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Date:2/2/2026 9:55:28 AM
From:"Rick Moyer"
To:"Linda"
Cc:
"Ashleigh Aitken" AAitken@anaheim.net, "Public Comment" publiccomme nt@anahe im.ne t, "Natalie Meeks"
NMeeks@anaheim.net, "Ryan Balius" RBalius@anaheim.net, "Carlos A. Leon" CLeon@anahe im.ne t, "Natalie
Rubalcava" NRubalcava@anaheim.net, "Norma C. Kurtz" NKurtz@anahe im.ne t, "Kriste n Maahs"
KMaahs@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Re: "Absolute Gridlock"
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachme nts unle ss you recognize the
sender and are expecting the message.
As I first learned in college and later in medical school, humans are the only species in the Animal Kingdom that don't learn from their mistakes. In
the 1970's, the City of Anaheim mistakenly made plans for high-density development in Anaheim Hills. Engineers later determined this was not
feasible due to geography, geology and other factors (see Landforming). What has changed in the past 50 years that makes anyone think that high-
density development in Anaheim Hills is now OK? The geography has not changed. The geology has actually worsened significantly due to
multiple landslides. The street infrastructure is essentially unchanged. The only major change is that the State of California has designated the entire
area to be in the highest category of risk for wildland fires. Common sense and history dictate that high-density development is not a good idea for
Anaheim Hills. Hopefully, the deciding parties will not make the same mistake twice. Sincerely, Rick.
On Sun, Feb 1, 2026 at 11:03 PM Linda < wrote:
Excellent letter, Rick! I agree with you. As long as the city is absolved of responsibility, which it clearly is, I don’t think they feel compelled to
care. IMHO, with the exception of Ashleigh Aitken, this has increasingly become an us versus them situation.
The lobbyists are pushing hard, and my understanding is that Curt Pringle is heavily involved. I’m not sure if Andrew mentioned this, but
Natalie Meeks referred him to Rudy Emami, who spent a good deal of time with him, but essentially dismissed Andrew’s concerns outright.
It appears they are all aligned and focused on convincing others that Know Your Way is a solid and reliable plan. I’ve spoken with several
retired firefighters who have said plainly that the fire chief should know better than to ever guarantee public safety in a fire scenario.
We are keeping our fingers crossed that there is a massive showing on Tuesday night, and that perhaps with enough pushback, they decide to
vote against the developer.
On Sun, Feb 1, 2026 at 9:45 PM Rick Moyer < wrote:
Dear Mayor Aitken and Anaheim City Council Members:
The purpose of this correspondence is to voice objection to the Festival Center development, as well as any other proposed
high-density housing projects in Anaheim Hills.
To understand the basis for my objection, I need to provide some background. My name i s D r. Ri ck Moyer and I am a retired
Internist. After working in Emergency Medicine at a Level I trauma center for a few years at the begi nni ng of my medical
career, I established a medical practice in San Bernardino, while my wife Kaye completed a resi dency in Anesthesi ology at
Loma Linda. In 1995 we purchased the home of former Angel baseball player Fred Lynn. Our home is situated on a 2 acre
parcel uphill from Serrano Avenue, within the Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement Distri ct (SGHAD ). From our backyard we
can see a large portion of Serrano Avenue. While working in the field of Emergency Medi ci ne I worked wi th a group of doctors
who manned helicopter rescue missions. This provided me with experience in caring for burn victims i n the field.
At the end of this paragraph is a link to a Channel 7 news clip from October 9, 2017, the day of the Canyon 2 fire. We live on Via El
Estribo and spent the day protecting our home from embers and spot fires using our fire pump and protective gear. Around one
minute and 47 seconds into the clip, the reporter describes the evacuation route on Serrano Avenue as "ABSOLUTE GRIDLOCK".
This refers to a total standstill in traffic, where movement is impossible in either direction.
h t t p s://a b c 7 .c o m /v i d e o C l i p /2 5 1 2 9 6 4 /h t t p s ://a b c 7 .c o m /v i d e o C l i p /2 5 1 2 9 6 4 /
My wife and I can attest to the GRIDLOCK as we can see Serrano from our back yard. At one point in the day, when we were
surrounded by fire and exhausted beyond measure, we had to decide whether to stay and fight the fire or evacuate. Noting the
GRIDLOCK on Serrano, which was the only way out, we decided we’d be better off taking our chances fighting the fire than
becoming victims of a failed evacuation. I should mention that the fire commander on scene (from El Toro, not Anaheim) recruited
us and our equipment to stop the forward progression of the fire. We were successful and later received recognition from Cal-
Trans for our involvement in what was referred to as the “Zone of Danger”.
Whether it's Lahaina, Paradise, Anaheim Hills or anywhere else for that matter, a "DEATH TRAP" may be created by a bottlenecked
evacuation route or GRID LOCK. Although Serrano is uphill from Santa Ana Canyon, the GRIDLOCK on Serrano was due to back-up
from congestion further down the hill on Santa Ana Canyon. In wind-driven fires such as the Canyon 2 fire, smoke blows hard, stays
low to the ground, and may engulf vehicles. Unless you have specialized respiratory equipment, you cannot avoid inhaling the
carbon monoxide (and other toxins) that are present in the smoke. Once in the bloodstream, the carbon monoxide molecules
displace oxygen molecules from red blood cells. This leads to low oxygen levels, or "hypoxia", which in turn causes sedation,
confusion, possible seizures and potentially even death. Complications of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning are a
major reason why people are found dead in their cars following evacuations from a fire. Our community was fortunate not to have
more victims during the f a i l e d e v a c u a t i o nfailed e v a c u a t i o n that occurred during the Canyon 2 fire.
When D r. Kaye Moyer and I served on the SGHAD board a few years ago we learned a little bit about Anaheim's inner workings.
For example, we learned that Anaheim often relies on outside vendors to provide summary reports and recommendations. This
serves to transfer liability from the city to an outside party. Although I’ve not seen a recent report regarding the E vacuation Plan for
Anaheim Hills, I believe you have probably been provided with a report indicating the Plan is acceptable and therefore you should
approve the development.
However, I have just provided you with eyewitness accounts of the ABSOLUTE GRIDLOCK that occurred during the Canyon 2 fire
evacuation. I have also provided you with information regarding the DEATH TRAP that is created by GRID LOCK. You can search the
internet and see how many people died in the Lahaina and Paradise fires. It is also my understanding that dozens, if not hundreds,
of Anaheim Hills residents have sent emails, attended City Council meetings, etc. voicing their objections to adding high-density
development in Anaheim Hills due to the traffic problems that already exist. My wife, who grew up with NASCAR racing legends
Bobby and D onnie Allison, recently commented that due to the freeway short-cutters and congestion, getting on Serrano and
Santa Ana Canyon in the afternoons carries the same danger and anxiety as leaving a pit stop and entering a NASCAR race.
Also while serving on the SGHAD board, we came across a book called Landforming, by Horst Schor. A chapter of the book
(attached) is dedicated to the development of Anaheim Hills. In his book, Mr. Schor describes how the development of Anaheim
Hills was almost scrapped due to challenges created by steep topography, unfavorable geology and canyon conditions. Original
plans which included high-density housing had to be ditched and the City had to implement a novel and unproven method of
grading called “Landform grading and revegetation”. Consequently, the geography of Anaheim Hills only allows a limited capacity
for ingress and egress. Many of the roads from “up the hill” exit onto single lane roads before exiting the area, setting up multiple
opportunities for “D EATH TRAPS” during an evacuation. The geography cannot be changed. All of this was previously reviewed by
the Anaheim City Council back in 1975 but apparently long forgotten. Anaheim Hills just cannot handle the increase in vehicular
traffic that will come with high density development. Why is high-density development in Anaheim Hills even being discussed?
Is the city that is home to “The Happiest Place on Earth” so desperate for additional revenue that you would jeopardize the lives of
the residents of Anaheim Hills? Please say NO to any current and/or future high-density development in Anaheim Hills until such
time that an Evacuation Plan can be developed that is proven to be safe and effective, thoroughly tested and approved by the
residents. I'll close with one last question for each of you - Will you be able to sleep at night if you personally approve of any of
these projects and we have casualties from another failed evacuation?
Sincerely,
Richard J. Moyer, M.D.
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Dr. Rick Moyer
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Dr. Rick Moyer