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Constituent Services Manager – Representing Garden Grove and Santa Ana
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I had another busy week serving the residents of Orange County!
Wednesday, I joined Supervisor Katrina Foley at a rally held by Senior Citizens at Metro East Senior Park. The facility was billed as an affordable senior housing development, yet the residents are facing a 10% rent increase, plus they shared concerns about safety and parking. Our office is committed to working with the City of Santa Ana to help the fixed income seniors facing these difficult circumstances including searching for rental assistance.
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 Thursday Supervisor Foley and I attended Wake Up Newport where the Supervisor announced the upcoming press conference on the Fly Friendly Program for August 17, 2022 at 11:30 am. Additionally, we heard from Charlene Reynolds, the New Airport Director for John Wayne Airport and how they’re addressing enforcement on noise complaints and working on future concession partners.
Thursday, I attended the unveiling of Cano Health Santa Ana Ribbon Cutting. The Cano Health Network has over 141 medical centers providing primary care for seniors and families. Welcome to Santa Ana!
Constituent Services Manager – Representing Anaheim, Orange, Tustin, and Animal Services.
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Another eventful week in District 2! Our District Director Alyssa and I participated in a tour of the Orange County Animal Care shelter this week before meeting with them about our office's upcoming Drive-thru Pet Pantry and pet adoption event! Our office is excited to collaborate with our incredible animal care staff to provide a convenient low-cost way to adopt a pet and score some free pet food. We need to help more pets find homes as the shelter is currently over capacity. We will also give away free collapsible pet bowls! Stay tuned for more details, but mark September 10th on your calendar!
In addition to touring an animal care shelter, we visited the Santa Ana Zoo and learned about how the zoo's staff cares for the animals. We also learned about their upcoming exciting exhibit featuring sea otters! The Santa Ana Zoo is a beautiful place to take your family, and I highly recommend going.
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 The Supervisor and I also attended a Medea event in Newport Beach, where we had the pleasure of meeting NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neil! Medea is a company that decided to expand into Orange County. Their dedication to providing governments, businesses, and organizations with the products they require to meet the needs of their consumers and residents efficiently and effectively is invaluable. I am grateful that they chose the OC as the location for their company.
 Finally, I wrapped up the week with a meeting with Families Together of Orange County. Orange County's Families Together is a non-profit organization that assists those in need of high-quality healthcare. A variety of wellness, health, and medical services are available through this organization, which acts as a link between the people in our community and the resources they require to stay healthy. I'm excited to collaborate with them and help them with any needs!
Aviva Meyers
Sustainability Policy Advisor
Equity and climate action go hand in hand. This week, I met with OC Goes Solar to discuss how we can help more Orange County residents access the benefits of solar energy. Low-income households and renters in particular need financial support in order to install solar panels on their roofs. OC Goes Solar addresses these barriers by connecting residents and property owners with state funding programs–specifically, the Solar On Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program and the Disadvantaged Communities - Single-Family Solar Homes (DAC-SASH) program. Right now, multifamily building property owners in Orange County and low-income households in Santa Ana can work with OC Goes Solar to access low- or no-cost solar installations. Check out the SOMAH program and the DAC-SASH program to see if you qualify.
OC Goes Solar also helps Orange County residents come together to receive group discounts on solar installations; if you’re interested in getting discounted solar on your roof, then reach out to them through their website!
In other news: At this week’s meeting of the OCTA Regional Planning and Highways Committee, we learned that the I-405 Improvement Project is more than 80% complete! You can learn more by listening to the meeting audio here.
Stephanie Wade
Veterans Policy Advisor
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This week we focused on supporting our local veterans service organizations. It's important to emphasize that veterans service organizations are vital to helping veterans because they provide the peer-to-peer, veteran-to-veteran connection. Often that's the only way to get our proud heroes to ask for help when they need it. And here is something you can do even if you never served in the military: Join a local veterans group! Veterans organizations like the American Legion are shutting down as their membership gets older and older. That's where you can come in. All veterans organizations now have memberships for civilians who want to join as 'auxiliaries' or 'sons.' It gives civilians a chance to do more than thank a veteran for their service; it allows them to learn, get to know and honor the service of that small portion of our population who have served. With the last draft generation aging into their twilight years, veterans now make up just 7% of the US population, a number that will only go down in the coming decade.
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 I also wanted to highlight another member of Supervisor Foley's Veterans Advisory Council - Bobby MacDonald. Pictured above receiving a presentation check from the Supervisor for $4,000 in Meal Gap Funded gift cards that he will be helping the VFW Chapter 3173 (Anaheim) distribute to hungry veterans. Bobby MacDonald is a Vietnam veteran, whose motto is "#StillServing.” Nobody embodies that like Bobby. He is the long time President of Orange County's Black Chamber of Commerce, the District 3 appointee and past Chair of Orange County's Veterans Advisory Council, Chair for Government Relations on OC Veterans & Military Connected Families Collaborative's governing board, and, in 2020 was invited to Department of Veterans Affairs’ Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans where he is now on a first name basis with VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
 Finally, on a lighter note, I'll remind folks that Supervisor Katrina Foley supports all veterans. In fact, we are quite confident that she is the only member of the Board of Supervisors to have a Space Force Flag. So Space Force Vets, if you're out there, we're ready for ya!
Support Veterans Service Organizations
Here is more information on local veterans’ service organizations that we have partnered with! They’re accepting new members whether you’re a veteran or have a loved one who has served.
American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291
Santa Ana, CA, 92701-2642
Call During Open Hours: (714) 884-4082
Contact them on Facebook:
Call During Open Hrs: 714.538.6311
Weekly Friday In-Person Meeting: Mimi’s Café, 17231 17th St., Tustin, CA
Post Commander: Steve Giddings, M-949-345-0411
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Chapter 3175
Call During Open Hrs: (714) 533-3173
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1024
Health News
Michele Mullen
Public Health Policy Advisor
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Monkeypox and COVID Briefing:
Yesterday, Supervisor Foley hosted a public health briefing primarily focused on COVID-19 and Monkeypox. Here are some highlights:
During the briefing, OC Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau said “We need your help to really destigmatize monkeypox; it is not a gay disease.” he said, adding that we only have 24 cases here in Orange County and it hasn’t killed anyone in the United States so far.
In Voice of OC, “Throughout the state, Chau said, it’s been found outside of the LGBTQ community and to prevent spread it needs to be destigmatized” since there have been cases in communities other than the LGBTQ+ community.
Also, on Thursday afternoon, on most U.S. news outlets reported that President Biden’s administration declared a national emergency on Monkeypox.
To be clear, Monkeypox is only spread through skin-on-skin contact with an open sore or rashes. Often these sores begin as Sexually Transmitted Diseases, so if you test positive for an STD, please avoid intimate contact. According to the CDC, symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, respiratory issues, and rashes.
“Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus.
If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later,” the CDC found, adding the illness lasts up to 4 weeks.
The vaccines are still in limited supply but are being distributed to high-risk individuals. The County of Orange is expecting more vaccines to be delivered soon. Watch the briefing here.
Dr. Clayton Chau reported that “it looks like the number has stabilized, if not trending down.”
As of Tuesday, Orange County Positivity rate was 15.8%- down from nearly 20% last month-(according to state data).
But, Dr. Chau said the positivity rate isn’t a true representation of the current situation, because the residents are using at-home tests, which don’t get reported to public health officials. The best numbers to monitor are the hospitalizations.
As of Wednesday, the latest data available, 258 Orange County residents were hospitalized for COVID, including 36 in ICU, according to state data.
It was also reported that if you have medical insurance, you are allowed to pick up 4 test kits from local CVS pharmacies. You can also access the federal government website at www.covid.gov and receive an additional 8 kits.
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COVID-19 Data
As of August 5, 2022, 2,337,024 Orange County residents are fully vaccinated. The 7-day average positivity rate (08/05/22) in our County is 18.4 % This equals out to 36 daily positive COVID cases per 100k residents.
OC Health Update
Your Health Matters OC – A Healthy Back to School!
Join OC Health for a conversation about going “Back to School” and how to set your children up for a successful year of learning, fitness and emotional wellbeing! Watch Your Health Matters OC on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 6 p.m. OC Health Care Agency Director, Dr. Clayton Chau will lead a discussion with a local expert on creating healthy habits for your kids from good sleep, and nutrition to supporting kids’ emotional needs.
Be part of the conversation as Dr. Clayton Chau, HCA Director, Jenna Sarin, Chief Nursing Officer, and special guest, Patricia A. Ronald Riba, MD for an important conversation about supporting families in creating fit children for life.
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
Orange County Fair
OC Alert
Sign up for AlertOC to get notified in case of emergency in Orange County. The mass notification system is designed to keep Orange County residents and businesses informed in the event of a time-sensitive emergency. YOU MUST OPT IN TO RECEIVE ALERTS. Register today at AlertOC.org.
Appointments for Veterans Services
WIC Families + Farmers' Markets
Orange County Microbusiness Grants Re-Launch
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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