| March 29, 2018 |
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Volume 6 Issue 11 |
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| Spitzer Applauds Board for Rescinding Vote, Warns Colleagues About Sex Offender Data |
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(Orange County, CA) – Supervisor Spitzer applauded his colleagues for joining him in rescinding their votes to place homeless individuals in tents in Orange County cities. Supervisor Spitzer voted against the original plan, which passed 4-1, which he argued could place dangerous individuals—in addition to homeless who need intensive mental and substance abuse treatment—right into the heart of three Orange County cities—Irvine, Laguna Niguel, and Huntington Beach without a shelter operating plan. The Bridges at Kraemer Place, in Spitzer’s district, operates with nearly 200 occupants who are screened for sex offender status. Before Spitzer went into the community to gain support of this project, he already had an explainable operating plan that excluded sex offenders from residing there.
To keep Orange County residents informed, Supervisor Todd Spitzer is releasing the verified numbers of all current sex offenders on probation and parole in the county. “I authored Megan’s Law on the Internet because the public deserves to know who lives in and around our neighborhoods,” said Spitzer, a longtime champion for public safety. According to the California Attorney General’s website, Orange County is home to 2,333 convicted sex offenders. According to the respective agencies, 698 are being supervised by County Probation or State Parole, and all are monitored by Global Positioning System (GPS) except those who have absconded.
“We cannot shock our communities and shove the homeless into any city,” Supervisor Spitzer said, “The Board cannot jeopardize the community's trust in working to solve homelessness, which is why I voted against the original plan. Going forward, we must keep our residents informed and aware of any changes to our shelter operating plans.”
The locations of 2,333 Orange County sex offenders are available on the Attorney General’s website. According to records obtained from OC Probation, their department oversees 393 sex offenders divided into two caseload types; Probation, or local cases, and Post Release Community Supervision (PCS) which includes felons who were sentenced to county jail as a result of Assembly Bill 109. Probation supervises 337 sex offenders from local cases and 56 from PSC/109, 20 of which are members of the transient population in Orange County. State Parole handles 305 sex offender cases in Orange County, 66 of which are transients. 46 sex offenders under State Parole supervision have absconded from supervision, meaning they have removed their mandated GPS monitoring device, and their locations are now unknown. Certainly the “transient” and “abscond” categories could easily end up in “low barrier” tent shelters.
According to the same data obtained from OC Probation and State Parole, one sex offender is located in the Civic Center/Courtyard area and another is in and around the Courtyard. Three parolee sex offenders were located out of the Civic Center in Downtown Santa Ana on Friday, March 23, after Spitzer’s inquiries to State Parole.
“The fact is there are felons here in Orange County that Parole cannot account for their location. The risks are unknown,” Supervisor Spitzer argued. “I encourage the County to develop a sex offender management plan for all of our shelters.”
For assistance interpreting any of the data, contact Supervisor Spitzer’s office at (714) 834-3330, or contact the County Probation Department or the California Department of Corrections Office of Research.
Anyone can search for sex offenders in their area using the Megan’s Law website, https://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/, due to the law joint-authored by Spitzer (AB 488 (2008) Parra and Spitzer).
For more, visit: http://www.ocgov.com/civicax/inc/blobfetch.aspx?BlobID=73800 |
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| Irvine Mayor Don Wagner and Supervisor Todd Spitzer Announce Plan to Build Veteran’s and Women’s Permanent Housing on County’s West Alton Parcel |
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(Orange County, CA) - Irvine Mayor Don Wagner and Third District Supervisor Todd Spitzer announced today that they have partnered to assess, pursue and fast-track opportunities for Veteran’s and Women’s permanent housing at the County- owned West Alton Parcel at the intersection of Irvine Blvd. and Alton Parkway (Map Attached).
The County of Orange currently has plans to develop the site for Senior Living and Multi-Family Residential. Supervisor Spitzer will be requesting that the County CEO and Real Estate Division provide detailed plans about the site, to accommodate sufficient Veteran’s and Women’s housing based on negotiations with the City of Irvine and an assessment of regional needs based upon Irvine’s “fair share” in providing permanent housing solutions for Orange County’s homeless population.
Mayor Wagner will be requesting that City staff begin discussions with the County of Orange about how to cooperatively site plan that parcel and coordinate the County’s plans for the site with a possible re-use or mixed use of various permanent housing types to accommodate the desire to build Veterans and Woman’s permanent housing.
This agreement between Supervisor Spitzer and Mayor Wagner comes at a time where the entire County has joined in a concerted movement to site and build affordable permanent housing that blends into the aesthetics and housing stock of specific communities and resolves and addresses the need for permanent supportive housing and not temporary structures of tents.
Mayor Wagner and Supervisor Spitzer intend to share this plan with Federal District Court Judge David O. Carter at a hearing called by Judge Carter for April 3, 2018 where he has asked all 34 Orange County Cities to be prepared to answer the question as to how each city will contribute to addressing homelessness in Orange County.
Read more: http://www.ocgov.com/civicax/inc/blobfetch.aspx?BlobID=73815 |
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| Supervisor Spitzer Joins CHOC Hospital for Opening of Mental Health Center |
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Supervisor Spitzer spoke on the valuable partnership the County and CHOC have developed. |
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“I am so proud of the partnership the County and CHOC Children's have developed over the years,” Supervisor Spitzer said during his remarks at the Grand Opening of CHOC's Mental Health Inpatient Center in Orange on Tuesday, March 27.
CHOC is helping the County take strides to meet the needs of our young people and remove the stigma around mental health. One in five children suffer from a mental health condition by the age of 14. But through the combined efforts of the County and CHOC, those children can begin to receive the treatment and care they deserve.
Supervisor Spitzer was pleased to announce at the event that the Board of Supervisors approved an additional $1,000,000 in funding for CHOC’s Mental Health Inpatient Center for the next two years.
Supervisor Spitzer was joined by some wonderful guest speakers, including Pastor Rick Warren and Kay Warren, Kim Cripe, President and CEO of CHOC, David Dukes, Chairman of the Board of CHOC, and Gavyn Bailey, a patient at CHOC. |
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| Blue Ribbon Month Kick-Off Ceremony |
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Honorees attend the Blue Ribbon Kick-Off Ceremony to increase awareness of child abuse prevention. |
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 April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and a special ceremony was held on Wednesday, March 28 at Bowers Museum to kick-off the month-long campaign to remind people about child abuse prevention.
During the ceremony, eight children who died in 2017 as a result of child abuse were solemnly remembered.
Congratulations to the very special people who were honored: Carlos Carney, Exchange Club of Irvine; Joanna Hussey, County of Orange Social Services Agency; and Honorable Maria D. Hernandez, Orange County Superior Court Judge. CBS2/KCAL9 News Reporter Michele Gile was the emcee for the event.
To discuss or report child abuse, call 714-940-1000 or 800-207-4464, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. |
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| Hundreds Turn Out for Persian Yew Year |
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A colorful stage kept performers and honorees out of the sun during the Nowruz Festival in Irvine. |
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Hundreds of people celebrated the Persian New Year on Sunday, March 25 at the 5th annual Nowruz Festival in Irvine. Nowruz marks the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one in Iranian culture.
This annual event featured live performances, Persian food, tea and cookies, Backgammon, children's activities and cultural displays.
Congratulations to the Iranian-American community for hosting a very successful event, which was enjoyed by the many people who attended.
Lots of people stopped by the festive event, including Assemblyman Matthew Harper, Mission Viejo Mayor Pro Tem Greg Raths, Laguna Niguel Councilman Fred Minagar and Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes. |
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| Grand Opening of OC Animal Care Shelter |
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Attendees celebrate inside the brand new OC Animal Care Shelter Grand Opening on March 24. |
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 The Third District was host to the much-anticipated Grand Opening of the OC Animal Care Shelter in Tustin.
The new shelter is spread over 10 acres, thoughtfully designed to provide exceptional animal care and a warm, inviting environment for staff, volunteers and all who visit.
More than 2,000 people attended the grand opening on Saturday, March 24.
The new shelter is located at 1630 Victory Rd in Tustin and is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm for adoptions!
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| Survive and Thrive 5K Run/Walk |
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| Supervisor Todd Spitzer is partnering with Crime Survivors to support victims through the Survive and Thrive 5K Run/Walk on April 14 at the future site of the Crime Victims’ Monument in Mason Regional Park, Irvine. Don’t miss this morning of healing and encouragement. |
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Silverado 62nd Annual Firefighter’s Easter Sunday Pancake Breakfast
Sunday, April 1, 7:00 am–12:00 pm |
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| OCTA Seeks Volunteers to Serve on Citizens Advisory Committee |
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Are you interested in the transportation needs of Orange County? If so, we need your help. The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) has openings and we’re recruiting new members. Applications for this OCTA Board-appointed committee are due May 1.
CAC members provide input on a broad spectrum of transportation projects, studies, and outreach activities. During their two-year terms, they identify opportunities for community input, recommend methods for obtaining feedback on specific transportation issues, serve as liaisons between the public and OCTA, and participate in roundtable discussions. Potential committee members should demonstrate a history of participating in community activities and transportation issues, and be willing to dedicate at least 15 hours per year to OCTA meetings and activities. Applications are available here.
For additional information, please contact Karina Diez at (714) 560-5321 or mailto:kdiez@octa.net. |
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| Pet of the Week |
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Click on the image above to view a PDF version. |
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| Events Around the District |
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Anaheim
Preschool Storytime
Friday, April 9, 10:30 am – 11:00 am
Anaheim Canyon Hills, 400 Scout Trail
Up & Away!
Saturday, April 10, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
East Anaheim Branch Library, 8201 East Santa Ana Canyon Road
Irvine
Orange County Great Park Farmers Market
Sunday, April 1, 10:00 am — 2:00 pm
Orange County Great Park, 6950 Marine Way
Park Explorations
Saturday, April 7, 11:00 am — 3:00 pm
Palm Court Arts Complex
Orange
Relaxing Coloring Program for Adults
Saturday, April 7, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Main Library Community Room, 407 E. Chapman Ave.
Monday Mysteries Book Club
Monday, April 23, 2:00 am — 3:00 am
Main Library Community Room, 407 E. Chapman Ave.
Silverado
Family Drop-In Crafts
Saturday, April 7, 11:00 am — 2:00 pm
Library of the Canyons, 7531 East Santiago Canyon Rd.
Tustin
Farmer’s Market
Wednesday, April 4, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
El Camino Real & W. 3rd St.
Family Sunset Storytime
Wednesday, April 11, 5:00 pm – 5:45 pm
Tustin Library, 345 E. Main Street
Villa Park
Music and Movement Storytime
Thursday, April 8, 11:00 am – 11:45 am
Villa Park Library, 17865 Santiago Blvd.
Yorba Linda
Collegiate Forum: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence
Monday, April 9, 7:00 pm
Richard Nixon Library and Museum, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Pizza and Pages: Teen Book Club
Tuesday, April 10, 5:30 pm — 6:30 pm
Yorba Linda Public Library, 18181 Imperial Highway
For questions or comments regarding Spitzer’s E-Newsletter
please contact the Supervisor's office staff at: (714) 834-3330 or Montana.Sudul@ocgov.com
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