Please check the districts in the Tan VI map shown. If you are in District 4 or District 5 you CANNOT vote for any city council candidate in the 2018 election and if you are in District 1, 2 or 3 you can vote for only one candidate from your district in 2018 instead of … Read more
In February, Dana Point was targeted for districting under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Since then the city rushed to comply and facilitate districting for the 2018 election, significantly reducing the voting rights of Dana Point citizens. Meanwhile the City Attorney acted to shorten the response time allowed in the CVRA by four weeks, … Read more
Dana Point joined a 13 City task force to address the rising cost of police services provided by contract with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. These costs are putting many cities under financial hardship. Dana Point’s police service costs are budgeted to be $13,299,000 in FY 2019. For fiscal year 2018, the OCSD contract cost … Read more
It may remain a mystery how Dana Point got targeted with the CVRA threat just in time for the 2018 election and why its response time was shortened by 30 days. Most residents prefer current, at large voting, where they vote for all the council members instead of just one council member for their district. … Read more
The graph shows how much of the city’s available cash has been spent since 2008 when there was approximately $55 million available. The budget shows that spendable cash is projected to be about $24 Million for FY 2018 ending June 30th 2018. If the budget and associated plan is approved as currently presented, it projects … Read more
Dana Point Has spent more in 8 out of the last 9 years. These annual deficits have reduced the total spendable funds that Dana Point has in cash and investments. The proposed 2018 and 2019 budgets have attempted to reduce over spending but still project deficits each year. A plan for 2020 to 2022 has … Read more
At the June 6th City Council meeting, it was announced that a settlement had been reached between the City of Dana Point and the Headland’s Reserve LLC. This lawsuit is a result of previous litigation with the California Coastal Commission. All this litigation eventually cost the city over $500,000 in legal fees and penalties. The … Read more
by Mayor Debra Lewis As published in Dana Point Times Last week, two decisions positively impacted Dana Point policing. First, City Council approved a Notice of Completion for the nearly $1,000,000 police services renovation project approved in 2016 (Project). Now all members of our police force will start their shifts here in Dana Point rather … Read more
ESTABLISHMENT OF FINANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE PROTECTING DANA POINT’S FINANCIAL FUTURE Recently, the City Council established an independent Finance Review Committee. The city’s financial reporting is very complex often comprising hundreds of pages, as the picture shows. The Council should welcome and encourage input from the Committee. More information will enable the Council to make the … Read more
When asked recently by the Dana Point Times to list my priorities as a new member of the City Council, I put “building trust between the City and its residents and businesses” at the top of the list. Building trust requires open, honest communication and realistic expectations. In the first Council’s Corner, Mayor Lewis wrote, … Read more