Election of Officers and Oath of Office- The Board elected Supervisor Bates as Chair and Supervisor Nguyen as Vice-Chair for the 2009 session. Supervisor Nguyen and I took the oath of office for our new terms. I was honored to be sworn-in by my wife Mary, alongside my son, Chris, for my third and final term as Orange County Supervisor for the Third District. My sister Jean Weimer and Mary’s brother, Tom Campbell, also attended the ceremony. For pictures from the reception and ceremony, please click here. Click here to read my speech which highlights County milestones and challenges.

Work Furlough Policy Adoption- The Board approved and adopted a work furlough policy as part of the County’s budget reduction measures. The policy is designed to save jobs and maintain critical programs and services for the public while implementing overall cost reductions in the County budget, preserving health and retirement benefits for employees. The policy will be implemented by the Social Services Agency beginning in February 2009.

Santa Ana River Interceptor (SARI) Line Relocation- The Board approved an agreement with Tetra Tech for design services for the relocation of the Santa Ana River Interceptor (SARI) Line between Prado Dam and Weir Canyon Road. This action provided authorization to proceed with preparation of the preliminary design which will lead to protection of this major sewer line. The SARI Line is a regional sanitary sewer line that conveys raw sewage and brine (wastewater from agriculture, commercial and other sources) from the Inland Empire and Orange County to the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) treatment plant in Fountain Valley. Constructed as a joint project of OCSD and the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority in the early 1970s, the SARI Line was originally buried about 20 feet below the river bed. Over time, the soil cover over the SARI Line between Weir Canyon Road and Prado Dam has experienced heavy erosion and the pipeline is exposed at some locations. The probability of damage to the SARI Line is expected to be higher when Prado Dam’s planned maximum controlled release increases from 10,000 to 30,000 cubic feet per second as part of the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project (SARMP) improvements. The Orange County Flood Control District is the local sponsor of the SARMP and is responsible through its Local Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate the impacts of Prado Dam improvements on existing utilities such as the SARI Line.

Angels Baseball Donation for OC Animal Shelter- The Board accepted a cash donation from Angels Baseball, LP for feeding, sheltering and caring for animals at the OC Animal Care Shelter in the amount of $12,000.

Mason Regional Park improvements- The Board approved the plans for the replacement of four deteriorating picnic shelters at Mason Regional Park.

Modjeska House Pedestrian Bridge- The Board voted to approve submitted plans and specifications for the Modjeska House pedestrian bridge and to open the construction project for bid. The updated bridge will allow safer access to the Arden Modjeska Historic Home & Garden. The County realized significant savings through the use of a previously fabricated pedestrian bridge stored at the Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. For more information on this national historic landmark, please click here.

OCTA Ready to Work- As the Federal and State governments work to develop economic stimulus packages which include infrastructure projects, OCTA is letting our elected officials know that Orange County is ready to work and has $2.2 billion in engineered and environmentally cleared projects waiting for additional funding. These projects, if built, would generate 62,000 jobs in Orange County and are ready to begin immediately. To view the communication progress report being used by OCTA, please click here.

Election of Officers- The OCTA Board of Directors held its annual election for Chairman and Vice-Chairman this past Monday. Public Member Peter Buffa was elected Chairman and Director Jerry Amante of Tustin was elected Vice-Chairman. Congratulations to both Director Buffa and Director Amante. I look forward to working with the two of them over the next year to better Orange County’s transportation system.

Pollution Emissions in China- The Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) received a presentation on how long range pollution transport of emissions from Asia are affecting the air quality of the South Coast Air Basin. The presentation details include the types of pollutants, the atmospheric conditions which lead to the transport of the particulates, and the methods for tracking and researching the pollutants. Because of the jet stream, most of the Chinese pollutants travel to the north of southern California. To view the staff presentation, please click here.

I adjourned this week’s Board meeting in memory of Lynn Livingston of the City of Orange who passed away on November 25, 2008. To read my adjournment in memory of Lynn, please click here. Please remember Lynn and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Last weekend, Mary and I attended a wine tasting hosted at the home of Shannon and Frank Tucker in Orange benefiting the Orange Public Library Foundation. For a picture, please click here.

I met with Judge Lance Jensen, Rich Wagner and John Secor of the North Tustin Advisory Committee (NTAC) to discuss a variety of issues related to the North Tustin area.

I attended the Library Advisory Board (LAB) meeting where the County’s Librarian, Helen Fried, presented the annual "State of the Library Report". The report provided 2009 benchmarks for material expenditures, expenditures per capita and total materials per capita. Click here to view charts comparing Orange County to the surrounding counties and to the statewide mean.

I met with Tim Volk of Orange and learned about new technologies under development which may reduce the engine emissions and improve the fuel efficiency in County vehicles. I also learned about a technology which utilizes municipal solid waste from landfills for near zero-emission power generation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Budget Workshop in Brea- The City of Brea will hostan interactivebudget workshop on January 24 at the Brea Community Center at 8:00 am. The goal is to create a transparent process for citizens to explain both obligations as well as restrictions for limited city resources. Fore more information, please click here.

2009 Point-In-Time Count and Survey of the Homeless- On January 24th, 2009, OC Community Services and its partners, Applied Survey Research (ASR), OC Partnership, and the Orange County Healthcare Agency, will be conducting the third biennial countywide homeless population count and survey. In order to ensure that Orange County continues to receive important Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding for homeless shelters and supportive services, a count of the homeless is required. The count brings together non-profits, County and local government, the faith based community, service clubs, and hundreds of individual volunteers from every region to help maintain eligibility for approximately $11 million in annual federal homeless assistance funding. This colossal task can only be accomplished through the efforts of dedicated volunteers. Interested individuals are encouraged to donate their time or resources needed to assist the County and its partners with the Point in Time Count. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, please click here or you may also contact Kelly Lupro, the County Homeless Coordinator, at 714-480-2744.

Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center Closure- Irvine Regional Hospital officially closed its doors on Thursday, January 15th. To read the County’s analysis of the closure’s overall impact on the emergency medical system, please click here.

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

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