A beautiful day in the neighborhood, until the Health Department showed up

The Rossmoor Homeowners Association couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather for the Rossmoor Community Festival.

Bev Houghton, in charge of checking vendors in, had the happy problem of finding room for more vendors than expected. She was in constant motion prior to the opening of the Festival, shuffling assigned booth locations and squeezing in more spaces.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department had blocked off a portion of the parking lot along Blume Dr. to reserve room not only for a Harbor Patrol boat but also for a helicopter.

Vendors helped each other locate their spaces and plant E-Z Up tents.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department lent a helicopter to the day's fun.

Orange County Breeze ended up (after some confusion on our part) in space A-27, most of the way to Chianti Drive.

We set up across from Denali Solar and next to a new web-based cupcake business.

On our other side, Primerica had a bowl of Tootsie Pops and offered free face painting.

Down the walk a ways past a booth for Republican Women Federated, a gentleman named Denny offered samples of flavored balsamic vinegars.

Wendy Grose and Margene Walz at the Republican Women's booth

In the other direction, American Legion Post 857 from Seal Beach offered visitors wrapped candies. (To be precise, they had a small red plastic dish of Tootsie Rolls on their display table.)

Soon we were greeting people, answering their questions about Orange County Breeze, describing our new monthly print edition and handing out free flying discs and beach balls.

Shortly after 10 a.m., We Care staged its High Heel Dash along Chianti Dr.

The official winners of the High Heel Dash’s heats:

• Children under 13: Carson Mucho and Grace Amoretashami
• Teen girl: Meghan Esposito
• Men: Hess Blankenship
• Women: Haley Balthrop
• Strutters: Susan Rivers
• Costume: Rachel Demarco
• Seniors: Karen Reynoso

Winners of the various heats of We Care's High Heel Dash

The main stage offered a variety of entertainment from a children’s magician to bands.

The trackless train snaked in and around the vendor booths, the car show (did you see the Rockne? and the Model A?) and the children’s rides.

Just about the time that everyone began thinking about lunch, a commotion caught our attention. (I had just come back to our booth from scouting the car show.)

Suddenly, the cupcake lady next to us was folding her display table and striking her tent.

Denny and a portion of his array of flavored balsamic vinegars.

When we asked the general air what was happening, one of the women at the Republican Women’s booth said that the Health Department was shutting down food vendors.

She pointed at a man walking swiftly along the cement walkway toward Chianti Dr.

“That’s him!”

So I trotted after him, identified myself as a representative of the press, and asked for an explanation.

His only response, repeated, was “I cannot talk to you.”

So I raised my voice and said loudly, “Then I’ll write an article that says that the Health Department shut down food vendors at the Rossmoor Community Festival and refused to speak with a representative of the press, to even identify himself.”

The man abruptly changed direction, doubling back toward the car show.

The Model A Ford in the car show at the Rossmoor Festival

“What is your name?” I asked repeatedly. I tried to give him a business card to show that I work for Orange County Breeze.

He acted as though it burned his hand.

Eventually he admitted that his name was “Saba.” First name? Last name? “I cannot talk with you.”

After a minute or so of me yelling at him and him refusing to offer further information, he took out a business card, shoved it at me along with my own, and lit out towards Chianti Dr.

His business card says:

Representatives of Quaker Gardens Senior Living show off latest fashion trend at Rossmoor Festival.

In talking with several of the vendors that Mr. Fattaleh shut down, I learned that he had demanded that they purchase, on the spot, a $56 permit to allow them to continue selling their wares.

But under no circumstances could they hand out samples.

Or even give away wrapped candy or sealed bottles of water. (Mr. Fattaleh told the American Legion to get rid of their candy bowl. He said the same to the Primerica folks.)

When I tracked down Bev Houghton of the Rossmoor Homeowners Association (RHA), she explained that the RHA had been trying for weeks to get the Orange County Health Department to clearly explain what was needed for commercial food vendors.

RHA was handed off from one Health Department person to another without every receiving a clear answer.

Mrs. Houghton admitted that RHA didn’t think much of it, because the Health Department had never sent anyone to the Rossmoor Community Festival, ever.

Until today.

The dog parade at the Rossmoor Community Festival was NOT shut down by the Health Department

Today, by the testimony of multiple witnesses, Mr. Fattaleh treated the commercial vendors in a high-handed and rude manner while preventing them from plying their trade.

On hand for today’s community fun was Assemblyman Jim Silva. When asked for his response to the situation, he stated, “When I was a County supervisor, this sort of thing didn’t happen.“

Assemblyman Silva went on to characterize the Health Department’s actions: “Going into a community like Rossmoor and demanding $56 for a permit is nothing but a money grab.”

He ended by saying, “The Rossmoor Community Festival is people coming out just to have fun. This sort of thing shouldn’t happen.”

If you would like to express your opinion regarding the Health Department’s raid on the Rossmoor Community Festival, here are some email addresses:

• ehealth@ochca.com – Orange County Health Care Agency
• district2@ocgov.com – office of John Moorlach, Supervisor for District 2 of Orange County
• rha@rossmoor-rha.org – Rossmoor Homeowners Association

A one-of-a-kind Rockne in the car show at the Rossmoor Community Festival

For the record, the Rockne was sweet — and so was the Model A.

Featured photo

The contraband cupcake lady in the booth next door to Orange County Breeze.

All photos except that of the Quaker Gardens Senior Living representatives are by C.E.H. Wiedel.

Photo of the Quaker Gardens Senior Living representatives by Guy Cariglio.

Related articles

• Rossmoor revving up for community festival (oc-breeze.com)
• Look for Orange County Breeze at the Rossmoor Community Festival (oc-breeze.com)
• Local dogs invited to join Ninth Annual Rossmoor Dog Parade (oc-breeze.com)
• RHA seeking sponsors for this year’s festival (oc-breeze.com)
• May means Rossmoor Woman’s Club Garden Tour (oc-breeze.com)