Welcome to this edition of the Fifth District Report, an electronic newsletter keeping you updated about the events taking place in Orange County and in the Fifth District. It is my hope that you find this distribution informative and I would encourage you to contact me regarding any thoughts, comments, or concerns you may have.

PatBates@ocgov.com

IN THIS ISSUE...

1. BOARD BULLETIN BOARD

2. TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION

3. COUNTY CONNECTIONS

4. SOUTH COUNTY NEWS

5. FIFTH DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT

6. ENVIRONMENTAL MEMOS

7. CRITTER CHRONICLES

8. SAFETY SENTINEL

9. NOTES FROM THE FIELD

10. SOUTH COUNTY CALENDAR

11. FIFTH DISTRICT WRAP-UP

OUR STAFF...

Chip Monaco:
Chief of Staff

Don Hughes:
Policy Advisor

Sergio Prince:
Policy Advisor

Kristen Thornton:
Policy Advisor

Ray Grangoff:
Policy Advisor

Sabrina Ross:
Policy Advisor

Katie Angotti:
Policy Assistant

Ruth Strachan:
Office Manager

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FY 2010-2011 Proposed County Budget Update

On June 29, 2010, the Board of Supervisors will vote on and adopt the County’s Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Budget. In the development of the proposed budget, our budget managers have taken great care to reflect the Board’s conservative management principles in continuing to address the impacts of the recession.

Although the current economy is showing some signs of improvement, local and national economists predict that economic recovery will be slow and protracted. In order to align the County’s spending to the reality of the “new normal” level of revenues, the County will continue to demonstrate its commitment to making the difficult decisions today in order to achieve long-term solutions that provide ongoing budgetary savings while protecting services.

During the month of June, the Board of Supervisors will be reviewing the FY 2010-11 proposed budget and recommended budget augmentations which were developed by the County Executive Office with feedback from the Public Safety Working Group. The public is invited to provide feedback at the two-day Budget Hearing which will take place on June 15 and 16 as well as at the June 29 Board of Supervisors meeting in which the final budget will be voted on.

To view the proposed FY 2010-11 County of Orange Budget and Department budget augmentation requests, please click here.

Temporary Bike Trail Closure

A popular bike trail located in the City of San Juan Capistrano is expected to close as OC Public Works moves into the final phases of the San Juan and Trabuco Creek Sheet Levee Protection Project.

The Vereda bike trail, which traverses under the I-5 Freeway on the east side of San Juan Creek, will be closed for six months beginning June 7, 2010, while steel sheet piles are installed along San Juan and Trabuco Creeks. The levee fortification project is necessary to protect hundreds of nearby residences from levee failure along San Juan and Trabuco Creeks in the case of a large storm event.

In an effort to minimize inconvenience for trail users, OC Public Works has provided a detour route that will take trail users around the construction areas. Detour signs have been posted alerting trail users to travel from Avenida Padre, east of Camino Capistrano, onto Camino Capistrano to Del Obispo; then to take Alipaz to Camino Del Avion, onto Via Del Amo and then back onto the trail toward the beach.

Trail users with any questions or comments regarding the closure can contact Project Manager Tim Nguyen at (714) 567-7800. For a map of the detour, please click here.

OCTA CEO Kempton Honored

Last week, the American Public Works Association named Orange County Transportation Authority CEO Will Kempton as one of the nation’s top 10 public works leaders in the U.S. The award, which recognizes individuals that have demonstrated professionalism, expertise and dedication to advancing the field of public works, is considered among the most prestigious in the industry.

Kempton, a 35-year veteran in the transportation industry, joined OCTA in 2009. Prior to becoming OCTA’s top executive, he was the former director of Caltrans. Kempton will be recognized for this national award at APWA’s annual awards ceremony in Boston in August. Congratulations.

June 8 Primary Election

There is no better way to participate in the democratic process then by casting your ballot and letting your voice be heard. Don’t pass up your opportunity to have your views represented in the June Primary Election which is taking place Tuesday, June 8, 2010.

Producing quality elections is the mission of the Orange County Registrar of Voters and something the County takes very seriously. Millions of ballots have been sent, thousands of volunteers have been recruited and countless hours have been spent preparing for Tuesday. To track all of Orange County’s Election Day operations, follow the Registrar of Voters on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ocregistrar.

For election information, including local ballot measure and candidate information as well as polling place locations, please visit www.ocvote.com. For information about statewide measures and candidates, visit the Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.ca.gov/.

Repairs Planned for South County Water Pipeline

South County residents are being asked to continue using water wisely and efficiently, especially from Tuesday, June 8 through Tuesday, June 15 while the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California shuts down the Allen-McColloch Pipeline (AMP Pipeline) to repair several sections of this major supply pipeline.

Routine scheduled shutdowns of facilities are typically planned during the winter when temperatures are cooler and demands are lower, thus reducing the impact to consumers. However, a recent inspection of the AMP pipeline revealed sections that need immediate attention.

The 26-mile AMP Pipeline extends from the water district’s Robert B. Diemer Water Treatment Plant in Yorba Linda to the El Toro Reservoir in Lake Forest and serves communities from Yorba Linda to San Clemente. The pipeline typically delivers up to 100 million gallons of water a day in the month of June to Orange County residents. The line is the primary source of supplemental, imported water to South County communities served by MWDOC.

Residents and businesses can do their part to ensure reservoirs and local supplies don’t become drained by taking these easy steps:

• Reduce outdoor watering
• Refrain from filling swimming pools or spas
• Avoid hosing down driveways and sidewalks
• Limit shower times to 5 minutes
• Run full loads for laundry and dishes

Ladera Ranch Resident up for Telly Award

A video produced by Ladera Ranch resident Jeff Blugrind for Miracles For Kids, an Orange County based non-profit organization, is up for a People’s Telly Award. The Telly Awards honor local, regional, and cable television productions as well as work created for the Web. This year, the organization introduced the People's Telly Awards, with special categories the public gets to judge.

Blugrind’s movie is a poignant story about a spirited girl and her struggle to fight leukemia. His video, as well as all other entries, are currently featured on the Telly YouTube® Channel, where people can vote for their favorite until June 11, 2010. The video with the most votes will win the prestigious 2010 People's Choice Telly Award.

To view Blugrind’s video, please click here. Don’t forget to give it a “thumbs up” vote if you like it. For more information about Miracles For Kids, visit miraclesforkids.org.

Orange County Coastal Coalition Update

The Orange County Coastal Coalition, which I Chair, provides an opportunity for the public to learn about and collaborate on current topics affecting our coast. The meeting on May 27 once again provided a forum to learn about issues that have the potential to impact Orange County.

Our May meeting focused on improvements in bacteria testing methods at our beaches. We discussed ways that are currently being considered for how to provide the results of these tests faster and more clearly so the public is aware sooner when beaches are affected by high bacteria counts.

Dr. Stephen Weisberg of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project made a presentation on “Same Day Beach Water Quality Health Warnings in Orange County”. The proposed new rapid testing method will allow for results to be available the same day, allowing for timelier posting when necessary. While the current testing processes yield results within 24 hours, the new testing methods could provide accurate results within 6 hours of testing, drastically reducing public exposure to potentially harmful bacteria.

In conjunction with this pilot program, Larry Honeybourne of the Orange County Public Health Department discussed how Orange County beaches will be serving as the national pilot location for the project, and why those beaches were chosen. Ian Adams from the MiOcean Foundation finished the program by sharing how the use of electronic signage will be used to transmit health warnings more rapidly at selected Orange County beaches.

If you would like to view the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting, they can be found at http://www.ocwatersheds.com/wma_CoastalCoalition.aspx.

Please join me at our next Coastal Coalition meeting at 9:00 am on Thursday, July 22, at the Newport Beach Library. Come hear how eelgrass serves as an indicator of estuary health and how kelp is considered an ecosystem engineer for our oceans.

To be placed on the email distribution list for Coastal Coalition meetings, please send your email address to betty.ruano@ocpw.ocgov.com.

OC Animal Care 2010 Pet Fair

OC Animal Care is “going green” for this year’s Pet Fair taking place Saturday, June 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This free annual event will feature free spay and neuter procedures for all adopted animals, eco-friendly vendors, shelter tours, opportunity drawings and food and fun for the whole family. The event will take place at the OC Animal Care facilities located at 561 The City Drive, Orange. For more information, please click here.

Promise to Prepare

More than 90% of Orange County residents are aware that emergency preparedness is important. Yet over 93% have made little or no preparations! What about you? Are you ready?

The County’s ReadyOC emergency preparedness campaign is challenging Orange County residents to Promise to Prepare. The campaign aims to achieve at least 32,000 promises, representing 1% of the population, by December 31, 2010.

You can take the first step today by making a promise to get an emergency kit and create a plan for you and your family. Emergency preparedness resources and tools are available at ReadyOC.org to make promising to prepare simple and quick. The site also provides the latest information, insights and events on OC disaster preparedness activities as well as real-time emergency news. When you promise, you can also enter for a chance to win a prize!

To make your promise today, click here.

National Trails Day

This Saturday, June 5 is the 17th Annual National Trails Day, a celebration of America’s 200,000 miles of accessible hiking trails. Grab the family, pack a picnic, and take a hike at a local park. With more than 40,000 acres of parkland and over 350 miles of trails within the County of Orange there are plenty of trails for everyone this weekend. To find your local County park and trail maps, please click here.

One event you can participate in this National Trails Day is the San Clemente Trail Run. Anyone over 15 years of age can sign up to run this 5K/10K along Forster Ranch Ridgeline Trail. The event will feature a beautiful run with coastline views, goodie bags and t-shirts for all participants, as well as a Runner Expo for all runners and their families. You can register online now or on race day beginning at 6:30a.m. for $40 for the 5K or $45 for the 10K. For more information, please click here.

16th Annual Relay for Life at Saddleback College

Saddleback College and Mission Viejo Relay for Life are hosting the 16th Annual Relay for Life this Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6. Over 647 participants and 65 teams will be walking and running to raise over $100,000 in pledges for the fight against cancer. The two-day walk/run relay event will open with a “survivor lap” of more than 100 cancer survivors, include a lighting of luminaries to honor cancer survivors and those who bravely lost the fight, and feature food and musical entertainment throughout the relay. For more information, please click here.

5th Marines Birthday Celebration

On Wednesday, June 9 join the Dana Point 5th Marine Support Group in celebration of the 93rd birthday of the 5th Marine Regiment. The event will take place at Cannons Seafood Grill starting at 5:00 p.m. The reception costs $30 and includes appetizers, desserts, and a champagne toast. All proceeds benefit the men and women of the Fighting 5th and their families. Reservations are required by calling Cannons Seafood Grill restaurant at (949) 496-6146. For more information, please click here.

SOCSA Showcase & Arts Celebration Party

On Saturday June 12, the South Orange County School of the Arts (SOCSA) will hold its 2010 Showcase in San Juan Capistrano. Over 400 students of dance, music, theatre, voice and visual performing arts from around South Orange County will display their talents while celebrating the school’s 15th Anniversary.

The showcase, which will be held at the San Juan Hills High School Theatre, will feature a silent auction, art exhibit, and party from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with stage performances following from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.

In addition to my many meetings, briefings, and other supervisorial activities, I also:

• Chaired the M2 Environmental Oversight Committee
• Attended the Growth Management Area 9 Transportation Planning meeting
• Met with representatives from Clean Tech OC, a non-profit organization dedicated to innovation, investment, and research in the area of sustainable technologies
• Received an update on the Forester Canyon Landfill/San Juan Meadows Project
• Provided introductory remarks at the Orange County Stormwater Seminar