Panorama Heights Improvements- The Board approved the acceptance of Baja Panorama, Menuda Panorama, Media Panorama, and Circula Panorama into the County Road System. Located in the Tustin Foothills in an unincorporated area known as Panorama Heights, these rural public roads were dedicated to the County in the late 1920s as a part of the subdivision map for the area and were accepted by the Board as public roads in 1960. Although accepted as public rural roads, they were not accepted as a part of the County Road System because the subdivision was generally undeveloped and unimproved in 1960. Since 1960, the subdivided lots have been developed. The County may now begin to rehabilitate the pavement of these roadways within the current limits of the public right-of-way. This will ensure adequate access by the public, emergency services, and utility personnel. For a project location map, click here.

Vote By Mail Program Report- The Board received the Vote By Mail Program Report prepared by Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley. At the request of Supervisor Moorlach, the report was prepared to inform the Board about the costs and benefits of a vote by mail system for Orange County elections. The report focused on the nature of the vote by mail statutes in the states of Oregon, which has a mandatory system, and Washington, which provides counties with the option to institute vote by mail and the experiences of both states with their systems, including voter turnout levels, fraud issues, costs, and overall participation.For a copy of the report, click here.

Arden-Helena Modjeska House- The Board approved plans and specifications for a heating system and a dehumidifier for the Arden-Helena Modjeska House which is located in Modjeska Canyon. This equipment provides for the preservation of the interior of the building as well as the museum artifacts. For more information on the historic house, please click here.

Termination of Waste Importation Agreement - OC Waste and Recycling received notification from the Los Angeles County Sanitation District that they will be terminating their waste importation agreement with the County effective on April 30, 2009. The Imported Waste Agreement was entered into in 1995 as part of the County bankruptcy recovery efforts to provide payment for debt service. The termination of this agreement will result in the reduction of approximately 255,000 tons per year of imported waste at the Frank. R. Bowerman Landfill, extending the lifespan of the landfill without affecting the County’s debt service agreements or bankruptcy repayments. OC Waste and Recycling receives close to $9 million annually from two other waste importation agreements which go to repayment of County bankruptcy debt. Los Angeles cancelled its agreement due to a reduction in waste collection as a result of the downturn in the economy.

I adjourned this week’s Board meeting in memory of Dr. Louis Gottschalk and Judith McEachen. Dr. Gottschalk was the founding chair of the University of California, Irvine’s Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. He received wide-spread recognition for his co-development of the Gottschalk-Gleser Scales, a diagnostic tool for charting impairments in brain function. To learn more about the life of Dr. Gottschalk, click here. Judith McEachen was an educator for more than 40 years. She served as Principal at College Intermediate, Burroughs Elementary, and Carver Elementary Schools. To learn more about Judith’s life, click here. Please keep Dr. Gottschalk, Judith and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Last week, I was interviewed by Chapman University professor Fred Smoller for a documentary titled "An Act of the Legislature". Scheduled to air on KOCE later this year, the documentary looks at how decisions made in Sacramento impact local governments.

I traveled to San Francisco with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, Councilman Bob Hernandez and staff from the City of Anaheim and OCTA to learn about the Transbay Transit Center. We received a very interesting power point presentation and we visited the proposed site. We will be able to apply what we learned to Anaheim and OCTA’s effort on the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC). Click here for the power point presentation. We also heard from California High-Speed Rail Authority Chairman, Judge Quentin Kopp. To learn more about the California High-Speed Rail Authority, please click here.

I called California Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman to discuss the financial assurance, required by California Fish and Game for local government mitigation projects.

I met with Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang to discuss issues of mutual concern to the County and City.

I met with Cal Winslow and Allan Songstad from the Orangewood Children’s Foundation. I also met with an Orangewood Children’s Home volunteer peer counselor, Nicole Demendenko, to discuss the Orange County Grand Jury report entitled They Are All Children: Addressing the Inequity in the Resources Available for Orange County's Most Vulnerable Children.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Barham Ranch Day- On Saturday, March 21, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, OC Parks will host guided hikes, bike and equestrian trail rides, and a barbecue lunch in celebration of Barham Ranch’s sixth anniversary. The Ranch contains 509 acres of plant and wildlife habitat and 28 different trails. The Ranch became part of Santiago Oaks Regional Park in 2003. For event information, please click here.

Brea Community Center’s Spring Craft Boutique- The Brea Community Center’s Spring Craft Boutique is this Saturday, March 21, from 9 am to 4 pm. Admission is $1 and parking is free.Over 250 vendors will be selling their uniqueitems. For more information, click here.

Book Club at Brea Mall- TheBrea Library will be participating in the Simon Kidgits Club Book Blast hosted by the Brea Mall on Sunday, March 21, 2009 from 11:30 am to 2 pm. The event will take place on the lower level by the Macy’s mens court. Click here to read the event flyer.

Yorba Linda Veterans’ Memorial Association Fundraiser- The Yorba Linda Veterans’ Memorial Association will try to reach its final goal for the Veterans’ Memorial by holding a fundraiser from 6 to 8 pm. March 20 at Main Street Restaurant located at 4902 Main St in Yorba Linda. Cost is $25 a person. For more information call (714) 777-4551.

CHP Smart Start Program- On Thursday, March 26, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) office in Santa Anais hosting its "Smart Start" program to educate teens and their parents about the responsibilities associated with driving. The program is from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Tustin Unified School District Board Room. Pre-registration is required. For more information, please call the CHP Santa Ana office at (714) 567-6000. To read the event flyer, please click here.

Irvine Park Railroad’s Easter Extravaganza- Beginning Saturday, March 28th through Saturday, April 11th, the Irvine Park Railroad will feature the 2nd annual Easter Eggstravaganza at Irvine Regional Park. The Easter Eggstravaganza will include train rides, photos with the Easter bunny, Easter egg hunts, carnival games, face painting, hay rides, and more. For more information, click here here.

Harvest Food Drive- The Harvest food drive started March 10, 2009 and will end April 20, 2009. Last year, County employees contributed nearly 10 tons of food that provided more than 38,000 meals to deserving residents. Click here to see the list of items that may be donated to the Harvest Food Bank.

I would like to wish my chief of staff, Matt Petteruto, and my policy advisor, Lou Bronstein, best wishes on their recent birthdays!

It is a pleasure to serve the constituents of the Third District.

Please pray for our armed forces and our foreign services personnel.