Puente Hills Habitat Authority seeks local funding via Measure pH; La Habra Heights appointee briefs council

At the Aug. 12 meeting, Kathy (Catherine) Howland — appointed by the city to the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority advisory committee — told the council the Authority unanimously voted to form a Community Facilities District (CFD) and place Measure pH on the Nov. 2024 ballot.

Howland described Measure pH as a special tax of $0.01 per building square foot (building area, not lot area). She offered an example: an 1,800‑square‑foot house would face an annual charge of about $18. Howland said the measure’s revenues would fund habitat preservation and maintenance across open-space parcels named in her remarks (Powder Canyon, Hacienda Hills, Turnbull Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, Hellman Park and Aurora Pescadero), as well as rangers for security and fire prevention, trail repairs, brush clearance and protection from dumping and homeless encampments. She emphasized the Authority’s intent that funds remain locally controlled and not be diverted by the state.

Howland also reported the Habitat Authority had conducted annual brush-clearance work in La Habra Heights (including using goats to clear 11 acres in Powder Canyon) and summarized outreach including public hikes. She invited residents to contact Authority trustees or visit habitatauthority.org for details and said trustees Roy Francis and Adam Nazaroff are local contacts.

The presentation was informational; the council did not take formal action on Measure pH at the meeting. Staff and residents were encouraged to follow Authority public materials and the Nov. ballot process if the CFD is placed before voters.