Improved Access to Santiago Oaks Regional Park- The Board approved a land exchange agreement with the City of Orange that will allow for the widening of portions of Santiago Canyon Road and Cannon Street to help ease traffic congestion at that intersection. For a copy of the project location map, click here.

UCI Juvenile Research Study- The Board approved an agreement with the University of California, Irvine and the Probation Department for participation in two research projects designed to analyze the school experiences of juvenile female offenders housed at Juvenile Hall. The study will analyze the role of school experiences related to attitudes, behavior and victimization. Study findings will help in the design treatments that address aggressive and delinquent behavior.

Workforce Training Agreement for Veterans- The Board approved a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) cost reimbursement agreement with Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network (PGWIN) for Veterans employment training. PGWIN will receive $594,008 to serve 90 of the 150 Veterans in this project. The funds will serve the Veterans population by offering employment services, training opportunities, and social services. Services will be provided through partnerships which include, but are not limited to, Orange County and PGWIN One-Stop Centers, the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Veterans Administration in Long Beach, and Managed Career Solutions Vocational Rehabilitation.

Agency Retirements- Chair Bates and I had the privilege of honoring our retiring department directors by presenting each of them with a Board Resolution. Chair Bates honored OC Planning Director Tim Neely for his thirty seven-years of service to the County. I honored both Orange County Health Care Agency Director Julie Poulson for her thirty six-years of service, and County Counsel Ben de Mayo for his thirty-two years of service to the County. Best wishes to Tim, Julie and Ben in their retirement. Click here to read the Board Resolutions. Click here for pictures.

FY 2009-2010 Transit Budget Assumptions- On Monday, the OCTA Board of Directors voted to approve a one-year bus service reduction program and directed staff to implement the service reduction as part of the Fiscal Year 2009-2010 budget. The one-year bus service reduction will reduce bus operations by 400,000 hours over the next year. This decrease in service is necessary due to the loss of state transit funding and the larger than expected decrease in sales tax. Over the next five years, this lost revenue is expected to be more than $270 million. In order to bring the bus operations down to sustainable levels of service with this funding reduction, the Board felt is was necessary to take immediate action. By cutting service in one year versus spreading the reduction over two years, fewer employees will be laid off, OCTA’s working capital requirement will be maintained, and more service will be retained over the next five years. To view the presentation given to the Board, click here.

Measure M Taxpayers Oversight Committee Public Hearing Results - The Measure M Taxpayers Oversight Committee is the independent committee that was formed after the passage of Measure M in 1990 to monitor OCTA’s use of Measure M funds. The Committee monitors OCTA to ensure that all the funds collected from the measure are spent on voter-approved projects. Under the Measure M and Measure M2 Ordinances, the Taxpayers Oversight Committee is required to hold an annual public hearing to receive comments from the public regarding the measures and to determine if OCTA has complied with the ordinances over the past year. On February 10, 2009, the Committee held its annual public meeting. On Monday, the Committee Chairman, Orange County Auditor-Controller David Sundstrom, reported to the Board that after the public hearing and a financial audit, OCTA was found to have acted in accordance with Measure M and Measure M2 during the 2007-08 Fiscal Year.

CEO Art Leahy Goodbye- Monday’s meeting was OCTA CEO Art Leahy’s last Board meeting with the Authority. As announced several weeks ago, Art has accepted the Chief Executive Officer position at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). At Monday’s meeting, the OCTA Board of Directors thanked Art for his service to Orange County and honored him for his many accomplishments at OCTA. Art will be missed by the OCTA Board of Directors and staff. We offer him best wishes as he tackles new transportation challenges at Metro. There was a reception honoring Art on Tuesday. Click here for pictures.

Jim Kenan Named Interim CEO- On Monday, the Board also appointed Jim Kenan, OCTA’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, to serve as Interim CEO. Jim has spent his career in the transportation field and will serve until the Board selects Art Leahy’s permanent replacement.

Thirty Years of Safe Driving- I would like to congratulate OCTA Coach Operator Tony Aidukas on thirty years of safe driving. The OCTA Board honored Tony on Monday for his stellar safety record.

"Ready, Set, Go" Presentation - The Orange County Fire Authority presented an overview of their "Ready, Set, Go" program and personal wildfire action plan. The program was developed after OCFA staff visited Australia during the deadly Black Saturday fire siege in February that destroyed 2,500 homes and killed 250 people. Southern California has different demographics, topography, vegetation, and weather when compared to Australia. These factors contribute to the possibility of more intense wildfires. The program advises residents to "Get Ready" before fire conditions are even present by creating a defensible home, defensible space around the structure, and hardening various construction materials. In the event of a fire, the "Get Set" component provides a checklist of items to help individuals and family’s prepare their home, possessions, and as a last resort how to improve their chances of survival if trapped. The last component, "Go", is to leave early. The Board recommended to staff to accelerate the roll out of the information on the plan to OCFA cities and communities. To view the "Ready, Set, Go" brochure, please click here. To view a video presentation on the Wild Fire Action Plan, please click here.

I had the honor of speaking at the retirement ceremony for Health Care Agency (HCA) Director Julie Poulson. Julie’s farewell ceremony was at the Old County Courthouse where she was joined by her husband, daughter, granddaughter, and sister. Julie’s daughter read a message from her brother, Julie’s son, who was unable to attend the ceremony because he lives in New York. HCA staff also performed a lively "farewell cheer routine" to provide a proper send-off. Others who joined me in honoring Julie included: Supervisor John Moorlach, County Chief Executive Officer Tom Mauk, Children and Families Commission Executive Director Mike Ruane, Orange County Superintendant of Schools Bill Habermehl, and Fire Chief Chip Prather. To read the program with pictures throughout Julie’s thirty-six year journey at HCA, please click here. For event pictures, click here.

I met individually with two North Tustin residents, Jeanette Thomas and A.J. Coco to discuss a variety of issues.

I held a meeting with HCA staff and representatives from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine to discuss the recent Correctional Medical Services (CMS) Performance Audit recommendation to reinstate a residency program within the jails. I met with Dr. Williams, a CMS physician, Senior Director of Government Healthcare Programs Jon Gilwee, Director of Telemedicine Programs Dr. Ira Lott, and Senior Associate Dean of Education Affairs Dr. Gerald Maguire. We also discussed the possibility of utilizing advanced medical technology known as "telemedicine" to support in-house jail examinations which may address some of the overtime and transport issues identified in the audit.

Third District staff met with Gina Semenza from United States Senator Barbara Boxer’s Los Angeles office to discuss priority projects and other projects of interest to the County.

I met with Orange County Sanitation District General Manager Jim Ruth and Director of Technical Services Edward Torres to discuss their concerns about an upcoming regulatory rule adoption by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in April.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Forever Friends for Free- On Saturday, March 28, from 10 am to 5 pm, the Angels Baseball Foundation is sponsoring a pet adoption fair at the OC Animal Care Shelter. For event information, please click here. For questions, please call (714) 935-6301.

Irvine Park Railroad Eggstravaganza- Beginning Saturday, March 28, through Saturday, April 11, the Irvine Park Railroad will feature its 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.

Literary Orange- On Saturday, April 4, OC Public Libraries will be hosting its Third Annual "Literary Orange" event in partnership with UC Irvine Libraries. The event will be held at the UC Irvine Student Center from 8 am to 5 pm. The event will feature hundreds of famous authors, with featured keynote speakers including author Stephen J. Cannell, writer and commentator Sandra Tsing Loh, and award winning author and director Ron Carlson. Pre-registration is requested. For event and registration information, please click here. To learn more about Literary Orange, please click here.

Irvine Chamber School Supply Drive- The Irvine Chamber of Commerce is assisting Families Forward and the National Charity League as they distribute backpacks with new school supplies for local low-income elementary, middle and high school students. Please click here for a list of requested supplies. Click here to make a donation online to Families Forward.

Summer Reading Program- OC Public Libraries (OCPL) is preparing for its annual summer reading program for children and teens. OCPL is partnering with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to present "Home Run Readers". Children and teens will read to win prizes and chances to win tickets on August 25. One lucky winner will get to say "Play Ball" at the opening of the game. The program will run for eight weeks at all branch libraries. For more information, please call your local branch.

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

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