Home Care In Mission Viejo, CA

The estimated cost of the Los Osos Core Area project — a brand-new shopping and recreation area in Mission Viejo — has increased by about $21 million since the project initially began in 2021.

That’s a 32% increase, Mission Viejo leaders said, as the estimated cost of the project is now at more than $67.8 million for the project that involves updates and additions to the existing Village Shopping Center off of Marguerite Parkway and La Paz Road.

That updated projected cost includes the $12 million purchase of the Stein Mart building in December 2021.

The city’s original estimate for this project in September 2021 was $46 million. The price increased, said Assistant City Manager Keith Rattay, because real estate and construction costs have risen over the past two years.

“This is the natural progression for a project like this,” Rattay said.

The City Council unanimously agreed during its Oct. 24 meeting to move forward on the initial phase of the project, called the “Go Forward” plan. The project is planned out in five phases over several years.

Since 2017, the city has been working at Oso Creek to expand the area to include a one-of-a-kind shopping, entertainment and event plaza called the Los Osos Core Area. This project will take over the older shopping center and connect to the greater project on Oso Creek.

This first phase of the project will construct a connection from the Mission Viejo Civic Center and library to the North Paseo area by a pedestrian walkway. Additionally, a park and gathering space will be built at the end of the walkway toward Oso Creek for community members to congregate.

“I think in the next 30 years, we’re going to look back and go, ‘What a brilliant idea this was,’” said Mayor Brian Goodell. “And we’re going to add another jewel to the beautiful crown of Mission Viejo.”

According to the approved site plan, the Los Osos Core Area project will encompass 22,736 square feet.

Once the shopping and entertainment centers are completed, the city can anticipate a sales tax generation of $3.57 per square foot, roughly equating to between $50,000 and $65,000 of additional sales tax per year to Mission Viejo, according to Rattay.

Councilmember Cynthia Vasquez said she was concerned by the potential lack of interest of developers in the project. Of the 17 firms contacted for involvement, only one conveyed interest, councilmembers were told.

“I have to admit, it is very concerning to me,” Vasquez said. “It makes me wonder if there are aspects we’re overlooking. It makes me curious to know if there are insights that the developers have that we’re missing.”

“I support this,” said Vasquez, “I just want to make sure we are doing all of the due diligence we can.”

Rattay shared feedback given from a recent walking tour event as well as other comments received from residents in recent months.

Aside from positive comments, residents expressed concerns about whether the project would include an efficient parking area. Residents said they wanted to allow vehicular traffic through the middle of the project. Others said they wanted a bike park or bike access through the center of the Los Osos Core Area, a bridge to be constructed over Marguerite Parkway that would connect to the Civic Center and a veterans memorial.

Rattay said a veterans memorial would be included, but he did not specify where it is planned.

“I think what we are doing is a good thing,” said Mayor Pro Tem Trish Kelley. “What I am seeing is a lot of excitement about the project.”

Mission Viejo will now hire an environmental consultant to develop the submittals required for the various state and federal regulatory agencies, and the design team that has already been working on the project will develop working drawings for the Los Osos Core Area.

The environmental consultations are expected to take place between December 2023 and the beginning of 2025, when construction would then begin for the first phase.

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Home & Garden

Plant grafting and Exchange events update plus other MVC

Community Contributor

You can also bring garden stuff you no longer need i.e. books, sprinkler fittings, chemicals (original packaging & labeled), old

We still need additional volunteers for our events especially Feb 11th event. If you can help, let us know!!! Volunteers get 4 gallons or 30 lbs of mealworm frass ( think more concentrated worm castings) .

1:) Exotica Rare Fruit Nursery | Vista CA - a famous nursery is closing its location due to landlord selling the property. It is recommended to go there if wanting some cool and interesting fruit plants before it is no longer available. It will be gone in about 1 1/2 months.

Small businesses expected to attend the event. Also great to visit outside of the event. , Ricardo's Nursery in Long Beach And Laguna Hills Nursery In Tustin. Lots of cool plants. Aguinaga Green Soil Company for great quality soil. Foodhill Feed / Canyon Feed for animal feeds and supplies. Costco . (bigger but cool) <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

2) Free meeting to discuss and demonstrate grafting and Other plant propagation techniques.

Saturday Jan 27th 10:30 am to 12:00 noon

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This meeting will be held at the Irvine Great Park, Farm + Food Lab. It is near the big orange balloon.From Wikipedia: “Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scionwhile the lower part is called the rootstock.” You can think of this as plant surgery.Generally, both plants need to be the same type i.e. apple to apple, dragon fruit to dragon fruit,avocado to avocado, citrus to citrus. Some avocado growers graft multiple varieties onto asingle tree in order to extend fruit production. Grafting can enable a rose plant to havemultiple colored flowers.We will be covering various grafting methods, such as saddle graft, splice graft, side veneergraft, bark graft, and air layering.Medical grade Parafilm grafting tape will be available for purchase. ($3 per 5 feet)Register athttps://southoccrfg.org/monthly-meeting/Registered participants get preference, because:1) We are able to prepare for the number of attendees2) Should the class need to be rescheduled, we will be able to notify those registered.3) We are doing this for free. It makes it easier for us to plan and prepare for the class.___________________________________________________<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>On February 11th, we will be having a Plant cutting and anything garden related exchangeevent. Free to attend / participate This is our biggest event of the year.Bring cuttings of known varieties of fruit trees, grapes, blueberries or other plants.) Do NOT bring citrus or those under current patent)You can also bring garden stuff you no longer need i.e. books, sprinkler fittings, chemicals ( in original containers w labels, old tools, pots (whatever you have that is still good, but you were hoping it could be of use eventually, but you probably will never use).

When bringing cuttings, store them in a plastic Zip-Lock bag with a damp (NOT soaking wet)paper towel. Make sure to label the bag with the variety name and DO NOT mix varieties.When selecting scion wood, be sure to label each variety as you pick it. It is useless if you donot know what type or variety it is.

Some people use blue masking tape and a pen or pencil that can write on it. Write on the tape and attach to the cutting. - observe how experienced others at the event are doing it.Beige masking tape also works, but, being extra sticky, may be more difficult to remove.Please remember that others also want cuttings. Take just one or two pieces of each typeyou’re interested in. If you want more, wait until later and ask if it’s ok to take more.‘Leftovers’ are often used by the club after the event, or other chapters

We have confirmation that CDFA staff and CDFA SCIENTISTS will have a booth. Participants can learn about IMPORTANT current information on Citrus diseases, Fruit Fly infestation , pests, and quarantines. It is very important to understand what is going on. The fruit fly can make all your fruit not edible in a short time. CDFA = California Department of Food and Agriculture

If you are from the media, This will be a great opportunity to meet influential people from the CDFA. I have attached the Citrus Disease Article written in English vs Latin by Frank and verified by CDFA Scientists. Some people think they are unaffected by the citrus disease.. Want to bet? notice the difference in Orange juice now vs 15 years ago.

We anticipate some representatives of the media to attend. It will be a great opportunity for them to get high level CDFA contacts.

There will be at least one nursery bringing plants for sale. Be prepared by bringing cash.We expect to have a number of garden related companies / groups attending.

There will be someone selling Ollas, or buried terra-cotta pots, commonly used for efficientirrigation in permaculture and gardening. Ollas work by slowly releasing water into thesurrounding soil, allowing plants to access moisture as needed.The Farm + Food Lab will be offering Banana plants for sale..

Volunteers are still needed.during the week prior to the event, we will need help transporting the black pots to the location, and helping pickupPeople can drop off cuttings or items preferably ahead of time by contacting us.

The day prior to the event, we will need help putting up the folding tables.

The day of the eventVolunteers will be doing the following tasksA) Greeting people at the gate in groups to briefly explain where to go and how to proceed.B) Help set out the cuttings at the proper tables by typeC) Help at tables with preventing cross contamination of types.D) Alerting staff of person(s) trying to take too much without regard of othersE) Ahead of time, --Need someone to paint signs on cardboard with words like apple, dragon fruit, grapes , avocado, seeds ect.... . We have the recycled paint and cardboard used at each table

Register for the Exchange event at:https://southoccrfg.org/exchange-event/

also, there are other chapters offering scionwood exchangesyou can see the list at2024 Scion Exchanges – California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. (crfg.org 2024 exchanges)

Each $5,000 grant is focused on aiding restaurants, fueled by donations from local energy corporations like SoCalGas, PG&E and others.

MISSION VIEJO, CA —A total of 15 Orange County restaurants were among 182 Southern and Central California eateries that received $5,000 grants from the Restaurants Care Resilience fund, the fund spokesperson announced Monday.

The grant program, which can be used to strengthen businesses and retain employees, began as a response to the pandemic in 2021. It has since evolved into a permanent fund to build resilience within our restaurant community, a spokesperson for the fund said.

All grant winners are given means to purchase kitchen equipment, technical upgrades, employee training and bonuses, and unforeseen hardships. This second cycle of grants was made possible by donations from SoCalGas, The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation), and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), which have contributed to the fund since it first began.

Southern California restaurant owner and grant winner EJ Smith talked to Patch about what earning the award means to his Murrieta business.

"We are super excited that our Famous PUDN restaurant was picked to win a $5,000 grant from the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund to help with equipment and employee training/bonuses," he said. "The timing was perfect because the 4th quarter has been a little slower than anticipated, even though we did great for Thanksgiving. We hope for an even better Christmas this year than last year because we've added a great gift card promotion. Only time will tell."

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In Orange County, the following 15 restaurants received the award:

"Since 2021, the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund has awarded $5.94 million in grants to 1,325 independent restaurants throughout California," they said. The restaurants include burger joints, taquerias, bakeries, and more at the heart of every community." Many of these restaurants represent family legacies and life-long dreams."

Here are a few statistics about restaurants that apply for the grant. Most have been in business for around ten years, and 92% are single-unit restaurants. Of the applicants, 66% of the restaurants are owned by women, and 77% are owned by people of color.

On average, each restaurant employs 11 people – over 10,000 employees who will benefit from the resilience fund grant statewide. A new grant of up to $2,500 is directly earmarked for cooks, servers, dishwashers, and other workers when they face an unforeseen hardship.

Alycia Harshfield, Executive Director of the California Restaurant Foundation, discussed the most recent grant awards.

"We are thrilled to close out our biggest Resilience Fund year yet by awarding 182 restaurant owners with these business-supporting grants, especially as they enter the holiday season and new year," Harshfield said. "We are confident that our new cohort of deserving restaurant owners will use their grants to strengthen their business resiliency and further cultivate a vibrant food scene across California. SoCalGas, The PG&E Corporation Foundation, and SDG&E have been such wonderful partners to us, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to support locally owned restaurants up and down the state."

The organization actively seeks more supporters, and donations of all sizes are accepted and celebrated. Visit www.restaurantscare.org/resilience for more information.

See the complete list of Fall 2023 grantees here.

Related:

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This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

These illegal food vendors pose a danger to the public's health and safety and impact property owners and businesses

The City continues to work with the Orange County Health Care Agency to halt illegal food stands in Mission Viejo, posing a danger to the public’s health and safety and impacting property owners and businesses that provide local jobs and contribute to the lifeblood of the community.

Throughout Orange County and Mission Viejo, these illegal food vendors continue to pop up and operate without proper health permits. After the Health Care Agency - with the assistance of the City and Sheriff’s Department – shutdown three illegal stands at Santa Margarita Parkway (Portola Plaza), Los Alisos Boulevard (Oaktree Plaza) and corner of Trabuco and Alicia (Smart & Final center) last week, those same vendors immediately resumed business.

“We are working to try to preserve the physical safety and economic safety of the community,” City Attorney Bill Curly said during a lengthy City Council discussion of the issue on Tuesday.

At issue is that State laws relating to street vendors do not provide cities like Mission Viejo with local control. Pursuant to SB 946 and SB 972, the City cannot prohibit sidewalk vendors, apart from ensuring they leave a 4-foot pathway on the sidewalk for ADA. However, to legally operate, food vendors must obtain health permits and clearance from the Orange County Health Care Agency to prevent foodborne illnesses, ensure sanitary facilities with sinks and water tanks, etc.

These street vendors have been working without those valid public health permits and clearance, which is in violation of the County’s codes. In addition to dangerous food safety conditions, which pose an immediate health and safety concern to citizens, the City has received numerous complaints from property owners regarding trespassing; streets and sidewalks soiled with grease; damaged landscaping as well as grievances from local brick-and-mortar small business owners who see these vendors as unfriendly competition. The brick-and-mortar businesses must pay rent and utilities and at the same time create local jobs, which spurs economic development in Mission Viejo.

While the City continues to work with the Orange County Health Care Agency to enforce where possible, residents can contact the health department at [email protected] or call 714-433-6000 and select “0” to speak to an operator to report unhealthy and nonconforming vendors in violation of County health regulations.

Bravo Players Guild plans to bring high performance theater to South OC after the players found a new home in the heart of Mission Viejo.

MISSION VIEJO, CA — A theater group has found a new home in the heart of Mission Viejo, after the Bravo Players Guild announced a new 3,000-square foot studio located at the site of the former Steinmart store.

The new studio, located at 25282 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, was made possible thanks to the Bravo Players Foundation and the City of Mission Viejo, who allowed the guild to lease the building.

“Our new rehearsal space for our Players is amazing and will allow us the flexibility to rehearse and elevate our productions and performances in a way that we had previously only dreamed of,” Executive Director of Bravo Players Guild Tiffney Beckloff told Patch. “The City of Mission Viejo saw our vision and was equally dedicated to bringing this caliber of performing arts to our community.”

Work to prepare the facility is already underway, and performers have begun rehearsals for this year's performance of "The Lion King Jr." Ultimately, Beckloff said the studio will offer additional classes including dance, acting and vocals.

Summer camps at the studio are also expected to start in 2024.

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The new studio is located within the City of Mission Viejo's redevelopment plan, also known as the "Core Area Vision Plan," that's been in the works since 2016 with the goal of redeveloping the heart of Mission Viejo.

“The Core Area Vision Plan for the City of Mission Viejo is focused on how the heart of Mission Viejo can best serve and enrich the community, including the next generation,” said Keith Rattay, assistant city manager for The City of Mission Viejo. “We wholeheartedly welcomed Bravo Players Guild because it fits perfectly with that vision, bringing exceptionally high-quality theater arts to our children and their families.”

According to their website, Bravo Players Guild is a professional performance arts company that creates musicals in South Orange County.

"Whether your child has little experience and wants to explore the world of theatre and performance, or they have performed in school plays and high school productions already, Bravo Players Guild is the ideal place to learn and grow their talents, surrounded by a staff with exemplary professional theatre experience," the guild's website reads.

For more information, please visit the Bravo Players Guild website.