Thank you for signing our petition urging the mayor and city council of Orange to REQUEST A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR) and stop The Irvine Company’s 1180-home Orange Heights proposed development in the foothills of East Orange.  

If you wrote a letter to the mayor and city council, you might have received a response about a huge compromise, a huge amount of land that was preserved and The Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s efforts to restore it.  This is GREENWASHING perpetuated by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy on behalf of The Irvine Company.  These manipulative marketing tactics are being used to convince our mayor, city council and our community that because land was set aside, a large-scale housing development is appropriate for a frequent wildfire zone between two beloved regional parks where mountain lions, gnatcatchers and other sensitive species roam.

Nature offsets, including setting aside land and habitat restoration efforts, DO NOT mitigate the wildlife species loss, pollution, traffic congestion and viewshed loss brought about by the massive urban sprawl proposed for our fragile foothills between Irvine Regional Park and Peters Canyon Regional Park in East Orange.  Drafting a new EIR would allow for a current and accurate assessment of the environmental conditions and cumulative impacts.

On November 8, 2005, despite widespread opposition, Mayor Mark Murphy and Orange City Council Members Carolyn Cavecche, Tita Smith, Jon Dumitru and Steve Ambriz betrayed our community and voted 5-0 to approve the Irvine Company’s plans for about 4,000 homes east of Orange.  The EIR was severely flawed and did not adequately address the significant impacts to humans and wildlife.  

In 2023, with a new mayor and city council, we have an opportunity to request a new EIR to properly assess the cumulative impacts of the past 18 years and give a voice to humans and wildlife who have been and will be significantly impacted by destructive land management decisions.

Please continue to share our petition and write letters to Mayor Slater and Orange City Council.  WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO SPREAD THE WORD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE A MAJORITY OF OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT AWARE OF THIS SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING.   We need our elected officials to stand up for us by stopping The Irvine Company and requesting a new EIR.  Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,
Barefoot Joel
NO ORANGE HEIGHTS