April 25, 2023
City Council Meeting
Written Public Comments
General Public
Comments
Jennifer Connally
From: Janice Brownfield
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2023 7:46 PM
To: City Council Public Comment
Subject: Public Comment Non-Agenda Item
Santiago Creek has the potential to exceed the mayor's vision of a grand central park by becoming a food forest, an edible park that also serves as a natural forest. Though designed and created by people, a food forest is less labor intensive than a garden but produces an abundance of edibles. The first public food forest in this country started in 1997 in Asheville, North Carolina, and there are now at least 12 in California. One is proposed for the City of Riverside, which has also received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an urban project to include trees and shrubs selected for high carbon sequestration and pollution absorption, a community garden, a composting area, a farm stand, trails and bike lanes. Mariposa County has also received a USDA grant for a community food garden, and $911,850 from California Natural Resources Agency to restore two sections of Mariposa Creek, creating a recreational parkway, removing invasive species, planting native trees and plants, and installing benches, lighting, a picnic-area platform with tables and a trail kiosk.
The Incredible Edible Park on 7.5 acres in Irvine is run by Second Harvest Food Bank, which received a USDA grant for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production and has 15,000 volunteers helping to feed 200,000 people a month. The Irvine Ranch food forest at the County's Irvine Regional Park in Orange grows and harvests crops which volunteers provide to food pantries. Orange trees at our Plaza Park and Hart Park municipal orange grove have been harvested by Orange Homegrown and Boy Scouts for food pantries. Food forests at Santiago Creek and parks throughout the city could be service projects of scout troops, church groups and community organizations. As at other food forests, such as the Brown Mill Urban Food Forest in Atlanta, Georgia, ours could also grow nuts, herbs, mushrooms, fruits and vegetables for our community.
In addition to the health benefits of locally grown food, an urban food forest also helps reduce air pollution so that we can breathe cleaner air. Our air quality is often "poor" and "unhealthy," causing the American Lung Association to give Orange County an "F" grade for ozone pollution and to rank it the 17th worst in the country. More trees along Santiago Creek would capture air pollutants, decrease toxins and filter rainwater.
The City of Santa Ana recently received at least three grants for urban greening projects -- two for $1.5 million each from CalTrans, and the third for $3,502,500 from CNRA. The projects will include bicycle and pedestrian pathways, shade trees, drought tolerant landscaping, lighting, waste receptacles, seating, interpretive signage, art installations and stormwater infiltrations systems to capture groundwater and infiltrate stormwater runoffs. They will enhance areas aesthetically and also improve residents' health, contributing toward water quality goals and fighting climate change.
2 Item 3.22
VICENTE SARMIENTO
OP ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
SUPERVISOR, SECOND DISTRICT
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION NORTH
400 W. CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, 6TH FLOOR
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92701
ALIFORN
PHONE (714) 834-3220
http://SupervisorSarmiento.com
April 25, 2023
VIA EMAIL
Mayor Dan Slater and Councilmembers
Orange City Hall
300 E. Chapman Ave.,
Orange, CA 92866
RE: The City of Orange Historic Plaza Park Fountain
Dear Honorable Mayor Slater and Councilmembers,
I am writing this letter in support of the ongoing collaboration between my office and the City of Orange in preserving and repairing the city's historic plaza park fountain. At the March 28" Board of Supervisors meeting, the board approved allocation of $25,000 from my office's discretionary ARPA funds towards the restoration of the historic plaza located in downtown Orange.
As the Supervisor for the Second District, I am committed to maintaining and protecting the rich cultural heritage of our communities, and the funding allocation on behalf of my office is an important step towards that goal. I look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts on projects that are important to the City of Orange and its residents.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office at (714) 834-3220.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Respectfully,
Yicente Sa
Supervisor, Second District
CC: Mayor Pro Tem Arianna Barrios
Council member Jon Dumitru
Council member Kathy Tavoularis
Council member Denis Bilodeau
Council member Ana Gutierrez
Council member John Gyllenhammer