Every Irvine Household Needs Community Report

The “Report” recently issued by Irvine’s “Safe Community Task Force”(Report on Youth Violence Praised, May 28) merits a careful reading by every Irvine resident. Intentionally or not, the task force has produced a report which not only responds in appropriate detail to the instigating problem of “youth violence,” but also constitutes a blueprint for community building throughout the city.

From Irvine’s founding, the “Haster Plan” has guided the physical development of the city. However, the task force report recognizes, in eloquent ways, that building a city is not the same as building a community within it.

The report also acknowledges the relationship, at times adverse, between the city’s design and the possibilities for community-building.

The task force report is one of the most important documents produced by Irvine residents in the city’s history. Problem is, too few residents are likely to stop by City Hall or school district headquarters to pick one up for a reflective read. What’s to be done? It’s a matter of priorities. Sending a copy of the document to the usual assortment of civic, business, and homeowner groups in the city is a good idea, but given the value of the report, it’s truly not good enough.

The City Council and School Board must find the funds to send a copy of the report (perhaps edited for length) to every household in the city. If it was worth the more than 1,000 hours of meetings, hearings, and deliberations community volunteers put into the crafting of the report, then it’s worth making sure that every household has a copy. Do it as soon as possible. But if it can’t be done now, then the next issue of “Community Services” should contain an appropriately reprinted copy of the report. This quarterly, bulk rate, mailing which already goes to every household in the city would be the least expensive and an entirely appropriate means of distributing the report.

A City Council which now prides itself on being “friendly to business” ought to be able to find the funds to be every bit as “friendly to community.”

MARK P. PETRACCA

Irvine