On January 5, 1999, the Anaheim City Council formed the Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) with the approval of Resolution No. 99R-50. The Santiago GHAD was formed to stabilize past, present, and future land movement of the Santiago landslide. Since 1996, stabilization of the Santiago landslide has been accomplished by continual removal of groundwater through actively pumping wells and horizontals drains. These responsibilities are detailed in the Plan of Control and Addendum for the Santiago GHAD. The Plan of Control is the guidance documents for management of the GHAD’s responsibilities. The Board of Directors for the Santiago GHAD are elected from five property owners within the GHAD.

Settlement monies are currently used to fund operations of the Santiago GHAD. As summarized below and detailed in the Santiago GHAD Plan of Control, site improvements for which the GHAD provides monitoring and maintenance are:

• Vertical groundwater pumping and observation wells.
• Horizontal drains.
• Inclinometers.

The GHAD does not own property and is not responsible for general maintenance of open-space areas (vegetation management for fire suppression, litter, or graffiti removal, etc.).

The activities of the Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) are currently funded through a settlement with the City of Anaheim (“GHAD Distribution”). It was anticipated that income from investment of the GHAD Distribution monies would be adequate to fund dewatering of the Santiago landslide in perpetuity. If lower groundwater levels are not maintained, through pumping and disposal, movement of the landslide will likely resume potentially damaging homes and other improvements.

Low interest rate returns over the past 10 plus years has reduced income to the GHAD. In 1999, the initial GHAD Distribution was approximately $3,500.000, and as of November 30, 2018, the fund balance was approximately $1,443,000. The GHAD Distribution cannot be used to fund activities or facilities which do not materially and substantially promote the objective of stabilizing past, present, and future land movement of the Santiago landslide.

The next step for the GHAD Board is to secure additional funding for the GHAD to allow dewatering operations to continue while there are homes and other residential improvements to protect. In addition, the GHAD assessment would expand GHAD services to include those responsibilities typically undertaken by most hillside GHADs and would also allow for reserve accumulation to fund unanticipated mitigation, monitoring, or repair activities. Most recently formed GHADs set assessment limits at a level that allows the GHAD to accumulate a reserve.

The GHAD’s ability to impose assessments is subject to both the provisions of the California Public Resources Code and Proposition 218, a statewide Constitutional initiative, which was approved by the voters at the November 5, 1996 general election. Proposition 218 added Article XIII D to the California Constitution, and that Article requires that all new or increased assessments in any district must be approved by a weighted majority vote of the property owners within the district. The votes are weighted in proportion to the size of the assessment. Ballot and election procedures were sent with the ballots mailed to all property owners within the Santiago GHAD.

The GHAD Board took action initiating the proposed assessment election on June 8, 2023. The GHAD will hold a public hearing at a GHAD Board meeting on July 27, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. at the East Anaheim Community Center, 8201 East Santa Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim, CA 92808. The Board of Directors will hear assessment protests and accept assessment ballots at that hearing. All interested persons are encouraged to attend the hearing and to speak or submit written comments about the proposed assessments.

In addition, the GHAD Board of Directors requested two informational workshops be held prior to the public hearing on July 27, 2023. The informational workshops are scheduled for June 29 and July 20, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. at the East Anaheim Community Center, 8201 East Santa Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim, CA 92808.

If approved, the assessment to cover the GHAD’s Expenses shown in the Engineer’s Report dated June 5, 2023, revised June 7, 2023, would be initiated by submitting an assessment roll to Orange County in August 2023 and the assessment would be included on your property tax bill, due in December of 2023 and April of 2024. The tax revenues would be available to the GHAD starting in December of 2023. Thereafter, the assessments will continue on an annual basis in perpetuity.

The annual assessment limit, as set in the Engineer’s Report, varies by parcel and is included in the Assessment Map and Schedule linked above. The assessment limit will be adjusted annually to reflect the percentage change in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers. The assessment limit will be adjusted annually using an initial date of June 2023 for the CPI. Each subsequent annual adjustment will be calculated using the 12-month period from June to June. The assessments are to be levied beginning in the first assessment cycle of the fiscal year 2023-2024.

You have three options:

In Person:

Drop your sealed ballot off at ENGEO Incorporated, GHAD Manager, prior to the public hearing on July 27, 2023, at

320 Goddard Way, Suite 100

Irvine, CA 92618

Drop your sealed ballot off at the public meeting on July 27, 2023 at 6 p.m. at

East Anaheim Community Center

8201 East Santa Ana Canyon Road

Anaheim, CA 92808

Canyon Room

By Mail:

Mail your sealed ballot to ENGEO Incorporated, GHAD Manager, to be received prior to July 27, 2023, at

Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement District

c/o ENGEO Incorporated, GHAD Manager

Attention: Matt Swanson

320 Goddard Way, Suite 100

Irvine, CA 92618

You can contact the GHAD with any questions.

Santiago GHAD

Haley Ralston

320 Goddard Way, Suite 100

Irvine, CA 92618

(909) 373-5457

[email protected]

Yes, you are allowed to change your vote up until the public hearing on July 27, 2023. To change your vote, please contact us directly at the contact information below to request a duplicate ballot be mailed to you. In addition, you can attend the public hearing in person on July 27, 2023 and verbally change your vote, as long as you can provide proof of property ownership.

Santiago GHAD

Haley Ralston

320 Goddard Way, Suite 100

Irvine, CA 92618

(909) 373-5457

[email protected]

You can contact the GHAD Manager for any questions.

Santiago GHAD Manager

Matt Swanson

320 Goddard Way, Suite 100

Irvine, CA 92618

(925) 570-7999

[email protected]