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| Volume 3 | Issue 1 |
January 7, 2023 |
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Dear neighbor:
Happy New Year - I hope you had a restful and joyful holiday season!
We worked hard for you in 2022. We had a productive year of big changes and significant challenges at the County of Orange and in our office. Those challenges created opportunity. I am very honored to serve and proud of the work done by my team.
The year began with a historic change. Following the decennial redistricting process the Board of Supervisors adopted and implemented new district boundaries.
I was first elected in 2021 to represent the Second District communities of Costa Mesa, Cypress, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Stanton, the unincorporated area of Rossmoor, and portions of Buena Park and Fountain Valley. Following redistricting, the Board appointed me beginning in 2022 to additionally serve as caretaker for the new Second District communities of Santa Ana and portions of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, Tustin, and unincorporated North Tustin.
In 2022 I worked with my colleagues and the community to address the fentanyl epidemic, homeless crisis, and proliferation of illegal sober living homes harming our neighborhoods. I served on John Wayne Airport Ad Hoc Committee, hired the first black woman as a department head and launched the Fly Friendly program. We immediately benefited from Airport Director Charlene Reynolds’ expertise and began addressing deferred maintenance, improved concessions, greening of the airport, and transparency in the community. We protected our coastline by securing federal funds for sand replenishment and negotiated a settlement with the company at fault for the 2021 Orange County Oil Spill. We directed unprecedented investments in the community through millions of dollars in business, arts, nutrition, veterans, housing, and other types of grants.
I want to thank all Orange County residents for the privilege to serve. It is truly an honor to represent you and I look forward to continuing my service for years to come. Please review our 2022 accomplishments and highlights as a preview of the work ethic our team embodies.
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 Next week, I will join my colleagues at our installation and begin work as the representative for the newly drawn District 5 which includes my hometown of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, a portion of Irvine, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente as well as the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Emerald Bay, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Mission Viejo, Stonecliffe and Wagon Wheel. I hope you can join us in this celebration on Tuesday.
 An update on my community swearing in ceremony that it has been moved to SUNDAY, January 15 at the Segerstrom Concert Hall! All are welcome to join us for the festivities, complete with performances from the Pacific Symphony as well as a local choir, drumline, and more. Additional details below, and don’t forget to RSVP to Katrina.Foley@ocgov.com. Excited to see you soon!
 With the new year, the California legislature passed many new laws that now affect our daily lives, regulate business, provide protections for our health and civil rights, and provide incentives for housing opportunities and to report human trafficking and the stop the proliferation of ghost guns. Check out some of the most impactful here.
+ In case you missed it, Orange County enjoyed a visitor over the break. Everyone is talking about our guest – the snowy owl! Read more about this rare sighting here.
 Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG
Finally – with storms beating down on Orange County lately and more to come, I hope you are doing your part in staying safe and preparing for flood conditions. My team and I compiled this list of free sandbag distribution locations, but for more information, contact the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) at (714) 574-6200.
 Overall the privilege to represent 1,677,797, or 53%, of all Orange County residents in less than two years was a challenge, but offered me a breadth of experience that few other elected officials enjoy. I look forward to bringing that experience to our county for the next four years representing the Fabulous Fifth District.
 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 January 10, 2022
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Manuel Chavez
Constituent Services Manager
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This week our office distributed the last of the coats from Supervisor Foley’s 14th Annual Coat Drive. Wound Walk OC received the remaining 9 adult coats, and the Shalimar Community in Costa Mesa was chosen to distribute the last teenager coats. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped with the coat drive! |
Cindy Tran-Chang
Policy Advisor
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It’s so refreshing to start the new year with a clean slate and 8 months of experience working for a Board office under my belt! I have learned so much while navigating through the different network systems of local agencies, state and federal stakeholders and constituents. It’s exciting, complex and meaningful work we get to do in this role! I spent the week finalizing inventory of all our supplies and equipment and preparing the framework for the many new events and projects we will be leading and supporting in our new District 5!
Our team is also busy preparing for Supervisor Foley’s community swearing in ceremony on the 15th; remember to RSVP upon receipt of the invite! I also look forward to our upcoming team retreat where we will receive our city assignments, prioritize our goals, and learn how we can work better together to effectively and efficiently serve our communities.
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Annie Mitchell
Policy Analyst
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Hello and Happy New Year! We are so excited to serve you in this new district for four years. This week we started off strong by holding a Policy Team workshop to refresh our memories on the process of analyzing and synthesizing policy items for the agenda. I found it very informative to see the different tricks and pointers my colleagues use when preparing their analysis of agenda items! In the latter part of this week I was able to catch up on a few housekeeping items as well as work with our newest team member, Adam, on creating a more streamlined system for our Constituent Services Team! |
Stephanie Wade
Veterans Policy Advisor
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The Orange County Veterans Advisory Council (OCVAC) provides input to the Board of Supervisors on county veterans policy and has played an important role in everything from securing funding for the OC Veterans Cemetery to recognition programs for post-9-11 veterans and oversight of the Orange County Veterans Service Office. However, OCVAC is at a crossroads.
I encourage you to attend next Wednesday's OCVAC regular meeting which will be held via Zoom. The meeting will include the discussion of hosting the next OCVAC meeting in the Board of Supervisors Office and, more broadly, the Council will consider whether to continue to meet virtually, via hybrid meetings and/or to host in person meetings and different locations around Orange County. Given that many live in South County, far from the location of most VA and County veterans services, I hope you will attend the next meeting.
Let's make sure the opinions of South County veterans and their allies are well represented at the next OCVAC meeting, 12:00 PM on Wednesday, January 11.
Join here: Webinar ID: 897 9591 3557
Link to meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89795913557
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Adam Tallabas
District Representative
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Happy New Year! This was our first week serving the residents of this beautiful new district. With the first Board Meeting of the year coming up next week, I worked with the Policy Team in preparing the Supervisor on the agenda. We also prepared for next week’s Orange County Transportation Authority Board Meeting & Transportation Corridor Agency meeting. It has been quite a week on the policy side, and I also can’t wait to meet the wonderful residents of District 5 during upcoming community events! |
Health News
Michele Mullen
Community Outreach Director
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As of January 5, 2023, 2,363,581 Orange County residents are fully vaccinated, 223,392 are partially vaccinated and 1,437,959 have vaccine boosters and additional doses.
As of January 6, 2023 Orange County Health Agency reported 3, 195 more cases in the past week from December 29 to January 5, increasing the cumulative total since tracking began in the county to 700,624 cases reported.
There were 7,706 new cases reported in the last two-week period. The county is averaging at least 13.4 new cases a day per every 100,000 residents.
There were 352 people reported in Orange County hospitals with Coronavirus on Thursday, including 30 who are needed to be in the ICU.
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From OC Health Care Agency
From HCA: Over the holidays, Orange County moved up to the HIGH COVID-19 Community Level according to the latest metrics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Combined with a surge in respiratory viruses and the onset of flu season, the HCA reminds residents that it is critical to follow preventive measures, including remaining up to date with vaccinations such as flu and COVID-19, to reduce the severity of disease and to help lessen the burden on hospitals.
Patients exposed to COVID-19 or who test positive for COVID-19 should contact their health care provider about available therapeutic medications or locate a Test to Treat site. Act fast to seek COVID-19 treatment as treatment must begin within 5-7 days of when symptoms start. Treatments are now widely available for COVID-19 and are free, like the Paxlovid pill which is safe and effective for preventing COVID-19 illness from becoming serious, can lead to testing negative sooner, and may lower the risk of long COVID.
Call your health care provider or an urgent care center or connect to a free telehealth provider today by visiting FREE Virtual COVID-19 Visit for Californians Ages 12 and Up (sesamecare.com) or by calling (833) 686-5051. For more information on COVID-19 information and resources, including case counts, vaccination, and testing in Orange County, visit ochealthinfo.com/covid.
OC Animal Care
Starting this year, OC Animal Care will waive fees for adult dogs over 25 pounds adopted by residents across Orange County! The normal adoption fee for adult dogs ranges from $100 - $200. Help our furry friends at the shelter find loving homes.
Pet of the Week
Meet Julie, Pet of the Week! Julie is an exuberant, three-year-old, Siberian Husky. As an athletic girl, Julie would find the most fun in accompanying you on walks, hikes, or runs! As much as she loves her time with her humans, she enjoys playing with other four-legged friends just as much. When people or dogs are not available to play, Julie has no issue with keeping herself entertained! As long as she has a yard to run around in, she's in her happy place. Due to her bubbly personality, we think Julie would do best in a family with kids who are old enough to handle her energetic style of play.
If you think Julie would make the perfect addition to your family, call (714) 935-6848 to schedule an adoption appointment today! While appointments are available for convenience, walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis.
Edison Scholars: The Makers of Tomorrow
The deadline for Southern California Edison (SCE) scholarship application is January 9, 2023!
Their program awards $50,000 scholarships to 30 high school seniors who want to make a difference in the world by studying science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) in college. New majors have been added including cybersecurity and data analytics.
What a great opportunity for students in Orange County to pursue their education! Learn more.
OC Schools Career Fair in Costa Mesa
Jump in to 2023 with Love Costa Mesa
 Their first quarterly City Leaders Gathering of 2023 is being held on Thursday, February 9, from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
They will be focusing on the Neighboring Initiative and hearing about all that is happening with our neighbors in Costa Mesa, from their Neighboring Initiative Director, Reina Cuthill.
Substance Abuse Resource
 Detox.com’s mission is to provide the best free resources for people to find self-help with substance abuse through detox and other mental health strategies. Check out their website for more information!
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
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
Equity in OC
Are you in charge of a grassroots organization? the Equity in OC initiative is releasing a POWER BUILDING FUND to provide smaller, grassroots organizations with the opportunity to build their infrastructure and/or capacity
Learn More: Here
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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Thank you for being an active member of our County.
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