There was no regular Board meeting this week. The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 2, at 9:30 am.

March Service Change- On March 14, 2010, the 150,000-hour bus service reduction approved by the OCTA Board of Directors last December will go into effect. Since December, OCTA has been meeting with community groups to receive comments on the reduction plan. After receiving comments, OCTA made several changes to the reduction plan in an attempt to serve the greatest number of passengers in the most efficient manner. These changes restored several proposed route eliminations and restructured several additional routes. The largest change that the March reduction will have on bus service is that headways (times between buses) will be expanded on most routes. On Monday, OCTA staff provided the Board of Directors with an update on the finalized reduction plan. To view a summary of the service changes that will begin on March 14, click here.

Central County Major Investment Study- I attended a meeting of the Central County Major Investment Study (MIS) Policy Advisory Committee. The MIS is approaching the final phases of the study. The Policy Advisory Committee is currently reviewing various long-range alternatives for future roads and mass-transit investment options in central Orange County. The intent of the MIS is to improve mobility, lower delay times, and lessen congestion through the central corridor of the county. Click here to see a map of the study area.

Peer Review Audit- The chairman and vice chairman of the Board of Supervisors serve on the Audit Oversight Committee. I attended my first meeting this past week. The Audit Oversight Committee approved the requirement for an external peer review audit of the Orange County Internal Audit Department for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. This audit is required by the Government Auditing Standards Board between every three and five years and must be conducted by an external peer agency. This year’s audit will be done by San Diego County during this summer. The previous audit was completed in 2007 by the County of Riverside and showed that Orange County fully complied with the policies, practices, and procedures to ensure independence and objectivity in their function. To view the previous audit, please click here.

Fraud Hotline Activity Audit- The Audit Oversight Committee received the semi-annual OC Fraud Hotline Activity Audit. This audit monitors the volume of activity for the Fraud Hotline, and staff’s actions regarding complaints reported to the Internal Audit Department. To view the latest reports, please click here.

Waste Free OC 10% in 2010 Challenge- OC Waste and Recycling has developed a public awareness campaign and challenge to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills by 10% in 2010. This campaign is designed to help businesses, school, local government, and Orange County residents reduce, reuse, and recycle waste before it enters our landfills. For more information about the awareness campaign, please click here.

I attended the 39th Annual Irvine Police Awards banquet sponsored by the Exchange Club of Irvine and the Irvine Police Department. For pictures, click here. To view a list of award recipients and information regarding why they were chosen for their respective awards, please click here.

I presented a proclamation congratulating the Santiago Canyon Community College women’s soccer team for their championship season, and for being ranked number one in the 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III Women’s Soccer Poll. This season the women’s team went 23-0-2 in their season. Congratulation’s ladies! To read a copy of the proclamation, please click here. For pictures, please click here. For more information on the Santiago Canyon Community College women’s soccer team, please click here.

I attended the United Way employee recognition event at the Old County Courthouse. The 2009 employee campaign raised a total of $606,795 to help fund valuable community programs throughout Orange County. For pictures, please click here.

I met with Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to discuss issues related to the Sheriff’s Department.

I attended the Silverado Modjeska Recreation and Park District awards ceremony. The District recognized the County of Orange and canyon residents for their efforts on the redesign and completion of the Santiago Canyon Road bridge. In addition, the Board recognized multiple volunteers who have volunteered their time over the past decade. For pictures, please click here.

I met with Executive Director for the Office of Independent Review (OIR), Steve Connolly to discuss issues related to the OIR.

I attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Directors of Clean Tech OC. The Board represents both the private sector and local government and will help with Clean Tech OC’s mission of attracting local "Green" businesses and bringing "Green" jobs to the county. For more information on Clean Tech OC, please click here.

Mary and I attended a reception at the Lyon Air Museum. For pictures, click here. For information on the Lyon Air Museum, click here.

I met to discuss the preliminary application for the Diamond D Ranch Horse Boarding and Western Event Center located at 16000 Santiago Canyon Road. The proposed ranch would house a 150-horse facility and western roping and barrel racing center. The applicant has proposed that the center will employ best management practices for environmental considerations and will develop into the "Greenest" horse boarding facility in the region.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Annual FCA Meeting- On Monday, March 1 at 7 pm, I will be speaking along with Orange County Fire Chief Keith Richter, and Irvine Valley College President Glenn Roquemoreat the annual Foothill Communities Association (FCA) meeting to provide an update on issues related to North Tustin. The meeting will be at the Hewes Middle School auditorium. For the program, click here. For more information about FCA, click here.

Citrus Ranch Park Dedication- On Saturday, February 27, from 10 am to 12 pm, the City of Tustin is hosting a park dedication for Citrus Ranch Park. Located at 1111 Portola Parkway, Citrus Ranch Park is a 17-acre park located between Jamboree Road and Tustin Ranch Road, and is the last planned park for the Tustin Ranch area. For more information, please click here.

Tustin Branch Trail Dedication- On Wednesday, March 3, at 2:30 pm, OC Parks is hosting a dedication ceremony for the extension of the Esplanade Trail in North Tustin known as the Tustin Branch Trail. The dedication will be held at Vanderlip Avenue, across from Guin Foss Elementary School. For dedication information, click here.

Spring Registration- On Wednesday, March 3 at 5 pm, registration opens for programs offered through the City of Tustin’s Parks and Recreations Department. The City offers a wide range of classes tailored for tots to adults, including summer youth programs, sports, dance and other recreational events. For more information, 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.