As in years past, the cadets marched in uniform about three-quarters of a mile from their school to the Elks Club on East Chapman Avenue for the birthday celebration where local officials met them. There, they helped carry out the ceremony and provided the color guard.

Col. Mark Tull and Master Sgt. Carlos Mata — both retired Marines who are instructors with the ROTC program — also assisted with the afternoon’s events.

The JROTC program helps students learn leadership skills and build character in and out of the classroom, the school says. According to Orange High, it is designed to help students become ready for college.

The Marine Corps was established on Nov. 10, 1775, to aid in the Revoluntary War.

The retailer said it also updated its technology and grocery offerings at Amazon Fresh stores in Pasadena, Irvine and Woodland Hills.

The services were previously available only to Amazon Prime members.

Delivery fees for Amazon Fresh orders online range from $4.95 to $13.95 for customers without a Prime membership. That’s $4 more than Prime members pay per delivery. Prime members also get free delivery on orders over $100.

In its Thursday, Nov. 9 announcement, Amazon said customers also can order delivery from a variety of grocery and specialty retailers available on Amazon.com. Locally, that includes Bristol Farms and Cardenas Markets.

Amazon said it plans to expand grocery delivery and free pickup to all of its Whole Foods Markets, too.

Legal headwinds

Despite the expanded services, Amazon is reportedly facing lawsuits and getting into legal battles with landlords as the number of “zombie” stores — or properties where it was supposed to open Amazon Fresh grocery stores — is starting to pile up, Business Insider reported.

The company has been trying to establish a larger presence in the grocery marketplace, Supermarket News said, but that has been a struggle since the e-commerce giant first acquired the Whole Foods grocery brand in 2017.

Meanwhile, three local stores have been revamped.

Amazon said it added thousands of new products and Krispy Kreme Doughnut shops to Fresh stores in Pasadena, Irvine and Woodland Hills, according to Claire Peters, vice president worldwide for Amazon Fresh. The clunky Dash Carts are more user-friendly, too.

The carts, which are made heavy with technology that helps track what shoppers put inside them, got updated software and hardware providing real-time receipt totals. The carts can alert a shopper to store discounts and produce can be weighed on a built-in scale in the basket.

The smartcart allows shoppers to skip the checkout line, much like Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology. When they’re ready to check out, customers exit the store through the Amazon Dash Cart lane and their payment is processed using the credit card associated with their Amazon account.

Shoppers also can check out the traditional way with cashiers.

The Southern California store upgrades follow the redesign of two Amazon Fresh stores in the Chicago area.

“We really spent the last couple months diving deep to understand what our customers really want,” Peters said. “They are focused on selection, value and convenience, so we improved on those areas.”

Peters said the Krispy Kreme shops are especially popular among shoppers.

“From what I’ve seen, everyone loves those — and our coffee sampling,” she said.

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  Navy veteran Lynn Bennick signs a poster at the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Boy Scouts raise the flag during the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for a roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  ASB President Emma Kim speaks during the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for a roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Gustavo Ramos, left, salutes with other service members during the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for a roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Boy Scouts escort service members to their seats during the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for a roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  El Dorado High School students listen as Taps is played during the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for a roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Army veteran Don Ward salutes during the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for a roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  A Boy Scout presents Marine veteran Bernie Robertson with flowers during the 11th annual El Dorado Fallen Heroes Ceremony at El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Robertson’s son, Marine Staff Sgt. William Harrell, is one of three former EDHS students honored at the Fallen Heroes Memorial on campus. Veterans and active duty service members gathered for a roll call and to honor the three former EDHS students who died while serving. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

El Dorado High students took a break from the books Thursday for an in-person history lesson honoring veterans who served their country.

Veterans and active duty members of the military gathered for a roll call in a courtyard of the campus and there were student and veteran speakers and a tribute to Marine Cpl. Claudio Patiño IV, Staff Sgt. William Harrell and Army Sgt. Jason M. Weaver, three Golden Hawks who died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Participate: Ceremonies planned for Veterans Day 2023 around Orange County

The early Veterans Day remembrance was started by an El Dorado student more than a decade ago. For an Eagle Scout project, Andrew Binnings lead the construction of a memorial on the campus to honor the three alumni of the Placentia high school. The accompanying ceremony because a campus tradition and welcomes veterans in the community each year.

It was Binnings’ father, Kenny Binnings, who got retired Army Master Sgt. Don Ward, a veteran of the Vietnam War, involved this year for the first time. Binnings also got Ward, after many years of asking, to participate in 2022 and again last month in the honor convoy that has become part of Placentia’s Heritage Festival and Parade.

That experience of having people salute him and thank him for his service “changed my life,” Ward said.  “I brought my uniforms back out again.”

And the reception he received from the students and the El Dorado community on Thursday? “It makes what we fought for worth it,” Ward said. “I can’t say much more than that. This is what we fought for … to see the young people be active in this, to really understand this and know what it is all about.”

“For the veterans it is to help them understand there are people who still care,” Ward said. “That they are not alone.”

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  A Loara color guard participant is a blur of colors at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  A trumpeter keeps on eye on the drum major at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  A color guard member is lifted by other members at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  A color guard member waves her flags at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Saxophone players at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Fans held up signs for their favorite bands at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Kennedy High bands show included the plant from Little Shop of Horrors and even featured a band member being eaten at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Euphoniums create a graphic pattern at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Cypress High band members create a pattern at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  A family member records the show on her cell phone at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  A student conductor leads their band at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Kennedy High band members keep time atThe Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Trumpets strike a pose at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Magnolia High band members start their show at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Sycamore Junior High tuba player, Alfredo Ruvalcaba participates in the all-star ensemble from all the junior highs in the district at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Kylee Cardona catches a flag during warmups for the Savana High color guard at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Savana High junior, Jesslyn Sanchez awaits the beginning of her band’s show at The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  Cypress marching band readies their show at Glover Stadium. The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

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  The Anaheim Union High School District Band & Pageantry Spectacular was held at Glover Stadium on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Eight high school marching bands participated with an all-star junior high ensemble as well participated. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

Anaheim junior high and high school marching bands put on a spectacular for their families and the community Wednesday night.

It is the time of year when many Orange County school districts hold band pageants as the fall competition and parade season wraps up.

For Anaheim Union High School District bands, it is an annual tradition that is 60 years old.

Wednesday night, the All-District Junior High Band got things started before each high school took a turn performing their competitive field show during the more than two-hour pageant at Glover Stadium.

The night ended with more than 250 students selected from the district’s schools forming a mass band to play the finale.

After nearly two hours of discussion during a special meeting Tuesday evening, the OVSD board said it will vote on whether to close, consolidate or repurpose the schools during its regularly scheduled Nov. 14 meeting. The pending decision will culminate a year of surveys and studies conducted by a task force made up of OVSD parents, teachers and other stakeholders amid concerns about dwindling enrollment.

“In retrospect, we should have started these conversations years ago, but we didn’t,” Board President Patricia Singer said Tuesday evening. “We are here now. We have been talking about it and have been open and transparent.”

The board will decide on each of the four schools separately, said Singer, meaning each could have different outcomes.

OVSD — which serves parts of Huntington Beach, Westminster, Fountain Valley and Midway City — is home to more than 6,800 students across 15 schools. The district has had a drop of about 2,600 students since 2013, and it closed Sun View Elementary in Huntington Beach in 2018 because of declining enrollment.

The decision to move forward with a vote next week came after the board was presented with the task force’s 19 recommendations to address dropping enrollment in the district. Those recommendations had been split into four categories — innovative, instructional, financial and property management — and included ideas like leasing out unused property, combining certain elementary schools or opening up Golden View’s petting zoo as a field trip destination for other sites.

On Tuesday, the board considered the financial impact of closing, consolidating or repurposing the schools as well as suggestions to receive additional funds.

Smaller class sizes for the four targeted schools was one such idea to help cut back on costs while also increasing academic achievement.

“Students can speak more and teachers get to have deeper relationships” with smaller classrooms, said Julianne Hoefer, an assistant superintendent at OVSD. And that could ultimately attract more students to the district, she said.

But Trustee Morgan Westmoreland disagreed.

“Although I like the idea of having smaller schools, when you drill down what that means, especially at a middle school level, I think we are doing a disservice to our students,” said Westmoreland. “We put ourselves in the position to start operating small schools, and then a few years down the road, we see the same issues come up that we see now, and we could possibly see the state take over. I don’t want that.”

During an October meeting of the task force, Superintendent Michael Conroy said the district is overstaffed by at least 22 teachers because of the lower student enrollment, costing the district an estimated $2.3-3.5 million.

Trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin said OVSD should “encourage older teachers in the district to retire.”

“I saw that on the (task force’s) report that it said in regards to enticing teachers to retire that the (financial) impact is minimal. I beg to differ. I think if we entice teachers to retire with substantial incentives, we could be successful,” she said.

Trustees Norm Westwell and Westmoreland predicted schools would consolidate.

“I think the writing is on the wall,” said Westmoreland. “I don’t want to be the leader of a district where decisions are made years down the line where it puts our district in financial distress. The information I have in front of me does not constitute us continuing to operate 10 elementary schools and four middle schools with our current population.”

Westwell said: “I don’t think we have done enough to cut the excessive spending that we have done in our district. But it looks like a decision has already been made: We are going to consolidate schools.”

A coalition of Village View Elementary parents is urging the district to opt against consolidating or closing their students’ campus. They have spearheaded a petition that has been signed by more than 1,500 people as of Wednesday afternoon, urging the board not to consider closure.

Village View parent Ryan Joly said he and other parents plan to meet with Westmoreland and Clayton-Tarvin next week to discuss the future of the schools.

Parents of students at the other schools have been outspoken on social media as well. Other petitions have circulated in previous months in attempts to keep the schools open.

“We’re relying on the Navy’s resources to clean this up,” Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard said Wednesday. “I know the community doesn’t want to look at a half-burned remnant of what was the hangar and we owe it to the community to take it down as safely and quickly as possible.

“It needs to be cleaned up quickly for health reasons and general optics,” Lumbard said. “The city cares, and I think the Navy cares, too.”

What caused the fire to ignite early Tuesday morning will be investigated by Orange County Fire Authority and Navy officials; Wednesday morning firefighters continued to monitor the smoldering ruins while it was still unsafe for crews to get inside.

The north hangar, with its nearby southern twin, is still owned by the Department of the Navy, though the Tustin base was shuttered in 1999 and hundreds of its acres have since been developed with housing and other community uses. The two mostly wooden hangars – each 17 stories tall, 1,000 feet long and 300 feet wide – were built in 1942 to house blimps for patrolling the West Coast for Japanese submarines and later used by helicopter squadrons. They are listed on the Register of National Historic Places.

The south hangar, leased and maintained by the city of Tustin, remained untouched.

Officials from the Navy’s Base Realignment and Closure program said Wednesday their greatest priority remains the health and safety of the community and with city officials and local agencies they are evaluating any health risks from the materials used 80 years ago and since to preserve and make the wood fire resistant. Asbestos-cement board was also used as a structural material, Navy officials said, and many surfaces are known to have been finished using lead-based paint.

The  South Coast Air Quality Management District released Wednesday night that “samples of debris and ash were collected in public areas near the hangar, and results of laboratory testing show the presence of asbestos.” People are being encouraged to limit their exposure to smoke, ash and dust from the fire.

“There are just general concerns about the materials used 80 years ago and in the maintenance of that hangar throughout the decades,” Lumbard said.

His children attend schools nearby and he’s heard other concerns from parents and the community, he said. Late Wednesday night the Tustin Unified School District announced schools would be closed Thursday, Nov. 9.

Health officials did put out a local smoke advisory for Wednesday encouraging especially people who are sensitive to air quality issues to avoid the ash and smoke from the fire.

A clear timeline on when the clean-up will begin has not been established, Lumbard said, but the discussions with the OCFA and the Navy are expected to continue through the week.

Tustin hangar was largest surviving artifact of Marine aviation and a landmark for OC

Many in the community are mourning the loss of the hangar; the twin structures have been a landmark in the region for so long.

The city will ensure the south hangar remains safe, Lumbard said. Since leasing it, the city has provided regular maintenance and site security and the massive space has been used for filming moves and commercials, community events, celebrations and even as the site of a half marathon.

“With this disaster of this magnitude and unfortunate as it is, we’re evaluating if there are additional measures we can take to maintain its safety and make sure nothing like this happens to the south hangar,” Lumbard said. “With the loss of the north hangar, the sentiment of keeping the south hangar, for a number of reasons, has grown since yesterday.”

What happens in the future with the 85 acres that included the north hangar is the next big question. In the past, anything from a baseball stadium to a big concert or amphitheater venue has been bandied around. The property was once slated to become a regional park, but little movement ever happened in that direction.

“With the hangar now gone that opens up different possibilities,” Third District Supervisor Don Wagner said. “The footprint of the land may be different and maybe an amphitheater does work and maybe the county can do a park and fund it.”

Besides the now burned-out hulk of the hangar, there are at least 60 other buildings on the Navy property that also have been allowed to “lie fallow” and will need to be dealt with, the mayor said.

Lumbard is confident an agreement can be reached with the Navy.

“I think the Navy cares,” he said. “I think in recent years they just haven’t taken a proactive approach in managing the site. We will definitely be calling them to do so now.”

Navy officials said Wednesday since spending nearly $3 million in 2013 to fix part of the hangar’s roof damaged by wind, it has continued with regular maintenance and inspection. More recently, the city had performed a structural assessment on the north hangar, they said, and was working with the Navy to present alternatives for the hangar as part of its master plan.

“I don’t want folks asking, ‘Why is the city doing nothing?’ We want to move the ball forward,” Lumbard said. “I’m confident the Navy doesn’t want to keep it forever. They have no use for it.”

In recent years, the north hangar property has become the “hole of the donut,” as Lumbard put it, with the city developing around all sides of it.

“The regional park was first promised and the community deserves some green space,” he said. “Now, that the hangar has burned down, it would be important to commemorate what was there.”

Rick Nelson, vice president of the Tustin Area Historical Society, agrees with the idea of a park and a memorial dedicated to the base’s history, but he’d like to step that up a notch.

“It’s obvious there should be a museum there that commemorates the two hangars and what they did for our community,” he said. “It’s a new opportunity because we didn’t think the hangar would disappear.”

As funding, he sees a possibility of developer-in-lieu fees or even a goodwill gesture from the Navy.

“Maybe the Navy,” he said, “would want to help support the history as well.”

Staff Writer Nathan Percy contributed to this report.

Close your windows. Spray down patios, don’t sweep. Wash ash off pets.

Those were among health warnings Orange County’s newly activated Emergency Operations Center issued Thursday, after some smoke and debris from a still-smoldering fire that destroyed a massive World War II-era hangar in Tustin tested positive for the presence of asbestos, lead, arsenic and nickel. 

All Tustin schools and many city parks were closed Thursday — two days after a blaze tore through the U.S. Navy-owned north hangar at the shuttered Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. Schools were already going to be off Friday for the Veterans Day holiday.

The city of Tustin declared a local state of emergency and the Orange County Board of Supervisors declared a county-wide state of emergency Thursday afternoon due to the fire. And neighboring cities such as Santa Ana and Orange conveyed the health warnings to their residents, who still were seeing ash carried their way by the west-blowing winds.

“The city has contracted with certified asbestos contractors to further assess and remediate hazards to the public,” a city of Tustin announcement Thursday evening said. “The contractor will provide a report to the city and more information will be shared with the community, once complete.” 

A website, www.ocgov.com/tustin, was created Thursday where officials said the most up-to-date information will be provided, including future reports of South Coast Air Quality Management District testing.

“Residents are encouraged to exercise caution to reduce exposure during the clean-up of structural fire debris which may contain asbestos and heavy metal particles,” a county update released Thursday night said.

In a call Thursday afternoon, Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley said, “If you can smell it, then you probably shouldn’t breath it.” And if you can see debris, she said, “don’t touch it.” Instead, she directed residents to call a newly established hotline at 714-628-708 for guidance on what to do, with plans still in the works for dealing with the material.

Jeff Lawrence, who lives a few hundred feet from the hangar in the Columbus Square community, said neighbors have been experiencing shortness of breath since they were awakened by helicopters trying to douse the hangar’s flames around 1 a.m. Tuesday. He remains extremely concerned about potential long-term risks to his young daughter and others, he said, from exposure to known carcinogens such as asbestos.

Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard, who lives near the hangar himself, said Thursday morning he shared residents’ frustration — “frankly anger, at this point” — at a lack of timely communication on potential hazards and what residents should do to stay safe.

With such health concerns in mind, firefighters still hadn’t entered the burned-out hangar site as of Thursday morning, according to Brett Cowdell, spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority. Instead, he said they had a team standing by in case ongoing Santa Ana winds whip flames up again.

“We always worry about winds and the fact that they can fan flames and that they can dry out fuels,” Cowdell said. But with a team at the ready, he said, “We anticipate that any kind of flare up will be addressed immediately and people won’t have any reason to worry.”

Since firefighters haven’t yet gone inside what’s left of the building, Cowdell said there was no information available on a potential cause of the blaze. 

Lumbard said he’s been told the Navy is now sending a team up to the site.

“The city is not in a position to advise on environmental cleanup,” he said. “We’re really relying on the Navy to get onsite, take control from OCFA and clean up what’s been left after the fire.”

While Foley said she was glad to hear the Navy is sending folks to Tustin, she said, “The Navy needs to step up.”

“We’ve got this heap of a building now that’s owned by the Navy, on Navy property, and the Navy is unwilling to take the lead on the response. And that to me is just unacceptable,” Foley said. “They’ve got the knowledge, the resources, the know-how in terms of the cleanup, and they should be more actively engaged.”

Orange County’s congressional delegation also is pressing the Navy for answers regarding the impacts of the fire.

“We are deeply concerned about the environmental impact of this fire and about the release of pollutants in Tustin and the surrounding areas that could impact our constituents’ health,” Reps. Lou Correa, Young Kim, Katie Porter, Linda Sanchez, Mike Levin and Michelle Steel said in a joint letter to Navy officials Thursday.

The members requested information from the Navy regarding the building materials used to construct the hangar, its plans for cleaning up the site and mitigating impact to the community and plans for the site once cleanup is finished.

Navy officials said Wednesday they were working with local officials on evaluating any health risks from the materials used to construct the hangar and preserve and make the wood fire resistant, including asbestos-cement board and lead-based paint in places.

“The cleanup approach and path forward will follow as soon as possible,” a spokesman for the Navy’s Base Realignment and Closure program said Thursday. “Right now, the Navy, the city of Tustin and Orange County Fire Authority are working to determine the cause of the fire while OCFA continues to contain the fire. This is our priority now.”

The 17-story hangar, along with its southern twin, was built in 1942 at the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin to house blimps and planes for patrolling the West Coast for Japanese submarines. After the base was shuttered in 1999, most of the land transferred to Tustin. Hundreds of those acres have since been developed with housing and other community uses. But the Navy still owns both hangars, which are on the Register of National Historic Places.

Tustin leases the south hangar from the Navy and maintains the historic building, with community events sometimes held inside.

The north hangar was supposed to be transferred to county control decades ago, but has been plagued by problems. Its roof collapsed in 2013, prompting a lawsuit from an airship company doing work there at the time. Then reports started flooding in about people trespassing on the site, with a teenager who’d scaled the roof needing to be airlifted out.

The Navy has tightened security around the site in recent years, with regular patrols. And Lumbard said Tustin got permission from the Navy to pay to install a fence, trim vegetation around the site and take other steps to reduce such problems.

Cowdell, who regularly works in the area, said he hasn’t noticed issues with unhoused people or trespassers around. However, when it comes to the cause of this week’s blaze, he said, “Nothing is being ruled out just yet.”

Given when the largely wooden structure was built, Michael Kleinman, an environmental health professor at UC Irvine who researches health risks from fires, said there’s a very good chance arsenic was used to treat the wood and that lead was used in its paint.

“As long as this thing smolders, it will continue to put out toxic material,” Kleinman said. And he said, “The plumes from something like this can travel for miles.”

Those particles can get into nearby homes even when windows are closed, he said. One positive is that most houses in the immediate area are newer, he noted, and so should be well sealed with solid ventilation systems.

Children and people with health conditions are most at risk from exposure, Kleinman said. But he advises anyone who can see or smell obvious exposure to stay with relatives or friends out of the area for a while if they can.

Lawrence said many of his neighbors are now doing just that, or even checking into hotels out of town.

“They just don’t trust that the area is safe,” he said.

But in the nearly two days between when the fire broke out and when official alerts about potential toxins in the debris went out, he said some residents were cleaning up the ash with their bare hands and throwing it in regular trash cans.

The air quality district is still waiting on results of additional testing from the site, per the county. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be helping to monitor any long-term air and ground contaminants, officials said.

Staff Writers Michael Slaten, Annika Bahnsen, Erika Ritchie and Hanna Kang contributed to this report.

The policy, approved by the City Council unanimously, will require top city officials’ calendars to be posted to the city’s website by the 10th day of each month, listing meetings that occurred in the previous month. The deputy and assistant city managers will be required to disclose their meetings as well.

“There’s nothing more transparent than telling everybody who we’re meeting with and who we’re talking to,” Councilmember Natalie Meeks said.

The new policy is the latest reform the council is making to promote transparency in City Hall.

City officials must list the date and time of the meeting; the names, titles and affiliations of the people they met with; and what the topic of the meeting was. Meetings with members of the public, lobbyists, developers and union representatives would be required to be disclosed.

Excluded from the policy are disclosing meetings that are with city employees only, criminal investigations and personal appointments.

The policy will go into effect in 2024. Mayor Ashleigh Aitken has been posting on the mayor’s webpage meetings requested with her. The latest post Wednesday included meetings until the end of July.

City officials’ calendars were public record already, but required people to file a records request with the city clerk.

The blaze that has destroyed the historic structure started early Tuesday morning and smoke was seen rising high into the air throughout the afternoon Tuesday.

Wednesday morning, officials with the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory because of the fire. It is set to be in effect through the end of the day. Officials with the agency said most of the impacts are localized for now, but stronger Santa Ana winds could push smoke toward the southwest.

“Air quality conditions may reach unhealthy for sensitive groups in nearby neighborhoods,” the advisory said.

Orange County Health Care Agency officials echoed the advisory, saying people who are “being impacted” by windblown smoke, dust or ash, should “try to limit your exposure by remaining indoors, with windows and doors closed or seek alternative shelter to reduce exposure to smoke and ash.”

“Everyone should be aware of the recommended precautions to reduce the health effects of smoke and ash from building fires,” Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county’s health officer and director of public health services, said in a statement. “Extra measures may be needed for those with pre-existing medical conditions like heart or lung disease, those with disabilities, older adults, children, and those who may be working outdoors.”

Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard on Wednesday worried about the impacts on his community’s air quality following the blaze. While the fire still smolders at the base of the burned-out hangar, local agencies are monitoring the air for any health concerns, he said.

“There are concerns about materials used,” Lumbard said. “AQMD’s initial readings were unremarkable, but there is a general concern about materials used 80 years ago.”

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  Students dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” during a Halloween costume contest and flash mob at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, CA on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Pinocchio, a.k.a. 5-year-old Aiden Ayala, leads the annual Fountain Valley Regional Hospital Pediatric Halloween Parade with rescued dog Hazel the Hobbler on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. Aiden is a former pediatric patient and Hazel was rescued by Georgia and Glenn Bleiweis after she was hit by a car and abandoned. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  People take a selfie at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, CA on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. The school was celebrating Halloween with a costume contest and flash mob dance. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Clergy attend a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Buckingham cruise in style while taking part in the Corgi Beach Day “Howl-O-Ween” costume contest in Huntington Beach on Saturday, October 28, 2023. The royal pair was 1-year-old Rumi Jen who didn’t enjoy wearing her fancy hat, and Ken the corgi whose crown fell off. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Mourners watch as the casket of Bishop Tod D. Brown is carried out of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. Brown led the Diocese of Orange for 14 years. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  The annual Halloween golf cart parade in Laguna Woods, CA, on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Six-month-old Zaya Lloren of Lake Forest, along with her , dress as characters from the movie, “Encanto,” as they visit Irvine Park Railroad ’s Pumpkin Patch on Sunday, October 22, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Fran Conroy, left, and Jojo Baker get ready to ride in the annual Halloween golf cart parade in Laguna Woods, CA, on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  The Halloween decorations at the home of Anne Pothier on the 1200-block of Cherry Hills Street in Placentia on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Each year residents on Cherry Hills Street pull out all the stops with their Halloween decorations attracting hundreds of visitors. The event attracts so many visitors they close down the street to vehicle traffic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Ocean Bonilla, 7, gets whipped around on the Himalaya ride during during Buena Park’s Silverado Days at William Peak Park on Saturday, October 21, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Archie Cachola, a former pediatric doctor at CHOC, puts on a chef’s hat and apron while standing in the backyard patio at The Heavenly Home in Mission Viejo on Thursday, October 26, 2023. Cachola, who loves to cook, talked about his career as a doctor and his love of cooking during a conversation at the residential facility dedicated to end-of-life hospice care. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Charles Mendola, left, and Jessica Stiffler of Huntington Beach make their way along the beach just north of the Newport Beach Pier early on Saturday morning, October 28, 2023, as surfers wearing a variety of Halloween costumes gather for the annual holiday event of riding the waves in Newport Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Three sea lion pups, birthed by mothers poisoned with domoic acid this summer, are now at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, October 20, 2023. The pups will soon head to SeaWorld for further rehab and then be released in to the wild. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Victor Serrao, with Victor’s Custom Christmas Trees, prepares a fresh-cut 100-foot white fir from Mt. Shasta to be installed at the Outlets at San Clemente on Thursday, October 26, 2023. The tree will be decorated and lit on Nov. 18th. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Clergy pay their respects during at Christ Cathedral during a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  David Saldana is embraced by his grandma, Martha Lara, after not seeing her for ten years. Twenty-five families from Mexico were reunited with relatives in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA sponsored the event. Some family members had not seen their loved ones for more than two decades. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Bernie Budzyn of Orange dances to the music as approximately 150 seniors gather for the Halloween costume party put on by Meals on Wheels Orange County and the Orange Senior Center on Friday, October 27, 2023 at the Orange Senior Center in Orange. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Amelia Endo, 4, of Huntington Beach has her photo taken in the pumpkin patch by her mother, Tatiana Endo as the city of Huntington Beach holds Falloween at Worthy Park on Saturday, October 21, 2023, in Huntington Beach. The fall-themed event had a variety of family activities including: a pumpkin patch, games, pumpkin carving, a reptile show, food trucks and a movie. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Julia Heiman of Irvine is overcome with emotion as she holds posters of two girls being held hostage by Hamas during a vigil at the corner of Alton Parkway and Culver Drive in Irvine on Thursday, October 26, 2023 in support of the more than 200 people who were kidnapped in Israel earlier this month. “Its so painful to me that Israel has to defend its right to defend itself and to think of the brutality of what the children have endured,” said Heiman. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Lily gets ready to nab a tennis ball during the Corgi Beach Day “Fetch Fanatic” contest in Huntington Beach on Saturday, October 28, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Lulu wears a matching outfit with owner Cynthia “Dog Lady” Lopez at Buena Park’s Silverado Days on Saturday, October 21, 2023. Lopez, who custom sews the clothing, says “We do it to make people smile.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Doug Smith has been at the Santa Ana Navigation Center for a little over a year after battling a methamphetamine addiction and lupus for years. Smith said he was in a cycle of drug use, jail, detox and relapse for the last 15-20 years. He said he has been drug free for the last 2 1/2 years. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Bishop Tod D. Brown’s grand nephew, Graham Brown, 9, touches Brown’s casket before funeral services at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  The Chargers’ Cameron Dicker jokes around with John Rosell, 11, during The Los Angeles Chargers Host 6th Annual Halloween Trick -Or-Treat Party for Pediatric Cancer Patients at Hoag Performance Center in Costa Mesa, CA, on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  The Borgelt family, from left, Milania, 11, her parents Stephanie and Stephen, and sister Malvina, 13, are shown with their Hollywood-themed Halloween creation in Placentia on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Each year residents on the 1200-block of Cherry Hills Street pull out all the stops with their Halloween decorations attracting hundreds of visitors. The event attracts so many visitors they close down the street to vehicle traffic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Seba Alnsour, 7, who is from Jordan, holds her American flag during a Halloween-themed USCIS citizenship ceremony for 25 children at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  A composite of images taken during the annular solar eclipse as seen from Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano early Saturday morning, October 14, 2023, At the height of the eclipse, the moon covered approximately 70 percent of the sun’s surface. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Kalani Chang, 3, gets a flag from a veteran in the “Honor Convoy,” during Placentia’s Heritage Festival parade on Saturday, October 14, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Colin Currie, 8, hugs crossing guard Larry Lanterman at the crosswalk at Oso Grande Elementary School after Lanterman was surprised by parents and students on his last day in Ladera Ranch on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. The community rallied to support Lanterman with a fundraising page to help him raise money as his only means of income currently is delivering for UberEats. Lanterman announced that he might be at the crosswalk for another 3-weeks since his planned move to Palm Springs was delayed. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  A woman out for an afternoon run makes her was past halloween decorations in a yard on Shaffer Street in Orange on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Margot Clifford looks at her hair that was cut off during the Cancer Awareness Assembly at St. Mary’s School in Aliso Viejo, CA on Friday, October 20, 2023. The hair is donated to the nonprofit Children with Hair Loss to make wigs for kids battling cancer. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Gabriena Halwani and her daughter, Synova Halwani, 2, share a laugh with Sal, the Salvation Army mascot, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new Center of Hope in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, October 9, 2023. The ceremony signifies the completion of a $38-million project delivering 72 units of new homeless Permanent Supportive Housing. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Cypress, CA – October 18: Hailey Swanson, with her sons, receives a flag from Manhattan Beach Police Chief Rachel Johnson, during her husband’s funeral at SeaCoast Grace Church in Cypress, CA, on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Motorcycle officer Chad Swanson, 35, a 13-year veteran, died in a multi-vehicle crash on the northbound 405 Freeway in the Carson area earlier this month. Swanson was married with three sons.  (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

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  The San Diego Gulls mascot, Gulliver, flirts with a fan during a game between the Ducks and the Stars at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Thursday, October 19, 2023. Mascots from several teams attended the game to celebrate the 30th birthday of the Ducks’ mascot, Wild Wing. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  A woman walks past window reflections on a pink wall at The Source, a shopping, dining and entertainment destination, located at the corner of Orangethorpe Avenue and Beach Boulevard in Buena Park, on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Elvis impersonator Steven Cardenaz, 17, of Riverside sings “I Was the One,” as Elvis fanTamela Gari swoons on stage during the 23rd annual Elvis Festival in Garden Grove on Sunday, October 8, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Frank Field of Coventry, Rhode Island, sets the ball for teammate, Ian Bicko of New Orleans, during qualification day of the AVP Tour Series, Laguna Beach Open, held on Main Beach in Laguna Beach on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Looking through a solar viewer, Linda Akins of Laguna Woods watches the annular solar eclipse at Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano early Saturday morning, October 14, 2023. At the height of the eclipse the moon covered approximately 70 percent of the sun’s surface. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Ilona Lilien, left, and her mother Mila, of Orange, comfort each other during a “Community Gathering for Israel” at the Jewish Federation of Orange County in Irvine on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Aurora Jones, 3, of Santa Ana, enjoy riding the teeter-totter at the new playground at Santiago Park in Santa Ana on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. The city held a grand reopening of the park following a two-year, $3.5 million renovation project. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Tustin residents and others enjoy first day of the 66th Annual Tustin Tiller Days at Columbus Tustin Park in Tustin on Friday, October 6, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Orange County School of the Arts 11th-grader Johnathan Leanos displays his pumpkin creation titled, “The Bride of Frankenstein” in Santa Ana on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 as part of OCSA’s Annual Painted Pumpkin Auction. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Students from St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School hold up stuffed animals and a even a photo of their pet to have Fr. Michael Nguyen bless them during the Blessing of the Animals at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Yorba Linda on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Two-year-old Eva Setyawan checks out others on the Kaiser Permanente picket line in Irvine where a couple hundred healthcare workers joined 75,000 other workers in multiple states for what they say are unfair labor practices and staffing issues. Eva’s mother is a Kaiser medical assistant. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  The Great Park Balloon, decorated for Halloween, floats above Irvine, CA, on Friday, October 13, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Painter Drew Stirdivant works to repaint a mural that was originally painted in the 1970s along the Lemon Street pedestrian bridge in Fullerton, CA, on Friday, October 6, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  Artist Jennifer Guidi’s colorful art is photographed by a visitor to the Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa on Sunday, October 8, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

We asked our photographers to pick their favorite images from October 2023, and here are some they selected.

People at the OC Parks at the nature center in Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano joined the rest of Orange County as they looked to the sky early Saturday morning, October 14, 2023, during the annular ring of fire solar eclipse. At the height of the eclipse, the moon covered approximately 70 percent of the sun’s surface. It was the most coverage of the solar surface in an eclipse visible in Southern California until 2045.

In Santa Ana, students at Orange County School of the Arts showed off their pumpkin creations as part of OCSA’s Annual Painted Pumpkin Auction.

Over in Tustin, visitors came out for the 66th Annual Tustin Tiller Days at Columbus Tustin Park. The three-day event, held since 1957, celebrates Orange County’s agricultural heritage.

SeaCoast Grace Church in Cypress was host to funeral services for Manhattan Beach police officer Chad Swanson, 35, a 13-year veteran, who died in a multi-vehicle crash on the northbound 405 Freeway in the Carson area earlier this month. Swanson was married with three sons.

In Irvine, Julia Heiman was overcome with emotion as she held posters of two girls being held hostage by Hamas during a vigil at the corner of Alton Parkway and Culver Drive, in support of the more than 200 people who were kidnapped in Israel earlier this month. “It’s so painful to me that Israel has to defend its right to defend itself and to think of the brutality of what the children have endured,” said Heiman.

At Christ Cathedral, mourners came together to remember Bishop Tod D. Brown. Brown led the Diocese of Orange for 14 years.

October ended with Halloween, as it always does – there was a dog parade in Huntington Beach, folks in Laguna Woods held their annual decorated golf cart parade, Orange County School of the Arts had a costume contest and flash mob dance, and Fountain Valley Regional Hospital Pediatric Halloween Parade with rescued dog Hazel the Hobbler.

Check out the photos and follow The Orange County Register on Facebook and Instagram. Here are our staff photographers’ individual pages: Paul Bersebach, Jeff Gritchen, Leonard Ortiz, Mark Rightmire, and Mindy Schauer.

Stay safe and stay healthy!