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East Orange v Orange Park Acres v Villa Park v Anaheim Hills v Cowan Heights Crawford Canyon v Silverado/Modjeska Canyon Areas v North Tustin


A Monthly Community Newspaper Est. 1969


College library named for


Orange activist


The Santiago Canyon Col- lege Library will be named the Lorenzo A. Ramirez Library at Santiago Canyon College in hon- or of an activist who challenged school segregation practices in the 1940s. Ramirez was one of five Mex- ican-American fathers, including Thomas Estrada, William Guz- man, Gonzalo Mendez, and Frank Palomino, who filed a lawsuit claiming that separating school- children by race was unconsti- tutional. In a 1947 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, it was de- termined that the segregation of Mexican-American students into separate schools was unconsti- tutional. It was the first federal court case to hold that separate schools for children of color were not equal.


“Roosevelt Elementary School in Orange’s El Modena barrio


See "College Library" continued on page 6


Danah Mossler is one of three artists enlisted by Villa Park to invigorate utility boxes with colorful graphics. Mossler’s box at Villa Park Road and Center Street features her speciality, a bright eyed story book bunny. See story, page 10.


New face in Orange council race may give voters a broader choice


By Tina Richards


The repeat candidates seeking a city council seat in Orange have been joined by an unexpected newcomer who may give the vet- eran campaigners a real run for the roses.


Kim Nichols, a community vol-


unteer and former OUSD trustee, is running for one of two open seats against Fred Whitaker, Jon Dumitru and Ray Grangoff (and late filer Gayle Merino). All three men are plugged into the Orange political scene, have held city of- fice or an appointed position and have an established network of friends and foes. Nichols, president of the li- brary foundation, member of the OUSD PTA board, treasurer of Taft Elementary PTA and a Sunrise Little League mom, is well known citywide, but prefers working backstage instead of in the spotlight. She has, however, developed a skillset, experience and knowledge of the city that friends, neighbors and colleagues recognize as the qualities needed to be an effective city council member. Noting her inherent


As the filing deadline ap-


proached, the following candi- dates declared for local seats. Mayor of Orange: Eugene Fields; Tita Smith. City Council, Orange – two seats: Jon Dumitru; Ray Grang- off; Gayle Merino; Kim Nichols; Fred Whitaker. City Council, Villa Park –


leadership qualities and her abil- ity to get things done, community members more or less drafted her to run.


Power of suggestion


“I guess you could say I’m the community candidate,” she says. “I’m not a political junkie and have no political aspirations. But I was approached by a number of people who said you have to do this. “She was also, incidentally, asked to run for the OUSD board again. I thought about it for nine months,” she reports. “My pas- sion is education, but I realized that at this moment in time I can better serve the community as a city council member.” The draftee was recruited by


City of Orange constituents who wanted a viable alternative can- didate to run for city council this November.


Her opponents are,


broadly speaking, largely inter- changeable. Incumbent Fred Wh- itaker is running for his second term. Jon Dumitru was a council- man for eight years before being termed out two years ago. Ray Grangoff served a short stint as a city planning commissioner and


three seats: Bob Collacott; Di- ana Fascenelli; Sanjay Khetani; Karl Kreutzinger; Stephen Miller; Tony Murray; Bill Nelson. Rancho Santiago College District Seat 4: Robert Doug- las; Larry Labrado; Trung Quang Nguyen. Orange Unified School District: Trustee Area 1: Diane Singer.


ran for a council seat in 2012. All three have, in the past, ac- cepted donations and other sup- port from out of town develop- ers and are beholden to the OC Republican Central Committee for resources, campaign contribu- tions and advice. While the cen- tral committee is rightfully geared to advance Republican interests in the county, it is not necessar- ily tuned to the needs, issues and concerns of the City of Orange or its citizens.


City and citizens first


Nichols, also a Republican, does not seek the blessing of the central committee. “They haven’t endorsed me and I don’t want them to,” she says. “You have to have allegiance to your own goals. It affects your decision- making process. I’m aligned with the community. My responsibili- ty is to represent the best interests of the city and its citizens.” Orange citizens and neighbor-


hood groups have become more politically active in recent years in response to actions by elected officials that don’t appear to rep- resent their best interests. Witness


Trustee Area 4: Larry D. Cohn; Zachary Collins; Brian Har- rington; Kathy Moffat. Trustee Area 5: Timothy Sur- ridge. Trustee Area 7: Rick Ledesma; Steve Rocco. Serrano Water District Board of Directors, Division 1: Rich Freschi; Brad Reese.


the challenges to developments in East Orange, the organized op- position to the Peralta school site apartment lease, and the success- ful attempt to block a two-story housing complex behind Wash- ington Avenue. “I realize that Orange is built of neighborhoods and each one has its own issues,” Nichols ac- knowledges. “Not everyone will be happy with every decision I make, but I know how to work with people in the trenches, those who have a vested interest. I al- ways seek feedback from every- one involved so I can make an informed decision.” Nichols was elected to the


school board in 2001 and served until 2010.


Then, as now, she


was “recruited” to run by families and teachers. During her tenure, the board synchronized the vote cycle with general elections so trustees would not be running in “off years,” negotiated teacher’s contracts, redefined districts to be more geographically cohesive and set up a method to manage lifetime health obligations agreed to by past trustees. “There was peace in the kingdom,” she says.


Candidates line up for local seats


Division 4: Frank Bryant. Silverado Modjeska Recre- ation and Park District, Long Term: Greg Bates; Joanne Hub- ble; Deborah Johnson; Linda Kearns; Phil McWilliams; Ron Shepston; Kevin Topp. Silverado Modjeska Recre- ation and Park District, Short Term: Lisa Collins; John Olson.


Tuesday, August 12, 2014 NEWS INSIDE


Closing curtain falls flat


East Orange development's fate is officially final, following councils' confirming vote to deny it. See Rio Santiago, page 2


Saving for an unrainy day


Water district reports on drought status, what it means to customers. See Serrano water, page 4


Torches and pitchforks


Readers react to the school bond, a cursory council and canyon candor. See Letters, page 8


Long-lived lifeline


Local charity has served the community for 90 years and counting. See Friendly Center, page 11.


Fowl weather friends


4-H Club more than talks turkey, raising champion toms for the OC fair. See OABB, page 12


INSIDE Canyon Beat Page 7


Letters To The Editor Page 8 Commentary Real Estate Obituaries


Services Directory Sports


Page 13 Page 14 Page 14


Professional Directory Page 14 Classifieds


Page 14


Page 16-17 Page 18-19


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