SPORTS/12
A moving ‘Les Mis’
A year of triumph and tears, too
ARTS&LIVING/6
Over 25,000 readers weekly n Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012 n www.ggjournal.com n Vol. 30, No. 84 n Phone: 714-539-6018 n Fax: 714-539-6079
Crowns won, lost, regained: 2012 in Review Beauty, taxes and the return of a veteran mayor
Upheaval at the City Hall followed by Rice’s return By Jim Tortolano Garden Grove Journal
By Jim Tortolano Garden Grove Journal
Beauty queens, veteran politicians and hotels led the news parade for Garden Grove in 2012. Leah Cecil, a former Miss Garden Grove, won the Miss California crown and will compete in the Miss America pageant in January. Closer to home, Missy Mendoza, 19, and Karen Va l d e z , 17, won the honors of Miss Garden Grove and Outstanding Teen for 2012-3. Bruce Broadwater, who served 10 years as mayor before giving way to Bill Dalton as the city’s top elected official, won election to that post in November as Dalton was “termed out.” Also elected to the city council were incumbent Steve Jones and challenger Chris Phan. Appointed incumbent Kris Beard was defeated, but the council appointed him to fill the vacancy created by Broadwater’s election to the mayor’s spot. Hotels were front-and-center because of decisions by the voters of Garden Grove and the state department of finance. Measure Y was approved by residents, authorizing an increase of the hotel visitor’s tax from 13 to 14.5 percent. That could mean an additional $2.1 million in revenue annually to the city. The state finance department agreed to recognize as “existing obligations” two hotel projects despite the end of redevelopment. Green lights were given to the Great Wolf water-park hotel on Harbor Boulevard just north of Garden Grove Boulevard, as well as a new hotel just south of the current Sheraton on Harbor.
Layoffs and turnabouts dominated the news in Westminster in 2012. Margie Rice, the city’s long-serving mayor, decided not to run for re-election, but was appointed to a vacant seat on the city council anyway after she decided not to retire from politics. City Manager Mitch Waller was sacked by the council in August. No explanation other than a “communications issue” between him and the city council was cited. Waller elevated to the top appointed post in the city on Jan. 1, 2011 after having been named chief of police in January 2010. Assistant City Manager Eddie Manfro stepped into the city manager’s post. All this occurred against the backdrop of a major financial crisis for Westminster. The city hit its own “fiscal cliff” as a result of a slow economy and the state’s ending of redevelopment. After an initial deadlock, the city council finally voted to lay off 67 city workers. Westminster also said goodbye to its longest-serving city council member. Frank VISIONS OF 2012: (from top, then left Fry. First elected in 1968, to right). Missy Mendoza was crowned Fry had decided not seek rethe new Miss Garden Grove in August. election this year because of ill health. He died on Nov. 4 Voters returned Bruce Broadwater to at the age of 87. his long-held post as mayor of GarWhile much of the attention was focused on the “reden Grove; Margie Rice “retired” as tirement” and return of Rice, Westminster mayor then agreed to be the city made history by electappointed to fill a vacancy on the city ing Orange County’s first Vietnamese-American mayor, council; David Shawver is now mayor Tri Ta. of Stanton, a city that went through a WinningYEAR councilINseats YEAR IN budget crisis this year. The 54th Strawwere Sergio Contreras and REVIEW REVIEW Diana Carey. Since Ta was berry Festival (and parade) had good elevated from the council to crowds and weather for the Memorial the mayor’s post, that created
Continued on page 2
Continued on page 2
Day weekend.
A budget gap is painfully closed by cutting police Budget cuts, then a finally-balanced budget, park closures, then re-opening and community projects defined the year of 2012 for Stanton. Seeking to close a budget gap estimated at $1.8 million, Stanton sought to reduce costs (and services) connected with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which provides law enforcement,
FUTURE
NEWS
What to expect in the Journal for the next issue and beyond . . . .
and the Orange County Fire Authority, which operates firefighting and paramedic services. Together, the protective services take up about 80 percent of the municipal budget. The Stanton City Council voted to approve the reworked Orange County Sherriff’s Department budget, reducing it by $1,128,218 it from $8,420,000 to $7,291,782. The total count of the reductions tallied up to five
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staff; one investigator and four deputies. Those removed from their Stanton police services location were moved to other positions within the OCSD. After the negotiations with the OCSD and OCFA, the city looked at a balanced budget for the first time in a few years. It was hard won and came at a very high cost to the city. “We have no expenses accounts here,” said Al Ethans,
2010 SPORTS
IN YEAR IN GGUSDYEAR makes its REVIEW REVIEW 2012all over 2012 big moves STANTON
G. GROVE
By Brittany Hanson gin in Garden Grove JournalYEAR IN l a t e
2013 REVIEW
council member, “We pay out of pocket for everything.” Ethans had explained that the city council members don’t make a sizable sum per year, that all of them rely on their day jobs for actual income. As a part of the budget cuts, all non-regulation required departments and city functions were cut. Continued on page 2
COMING UP: A look ahead at what might be in the news next year in the Garden Grove-Stanton-Westminster area, touching on news, arts and sports. Also: Dear Marilyn is back and Don Alexander will have a lot to say about college and pro football.
FIVE-DAY WEATHER
By Brittany Hanson Garden Grove Journal
2012 THE ARTS
2012
or
YEAR IN REVIEW
2012
The past year was a pretty 2014. big one for the Garden Grove Eight Unified School District, with of the Westminster SCHOOLS massive physical changes, elemensome testing surprises, new t a r y anti-bullying policies, health- schools ier school meals and pre-kin- were torn apart from the dergarten classes. ground up to replace piping, Over the summer, $130 electrical conduit and founmillion of the Measure A im- dations. provements bond was issued Also, doors, ramps, curbs for retrofitting in elementary and walkways were all upschools. The high school dated to meet Americans projects are projected to beContinued on page 2
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