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| Volume 2 | Issue 11 |
March 18, 2022 |
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Creating Partnerships That Help Orange County Residents
Dear Neighbor:
I hope you enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day. May your troubles be less than your blessings and may happiness come through your door!
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 This week, we focused on a solution-oriented approach to ending homelessness and helping Veterans. I continue to advocate for innovative solutions that appropriately allocate funds to create permanent and supportive housing. By relocating the unhoused from the streets and out of encampments that pose a public safety hazard, we create safer communities that thrive. Learn more about our announcement of $6 Million in new funding for motel conversion, as part of Project Homekey: Here
 On Tuesday, I attended the Veterans Housing Summit, hosted by the Housing Working Group of Veterans at the UCI School for Extended Education. We used this incredible opportunity to discuss obstacles related to housing Vouchers and renewed our commitment to helping Veterans with mental health and workforce development Initiatives.
 By partnering with our local cities and Chambers of Commerce, I remain keenly aware of what each city needs and how our District and County can take action. One concern impacting Orange County families is the price of gasoline, combined with the skyrocketing cost of living.
When the price of gas goes up, the costs of goods and services also rise. I am asking my colleagues to join me in requesting that the State of California provide relief –whether a one-year tax holiday or equivalent rebate. See my agenda memo: Here
Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris is also requesting the rebate: Here
 This weekend, I attended the Los Angeles and Orange County Iranian American Chamber of Commerce Nowruz celebration. I loved meeting everyone and learning about the cultural traditions. Also, great to see OCTA supporting this wonderful event.
Today is the last day to nominate a woman making a difference in our County, for Women's History Month. Make a nomination: Here
Be well,
 Katrina Foley
Supervisor
County of Orange
Ps. Interested in volunteering to help with our District initiatives? Sign up as a volunteer: Here
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In This Edition
Read more about our Transparency in Governance,
Team Updates,
Health News, and
Community News.
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Board of Supervisors Meeting
- Please attend our next Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. Watch it live: Here
- Learn more about what’s happening in your community in our District Update: Here
- View a list of all 2022 Orange County #BOS meetings: Here
We all need a home and Project Homekey is paving the way to happier, healthier communities with fewer unhoused residents and lower crime rates. Under Round Two of the State Homekey program, the County of Orange received a $6 million dollar award to acquire a motel and convert it into a 21-unit, permanent supportive housing project. This project shares a courtyard with The Tahiti, a 60-unit Homekey (Round 1) project in the City of Stanton.
Read Our Press Release: Link
“I would like to thank Supervisor Foley for bringing our Mayors together and being a fierce advocate for this project. We have worked for years to make these conversions a reality. This is a great deal for the taxpayers and law enforcement that will make our neighborhoods safer and increase our quality of life.” – Mayor Shawver
 The inability for Veterans to find landlords that accept housing vouchers contributes to homelessness. Read our press release with more about how we are assisting Veterans: Link
“Upon joining the Board of Supervisors in 2021, my office launched a first-of-its-kind survey of the chronically homeless to determine what’s working and maximize the best use of our funding. We inventoried $1.8 billion in resources addressing mental health, addiction, and housing matters that impact Veterans and Orange County residents. Despite the challenges faced during the pandemic, we successfully added 187 permanent supportive housing units since 2019, but only reduced the number of unhoused veterans from 311 to 290.” – Supervisor Katrina Foley
For more on Supervisor Foley’s efforts with Veterans, please review our 2021 Progress Report (pages 8–9): Here
Help Us ... Help A Veteran!
Dan is a Veteran in search of a 2-bedroom rental near his children’s school, in the cities of Tustin, Irvine, Lake Forest, or Newport Beach.
Our office is assisting “Dan,” a local Veteran looking for a 2-bedroom home or apartment rental using a housing voucher. Dan is a father of two who lives out of his truck with his service dog. While his housing voucher can pay 90% of his rent (up to $2500), most of the properties he visits don’t accept housing vouchers.
The situation is further complicated by his low credit score and past eviction. While both markers are unsurprising for someone who is homeless (especially given his service-related injuries), they contribute to an already challenging situation. While Dan is a great father who sees his children daily, he cannot take advantage of his 50/50 custody without a homebase.
If you're a landlord who can help, please contact Stephanie Wade: Here
John Wayne Airport & A "Save the Date" Hearing
Alex Rounaghi, Policy Analyst
Our Fly Friendly initiative at the John Wayne Airport will launch soon. We are waiting on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval. Stay tuned.
Read more about 2022 John Wayne Airport passenger traffic statistics: Here
 Save the date for Supervisor Foley’s upcoming April 20, 2022, Homelessness and Housing Hearing.
Team Foley In the News This Week
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Orange County Receives More Funding to Convert Motels into Housing for Homeless
“It’s a win because it’s cleaning up a community area that had been a cause for concern by residents for many years,” Foley said. “And it’s a win because the county gets permanent supportive housing ... It’s also a win for people who are experiencing homelessness or on the verge of homelessness, because now we have more units in the community where people can live.” – Supervisor Foley
LA Times - Daily Pilot
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Fighting For a Middle-Class Harbor in Orange County
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Safe Zones for O.C. Families in Child Custody Cases Created and Release of Sex Offenders Opposed
New Santa Ana
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Federal Dollars to Help Replenish OC Beaches
“Our coastal communities and local businesses were impacted last year by flooding, the oil spill and the COVID-19 pandemic. This long overdue funding to replenish the sand in our coastal community is critical to protect our local residents and tourism economy.” – Supervisor Foley
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Constituent Services Manager
Please reach out to me at any time with questions or concerns: Manuel.Chavez@ocgov.com
Representing Garden Grove and Santa Ana.
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State of the Art Technology for Orange County College Students
This week, I had the pleasure of joining Supervisor Katrina Foley at the grand opening of Orange Coast College’s Student Union. The facility’s state of the art technology is excellent for events, studying, and socializing. This project was completed using Measure M funds from the Coast Line Community College District. It’s beautiful seeing the Orange Coast College Campus receiving this level of investment.
Our office is monitoring the OCTA's Orange County Streetcar Project. At our last OCTA meeting, Supervisor Foley and Mayor Sarmiento spoke in support of the 4th Street Business suffering from the construction of the OC Streetcar Project. We stand in support of the businesses being impacted and are for direct funding to impacted business. We do not want to lose vital businesses in the 4th Street Santa Ana corridor.
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Constituent Services Manager
Please reach out to me at any time with questions or concerns: Kalvin.Alvarez@ocgov.com
Representing Anaheim, Orange, Tustin, Animal Services.
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Here We Go!
It's amazing to learn about new and exciting services that the local cities in our District provide! Just this week, I discovered a fantastic service provided by the Anaheim Public Library to its residents. The Exploration on Wheels van has arrived, bringing free hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts, math, or STEAM activities to Anaheim neighborhoods. This is all part of the library's mission to support lifelong learning and increase access to free educational resources throughout Anaheim.
The van is outfitted with an LCD monitor, a speaker system, WiFi, and plenty of storage space to host engaging science and art programs for the community. They even rent out recent movies!
View the schedule and find out where the Exploration on Wheels van will be next: Here
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New Jobs Coming to Orange County Residents
Stephanie Wade, District Director, Policy Advisor
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Stephanie, here, with two exciting announcements.
First, Supervisor’s Foley is hosting a job fair at the Discovery Cube in Santa Ana on April 21, 2022 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. While the event is open to all, Veterans can access the event beginning at 10:00 AM. We expect between 100 to 200 Veterans to attend and 100 employers.
Click here and attend as a job seeker or employer (see flyers below).
Sign up for our mailing list about future job fairs: Here
Next, The Veterans Administration (VA) just completed its Asset and Infrastructure Review or AIR. This is a new process for VA and molded on the DoD’s Base Closure and Realignment Commission. It forces the agency to close facilities and services that are underutilized or deemed non-essential.
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The Commission recommended that the Long Beach VA Medical System continue to operate its existing facilities and plants, including the three clinics in Orange County. This is very good news because the Commission recommended cuts and closures in many other regions. While the Commission’s 10-year forecast anticipates that our system will lose 13.3% of its Veteran population, they found that current facilities are vital and should continue to operate through 2029.
As the Supervisor shared above, we are still looking for a home for our Veteran, Dan. Please contact me at Stephanie.Wade@ocgov.com for more information or to help!
Health Updates
Deadline Approaching
Uninsured Individuals Urged to Get Their COVID-19 Vaccine As Soon As Possible. Learn more about the deadline: Here
While masking is no longer required in most settings, learn about the effectiveness of masking in high risk, indoor, public settings: Here
As of March 17, 2022, 2,443,437 Orange County residents are fully vaccinated and 1,222,416 have received their booster shot or additional doses. The 7-day average positivity rate (3/18/22) in our County is 2.3% and down .6% from a week ago. This equals out to 4.8 daily positive COVID cases per 100k residents or 731 PCR+ tests received per day.
Current Orange County Health Care Agency Orders: Here
Vaccine Clinics
Vaccination is Important! The most protected members of our community are those who are up to date with combined full and boosted vaccinations and a prior history of COVID.
The next most protected completed their full primary series and booster shot (if eligible), but did not contract COVID.
The least protected members in our community are those who are unvaccinated and immunocompromised – or elderly, very young, pregnant or recently pregnant residents.
Reduce your risk of severe illness! Get boosted or vaccinated (link) or get a COVID test from the comfort and convenience of your home: Here
Pet of the Week
 Pet of the Week: Brixton, Animal ID#: A1436702
Brixton is a 6-year-old Boxer mix who came to Orange County Animal Care shelter back in June of 2021. His owner developed some health issues that prevented him from being able to continue to care for dear dog, Brixton.
While Brixton felt initially wary of the new environment and took some time to adjust to being away from his former home, he is how happy and relaxed. Through TLC, his cheerful personality and always-positive attitude were revealed!
Brixton loves being around people and is happiest going on a walk with his humans or lounging on the couch, cuddling, and watching TV! This pup is a true gentleman who sits nicely on cue, waits patiently for his treat, and even lets you have a turn with his toy (if you throw it for him of course!). Brixton has previously lived with children and did wonderfully, thanks to his love of any and all people! We think Brixton will do best in a home where he is the only pet.
Interested in adopting this sweet Boxer boy? Call (714) 935-6848 to schedule an adoption appointment today!
Animal ID#: A1436702
Interested in giving Brixton a loving home? Call (714) 935-6848 to set up an adoption appointment today! Animal ID#: A1436702
Not ready to get a dog but want to help Brixton find a home? Share this flyer on social media!
Apply As An Intern
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Supervisor Foley's Committee Appointments
I am committed to innovative solutions and will work hard alongside my colleagues throughout the coming year. If you have questions or comments that you'd like to share in relation to the committees below, please email me at Katrina.Foley@ocgov.com
- CalOptima
- Emergency Management Council
- First 5 Orange County, Children & Families Commission
- Law Library Board of Trustees
- Newport Bay Watershed Executive Committee
- One Water, One Watershed
- Orange County Community Corrections Partnership
- Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council
- Orange County Transportation Authority
- Santa Ana River Flood Control Protection Agency
- South Orange County Watershed Management Area Executive Committee
- Southern California Association of Governments
My office is also recruiting commissioners to appoint to our Orange County Historical Commission and Waste and Recycling Commission. You can find more information: Here To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to Katrina.Foley@ocgov.com.
Thank you for being an active member in your community.
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@SupervisorFoley
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