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.

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.

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.

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:

Most Californian's know their all perils doesn't really cover "all" perils. Years ago I was astonished to discover my homeowners policy excluded meteorite strikes to my roof!

Most California homeowners know their basic insurance doesn't cover earthquake damage. What's less well known is it won't cover damage to your property and possessions from flooding and mud either.
••••••Please click the "read more" link to view the rest of this post.••••••

The Mesa property in Silverado Canyon has been put up for sale by its owner, the Wildlands Conservancy, which needs to raise funds.

This is a wonderful 660 arce wilderness tract with existing trails, easily accessible and with parking close-by. And Wildlands is willing to sell this property at a substantial discount to the county, provided that it places the property into conservation. But the county must act soon.

Please email our supervisor Todd Spitzer: todd.spitzer@ocgov.com and tell him you support this purchase and ask that the county do everything possible to find the funds needed to make this acquisition happen.

You can find more information about this on the Save The Canyons Facebook page.

The ICL's Sil-Mod plan committee has been working with the county to help with drafting their new wireless ordinance. Because the Sil-Mod plan was adopted in the late 70s, it never envisioned the type of wireless infrastructure build-out we now are seeing. As carriers multiply and expand, and utilities enter, wireless expansion is increasing almost daily.

So we've been working to get the county's new wireless ordinance to reflect the overall goals of the Sil-Mod plan and prevent unnecessary and unsightly proliferation of new wireless structures that would adversely impact our canyon's viewsheds in the future.

This is not related to wireless coverage. It is just about where and how wireless facilities can be permitted and built. Many canyon residents in fact would welcome expanded wireless coverage in the residential canyon areas as it is currently poor in many areas. Nor is this ordinance concerned with wireless safety. Both of these are FCC matters.

The Orange County Register did a very thorough article on this, which also explains what the state is doing at the behest of industry lobbyists that could undo all the hard work that the county has put into it. That article is available here.