School Sweetens Bid for Area Annexation by Yorba Linda

Residents of an Anaheim neighborhood near Esperanza High School are planning to present a petition with about 200 signatures to the Yorba Linda City Council on Tuesday, asking the city to annex their neighborhood.

Unlike past attempts by unincorporated communities to be included inside city boundaries, this effort contains a key ingredient that gives it a strong chance of being accepted by the city: a high school.

Yorba Linda City Councilman John M. Gullixson suggested the annexation last summer after failing to persuade school officials to build a high school in the city, a primary goal during his 3 1/2 years in office.

Gullixson wants Esperanza, which is on Kellogg Drive in a pocket of Anaheim that juts into Yorba Linda, not for educational reasons but for its ball fields, gymnasium and other recreational facilities.

“Yorba Linda gets low priority for use of those facilities,” Gullixson said when he discussed the idea with the council last August. If the city were to annex the area, “we would get a higher priority.”

The idea has received support from Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly, but Anaheim Councilman Bob D. Simpson strongly opposes the idea of relinquishing Esperanza.

“I can’t imagine why we would release Esperanza,” Simpson said.

Even if the majority of residents in the proposed annexation area support the idea, Simpson said, he would not be in favor because the school is a citywide facility.

“It should not be decided by just residents in that area,” he said. “The school is a regional facility, and the entire community should have a say.”

Both Yorba Linda and Anaheim would have to agree to the annexation. But first a majority of residents must support it.

Tracy Warman, who lives on Cresthill Drive and has been leading the petition effort, said nearly every resident supports the idea.

“We have at least 200 signatures, which represents nearly every home in the affected area,” Warman said.

Residents will benefit from increased property values if the area is annexed to Yorba Linda, she said.

“When we were looking at houses, those in Yorba Linda cost more than those in Anaheim,” Warman said. “Property values will definitely go up with a Yorba Linda address.”

Jon Davis, sales manager with Coldwell Banker in Yorba Linda, said that having a Yorba Linda address would increase the value of the houses by 5% to 7%.