I’m honored to have worked with Supervisor Don Wagner over the past year to establish the Orange County Hall of Fame. We want to ensure that we appropriately honor our past and recognize the incredible achievements that have been made in the areas of Music, Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Business, Philanthropy, and Civics.

Orange County is a model of the American Dream. Our community is one of the most diverse in the nation, and it is because of our diversity that we have become a global force in business, culture, technology, philanthropy, music, and the arts.

Up until the 1950s, when local freeway construction began, the county’s economy was primarily based on agriculture. By the early 1960s and into the 70s, when the population topped one million, tourism, manufacturing, and the service industry began to dominate the local economy. In fact, it was manufacturing jobs in electronics and metalwork that encouraged my parents to move from Alabama to Orange County in the mid-70s.

Today, 3.2 million people call Orange County home. We are California's third most populated county and the sixth largest in the U.S.

I am incredibly proud to have been part of the induction ceremony last week to honor ten inspiring inductees as members of the inaugural class of the OC Hall of Fame.

From the Olympics to the Grammys, these ten inductees have made Orange County proud with their incredible success. Their achievements and impact genuinely embrace the spirit of resilience and innovation that define Orange County and inspire the next generation of talented Orange County residents to achieve remarkable success and leave their mark for generations to come.

Celebrate new beginnings, good fortune, and prosperity at the 2024 OC Tet Festival.

Join me at Mile Square Park and enjoy traditional Vietnamese food, carnival rides, and live performances as we ring in the Lunar New Year. The opening ceremony, lion dance performance, and the firecracker program will kick off on Saturday at 3:00 pm.

For more information, call my office at 714-834-3110.

February 9 | 5pm-10pm

February 10 | 10am-10pm

February 11 | 10am-9pm

Freedom Hall Lawn at Mile Square Park

16801 Euclid St, Fountain Valley

In late January, several of my staff, including my Chief of Staff Van Tran, participated in the 2024 Point in Time count. Teams canvased areas frequented by homeless individuals as part of the biennial survey by CityNet to determine the number of homeless individuals in all three Service Planning Areas (SPAs) of Orange County.

Since the Board unanimously approved the creation of the Office of Care Coordination and the subsequent hiring of its first director in May 2016, the County has concentrated its efforts on building a responsive System of Care that reflects investments from diverse stakeholders while increasing the availability of shelter beds, recuperative care, crisis stabilization units, and permanent supportive housing. The biennial PIT counts have contributed to the overall System of Care in addressing the needs of those experiencing homelessness in Orange County.

Last month, we celebrated the much-anticipated ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Casa Paloma Apartments, a 71-unit low-income and supportive housing complex in Midway City.

Over the past few years, I’ve collaborated with local and state leaders to make affordable housing a priority in Orange County.

This project's success resulted from a collaboration among our county agencies, OC Community Resources, OC Health Care Agency, and the OC Housing Authority, along with our long-term business partner, American Family Housing. 

Casa Paloma is currently 95% occupied. It has 48 permanent supporting housing units, 21 general affordable units, and two for on-site manager and administrative uses.

This project development is part of our larger initiative that the county started in 2018, with the creation of the OC Housing Finance Trust, which I spearheaded with Assembly Bill 448. This finance vehicle permitted public-private partnerships to create approximately 2,900 affordable housing units to help low-income households and those experiencing homelessness with mental health needs.

Late last year, I attended the groundbreaking of the Surfside-Sunset Beach Sand Replenishment Project Stage 13. This project began in the 1960s but came to a halt after the last replenishment in 2010.

Thanks to the efforts led by Congresswoman Michelle Steel, Stage 13 is currently taking place in an area much long overdue to prevent seawater from flooding homes and recreation areas.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, led by Col. Andrew J. Baker, will dredge and backpass 1.2 million cubic yards of sand along the coastline to provide a natural barrier to protect homes and bluffs in this area. This $23 million project is estimated to be completed by February 2024. Stage 14 is anticipated to start in 5 years.

The California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways, Surfside Storm Water Tax District, County of Orange, City of Seal Beach, City of Huntington Beach, City of Newport Beach, and the OC Board of Supervisors are all project partners, working together to keep our beaches open and safe for the public to enjoy.

For questions related to sand replenishment in Orange County, please contact OC Public Works at (714) 667-8800.

At the start of the new year, I toured the Huntington Beach Emergency Food Storage Unit, one of five solar-powered and self-sufficient units that have been installed as part of an initiative that then-Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and I brought to the Board in September 2021 to allocate funding toward local food assistance during emergencies.

Currently, there are five food storage units countywide, one in each Supervisorial district. Each unit contains 12,000 frozen packaged meals that meet the community's safety standards and cultural appropriateness. The ready-to-eat frozen meals are vacuum-sealed and rotated on an 8-month cycle with staggered monthly replacements to keep the meals fresh. The prepared meals that are rolled out are well within the safe period for consumption and are donated to local community-based organizations. The solar-powered function ensures this is a sustainable and cost-maintained program.

According to an analysis report by Feeding America, the overall food insecurity rate in 2019 reached its lowest point since it began to be measured in the 1990s. The pandemic only wiped out those improvements, increasing food insecurity globally. We are putting into practice lessons learned during the pandemic about emergency preparedness, food security, and water storage. These five food storage units are critical to the County’s emergency preparedness planning effort.

This program would not be possible without the help of our partner, OC Hunger Alliance, which includes the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Community Action Partnership of Orange County, and Abound Food Care. I commend them for the work well done.

Suicide rates among active-duty military members are at an all-time high since record-keeping began right after the 9/11 attacks.

In December 2023, I was invited to attend Angel Force USA's 2023 Stop Suisilence Summit alongside Supervisor Don Wagner, O.C. Supervisor Doug Chaffee, Nick Berardino (President of Veterans Alliance of Orange County), as well as other elected officials and community leaders. During the second day of the Summit, during the Vietnam Veterans Tribute, I recognized our allied veterans with a proclamation.

If you or someone you know is a veteran and needs assistance accessing programs and resources, contact the OC Veterans Service Office via email at ocvso@occr.ocgov.com or by phone at 714-480-6555.

More than 600 college students and recent graduates intern with the County of Orange each year. Unpaid and paid internships are offered year-round to students looking to build their resumes and gain valuable experience. All internship positions require students to include a cover letter, resume, and unofficial transcripts.

For a complete list and more information, visit

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/oc/internships.

Attention Orange County Business Owners:

The OC Workforce & Economic Development Division offers many resources for business owners, ranging from monthly HR training to IRS tax webinars, loan programs, and SCORE mentorship programs.

Get started here: ocworkforcesolutions.com/for-businesses.

Why drive the 405 Express Lanes?

- Save Time

- Reduce Stress

- Ease Congestion

New express lanes are keeping Orange County moving by shortening our commuting time. Explore three account plans designed to meet your needs and choose the one that suits you best at https://405expresslanes.com/en/.

What is SB 1383?

It requires all residents and businesses to divert organic material away from landfills.

What does that mean for residents?

Organic waste should now be placed into your organics cart.

What is organic waste?

Organic waste includes green waste, grass clippings, leaves, meat, fish, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and bread.

Visit https://oclandfills.com/residential-organics-recycling for more information on what to place in your organics cart.

I wanted to end last year with a tradition that I have been doing which is to host the annual 2023 Christmas Concert at Mile Square Park, where hundreds of families gathered to celebrate the holidays.

This annual celebration was a great opportunity for families to bring their kids and experience an evening of magic, spectacular performances, and delightful sing-along carols for all ages.

We had incredible performances by the All-American Boys Chorus, Mater Dei High School’s Bristol Boys Barbershop, and Saint Barbara Catholic Church’s Transitional Kindergarten Choir. Guests were also treated to hot cocoa, coffee, pastries, reindeer antler headbands, and a photo with Santa!

Special thanks to all our sponsors and volunteers who made this annual event possible.