Then and Now: Photos of Casa Romantica show damage caused by landside

• April 29, 2023

After Thursday’s landslide, Casa Romantica and several condominium units farther down the hillside were red-tagged, which means they were declared unsuitable for occupation. The number of residents who were displaced is not clear at this time.

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San Clemente officials closely monitoring slope beneath historic Casa Romantica
4 apartment buildings in San Clemente are red tagged due to landslide
Federal officials get up-close look at coastal erosion threats to key rail line
Landslides raise concern, warning for coastal blufftop living
San Clemente landslide after rains triggers federal emergency declaration

​ Orange County Register 

Stagecoach 2023: Country music fans, performers brave the heat and cut loose during Day 1

• April 29, 2023

It was already 100 degrees by the time the gates opened for the three-day Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio at noon on Friday, April 28.

While cowboy hats, denim and country music were the familiar sights and sounds, the festival has a new layout this year. The scorching heat had fans walking in slowly, navigating the fresh territory and in carrying lawn chairs as they searched for the perfect view of the expanded Mane Stage, where the headliners — Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton —will perform throughout the weekend.

But the heat didn’t stop the party. Even a few Mane Stage performers braved the elements and sweating off their makeup to hang out with fans in the Shein Saloon activation early in the day. “Just About Over You” singer Priscilla Block helped guests pick out accessories for their outfits and said she was loving her first time at Stagecoach.

“It’s wild and I wish I would have come as a fan prior,” she said. “Everyone is so excited and it’s country music and we’re in the desert … it’s just a whole vibe.”

“Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” and “America’s Sweetheart” singer-songwriter Elle King, who played the Palomino at Stagecoach back in 2017, said she’s just happy they let her back in the gates.

“I consider it a real honor,” she said of graduating to Mane Stage status in 2023. She was also in the Shein Saloon, doing Cowboy Karaoke with some lucky fans who were hanging out and getting custom cowboy hats and bandanas made. They got a little taste of what was to come as she belted out her 2015 hit “Ex’s & Oh’s” karaoke-style.

“Thank God that was the song,” she said with a laugh. “It’s the only one I know the words to and they still had the lyrics up there for me!”

Outside the air-conditioned saloon, fans made their way into the event and up to the Mane Stage, pausing to enjoy the cool mist coming from misters wrapped around palm trees that worked overtime to bring them some relief. Many found spots to spread out blankets on the dead, hay-like grass that was once lush and green during its sister event that happened over the past two weekends, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Elsa and Wyatt Parker of Burbank have been coming to the festival for five years and said they were fine with the head, noting that it’s now expected of the festival weekend.

“I have to make sure I bring bottles of sunscreen every time,” Elsa said. “It only lasts from the car to the gate, then I got to reapply again by the time I get to the gate because we sweat it off.”

And for sister duo and longtime Stagecoach veterans Laura and Marie Wilkonson, the heat is “the worst it’s ever been.”

Making the trek from Santa Ana to attend Stagecoach has been a tradition for the family since 2012, and they can’t recall the last time the sun beamed so severely.

“Honestly, you kind of know what you’re getting yourself into every year when stepping into Stagecoach,” Marie said. “The heat is like the price you pay to see great country acts.”

Yet, the two add it might affect who they may see throughout the day since some stages, such as the Mane Stage, don’t have many shaded areas for people to cool down.

“That’s the hardest part of coming, sometimes the heat just forces you to sit down for hours.,” Marie said.

Madison Amoth, who flew in from Idaho a day before the festivities began, said that the heat is something she’s enjoying considering the grueling winter her state has endured.

“For me, I can take the heat,” she said while waiting in line at a lemonade stand. “I’m enjoying it because back where I live, we used to pray for this kind of weather. I’m not saying it’s easy to be in this kind of heat at a festival, but I’m grateful and just so excited to see Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton.”

Returning attractions at the Yee-Haw include Nikki Lane’s Stage Stop Marketplace and the Compton Cowboys, a group of ten Black horseback riders whose small ranch is one of the very last in a formerly semi-rural area of Compton.

DJ and producer Diplo, who is also hosting Late Night in Palomino on Sunday, has curated the Honky Tonk for the very first time and is bringing prominent EDM artists like Girl Talk, Dillon Francis, Lost Frequencies, Cheat Codes and more to that stage.

Alexander Colman of San Diego said he isn’t surprised to see more EDM acts at Stagecoach.

“I tell people all the time that it brings different music together even though it’s a country festival,” Coleman said. “I think you’ll be surprised how much of an overlap of different music you’ll find out here.”

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is also back with his barbecue setup over at the expanded Guy Fieri’s Stagecoach Smokehouse, which will include cooking demos with pitmasters and performers including ZZ Top, Jon Pardi, Old Dominion and more scheduled throughout the weekend.

New features at Stagecoach include the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch from the popular TV series “Yellowstone,” which offers plenty of photo opportunities and yard games. The festival also debuted the 1 Million Strong Wellness Retreat, which allows fans to relax, recharge and enjoy non-alcoholic drinks with other sober attendees.

For hundreds of attendees, RV camping is the true way to experience Stagecoach as they can set up camp just outside the festival gates and get the party started early with their neighbors.

San Diego resident Laurisa Galeazzi said she feels right at home in the campgrounds.

“For us, RV camping means meeting new people and making new friends, some of which we plan to meet up with later this evening for Stapleton,” Galeazzi said of plotting out their festival strategy, which includes seeing Sunday headliner Chris Stapleton.

“We couldn’t say no to coming to see (him) perform,” she added. “We actually won tickets for Stagecoach last year from our local radio station, and it was our first time coming. We loved it so much we had to come back, regardless of whether we had to pay.”

Stagecoach continues on Saturday, April 29 with headliner Kane Brown and sets from Old Dominion, ZZ Top, Gabby Barrett, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bryan Adams, Niko Moon, Keb’ Mo’ and others. Sunday, April 30 is topped by Stapleton along with Brooks & Dunn, Tyler Childers, Turnpike Troubadours, Parker McCollum, Lainey Wilson, Ryan Bingham and more.

Stagecoach is also streaming all the performances on the Mane Stage live on Amazon Prime throughout the weekend.

(Kelli Skye Fadroski also contributed to this story). 

More Stagecoach Country Music Festival news

Stagecoach 2023: How to livestream the country music festival from home

Stagecoach 2023: Brooks & Dunn return to the desert and they’re ready to party 

Stagecoach 2023: Everything you need to know about the country music fest 

Stagecoach 2023: Guy Fieri’s barbecue, sushi and lots of drinks on the menu 

Stagecoach 2023: When to see Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton and more 

Stagecoach 2023: See who will be grilling with Guy Fieri

Stagecoach 2023: Girl Talk, Dillon Francis, Lost Frequencies hit the Honky Tonk 

Stagecoach 2023: Trixie Mattel, Nelly and Diplo host Late Night in Palomino 

Stagecoach 2023: Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton will headline the country fest in Indio 

​ Orange County Register 

NFL draft: Rams take TCU’s Steve Avila to help rebuild offensive line

• April 29, 2023

TARZANA, Calif. — The Rams looked to address their porous offensive line by selecting TCU guard Steve Avila in the second round with the 36th overall pick of the NFL draft on Friday night.

Avila played every position except left tackle during his five seasons with the Horned Frogs, earning consensus All-America honors at left guard as a redshirt senior in 2022.

A key piece up front during TCU’s unexpected run to the College Football Playoff title game, which it lost to Georgia, Avila did not allow a sack during his last two seasons in college.

The Rams struggled with injuries on the offensive line all last season, a major reason for their dismal defense of their Super Bowl title.

The Rams did not have a first-round pick because of its January 2021 trade with Detroit for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who directed the win in Super Bowl LVI in their home stadium.

More to come on this story

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Friday, April 28

• April 29, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Friday, April 28

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

FRIDAY’S SCORES

BASEBALL

SAN JOAQUIN LEAGUE

Capistrano Valley Christian 23, Calvary Chapel/Downey 0

OLYMPIC LEAGUE

Whittier Christian 7, Valley Christian 2

NONLEAGUE

Edison 6, Mission Viejo 5

Canyon 10, Pacifica 8

Fullerton 8, Bishop Amat 7

SOFTBALL

NONLEAGUE

Sunny Hills 12, Calvary Chapel 2

Fountain Valley 5, Foothill 2

Laguna Beach 3, Corona del Mar 2

Chino Hills 13, Villa Park 9

​ Orange County Register 

Disneyland memorializes Make-A-Wish relationship with coveted window dedication

• April 29, 2023

An often overlooked element of Disneyland’s old-town Americana buildings along Main Street, U.S.A. are the windows dedicated to, according to Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock, “those who were instrumental in bringing Disneyland to life.”

On Friday, during an early morning ceremony, three more windows were dedicated to commemorate the company’s longtime connection with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The windows are above the Disney Wish Lounge, which Potrock called “a private place for select families to rest and recharge at Disneyland.”

One window is dedicated specifically to Make-A-Wish and “all the wish kids past, present and future.” It’s the first nonprofit to get the Main Street, U.S.A. honor.

The others memorialize Chris Greicius, whose mother, Linda Pauling, started Make-A-Wish after Greicius died of leukemia, and Frank “Bopsy” Salazar, the first official Wish recipient in 1981.

Salazar’s window reads, “Disney Magical Wish Makers Society, Founder” recognizing him as the first person to get a wish from the foundation. Greicius’ window is emblazoned with a shield that says, “Department of Hopes & Dreams Enforcement” to commemorate his love of the police.

Greicius was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 4. Through the efforts of family friends he was able to realize his dream of being a cop for a day, including a ride in a police helicopter, on April 29, 1980. He died shortly after.

“There’s more kids, let’s go find them,” Pauling said of her desire to help other sick children have a similar uplifting experience. She had $37.76 that she put in a bank account and created Make-A-WIsh.

A mutual doctor introduced Pauling to Salazar, who also had leukemia, and his mother, Octaviana Trujillo.

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At Disneyland, even the storefront window displays get a lot of attention
Behind Disneyland’s window dressing
12 fun things you may not know about Disneyland
Facing death, she got her Make-a-Wish from Disney; 23 years later, she’ll help grant other kids’ wishes

Just like Disneyland was built in a year, so was the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Twelve months later, Pauling was able to grant Salazar’s wish – the first Make-A-Wish event – for a trip to Disneyland.

Standing next to the Main Street windows on Friday, Trujillo talked about how the permanent recognition “is going to inspire so many others to be part of Disneyland and Make-A-Wish.”

“To see these windows is unbelievable. It’s exciting,” she said, adding, “Am I really here or is this a dream.”

Friday’s dedication, on the eve of World Wish Day, marks the 43rd anniversary of Greicius’ day as a cop.

“Wish granting clearly embedded in our DNA,” Potrock said as he talked of the long list of employees who volunteer to help grant wishes. In the past 40 years, Disney has become the largest wish granter in the world, fulfilling nearly 150,000 wishes from all parts of the company.

The park’s new Wish lounge was designed in partnership with Disney Animation and its theme draws from the soon-to-be released animated musical, “Wish.”

More than four decades later, Pauling is still involved with fundraising for the foundation, saying jokingly, “I make people cry and they give us money.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Newport to Ensenada race gets underway with light winds

• April 29, 2023

When the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race launched in 1948, it was called the “Just for Fun” race.

“It still is just for fun,” said Newport Ocean Sailing Association Commodore Mary Bacon as the 75th sailing of the famed race got underway Friday. “I don’t know of another race that is as fun as this, especially being an international race. There’s something for everybody.”

This year’s 125-mile race has about 140 boats racing ranging from small 30-foot recreational cruisers to 80-foot multi-million-dollar yachts and they are sailing either of two courses – one that goes to San Diego and around the Coronado Islands, and the other to Ensenada, Mexico. A mini race to Dana Point was eliminated this year.

Spectators lined the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach at 11 a.m. Friday to watch the start of the race, marveling at the boats getting set to sail south toward their destination. With light winds to start the race in and in the forecast through Saturday,  it’s not expected to be a record-breaking year.

Many of the boats hail from Southern California harbors, but nine different states are represented and there are even crews from Canada and Mexico that joined this year’s race.

Boaters spent the past week getting their vessels ready and loading up food and drinks for the overnight journey, said Bacon.

“Let the circus begin,” she said.

It’s the camaraderie that makes it special, the excitement and the passion for being out on the water during such an iconic race, Bacon said.

The Newport Ocean Sailing Association was founded in August 1947, “a post-World War II dream of recognizing local sailors” and opening up boating to Mexico, with Ensenada selected as the destination of NOSA’s first long-distance ocean race.

The event started before many of the nearby harbors existed, just as yacht clubs were starting to form and as the sport of sailing was growing along the coast.

The race is a draw for serious competitors who aim to break records and casual cruisers joining for the party element, lured by the margaritas and beers that flow at the finish line.

While the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race has a festive vibe, it’s also a serious contest to win bragging right among boaters.

“It’s always a new adventure, based on the friends and family you’re with – and certainly based on the weather,” Bacon said.

This year’s mild conditions paled in comparison to last year’s record-breaking, whipping winds that were clocked at upward 30 knots. “They were flying,” Bacon said.

NOSA Staff Commodore Bills Gibbs and crew last year took home the best time with Wahoo, his Schionning 1400 catamaran.

In 2021, it was Jerry Fiat’s Farrier 32 SRX Taniwha that was the big winner.

Taniwha sat out last year’s race, but Long Beach sailor Peter Sangmeister, 21, had a game plan for the trimaran this year –  to dart out quickly from the start line and go way offshore to find wind.

“We’re looking to finish first in line,” he said. “It’s one of the fastest boats in Southern California and we’re hoping we’ve put together a team of some pretty good people.”

The trimaran is 32 feet, not big, “but it’s very fast.”

Sangmeister comes from a long line of sailors and is a third generation Newport-to-Ensenada racer. His grandfather Peter Tong, 82, has done the event a handful of times and his father, John, 60, will be on a different boat, Rock N Roll, competing in a separate category.

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Sangmeister did the race in 2016 with his father, but they didn’t quite make it to the finish line. The boat broke just as they reached the boarder and they had to turn around, he said.

One of the exciting parts of the race is the number of boats. The shorter race course makes it more accessible than the longer Newport Harbor to Cabo San Lucas race or the Transpacific Yacht Race, which goes from Los Angeles to Hawaii.

“This is a more mellow race, which I think is a big attraction,” Sangmeister said Friday. “But it is an international race, one of the shortest you can do in the world. I’m praying for a bit more wind and I think everyone will have a bit more fun.”

To track the boats in real time, go to nosa.org

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​ Orange County Register 

OCTA warded $45 million to invest in transit projects

• April 29, 2023

The Orange County Transportation Authority has been awarded nearly $45 million by the California State Transportation Agency for two projects that officials say will help improve the bus and rail systems while addressing air quality.

One project is focused on increasing public transit options in central Orange County, and another is looking at the future of rail service along a key route in Southern California that is threatened by sea level rise and erosion issues.

“We are very thankful to the state for continuing to recognize the value of our projects in Orange County, which will continue to enhance the ability of our residents, workers and visitors to more efficiently travel to their destinations by using public transit,” Gene Hernandez, OCTA chairman and mayor of Yorba Linda, said in a statement.

The OCTA announced about $39.4 million was received for the Central Mobility Loop project, which includes purchasing 33 zero-emission buses and replacing another 10 gas-powered vehicles with zero-emission versions. The new buses are expected to hit the road in early 2026.

The money will also fund an effort to synchronize traffic signals that will allow buses to move through intersections at more consistent speeds and the installation of a new bike storage space at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and fast-charging stations at the center and the Fullerton Transportation Center.

The state agency also earmarked $5 million to help the OCTA fund a study of longer-term solutions to the threats facing the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo, or LOSSSAN, rail corridor through south Orange County from climate change and coastal erosion.

Train traffic through San Clemente is currently halted because of a landslide this week and daily passenger service had recently been impacted for several months because the tracks had been shifted in another nearby section by crashing waves and a sliding hillside.

These funds are in addition to a previous Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program award of $150 million to help fund the completion of the OC Streetcar.

“Our successful funding applications were possible through the strong support of Orange County’s state and federal elected officials, our city partners and neighboring transportation agencies,” Darrell E. Johnson, OTCA CEO, said in a statement. “We very much appreciate their collaboration and look forward to continued partnership as we work to advance these important transportation projects.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Orange County Classical Academy eyes traditional school campuses for its expansion

• April 28, 2023

The Orange County Classical Academy, a charter school with a curriculum affiliated with a small Christian college in Michigan, wants to open a high school, possibly using classrooms and other spaces at an existing traditional campus.

The Orange school’s leaders are looking at facilities in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District as well as places in Orange and Huntington Beach as potential sites to house charter school students.

The school is considering those different options, among others, said Jeff Barke, Classical Academy’s co-founder and board chairman, to accommodate a growing number of families interested in its “classical” approach to education. But Barke offered few details on where exactly his school could go.

“We’ve got a lot of irons in the fire and we’re working on a number of different options,” Barke said.

The lack of publicly available information has left some parents, particularly in Placentia-Yorba Linda and Orange Unified districts, speculating about where the charter school known as OCCA wants to expand and whether it will affect their children’s schooling. They have also raised concerns about the process and whether the conservative board majorities have the predisposition to approve requests from the conservative-leaning charter school.

PYLUSD

In the Placentia-Yorba Linda district, or the PYLUSD, charter officials have identified four schools they believe would “be the best fit” for their program, according to documents obtained through a public records request.

In a March letter to PYLUSD board members, OCCA officials sought 12-24 classrooms and other spaces, including fields, parking, eating and office areas, in one of four schools they identified. Those schools are Rio Vista Elementary in Anaheim, Esperanza High in Anaheim, Bernardo Yorba Middle School in Yorba Linda and El Dorado High in Placentia.

The proposal outlined an annual base rental the charter would pay the district, starting at $189,120 beginning May 1, for 12 classrooms and other spaces, and going up to $249,120 in the fourth year, for 24 classrooms. The school would start with ninth-grade students and add a grade level every academic year until it reaches grade 12.

When PYLUSD Superintendent Michael Matthews sought additional information, OCCA attorney David Huff offered more specifics: The proposal requests to share library space three days a week for up to four hours a day and an auditorium or multi-purpose room of approximately 4,000 square feet for the same durations plus some evening and weekend times.

Other requested spaces included shared use of locker rooms, the gymnasium, bathrooms and a health or nurse’s room.

Huff cited higher “rental rates” as well: $225,835 for the 2023-24 school year, going up every year OCCA adds a grade, until 2026-27 when the high school is fully formed and OCCA would pay the district $315,835 annually.

That proposal recently circulated on social media, raising questions and concerns from some community members.

Here comes the OCCA… pic.twitter.com/NqJAvgb8MQ

— VoicesforPYLUSD (@NPylusd) April 23, 2023

“The district is not going through a transparent process,” said Placentia resident Julie Suchard, who worries that earlier endorsements and connections between some members of PYLUSD, OCCA Superintendent Stefan Bean and the conservative Orange County Board of Education will lead to a slam-dunk approval without proper vetting.

While information has been released to those who have filed public records requests, OCCA parents appear to have been kept abreast of the school’s planned expansion and were asked to attend PYLUSD school board meetings in support.

Ahead of an April 18 PYLUSD board meeting, Mike Davis, OCCA’s director of school development, gave parents instructions on how to “speak on our behalf during public comments” and asked them to arrive early to ensure they got a seat.

“While we do anticipate having the support necessary for approval, we want to make as compelling a case as possible by our turnout, our example, and by what we say and how we say it,” Davis said in the note to parents.

Asked how and why OCCA anticipated such support, Barke said: “I don’t know, except they are a charter-friendly board so the assumption is they would support us considering we are a ‘California distinguished school’ with a proven track record of excellence.”

“That’s what school board meetings are for: to advocate, to speak during public comments and to support your school,” Barke said.

Teacher unions, he argues, do the same.

“We advocate for our perspective, and the left advocates for theirs,” he said.

But the subject was never raised before the school board on April 18, and Barke did not say when OCCA plans to pitch its proposal publicly.

According to Leandra Blades, one of the district’s conservative board members, she and other trustees learned of the OCCA plan in early March, and it is being reviewed by the school district’s attorney.

“I don’t think anybody is hiding anything,” Blades said. “There have been no discussions about this.”

“I think people are probably overreacting a little bit,” she said.

Blades said she doesn’t have an opinion on OCCA’s proposal to use one of four campuses in the district, but if it comes to pass, she views it as “a landlord-tenant relationship.”

“I don’t see any harm if we have classrooms available,” Barke said.

Like other school districts across Orange County and the state, PYLUSD has seen a steady drop in enrollment, which affects how much funding it receives from the state. The district’s enrollment this school year is 23,138 compared to 25,741 in the 2017-18 school year, according to the California Department of Education.

OCCA

The Orange County Classical Academy opened at 4100 E. Walnut Ave. in Orange in August 2020 after the Orange Unified School Board narrowly approved its creation.

The school offers a curriculum based on the Barney Charter School Initiative, a project of Hillsdale College in southern Michigan, which focuses on “a content-rich classical education in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue,” according to the school’s online family handbook.

Critics have expressed concern that the curriculum, which focuses on Western civilization and classic texts, may have a cultural and religious bias. Hillsdale’s history program, the “1776 Curriculum,” appears to be partly based on former President Donald Trump’s “1776 Commission,” the New York Times reported. Hillsdale’s president, Larry Arnn, chaired that commission.

Barke describes the curriculum this way: “It’s the education our founders received, the way education used to be, and was dramatically changed over the last generation.”

A leader in the Republican Party of Orange County, Barke has at times been a controversial figure. He’s a doctor who has advocated against vaccines and masking, once pulling out a gun during a video to say that a concealed weapon offered more protection against COVID-19 than a face mask.

Barke said he wanted to open OCCA — co-founded with Mark Bucher of the libertarian California Policy Center — after he lost a reelection bid to the Los Alamitos Unified School Board.

Less than two years after it opened, OCCA sought to leave Orange Unified for a new charter, this time under the umbrella of the Orange County Department of Education where the Orange County Board of Education trustees are considered “charter-friendly” and regularly approve charter requests.

In February 2022, the Orange County Board of Education approved OCCA’s petition to expand from a TK-8th grade school to a TK-to-12th grade school. Mari Barke, Jeff Barke’s wife and a county Board of Education trustee, abstained from the vote.

Trustees also consented to OCCA’s request to open new campuses. The 173-page petition to the county at the time stated that OCCA had identified four prospective school facilities within the following school districts for expansion: Capistrano Unified, Huntington Beach City School District, Huntington Beach Union High School District and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified.

But first, the school wants to create a high school.

Its Orange campus enrolls 529 students and has a waiting list of some 900 families, according to Jeff Barke, and it cannot accommodate more students.

While the school got the thumbs up from the county to expand over a year ago, finding land has proven difficult, Jeff Barke said. Other areas the school may consider, he said, include the Ocean View School District in Huntington Beach where trustees are considering closing down campuses due to a drop in enrollment as well as private properties where the school can either rent or build upon.

Orange Unified

Orange Unified is another district where OCCA has considered expansion.

Earlier this month, some parents at Esplanade Elementary, which is adjacent to OCCA, expressed concerns about rumors that their campus could either close or be forced to share facilities with a charter school.

“Esplanade has been a second home for my family for over 29 years,” parent Veronica Cisneros said in Spanish to the Orange Unified board. Is it true that the school could close, she asked the board. “I want an answer from you.”

Cisneros and other Esplanade parents waited until almost 2:30 a.m. during a mid-April meeting to address the board during a public comment period held at the end of a meeting lasting more than seven hours. But as is typical, board members did not respond.

Barke referred questions about Esplanade to the district.

In February, OCCA proposed leasing a vacant portion of Esplanade for up to three grades, but it has since rescinded that “letter of intent to lease,” Orange Unified officials said.

In May 2022, Orange Unified entered into an agreement with OCCA to pay out $200,000, spread out over four academic years, in lieu of the district providing the charter school with facilities, as required under state law.

California’s Proposition 39, passed by voters in 2000, mandates that school districts must provide charter school students with facilities that are “reasonably equivalent” to those used by students in traditional schools, as long as the charter has at least 80 students who live in that district.

Some residents say they worry OCCA is attempting to bypass the Prop 39 process to avoid more scrutiny for the facilities the charter is requesting and in communities where they will get less pushback.

It has yet to be determined whether OCCA will eventually share a campus with a traditional school or if a school might consolidate two half-empty campuses and provide the other to OCCA, Barke said.

There are 1,285 charter schools in California. They are tuition-free public schools, funded by taxpayers, that are exempt from many laws governing school districts.

The California Charter Schools Association does not track how many share campuses, but it is not uncommon, officials said. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, there are 297 charters. About 75 of those share campuses with a traditional school, said Ricardo Soto, an attorney for the association.

Charters

Some parents fear that if a charter school utilizes some classrooms, it could eventually take over the whole campus. That happened in Mission Viejo in 2012, one year after Oxford Preparatory Academy began sharing a campus with Barcelona Hills Elementary.

In Orange County, four charter schools authorized under the Orange County Department of Education share facilities with district schools or centers, according to that county agency. They include Sycamore Creek Community Charter which sits on the Oak View Elementary campus in Huntington Beach.

Educators and school district leaders have traditionally been leery of most charter schools.

A few years back, for example, Capistrano Unified officials asked the College and Career Advantage Regional Occupational Program, or ROP,  to move locations so that the district could move a charter to ROP’s old spot and avoid placing it at a high school campus, said Kim Thomas, the director of instructional services.

“The fear when a charter comes in is that they’re taking money out of the district’s pocket, and if they’re sharing space, (the traditional public school) could lose even more students,” said Thomas, a PYLUSD parent.

“I’m in public education so I believe in public education. And I don’t want to see anything pulled away from that,” Thomas said. “But I understand why some parents are looking for an alternative if they’re not happy with services provided.”

Sharing campuses has become more common in some spots, especially at L.A. Unified, but how well the sharing goes depends in part on the administrators running the show, said Brianna Garcia, vice president of School Services of California, Inc., a Sacramento-based school consulting company.

“Sometimes they get along great and they do things jointly and it’s a beautiful relationship,” Garcia said, “and sometimes it’s a complete nightmare.”

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​ Orange County Register