Yorba Linda
Star
Serving Yorba Linda since 1917
AN EDITION OF
THURSDAY, AUG. 8, 20 1 3
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OCREGISTER.COM/YORBALINDA
It’s nice to wake up, brush your teeth and look at the vines.” MIKE SCHLINGER S T E WA R T S ’ V I N E YA R D
WINE FLOWS Forget Napa Valley and Sonoma. Two enthusiasts are bringing the vineyard to Yorba Linda. BY DANIEL LANGHORNE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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n a neighborhood off of Imperial Highway and Kellogg Drive, a vineyard is shoehorned into a small estate. The home of Mike and Stacy Schlinger and their pride and joy, Stewarts’ Vineyard, is a boutique vineyard and winery of red wine that is largely grown, made and bottled in Yorba Linda. The business is one of three licensed winegrowers in Yorba Linda. When the Schlingers bought their property on Grandview Avenue in 1991, their intention was to use it for horses. They even built an Olympic-size dressage arena. The arena gave way to grapevines and the stable turned into the winery when the couple decided to pursue their passion for wine by becoming farmers. The transition from horse manure to the emerald vineyard has been welcomed by the neighbors. “The neighbors like it better,” Mike Schlinger said. He added: “It’s a lot cheaper.” Schlinger’s love of wine dates back to his college days. “I was very interested in the whole process back then,” he says. The couple’s shameless preference for big red wines is linked to Schlinger’s favorite: zinfandel. He, however, does not bother growing the grapes himself because he believes the best in the country are grown in Sonoma. S E E W I N E ● PA G E 3
Fresh grapes almost ready for harvest hang from the vines of Stewarts’ Vineyard in Yorba Linda.
STEWARTS’ VINEYARD
TIMELINE
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Property purchased in 1 99 1
First vines planted in 200 1
First bottle sold in 2006
Source: Mike Schlinger
Property expanded in 1 996
First harvest in 2004 KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Center helping local seniors stay cool BY DANIEL LANGHORNE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Emeritus at Yorba Linda, an assisted-living center for seniors, sent staffers on a much appreciated house call last week to visit Rose Mann of Anaheim Hills. The visit by two Emeritus staff members is part of a community outreach program called Shade Brigade to educate seniors on how to stay cool during the summer months. Mann received a cooler of water, popsicles, fruit and juice and a list of heat-related safety tips from Randy Fuller, executive director of Emeritus in Yorba Linda. Mann’s husband was a patient at Emeritus for several health issues including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease when
Committee revs up to take whack at landscaping budget Mayor says he wants deficit, which is expected to drain $1.2 million this fiscal year, solved within three years. BY DANIEL LANGHORNE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
DANIEL LANGHORNE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Randy Fuller and Cristina Quezada of Emeritus chat with Rose Mann, left, in a visit to her Anaheim Hills home.
he died in March. Cristina Quezada, community outreach manger for Emeritus, said her company wants to insure local seniors living alone are safe, even if they can’t afford the Emeritus center in Yorba Linda. Carrol Chiles said it is sometimes difficult for her
to visit her mother every day because she lives in south Orange County. Knowing that someone in Yorba Linda is looking out for her mother is a relief, she said. Seniors interested in a visit from the Emeritus Shade Brigade can call Quezada at 714-777-9666.
Yorba Linda’s newest advisory committee, which is tasked with addressing issues related to landscaping maintenance, is scheduled to start seriously tackling the Landscaping and Lighting Maintenance Assessment District’s annual operating deficit at its meeting tonight. The district’s budget deficit is expected to drain about $1.2 million from the city’s general fund this fiscal year.
The city can close this annual budget gap in the future by reducing services, such as watering and tree trimming – which is expected to be unpopular among homeowners – assessing property owners more to maintain services or some mixture of the two. The committee’s job is to arbitrate this range of options with residents. “I think there will be some battles as we work through this,” Mayor Tom Lindsey said. He would like to see these
budget troubles resolved within the next three years because he thinks it will take time for the city to decide what property it should continue to maintain. The City Council was expected to approve a $5.7 million assessment from residents for landscaping costs this fiscal year at Tuesday’s council meeting. (The final vote was not available by press time.) The anticipated expenses for this fiscal year S E E B U D G E T ● PA G E 2