| 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.
The next board meeting will be Tuesday, December 13th at 9:30am in the Hall of Administration – 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana 92701.
Please see photos and descriptions below of some of the events our office was able to attend in the community this week. If you were unable to attend, there are other events listed at the end of this newsletter.
Sincerely,
Shawn Nelson |
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| Board Updates |
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| 2,361 OC Veterans Apply for Veteran Driver License |
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Veterans Day 2016 marked the first anniversary since the State of California began offering veterans the VETERAN designation on a California driver license or identification (ID) card, intended as a visible and official way of confirming military service.
During the first year of the program, 2,361 veterans visited the Orange County Veterans Service Office (OCVSO) to obtain the Veteran Status Verification form to apply for the special designation. Statewide, approximately 7,400 veterans applied for the special designation.
Orange County processed 32% of those issued statewide, which a remarkable achievement. The county has the fifth largest veteran population in the state.
To obtain the VETERAN designation:
- Locate a certified copy of your military discharge certificate (DD214). If you need assistance in obtaining military records/copies, visit www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel.
- Bring a certified DD214 and valid government identification to the OCVSO and obtain a Veteran Status Verification Form (form must be obtained in person and can’t be downloaded).
- Visit www.dmv.ca.gov or call DMV at (800) 777-0133 to make an appointment. Bring your Veteran Status Verification Form to the DMV. Complete the application, pay any fees including the $5 fee to add the Veteran Designation.
The Orange County Veterans Service Office is ready to assist you at 1300 South Grand Avenue, Building B, Room 247, Santa Ana 92705. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
For more information please visit us at www.veterans.ocgov.com. |
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| OCTA |
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| OCTA Board Moves Forward with I-405 Improvement Project |
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| The OCTA Board took the next major step in improving travel on the I-405 by awarding a $1.2 billion dollar design-build contract for construction of one general purpose lane in each direction from Euclid St. to I-605. This portion of the project fulfills a commitment to voters made under the county’s ½ cent sales tax Measure M. In addition, the I-405 Improvement Project also includes the construction of two lanes in each direction from SR-73 to I-605 to be operated as toll lanes to help better manage congestion along the corridor. The roadway will include HOV lanes for free to continue to encourage carpooling to help manage congestion. This portion of the project will be financed separately and paid by tolls. The project is expected to start construction mid-2017 and completed in late 2022. For more information click this web link for details: http://www.octa.net/Projects-and-Programs/All-Projects/Freeway-Projects/San-Diego-Freeway-(I-405)/I-405-(SR-73-to-I-605)/?frm=7135 |
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| In the Community |
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| Coast Community College District Honors Supervisor Nelson |
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The Coast Community College District hosted a breakfast and legislative roundtable last week honoring local elected officials and community leaders as “Champions of Education,” including Supervisor Nelson.
This event helped culminate the three month “A Class Action: Mendez et al. v. Westminster” exhibit, a highlight of the 1947 case that led the effort to desegregate schools throughout California. It also honored the bravery and strength of the families involved in the case as well as that of Orange County policy makers, who help to keep the spirit of Mendez et al. v. Westminster alive. Deputy Chief of Staff Mark Lopez accepted the award on behalf of Supervisor Nelson. |
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From left to right: Stephanie Eichman, Board Student Trustee; Dr. Lorraine Prinsky, Board Clerk; Mary Hornbuckle, Board Vice President; David Grant, Board President; Deputy Chief of Staff Mark Lopez; Jim Moreno, Board Trustee |
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| Pastathon 2016 at Catarina’s Club |
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It’s a year in the making with KFI staff and members of the Catarina’s Club crew but well-worth the time and toil when tons of pasta and sauce along with hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised to help feed the hotel kids in Anaheim and other cities in Southern California.The 6th annual fundraiser that is run by Chef Bruno Serato is hosted at the White House restaurant on Anaheim Blvd to support the foundation dedicated to his mother now called Catarina’s Club.Their mission began years ago when Catarina discovered local kids who were living on the streets or in hotels had no food for dinner or weekends or where subsisting on potato chips or crackers.That discovery lead to Bruno opening his heart and kitchens to now feed 1800 children a night in Anaheim and six other cities locally.KFI radio partnered with Bruno and donated their air-time, celebrities and staff member in Producer Michelle Kube to pull together the advertising and logistics for the one –day food and fundraising.Kube was contacted by Steve Spernak from the Nelson office who offered to assist with invite-advertising in the Supervisors newsletter that is produced by Audra Fishel and sent out to thousands of residents every two weeks.The Nelson office also offered to help with the City of Anaheim to secure dedicated lanes of traffic to expedite the safe drop-off of cash or pasta that was handled by crews of Smart and Final staffers who hefted pallets of pasta and sauce into 18-wheel trailers behind the White House.Steve Spernak presented Bruno with a commendation for his humanitarian efforts as well as Michelle Kube at KFI and Kaylee Duff who is a Director at Caterina’s Club for their remarkable efforts to raise close to $300 thousand dollars and tons of pasta to help Bruno.
For more information on how you or your company can help Supervisor Nelson and Caterina’s Club, please contact Michelle Kube at michellekube@iheartmedia.com or Kaylee Duff at Kaylee@caterinasclub.org. |
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Policy Advisor Steve Spernak (right) delivered a thank you commendation to Bruno Serato
Policy Advisor Steve Spernak delivered personal thanks from Supervisor Nelson to John and Ken of KFI. |
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| 13th MEU Christmas Toy Drive |
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Supervisor Nelson takes great pride in supporting Veterans and military families year-round but there is something special when he and his staff makes the time to work with the 13th MEU support committee in Anaheim to get gifts delivered for their annual Christmas gala.
Hosted at the community center at Camp Pendleton next week, members of the support committee drove a truck full of toys, bicycles, electronic games, gift cards and stuffed toys to the Marine’s largest West Coast training center this week for Santa to deliver to children at their Christmas luncheon.
The 13th MEU is a command team of some 2,000 Marines, Navy Corpsman and staff who deploy in defense of freedom or occupy missions in support of America’s response to natural disasters in foreign countries.
This year the Marines returned from operations overseas in September and now enjoy family time and training in anticipation of their service in 2017.
Policy Advisor Steve Spernak, whose call-sign becomes “Spernaklaus“ each December, represents the Supervisor at the monthly meetings hosted at the Anaheim City Hall for the 13th MEU committee and helped deliver this year’s toy magic to the Walters’ residence in Anaheim.
For more information on how you or your company can donate year-round to the 13th MEU committee or help make a Merry Christmas moment next year, please contact Steve Spernak at steve.spernak@ocgov.com or Carolyn Walters of the 13th MEU committee at (714) 296-7600. |
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Policy Advisor Steve Spernak (right) delivered toys to Director Wendell Walters. |
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| Placentia Las Posadas and Tamale Festival |
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Supervisor Nelson is proud to be celebrating the 22nd annual Las Posadas and Tamale Festival, a Christmas favorite and tradition enjoyed by thousands in Placentia who brave the cold to enjoy outstanding home-cooked foods and ending in a Mariachi Divas concert.
The Festival begins with a dozen charities, businesses and restaurants who are members or associates of the Santa Fe Downtown Merchants Association who work as the community sponsor in partnership with the City of Placentia.
The evening is filled with thousands mingling or eating traditional holiday plates while waiting for the Las Posadas procession into the event.
The event is a year-ending celebration for the merchants and community to enjoy while they raise money for their organizations or charities.
Policy Advisor Steve Spernak attends each year and manages the communications-outreach booth for Supervisor Nelson. Hundreds of friends stop by to chat, take County info and candy while waiting for the final Christmas concert that starts at 8 pm with the Mariachi Divas.
The Divas concert highlights the night with the 20 members doing classical violin into roaring fun and sing-alongs of Christmas favorites.
Congratulations to the Merchants Association and City Staff for putting on another terrific night of food, fun and magic for the kids and parents attending and wishes from Supervisor Nelson for a Merry Christmas and Happy 2017! |
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Policy Advisor Steve Spernak opens the Supervisors info-resources booth at Las Posadas.
Policy Advisor Steve Spernak congratulated newly-elected Placentia councilmember Rhonda Shader. |
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| OC Waste & Recycling |
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OC Waste & Recycling encourages OC residents to Reduce, reuse and recycle to give a gift to the environment this holiday season. As we celebrate, decorate, give gifts and travel this holiday season, we also generate a lot of waste. The volume of household waste in the United States generally increases 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day – that’s about 1 million extra tons of household waste per year. You can green your own holiday season this year. Think of reducing, reusing and recycling as your gift to our environment, for this season and future generations.
Here are ways to give:
- Put old items to good use, rather than sending them to the landfill in your trash. Items such as old maps, comics, posters, colorful fabric can be used as wrapping paper. You can even make boxes from old holiday cards. View a demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQtee_BoQH0
- Recycle those batteries. About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season; don’t throw the old ones away! Take them to an OC Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center. More information here.
- For your greenest friends, consider giving a compost bin or even a vermicomposting bin. Worms make great friends for the younger set. And they are a gift to the environment.
- Give gifts that require little or no packaging. Give the gift of time—cooking, babysitting, gardening or tickets to an event.
- Re-gift – no joke! Make room for new gifts by taking used clothing, outdated but functioning devices and furniture to Goodwill Orange County or your favorite charity thrift shop. Find Goodwill drop-off locations here: http://www.ocgoodwill.org/about-us/goodwill-locations
- Be mindful of food waste. It is estimated that in the U.S. 30 to 40 percent of food winds up in the trash, much of it going to landfills. Be conscious of not overstocking and over-purchasing perishable items in particular.
For more information visit us at www.oclandfills.com or call 714 834-4000. |
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| Announcement |
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| Anaheim Student Exchange Program |
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The student exchange between Anaheim and its Sister City, Mito, Japan, began in 1984. Since then, a group of Anaheim high school students has traveled to Mito to experience the city’s history, culture, and people each year. Many students have found this to be a life changing experience.
Up to six high school students from the City of Anaheim will be selected by the Anaheim Sister City Commission to visit Mito, Japan for two weeks from late June through mid-July in 2017. These students will travel with an Anaheim chaperone and will stay with host families in Mito. The City of Mito plans the itinerary for the trip with a schedule that includes visits to schools, meeting the Mayor of Mito and participating in numerous cultural events. Please note, that speaking Japanese is not a requirement of the Anaheim students. Please see the application and flyer for more information. |
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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 Fourth District has vacant appointments on the following commissions or committees:
- Orange County Visitors Association
- Senior Citizens Advisory Committee
- Assessment Appeals Board No.1
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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City of Anaheim Events
What: Legislative Committee Meeting
When: December 16, 2016
Where: 2400 E. Katella Ave. Suite 725 Anaheim, CA 92806
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
What: Breakfast with Santa
When: December 18, 2016
Where: 2114 E. Lincoln Anaheim, CA 92801
Time: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
City of Brea Events
What: Business Connection Brea
When: December 13, 2016
Where: 103 W. Imperial Hwy, Brea 92821
Time: 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
What: Kiwanis Club of Brea
When: December 15, 2016
Where: 900 E. Birch Street Brea, CA 92821
Time: 7:15 AM – 8:30 AM
City of Buena Park Events
What: World of Dance Live 2016
When: December 10, 2016
Where: 6940 Beach Blvd Buena Park, CA 90621
Time: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
What: Bell are Ringing Holiday Concert
When: December 11, 2016
Where: 8150 Knott Avenue Buena Park, CA 90620
Time: 3:00 PM
City of Fullerton Events
What: GO-Biz California Competes Tax Credit Workshop
When: December 14, 2016
Where: 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
What: Educational Workshop: Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers: Middle Stage: Part 1
When: December 14, 2016
Where: 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
City of La Habra Events
What: Enterprise Team Thursday Meetings
When: December 15, 2016
Where: 321 E. La Habra Blvd. La Habra CA 90631
Time: 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
What: ConnectUp at Corner Bakery
When: December 15, 2016
Where: 1040 W. Imperial Highway. La Habra, CA 90631
Time: 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
City of Placentia Events
What: Placita Santa Fe Merchants Association Meeting
When: December 13, 2016
Where: 101 W. Santa Fe Avenue. Placentia, CA 92870
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
What: Rhonda Shader – City Council Victory Part
When: December 15, 2016
Where: 1474 N. Kraemer Blvd. Placentia, CA 92870
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
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For questions or comments regarding Nelson’s E-News
please contact the Supervisor's office staff:
Audra Fishel – Phone: (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
Natalie Wieckert
Policy Advisor
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