celebrate national noodle month SEE PAGE 2
ANAHEIM PRESS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2015 - FEBRUARY 22, 2015
anaheimpress.com
This or That: When Will Anaheim Deal with Medical Marijuana by Vickie Vértiz The Orange County Register reported that officials in Anaheim are evicting dispensaries as fast as they can. But in Costa Mesa some people are reopening cannabis collectives because their leadership is starting to regulate and tax the sale of marijuana, the paper noted. In Santa Ana, however, some vendors have entered a lottery to legally distribute medical marijuana. Anaheim is by far the strictest and most punitive in how it deals with dispensaries, even as the sale became legal in the state eighteen years ago. There is no one-policy approach in Orange County toward medicinal marijuana stores and the practices are clearly contradictory. “On one hand, Anaheim has heavy-handed and egregious laws that will be detri-
– Courtesy photo
Neon sign from a medical marijuana dispensary
mental to patients,” said Steele Smith III, director of the Orange County Collective Alliance, an advocacy group for medical marijuana dispensaries in Orange County. “On the other [hand], you [are] seeking a progressive attitude for safe access and eliminating cannabis prohibition,” he told the paper.
Anaheim currently has 40 dispensary-related lawsuits, said the Register, and this is just in the last eight years, which have caused some dispensaries to shutter their doors. “Since 2012,” added the Register, “Anaheim city offiPlease see page 2
City Completes Mid-Year Budget Review
C
ity of Anaheim Finance Director Debbie Moreno presented a midyear budget review to the Anaheim City Council at last Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, and was pleased to report that at midyear, City coffers are healthy and allowing for enhanced services citywide. The adopted Fiscal Year 2014/15 budget continues the positive momentum that began two years ago and includes
$5.9M in service enhancements of both on-going and one-time projects. Since last July 1, residents have seen the opening of Paul Revere Park, updated 911 equipment, the Home Safety Visit program from Anaheim Fire & Rescue, greater antigang presence in schools and neighborhoods, rehabilitation of the Pearson Park pool, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and ADA access ramps replaced or installed, and other resident and business enhancements. Additional enhancements
parents urged to vaccinate for measles see page 4 VOLUME 2, NO. 7
APlus Interior Design & Remodeling Receives Best of Houzz 2015 Award APlus Interior Design & Remodeling of Anaheim has been awarded "Best Of Houzz" for Design & Customer Satisfaction by Houzz.com, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. This Design-Build Kitchen & Home Remodeling Expert was chosen by the more than 25 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 500,000 active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals. The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Design and Customer Satisfaction. Design award winners' work was the most popular among the more than 25 million monthly users on Houzz,
will continue by the conclusion of this fiscal year (June 30), which include filling police officer vacancies and fire service enhancements, sidewalk repairs and residential street rehabilitations, and neighborhood services and library renovations. The mid-year budget review was presented with an emphasis on the General Fund portion of the City’s $1.6 billion annual budget. The Gen-
Remodeling job in Yorba Linda - Photo courtesy A Plus Interior Design & Remodeling
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Please see page 4
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Medical Marijuana Continued from page 1
cials have paid $602,612 to the law firm of Best Best & Krieger to defend their ban on dispensaries.” To further enforce their stance, the City Council just adopted that lets the city “file civil and criminal charges against landlords ... who rent space to medical marijuana dispensaries.” The city went as far as cutting off the water and power of the dispensaries, added the paper. This move has forced some sellers to move out but others are using generators or other unsafe practices to stay open. These practice sparked at least three fires, city officials told the paper. What the city is not seeing is that the demand for pot will always be greater, both for sellers and for patients, than the risk of punishment, for financial and health reasons. Anaheim can monitor that economy or drive it to underground or to other cities. Only 16 shops are still open from the 179 pot shops known to have operated in the city. This has forced medi-
cal marijuana patients to get their doses from illegal dealers. One patient told the City Council that what they did was “... create a monster, you created a black market. We do not like going underground to get our pot, but you’ve given us no choice.” Anaheim Councilwoman Lucille Kring told the paper that she was “sympathetic to James and others who need marijuana to relieve pain.” At her request, for instance, the City Council will ask state lawmakers to “limit the sale of medical marijuana to retail pharmacies, rather than at collectives.” A step in another, more tolerant direction for the council. “I think that there has to be a way that we can be compassionate and help the people who truly need this,” Kring told the Register. In the meantime, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana are moving ahead with implementation of pot shop regulation and are happily taking as many customers from Anaheim as they can.
Noodle Company Celebrates National Noodle Month
Beef Chow Fun Noodles
Natural 9 Noodle Company at Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa will celebrate National Noodle Month with an assortment of spicy and savory noodle dishes from countries all over Asia throughout the month of March. A staple in Chinese cuisine, the beef chow fun is comprised of sautéed flat rice noodles with choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or a seafood variety, priced at $12. Moving further east, the classic Japanese ramen includes sliced barbecue pork, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo strips, bean sprouts and seaweed, and is served in a soy sauce broth, priced at $11. The Vietnamese beef pho is made with Vietnamese rice noodles, slices of rare flank steak, bean sprouts, basil, jalapeño peppers and lime, and is served in a traditional beef broth, priced at $11. The classic Thai dish, pad Thai, includes Thai rice noodles sautéed with chicken, shrimp, egg, bean sprouts and bamboo strips, priced at $12. About Natural 9 Noodle Company Natural 9 Noodle Company is a 4,000-square-foot restaurant offering Asian fare with dishes originating from China, Thailand, Korea, Japan and
- Courtesy of Natural 9 Noodle
Vietnam inside Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa. Natural 9 Noodle Company is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, guests may call (952) 755-5620, visit the website and follow Natural 9 Noodle Company on Twitter and Instagram and become a fan on Facebook. About Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa: Morongo is the premier gaming resort in California. Located in Cabazon, Calif., in the scenic Coachella Valley, Morongo is a prime getaway for residents of Orange County, Ontario, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Los Angeles. Earning the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for seven consecutive years, Morongo offers 310 wellappointed rooms and suites, a 150,000-square-foot casino floor, an array of restaurants and lounges and continuous world-class entertainment offerings. One of the largest tribal gaming facilities in the country, Morongo Casino Resort & Spa is owned and operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. For more information please visit: www. morongocasinoresort.com.
FEBRUARY 16, 2015 - FEBRUARY 22, 2015 | 3
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City Completes Mid-Year Review Continued from page 1
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eral Fund is equivalent to 16% of the total budget, or $265.8 million. Revenues: Approximately 96% of the total revenues of the General Fund come from Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), Sales and Use Tax, and Property Tax. At the mid-year review, early projections indicate that total revenues will be more than expected by $1.5 million, with TOT and sales tax performing slightly better than budgeted, and property tax falling just short of the budgeted amount. Any additional over performance in revenues may be used for further City services enhancements or to offset unplanned expenses that may crop up during the remaining budget year. Expenses: Approximately two-thirds of the General Fund is spent on public safety. A quarter of the expenses are for quality of life, necessities or civic upkeep,
The Anaheim Indoor Marketplace Come shop 200 unique stores at Orange County’s largest swapmeet. Open every day except Tuesdays from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Live entertainment every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Admission and parking is free. The Marketplace is located at 1440 S Anaheim Blvd. in Anaheim. For information, call (714) 999-0888 or visit www.anaheimmarketplace.com.
with the balance on supporting activities and government administration. The City’s “40 in 4” initiative, which was implemented with the adopted FY 2014/15 budget, prioritizes the funding of 10 additional police officers each fiscal year for four years. The City anticipates being able to continue with the initiative in the coming FY 2015/16 budget year, with additional funding to bring the total to 20 additional police officers. Public safety youth programs are also growing, with the addition of another school district and high school to the Safe Schools program,
the Sycamore Public Safety Pathway Program offering curriculum to more than thirty 8th grade students, and the Junior Cadets program again seeing an increase in the number of youth served this year. Anaheim residents can also look forward to the opening of the Miraloma Park and Family Resource Center, the La Palma Dog Park, bleachers rehab at La Palma Park Stadium, Neighborhood Watch block captains’ meetings and training, and more. For more information on the City of Anaheim, please visit www.anaheim.net.
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4 | FEBRUARY 16, 2015 - FEBRUARY 22, 2015
APlus Interior Design Wins Award Continued from page 1
Custom kitchen remodel in Dove Canyon - Photo courtesy A Plus Interior Design & Remodeling
known as "Houzzers." Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2014. APlus Interior Design & Remodeling have received a "Best Of Houzz 2015" badge on their profile, helping Houzz users around the world who discover and love a professional's work to learn even more about their business' popularity and satisfaction rating among their peers in the Houzz community. "Houzz provides homeowners with a 360 degree view of home building, remodeling and design industry professionals, empowering them to engage the right people and prod-
ucts for their project," said Liza Hausman, vice president of industry marketing for Houzz. "We're delighted to recognize Alex Tabrizi of APlus Interior Design & Remodeling among our 'Best Of' professionals as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes." APlus Interior Design & Remodeling headquartered in Anaheim, Orange County, have been recognized as one of the top custom cabinet manufacturing & Design-Build kitchen remodeling experts in Orange County for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.APlusHomeImprovements.com
Parents Urged to Vaccinate Children for Measles State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement in the wake of continued reports of measles outbreaks nationwide: “I urge parents to get all the recommended vaccinations for their children. Vaccines help students avoid crippling, debilitating, and costly diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox. They keep students healthy so they can at-
tend school, learn, and succeed, and they eliminate school disruptions such as those caused by the recent outbreak of measles. “As a science teacher, I have reviewed the science and can tell you the vaccines have been proven safe and effective for those students who are healthy enough to get the immunizations. They keep your child and your community protected.”
Hernández Bill Calls for Cop Killings to be Classified as Hate Crimes Assemblymember Roger Hernández introduced legislation last Friday, AB 246, that will define “hate crimes” to include the assassination or the attempted assassination of a peace officer. The legislation stems from Assemblymember Hernández‘s personal family experience when his brother, Gilbert Hernández, was involved in a shooting that targeted police officers. “Police officers across our state put their lives at risk daily when they proudly put on their uniform,” said Assemblymember Hernández. “No one should be targeted simply for wearing a badge. AB 246 will send a loud and clear message: we value our law enforcement officers as those who stand between our families and those who wish to harm them.” California has experienced multiple shootings which have targeted police officers solely because of their occupation. In February 2013, Christopher Dorner
targeted law enforcement and their families in his shootings. He issued a manifesto declaring an “unconventional and asymmetric warfare” upon the Los Angeles Police Department. The search for Dorner spanned three counties in Southern California: Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside—endangering the lives of those residents. AB 246 is sponsored by the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs. President Don Jeffrey Steckstated “We support AB 246 as it recognizes the dangers faced by law enforcement officers in carrying out their duties. Law enforcement officers take risks every day to protect communities from dangerous criminals and unfortunately many times find themselves targets by the very nature of wearing the uniform. We stand proudly with Assemblymember Hernández as he moves this important piece of legislation which increases the visibility of crime on cops.”