| Board of Supervisors |
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| Welcome to Nelson's E-News! |
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Thank you for reading this edition of my newsletter. I hope you find the information below very helpful. As always, I appreciate and look forward to your feedback. Please have a safe Labor Day weekend. Below, you will find some information on travel during this holiday weekend.
The next Board of Supervisors meeting will be Tuesday, September 9 at 9:30am in the Hall of Administration – 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana 92701. Please note that County offices will be closed on Monday, September 1 in observance of Labor Day.
Sincerely,
Shawn Nelson |
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| OCTA |
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| OCTA Supports Active Transportation Projects |
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The OCTA Board approved assigning points to several Active Transportation project applications on Monday. Orange County submitted 62 projects for funding in the most recent Active Transportation Program call for projects. On August 20, the first round of State grants funded nine of those projects at $5.7 million.
Round two would see additional projects submitted through the Southern California Association of Governments. OCTA assigned up to ten points to a project based on the authority’s guidelines that could result in $13 million of further funding. Following the adoption, sixteen projects meet the funding threshold, including several OC Bicycle Loop segments in the Fourth District.
See the entire list of projects below.
Active Transportation Program Prioritized Projects
In addition, the Board received an update on the current bicycle safety outreach. The presentation may be found below.
Bicycle Program Outreach
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| Bike Loop Update |
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The OCTA hosted two public meetings this week to provide residents and riders with information about the project and discuss options for the next steps. The first meeting was held on Tuesday at the Seal Beach Community Center and the second on the following day at the Fullerton Community Center.
Supervisor Nelson attended the Fullerton meeting to hear some of the residents’ suggestions. After a brief overview of the project, some of the approximately 40 attendees asked questions that included funding sources and inclusion of pedestrian walkways alongside the bicycle lanes. At the end of the evening, attendees had the opportunity to suggest alternative routes to completing the bike loop at different stations representing the various segments. |
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Top left: attendees listen to the OC Bike Loop overview; top right: Supervisor Nelson speaks with attendees about bike loop options; bottom left: Supervisor Nelson speaks to his Deputy Chief of Staff Mark Lopez and OCTA’s Active Transportation Coordinator Paul Martin after the meeting; bottom right: attendees take their chance to suggest the best routes to completing the bike loop. |
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| OC Metrolink's Seven Summer Treasures |
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Summer is almost over, but before it is, be sure to ride the OC Metrolink and enjoy OC’s Seven Summer Treasures. The OCTA Board received a presentation on this exciting promotional program that included stops in San Juan Capistrano, Orange and Anaheim. Metrolink pass holders receive discounts on admission to local venues.
Watch the Seven Summer Treasures video here. You can read the presentation below.
Metrolink Weekend Ridership |
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| OC Fair Express Sets Ridership Records |
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In just over one month this summer, nearly 77,000 people made their way to the Orange County Fair via the OC Fair Express, which set a ridership record for the second year in a row. From July 11 to August 10, the special bus service offered by OCTA reported 76,952 total boardings. This year’s numbers represent a 31% increase compared to last year’s ridership of 58,706.
The OC Fair Express provided non-stop direct service from eight park-and-ride lots to the OC Fair. Buses ran hourly between approximately noon and midnight on Friday and 9:30 a.m. and midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Bus fare was $2 each way, and passengers received a coupon for $3 admission, saving up to $9 off regular ticket prices.
OCTA is proud to provide this affordable and convenient service to fairgoers across the county annually. The partnership between OCTA, the Orange County Fair and Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee continues to be successful, and we look forward to bringing back the service year after year.
Improving service with each fair season, this summer OCTA introduced a free OC Fair Express mobile app, which boosted awareness and ridership. The app allowed fairgoers to purchase bus passes and find routes, boarding locations and schedules using their smart phones. More than 4,700 fairgoers downloaded the app and 4,224 purchased mobile tickets.
The special bus service was made possible in part by a $600,000 grant provided by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, which provides subsidies for cleaner transportation alternatives. If you missed the OC Fair this year, the Express will be back in 2015.
The MSRC also helps fund the Angels Express service, a partnership of OCTA and Metrolink that provides round-trip train service to all Angels weekday home games that begin at 7:05 p.m. Additionally, this year the Angels Express travels to every Friday night game on the Inland Empire-Orange County Line.
For details on the trains, visit the website here. |
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| In the Community |
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| St. Jude Tour |
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| Last week Supervisor Nelson along with Fourth District staff member Scott Carpenter were invited to tour the new facility at Saint Jude Medical Center. St. Jude's President and CEO Lee Penrose gave Supervisor Nelson a personal tour of the brand new state of the art building that is set to open in a few months. The facility is under budget and ahead of schedule and completely funded by private funds. A long time staple in the Fullerton community, St. Jude's newest expansion will only add to the top notch medical services that St. Jude already provides to the community. |
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| ViewSonic Grand Opening |
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| On August 21, ViewSonic was proud to open their new location in Brea. ViewSonic is an internationally recognized leader in the innovation of visual display technology and has a track record of producing many industry firsts. The Fourth District is proud to welcome this award winning company to the community because of their commitment to quality, reliability and performance. As an environmentally responsible company, ViewSonic uses LCDs that meet tough environmental standards, strive to minimize waste, and are committed to reduce their use of harmful materials and substances that cause damage to the environment. |
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Staff member from the 4th District presents a certificate to ViewSonic to honor the Grand Opening of their new location in Brea. |
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| Florentine’s Downtown Grill Ribbon Cutting |
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| On Thursday, August 21, Florentine’s Downtown Grill in Fullerton hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to honor their 25th anniversary. For the past quarter-century, Florentine’s has been a staple in the community where people can socialize and enjoy great food and drinks in a laid back atmosphere. The bar and grill is located in downtown Fullerton at 102 N. Harbor Boulevard. |
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Staff member from the 4th District presenting an award to Joe Florentine,
owner of Florentine’s Downtown Grill to commemorate their 25th anniversary. |
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| Announcements |
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| Do you know any hometown heroes? |
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The Fourth District is accepting submissions to recognize unsung heroes in our community.
This may include public safety, first responders, or friends and neighbors who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in everyday life to enrich our community.
To share your story, please call or email Audra Fishel: Audra.Fishel@ocgov.com 714-834-3440 |
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| Labor Day Travel Tips |
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During the Labor Day holiday weekend, John Wayne Airport anticipates a busier-than-normal travel period through Tuesday, September 2. More than 145,000 passengers traveled through JWA during the same period in 2013 with the busiest travel days being the Friday before and Labor Day.
Visitors to JWA during this holiday period can check the Airport homepage, www.ocair.com, for real-time flight status and the most up-to-date construction activities around the Riley Terminal. Drivers are encouraged to exercise caution when navigating Airport roadways and to follow posted speed limits.
Travel Tips from JWA
- Arrive 90 minutes to two hours before flight departure times to find parking, check luggage and go through the security checkpoint. International travelers should arrive three hours prior to flight departure times. Passengers who are members of TSA Pre-Check can expedite the screening process.
- Drivers picking up passengers at the Airport are encouraged to utilize 2-hour parking spaces, located on the lower level of Parking Structures A1, B2 and C.
- Color-coded and numbered columns along the white curb on the Arrival (lower) Level roadway make meeting arriving passengers even easier.
- JWA Yellow Cab service is available at the Ground Transportation Center on the Arrival (lower) Level between Terminals A and B. Passengers arriving in Terminal C can call JWA Yellow Cab from the Taxi Phone in Terminal C (near Baggage Carousel 5), for pickup at Column 14 on the Arrival (lower) Level.
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Color-coded and numbered columns make meeting arriving passengers easy.
Column 14 is the JWA Yellow Cab pickup location for Terminal C. |
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Parking Options at JWA
- All access to Terminal parking is from the Departure (upper) Level roadway.
- Curbside Valet Parking is available for $30 per day or $10 per hour.
- Terminal Parking Structures A1, A2, B2 and C self-parking are $20 per day and $2 per hour with the first 15 minutes being free.
- Off-Site Main Street Parking Lot located at 1512 Main St., Irvine for $14 per day with free shuttle service to/from the Riley Terminal every 15 minutes.
Know Before You Go from TSA and CBP
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| Toll Roads Update |
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After cash toll collection ended on Orange County's toll roads on May 14, a program was implemented to ease drivers’ transition to the new all-electronic toll collection system. The program has been extended as The Toll Roads study data about usage, payments, feedback from customers and reports from customer service representatives.
As part of the program:
- Penalty fees for first-time violations are waived if the tolls incurred are paid within 30 days of receiving a notice of toll evasion. Approximately 40 percent of violation notices are sent to people who never before received a violation notice.
- Drivers without a pre-established tolling account can pay tolls online within seven days after driving the roads using the One-Time-Toll™ payment option. One-Time-Toll was developed to be used within 48 hours of driving the roads. Data is being reviewed to determine if the One-Time-Toll payment timeframe will be extended permanently.
The following improvements have been (or are being) implemented:
- Additional road signs have been installed. There are now 414 signs on the roadway informing drivers that they are on a tolled road; that cash is not accepted; that tolls can be paid electronically via a pre-established account or online using the One-Time-Toll payment option; and that a violation will be issued if tolls are not paid.
- Information about the closure of cash booths and how to pay online has been added to changeable message signs located on freeways leading to The Toll Roads.
- Information about the penalty relief for first-time violations is inserted into first-time violation notices. The notice also includes information about how to sign up for a FasTrak® or ExpressAccount® for future trips.
- To support the conversion, 14 employees were added to the customer service department. Six additional temporary customer service representatives have been added and 20 more are in the process of being added.
- Forty-six additional phone lines are being added to the customer call center. To accommodate callers.
- Adjustments have been made to information on the website to address common questions.
- Outreach programs to the general public; Spanish-speaking community; tourism industry; rental car agencies; seniors; college campuses; and military are being expanded and revamped as needed.
Approximately 250,000 people drive The Toll Roads every day as a way to avoid traffic congestion and save time. Approximately 91% of customers pay with either a FasTrak, ExpressAccount or with the One-Time-Toll online payment feature. Since May 14, 65,269 ExpressAccounts have been opened and 440,267 Drivers have paid using One-Time-Toll.
Five ways to pay tolls on The Toll Roads:
- FasTrak: Establish a prepaid account, pay tolls that are $1 less than all other drivers pay and receive a transponder that allows you to pay tolls electronically on every tolled bridge, lane and road in California.
- Charge ExpressAccount: Establish an account with no prepayment. Drive The Toll Roads and your daily tolls are charged to your credit card. You cannot use this account to pay tolls on any other bridge, lane or road.
- Invoice ExpressAccount: Establish an account with no prepayment. Drive The Toll Roads and, at the end of the month, receive an invoice for your accumulated tolls. This account includes an invoice fee. You cannot use this account to pay tolls on any other bridge, lane or road.
- Prepaid ExpressAccount: Establish a prepaid account. Drive The Toll Roads and tolls are deducted from your prepaid account. You cannot use this account to pay tolls on any other bridge, lane or roads.
- One-Time-Toll payment option: Drive The Toll Roads and within 48 hours after your drive, use our website or free app to pay your toll(s) with a credit card.
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Click on the image above to view a larger version. |
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| County Commissions and Committees |
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The 4th District has vacant appointments on the following commissions or committees:
- Oversight Board of the Successor to the City of Redevelopment Agency (Buena Park and Anaheim)
- Community Action Partnership of OC
- Treasury Oversight Committee Member
- Bylaws
- Application
If you are interested in serving on one of these Committees, please call Audra Fishel at (714) 834.3440 |
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| OC Animal Care |
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Click on the image above to view a larger version. |
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| Events |
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Anaheim
What: Downtown Anaheim Farmers’ Market
Where: Center Street Promenade
When: September 4, 2014
Time: 12:00-7:00pm
Brea
What: “It’s Your Estate”
Where: Brea Senior Center – 500 Sievers Avenue Brea, CA 92821
When: Tuesdays, Sept/Oct
Time: 1:30pm – 3pm
Call to Register: (714) 992-3033
What: LEAD$ Lunch
Where: 900 E. Birch Street, Brea, CA 92821
When: September 10, 2014
Time: 11:45 AM - 1:15 PM
Buena Park
What: Ehlers Plaza Grand Opening Dinner and Concert
Where: Ehlers Community Center
When: September 6, 2014
Time: 6:00pm
What: Forever Plaid
Where: Walter D. Ehlers Recreation Center
8150 Knott Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90621
When: August 29, 2014
Time: 8:15pm
Fullerton
What: Fullerton Arboretum Heritage House Tours
Where: Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Rd., Fullerton
When: August 30, 2014
Time: 2:00-3:00pm
What: Soroptimist International of Fullerton Luncheon
Where: Howard Johnson Hotel (formerly Anaheim Park Hotel), 222 W. Houston Way., Fullerton
When: September 1, 2014
Time: 12:15-1:15pm
La Habra
What: ConnectUp
Where: Corner Bakery Cafe 1040 W. Imperial Highway, La Habra, CA 90631
When: September 4, 2014
Time: 8:00-9:00pm
What: La Habra Oktoberfest
Where: 1040 W. Imperial Hwy., La Habra, CA 90631
When: September 27, 2014
Time: 3:00-11:00pm
Placentia
What: Lunch Mob
Where: Tlaquepaque Restaurant, 101 W. Santa Fe Avenue, Placentia
When: September 9, 2014
Time: 11:30-1:00pm
What: Wake up Placentia
Where: Bradford Square Vintage Senior Living, 1180 No. Bradford Avenue, Placentia
When: Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Time: 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
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For questions or comments regarding Nelson’s E-News
please contact the Supervisor's office staff:
Audra Fishel Ph: 714-834-3440 Email: Audra.Fishel@ocgov.com. |
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Denis Bilodeau
Chief of Staff
Mark Lopez
Deputy Chief of Staff
Audra Fishel
Policy Advisor /
Communications Director
Steve Spernak
Policy Advisor
Scott Carpenter
Policy Advisor
Natalie Wieckert
Staff Aide
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| Stay Connected! |
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