News and Notes from Tustin Councilwoman Deborah Gavello
May 2010
Water Department Woes
The city's water services department has been borrowing general fund money because it's been operating at a financial loss.
In 2008-2009, the water department lost nearly $2 million. This is simply unacceptable. We cannot keep taking money from public safety and infrastructure needs to fund the water department when there are alternatives available.
The city staff refuses to look at outsourcing part or all of the water district to other providers that can manage it at a lower cost to residents. The city has no money, and borrows at higher costs, in comparision to the Irvine Ranch Water District which is cash rich, and borrows at a much lower cost. At this point, the city cannot afford to be in the water business.
The residents of Tustin Ranch and the Tustin Legacy and other blocks of homes in the city that utilize IRWD for their water are being taxed to subsidize the other half of the city. This simply isn't fair, and amounts to taxation without representation.
Make your voice heard, write the council, show up at council meetings, and ask the other council members to look at all viable options in managing Tustin's water service department.
Are Traffic Tickets a Big Source of Revenue?
I get this question all the time:
How much revenue a year do our tickets bring in?
There are two categories of fine revenue. The first is traffic fines we receive from county courts (moving violations, equipment violations, licensing violations, etc.). They are California Vehicle Code violations and average $31,300 per month.
The second category is fine revenue for parking violations, code enforcement fines and street sweeping violations. This averages about $36,700 per month. About one half of this amount is from street sweeping tickets. The amount collected for street sweeping violations (persons cited for not having their car off the street during posted sweeping hours) has increased because the city has increased efforts to keep gutters clean. Clean gutters is a component of complying with federal and state clean water runoff regulations.
That means revenue from both types of fines totals about $800,000 a year.
4th Quarter Sales Tax Report
Tustin's allocation from its October through December 2009 sales was 4.4 percent lower than the same quarter one year ago.
Tax refunds to companies financing auto leases, the previous close-out of two department stores and the temporary inflation in last year's receipts -- from auctioning off a classic car collection and from accounting adjustments in electrical equipment -- all contributed to the negative comparison. Revenues from jewelry stores, restaurants and various categories of industrial goods were also down.
The losses were largely offset by a solid holiday quarter for discount department stores, family apparel and consumer electronics. Several new car dealers posted gains and rising fuel prices plus accounting adjustments boosted service station receipts. Revenues from lumber and building materials continued to decline but the comparison was skewed by a state reporting error that will be deducted from next quarter's allocation.
Adjusted for reporting aberrations, receipts for all Orange County declined 6.4 percent from last year's comparable quarter while Southern California as a whole was down 6.8 percent.
Top 25 Producers (in alphabetical order):Best Buy
Chevron
Costco
Dick's Sporting Goods
Home Depot
Jewelry Exchange
Joe MacPherson Infiniti
Kohls
Lowes
McLean Cadillac
Micro Center
Ricoh Corporation
Systems Technology Associates
TJ Maxx
Target
Total Wine and More
Toys R Us
Tustin Acura
Tustin Lexus
Tustin Mazda
Tustin Nissan, Buick, Saab
Tustin Ranch Shell
Tustin Toyota
Tuttle-Clicks Chrysler Jeep
Please continue to shop in Tustin as the tax revenue is needed to support our vital services.
City Budget Workshop
The City Council is holding a budget workshop for the next fiscal year. The meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday June 1st at 300 Centennial Way. Information: 714-573-3000
Crime Report
Over the past several months, there has been a trend of out-of-town gang members moving into Tustin and committing crimes. We believe this is the result of gang injunctions through out the cities of Santa Ana and Orange. Data has been compiled and the Crime Analyst unit will put together a virtual briefing for the patrol officers so they will recognize the new gang members on the street. Part 1 crimes (violent crimes) have increased 14.5% for the year. This is just a comparison to the first four months of last year, but on a per capita basis crime is still 1/3 of what it was twenty years ago. Twenty years ago, when the population was 1/2 that as it is today, there were more total crimes than there are today. 2009 was our lowest crime rate on record. The good news is, the emergency response time for the year is 3:47 minutes.
-Chief of Police Scott M. Jordan
If I can help in any way, please call me at 714-478-8351 or email me at deborah@deborahfortustin.com.
Deborah