You are invited to join me and my Supervisor colleagues for our 2023 Holiday Open House at the County Administration North (CAN) Building!

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2022

Time: 1 PM to 3 PM

Location: 400 W. Civic Center Dr., Sixth Floor, Santa Ana, CA

All five Supervisors’ offices will be open to greet you. Please join us for a bite to eat and refreshments.

Free parking is available at P4 - CAN Surface Parking Lot, 630 North Broadway Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701. 

If you need assistance finding P4 or the CAN building, please view the OC Civic Center map.

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Drive-Thru Holiday Toy Distribution with ICNA, United Across Borders Foundation, Ministerios Betesda, and Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC) on:

Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023

Time: 10 AM to 1 PM

Location: Loara High School, 1765 W Cerritos Ave, Anaheim, CA 92804

Please note that this is a drive-thru event. No walk ups will be allowed.

Toys or other items will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. One toy or other item will be given per child. A child must be present at the event to receive a toy or other item.

** Online registration will open on the District 4 website on Tuesday, November 27, 2023 at 11 AM; however, registration does not guarantee a toy or other item.

For questions, please call (714) 834-3440.

The County of Orange is conducting the first-ever Older Adults Needs Assessment, and we need input from our older adult and caregiver communities!

If you are 55 years and older, or caring for someone 55 years and older, please tell us what your needs are by completing the Survey online or by phone by calling (949) 415-6898.

Results from this survey will guide the development of Orange County's Master Plan for Aging. This is why it is VERY important to make your voice heard. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete the survey and your response will have a huge impact in shaping programs for older adults in Orange County.

The surveys are available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic and Farsi, now through December 30, 2023, at: www.olderadultssurvey.com.

The deadline to complete the survey is December 30, 2023.

Español | 한국어 | | Tiếng Việt | 中文

CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery, Empower) is a new civil process established to allow counties to focus on serving persons with untreated mental illness and provide behavioral health services.

CARE Act connects a person struggling with untreated schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders with a court-ordered Care Plan for up to 12 months.

To learn more about the CARE Act in Orange County, please visit www.ochealthinfo.com/careact.

I had the honor of representing the County of Orange at the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Conference in Oakland last week. The conference was an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across our 58 counties in California.

I am proud that Orange County is one of the first group of counties to implement the CARE Act and look forward to continuing the work to assist our most vulnerable residents.

Yesterday my Chief of Staff, Al Jabbar, and I had a productive meeting with Governor Gavin Newsom’s Senior Advisor on Homelessness, Hafsa Kaka, MSW, and Regional Director, Maurice Lyles. 

We spoke about our initiatives to address homelessness, including the County’s recent 2023 Homeless Survey and our experience launching the CARE Act, the HOPE Center, our efforts to launch a badly needed recuperative care center, and working to expand the School of Nursing at Cal State Fullerton. 

As a member of the CalOptima Health Board of Directors, I spoke with CalOptima Health CEO Michael Hunn and Orange County Social Services Agency Director An Tran last night at the Placentia City Council meeting about the Medi-Cal renewal process.

CalOptima Health is Orange County’s public health insurance plan that provides Medi-Cal coverage for the most vulnerable individuals in our community at no cost.

Nearly 36% of all residents in the Fourth District or 288,000 members receive healthcare coverage through CalOptima Health.

Many of these individuals are at risk of losing their health coverage if they do not go through the renewal process.

The State is renewing all Medi-Cal beneficiaries over a 14-month period from April 1, 2023, through May 31, 2024.

The impacts of the termination of the waiver poses a serious risk to the continued health care coverage for as many as 2 to 3 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries across the State, and up to approximately 200,000 Orange County CalOptima Health members.

There is a new simple way to apply for, view and renew benefits for health coverage, food and cash assistance: www.BenefitsCal.com.

BenefitsCal.com replaces MyBenefitsCalWIN (MyBCW), MyBenefitsCalWIN.org and the MyBenefitsCalWIN Mobile App.

The BenefitsCal.com website will work great on your smartphone and make it easier than ever to:

• Apply online
• Link your MyBenefitsCalWIN case
• Report changes
• Upload documents
• See if you qualify for benefits
• Sign up for email/text alerts
• And more

Don’t worry – if you currently receive benefits, the switch from MyBCW to BenefitsCal.com does not impact your benefits.

What do I need to know?

You can now create an account at www.BenefitsCal.com and submit your application for benefits or link your old MyBenefitsCalWIN case to your account. The MyBenefitsCalWIN, the former benefits enrollment portal, is no longer available.

To learn more about BenefitsCal, please visit benefitscal.com/help.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be filled with gratitude and cherished moments with loved ones.