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| Volume 2 | Issue 28 |
July 22, 2022 |
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Dear Neighbor:
We had quite an exciting week! We spent a lot of time speaking with members of the community, going on tours of local businesses and projects, and in meetings with various groups, constituents, and county staff.
This past Monday, July 18, represented yet another historic day for Orange County with the ribbon cutting ceremony at the brand-new County Administration North (CAN) building.
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 In 1889, Orange County’s voters selected Santa Ana as the County Seat. At the time, the population was less than 18,000 residents, which is approximately the current number of County employees. At the time, women could not run or hold office, vote, nor work outside of domestic confines. Now, at least 3 women elected county supervisors served during the construction of this new County Building, and many women business owners contributed, along with women who performed the construction, engineering, and designing of his new building.
After a 13-year process of diligence, dedication, and planning, we finally unveiled the product of everyone’s hard work. This building will allow for the employees of the County to better serve our community, while also providing them with the resources they need to succeed. I was honored to stand alongside past and present Supervisors as we celebrated the future of the County.
As the county moves forward with other strategic and master plans for redeveloping the Civic Center, this P3 model is an economic driver, reduces the cost burden for taxpayers, and creates living wage jobs. We can also see the quality of this work allows us to build efficiently and sustainably for future generations.
 At our Board Meeting on Tuesday, July 19, the Board of Supervisors voted in support of items addressing housing, county agency grants, a relief fund for victims of the 7-Eleven shooting spree, and investments in infrastructure and public libraries. We were also lucky to have Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Jimmy Vivar sing a lovely rendition of the national anthem to kick off Tuesday’s meeting!
On Wednesday, I hosted a press conference alongside Chairman Doug Chaffee and Waymakers Chief Program Officer Lita Mercado to announce a Victims’ Relief Fund for those impacted by the July 11, 2022, shootings at 7-Eleven stores in Orange County. The Board has agreed to contribute $150,000 to the Victims’ Relief Fund. To get more information, visit waymakersoc.org.
 Following the press conference, I visited the 7-Eleven location in our district impacted by the gun violence on 7/11. I spoke with the owner, Kevin Nijjar, and discussed what I can do as Supervisor to support, not just related to the tragedy but to supports to address the impacts of homelessness on his business.
 The week continued with more community engagement. On Thursday, I joined Activision Blizzard King Workers Alliance for their Walkout to End Gender Inequity. As Supervisor, I am committed to standing with workers and doing everything I can to protect the rights of women, the LGBTQ+ community, and our most vulnerable.
 Later in the day, I toured SureFire LLC, a company based right here in Orange County for 43 years. Their products are not only American-made, but they protect our first responders and military service members and allow them to serve our community efficiently.
 Late Thursday afternoon, I visited the construction site at the UCI Medical Center. This academic health center is an important institution for the future of healthcare in Orange County, and it was inspiring to see the progress that has been made so far.
 Finally, on Friday I started my day at a town hall with the 4th St businesses and OCTA to address continued concerns about the street car project.
 After a full week, I’m off to the OC Fair with my family. Aside from being a massive event for families and community members to enjoy, the OC Fair also generates millions of dollars in tax revenue and 2,515 jobs that benefit our local economy. The annual summer fair is critical for Orange County, and I'm proud to support it. Click here to learn about OC Fair promotions and events. Enjoy your weekend!
Be Well,
 Katrina Foley
Supervisor
County of Orange
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In This Edition
Read more about local events, community and health news, District and County initiatives, and other important updates!
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Upcoming Board of Supervisors Meeting On July 26, 2022
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Alex Rounaghi
Legislative Policy Advisor
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On Thursday, I met with Nikki Buckstead, the Executive Director of Family Solutions Collaborative, to discuss how the County can better address family homelessness in Orange County. Family Solutions Collaborative (FSC) plays a critical role to tackle the moral disgrace that is family homelessness in Orange County. FSC functions as the “system” supporting 24 direct service organizations that serve families in need by promoting best practices, collaborative partnerships, and technical support to strengthen the family homeless response system. Their work is very impressive and I encourage you to check out their very informative website.
According to June data, FSC reports that there are 213 unsheltered families and 296 youth between the ages of 0-5 that are homeless in Orange County—and this is a significant undercount of the homeless population. That is disgraceful, and Supervisor Foley is committed to prioritizing this issue and supporting FSC’s work. I’m so grateful for Nikki, her team, and all the service providers throughout the county for their dedication and innovation to help families and look forward to collaboration on this issue.
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 Earlier this week, I—along with our Community Outreach Director Michele Mullen—met with Behavioral Health Advisory Board members Karyl Dupée and Chase Wickersham (Supervisor Foley’s appointee) to discuss gaps, needs, and services for older adults in Orange County. Karyl shared her valuable insights about significant challenges that the County faces as the older adult population continues to grow. Many older adults experience co-occurring neurocognitive and mental health disorders, which often left unaddressed and lack an integrated treatment approach. The BHAB Older Adult Committee has formally recommended that the Board of Supervisors fund a pilot program to integrate older adult mental health and dementia care. Our office looks forward to working with BHAB, older adult experts, and our Health Care Agency Team to identify opportunities to improve our approach to serving the needs of older adults in Orange County.
Constituent Services Manager – Representing Garden Grove and Santa Ana
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On Monday, the County unveiled the new County Administration North (CAN) building. The new facility will be a one stop shop for all county services like passport renewals, plan check and so much more. Check out the new facility when you have a chance! Orange County is ready to serve.
Save your calendars for next Thursday July 28! The City of Santa Ana is hosting Shakespeare by the Sea: Romeo & Juliet at Birch Park. The event is free for the public. So, bring your blankets, chairs and friends and enjoy!
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Constituent Services Manager – Representing Anaheim, Orange, Tustin, and Animal Services.
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There is a lot going on in Orange County, and our office is excited to be a part of it and support our community. I joined Senator Josh Newman and Senator Tom Umberg's office this week at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Ana for an American Red Cross Blood Drive in collaboration with the California Association of Nurse Practitioners. Together with my Power Red Blood donation, we collected enough blood to potentially save 93 lives. I am eternally grateful for our community's assistance in times of need. Someone in the United States requires a blood transfusion every two seconds and donations are critical to help those who have been injured in accidents, are undergoing cancer treatment, or are battling blood diseases. Donating blood is a quick and rewarding experience, and I strongly encourage more people to do so. If you want to donate blood and possibly save a life, go to https://www.redcrossblood.org/ to find your nearest blood drive! |
Stephanie Wade
Veterans Policy Advisor
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One of Supervisor Foley’s greatest priorities is ending homelessness in our county, and nothing is more vexing to her than veterans who wind up on the street. Veterans qualify for more federal and state aid, so if we can’t find the resources to house vets, how can we help the broader population of our unhoused neighbors? And, perhaps most significantly, we are so close to getting to our goal of functional zero veterans’ homelessness.
Functional zero is a point at which the county finds suitable housing for every veteran within a month of their asking for help. Right now, we are tantalizingly close: From the beginning of July 2021 to the end June 2022, Orange County saw 478 new veterans enter the county’s veteran registry and 435 leave the registry, meaning we are a mere 43 shy of functional zero.
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We have gotten this close by supporting permanent supportive housing options for veterans who are chronically homeless and need wrap around services. In 2019, we had none of these facilities, today we have 187 beds of PSH dedicated to supporting of the most vulnerable veterans. But there remains a subgroup of higher functioning veterans—like the two veterans we helped house this year—who have no special medical or treatment needs. It takes months to find rentals they can afford with their VA subsidized housing vouchers and benefits. That’s where we see the greatest need and the greatest opportunity to get to functional zero. What the Supervisor has been working on with her Veterans Advisory Board is developing interim or bridge housing solutions specifically to get veterans off the street quickly—before they can fall victim to any of the traumas or comorbidities of homelessness. We believe that properly structured rapid, bridge housing for 50 to 60 veterans would get us to where we need to be. In the coming months, look for Supervisor Foley to take investigative and coordinated action to get such a program up and running.
In the meantime, I wanted to share two things that you can do to help our county’s veterans. First, we have a critical opening. As I noted last week, Orange County’s Veterans Service Officer, who leads the County’s Veterans Service staff and programs, has just resigned. We need to find an outstanding replacement to fill her position as quickly as possible. If you could share this job posting, especially among veterans and the social welfare community, you might help us find who we need to keep county veterans services humming. Second, we want to share a hotline for homeless veterans outreach; the Veterans of America contracts with the county and has special outreach team to help homeless veterans. If you know or suspect that someone is a homeless veteran, please call Volunteers of America’s SSVF office at 714-426-9834, so we can send some folks who ‘speak veteran’ to connect with them.
Cindy Tran - Chang
Policy Advisor
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One of the greatest aspects of my job is having the flexibility to work with the communities we represent to identify their needs and collaboratively craft a plan to help support their dreams. Recently, I researched community garden and meal gap programs in need of support in Tustin, Santa Ana, Orange and Garden Grove.
The principal of a school in Santa Ana informed me they were starting their school garden from scratch and needed supplies and equipment. Unfortunately, the original sponsor passed away, so their plans were temporarily set aside. The principal provided an itemized budget list and Supervisor Katrina Foley fulfilled their dreams by funding $5,700 towards the development of their own school garden.
Another constituent I connected with in Tustin was part of a non-profit named One Seed. Their dream was to build an educational community garden, modeled after the Orange Home Grown Education Farm. This space is centrally located in the city and would have raised beds and fruit trees, with a section dedicated for educating young learners interested in growing their own food. Supervisor Katrina Foley funded this project $23,000 to help move it forward.
In the area of meal gap needs, Bill Bracken has been serving the city of Garden Grove for 9 years through food rescue, culinary training and a community feeding program. We learned from the Garden Grove City Manager staff that food insecurity continues to exist and with soaring grocery prices, the need to bridge meal gaps is more important than ever. With that said, Supervisor Foley approved a $14,000 grant to support Bill Bracken’s non-profit mission of nourishing neighbors in need.
Last, Supervisor Foley approved $10,000 grant to fill the meal gap for senior citizens in Orange. It is empowering having the flexibility to think outside the box and work closely with the community to better understand their needs. Supervisor Katrina Foley has fulfilled dreams and put smiles on faces through her generous support of these community garden and meal gap programs!
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Aviva Meyers
Sustainability Policy Advisor
Greetings! I’m Aviva, Supervisor Foley’s new Sustainability Policy Advisor. I’m thrilled to join the team and build on Supervisor Foley’s track record of cleaning up our environment, fighting climate change, and protecting our communities from natural hazards.
This week started off with a bang, as our office attended the opening of the County of Orange’s new administrative building. This building is LEED-certified, meaning that it meets high standards for energy efficiency, water efficiency, sustainable construction materials, and more. These features will save the County millions of dollars every year. But not only that: our new building will also be a more comfortable, healthy, and productive space for employees and visitors. It’s fitting that our team will work out of such a building, reflecting Supervisor Foley’s commitment to creating a more sustainable Orange County–one in which our environment, our economy, and our community members can thrive.
I spent the rest of the week planning initiatives that will do exactly that. I’m organizing our upcoming Sustainability Summit and developing new strategies for Orange County to combat climate change. Stay tuned for what’s to come!
Board Meeting Update
At this week’s board meeting, Supervisor Foley voted in support of the following passed items:
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Item 20: Interim housing at Huntington Beach Oasis to serve people experiencing homelessness, chronic homelessness and domestic violence survivors as part of Project Homekey.
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Item 21: The City of Laguna Beach’s purchase of the Laguna Beach Library, allowing for critical funding to improve the library and better serve community needs.
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Item 22: Seeking grant funding for community economic resilience.
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Item 22: Approving grant awards for county agencies to support homeless assistance, and environmental cleanup of a brownfield to create multifamily affordable housing.
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Item 28: The financing for Rancho Mission Viejo’s public infrastructure, such as roadways, tunnels, regional hiking and biking trails, storm drains and basins, water and wastewater facilities, and more.
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Item 29: Contracts with homeless services providers to utilize the unprecedented number of emergency housing vouchers available to Orange County.
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Item 29C: Establishing a Victims’ Relief Fund for the victims and families affected by the series of shootings that took place at 7-Eleven markets throughout Orange County.
Health News
OC Health Update
The OC Health Agency is requesting a grant to continue Tuberculosis Local Assistance by offering Orange County TB control offers TB screening services (TB tests, chest-x-rays, symptom check, and physician evaluation to residents of Orange County.
Tuberculosis is a public health threat. Although it is overshadowed by illnesses of late, tuberculosis remains a worldwide threat, causing more than a million deaths a year
Ocean Water Warning initiated at:
Bacterial levels in ocean and bay recreational waters exceeded health standards at the following locations the last time they were tested:
Costa Mesa Sanitary District
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District would love your feedback as they prepare for an upcoming CMSD educational event! By answering questions, you'll help them improve and better serve Costa Mesa residents.
As the summer comes into full swing, it is increasingly important to remain safe and healthy and it is a top priority of mine to keep community members updated with the most recent guidelines. To find more information on the latest guidelines issued by the HCA, visit occovid19.ochealthinfo.com.
Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or any variants? Review the Quarantine Calculator: Here
As you celebrate summer activities and plan vacations, protect yourself and loved ones from COVID-19 by following safe travel guidelines issued by the CDPH.
See the latest guidance: Here
COVID-19 Data
As of July 22, 2022, 2,332,105 Orange County residents are fully vaccinated. The 7-day average positivity rate (7/22/22) in our County is 19%. This equals out to 37 daily positive COVID cases per 100k residents.
OC Animal Care:
  
Orange County Fair
OC Vegan Festival
The Plant District is hosting the OC Vegan Festival! This event is on Saturday, July 23rd and runs from 11am-4pm and features 50+ vendors who specialize in delicious plant-based and vegan foods. Stop by with your family and friends to enjoy all the wonderful options! The event is free, but donations are always appreciated. RSVP here.
Financial Tip of the Week
Defending Against Impersonator Scams
By Andrew Rayo
American servicemembers sacrifice so much to honorably defend the nation. But dishonorable scammers make it their mission to con servicemembers out of their hard-earned money and benefits by pretending to be trusted companies and government agencies. During Military Consumer Month — and all year round — we’re empowering servicemembers, veterans, and their families to spot and avoid impersonator scams.
Here is how to spot the scams:
 Read More
Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank is hosting their first-ever Walk to Feed OC on September 11th at Tanaka Farms in Irvine. This event is presented by Albertsons and will help raise awareness about food insecurity in Orange County. To join in the fundraising and walking efforts, sign up here: feedoc.org/walk
OC Workforce Solutions
Ready Set OC offers no-cost employment training for Orange County youth ages 14-24, including those with disabilities or IEP plans, former or current foster children, pregnant or parenting, offender/ex-offender, and those experiencing homelessness, including couch-surfing or at risk of homelessness.
To find out more information, call the OC Business and Economic Recovery Call Center at (714) 480-6500 or text (657) 210-1295. Email info@readysetoc.com
Orange County Public Library
Equity in OC
Are you in charge of a grassroots organization? the Equity in OC initiative is releasing a POWER BUILDING FUND toprovide smaller, grassroots organizations with the opportunity to build their infrastructure and/or capacity
Learn More: Here
Sunset Cinema Series & Concerts in the Park
Committee Appointments
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
Thank you for being an active member of our County.
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