ORANGE : Residents Block Annexation Effort

The city’s attempt to annex three unincorporated county islands has failed in the cases of two of the islands, where residents submitted enough written protests to stop the plan.

The successful protest settles months of discussion between city officials and residents of the neighborhoods known as the Fairhaven Islands. As a result of the protests, most of the approximately 745 people living in the two largest islands will remain county residents.

Residents of the third and smallest island, bounded roughly by Fairhaven Avenue, Laurinda Lane, Prospect Street and Garnet Lane, did not register enough signatures to stop annexation of their property.

Termination of the annexation process required that more than 50% of the registered voters in each area submit written protests. Only 48% of the 88 registered voters residing within the boundaries of the third island submitted protests that could be validated by the county registrar of voters.

The smallest island represents about 18 acres of the approximately 97-acre area and is home to about 105 residents.

City officials have told residents that annexation would mean paying property taxes similar to what the county now levies, along with lower water and sewer rates and garbage collection fees.