There was no regular Board meeting held this week. The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 3rd at 9:30 am in the Hall of Administration.

OCERS 2008 Performance Results- In a year of market turmoil and losses for institutional investors, the Orange County Employee Retirement System (OCERS) performed better than many public pension funds. OCERS ended the 2008 calendar year with a fund value of $6.36 billion dollars, which is down 20% for the year. However, OCERS losses were less than the median fund value encountered by public pensions, which were greater than 26% on average. For more information, please click here.

Teen Poetry and Art Contest- OC Public Libraries is beginning its 8th Annual Teen Poetry and Art Contest in which local teens, age 12 to 18, may submit an original poem or piece of artwork. The winning poems at each branch library will be included in Voices in Verse, an anthology published by Orange County Public Libraries. Interested teens are encouraged to contact their local branch library for more information. To find the public library near you, please click here.

Irvine, University Park Branch Library- In August 2008, the County prepared plans for a landscape refurbishment at the Irvine, University Park Branch Library to bring the Library back to its original opening day condition. Project work was completed on schedule after only six months. Furthermore, all work was accomplished during branch closure so not to interfere with parking and access to the Library.

Yorba Linda Public Library Open House- On Saturday, February 21 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, the Yorba Linda Public Library will hold an open house for families with children eighteen months and younger. The open house will feature interactive stories, songs, puppets, and a keepsake gift. For more information, click here.

Last Friday, I met with Rick Nelson, Bruce Junor and Gerry Wolf of the Foothill Communities Association to provide an update on issues in North Tustin related to spheres of influence, and to discuss topics of interest for the annual FCA meeting on March 2nd.

Chair Bates and I met with Congressman Ken Calvert to discuss some of the County’s priority infrastructure projects. Staff from OC Public Works and OC Watersheds presented the information to the Congressman and his staff. For pictures, click here.

I attended the dedication ceremony of the new Medal of Honor Monument for Petty Officer Michael Monsoor, Navy Seal, of Garden Grove. Chair Bates and Supervisor Moorlach joined me along with various other local elected officials and their representatives to commemorate and reflect on Michael Monsoor’s selfless sacrifice. For pictures from the event, please click here.

I attended the unveiling of the Great Park conceptual design at the Orange County Great Park Board of Directors meeting. For more information, please click here.

I attended the grand opening and dedication for the City of Brea’s new sports park located at 3333 Birch Street (Birch St.and Valencia Ave.). For pictures, click here.

I met with Leonard Glickman to discuss the County’s Greenspot property.

I met with Anaheim City Councilman Harry Sidhu to discuss a variety of issues.

I met with Captain Seacrest, Commander of the Santa Ana Office of the California Highway Patrol to discuss the areas of responsibility within the Third District and the working relationship between the County and the CHP Santa Ana Office.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OCFA Helicopter Presentation- On Sunday, February 21, I will join the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) as they take possession of their second new Bell 412EP Firefighting Helicopter during a ceremony held at the Helicopter Association International Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center. These two helicopters will take over primary firefighting and rescue operations while the two existing helicopters will be used in a surge and support capacity in the event of an emergency.

18th Annual Brea 8K Classic- On Sunday February 21, Brea Olinda High School in conjunction with the Brea Mall will hold the 18th Annual Brea 8K Classic benefitting instrumental music and academic programs at Brea Olinda High School. For more information, click here.

Irvine Park Railroad- The Irvine Park Railroadis celebrating its 13th anniversary on Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1. To thank its loyal customers, Irvine Park Railroad is rolling back the cost of a train ride to the original 1996 price of$2.00 per train ride.$2.00 concessions will also be available, including face painting, moon bounce tickets, hot dogs, sodas, ice cream, cotton candy, and pop corn. To read the press release, please click here. For a picture, please click here. For parking information, please click here.

FCA Annual Meeting- I will be speaking at the Foothill Communities Association (FCA) Annual meeting on Monday, March 2nd to provide an update specific to the North Tustin area. This year, Sheriff Hutchins will be joining me to provide an update related to her Department. The event will be held at Hewes Middle School at 7pm. For more information about the FCA, including how to get acquainted through the newly formed "welcoming committee", please contact FCA President Rick Nelson at rnelson@FCAhome.org.

Orange County Rainfall Data- For those interested in up to date information on rainfall data in Orange County, you can check online at www.ocwatersheds.com/rainfall. Please note that the link on the left for Storm Data provides current rainfall information with map displays for locations throughout Orange County. Two links are available for Storm Data:

• Real Time Data is automatically updated every 6 to 12 minutes during storms from the Orange County Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time (ALERT) telemetry system rain gauges. Tables and maps display rainfall for the preceding one-hour, three-hour, six-hour, and 24-hour periods. It may be necessary to click on "refresh" on your Internet toolbar to view the latest data posted.
• Rainfall Accumulations are updated every morning at 8:00 am for the previous one, two, and three days of rainfall.

OC Public Works Storm Center Information- The OC Public Works Storm Center has a new phone number. During operational events to report problems with a County road or flood control channels, please call (714) 955-0333.

To view pictures from this week’s storms that I took from my Third District office, 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.