NELSON TEAM
Denis Bilodeau
Chief of Staff

Audra Adams
Policy Advisor /
Communications Director

Steve Spernak
Policy Advisor

David Zenger
Policy Advisor

Scott Carpenter
Policy Advisor

Mark Lopez
Policy Advisor

Neha Sata
Executive Aide

Kristin Gilbart
District Representative

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Welcome to Nelson's E-News!

Welcome once again to my newsletter.

I hope that you will find the information contained within it useful and enlightening. There are several updates about the business of your County government and events happening in your community.

One item worth noting: with spring around the corner and schools traditionally out of session for a week, the Brea Community Center has a great children’s program available. Please continue reading for more details.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors will be Tuesday, April 3 at 9:30am in the Board Hearing Room in the Hall of Administration, 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd. in the City of Santa Ana. The Board is dark on Tuesday, April 10.

Sincerely,
Shawn Nelson.

At the Board’s meeting on March 20, the County’s Washington, D.C. advocate gave a presentation to Supervisors summarizing federal legislative issues that impact Orange County. Among the updates: the ongoing Santa Ana River project, the County’s stalled attempt to allow existing employees to opt down from the “2.7 at 55” pension plan to “1.62 at 65” and transportation funding.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) submitted a reduction in funding for the Santa Ana River Project. Federal financial assistance is needed to complete this project, with the goal of protecting residents from flooding in a three-county area, which includes Orange County. In addition, no federal support has been given to help the County in its pension reform efforts, despite the County-approved “1.62 at 65” tier and state-passed SB 752 in 2009. Due to the delay, a legislative fix through the County’s Congressional delegation may be the only recourse.

The update also included the latest on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), of which the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the law’s constitutionality earlier this week.

Below is the full presentation.
http://bos.ocgov.com/legacy4/newsletters/pdfs/Vol3Issue6/
County Leg PDF.pdf

The Board unanimously appointed Supervisor Nelson’s nominee, Sandra Pierce, to the Children and Families Commission as one of the Education members.

Sandra has extensive background and experience in the educational field, having been “on the ground” as a pre-school teacher and director for more than 20 years, the age range the commission targets. She is also familiar with the progression of the local school system, having graduated high school and college in Orange County. This gives her unique perspective into how education has changed and what areas still require improvement to enhance the lives of children and families in Orange County.

Each year, the Chair will select two Supervisors to bring one nominee each to the full Board for consideration to serve on the Children and Families Commission, one in the Health field and the other in Education, in addition to the Regular Board appointee’s nomination for one of the two categories.

The Board also appointed Katherine Ahn and reappointed Dr. Maria Minon as Health members. All three will serve terms from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2014. The commission’s next meeting is Wednesday, April 4..

The Board voted unanimously to negotiate multi-year contracts of at least five years with the cities that utilize the Sheriff’s Department for police services, beginning in FY 2013-14.

Meeting the pension obligations for retirees has become more challenging recently, given the adoption of the “3% at 50” pension formula for public safety employees, of which Sheriff’s deputies are included, and the impact of the economic downturn on pension fund returns.

The Sheriff’s Department currently contracts its services to twelve cities throughout Orange County. The Board began exploring options to reduce the unfunded liability owed to retirees and bring some stability to the County’s budget by increasing the duration of the contracts.

The vote comes after discussion with the city managers of the affected cities. Further details will be finalized, such as a minimum time-frame for notification of contract cancellation. The response to the Board directive, including all options, can be found here.

Last Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors was set to appoint Shaun Skelly as the new Auditor-Controller, replacing David Sundstrom who departed January 31. However, his appointment has been continued to the Tuesday, April 17, allowing him ample opportunity to meet with each Supervisor individually prior to taking the post.

Mr. Skelly has worked at the County of Orange since 1981 and in the office of the Auditor-Controller since 2002. He has served as interim Auditor-Controller since the departure of Sundstrom two months ago. If appointed, he would fill the remainder of the current four-year term before standing for election in 2014.

Click here to learn more about the Auditor-Controller department.

In April 2011, Supervisor Nelson and the OCTA began working with the six Fourth District cities and Yorba Linda to identify ten bicycle corridors in northern Orange County totaling over 100 miles of trails. Bicycle user groups also attended to determine the feasibility of selected routes. Completed in December 2011, this initiative plans to connect residents to transit stations, colleges and other destinations.

Throughout last year, the collaborative worked diligently to accommodate the many bicyclists present in this highly urbanized portion of Orange County, forming partnerships to demonstrate regional support when applying for grant dollars and close gaps in the existing network of bikeways. The final report, billed as the Fourth District Bikeways Strategy, summarizes the accomplishments made by the collaborative over the last year and provides an implementation strategy for stakeholders.

Below, please see the executive summary and PowerPoint presentation given to the Board of Directors, which includes a graphic of the bicycle corridor locations.

http://bos.ocgov.com/legacy4/newsletters/pdfs/Vol3Issue6/bikeways 1.pdf

http://bos.ocgov.com/legacy4/newsletters/pdfs/Vol3Issue6/bikeways 2.pdf

Unable to devote the appropriate attention and attend the meetings of two OCTA committees, the Board of Directors formally replaced Supervisor Nelson at Monday’s meeting. Supervisor Nelson recently resigned from both the Transit and the State Route 91 committees due to scheduling conflicts with other regional agencies on which he serves.

In addition to participating on the full Board of Directors, Supervisor Nelson continues to serve as Vice Chair of the Regional Planning and Highways Committee. This committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Board regarding freeway improvements and regional projects. For more information on the Board’s membership, meeting schedule and areas under its purview, please visit the OCTA website.

if you’re a working parent, it’s time to register your child for Spring Break Day Camp. The program will provide fun and variety for elementary school children from April 9 through 13 at the Brea Community Center.

Brea kids, ages 6 to 12, will be kept busy with sports, games, crafts, and even a movie excursion during the spring break week. They just need to bring a lunch each day and be ready for fun with friends. Parents can get to work knowing that their child’s activities are supervised from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The affordable fee of $125 covers the entire week of activity.

To register, call 714-990-7100, or stop by the front counter at the Community Center. For programming questions, call 714-990-7631.

If interested, there are also several programs available for pre-school age children.

Click on the image above to view a larger version.

Click on the image above to view a larger version.

Supervisor Nelson joined thousands of Veterans, residents, family and friends who paid their respects to the 58,000 fallen patriots whose names are enshrined on the traveling “Wall that Heals” Viet Nam Memorial replica that was on display last weekend in Placentia. Special thanks to the Mayors and city staff from Brea, Fullerton and Placentia who helped Greg Gillaspy and Brea City Councilmember and Veteran Ron Garcia deliver the memorial project to Tri-City Park. Supervisor Nelson attended the Friday night candle-lighting ceremony and MIA tribute table that honored the men still missing from the Viet Nam War.

At the Walt Disney Company’s (NYSE: DIS) Annual Shareholder meeting in Kansas City, President and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger announced Heroes Work Here, a new company-wide initiative to hire, train and support returning veterans. The new program continues Disney’s long history of respect and appreciation for the U.S. Armed Forces by expanding the company’s commitment to recognize and honor the sacrifice and service of these men and women.

As part of the initiative, Disney will provide at least 1,000 jobs and career opportunities for returning U.S. veterans over the next three years, support military families and veterans during their transition into civilian life, and launch a national public awareness campaign to encourage all employers across the U.S. to hire veterans.

In addition to providing career opportunities for veterans, Disney will also invest in select non-profit organizations that provide training and other support services. Through the Disney VoluntEARS program, employees will also engage in service projects with veterans’ organizations in communities around the country. The public awareness campaign, featuring veterans currently employed in various businesses across The Walt Disney Company, will highlight their value, encourage companies to hire these highly skilled men and women, and direct them to the Joining Forces initiative for more information.

Mr. Iger debuted the first spot at the conference, which can be viewed here: http://di.sn/HeroesWorkHere

Information about Heroes Work Here and available positions for veterans can be found at a dedicated section of the Disney Careers Website.

Anaheim
What: Anaheim Art & Food Fest
Where: The Grove of Anaheim
When: Sunday, April 22, 2012
Time: 10 am – 5 pm

Brea
What: Family Resource Center Health Fair
Where: Brea Community Center
When: Saturday, April 21, 2012
Time: 9 am – 12 pm

Buena Park
What: Spring Eggstravaganza
Where: Boisseranc Park, 7520 Dale St.
When: Saturday, April 2, 2012
Time: 8 am – 2 pm

Fullerton
What: Community Center FREE Preventative Health Care
Where: 400 W. Commonwealth Ave., Room 8B
When: Monday, April 9, 2012
Time: 9 am – 2 pm

Placentia
What: Relion Ribbon Cutting
Where: 1150 E Orangethorpe Ave., Ste. 108A, Placentia
Time: 4 pm – 5 pm

Placentia
What: Blood Drive at Placentia Linda Hospital
Where: 1301 N Rose Drive Placentia, CA 92870
When: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Time: 10:30 am – 3:30 pm

Reminder that Tuesday, April 10 is the last day to pay the second installment of your secured property tax bill before penalties are added.