Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Streets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press Placentia council to prioritize street repairs, cite years of deferred maintenance
Summary
Multiple residents and neighborhood representatives urged faster repaving and criticized delays in Measure U spending; speakers described safety hazards and property damage and asked council to reallocate or prioritize funds for street rehabilitation.
Residents from multiple neighborhoods pressed the Placentia City Council on Nov. 5 to accelerate street rehabilitation and prioritize Measure U revenue for pavement work.
Speakers described long waits and safety hazards. "Our streets are a total mess," said Nate Diedic, a Rogue Street resident, who told the council his neighborhood has been promised work since 2019 and remains in disrepair. Dan Haines, speaking for Palm Village North residents, urged the council to "give us the highest priority to get our streets repaved as soon as possible." John Beltran cited loose gravel and trip hazards that he said cause property damage and danger for pedestrians.
Several commenters said they had submitted petitions and public‑records requests. Joanne Sowards and Dan Katz recounted prior petitions (Sowards said she collected roughly 85–90 names on an earlier petition and additional signatures later) and criticized what they characterized as deferred maintenance despite Measure U tax revenue. "If you have $5,000,000 extra than you did before 2019, why hasn't it been a priority?" Sowards asked (speaker used this $5,000,000 figure as an estimate).
Councilmembers acknowledged the concern and said staff will agendize further discussion with options. Councilmember Shader said the issue will appear on the next meeting’s agenda as a rehabilitation plan; Councilmember Bonka and others said accelerating rehabs requires reprioritizing or pausing other projects. Bonka noted the practical limits of budget processes but said staff and council are identifying projects they can pause or cancel to free funding for streets.
Background and next steps: Councilmembers asked staff to present a single meeting with all options so the council can set clear direction on street rehabs. A contract award for fiscal year 2023–24 residential street rehabs was on the agenda for review and staff discussed reopenings of which streets will be worked on and timeline adjustments.
