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| Volume 2 | Issue 17 |
May 6, 2022 |
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Dear Neighbor:
Happy Mother’s Day weekend! This Sunday, I look forward to spending time with family. Let’s show our appreciation to the mothers in our lives for their care, fortitude, perseverance, and (most of all) love!
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We also celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Thank you for your accomplishments and beautiful cultural contributions to our County.
On Monday, I began my week at the OCTA Regional Planning & Highways Committee Meeting to discuss funding on Orange County transportation projects. The staff briefed our committee on a variety of highway construction projects including the 405 and I5/El Toro Rd improvement projects. One of the public speakers questioned whether widening lanes actually reduces congestion or increases traffic. It’s curious. What do you think we should do to improve circulation and mobility in Orange County? Email your ideas to Katrina.Foley@ocgov.com
Watch the meeting or view the agenda: Here
Meeting of the Mayors - Discussion of Sober Living Home Reform
Our monthly Mayors Meeting on Wednesday kicked off an important countywide discussion on sober living homes.
This month, our office initiated a countywide discussion on sober living homes and an effort to unify with a model ordinance so cities can prevent unscrupulous operator mill facilities that endanger public health and disrupt neighborhoods. Our guest speakers included Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens and the attorneys who are successfully the Costa Mesa model ordinance. I provided an overview of the issue, showed a comparison of the County ordinance to Costa Mesa’s, insights into key strategies, and our team shared the map registry that we are working on. The group Q&A helped Mayors and city officials understand the pros and cons of adopting an ordinance.
Families deserve safe care as they battle addiction, and neighborhoods must be protected against over concentration and institutionalization. Our success regulating sober living homes in Costa Mesa and advocating for statewide improvements through legislation can also help other cities! Learn more: Here
Sadly, this week we lost beautiful Jillian Zuniga to fentanyl poisoning. On Tuesday, my day included intermittent tearful interruptions as I learned about my neighbor and a student from my husband’s golf team who died due to fentanyl. In between official activities this week, I spent my days interacting with family members to provide grief counseling resources and connecting them to local law enforcement to find and arrest the dealers so we can hold them accountable for Jillian’s murder.
If you have any information about fentanyl dealers in Costa Mesa please call (714) 754-5280.
I spoke to our new Chief Ron Lawrence, who participated in my recent investigative hearing. His team is working the case hard but also cracking down on these drug dealing predators killing our kids. We provided the following grief counseling resources to the family—OC Warmline at (714) 991-6412 – please share to those in need.
 Physicians of Excellence Awards
On a more positive note, last night I attended the Physicians of Excellence Awards reception held at PIRCH in Costa Mesa (a great use of the showroom kitchens to stage tasting locations for various restaurants). I’m now in my second year as a member of the selection committee and the physicians in Orange County continue to impress me with their dedication, innovative caretaking initiatives, and creativity. Congrats to those selected!
On Thursday, I attended the California Coastal Conservancy Board Meeting where they unanimously approved up to $11.5 million in funding to support the acquisition of Banning Ranch.
For years, as a schoolboard member, city council member, Mayor, and – now - a County Supervisor, I worked with community members to preserve the Banning Ranch property as a public open space park for the community to enjoy. This funding will help to preserve the ancestral homelands of local tribal communities, and protect and preserve our wetlands and the protected habitat.
Banning Ranch's 401-acre area of wetlands and coastal bluffs in Newport Beach is located where the Santa Ana River meets the Pacific Ocean. As the last large parcel of unprotected coastal open space remaining in Southern California, Banning Ranch’s open space and wetlands must be protected. The preservation of Banning Ranch permanently protects many sensitive, threatened, and endangered plant and animal communities, along with providing coastal park access for several disadvantaged and socially vulnerable communities.
“Today’s unanimous decision by the California Coastal Conservancy to support up to $11.5 million in funding for this acquisition brings us one step closer to this decades-long goal, and I was proud to speak at the hearing today in full support.” – Supervisor Katrina Foley
Today, we attended a community meeting with Santa Ana 4th street businesses, OCTA, and local officials to update the community on the OC Streetcar project timeline, support, and address ongoing concerns. I informed the community about an upcoming Board Agenda Item: to allocate business interruption and recovery grant money to businesses, including 4th Street Businesses impacted by Streetcar construction in Santa Ana.
View the agenda: Here
Great news! Orange County Workforce Development’s report arrived, and our recent Discovery Cube Career Fair made history as one of the largest career fairs in the County. With 104 employers and about 250 job seekers, including 38 Veterans who connected with County hiring programs. The survey results rated the program 95% on average. Sign up for our career fair mailing list: Here
Let’s get residents back to work! Learn about other career opportunities:
Attend OCTA’s 40-hour Bus Driver training on May 14, 2022, at Saddleback College. An OC Community Foundation grant covers the cost of the training so it’s free to job seekers. For more information or to enroll, contact Jessie Cheng at (949) 582-4548 or jcheng64@saddleback.edu
On Thursday, May 12, 2022, attend the North Orange County Job Fair at Santa Ana Elks Lodge in Santa Ana.
Tonight is the awards night for the Newport Beach Christmas Parade that my office sponsored in December. This 44-year tradition returned strong after a one-year break due to the pandemic. Find out more: Here
I’m looking forward to joining you in Orange this weekend. Please join me tomorrow, Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the Orange May Parade and celebrate community and civic pride. Thousands of spectators will line the parade route to cheer on participants such as local schools, churches, businesses, and philanthropic organizations.
See a map of the parade: Here
Hug your mom. Happy Mother’s Day!
Be Well,
 Katrina Foley
Supervisor
County of Orange
If you have a concern for me to address, please email: Katrina.Foley@ocgov.com
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In This Edition
Read more about our District and County Initiatives in your community, along with
health and
community news.
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OC Live Concert Series
OC Live showcases LIVE music performances from local artists with the goal of supporting and preserving the arts. Buy $5 tickets today and support future art grants!
Get Tickets & More Information: Here
Nonprofit Organizations: Sign up now to host a booth at Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley’s OC Live event at the Newport Beach Dunes on Friday, May 13 through Sunday, May 15, 2022. Meet residents, as attendees enjoy live music, food, and drinks in our beautiful outdoor SoCal weather!
OCTA
Watch or attend our OCTA meeting on Monday, May 9, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.: Here
Apply for OCTA's Taxpayer Oversight 11-member Committee and ensure that all transportation revenue collected from OC Go is spent on the projects approved by the voters as part of the plan, ratify plan changes, and much more!
Find out more: Here
Apply: Here
Board of Supervisors Meeting
 Please attend our Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, May 10, 2022-9:30 a.m. Here
View a list of all 2022 Orange County #BOS meetings (link) or learn more about what’s happening in your community in our recent District Update (link).
Housing Workshop
Attend a housing workshop and learn about subsidized housing, budgeting for housing, how to apply for housing, and your rights as a tenant or future tenant! Detailed flyers below.
Watch our recent investigative hearing on homelessness: Here
Learn more during our Town Hall about emergency use housing vouchers: Here
Legislative Update
Alex Rounaghi, Policy Advisor
On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, the Board will consider three important agenda items put forward by Supervisor Foley.
Item 52: Prohibit the purchase and use of food service products produced with Expanded Polystyrene within County Government facilities.
As you know, the environmental impacts of expanded polystyrene are significant. As a non-recyclable and non-biodegradable plastic, Expanded Polystyrene persists in the environment for thousands of years. Expanded Polystyrene fractures into microplastics, which enter streets, wilderness, waterways, oceans, other precious natural resources, and our bodies.
Read Supervisor Foley’s full proposal Here
Item 53: Direct County Counsel to seek an opinion from California Attorney General on question of implementation of County Supervisorial Districts in Orange County prior to next regularly scheduled election.
On March 9, 2021, Supervisor Foley was elected by the communities of Costa Mesa, Cypress, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Stanton, Rossmoor, and portions of Buena Park and Fountain Valley. After the Board of Supervisors adopted new boundaries in December of 2021, the new maps were put into effect in January of this year.
The new district she currently represents includes none of the cities that elected Supervisor Foley to office. It is our belief that implementing the new boundaries before the next election violates state law. The residents are entitled to their elected officials to the term they were elected to. We are requesting our County Counsel seek an opinion by the California Attorney General on this matter.
Item 54: Approve use of up to $1.2 million from Second District’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support Santa Ana small businesses impacted by the ongoing streetcar construction and COVID-19 pandemic.
The downtown businesses are suffering as a result of the OC Streetcar construction, as well as the ongoing pandemic. Supervisor Foley has made multiple requests for OCTA to providing small business grants for the impacted small businesses. These requests have not been successful. Since OCTA will not act, Supervisor Foley proposes to use up to $1.2 millions of District 2’s ARPA allocation to help these businesses survive.
Read Supervisor’s small business assistance proposal: Here
As always, you can voice your opinion on any Board agenda item by emailing response@ocgov.com *You also can give public comments in-person.
Team Foley In the News This Week
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Supervisor Katrina Foley Speaks at State Coastal Conservancy in Support of $11.5 Million in Funding to Aquire Banning Ranch
OC Breeze
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Supervisor Foley announces $10.7 million in new funding for motel conversion project in Costa Mesa
OC Breeze
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Costa Mesa’s sober living laws don’t discriminate against the disabled, jury says
OC Register
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Orange County needs uniform approach to homeless issues, experts say
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O.C. housing agencies struggle with ‘unprecedented’ number of housing vouchers about to expire
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New OC Live Concert Series Debuts In Orange County To Support The Local Music Scene, May 10-15
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Orange County tries to sell landlords on housing vouchers
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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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Groundbreaking Events & 4th Street Construction
This week, I attended the House of Ruth groundbreaking in the City of Tustin. In partnership with the County of Orange, HomeAid OC, and Family Promise of Orange County, the City of Tustin will create a new two-story seven-unit apartment for families experiencing homelessness along with a navigation center. We want to thank all the partners involved for helping to address our Orange County homelessness pandemic
Friday Morning, I joined Supervisor Foley at the OC Streetcar Public Meeting. The meeting was held at Frida Cinema and designed to review the current and future construction activities. Supervisor Foley also discussed the upcoming Board Agenda Item: 54 and the County's upcoming vote on allocating grant money to 4th Street Businesses impacted by Streetcar construction in Santa Ana.
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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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Cal Optima & OC Animal Care
Today, my team member Michele joined Cal Optima at their Friday CalFresh Enrollment Event and Resource Fair at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana. The event was a huge success, with the line spreading far past the door and an estimated attendance of 500 people. We’re thrilled to partner with the amazing work Cal Optima is doing for our #SantaAna community.
 In addition to serving the cities of Orange, Tustin, and Anaheim, I am also our office’s liaison to our Animal Care Shelter. At our May 10, 2022, Board of Supervisors meeting the Supervisor will be voting to add our District's sponsored Pet Pantry to the events calendar so we can help OC Animal Care provide the community with pet food as inflation and gas prices soar.
OC Animal Care recently provided adoption vouchers for kittens, cats, and rabbits. All of these vouchers are now claimed ... meaning that more pets are on their way to happy homes!
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Stephanie Wade – District Director & Policy Advisor
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Happy Friday update! Last night, Dan, the Tustin-based disabled Veteran who our office was working with to find a landlord who would accept his housing voucher found housing! He called to thank Supervisor Foley for helping him find an apartment that he can afford with his VA housing voucher.
Before engaging our office, Dan unsuccessfully searched for housing. He now lives happily in his new fully furnished home, close to his two kids in Irvine, and a local nonprofit organization offered him a small washer and dryer. Dan also credits Welcome Home OC, a County supported charitable agency for helping him find and sign the lease. Welcome Home OC matches landlords by supporting new leases and paying security deposits, first and last month rent payments, and providing supportive services for the voucher holder, along with extra protection for any damage that might be caused by the renter. If you are a property owner, we encourage you to contact Welcome Home OC at (714) 245-9500 and help others. Enjoy your new home, Dan!
Airport Commission Meeting
by Susan Dvorak
Airport Commission Meeting: May 4, 2022
- Agenda Item #2: Approve Amendments to Concession Consulting Services Contracts
The Airport Commission voted unanimously to authorize the County Procurement Officer to execute Amendments #3 & #4 with Unison Consulting, Inc. effective through July 31, 2022 in a cumulative contract amount not to exceed $1,241,742. This will allow for analysis of the feasibility of the addition of an Airport Lounge Concession at JWA.
Discussion questions centered on: the deliverables expected from Unison; whether or not the contract was a competitive bid contract when it was initially implemented; and whether the it was necessary to have high-level Unison personnel perform all of the assigned tasks for the consulting project.
- Agenda Item #3: Approve Revised Bylaws for the Orange County Airport Commission
The proposed Airport Commission Bylaws revision is a response to policy direction from the Board of Supervisors for all boards, commissions, and committees subject to the Board of Supervisors’ jurisdiction to align their bylaws with an approved Bylaws Template.
The Airport Commission voted to approve two of the three bylaws changes I submitted for consideration, which were already included in the existing bylaws:
- Require posting bylaws changes at least two meetings before a vote is taken
- Include a provision that the Airport Commission secretary provide a Commission attendance report to the Board of Supervisors on a quarterly basis
The third provision I requested to be carried over from the existing bylaws into the new bylaws was simply that a majority (i.e.: 50 + 1%) of the entire Airport Commission should have to vote affirmatively in order to recommend changes to the bylaws, rather than a vote of a majority of those voting, when a quorum (i.e.: 3 of 5 members) is present. The result of this provision not passing makes it possible for only 2 of the 5 members voting to make a change to the bylaws when a quorum is present.
The Airport Commission will vote to approve the amended bylaws at our next meeting and then they will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium: May 1-3
In other news, I attended the 35th annual Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium at UC Davis, May 1-3. The Symposium brought together a broad range of aviation noise and emissions researchers, professionals, government agencies, and community group representatives to share the latest findings on the health effects of noise and best approaches to environmental sustainability at airports. I will submit a summary of this event at a later date.
Health Updates
COVID-19 Updates
The World Health Organization estimates that the number of people killed by coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems in the past two years, worldwide, totals nearly 15 million. Learn more: Here
As of May 6, 2022, 2,304,729 Orange County residents are fully vaccinated and 1,280,690 received their 4th shot or booster dose. The 7-day average positivity rate (5/6/22) in our County is 3%. This equals out to 9.7 daily positive COVID cases per 100k residents or 348.8 positive PCR tests received per day.
Vaccine Clinics
Please call (714) 834-2000 to schedule an appointment. at one of our mobile vaccine clinics. Walkins are also welcome! Find a mobile vaccine clinic: Here
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Employee Spotlight
Michele Mullen, our Community Outreach Director, spent much of 2021 supporting our local COVID-19 and OC Health vaccine clinics and scheduling volunteers to distribute restaurant gift cards to support our communities and thank residents for getting vaccinated. Michele helps with our events, including our recent Women Making a Difference award ceremony, job fair, and upcoming OC LIVE Concert Series.
Michele also assisted Supervisor Foley on the Physicians of Excellence Selection Committee, reading through many competitive applications. Thank you, Michele!
OC Microbusiness Grant
 We are relaunching the OC Microbusiness $2,500 Grant due to a low number of qualified applicants received in the first round. There is funding remaining for an additional 794 qualified microbusinesses.
Get more information and apply: https://www.oconestop.com/orange-county-microbusiness-grants
Mother's Day
Reserve your table at the Silver Trumpet this Mother’s Day.
Make a reservation: Here
The Capital Grille will be opening early and serving a full dinner menu of contemporary classics, as well as three brunch features from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m..
Make a reservation: Here
Bower's Museum
International Mother's Day Festival
Celebrate mom on May 8, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with music, arts and crafts, pampering, treats, and traditions from around the globe. Performances include Grammy nominated violinist, Tony Selvage, Levi Chen’s special musical stylings on a 3,000-year-old harp, and much more! Find out more: Here
Orange County Public Library
OC Parks Summer Concert Series
We are relaunching the OC Microbusiness $2,500 Grant due to a low number of qualified applicants received in the first round. There is funding remaining for an additional 794 qualified microbusinesses. The relaunch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 9, 2022.
Apply Now: Here
Government Affairs Committee Meeting
Supervisor Katrina Foley's Current Committee Appointments
Innovative solutions require hard work and that is exactly what I will be working on, 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
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Team Foley
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