ATS Re-Engineering Update- The Board received an update from Orange County Assessor Webster J. Guillory on the progress of the Assessment Tax System (ATS) re-engineering project. This project is one of three County legacy computer systems that are in the process of replacement. The ATS system is a critical County system which processes the valuations of all commercial and residential properties in the county for production of the yearly property tax rolls by the Assessor. To view the Assessor’s presentation, please click here.

Mental Health Wellness Center- The Board approved the plans and specifications and authorized the advertisement for bids for the construction of the 401 S. Tustin Street Mental Health Facility Project in Orange. The new facility will include an Education and Training Center, a Wellness/Peer Support Center, and a Crisis Residential Building for addressing the mental health system goals of patient wellness, recovery, resiliency, and cultural competence. The construction cost estimate is $13,500,000 with 100% of the funding to be provided by the State via Proposition 63; the Mental Health Services Act.

Police Community Reconciliation Program- The Board received a presentation on the OC Human Relations Commission’s Police Community Reconciliation Program (PCRP). The program was created by the Board in July 2008 to assist community members in navigating and understanding the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) complaint process and to provide an opportunity for police officials and community members to come together, with the guidance of a mediator, to resolve complaints. PCRP handles complaints that have been determined by the Office of Independent Review (OIR) or OSCD that do not involve criminal misconduct, or warrant significant disciplinary action. Participation in this program is voluntary. The presentation to the Board provided highlights from the annual report. To view the presentation, click here. For more information on PCRP, please click here.

OC Human Relations Commission- The Board appointed Vince DeVargas to represent the Third District on the OC Human Relations Commission.

Retirement Resolution- The Board presented a Resolution to Bob Aldrich, commemorating his retirement after 26 years working for the County, and 13 with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). To read the Resolution, please click here. For a picture, please click here.

OCLA Graduating Class- The Board recognized the graduates of the 12th class of the Orange County Leadership Academy (OCLA). OCLA is designed for outstanding County employees to further their leadership and management skills and to prepare them for continued success in the future. To view a list of the graduating class, please click here. For pictures, please click here.

Peer Review Audit Team- I met with the peer review audit team which is performing an independent audit of Orange County Transportation Authority’s (OCTA) Internal Audit Department this week. The peer review audit team is a team sent by the Association of Local Government Auditors (A.L.G.A) Peer Review Audit Program at OCTA’s request to evaluate OCTA’s Internal Audit Department’s internal quality control systems.

Measure M Public Hearing- The Measure M Taxpayers Oversight Committee is conducting its 19th annual public hearing on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 6:00 pm. The Taxpayers Oversight Committee will review OCTA’s administration of Measure M, the one-half percent transportation sales tax. The 11-member committee, comprised of Orange County community members representing each of the five Supervisorial Districts, was selected through a process conducted by the independent Grand Jurors Association of Orange County. The public is invited to attend the hearing, which will take place at the Orange County Transportation Authority located at 600 S. Main St., Orange, in room 103. Public testimony is welcome.

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) has unveiled a new website which is intended to be more user-friendly. To read the press release, please click here. In addition, OCFA has announced the selection of Ron Blaul as the New Deputy Chief, and Jorge Camargo as the new Assistant Chief of Operations. To read the announcement, please click here.

Annual Meeting- I attended the annual Orange Park Acres (OPA) Association meeting at the Villa Park Fire Station. Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche and Councilman Mark Murphy also attended the meeting. I discussed the process for annexation to the City of Orange, and I described the County’s plans and design of the new Handy Creek Bridge. I also presented a proclamation to Anita Bennyhoff, commemorating her forty years of service to the OPA community as publisher of Common Talk and The Sentry. Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) General Manager Paul Jones also provided an update on the water system infrastructure since the acquisition of OPA Mutual Water Company by IRWD. He described the process of building and connecting OPA to the IRWD sewer system. Later during the meeting, Orange Park Acres residents Fran Klovstad and John Cox were elected as directors for a three-year term to serve on the OPA Board and Mike Forkert was re-elected for another term. For pictures, please click here.

I joined OC Parks Commissioner Matt Cunningham and staff members from OC Parks and the Irvine Ranch Conservancy on a tour of the land which would be included in the proposed Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park. For pictures from my tour, click here. For a copy of the Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park concept plan, click here.

I attended the OC Moves Steering Committee meeting. The Committee received presentations from two speakers regarding two proposed initiatives for the November 2010 ballot. The Committee also received a presentation from Bimla Rihnehard, the Executive Director of the California Transportation Commission.

I attended a blessing ceremony for St. Thomas Parish Center in Irvine. For pictures, click here.

After Tuesday’s Board Meeting, I traveled to Washington, D.C. and was joined by TCA Chairman Peter Herzog and TCA staff to meet with Deputy Secretary of the Navy, Roger Natsuhara, to discuss plans for the Foothill South Extension. It was snowing in Washington when I arrived. Therefore, my plane circled for twenty minutes while the Reagan National Airport runways were cleared. There are no pictures available due to restrictions on photography in and around the Pentagon.

I met with Roger W. Ferguson, Richard Hiller, and Brian McAndrews of TIAA-CREF to discuss their proposal to support the County’s new pension system which includes a defined contribution component.

I met with Serrano Water District Board members Larry Pharris and Woody Rickerl to discuss a variety of issues.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CNG Fueling Station Open- On January 26, the Board approved Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel prices for sale to the public and County departments at the County’s CNG station located at 2023 W. Collins Avenue in Orange. The CNG station is officially open and is available to serve both the public and the County on a 24-hour, 7-day per week basis.

JWA Service to Toronto- Air Canada has announced its intention to begin daily service between John Wayne Airport (JWA) and Toronto beginning April 6, 2010. This will be the first international destination from JWA. For more information, please click here.

4th Annual Literary Orange- On Wednesday, February 10, the OC Public Library, University of California, Irvine (UCI), and the UCI Libraries are sponsoring the annual Literary Orange conference at the UCI Student Center. This year’s keynote speakers are Dean Koontz and Karen Joy Fowler. For registration information, please click here.

Congratulations to Whitney Secor of my staff on her graduation from OCLA 12.

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

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