Alton Parkway Extension- The Board adopted a cooperative agreement and a sublease with the City of Irvine for the Alton Parkway Extension. The agreement outlines the roles and responsibilities of both the City and the County on the project. The sublease transfers two parcels of property from the former MCAS El Toro to the County for the use of the road extension.

Wall Repair on Cannon Street- The Board approved an agreement with the City of Villa Park to jointly fund repairs to a retaining wall located on the west side of Cannon Street at Serrano Avenue in the city of Villa Park. The proposed project consists of repairing a 150 foot section of the wall that was damaged as a result of a landslide. The County has agreed to jointly fund the proposed project due to the road's regional significance. For a project location map, click here.

Olive Crest Foster Family Programming- The Board approved an MOU with Canyon Acres Children and Family Services of Anaheim Hills for Intensive Treatment Foster Care Program services, which includes intensive family reunification counseling for foster youth. This is a one-year extension on an existing contract.

CalOptima Board of Directors Appointments- The Board approved the appointments of Edward Kacic, Mary Anne Foo and Gustavo Valdespino, to the CalOptima Board of Directors, for a term ending in September 2012.

Measure M Update- On Monday, the OCTA Board of Directors received a presentation updating the Board on the impact the economic downturn has had on Measure M revenues. Between 2009-2011, the funds projected to be garnered by Measure M have decreased by $160 million. This means that OCTA will have $69 million less to put towards freeway projects, $28 million less to put towards street projects, $23 million less to provide cities for local roads, and $40 million less for transit investments. OCTA continues to monitor the Measure M revenues it receives and is making the appropriate adjustment in its expenditures. To view the presentation given to the Board, click here.

SR 57 Northbound Widening Update- The OCTA Board of Directors approved a cooperative agreement with Caltrans for the SR-57 Northbound Widening Project. The cooperative agreement permits OCTA to proceed with the necessary right-of-way acquisition and construction activities required to add one additional northbound lane on the SR-57 between Orangethorpe Avenue and Lambert Road.

ARTIC Update- The OCTA Board of Directors selected Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. to develop the necessary environmental clearance and advanced conceptual design documents for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Center (ARTIC). OCTA has been working in partnership with the City of Anaheim on ARTIC. ARTIC will serve as a regional transportation center, linking rail, ground, and transit services. The development of the facility will take place in three phases. The environmental clearance of the project is necessary before the three phases can be developed.

February Commission Meeting- On Wednesday, the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) held its monthly Commission meeting. During the meeting, the Board approved and congratulated Commissioner Cheryl Brothers of Fountain Valley on her appointment to the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commission’s Board of Directors. The Commission also held elections for the Chair and Vice-Chair for 2009. Vice-Chair Susan Wilson was elected Chair, and city-representative Peter Herzog of Lake Forest was selected as Vice-Chair for 2009. For a picture of the LAFCO Commission, please click here.

Best Practices in Government Summit- The Commission received an update on the upcoming "Best Practices in Orange County Government" stakeholder summit, scheduled for Friday, March 27th from 9-12 am. The summit will feature keynote speakers Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and Orange County Business Council President Lucy Dunn. Stakeholder involvement from cities and special districts is encouraged because the issues identified during the summit will serve as the basis for future Municipal Service Reviews (MSRs). For more information or to register for the summit, please call Ben Legbandt at (714) 834-2556. To view the save-the-date post card, please click here.

NTAC Meeting for Tustin/Orange Sphere of Influence- Pursuant to Government Code §56430, the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is required to conduct Municipal Service Reviews (MSRs) every five years for all cities and special districts located within the County of Orange. The purpose of the MSR process is to plan for deliverance of services based on future growth in all municipalities and unincorporated areas. As part of LAFCO’s public comment period, LAFCO staff will make a presentation to the North Tustin Advisory Committee (NTAC) on February 18th to explain the process related to adopting a Sphere of Influence (SOI) for North Tustin and discuss the proposed boundary alternatives. LAFCO is scheduled to adopt a SOI during its March Commission meeting. For more information on MSRs, please click here.

Alternate Public Member- LAFCO is currently accepting applications for its open public member alternate position on the Commission. Any interested in serving, are encouraged to contact Joyce Crosthwaite, Executive Director at (714) 834-2556. To learn more about OC LAFCO, please click here.

Open House for North County Branch Office- Orange County Clerk Recorder Tom Daly will be holding an Open House at the new North County branch office of the Clerk Recorder on Friday, February 13 between 1 pm and 3 pm. On Valentines Day, February 14, fifty couples are scheduled to wed at the new branch office. The office will be open for regular business on Tuesday, February 17 at 9 am. The office is located at 201 North Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton. For more information, please click here.

On January 31, I attended the annual Orange Park Acres (OPA) Association meeting at the Villa Park fire station. Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche, Mayor Pro-tem Tita Smith, and Councilman Mark Murphy also attended the annual meeting. Irvine Ranch Water District General Manager Paul Jones provided an update on the acquisition of OPA Mutual Water Company. Because of interest expressed by some OPA residents, I described the procedures for annexation. Later during the meeting, Orange Park Acres residents Mark Sandford, Christine Rosenow and George Bloecher were elected as Directors for a three-year term to serve on OPA Board. For pictures, please click here.

I attended the Orange State of the City luncheon hosted by the Orange Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Carolyn Cavecche gave the State of the City address and Orange Chamber Chairman Jeff Protzman gave the State of the Chamber address. I presented Joseph Fortier with a proclamation honoring him as the 2008 Orange Citizen of the Year, and I presented certificates to the Old California Lantern Company and Marshal as the 2008 Outstanding Business of the Year. For pictures, please click here.

I attended the University of California, Irvine’s dedication of the new University Hospital with my colleague, Supervisor John Moorlach, Mayor of Orange Carolyn Cavecche and Mayor of Irvine Sukhee Kang. I toured the facility after the ceremony. It’s quite impressive. Congrats to Hensel Phelps Construction Company for completing the hospital ahead of schedule and within budget. For pictures from the dedication, and the tour of the new facility, please click here.

I met with a group of representatives from the Pacifica Institute to hear about the upcoming Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival. To view a picture, click here.

Third District staff attended a meeting in the Canyons with Orange County Fire Chief Chip Prather, and various other County staff to address fire and disaster preparedness. During the meeting, a brochure was presented which was prepared by Canyon resident Tom Smisek to address some of the natural hazards facing the Canyon community.

I met with Carl Reinhardt, Kip Craig, Deborah Johnson and Fran Williams to discuss ADA improvements scheduled for Silverado Library.

I met with Deborah Johnson, Fran Williams and Chay Peterson from Silverado Canyon to discuss Orange Unified School District’s study which includes the potential closure of Silverado Elementary School.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Brea Sports Park Dedication- On Saturday, February 14, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, the City of Brea will hold the grand opening and dedication of its new sports park located at 3333 Birch Street (Birch St.and Valencia Ave.)

Great Skate at the Great Park- Hold on to the last days of winter with the Great Skate at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. Starting this Saturday, February 14 from 1:00 to10:00 pm, historic Hangar #244 will house a temporary ice rink on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through March 15, with free ice skating for the entire community. Even the skates are provided at no charge. On Feb. 14 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. there will also be sledding, ice carving demonstrations, and much more! For more event details, including ice skating hours, call (866) 829-3829 or 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.