It has been a year of momentous change for Orange County, and the most meaningful shift has been the County’s approach to combating homelessness.

We haven’t solved the problem. There’s still more work to be done. But, for the first time in decades, Orange County has developed a responsible path forward and comprehensive approach to combating this national problem.

Check out the op-ed Chairman Andrew Do wrote in Sunday’s OC Register looking at how far our County has come this year in addressing homelessness.

Join us for the FREE inaugural Christmas Concert at Mile Square Park at Freedom Hall on Saturday, December 22! Bring your friends and family to enjoy musical performances by local choirs and the world-renowned All-American Boys Chorus!

The concert will begin at 5 p.m. and end at approximately 7 p.m. Family-friendly holiday music will be accompanied by a FREE face-painting booth hosted by Marilu Torres and the Beauty Glam Academy, reindeer antler ears for audience members will be provided, and an exciting sing-along with the All-American Boy's Chorus!

Please use the entrance located at Edinger and Ward to enter. Parking is FREE inside the park; staff will be on hand to help direct traffic to parking areas.

Local performers include the St. Joseph Church Samoan Choir, Ca Đoàn of St. John the Baptist Church, the Santa Ana High School Chamber Singers, and the All-American Boy's Chorus. For more information please review our event page on Facebook or call (714) 834-3110. We hope to see you there!

At the urging of Chairman Andrew Do, Orange County’s Medi-Cal Health Plan, CalOptima, allocated $11.4 million to the County’s first county-operated mental health facility in Orange.

In March 2018, the County of Orange purchased the property at 265 Anita Street for $7.8 Million to create a wellness facility focused on access to mental, behavioral health, and substance abuse services.

The $11.4 million dedicated to the project by CalOptima will allow individuals to get help in one place – accessing emergency mental health crisis stabilization, drug abuse treatment, and long-term residential psychiatric care. Specific programs may include:

• Crisis Stabilization Unit
• Crisis Recovery Beds
• Outpatient Triage Center
• Residential Psychiatric Treatment

The facility, scheduled to open within 15 months, will provide individuals with one point of access to a range of other services covering job placement, housing, health care and public services. It will also alleviate the burden placed on Orange County emergency rooms, which accept patients experiencing psychiatric episodes.

Metrolink has you covered! Skip the crowds, traffic, and headaches; take the train with special Christmas Day fares of just $10! For more information, visit their website here.

Chairman Andrew Do represents Orange County and the Orange County Transportation Authority on the Metrolink Board of Directors working to provide Southern Californians with frequent, safe, and reliable train service.