Pacific Progressive

Mission Viejo to Host 1st Annual Wheelchair Tennis Classic July 3-4

Registration is available starting May 1 for the City of Mission Viejo's First Annual Wheelchair Tennis Classic July 3-4. 

Wheelchair players from across the state will participate in this spectacular tournament that will host an Open, A, B, C and Junior division for both singles and doubles, allowing a broad spectrum of players to participate. 

More than 60 players are expected to enter and compete at the Marguerite Tennis Center, 23840 Marguerite Parkway. The entry fee is $40 for both singles and doubles. Registration will be available at tennislink.usta.comfrom May 1 through June 26. 

For more information, contact Brian Gruner at 949-859-4348 ext. 5761 or e-mail.

Aliso Viejo Aquatic Center Opens on May 1 with Free Swimming

Residents who drop by the Aliso Viejo Aquatic Center on May 1 will enjoy free swimming all day and an up-and-coming singing sensation who's making waves in the music industry.

The Opening Season Pool Party at 29 Santa Barbara is from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 1. The celebration includes free entry; fun-filled games and activities for all ages; Oasis Cafe specials; and the talents of Yazzie Jay, a rising Orange County talent who is making her transition into the L.A. music scene. Yazzie, 17, is a self-taught artist, who has taught herself the piano, drums, bass, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. 

With a 25-meter pool, recreation pool, splash pad and toddler wading pool, the Aliso Viejo Aquatic Center quickly became the hub of activity after its premiere last year. Offering fee-based swimming programs, activities, parties and more, the facility is a popular venue for families, kids, adults, groups and organizations alike. 

Guests to the Aquatic Center can enjoy recreation and lap swimming, water aerobics, pool parties, the Oasis Cafe, cabanas and lots of fun activities. The Oasis Cafe offers fresh, delicious, convenient and affordable fare. The center has locker facilities, restrooms and a patio with outdoor fireplace for lounging and relaxing with family and friends.  Season and monthly passes are available for residents who want to enjoy the facilities throughout the season. 

The Aquatic Center is conveniently located at Aliso Creek Road and Glenwood Drive, next to the Aliso Viejo Conference Center.  

More planned events are on tap for the season, so be sure to visit www.cityofalisoviejo.com/AquaticCenter/ for more information and sign up to the City's eNews at  www.cityofalisoviejo.com Information is also available by calling 949-425-2559. 
  
See you at the pool May 1!

It's Easy Being Green: Bikers Get the Respect (and Routes) They Deserve

This article was published by the Center for American Progress.

Read more articles from the "It's Easy Being Green" series

In the United States, designated bike lanes and a growing bike culture have started to garner mainstream attention. And bicyclists now have a giant ally—Google.

At the 10th Annual American Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. last week, Google announced their maps feature will include bike routes for 150 U.S. cities. The feature includes 15,000 miles of off-street bike trails gathered by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has collected trail info for its website since 2007.

Google made the decision after receiving a petition with more than 50,000 signatures for bike routes to be added to its maps. Google Maps introduced driving directions in 2005, and in 2007 the site added transit routes. Pedestrian navigation followed a year later. Now, it’s the bikers’ turn.

Online tools for mapping bike routes have existed for years, such as RideTheCity.com, which also points out bike shops along your route. But with an organization as enormous as Google collating bike-friendly travel information, two-wheel enthusiasts hope city planners and politicians will take note and improve bicycling conditions across the United States, like Rep. Earl Blumenauer aims to do with his (OR-3) proposed Active Community Transportation Act. The bill seeks to make active transportation, such as walking or biking, more accessible and safe.

La Palma Considering Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan

At their meeting on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 7:00 p.m., the La Palma City Council will consider final adoption of the Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan. In 2009, the City Council contracted with MIG, Inc. to develop the Master Plan, which will establish a vision for the future, while taking into account the existing condition of facilities and the total parks, recreation, and cultural arts desires of the community. 

During the development of the document, numerous public outreach efforts occurred, such as a phone survey, onsite surveys, focus groups, and stakeholder interviews. The results have identified both recreational needs for facilities and the types of programs desired by La Palma residents that would meet their expectations for a successful park and recreation system for the next 20 years and beyond. 

Based on these findings, a Conceptual Site Plan for Central Park was developed to incorporate items considered most important given space constraints. The proposed Site Plan provides for several new amenities, including: group picnic shelters, a children’s water plaza, reflection/meditation garden, walking/exercise trail, and improved park entryways. The Site Plan also addresses a number of space conflict issues, such as the relocation of the existing children’s play area from next to the basketball courts to a more user friendly and expanded area; relocation of the softball field to maximize field space and field orientation; and relocation of the park restroom to serve both park and greenbelt users. In addition to Central Park, other parks, schools, and the Edison right-of-way were identified for possible future improvements. The Conceptual Site Plan was reviewed by the City Council in January.

Great Park Snow Day and Great Skate

From the Daily Titan at Cal State Fullerton

Mission Viejo Arts Alive Festival - April 24-25

Arts Alive the City's annual intergenerational Arts Festival returns to Mission Viejo on April 24-25.

The free weekend festival will meld expression, education and the environment into an interactive community event.

The fun takes place at the Oso Viejo Community Park on the Village Green, 24932 Veterans Way. Visitors will enjoy a wide array of cultural, artistic and environmental activities including the 12th Annual Fun with Chalk street painting exhibit; Green Expo; Rachel's Challenge and Links of Character; Artes de la Vida; and the Oso Creek Sense of Place Trail Flag Project.

The festival is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Free shuttle service is available from the Newhart Middle School parking lot and the Mission Viejo Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visit the Arts Alive Web site at www.cityofmissionviejo.org/artsalivefestival for more information on how to volunteer or become a vendor.

California Budget Available Online

Everyone talks about the California budget, but few people can actually lay their hands on the facts.   The budget report from the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) is available here.  

Here is a summary of the budget proposal.  'A printable copy of the summary is available from the California Labor Federation. 

State Workers Cuts: $1.6 billion

• Cuts salaries by 5% for all workers, including those paid for by Special Funds, by July 2010 when the furloughs end.
• Increases contributions by employees to the pension fund equal to 5% of salary and decreases the employer contribution by 5%.
• Reduces payroll an additional 5% in every department. Department chiefs will have flexibility to determine how best to reduce payroll costs, including layoffs or hiring employees at a lower wage.
• Reduces salaries an additional 5% for state workers if a certain level of federal funding is not received.

San Juan Capistrano Closes Escrow on 132 Acres of Land from Rancho Mission Viejo LLC

 San Juan Capistrano closed escrow on January 20 2010, on 132 acres of land from Rancho Mission Viejo, LLC, owners and managers of the 23,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo cattle ranch in Southeast Orange County. The addition of this property to San Jan Capistrano will help create a new eastern gateway into the City and complement San Juan Capistrano's equestrian lifestyle and expanding open space portfolio.

The City acquired the valuable entitled undeveloped land east of San Juan Capistrano for $27.5 million. The purchase is funded from the open space bond approved by voters in November 2008. 

"This property acquisition caps a nine-year journey to preserve a key property that will forever define the eastern entry to our historic city," said Mark Nielsen, Chairman of the Open Space Committee. "Not only have our citizens preserved an internationally recognized equestrian open space facility from being converted to residential buildings, but we have added additional lands that will provide ongoing revenue to help maintain our other open space for future generations. I am thankful to our citizens and Rancho Mission Viejo for each one's contribution in making this day possible." 

Purchasing the land, commonly known as "the ranch field offices/lemon grove area" next to Ortega Highway and the "rodeo/polo grounds" south of Ortega Highway from City limits to La Pata Avenue, benefits the community as a whole - providing more equestrian, recreational and agricultural areas and preservation of 42 acres of open space/creek habitat. The area is forever restricted to these uses and also provides for the continuation of the annual Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo. 

"It is now this Council's responsibility to ensure that our residents unprecedented trust in giving us $30 million to buy open space is justified by making sure that we are good stewards of this property and that it is maintained and used for their benefit," said Mayor Dr. Londres Uso. 

Great Skate Glides Into Great Park - Jan 30 to Feb 28

 It’s beginning to look a lot like winter at the Orange County Great Park . The Great Skate winter series kicks off January 30 with real snow, free ice skating and more. Snow Day at the Great Park begins a month of free ice skating, but also brings more than 100 tons of snow for sledding, snowman making, ice carving demonstrations and art activities for real winter fun.

The Great Skate series starts with Snow Day, but continues through February with a temporary ice rink in historic Hangar 244, showcasing the thrill and beauty of ice skating in a nostalgic setting. Skaters can take the ice for 45 minutes sessions, with no charge for skating or skate rental.

“The Great Skate will offer fun and lasting memories for visitors of all ages,” said Larry Agran, Chair Orange County Great Park Corporation.  “More than 28,000 visitors enjoyed the Great Skate last year.”

The Great Park’s opening Snow Day activities are from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The Great Skate continues through February 28th every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (45-minutes skate sessions start on the hour, every hour). On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the Great Skate will offer a variety of children’s craft activities from noon to 3 p.m. 

On Sunday evenings, visitors can take a trip back in time while they take a trip around the rink with ‘70s music during the 7 o’clock hour, ‘80s music during the 8 o’clock hour, and ‘90s music during the 9 o’clock hour.

Admission to Snow Day January 30 is free, and parking is just $8. Ice skating and parking are free January 31st through February 28th.

For more details and times, please go to www.ocgp.org

San Juan Capistrano Wants Your Input for Skate Park Design - Jan 16

San Juan Capistrano on Jan. 16 will host a workshop to garner public input regarding a proposed Skate Park Conceptual Design.

The workshop is from 8 a.m. to noon at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino Del Avion.

Community members of all ages are invited to bring friends, family members, peers and others to share ideas for a proposed Skate Park Conceptual Design. The workshop will include a site tour of the proposed location, round-table discussions and design input.

For more information, contact the Community Services Department at 949-493-5911.

Holiday Crafts from the Garden - Nov 21 Workshop

Gifts from your garden are fun to make and always get noticed.   The Farm and Food Lab at the Orange County Great Park will teach you how to grow your garden in a series of free workshops this fall.  The free workshops are led by certified University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Orange County.  

Holiday Crafts from the Garden - November 21 from 10 AM to Noon

Make wonderful hand made gifts for those hard to buy for people on your gift list using gifts from your own garden.  The University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Orange County will show how to make gifts including a wreath.

Spice Up Your Life with an Herb Garden - Nov 14 Workshop

Herbs are easy to grow at home.  Save money at the grocery store by starting your own home herb garden.   The Farm and Food Lab at the Orange County Great Park will teach you how to grow your garden in a series of free workshops this fall.  The free workshops are led by certified University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Orange County.  

Spice Up Your Life - Grow Your Own Herbs - November 14 from 10 AM to Noon

Herbs are easy to grow right outside your kitchen door or on your kitchen counter.  Learn about growing herbs in containers - even inside a pumpkin - for use in cooking and enjoyment in your garden.  The University of California Cooperative Master Gardeners of Orange County will teach you everything about growing herbs and answer your questions.

Aliso Viejo Gets Snowed In on Nov 21 - Buy Tickets Starting Nov 2

Snow in Aliso Viejo?  Snow Fest on November 21, 2009,  transforms Grand Park into a winter wonderland complete with snow-covered hills, music and holiday fun. 

The event attracts people of all ages who enjoy sledding down the Polar Slide (long run) and the Bunny Slope, a shorter run recommended for kids ages 5 and older accompanied by an adult. Children 5 years of age and younger relish in making snow balls and angels in the Snow Lot.

Registration is required and is available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday Nov. 2-19 at City Hall, 12 Journey, Suite 100. Registration will also take place on Friday, Nov. 6. City Hall is closed Nov. 11 and Nov. 13. 

Cost is $5 per person. No refunds.

People are encouraged to sign up early, as Snow Fest sells out fast, and NO tickets will be sold at the event. 

Snow Fest takes place in three sessions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Session I - 10:00 a.m.-11:10 a.m.

Session II - 11:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Session III - 12:40 p.m.-1:50 p.m.

The Boys & Girls Club Aliso Viejo Branch will sell snacks and drinks and Renaissance Club Sport will provide hot cocoa. Other community partners such as the Aliso Viejo Public Library, Environmental Services, Mission Viejo Animal Services and the U.S. Census Bureau will also be on hand providing the public with beneficial information.

Sleds will be provided by the City. No outside sleds or saucers are allowed. No pets are allowed in the event area.

For more information, visit the City's Web site at www.cityofalisoviejo.com or call 949-425-2537.

Sports Fields, Community Garden and Picnic Area Coming to the Great Park

During 2010-2011, the Orange County Great Park will have the first of many features begin to be completed.  Look for:

• Three lighted soccer fields on the South Lawn.
• Improvements to 9 acre "Timeline West" including shade structures, seating, trees and a Class II bike trail. 
• Palm Court area renovations to convert the area into space for special events along with arts and cultural uses.
• A 100 acre working farm to provide fresh, locally grown organic produce to the public and local food banks,
• A 2500 tree orange orchard.
• An Agricultural Pavillion that will be an upscale roadside farm stand and a community networking center including Wi-Fi access, meeting space and a cafe.
• A 1.5 acre Community Garden where local residents can grow their own garden.
• 14 acre Picnic Meadow
• Improvements to parking and roadways.

The Great Park is on the way to becoming a focal point for communities and recreation in Orange County.

Costa Mesa Receives $60,746 Grant to Plant 250 Trees

The City of Costa Mesa Public Services Department has received a $60,746 grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).  The grant will be used to plant 250 trees in several parks throughout the City.  Funding will pay for the cost of the trees, supplies, and the hiring of local students to plant the trees and perform long-term tree maintenance.

The grant from SCAQMD is part of their Local Government Tree Partnership Program.  The Program offers employment opportunities for students and the planting of low biogenic VOC emitting trees.  These trees improve air quality by reducing criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases while providing aesthetic and energy reduction benefits to the community.  Tree planting is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2010.  All of the tree species to be planted are California natives.  

For further information, contact Robert Staples, Fairview Park Plan Administrator at (714) 754-5303.