.

ICL had a public meeting with Verizon Thursday April 21st at the Silverado Community Center. About 20 people attended, including four representing Verizon.

ICL also will be presenting this matter at it's May 3rd public meeting at the Modjeska Fire Station, and soliciting additional membership comments. ICL will be following up with a comments letter that county planning has requested from ICL.

A 2-page PDF with the Modjeska and Silverado pole location maps
​
Verizon's 18 permit applications with photos. Though compressed, this is a large download
The county's initial plan check notes.
Verizon Pole Maps
File Size: 792 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Verizon Permits & Photos (42MB)
File Size: 43721 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Verizon Plan Check Notes
File Size: 152 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Silverado Site Map: Click for Larger Image
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Modjeska Site Map: Click for Larger Image
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New Canyon Verizon Coverage: Click for Larger Image
1 Comment

April 2016 Meeting: Sup. Todd Spitzer w/ Video

4/12/2016

1 Comment

 
 For those who were unable to attend the April 2016 ICL meeting with Supervisor Spitzer and other county representatives, we have posted below both the video record of the meeting as well as O.C. Development director Colby Cataldi's slides.

There is also a time-annotated summary of the video prepared by so you can find the highlights. The audio a little difficult in places, you may need to turn up your volume in places. (Click the Read More link below to view the rest of this post.)

Read More
1 Comment

Irvine Lake R.V. Lot Closure Survey

3/3/2016

5 Comments

 
At the end Feb. 2016 we conducted a survey on this website asking whether ICL should weigh in on the fate of the R.V. storage lot at Irvine Lake. To recap: the Irvine Company had transferred its 75% ownership of Irvine Lake to O.C. Parks and did not renew any leases.

At the time we conducted the survey, O.C. Parks was negotiating with Serrano Water District, the former recreation manager, which desired to retain the R.V. lot leases and the revenue from it. The issue was rendered moot two days later when O.C. Parks sent vacate notices to all 2000+ R.V. owners with vehicles stored there. But we still wanted to share the results of the survey with you.

Click on "Read More" to continue reading this post, including the survey results.
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Read More
5 Comments

Meeting With Mimi Walters' Representative

2/26/2016

3 Comments

 
On Feb. 19th, 2016, I met with Vincent Sanchez, the district representative for our 45th district congresswoman Mimi Walters. The meeting was at his request.

Mr. Sanchez has been reaching out to various canyon groups in congresswoman Walters' district, including SMRPD and other groups in Trabuco Canyon.

Click the "Read More" link to see the rest of this post.
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Steve Duff
ICL
Vice-President

Read More
3 Comments

Feb. 2016 Meeting: By-Laws Updated

2/2/2016

1 Comment

 
At its Feb. 2016 meeting, the ICL membership unanimously voted an amendment to the by-laws proposed by the board, to allow meetings to be rescheduled to the second Tuesday of the month in cases where circumstances, such as road closures or evacutation orders, make that necessary. Previously, ICL by-laws did not allow a regular meeting except on the first Tuesday of the month.

(Click the "read more" link to see the full post including the amendment)

Read More
1 Comment

2016 El Niño Updates

1/30/2016

0 Comments

 
This post contains information previously posted on other pages
regarding the 2016 El Niño and weather patterns. The most recent updates are at the top.
Click the "Read More" link to view this post

Read More
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Comments on OCTA's Plan for Ferber & O'Neill

1/10/2016

0 Comments

 
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Steve Duff
ICL
​Vice-President
Trabuco Canyon's Saddleback Canyon Riders club, aka Equestrian Trails (ETI) Corral 357, is submitting a comments letter to OCTA regarding its proposed resource management plan for the Ferber and O’Neill Oaks Preserves. They are focusing on five sections in the proposed RMP.

As many of you know, OCTA's purchase with Measure M/M2 funds and their subsequent closure of these properties has been a hotly debated topic for more than a year. OCTA's mandate for resource conservation and mitigation intersecting and conflicting with historically open access and connected trails and the desire for recreational hiking and equestrian uses. A June 2015 meeting garnered an overflow crowd at the large Trabuco fire station hall.

ETI encourages all canyon equestrians to submit their personal comments directly to OCTA. Comments will be accepted until Feb. 8th, 2016. But ETI would also like to have your comments incorporated in their letter, and they need them by Jan. 13th for inclusion in the final draft. So please send them to the contacts below.

OCTA's planning documents, including the RMP, for the area are available by clicking here:
You can read ETI's draft comments letter by clicking here:
RMP Comments for OCTA:
Orange County Transportation Authority
Attn: M2 NCCP/HCP
550 South Main Street
P.O. Box 14184
​Orange, CA 92863-1584

​Or submit your comments online: click here
But please also forward them to ETI
RMP Comments for Equestrian Trails:
​Equestrian Trails, Inc. Corral 357
James Iacono, President
P.O. Box 1026
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678
via email: eticorral357@gmail.com

www.saddlebackcanyonriders.com
714-612-1789
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Joanne Hubble in OC Register's 100 Most Influential

12/28/2015

1 Comment

 
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OC Register
ICL extends its congratulations to Joanne Hubble, named in the OC Register's 100 "Most Influential" for 2015. Joanne heads ICL's Emergency Disaster Preparedness Committee. Her inclusion in the Register's top 100 is well-deserved.

​You can read the entire article on the O.C. Register's site: click here.
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