ICE Negotiation- The Board designated representatives from the Sherriff’s Department, the Health Care Agency, and the CEO’s office to negotiate a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house ICE detainees at the Theo Lacy and James A. Musick jail facilities. This proposal will provide additional revenue to offset the Sheriff’s budget shortfall. The Sheriff’s Department will utilize the same classification system for the detainees that it uses for existing inmates. Detainees will be minimum or medium security risk, which is similar to a majority of the existing County jail inmate population. The Sheriff’s Department will have final right of refusal on all detainees. After an immigration determination is complete, they will be returned to federal facilities for deportation or release. Orange City Manager John Sibley appeared before the Board to express concern about this program. I asked the Sheriff to attend the March Orange City Council meeting to describe the program.

Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Program- The Board received a presentation from the District Attorney’s Office which provided a one-year update on the Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Program. To view the presentation, please click here.

Amnesty Dog Licensing Program- The Board authorized a 45-day amnesty program allowing waiver of any past unpaid dog license fees for dog owners in the 17 OC Animal Care contract cities and unincorporated areas. Residents who license or renew their dog's license during the period of April 1 through May 15, 2010 are only required to pay the regular fee of $24 for an altered dog license, or $100 for an unaltered dog license. OC Animal Care estimates that 97% of the animals that come to the Shelter with a license tag are returned home to their owners. Animal Control Officers also have the ability to return licensed dogs to their owners in the field without ever needing to bring the dog to the shelter. If someone finds a lost pet wearing a license tag, they can contact OC Animal Care who can notify the owner and connect them with their lost pet without ever needing to impound the animal. All delinquent fees will be waived during the amnesty period. To read the staff report, please click here. Program information will be available on the OC Animal Care website next week. For the website, click here.

El Modena Parking Restrictions- The Board approved the recommendation by the Orange County Traffic Committee to establish a 24 hour-a-day, two-hour limited time parking restriction on Center Street and Ryals Street in unincorporated area of El Modena.The Orange County Traffic Committee's recommendation was part of a comprehensive traffic study conducted at the request of the El Modena community to address parking issues within the area.

Continuation of Military Supplemental Pay Benefit- The Board approved the continuation of military supplemental pay and benefits to County employees who are ordered to active duty or training as part of the continuing military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Board has reauthorized the supplemental pay and benefits each year since September 2001.

Tustin Unified School District Bond Issuance- The Board authorized the issuance of $25 million in General Obligation Facilities Bonds for the Tustin Unified School District (TUSD). The bonds were approved by TUSD voters in November 2008. The bonds are earmarked for facilities improvements for four of the district’s middle schools including, Hewes, Currie, Columbus Tustin, and C.E. Utt, and for the pool at Foothill High School. If any funds remain after the completion of these projects, the outstanding funds will be used for outdoor tracks at Foothill and Tustin High School.

CalOptima Board Appointment- The Board appointed Jim McAleer to serve as the "consumer" representative on the CalOptima Board of Directors. Jim currently serves as the President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association Orange County Chapter. This appointment filled a vacancy which was created by the resignation of Gus Valdespino. For information on the CalOptima Board of Directors, click here.

Foothill South Update- Following the Secretary of Commerce decision against the proposed "green" alignment for the SR-241 Foothill South extension, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) met with over 125 organizations and individuals to gather input on how to solve the traffic congestion problem in South Orange County. Over the last year, TCA has worked to develop a concept based on modifying the "green" alignment that would address the concerns raised by stakeholders. The result was a concept which avoided the San Onofre State Park, protected Camp Pendleton’s interest in training, and relieved traffic in South Orange County. TCA believed that this concept merited a detailed discussion with stakeholders. As a result, the Agency sought the opportunity to discuss the concept with the Marines.

Last week, TCA learned that the Secretary of the Navy wrote to Senator Dianne Feinstein raising a number of issues with TCA’s concept. The letter was the first time TCA has been notified by the Marines about their concerns with the new concept. It is TCA’s hope that the Agency will be able to begin a dialogue with the Marines regarding the new concept, and work with the Marines to modify the concept in a manner that addresses stakeholder and Camp Pendleton concerns. To view a map of the new concept, click here.

Windy Ridge Reservoir Replacement Project- The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) Finance and Operations Committee received a presentation on the proposed Windy Ridge Reservoir Replacement Project. The reservoir cover and liner at the Windy Ridge Toll Plaza has reached the end of its serviceable life. As a result, TCA plans to repair the reservoir. This project is similar to the replacement that was performed on the Tomato Springs Reservoir last year. To begin the project, the Committee recommended award of a construction contract to Layfield Environmental Systems, the lowest responsive, responsible bidder. To view the presentation given to the Committee, click here.

March Commission Meeting- The Children and Families Commission received a presentation on the Orange County Impact Report: Results from the First 10 Years. The report focused on the Commission’s four goal areas; Healthy Children, Early Learning, Strong Families, and Capacity Building. Overall, the report highlighted that the Commission has increased the number of children served in Orange County five-fold; increased the number of children adequately immunized at two years of age by 23%; reduced fatal injuries to young children by 39%; and leveraged over $19 million in funding to expand Commission-funded programs. To read the report, please click here. The Commission also received a presentation from The Olin Group on the growth, development, and sustainability of the Commission’s grantees. To view the presentation, click here.

Mercy House Redirection Program- The Commission awarded an additional $360,000 for a new total of $760,000 for the Mercy House Redirection Program, which relocates homeless children and families out of the Cold Weather Armories. As of February 18, 2010, Mercy House has served a total of 186 families. In response to the success of the redirection program coupled with the continuing economic downturn, Mercy House is expected to serve more than 200 families this season. This represents an increase of 63% over the families served in last year’s Redirection Program.

March Agent of Change- As part of the Commission’s 10 year campaign to highlight people that make a difference in the lives of young children, the Commission honored Gustavo Ortega for the month of March. Gustavo Ortega is a veteran of the United States Army and is serving as a supervisor with the Commission’s Reach Out and Read program. Through his role as a program supervisor, Gustavo helped bring the program to more than 94,000 children in pediatric waiting rooms, distributed more than 61,000 new and used books at community events, and provided literary resources to almost 45,000 parents and caregivers. To read the Commission’s proclamation, click here. For pictures, click here.

Annual FCA Meeting- On Monday night, I attended the annual FCA meeting as one of the keynote speakers. I was joined by Orange County Fire Chief Keith Richter and Irvine Valley College President Glenn Roquemore. I provided an update on the announcements specific to North Tustin that I made last year, including the completion of the Tustin Branch Trail, and the expected completion of the Foothill High School pool by the end of summer. I also discussed the pending transfer of 20,000 acres of open space from The Irvine Company to the County; the East Orange County Water District; and the proposed senior living facility on Newport Avenue.

Eagle Scout Recognition- At the beginning of the FCA meeting, I had an opportunity to acknowledge the work of Eagle Scout candidates Elliot Dykman, Troop 243, Chance Cooper, Venturing Crew 1442, and Ricky Segarra, Troop 235, for their work with FCA Beautification Committee members Pat Murphy and Scott Mehlberger on the Red Hill Avenue beautification project. The beautification project included the addition of drip irrigation, evergreen flowering vines, an olive tree, a park bench, and ground cover to improve the appearance of the corner of Irvine Boulevard and Red Hill Avenue. For pictures, click here.

Tustin Branch Trail Dedication- I attended the dedication for the Tustin Branch Trail. I was joined by neighbors, representatives from the North Tustin Advisory Committee (NTAC), the Foothill Communities Association (FCA), and many of the design team and project staff from OC Parks. For pictures, click here. To view the presentation made to the NTAC, click here. To read my talking points, that highlight some of the interesting historical chronology dating back to 1888, click here.

Last Friday, I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the County’s new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station located at 2023 West Collins Avenue in Orange (corner of Collins and Eckhoff). The CNG station is located at the County’s Fleet Maintenance Yard, where the department maintains and operates approximately 57 CNG vehicles in the County fleet. The attendant-free fueling facility is open to the public for retail purchases of CNG, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For pictures, click here.

I met with Sue Obermayer and Dan Swoish from the Mabury Ranch Homeowners Association to discuss trail related issues along Santiago Creek.

Mary and I attended the OC Forum luncheon. The keynote speaker was former Hewlett- Packard CEO, Carly Fiorina. For pictures, click here.

I met with Claire Schlotterbeck, Jean Watt, Phil McWiliams, Helen Higgins and Terry Watt to discuss the Renewed Measure M Freeway Mitigation Program.

I met with Patricia Neal and Dan Carlsson from the Orange County Housing Trust to discuss the future of affordable housing in Orange County.

I met with Brett Luedde, Joseph Perry, and Paul Fukumoto of FlexEnergy to learn about the company’s technology and application for ultralow emission landfill gas power generation. FlexEnergy is based in Irvine and using in-County resources and technology to create local clean-tech jobs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Brea Free Compost Giveaway- On Saturday, March 6, from 9 am to 11 am, Brea Disposal will host a free compost giveaway for Brea residents. Residents are asked to bring their own sturdy containers (no plastic bags)to receiveup to 60 gallons of compost. The giveaway will take place in the parking lot at 695 Madison Way, in Brea. For more information call (714) 238-2444.

Yorba Linda Community Emergency Response Classes- On Saturday, March 6, beginning at 8 am, the City of Yorba Linda will hold the first of three Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) courses. All three days will go from 8 am to 5 pm with a lunch break in between. The first two days will be educational and will take place at the Yorba Linda Community Center, located at 4501 Casa Loma Avenue, in Yorba Linda. The third day will be a "hands-on" disaster simulation at the OCFA training facility in Irvine. To sign up, email Brett Channing at bchanning@yorba-linda.org. For further information about the upcoming CERT class, 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.