Placentia residents plead for paving on Angelina Drive neighborhood after decades of delays

Residents of the Angelina Drive area pressed the Placentia City Council on July 21 to speed repair and repaving of four streets they say have fallen into disrepair.

At the meeting, longtime resident Jill Jimenez said she and neighbors have watched their streets decline ‘‘to basically just gravel’’ and that the block near Kramer Middle School and Valencia High School has become unsafe for bicycling and heavy with school‑related traffic. Jimenez said she submitted photos and a petition signed by ‘‘33 plus neighbors’’ asking the city to prioritize Angelina Drive, Bridal Way, Hannah Way and Turf Drive.

Her husband, Ray Jimenez, told the council he has lived in Placentia for 58 years and that the neighborhood has been promised repaving under the No Street Left Behind program multiple times — most recently given a tentative placement in 2028 — but repeatedly pushed back. ‘‘It’s very disheartening,’’ he said, and asked the council to give their neighborhood ‘‘the respect that it deserves.’’

Council members acknowledged the problem and described the issue as complex. Mayor (transcript identification: Ivanka) and other members said the council has been directing resources toward infrastructure and is pursuing both operating‑budget savings and new revenue options, including a proposed transient occupancy tax increase on the November ballot, to fund capital projects. One council member said staff are prioritizing reinvestment in streets after recent budget cuts to operating expenses.

There was no formal action on the request at the meeting. The council approved its consent calendar and moved on to scheduled public hearings.