| August 9, 2018 |
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Volume 6 Issue 27 |
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| Holy Fire Breaks Out in Third District |
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The Holy Jim Fire as captured on August 6. Photo credit: Cleveland National Forest, Twitter. |
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Cameras on the Southern California Edison Towers on Santiago Peak help firefighters detect fires earlier and respond more effectively. Photo courtesy of Southern California Edison. |
Reports of a fire in Holy Jim Canyon/Trabuco Canyon started coming in the afternoon on Tuesday, August 6. By the end of the day, the fire had swelled to several thousand acres and was at 0% containment.
The most recent update placed the first at 9,600 acres and 5% containment. Nearly 700 personnel are onsite responding to the blaze, and evacuation orders are in place for Holy Jim Cabins, Blue Jay Campground, and Falcon Campground.
After the Canyon 1 and 2 fires that swept his district last fall, Supervisor Todd Spitzer was at the forefront of advocating for expanded prevention measures to be enacted to respond faster and more accurately to wildfires.
“We can send a man to the moon, we can send a satellite to Mars, but we can’t predict when a large fire breaks out. Well, now we can,” Spitzer said at an Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) press conference unveiling a system of cameras on Santiago Peak that can detect smoke miles away. The system is one of the first in the state that in shows in real time the trajectory of a fire based on weather conditions and topography. Six cameras—four stationary and two that can swivel—are already in place, and additional towers housing a total of 100 cameras will be built in the next year.
View live footage from these cameras at http://www.alertwildfire.org/orangecoca/
The threat of wildfires has become a year-round concern in California. In wake of the high number of wildfires across the state, it is a good idea to review your family’s preparedness for a disaster. Visit Orange County Fire Authority for more: https://www.ocfa.org/SafetyPrograms/DisasterPreparedness.aspx.
Take the Online Home Assessment Quiz
Visit https://www.ocfa.org/RSG/HomeAssessment and take the quick home assessment form to estimate your home’s vulnerability to wildfire. Use the tips provided to help protect your home from a wildfire. Homes have a better chance of surviving wildfires because of what homeowners do to prepare for them ahead of time.
For more information, please visit the OCFA website or call (714) 573-6774 to schedule a wildfire home assessment.
Make a Disaster Plan
- Meet with your family, neighbors, coworkers, and schools to create a plan, share responsibilities and work together as a team.
- Pick two places to meet:
- outside your home, in case of a sudden emergency or
- outside your neighborhood, in case you can't return home
- Have an "out-of-state contact" for family members to call. For a card, visit www.ocfa.org
- Post emergency numbers and teach children how to call 9-1-1 for assistance
- Conduct fire and emergency evacuation drills
- Consider food and shelter for pets
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| Supervisor Spitzer Joins a Unanimous Board to take Action to Stop “Needle Exchange” in Orange County |
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Supervisor Spitzer (C) joined demonstrators in Costa Mesa to protest the State’s approval of a needle exchange program in Orange County. |
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The Board of Supervisors, at an emergency Board meeting, took action to initiate litigation on behalf of the County of Orange and the Orange County Flood Control District against Respondents/Defendants California Department of Public Health (“DPH”), Karen L. Smith, DPH Director, and the Orange County Needle Exchange Program. The Board authorized County Counsel to notify Defendants/Respondents of intention to apply ex parte for a temporary restraining order.
“Crime is out of control throughout the County. This is not just an issue of needle exchange,” Supervisor Spitzer said. “The program provides paraphernalia like cookers with no parameters or accountability for the disposal. The state wants to hand out, like candy in neighborhoods, what was once illegal to possess. This is causing a major public safety issue and will fuel already rising crime rates.”
Spitzer emphasized that this is not a stand-alone public safety issue. In Orange County violent crime has already skyrocketed 20%; property crime has risen 17%; and auto burglary is up 40%. There is no doubt that the reckless policies that enable illegal behavior has already threatened Orange County and its residents’ and communities’ safety.
“The needle exchange program is a misnomer; the ratio of needles received to needles distributed is 1:20,” Supervisor Spitzer explained. “The program plans to distribute and collect 1,000,000 needles annually.”
“We are finding needles in our parks, outside our libraries, and on our streets. This is a transparent threat to the safety of our communities.”
On Thursday, August 2, Supervisor Todd Spitzer joined dozens of residents from across the County to support the city of Costa Mesa in taking a stand against the California Department of Public Health’s outrageous authorization of a needle exchange program in Orange County. The proposed mobile needle exchange service was approved by the State to start in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange and Costa Mesa as early as August 6th.
“This program is another aspect of crime out of control in Orange County. This is tolerance for lawlessness—which is becoming the norm not the exception—and the County is getting inundated with soft-on-crime measures like this,” Supervisor Spitzer said.
In June the Board of Supervisors joined the cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Orange and Santa Ana in unequivocally opposing a needle exchange program in Orange County. The meeting was called to hold an emergency special meeting to consider the County’s options in opposing the implementation of this dangerous program. |
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| Villa Park Summer Concert |
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Supervisor Spitzer joined the Villa Park Community Services Foundation, who were selling cookies donated by Corner Bakery. |
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Jason Lohrke performing as Neil Diamond at Villa Park High School. |
Supervisor Spitzer spoke to Villa Park residents to introduce Jason Lohrke playing early Neil Diamond songs at the Villa Park Summer Concert, Villa Park’s annual concert to support local organizations, on Wednesday August 1.
Thanks to Mayor Robert Collacott, Mayor Pro Tem Vince Rossini, and Councilmembers Diana Fascenelli, Bill Nelson, and Robert "Robbie" Pitts for supporting the concert. Thanks as well to the Villa Park Community Services Foundation for funding and the Orange Unified School District for providing the location. |
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| Supervisor Spitzer Joins Kung Fu Fighters at the OC Parks Sunset Cinema Series |
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Supervisor Spitzer and karate kids from OC Martial Arts and Fitness. |
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Kung fu masters from OC Martial Arts and Fitness demonstrate their kung fu skills. |
Everybody was kung fu fighting at the OC Parks Sunset Cinema movie, featuring the classic The Karate Kid. Supervisor Spitzer joined students from OC Martial Arts & Fitness to demonstrate some of their karate skills and to introduce the movie.
The whole crowd was pleased to see these karate kids during this family friendly sunset movie.
Visit www.ocparks.com for details on the next movie. |
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| Supervisor Spitzer, Chair of the Public Saftey and Outreach on the OC Drowning Prevention Task Force, Reminds You to Swim Safely this Summer! |
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 Summer is winding down as children start heading back to school, but it is as important as ever to be diligent about water safety.
Supervisor Todd Spitzer is teaming up with the OC Drowning Prevention Taskforce to raise awareness of water safety.
Downing is the leading cause of accidental deaths by children under the age of five in Orange County, and adults age 50 and older account for 50% of drownings every year.
Drowning is 100% preventable. Barriers, such as fences around pools, help reduce a child’s ability to get near the water. Swim lessons are also encouraged to help young children and older-adults become stronger swimmers.
Always watch your children around water, designate a water-watcher at group events and think twice – bring a buddy and never swim alone. These important precautions will help keep everyone safer through the summer. |
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| Silverado Canyon Road Pavement Rehabilitation: July 26—August 24 |
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| Community Meeting: Live Oak Canyon Rd/Trabuco Canyon Rd Safety Improvement Project |
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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
Book Discussion for Adults
Thursday, August 23, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
East Anaheim Branch Library, 8201 East Santa Ana Canyon Road
FOCAL Summer Book Sale
Thursday, August 23, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Anaheim Canyon Hills, 400 Scout Trail
Irvine
Orange County Great Park Farmers Market
Sunday, August 12, 10:00 am—2:00 pm
Orange County Great Park, 6950 Marine Way
Sizzlin’ Summer Concert: The Emperors (Classic Rock)
Sunday, August 12, 5:30 pm
Mike Ward Community Park, 20 Lake Road
Orange
Countdown to Kindergarten
Saturday, August 11, 2:00 pm—3:00 pm
Library Main Community Room, 407 E. Chapman Ave.
Food Safety & Fermentation Presented by the UCCE Master Food Preservers OC
Monday, August 13, 6:00 pm—7:00 pm
Library Community Room, 407 E. Chapman Ave.
Silverado
Family Movie: The Avengers: Infinity War
Wednesday, August 15, 4:00 pm — 6:00 pm
Library of the Canyons, 7531 East Santiago Canyon Rd.
Tustin
Movies in the Park: Coco
Thursday, August 9, 5:30 pm
Frontier Park, 1400 W. Mitchell Ave.
Family Sunset Storytime
Wednesday, August 15, 5:00 pm
Tustin Library, 345 E. Main Street
Villa Park
Book Chat
Wednesday, August 15, 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Villa Park Library, 17865 Santiago Blvd.
Yorba Linda
Musical Journey Around the World
Saturday, August 18, 2:00 pm — 3:30 pm
Yorba Linda Public Library, 18181 Imperial Highway
Sunday Concerts: Ragtime piano, Eric Marchese and Friends
Sunday, August 19, 1:30 pm
Richard Nixon Library and Museum, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.
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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