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Over 250 job seekers and 78 employers participated in the career fair held in Tustin. The event was all about connection – bringing together people ready to work and businesses ready to grow.
 This event played a vital role in expanding economic opportunities for our hardworking residents and families while strengthening our entire community. By bridging the gap between job seekers pursuing new or better opportunities and employers striving to meet their evolving workforce needs, it provided an essential connection, especially in today's challenging labor market.
 Conducted by OC Community Service and OC Workforce Solutions team, the event was a great success and survey results showed that almost 40% of businesses scheduled interviews or extended job offers, and 95% rated the event as Excellent or Very Good.
 It was my pleasure to welcome the attendees along with Nancy Cook, our Workforce Development Director and Gloria Alvarado and Karen Caswelch who represent my office on the Workforce Development Board.
It was a terrific day for the grand opening of WISEPLACE on Broadway, a project that combines historic preservation and new construction to provide Permanent Supportive Housing for 47 individuals fleeing domestic violence and currently experiencing homelessness.
The opening of this project, in the heart of Santa Ana, marks a milestone in the effort to support vulnerable residents escaping domestic violence, with stable and supportive housing that truly addresses their needs.
 Having the opportunity to support this project from its inception to completion is incredibly gratifying. It is not often that one gets to see a project go from an idea, through planning, financing, and construction, and come to fruition. This is a special project for me, from my time as Santa Ana Mayor and now as Supervisor for the Second District.
 The strong partnership with Jamboree Housing, the City of Santa Ana,WISEPlace, and the County shows what is needed to make a difference in the lives of our residents.
At our last Board of Supervisors meeting, I brought forward a resolution to officially proclaim May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month in Orange County. We recognized mental health as essential to overall well-being, and addressing stigma, disparities, and barriers to care, especially in communities of color, is a shared responsibility.
We were joined for the presentation by the professionals working on the front line to assist county residents, including County staff, providers, and mental health advocates. The presentation highlighted the available resources to help individuals and families suffering with mental illness or working so hard to care for a friend or loved one.
 These mental health champions recognized included the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, the John Henry Foundation, The Cambodian Family, OC Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center, Youth Mental Health Subcommittee, Santa Ana Task Force, as well as leaders and staff of the county’s Health Care Agency, Behavioral Health Services, and Behavioral Health Integration programs.
 If you or someone you know needs mental health support, visit OCNavigator.org — a user-friendly platform to find mental health and wellness resources across the county or call OC Links at (855) 625-4657 for 24/7 support and connection to behavioral health services.
This May, we celebrated and honored our mothers and grandmothers for the love, guidance, and wisdom they have shared. Whether celebrated on May the 10th in Mexico, or on the 11th in the US, or even my mom’s favorite, on the 27th (Bolivia Mothers’ Day) it is a time to celebrate and honor them.
I had a terrific time joining with Orange County Transportation Authority at the Southwest Senior Center to celebrate Mother’s Day with the amazing active seniors.
 The event was filled with dancing, great food, and meaningful connections, reminding us how vital social gatherings are for senior mental health and well-being.
 OCTAmade it extra special by surprising everyone with long-stem roses and personalized notes that said, “Thank You For All That You Do.”
On May 14, the OC Clerk-Recorder partnered with the CA Secretary of State’s office to offer Apostille services here at the County Civic Center.
The event allowed anyone needing documents authenticated for international use to receive that service locally and save the expense and time needed to travel to Sacramento or Los Angeles.
I had the opportunity to outreach to residents and the media about the available services and encourage residents to take advantage of the services provided. The Clerk Recorder and Secretary of State teams assisted over 706 customers and processed 1,704 apostilles, shattering the county’s single-day record and underscoring the demand for convenient, local document authentication.
 Authenticated documents are sometimes needed to conduct business internationally or for education abroad. Now, given changes in immigration policies, there is also the need for families that may face a separation to prepare documents that may be needed abroad.
It was a great morning at this year’s Santa Ana Fun Run. It was terrific to see the sense of community amongst the runners that participated and those that cheered them on.
 Loved seeing the running community out in full force—people of all ages showing up and pushing through. I want to recognize Aaron Garcia for building something special with KRSA—your running club is inspiring! Congratulations to all the participants who showed up and ran.
 I had the chance to cheer loud and support my son, and I want to share (like a proud dad) that we had a great time and that he crushed the 10K!
If you missed the May 12th forum, you can view or download the slide presentation.
Feedback and comments on the Climate Action Plan and progress to date are still being received. You can submit your comments to GreenOC@ocwr.ocgov.com on or before June 2nd to be included in the next draft of the document.
It was amazing to see so many families and neighbors along this year’s parade route. I was very happy to see the smiles on the faces of the parents and kids and seeing the community out in force to celebrate this historic Garden Grove event.
 I was very proud of the talented dancers from Ballet Folklorico Donají for marching with Team Sarmiento and adding so much heart and culture to the day. They put a smile on the faces of everyone along the parade route.
 I truly enjoyed being part of this year’s event, engaging with residents and joining the celebration.
We continue to address public safety concerns related to people congregating along the riverbed and in flood control channels. We face the dual challenge of expanding access to bike paths while controlling these areas to prevent criminal activity and ensuring we provide services to those in need.
I can share that in the last two weeks of April, the majority of the work was done in the Second District. 80 of the 186 clean-ups occurred in Santa Ana, with the Santa Ana River and Santa Fe [Standard-McFadden] Channel most significantly impacted. I also wanted to share some of the latest before-and-after images of that ongoing work.
Before After
 Before After
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