On June 7, the office of Assemblyman Tri Ta and I hosted a press conference at the Orange County Community Service Center in Westminster to announce several major improvement projects in Little Saigon.

In addition to this announcement, we also celebrated an important in milestone in Little Saigon’s history. On June 10, together with Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen and community leader and attorney Lan Quoc Nguyen, we joined the public at the Asian Garden Mall to herald the 35^th anniversary of the State’s recognition of Little Saigon as a tourist and business district.

It has been a long journey to achieve the proper historical designation for Little Saigon. As more people moved to Orange County throughout the 1970s, Little Saigon became more economically competitive. Having everything in one centralized location made it easier to communicate with each other to do business.

On June 17, 1988, then-Governor George Deukmejian visited the Asian Garden Mall to recognize Little Saigon as a tourist and business district by putting “Little Saigon” directional signs on Interstate 405 and Route 22. At the time, my Chief of Staff, Van Tran, served then-State Senator Ed Royce who made it all happen and worked with CalTrans to install the signs.

At the press conference, Sheilah Fortenberry, CalTrans District 12 Chief of Public Affairs, presented the mockups for the Little Saigon freeway signs that CalTrans will replace after 35 years. Sheilah shared with us that her father was there at the 1988 ceremony as a CalTrans representative, unveiling the original Little Saigon freeway signs, and was the one who put up the signs.

We continue to build on the past with new projects scheduled that will further recognize and enhance Little Saigon for many years to come. Below are some of the projects that will elevate Little Saigon and strengthen our community in Orange County.

(June 7, 2023: Little Saigon Press Conference)

(June 10, 2023: 35^th Anniversary of Little Saigon’s State recognition as a tourist and business district)

Every year, the American Red Cross hosts the Orange County Heroes Awards to celebrate local heroes for acts of great bravery, selflessness, and humanitarian service in Orange County. Among the nine community heroes selected this year was my nominee: Peter Pham, founder of the Viet American Society.

During the pandemic, many seniors faced food insecurity as a result of stay-at-home orders coupled with a lack of access to transportation. This severely impacted their health and physical well-being.

In order to reach out to Little Saigon seniors who were unable to leave their homes, Peter Pham began a hot-meal delivery program. What started as a few hundred deliveries per week grew to 2,700 deliveries per week, feeding 1,350 people.

Peter, a refugee from Vietnam, is a selfless community hero. He is compassionate and continues to find ways to help people in need.

Peter's non-profit has also partnered with Abound Food Care to address the increasing need for food assistance and emergency capacity for food and water storage. Food programs must be an essential component of any emergency preparedness planning effort. As Supervisor, I authored the update to our emergency preparedness plan to address this ongoing need.

Thanks to Peter and the Viet America Society's work through Abound Food Care, Orange County will be ready to feed people in the early stages of the next crisis.

Congratulations to all honored heroes for your dedication to those most in need!

Click here to watch a highlight video.

On May 18, my Director of Community Engagement, Ofelia Garcia, and my Field Representative, Jack Du, provided a district update on County services and resources at the First District Cypress Community Coffee.

Some of the topics discussed included affordable housing and permanent supportive housing, CalFresh and food distributions, and low-cost health clinics.

Thank you to Cypress head librarian Jenn and her team for providing a space for my staff to assist the public. The newly-renovated Cypress County Library is centrally located next to the City Hall and the Police Department.

On May 25, my Chief of Staff, Van Tran, and my Director of Community Engagement, Ofelia Garcia, provided a district update on County services and resources at the First District Westminster Community Coffee.

Some of the topics discussed included affordable housing, the soon to come Little Saigon Archway, and the new Orange County Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. Residents also received information from the CCSC staff on how to apply for General Relief, Cal Fresh, Medi-Cal, and housing.

For more information on the services offered at the CCSC, call 714-372-3454.

On May 31, OC Health Care Agency’s Chief of Mental Health Services, Dr. Veronica Kelley was the guest speaker at our Huntington Beach community coffee and shared with residents how the County’s Behavioral Health System works.

Dr. Kelley provided an overview of the County’s child and adult mental health services, crisis services, and prevention/early intervention programs. Residents received OC Navigator cards with information on connecting with health and wellness resources.

My Chief of Staff, Van Tran, and my Director of Community Engagement, Ofelia Garcia, were on hand to answer questions regarding County resources.

If you would like to speak to a resource navigator, please call OC Links 24/7 at 855-625-4657. Information is available in English, Arabic, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Orange County is expanding its warmline services to provide 24-hour live support to anyone in need of help with a mental health or substance abuse challenge.

On May 23, the Board unanimously approved the expansion of a toll-free behavioral health warmline service operated by The National Alliance on Mental Illness Orange County. This will significantly increase funding to allow on-demand peer access to services via telephone, chat, and text while eliminating the voicemail feature. Under the upgraded service, all calls will be routed to a live person rather than an individual leaving a voicemail and waiting to hear back. Support will also be offered in many languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Farsi.

Click here to read the full press release.

I was honored to be part of the 63rd annual Garden Grove Strawberry Festival parade over Memorial Day weekend along with my wife, Judge Cheri Pham.

Joel Esparza from Brown Descents Car Club Association let us ride his butter yellow 1949 Chevy Styleline Convertible for the parade.

It was a great way to enjoy Memorial weekend, spend time with our families, and honor our brave men and women in uniform.

Last month, I had an opportunity to speak with residents at the Sunset Beach Community Association. We talked about the role of the County and the Board of Supervisors and the impact of mental illness on our justice and healthcare systems. I also gave an update on the Surfside-Sunset and Newport Beach sand replenishment project.

Thank you to all those who attended the First District’s 28th Annual Conditions of Children Report Community Forum at Golden West College in Huntington Beach. In partnership with First 5 Orange County, OC Health Care Agency, and the County of Orange Social Services Agency, my office gave an overview of the annual report.

Each year, Orange County relies on this report to provide critical data and information to understand better where we, as a community, have made progress toward ensuring our county is a place where children and families can thrive and where we still have work to do.

The areas discussed were health, economic well-being, educational achievement, and safe homes and communities. The County and our community partners are committed to continuing our efforts to help all children, youth, and families thrive.

Click here to view the report.

Last month, my Chief of Staff, Van Tran, attended the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove Youth’s Youth of the Year awards ceremony to help recognize 14 outstanding youths chosen by their staff and a panel of judges. The youth exemplify and embody the values of leadership, service, academic excellence, and a healthy lifestyle. Congratulations, you are all an inspiration!

Are you applying for college this fall and are a spouse or a child of a Veteran? Then you may qualify for a college tuition fee waiver from the California Department of Veterans Affairs.

Click here for questions and to learn about eligibility requirements.

OC Waste & Recycling is responsible for administrating and managing Orange County’s solid waste disposal system.

Recent state legislation set into motion major recycling mandates that will continue to significantly impact residents, businesses, cities, waste haulers, and our landfill operations. OC Waste & Recycling has met all of these mandates.

Last year, OC Waste & Recycling hosted countywide compost giveaways to raise awareness about the importance of composting and placing healthy organic material back into our communities.

Click here to check out their 2022 recap video

Compost helps reduce soil erosion in many ways, including binding soil together, increasing infiltration, and slowing the surface flow of water.

The Rossmoor Community Services District, in partnership with CR&R Environmental Services, and Orange County Public Works, hosted a compost giveaway and a bulky item clean-up event at Rush Park last month. Over 300 vehicles rolled through to recycle bulky items, and 580 bags of compost were distributed.

Stay tuned for a compost-giveaway event near your neighborhood!

If a busy schedule is keeping you from properly tending your yards and gardens, there’s good news! Orange County residents can pick up free compost by appointment in San Juan Capistrano and Irvine – with free compost coming to Brea soon.

Where: Capistrano Greenery (San Juan Capistrano)

When: Monday – Saturday, 8am – 3pm

Where: Bee Canyon Greenery (Irvine)

When: Monday – Saturday, 8 am – 3 pm

Click here for more information.