There was no regular Board meeting this week. The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 24 at 9:30 am.

Board Appointments- Last week, the City Selection Committee met to vote on the five OCTA Board member seats which were up for reappointment. The Committee appointed Garden Grove City Mayor Bill Dalton to the First District City Seat, Huntington Beach Councilmember Don Hansen to the Second District City Seat, Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche to the Third District City Seat, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle to the Fourth District City Seat, and Laguna Niguel Councilmember Paul Glaab to the Fifth District City Seat. The term for each of these seats is January 2010 through December 2011.

November Commission Meeting- On Wednesday, the Local Agency Formation Commission held its monthly meeting. The Commission received a presentation on the proposed unincorporated islands stakeholder plan for the annexation of remaining islands. The Commission voted to receive and file this report with the amendment to move Orange Park Acres (OPA) to the second tier priority group as a result of recent discussions with some OPA residents. For the presentation, please click here. The Commission also received a presentation on school district boundaries throughout Orange County, including various examples of Joint Use Agreements utilized by cities and County departments to maximize community uses such as recreational parks and libraries. For a copy of the presentation, please click here.

Tustin Library Grand Opening- Third District staff attended the dedication celebration of the new Tustin Library. County Librarian Helen Fried joined Tustin Mayor Doug Davert and the Tustin City Council to celebrate the newest addition to the OC Public Libraries system. The County is honored to operate this magnificent library. To learn more about the noteworthy features of the library, please click here. For pictures, please click here.

OC Public Library Honors Orange Volunteer- OC Community Resources Director Steve Franks presented a proclamation to celebrate the 100th birthday of Antonio Correa, a resident of Orange and an OC Public Libraries volunteer. Since joining the READ/Orange County volunteers program in April of 1996 at the age 87, Antonio "Tone" Correa has contributed more than 2,700 service hours. He has tutored more than 21 adult learners, often taking on the added responsibility of working with 3 or 4 students simultaneously. To read more about Tone’s contributions, please click here. For pictures, click here.

Assembly District 72 Special Election- I toured the Registrar of Voters on election night to observe staff and volunteers receive the ballots and tabulate the results for the 72nd Assembly District Special Primary Election. To view pictures from my visit, please click here. On Friday, November 20, the Orange County Registrar of Voters will officially certify the votes cast in the California 72nd Assembly District Special Primary Election. Upon certification, the top vote getter from each political party will participate in a winner-take-all runoff election on January 12. For a link to the unofficial results from this past Tuesday’s Special Primary Election, click here.

Ortega Fire- The Ortega Fire started on Monday November 16, at 11:30 am on the south side of the Ortega Highway about a ¼ mile away from Caspers Wilderness Park. The fire burned a total of 145 acres and was declared fully contained at 6 pm on Wednesday, November 18. A combined effort from the Orange County Fire Authority, CALFIRE and the U.S. Forest Service extinguished the fire at a total estimated cost of $700,000. At the peak of the fire, there were an estimated 300 fire personnel on scene and total air resources coordinated by the California Department of Forestry included four fixed wing air tankers, three Type 1 USFS, 3 Type II, (1 CALFIRE, and 2 OCFA) and 1 Type I Orange County Sheriff Helicopter that served as an aerial platform for observation and mapping. To view a map of the burn area, please click here. To view additional information on the fire please click here.

Fire Service in Brea and Fountain Valley- The Board received an update on proposals requested by the Cities of Brea and Fountain Valley for the Orange County Fire Authority to provide services for their residents. The OCFA Board is awaiting further action from each of the respective Councils.

Overtime Study- The Board received a presentation from Jim Ruane, Finance Manager, Auditor of the OCFA, regarding the FY 2008-09 Backfill/Overtime Analysis. The report evaluated the major contributing factors to overtime costs and certain cost containment initiatives. The primary factors driving the costs were: the constant staffing policy, major incident response, and training requirements. To view a copy of the presentation, please click here.

Fire Station 18, Trabuco Canyon- The Board approved two items regarding the new sewer installation project for Fire Station 18 located within O’Neil Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon. The fire station was built in 1938 and contains the last underground septic system within the park. This project will connect to a recently upgraded sewer system by Trabuco Canyon Water District.

OC Fire Watch- Chief Keith Richter provided the OCFA Board with an update on a joint project between Supervisor Pat Bates and the Board of Supervisors, OC Parks and the OCFA to alert the public when there is an elevated fire danger in the wildland urban area interface. The program is designed to increase public awareness during red flag conditions by raising a "Fire Alert" flag at various locations throughout the county. To view the press release, please click here. To view more information on the program, please click here.

November Meeting- The Orange County Council of Governments approved a cooperative agreement between the Council and the Orange County Transportation Authority for staff management. OCTA will also assist in the development of the Sustainable Communities Plan that is part of the SB 375 planning requirements mandated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

I gave a presentation to the Brea Rotary Club on the economy’s impact on the County budget and OCTA bus service. I also provided an update on the Orange County Fire Authority’s response to the City of Brea’s request for proposals for fire service. For pictures, click here. For my presentation, click here.

I joined Professor Bernard Grofman and several graduate students from the University of California Irvine’s Center for the Study of Democracy to discuss my role as a County Supervisor and some of the major issues impacting the county. For pictures, click here.

On Tuesday, I viewed a demonstration of a Caterpillar D7E Tractor at the Olinda Alpha Landfill. The D7E uses uses diesel electric power and has no need for a transmission. The D7E uses 10 to 30 percent less fuel and will have a lower lifetime operating cost (by about ten percent) compared to similar tractors. I had the opportunity to operate the tractor after a brief training session from Caterpillar personnel. Representatives from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and OC Waste & Recycling were also on hand. OC Waste & Recycling recently received a grant of $1.09 million from SCAQMD to retrofit existing heavy equipment to provide cleaner operation and lower emissions. For more information regarding the D7E, click here. For pictures, click here.

I attended the election night parties for 72^nd Assembly District candidates Supervisor Chris Norby and Linda Ackerman. For pictures from Supervisor Norby’s party, click here. For pictures from Linda Ackerman’s party, click here.

I met with Orange County Treasurer Tax-Collector Chriss Street and received an update on the County’s investments and property tax collections.

I met with Dr. Peter Hughes, Director of the County’s Internal Audit Department, and received an update on recent audits performed by his Department. His Department will soon be releasing an important audit regarding pension "spiking" in the County.

I met with Abbot Hayes, Father Vincent and supporters of St. Michaels Abbey to discuss a possible new location for the Norbertine Fathers in South County.

I met with Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to discuss upcoming issues facing the County.

I met with Steve Connolly, Director of the Office of Independent Review to discuss issues related to his Office.

I attended the Tustin Community Foundation thanksgiving breakfast with keynote speaker former U.S. Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez. For pictures, click here.

I spoke at the annual "Walk in Your Shoes" conference hosted by the OC Human Relations Commission. This year’s conference was held at the University of California at Irvine and included over 500 high school students from across Orange and Los Angeles Counties. For pictures, click here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SR 91 Lane Closures- Beginning Monday, November 23, work will begin on the SR-91 Eastbound Lane Addition Project. This work will require crews to close some eastbound lanes on the SR-91 between 10:00 pm and 4 am. In general, the nighttime work, will require some lanes closures each evening between the SR-55 freeway and the SR-71 freeway. On occasion, the work will require a full freeway closure. For more information about the SR-91 Eastbound Lane Addition Project, click here. For information about Monday evening’s and Tuesday evening’s closure, click here.

Congratulations to Villa Park City Council members Bill MacAloney and Rich Ulmer, who were selected to serve as mayor and mayor pro-tem for the next year at Wednesday evening’s Villa Park City Council meeting.

I would like to congratulate one of my policy advisors, Mike Johnson, for his recognition as "Volunteer of the Month" from the Orange County Republican Party. For a picture, click here.

I would like to wish my Deputy Chief of Staff Christine Compton a happy birthday!

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

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