The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk symbolizes the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform who served our country so valiantly in the Vietnam War and the Cold War. The monument has been at the heart of the Santa Ana Civic Center for the last 11 years. It is an honor to see the Skyhawk move to a more appropriate home near Heroes Hall at the OC Fair. Orange County Employees Association members worked until 2 AM in the morning last Thursday to complete the move.

Check out the Skvhawk Video here!

Last Saturday, my staff attended the Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana installation of new President Eric Rivas, who is also a Sergeant with the Santa Ana Police Department. Outgoing President, Luis Mier, was also recognized for his leadership and unwavering commitment to local youth.

Kiwanis provides $50k annually in scholarships to Santa Ana high school students going to Santa Ana College. Thanks for your incredible contributions to our community!

Last Saturday, the LOLA Foundation hosted their inaugural community event at the Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove. Children with special needs enjoyed arts and crafts, pizza, games, a splash pad, and even a petting zoo.

The LOLA Foundation aims to break the stigma associated with raising a child with Autism in the underserved communities of Orange County. Thanks for providing this great resource for the community!

Last Friday, my staff attended the unveiling of the recently rediscovered and restored mural titled “Spanish, Indians, and Today’s Hispanics,” by artist Emigdio Vasquez at the Heritage Museum of Orange County. Emigdio created over 30 murals in his lifetime, many of which are on public display across Orange County.

Emigdio’s daughter, Rosemary Vasquez Tuthill, restored the 30-year-old painting two years ago after it was discovered in a mechanic shop. She graciously donated the mural to the Heritage Museum this year.

After much anticipation and fanfare, SteelCraft is officially open! This revolutionary new urban eatery features 10 vendors offering craft foods, local brews, fantastic wines and a lot more.

With the revamping of the Garden Amphitheater on Main Street and the opening of SteelCraft, Garden Grove is solidifying its image as a cool city to visit for headlining entertainment and fresh, innovative dining.

Thank you to all the new businesses for opening in the First District, and congratulations to Garden Grove on what is sure to be a successful new downtown locale! 

Last Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a $1.3 million contract for the restoration and repair of the north, east, and west faces of the Old Orange County Courthouse, soon to be celebrating their 120^th anniversary. This historic treasure is the oldest existing county courthouse in Southern California, and is now a part of the County Parks system.

The old Courthouse also hosts the Clerk-Recorder Department Orange County, the Old Courthouse Museum, and Orange County Archives. Originally, it hosted not only the Court but also the Board of Supervisors, Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor, and Recorder.

The Courthouse is open for visitors on weekdays and some weekends. You can check out more about their services and museum hours by checking out their website.

Recycling is more important now than ever, and we all need to do our part to recycle right. To help, OC Waste & Recycling has launched a new online tool, the OC Recycle Guide.

The simple and easy-to-use site makes figuring out where to bring items you want to recycle as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Visit OCRecycleGuide.com
2. Type in the item you want to recycle
3. Click for details on where to take the item

If you can’t find the item you need, contact OC Waste & Recycling.

Together we can learn to recycle right and keep unnecessary waste out of our landfills.

September 26 (Garden Grove) – Last Thursday I had a great time speaking to residents from the Garden Grove Valy Neighborhood at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church. We spoke extensively about what Orange County is doing to increase our supply of affordable and permanent supportive housing. Thanks to everyone who came out!

When: October 19 from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Where: Scholarship Prep Charter School – 1010 W. 17^th Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706

When: October 1 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Where: Mater Dei High School – 1202 W. Edinger Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92707

When: October 15 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Where: Saddleback High School – 2802 S. Flower St., Santa Ana, CA 92707