August 27, 2024
City Council Meeting
Written Public Comments
City Council
Meeting Time: 08-27-24 18:00
eComments Report
Meetings Meeting
Time
Agenda
Items
Comments Support Oppose Neutral
City Council 08-27-24
18:00
47 85 4 62 2
City Council
08-27-24 18:00
Agenda Name Comments Support Oppose Neutral
2. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CLOSED SESSION ITEMS 50 2 34 1
2. PUBLIC COMMENTS
At this time, members of the public may address the Council on matters not listed on the agenda within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council, provided that NO action may be taken on off-agenda items unless authorized by law. Public Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker unless a different time limit is announced. 29 1 26 0
4.1. Sidewalk Cleaning in Plaza 1 1 0 0
8.1. Executive Management and Senior Management employees' classification, compensation, and terms of employment and Citywide Pay Schedule. Resolution Nos. 11573 and 11574.
4 0 2 1
Agenda Item: eComments for 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CLOSED SESSION ITEMS Guest User
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Submitted At: 5:10pm 08-27-24
. Teachers/principals cannot be expected to take on this task in addition to their other duties at the same time.
Why isn’t anyone asking OPD to “volunteer”??? this aligns much more with their training… • City of Orange has to make cuts to balance their budget, why are you leaving kids out of your public safety analysis?
• Because OUSD has been prudent with our funds and dealt with pension funding in a timely manner, doesn’t mean we owe the city of Orange to help them out of their budgetary crisis to the financial and educational detriment of all OUSD students.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 5:05pm 08-27-24
Our children’s safety should be put first. Please include school crossing guards in the budget. Living near Linda Vista we see the difference this year without the crossing guard.
Please find a corporate sponsor for treats in the streets - this is a great opportunity for a business such as Ricci Realty to give back to the community. Kudos to Toyota of Orange for supporting Concerts in the Park.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 5:04pm 08-27-24
Good Evening Mayor Slater, Council Members, staff, and community stakeholders. I am a homeowner in Orange and a teacher at El Modena High School. I am very concerned that the City of Orange has eliminated crossing guards. While our students at El Modena are bigger, they benefit from the crossing-guard typically stationed on Spring Street, which can otherwise be a racetrack for drivers seeking to avoid signals on Chapman or the stop signs on Walnut and Bond. We have had serious accidents on Spring Street in recent years. Across the city, schools are similarly situated on through-streets and I can not understand how why city ignoring the dangerous situations created by the decision to eliminate city-funded crossing guards. It is equally absurd to pass the
responsibility to control these crossings on city property to volunteers or the school district. I support solving the city's budget crisis, but please do not do it at the expense of our school children and their safety.
Sincerely,
Heather A. Chapman, Ph.D.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:48pm 08-27-24
Although our children have grown up and moved away, I would not like to live in a community that cannot control traffic around schools. OUSD is not equipped to handle this function. It's a public safety issue. The alternatives, traffic signals and speed bumps, are not going to happen. Please reverse this decision.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:31pm 08-27-24
Prioritize Student/Community Safety
Dear City Council, Y our decision to cut the crossing guard program is a very dangerous and low moment for our city. Y ou have knowingly put the OUSD children and community at risk. Protecting children and the community is the bare minimum.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:26pm 08-27-24
Our children should be a priority in the budget. Children walking to and from school should feel safe and not have to endanger their lives while other less important activities get funded by our city. I’m always so thankful to see our crossing guard at our school and it is disgraceful to cut them from the budget.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:22pm 08-27-24
This is stupid. Why is this even a discussion? What needs to happen, a kid gets hit? So that you can afford to host a public event that is attended by families outside of the city. This is highly irresponsible, and needs to be corrected.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:17pm 08-27-24
Now that school has started it has become really apparent that crossing guards are needed for the safety of students. Many Palmyra students have to cross TWO busy intersections to get to school. The intersection off is Tustin & Palmyra is especially dangerous. There are accidents often at this intersection. The safety of children needs to be put above city events and raises.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:17pm 08-27-24
I’m an orange resident and ousd parent and it is outrageous that the city cut the school crossing guards but kept the ridiculous treats in the streets event. We don’t need that dumb event we need our kids to be safe going to school and it’s the city’s responsibility NOT OUSD’s to supply the crossing guards. I can’t let my two elementary school kids walk to school because you took away the guards. What is it going to take? A kid getting hit by a car and dying? I don’t want your thoughts and prayers, I want the city, that my tax dollars go to, to bring back the school crossing guards.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:01pm 08-27-24
The city has been put in a difficult position of financing a city with not enough revenue and so you cut Public Safety and are playing with children's lives. No one thinks running a city with many opposing viewpoints would be easy, but I think the majority of people in this beautiful city of ours would agree that funding crossing guards is the bare minimum. I understand your donor money likely comes from people long without kids in the home, people who have owned their homes free and clear for years now, from people who get to sit back, rub their full bellies, and gleefully watch their housing appreciation while enjoying the Prop 13 benefits of low property taxes. But a city needs to be funded. And getting 400k yr in revenue from a city this big to protect children should be seen as a net gain for every single person. ~a taxpaying resident of Orange Guest User
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Submitted At: 3:25pm 08-27-24
Hello, City Council, I am a resident of Orange and a parent of a OUSD student. The crossing guard from the busy drop off in front of my child’s school has been removed leaving many parents left to navigate the exit of the school drop off and the cross walk without an extra set of eyes. In addition to witnessing the care taken by the crossing guard at my child’s school, I also witnessed the care taken by the crossing guard at Palmyra and Tustin. I take Tustin every morning to get to work and have seen how cars pass through the Palmyra and Tustin intersection, sometimes at speeds exceeding the speed limit. These are parents walking their K—5 aged kids across a very busy intersection that very much benefitted from having a crossing guard present to walk them and their kids across the intersection as they walked to Palmyra Elementary. As much as I enjoy the Treats in the Streets event, I would happily forgo one night of entertainment to ensure the safety of all kids in the OUSD school district by ensuring they have safe routes to school. Events are fun and can be funded by sponsors. When it comes to Safety and cutting budget with police funding, it’s a non-conversation, but when we’re talking about the safety of our kids walking to school, that’s an easy chop? Make it make sense. Thank you.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 3:18pm 08-27-24
I can’t believe that you would even consider removing the crossing guards from the schools. Y ou have now put the students and their parents and guardians in danger of being injured or killed by a driver. Reconsider your wrong decision and reinstate all the crossing guards.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 3:04pm 08-27-24
Mayor Slater and City Council Members - The 2024/2025 school year has started in Orange Unified School District and with little or no notice to the School District or OUSD parents the City has decided to address the City's budget shortfalls by cancelling contracts for Elementary School crossing guards. Even though several of you may not be wholly responsible for creating the budget crisis the city is currently experiencing, if a child or uninsured parent is hit by an errant driver you certainly ALL will be remembered as the City Council who cut one of the most basic public safety measures, Crossing Guards. I suggest that you each spend a few mornings from 8am-9am out at a few of the local Elementary schools and see for yourselves how children, often unaccompanied, have to cross heavy traffic at Handy & Collins, La Veta between Laurinda and Y orba, Main & Palmyra, or Cambridge & Walnut, navigating rush hour and school drop off. This is unconscionable and I can only assume that this is a theatrical cut in order to force residents who may not already see the need to vote for some type of tax increase off of the fence. Using children's safety for this is not right.
If I understand correctly the funding for Crossing Guards in Orange comes from our Public Safety budget. As we're coming on to campaign season perhaps there can be a search held every morning, Monday through Friday, at all of the elementary schools in Orange for missing campaign signs as that seemed to draw four police cruisers, a much more efficient use of city tax funds and a turnout certain to result in safe intersections and perhaps some revenue through traffic citations.
I suggest tabling any discussion of Agenda Item 8.1 until AFTER a solution is found for the City's current budget crisis. Division heads will have to wait for their COLA. And not to be a Grinch, but tabling any discussion of funding for Treats In The Streets also until after the City has found a solution for the current budget crisis.
Please do the right thing. Thanks,
JJ Meis
Orange Citizen, OUSD Parent
Guest User
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Submitted At: 2:36pm 08-27-24
Every other district in Orange County doesn’t have to pay for the crossing guards OUSD doesn’t get to decide the speed limit, crosswalk layout, painting, lighting, stopsign or signal installation, etc. Why would they monitor someone else’s area?
Guest User
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Submitted At: 2:32pm 08-27-24
I am an OUSD parent and resident of the City of Orange. I understand that the city is facing a number of financial challenges right now but cutting crossing guards for our children does not seem like the right priority, especially when you are considering funding Treats in the Streets and raises for senior management. OUSD is not equipped to handle crossing guard work and it is standard practice for the city to handle this. The safety of school kids walking to school needs to be heavily considered in any analysis of public safety costs and cuts.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 2:30pm 08-27-24
Crossing guards ensure the safety of children who cross the street at busy corners. Why would a city abandon a system that works? The crossing at prospect for Mc Phearson school is awful and requires crosswalk guards to stop cars that otherwise might fly through the streets. The same applies for La Vera elementary! Cars fly down the street and there's no traffic light or stop sign for kids to cross. Please prevent a terrible event and fund crossing guards. Everyone benefits.
Jennifer Medina
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Submitted At: 2:25pm 08-27-24
I am a parent of a student in OUSD and a City of Orange resident. I oppose the decision made to end crossing guard services in the City of Orange, a vital city service provided to students and families in OUSD. All cities in the County of Orange provide this service, it would be a shame that we do not. OUSD does not have the ability to absorb this cost and does not have the liability insurance needed for this. If the proposed senior management raises were deferred, the crossing guard services could be maintained for a full year. A plan was not put in place before terminating all crossing guards. Please do not put kids and families at risk, please find a way to fund this vital city service. Thank you.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 2:14pm 08-27-24
Please bring back the crossing guards for the safety of everyone in the City of Orange! It is vital to protect pedestrian traffic in school zones. Defer raises or cut treats in the streets to fund crossing guards.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 2:06pm 08-27-24
City of Orange use common sense and do the right thing. Provide crossing guards for our children. Do not put this on OUSD because you have failed at keeping within your budgets.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:58pm 08-27-24
I am writing not just as a parent of children who attend public schools in Orange, but as a someone who has lost two family members to a fatal accident in a crosswalk. A father and a daughter lost their lives that day, and I can personally attest to the devastating blow that this type of accident can cause to a family and a community.
We are a community of cousins, neighbors, aunts, uncles, parents, and families who want to thrive in Orange.
Providing safe access to schools seems like it should be a high priority, and I was shocked when I realized that crossing guards were no longer being provided by the city. Many of the schools in Orange USD have small parking lots on campus, so even parents who drive our kids to school have to park and cross busy roads to get our students on campus.
These roads can be difficult to navigate, with little traffic oversight offered by Orange PD. Particularly at the start of the school year where drivers may have gotten used to speeding down the hill or running stop signs, our children face a significant safety risk. It is bad enough that the traffic laws are not enforced properly in school zones, but to double down by not providing crossing guards is an accident waiting to happen.
I hope that no one in our community has to endure the pain that my family experienced. Crossing guards can't protect from every possible risk, but they would have prevented the accident that resulted in my cousin and his daughter's lives being tragically cut short.
Please protect our families.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:54pm 08-27-24
Crossing guards at our OUSD schools are paramount to our students and families safety. Crossing guards are the responsibility of the city to ensure their roads are safe for OUSD students. The city must provide crossing guards- not the district.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:47pm 08-27-24
Dear City Council Members,
As a parent of two young children attending public school in the Orange Unified School District, I am deeply concerned about the recent decision to remove crossing guards from our city streets. This change directly impacts the safety of our children as they navigate busy intersections on their way to and from school each day.
Public safety, especially the safety of our youngest residents, should remain a top priority. Crossing guards play a crucial role in ensuring that our children can cross streets safely, and their absence creates unnecessary risks for both pedestrians and drivers.
I also find it troubling that the responsibility of providing crossing guards is being pushed onto OUSD. OUSD Funding should be going to our teachers, students, curriculum, supplies and safety within the areas that the school can control. The school does not control traffic lights, cross walks, or speed limits that impact where and when crossing guards are necessary This is clearly a city responsibility, as it involves managing city streets and traffic, something the school district is neither equipped nor insured to handle. The city has always maintained crossing guard services, and thus has the necessary skillset and training required to provide this service to residents.
I urge the city council to reconsider the allocation of funds and prioritize the safety of our children over proposed raises for senior management to be consistent with how other districts in Orange County are funded for crossing guards. This small sacrifice could make a significant difference in the lives of many families in our community. If an accident were to occur, not only would that devastate families in Orange, but also could result in expensive lawsuits to the city for not providing proper traffic control. The unnecessary risk of life and funding to pay claims associated with potential injuries through failing to provide crossing guards seems to outweigh any benefit of eliminating this service.
Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. This is an election year, and it is more important than ever to demonstrate to parents in Orange County that the City Council is serving our community's interests.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:36pm 08-27-24
Mayor Slater and Members of the Orange City Council: My name is Nicole Barlow. I am an Orange resident and parent to a La Veta Elementary fifth grader. I'm commenting today to oppose a tragedy waiting to happen -- the City Council's reckless decision to cancel contracts for school crossing guards district-wide. While you continue to fund non-critical city events like the Street Fair and Treats in the Streets, you've cut budget for critical child safety.
In the process, you've put thousands of students in serious and immediate danger, right at the start of the school year, with zero foresight or investigation. Let me tell you what kids as young as 5 face at La Veta Elementary alone. Our school is parallel to a busy, four lane street. This thoroughfare does not have a stoplight, only a barely- there crosswalk with lights that aren't visible during daylight hours. I have already witnessed multiple children and guardians rush across it unattended, dodging cars. Let's be clear: this is dangerous and unacceptable. And this decision by the City Council will result in an injury, or worse. Let's also be clear that it is unacceptable for OUSD to be the ONL Y district in Orange County to NOT have crossing guards provided by our city. Stop putting the burden of your financial crisis on innocent kids and their families and our already overburdened public schools.
Instead, do the responsible thing and reverse this decision, fun our much-needed crossing guards, and keep Orange a safe place. Thank you.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:33pm 08-27-24
This is an accident waiting to happen.
I strongly oppose cutting crossing guards at the schools in the City of Orange for exactly the same reasons as all of the others who have voiced their opinions in the comments below.
I hope this is not the City’s way of trying to find a sponsor to fill in the funding gap for this critical public safety service.
Sincerely,
Orange resident of over 30 years, OUSD parent, and taxpayer Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:21pm 08-27-24
Please reconsider the elimination of funding for school crossing guards. Funding candy as an alternative budget expense is a seriously misplaced priority. Surely there are other areas you can trim the budget without impacting the safety of our children. Community safety should be non-negotiable in the budget.
Sincerely,
Orange resident and taxpayer
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:20pm 08-27-24
Our children's safety should be top priority. Crossing guards are a necessity and with our budget, it should not be what is cut.
• OUSD protects children in the areas they are equipped to do so. This is not their job. This is a city function. • OUSD doesn’t have liability insurance for this. It’s simply not done. • Teachers/principals cannot be expected to take on this task in addition to their other duties at the same time.
Why isn’t anyone asking OPD to “volunteer”??? this aligns much more with their training… • Every other district in Orange County doesn’t have to pay for the crossing guards • OUSD doesn’t get to decide the speed limit, crosswalk layout, painting, lighting, stopsign or signal installation, etc. Why would they monitor someone else’s area?
• Pedestrians are not the only ones protected. Crossing guards also keep traffic flowing and provide a central point for when cars should proceed (or not)
• OUSD providing this service would be
• It would take the district the better part of a year to create a recruiting process, find crossing guards, train and get them ready to be out there making sure pedestrians are safe. If we were to outsource this the estimated cost would be a million dollars a year. So over the decade we could choose to modernize an elementary school OR hire crossing guards in one of the seven cities we exist within. • OUSD doesn’t need to be the ONL Y school district in Orange County paying to monitor city streets. • It doesn’t make any sense. OUSD isn’t responsible for street conditions, they don’t set the speed limit, control police patrols, determine who gets a light or a stop-sign. Because that’s the duty of the city. • This doesn’t only impact students who attend schools within the city. If OUSD has to pay for crossing guards the financial impact will be significant. The equivalent of one elementary school modernization will be spent every 5 years.
• City of Orange has to make cuts to balance their budget, why are you leaving kids out of your public safety analysis?
• Because OUSD has been prudent with our funds and dealt with pension funding in a timely manner, doesn’t mean we owe the city of Orange to help them out of their budgetary crisis to the financial and educational detriment of all OUSD students.
Orange Resident of over 30 years
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:17pm 08-27-24
I was wondering where the crossing guards went. Let's game this out for your political career- - Y ou vote to fire the crossing guards to save money.
- Y ou vote to fund salary increases for top tier management. - Some kid gets hit by a car.
- The death/injury is on you, and the public will make sure everyone knows. - Y our political career is over.
It's very likely that the lack of crossing guards will directly result in a child's injury or death. That will be directly associated with how you handle this issue.
The decision you should make is phenomenally clear cut and easy. The risk to children, and by proxy, your career is so incredibly high. Y ou should also consider what kind of lies you're going to have to tell yourself just to get out of bed in the morning.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:14pm 08-27-24
Pedestrians are not the only ones protected by a crossing guard. Crossing guards also keep traffic flowing and provide a central point for when cars should proceed (or not). Traffic is insane. This decision will cost lives.
Glory Johnson
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Submitted At: 1:12pm 08-27-24
I am opposed to cutting funding for our school crossing guards. We are spending $84,000 for Treats in the Streets for kids. Let's analyze that, giving them candy instead of crossing guards... it doesn't sound responsible.
In fact, it sounds embarrassing!
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:00pm 08-27-24
Crossing guards are not a luxury item within a city council’s budget. They are a necessary service for the public safety of our most vulnerable group, children. Please re-evaluate your priorities and make the right decision with regards to this budget decision. Raises get deferred for much less important initiatives all the time and community events, while valuable, can be skipped. Do better, the community is watching. - OUSD parent and tax payer
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:54pm 08-27-24
Dear Orange City Council,
As an Orange resident and OUSD parent, I strongly ask you to reconsider cutting crossing guards at our public schools. The safety of our students should be the number one priority when deciding a city’s budget. I find it embarrassing for the City of Orange that we can’t figure out how to fund this essential program. To put the responsibility on the school district and/or community members when other OC districts do not have this responsibility and these are city streets is completely unreasonable.
Crossing guards are not only beneficial to public school children, they assist with the flow of traffic and help motorists drive through high traffic areas in a safe manner. They benefit ALL Orange residents. If our city doesn’t have the funds to keep this imperative program in effect, then we are failing our community.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:48pm 08-27-24
Bring back the crossing guards. OUSD protects children in the areas they are equipped to do so. This is not their job. This is a city function.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:47pm 08-27-24
I am worried about the safety of the children that are walking to school without crossing guards. Why is OUSD require to pay for crossing guards when every other school district does not. Teachers/ staff should not be expected to take on the task in addition to their duties. City of Orange has to make cuts to their budget but protecting children is our utmost responsibility. Please reconsider your position.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:46pm 08-27-24
To Whom It May Concern:
Drivers are careless and reckless. Y ou only need to spend 10 minutes at a busy intersection (such as Handy and Collins) to witness first hand people running stop signs, distracted by their phones, and cutting off the pedestrian right of way.
Crossing guards provide a critical check against these drivers who otherwise wouldn’t notice a small child who may not have the situational awareness necessary to avoid a critically dangerous situation.
Moreover it is saddening that the crossing guard that I have seen every school morning for years and with whom we mutually greet each other with a wave is no longer stationed at his corner.
This is irresponsible.
André J. Ausseresses
City of Orange Resident
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:44pm 08-27-24
As an Orange resident I pass 3 OUSD schools every morning on my way to work. One of these schools (Prospect Elementary) is across the street from my home. El Modena High School is just down the street and that brings a lot of young, newly licensed drivers. Mix that with a lot of pedestrian traffic on school days and you have a recipe for disaster. This school is in dire need of a crossing guard.
McPherson does not have the added element of newly licensed drivers headed to high school. But they do have a 4 way stop that young children must navigate. Have you seen how impatient commuters get when they get stuck in a school drop off line? Without a crossing guard it is only a matter of time before someone gets hit.
Finally, La Veta Elementary is located on a long stretch of road where many drivers like to drive too fast. Drivers do not follow the rules for lower speeds in school zones. Again, our children need the added safety of a school crossing guard.
I’m going to guess that every school has a specific set of circumstances that potentially put our children at risk.
Why do we need to wait for a tragic accident to happen before we do something about it? Why should any city officials get raises when there is a crucial need for this money somewhere else? Why is Treats in the Streets being considered before children’s safety? I urge you to bring our crossing guards back for the safety of our children.
Thank you, Jennifer Surges
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:43pm 08-27-24
Fund the school crossing guard program for the 2024-2025 school year by deferring the proposed pay raise for senior officials. If there is a financial deficit due to poor leadership, that same leadership should not receive a raise while our smallest citizens are put in harms’ way. * OUSD protects children in the areas they are equipped to do so. This is not their job. This is a city function. *OUSD doesn’t have liability insurance for this.
*Teachers/principals cannot be expected to take on this task in addition to their other duties at the same time.
Why isn’t anyone asking OPD to “volunteer”??? this aligns much more with their training… *Every other district in Orange County doesn’t have to pay for the crossing guards *OUSD doesn’t get to decide the speed limit, crosswalk layout, painting, lighting, stopsign or signal installation, etc. Why would they monitor someone else’s area?
*Pedestrians are not the only ones protected. Crossing guards also keep traffic flowing and provide a central point for when cars should proceed (or not)
*OUSD providing this service would would take the district the better part of a year to create a recruiting process, find crossing guards, train and get them ready to be out there making sure pedestrians are safe. If we were to outsource this the estimated cost would be a million dollars a year. So over the decade we could choose to modernize an elementary school OR hire crossing guards in one of the seven cities we exist within. *OUSD doesn’t need to be the ONL Y school district in Orange County paying to monitor city streets.
It doesn’t make any sense. OUSD isn’t responsible for street conditions, they don’t set the speed limit, control police patrols, determine who gets a light or a stop-sign. Because that’s the duty of the city.
This doesn’t only impact students who attend schools within the city. If OUSD has to pay for crossing guards the financial impact will be significant. The equivalent of one elementary school modernization will be spent every 5 years.
City of Orange has to make cuts to balance their budget, why are you leaving kids out of your public safety analysis?
Because OUSD has been prudent with our funds and dealt with pension funding in a timely manner, doesn’t mean we owe the city of Orange to help them out of their budgetary crisis to the financial and educational detriment of all OUSD students.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:40pm 08-27-24
I oppose cutting funding for crossing guards. This program can be fully funded under federal funding for safe to schools. It is very important for protecting children who walk to school and works to slow traffic around the schools. This funding is only available to the city. The city is responsible for safety on our streets. Find a better way to balance the budget than jeopardizing student safety. Florice Hoffman Orange resident Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:37pm 08-27-24
Dear Mayor Slater and Orange City Council,
I strongly as you to reconsider your intention to cut the employment of crossing guards. There are many people especially in the morning who drive fast even through school zones. Crossing guards ensure that these drivers slow down and become aware of the pedestrians. Every other district in Orange County doesn’t have to pay for the crossing guards. It is not a school district’s responsibility because it is city property. It would be better for you to delay other expenses in order to balance the city budget like your proposed raise for senior city management.
Sincerely,
Yvonne Abril
Concerned Orange resident
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:23pm 08-27-24
I find it irresponsible and unconscionable to eliminate Crossing Guards at our public schools. This is not the right way to save city money. Please find a way to reinstate and fund the Crossing Guards.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:22pm 08-27-24
Dear Mayor Slater and Orange City Council members,
My name is Danielle King, a resident of Villa Park but a former Orange resident and current business owner in Orange, as well as a parent in OUSD.
I strongly urge you to not cut the budget for crossing guards for the schools in the city of Orange. This is city property and children should not be the ones who suffer (or get injured or worse) due to budget cuts. Even more egregious is there is also an agenda item to increase city sernior management salaries by $366k, which is a large part of the $425k the crossing guard program costs. Why is it that government employees get raises on the back of denying our children critical safety measures? I understand our wages aren't going as far as they did 4 years ago, but we're all feeling the squeeze. I also understand the importance of having reserves, but with $51 MILLION in reserves as of last June, shouldn't our kids' safety be prioritized and worth <1% of that if that is what it takes to keep the crossing guard program in place if raises are needed? Please re-consider this cut. One bad incident at an unguarded city crosswalk and that $425k will seem cheap compared to the ensuing lawsuit that would most likely be filed.
Thank you all for your time and diligence. I know this is a tough budgeting year and cuts must be made, I just don't agree that it should be at the cost of protecting children's lives.
Thank you for your time.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:22pm 08-27-24
I oppose letting go of all crossing guards in our school district. They are a vital key to the safety of kids in our community. As an adult crossing the street, I often feel unsafe with the reckless driving and running of stop signs I see daily. I think there are cuts to be made elsewhere without making a drastic change to school kids’ safety.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:19pm 08-27-24
Dear City Council members,
First of all thank you for your service to our communities. As a parent of small children, a licensed driver, and as someone that takes protecting our vulnerable community members seriously, I am very concerned to learn that the budget for crossing guards has been eliminated. I grew up with a friend who watched her kindergarten classmate 30 years ago get struck and killed by a car walking onto campus and it haunts her and the community to this day. Above all else, protecting innocent children from reckless drivers on their walk into campus is a basic community service that shouldn’t be up for discussion. Please get your priorities in order. Do children need another Halloween activity or to survive their walk to school? The answer is clear to me.
Emily Egkan
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:19pm 08-27-24
The idea that Orange City Council ever even considered being the only city in Orange County to de-fund school crossing guards is just unbelievable to me. OUSD should not be put in a position to take on this cost simply because the Council would rather use that money for their own raises. Members of the Orange City Council ... this is not a good look. The optics are terrible and the actual impact on the safety (and traffic flow) around our schools will be significant. I can promise you that this is a decision that I and many others will remember when voting.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:18pm 08-27-24
As a parent of an OUSD student, this is outrageous. I drive to work in the mornings after dropping my child off at school. The crosswalks I drive thru are very dangerous and NEED someone to monitor them. This is very scary to hear as I witness this every morning. There are plenty of drivers without school age children that do not care and do not pay attention at crosswalks. Only the crossing guard protects our kids. This is absolutely the city's responsibility and I assure you if one of their children were in an accident at a crosswalk this would not be on the agenda!
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:18pm 08-27-24
I am appalled that you would choose to fill your pockets rather than to protect children. I have a child who attends a OUSD school and I cannot believe that you are willing to take a pay increase over funding crossing guards. I have seen first hand several times where cars have gone speeding by the school with no concern for the children, parents and teachers. The school district has no control over the speed limit or any other traffic violation why should they be in charge of crossing guards. Protect our kids not your personal bank account.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:17pm 08-27-24
Dear Mayor and council,
I strongly oppose your plan to cut crossing guard funding while also proposing over $300k in raises. Our children need to be protected. This would absolutely be unheard of and would make us the only people in Orange County doing something as reckless as this. This should be on the city to fund which is how the entire county runs. It would take a significant amount of time to correct and would be stealing funding from our education systems for important programs. I strongly urge you to consider our children and not yourselves. Keep the crossing guards.
Do not pass the raises.
Danika Dickerson 92869
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:06pm 08-27-24
Dear Orange City Council,
As an employee of OUSD, I find it dangerous and reckless that you’ve cut the entire budget for crossing guards for our schools but are considering giving salary raises to senior management as well as funding Treats in the Streets. The safety of our students and their parents should be number one on your safety agenda, what is it going to take for you to reverse this decision? A child being killed while walking to school? I urge you to reconsider this reckless decision before tragedy strikes. Thank you.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:05pm 08-27-24
Dear Mayor Dan Slater and Orange City Council,
vehemently oppose $366,440 in the form of raises for senior management- it is ridiculous that the city is even considering this. If there is money in the budget for salary increases, it should first be spent funding crossing guards for our schools.
Thomas Rapport
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Submitted At: 12:05pm 08-27-24
The city should not be funding Treats In The Streets or giving raises while the city is in a financial crisis! What you should be funding is the crossing guard program. Y ou are literally putting children's lives at risk by canceling it..
Guest User
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Submitted At: 10:54am 08-27-24
Dear Mayor Dan Slater and Orange City Council,
My name is Penny Laris, and I am a resident of District 6 in the city of Orange. I am writing to express my family’s strong opposition to the proposed development of the Orange Heights neighborhood by the Irvine Company. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for this project is outdated, and the disruption to this wildlife corridor will be devastating.
This project threatens to take away the unique experience of living in nature that sets our city apart from its neighbors. Because my compact home does not have a yard—or really any outdoor space—for my young children to play in, we rely on the nearby trails in and around Irvine Park and Peter's Canyon for them to explore the outdoors weekly. These natural spaces provide many young families like mine with the opportunity to learn about the wildlife in our community, which was a major reason my husband and I chose to lay down our roots in East Orange. My son, who is a Cub Scout from Pack 1475 in our Orange community, is absolutely heartbroken to learn that the plants and animals we often see in this area—like bobcats, roadrunners, deer, woodpeckers, snakes, and wildflowers—will soon be losing their habitat.
I urge you to halt the development of Orange Heights, not only for the sake of our current residents—both human and wildlife—but also for the future generations of Orange residents who count on the decisions we make today to ensure they also have this precious land to enjoy.
Agenda Item: eComments for 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS
At this time, members of the public may address the Council on matters not listed on the agenda within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council, provided that NO action may be taken on off-agenda items unless authorized by law. Public Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker unless a different time limit is announced.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 5:39pm 08-27-24
I highly oppose the fact that the city is letting all school crossing guards go. Our most vulnerable community member are being put in danger.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 5:38pm 08-27-24
School crossing guards are critical for the safety of small children and their parents. Besides protecting pedestrians, they also keep traffic flowing, providing breaks for traffic to proceed. No other city requires a school district to pay for their crossing guards. The school district has no jurisdiction over where crosswalks are painted or the liability insurance for paying for guards. If the rationale for raises is for providing staff and resources for public safety, then crossing guards should be included in that financial outlay. Daily crossing guards are much more essential than an annual Treats in the Streets, an event that could be modified to require a much smaller budget, leaving additional money available for crossing guards Thank you. Bonnie Robinson Guest User
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Submitted At: 5:35pm 08-27-24
I oppose using money for activities rather than for school crossing guards. If it is too late, then use all possible resources to pay off debts. Thank you.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 5:16pm 08-27-24
I strongly urge you to reconsider having no crossing guards for our schools. It is a reckless decision that puts children at risk. Our citizens deserve to feel safe sending their children to school, and it is your responsibility to ensure that happens. Our school staff and teachers are already overworked, and this adds another level of stress to their jobs. They should not have to worry about how their students are getting to school, but I know they will. It is your responsibility to ensure the safety of Orange residents. If you are going to make this cut and still receive raises in your salary, you personally should be held responsible. Y ou should do the crossing guard job to earn that raise or forgo your increase to fund their job. Crossing guards are all part-time employees that cost you pennies. They don't even get benefits to risk their lives for our children. The same can not be said for you.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:59pm 08-27-24
How dare you cancel crossing guards and then give raises. The students of Orange deserve better. Or is it that your children attend private school and you couldn’t care any less. To put that responsibility on schools who already have enough to do instead of taking care of our children on the STREETS of Orange is reckless and irresponsible. I’m begging you to put this money back where it belongs to protect our CHILDREN.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:58pm 08-27-24
I oppose of the crossing guards being let go. Not only is, this a safety issues but a public issue. The role of government officials is for THE people to protect THE people. If this is a budget issue we need to know how we allocate our tax dollars. Using tax’s dollars to increase the salary for city officials rather then continue to fund our cross guards. We then allow children to walk home in high impacted Main Streets. We create a scares within our city and put in danger of the children of Orange.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:53pm 08-27-24
Dear Orange City Council,
As an Orange resident and OUSD parent, I strongly ask you to reconsider cutting crossing guards at our public schools. The safety of our students should be the number one priority when deciding a city’s budget. I find it embarrassing for the City of Orange that we can’t figure out how to fund this essential program. To put the responsibility on the school district and/or community members when other OC districts do not have this responsibility and these are city streets is completely unreasonable.
Crossing guards are not only beneficial to public school children, they assist with the flow of traffic and help motorists drive through high traffic areas in a safe manner. They benefit ALL Orange residents. If our city doesn’t have the funds to keep this imperative program in effect, then we are failing our community.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:45pm 08-27-24
We want crossing guards back on La Veta because this spot is incredibly dangerous! Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:39pm 08-27-24
I highly oppose the fact that the city is letting all crossing guards go. I realize we are in financial trouble but not at the cost of safety. Our little ones will be in protected. Take away Sweets for Treats or something that doesn’t affect the lives and safety of our kids. Teachers will not be doing this duty for you because it would be a personal liability. Please reconsider!!!
Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:20pm 08-27-24
Hi, I'm writing in support of the housing development proposal in the city of Orange. I'm in support of ANY housing that gets built in our city, in ANY location, anything to help alleviate the severe housing crisis which will make it impossible for our children to be able to afford to live near their parents in their old age. It's such short sightedness of CA cities to not understand the massive implications (San Francisco level housing prices) of not keeping up with the demand for housing via building more homes. Thank you, a resident of Orange Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:15pm 08-27-24
crossing Guards.
OUSD protects children in the areas they are equipped to do so. This is not their job. This is a city function.
OUSD doesn’t have liability insurance for this. It’s simply not done.
I understand our city has significant budget problems and tough decisions must be made however, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the cutting of the crossing guard program for the Orange Unified School District.
Shifting this responsibility to OUSD is both impractical and unfair for several reasons.
We need crossguards at our schools are you waiting for an accident to happen to make it a priority Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:06pm 08-27-24
OUSD should not be required to assume financial and management responsibility for school crossing guards. No other district in Orange County is required to do so. Crossing guards work on city streets where districts have no responsibility for speed limits, police patrols, crosswalk locations, warning signals or other signage. Asking OUSD to provide guards doesn't make sense and drains funds needed to improve the learning environment and safety of our students while they are on district property.
I live next door to an OUSD elementary school, within sight of a previously guarded crosswalk. It was sad and scary to see the crossing unmaned when school started yesterday. The safety of children on their way to school should be a budget item of highest priority, not one to tossed when times are tough! Guest User
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Submitted At: 4:05pm 08-27-24
Mayor Slater and Council Members,
I am a resident and the parent of a current OUSD student.
I understand our city has significant budget problems and tough decisions must be made however, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the cutting of the crossing guard program for the Orange Unified School District.
Shifting this responsibility to OUSD is both impractical and unfair for several reasons.
Ensuring the safety of children at intersections falls under city jurisdiction, not a school district’s. OUSD is tasked with educating and protecting students within the school environment, but managing crossing guards is a city function.
OUSD does not have liability insurance for crossing guard duties, which is not a responsibility typically covered by school districts. Transferring this task to OUSD would expose the district to significant legal and financial risks.
Suggesting teachers and principals to take on crossing guard responsibilities is unreasonable given their already demanding educational duties. The Orange Police Department (OPD), with their specialized training, would be a more suitable entity for this role. Why isn't OPD being asked to contribute in this capacity? Their budget wasn't cut and they had plenty of officers available to chase down missing political yard signs in the last election. Wasn't the reason for not cutting OPD’s budget because of community safety concerns? Why should OUSD be unfairly burdened with costs that other districts in Orange County do not have to bear? The inequity of requiring OUSD to fund its own crossing guards, while other districts do not, creates an unjust situation.
Since OUSD does not control street conditions, speed limits, or traffic signals, it makes little sense to ask the district to manage areas where they lack decision-making power and influence.
Implementing a new crossing guard program would require nearly a year to recruit, train, and deploy staff.
Outsourcing this service would be prohibitively expensive, with costs potentially reaching around a million dollars annually. Over a decade, this would divert resources that could otherwise be used to modernize an elementary school.
The financial strain of covering crossing guard duties could equal the cost of modernizing an elementary school every five years. This significant expense would directly impact the quality of education provided to OUSD students.
Budget cuts should not come at the expense of children’s safety. It is crucial that public safety considerations include the well-being of students who rely on crossing guards for protection.
OUSD’s prudent financial management does not mean they should bear the city’s budgetary shortfall at the expense of our students’ safety and educational resources. I urge the City Council to reconsider this decision and ensure that the responsibility for crossing guards remains with the city, where it belongs.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely, _Kim VanDerHoek
Guest User
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Submitted At: 3:54pm 08-27-24
I am in opposition of the city cutting all crossing guards near school areas. It is unsafe and frankly irresponsible. It may seem to make sense to save a few hundred thousand dollars by cutting crossing guards, but think of how much more costly the lives of children are and possible lawsuits if anyone gets hurt- which is simply a matter of time when pedestrians are mostly children in highly trafficked school areas. Any parent, passerby or community member can attest to how risky this move is. Please do the responsible and ethical thing.
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Submitted At: 3:48pm 08-27-24
Please bring back crossing people the cars are fast and scary. I am worried for my siblings that they will get ran over because people are bad at driving
Guest User
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Submitted At: 3:42pm 08-27-24
Making the decision to not use Crossing Guards is NOT a part of "smart city management". Frankly, this is a joke from this City Council and the Mayor. I am looking at Homes where homeowners have paid pennies in taxes for the last 40yrs and now are listed on Zillow for millions (I wonder which Real Estate council members benefit from high housing prices? Do you represent your wealthy donors or the thousands upon thousands of families with children in the district?) Orange Unified School District should not be responsible for this inability to collect the appropriate amount to run a city and its schools. Do the hard thing, tell your rich buddies we need a functioning city, and collect the revenue to make our streets safe for children. If someone gets hurt by this the CITY will be paying out the lawsuit money! Signed, a constituent with THREE children in OUSD schools! Guest User
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Submitted At: 3:02pm 08-27-24
We need crossguards at our schools are you waiting for an accident to happen to make it a priority Guest User
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Submitted At: 2:25pm 08-27-24
Children are a precious commodity. If you don't prioritize your children, nothing else really matters. If you don't provide the crossing guards, and a child is hit or killed, you will carry that on your conscience the rest of your lives. There are so many things you can cut (think Halloween). I know you'll do what's in the best interest of the children.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:59pm 08-27-24
Mayor Slater and Council,
People move to a city because they like the city's services and the schools! Y ou take away services that make schools safe, you will end up with people deciding not to move to Orange, thus affecting the cities real estate and taxes! Older people in the community will not like having to sell their properties at a discount. Plus all the other stuff below!!
Karen Goldberg
OUSD protects children in the areas they are equipped to do so. This is not their job. This is a city function.
OUSD doesn’t have liability insurance for this. It’s simply not done.
Teachers/principals cannot be expected to take on this task in addition to their other duties at the same time. Why isn’t anyone asking OPD to “volunteer”??? this aligns much more with their training… Every other district in Orange County doesn’t have to pay for the crossing guards OUSD doesn’t get to decide the speed limit, crosswalk layout, painting, lighting, stopsign or signal installation, etc. Why would they monitor someone else’s area?
Pedestrians are not the only ones protected. Crossing guards also keep traffic flowing and provide a central point for when cars should proceed (or not)
OUSD providing this service would be
It would take the district the better part of a year to create a recruiting process, find crossing guards, train and get them ready to be out there making sure pedestrians are safe. If we were to outsource this the estimated cost would be a million dollars a year. So over the decade we could choose to modernize an elementary school OR hire crossing guards in one of the seven cities we exist within.
OUSD doesn’t need to be the ONL Y school district in Orange County paying to monitor city streets.
It doesn’t make any sense. OUSD isn’t responsible for street conditions, they don’t set the speed limit, control police patrols, determine who gets a light or a stop-sign. Because that’s the duty of the city.
This doesn’t only impact students who attend schools within the city. If OUSD has to pay for crossing guards the financial impact will be significant. The equivalent of one elementary school modernization will be spent every 5 years.
City of Orange has to make cuts to balance their budget, why are you leaving kids out of your public safety analysis?
I am a parent
Because OUSD has been prudent with our funds and dealt with pension funding in a timely manner, doesn’t mean we owe the city of Orange to help them out of their budgetary crisis to the financial and educational detriment of all OUSD students.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:45pm 08-27-24
Mayor Slater and Council,
I appreciate the difficulty of where/how to make budget cuts and to increase revenue. I recently spoke at your meeting favoring a small tax increase to improve the revenue side of the equation. I am very bothered by the prospect of moving crossing guards to OUSD since Orange will be unique in the county with that expectation.
School staff has more than enough to do to teach and attend to the kids. I am not a parent, but frequently drive by Taft School on Cambridge and see the already existing traffic congestion. The crossing guards are essential to keeping kids safe and traffic moving. Thank you for your reconsideration.
Sister Mary Sweeney
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Submitted At: 1:26pm 08-27-24
Me, my wife, and many, many parents in the community strongly oppose the city’s decision to cut crossing guards.
It strikes me as extremely interesting that apparently this city is so mismanaged that all other cities in the district are able to pay for crossing guards, but Orange cannot.
I wonder — at what recent election did we get things so wrong? Brett and Jannah Arnold
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Submitted At: 12:58pm 08-27-24
Dear Mayor Dan Slater and City Council Members,
I am a resident of District 1 and my freshman child attends Orange High School. Due to our work schedules, she walks to and from school each day. This past weekend she told me how scared she was each day to cross Chapman. It is pure recklessness that the City has chosen to cut our crossing guards. We all know how distracted drivers are these days and it will be an absolute tragedy when one of our kids and their families God forbid end up paying the ultimate price for the decision that you've made. Other than trying to push this City expense back on to the School District, what other options has the City come up with? Perhaps Police Department volunteers or cadets can take on these duties? Or perhaps it becomes a rotating City duty amongst several different Departments and employees. I understand that budget cuts are necessary and that tough times call for doing more with less, but at what cost? The cost of a life or of someone being injured? The City looks absolutely foolish for approving staff increases in the middle of everything that is happening right now. I implore you to reconsider reimplementing the crossing guard immediately and doing the right thing for our kids and families. Thank you.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:46pm 08-27-24
Dear Mayor Slater and City Council-members,
As an Orange resident, I’ve been closely following the ongoing budget crisis and have seen the tough choices you have had to make. From the beginning on the discussion, all of the members of the City Council have made it clear that public safety is a priority. As a resident, and proud McPherson mom, I’m disappointed that such an important part of the City’s public safety infrastructure was cut. Thousands of students just started school last week with no crossing guards, and the impacts are already being felt. Please reconsider this cut, and reinstate crossing guards, which help assure the safety of the children of Orange.
Thank you,
Ashley Toomey
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:27pm 08-27-24
Well, well, well. Dan and Clan are at it again. Imagine sitting in the closed door session listening to them discuss how to address the budget issue. Suddenly a light bulb goes on and they decide they should cut the crossing guards across OUSD. This is so beyond reckless and endangers 10’s of thousands students across the city. I wonder how many of their kids walk to school…… my guess none. So if their kid is not endangered…. No crossing guards….. no problem. The council argues this move will save $450k. Wait for it…. Wait for it….. they at the same time are proposing raises of $366k to Senior City Management for the rational “To provide for a safe community” _. Y ou can’t make this up. In most cities and counties they would call this corruption, but in Orange they just do it in plain sight. “Hey let’s fire all the crossing guards and pay ourselves $366k in raises”. The absolute callouses and baffonery of the council is beyond any reasoning I can come up with. Y ou want to know the real reason why the crossing guards got cut? In their quest to get a sales tax passed they will continue to cut to most high profile, most visible place they can and then they will say “Look if you pass the sales tax all of this comes back”. So they will continue to cut the most visible services, safety of the community be dammed so they can get the tax increase to fix the budget, rather than doing it the hard way. May I also mention that the top 20 earning city employees took home over $1M in overtime pay. That is on top of their salaries. Not making this up.
Go to transparent California.com to see for yourself. Keep up the great work Dan and Clan you are doing an extraordinary job for the city and those that put you in those seats. Bravo council Bravo!!_ Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:25pm 08-27-24
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
I am an Orange resident, OUSD Mother, and Business Owner in the City of Orange. I am outraged at the decision to stop providing crossing guards for our children on their way to and from OUSD schools. The choice of our city council to prioritize other budget items at the expense of the safety of children and families is unacceptable and must be remedied without delay, and before the loss of life costs the city many millions more in liability. As a mother who lost her son to a preventable injury, I cannot fully express to you the deep grief and sorrow a family endures when they must bury a child. There is simply no dollar value that can be put on safety of our families on their way to school. OUSD should not and cannot bear the burden of this cost or responsibility. It is the responsibility of the municipality to ensure the safety of their population on their own city streets. I urge you to drive past schools such as La Veta Elementary or Jordan Elementary where families are crossing busy streets without stop signs to slow traffic that is moving at speeds of at least 30 miles per hour. Hewes street is particularly dangerous as the slope causes a blind spot from northbound traffic. I implore you all to take the serious issue up tonight and do not delay action on replacing these crossing guards.
Sincerely,
Julie Lopiccolo
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Submitted At: 10:59am 08-27-24
Dear Mayor Dan Slater and Orange City Council,
My name is Penny Laris, and I am a resident of District 6 in the city of Orange. I am writing to express my family’s strong opposition to the proposed development of the Orange Heights neighborhood by the Irvine Company. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for this project is outdated, and the disruption to this wildlife corridor will be devastating.
This project threatens to take away the unique experience of living in nature that sets our city apart from its neighbors. Because my compact home does not have a yard—or really any outdoor space—for my young children to play in, we rely on the nearby trails in and around Irvine Park and Peter's Canyon for them to explore the outdoors weekly. These natural spaces provide many young families like mine with the opportunity to learn about the wildlife in our community, which was a major reason my husband and I chose to lay down our roots in East Orange. My son, who is a Cub Scout from Pack 1475 in our Orange community, is absolutely heartbroken to learn that the plants and animals we often see in this area—like bobcats, roadrunners, deer, woodpeckers, snakes, and wildflowers—will soon be losing their habitat.
I urge you to halt the development of Orange Heights, not only for the sake of our current residents—both human and wildlife—but also for the future generations of Orange residents who count on the decisions we make today to ensure they also have this precious land to enjoy.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 10:38am 08-27-24
I am writing to express my shock and dismay with how our City has handled our budget issues. In order to help remedy our budget issues, you have decided to cut Crossing Guards from outside our OUSD schools. This was done abruptly right before the school year started, and with no real long-term solutions put in place to protect our precious children. I have 3 children within 3 different schools in Orange; Chapman Hills, which is in a residential neighborhood and honestly is in a pretty safe area; Santiago Charter Middle School, who definitely needs crossing guards but has their principal and teachers out there after school, directing traffic; and then there is La Veta Elementary, which is on a fairly busy 4 lane street with no stop sign or traffic light in front of the school.
Every school is not created equal, and I urge you to do some research on traffic patterns surrounding some of our more vulnerable school locations. I do not think that reinstating Treats in the Streets or approving salary increases for City employees is nearly as important as keeping our kids safe on their way to learn. This should be the FIRST priority, NOT the first thing that is cut. I urge you to consider looking at this issue a bit deeper and possibly finding long term solutions for some of these schools (Stop signs, flashing lights in the crosswalk, traffic light)- Additional police is appreciated, but it's not going to stop someone that has already hit someone in a crosswalk. We have had too many close calls for me to not speak up. My son and I shouldn't not be terrified when crossing the street to go to his school that someone won't stop.
Please reconsider and let's find a better solution for our community, Miriam Guerrero
Parent to children from Chapman Hills Elementary,
La Veta Elementary, and Santiago Charter Middle School/ Lifetime Orange resident/ OUSD graduate
Dawn Aguila
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Submitted At: 7:57pm 08-26-24
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
I am writing to express my deep disappointment in the decision to cease funding for crossing guards throughout our city, particularly at the critical crossing near La Veta Elementary School. This decision has created an immediate safety hazard for our students, who now have to navigate crossing a busy four-lane road where vehicles often travel at high speeds.
In just the first few days without a crossing guard, we have already witnessed several close calls that could have resulted in serious injury or worse. The current situation is unacceptable and requires urgent action to ensure the safety of our children.
If reinstating funding for crossing guards is not possible, I strongly urge the council to consider more permanent solutions, such as installing a traffic light that can be activated by pedestrians or embedding flashing lights in the street itself. These measures would provide a safer environment for our students and peace of mind for parents and the community.
I'd like to commend council members Ana Gutierrez and Denis Bilodeau for voting against these cuts. I urge the rest of our council members and our mayor to prioritize the safety of our children and take swift action to address this issue. Many communities in California are facing similar budget shortfalls. Our neighboring cities continue provide crossing guards to ensure student safety. Find better ways to save money.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Dawn Aguila, La Veta Parent and Orange Resident
Guest User
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Submitted At: 3:33pm 08-23-24
Council member, I am writing as a concern member of the public. The proposed Orange Heights development will be a tragic loss for all citizens, families, and wildlife in Orange County. Already the Irvine Company has erected a fence on the outskirts of Irvine Regional Park in the name of improvements. This first action towards the disastrous development has already limited the outdoor hiking opportunities utilized by the citizens from all over Orange County. More importantly it has limited the movement of wildlife that have always called this area home.
In LA they’re building wildlife corridors. In Orange the Irvine Company is developing the only habitat some wildlife has left. Show the Irvine Company the people of Orange value outdoor access and wildlife. Please, stop the Irvine Company from developing Orange Heights. Thank you.
Agenda Item: eComments for 4.1. Sidewalk Cleaning in Plaza Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:39pm 08-27-24
I support sidewalk cleaning in the circle.
Agenda Item: eComments for 8.1. Executive Management and Senior Management employees' classification, compensation, and terms of employment and Citywide Pay Schedule. Resolution Nos. 11573 and 11574.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 1:44pm 08-27-24
I can't fathom that Treats in the Streets is of higher importance than having crossing guards safely guiding the city's children to school. I am incredibly disappointed in this decision by the city. Not to mention, giving raises during a time when the city is broke.
Carrie Haarberg
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Submitted At: 12:58pm 08-27-24
Pay increases and Halloween festivals during a budget crisis? These are luxuries that can wait. Striking crossing guards from the city budget was a reckless and irresponsible decision by the city council majority and one that should be off limits. To suggest that these great responsibilities should now fall on the shoulders of parent volunteers or OUSD is disgraceful. Crosswalks are city property and the City of Orange has an obligation to its citizens to keep these pathways safe. Furthermore, directing over $366,000 of our tax dollars as raises for senior management during your budget crisis is shameful and an insult to every resident and taxpayer of Orange. The safety of our children is NOT negotiable. Our crossing guards should be reinstated immediately.
Guest User
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Submitted At: 12:16pm 08-27-24
Bring back support for crossing guards. It’s the cities responsibility. Are Anaheim Hills, Garden Grove and Santa Ana paying for crossing guards at the schools that OUSD serves. City of Orange needs to pay for the City of Orange schools.
Michal Doesburg
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Submitted At: 8:44am 08-27-24
In response to agenda item 8.1 concerning salary increases, I would like to quote from Mayor Dan Slater's recent email response regarding the cessation of funding for crossing guards: "While I appreciate your concerns, we simply can't afford it."
If we "simply can't afford" to fund crossing guards to protect our children, then we certainly can't afford to increase salaries for city officials. May I suggest you take the same approach recommended to us parents—perhaps find a PTA or a group of volunteers willing to help raise the funds for these salary increases, just as we are now expected to find volunteers to keep our kids safe.
Prioritize the safety of our children over increasing your compensation.
Thank you.