March 21, 2014 |
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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. ENVIRONMENTAL MEMOS
4. HARBOR HAPPENINGS
5. NOTE FROM THE FIELD
6. CRITTER CHRONICLES
7. RECORDER RECORD
8. FIFTH DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT
9. SOUTH COUNTY CALENDAR
10. FIFTH DISTRICT WRAP-UP
OUR STAFF...
Don Hughes:
Chief of Staff
Kristen Camuglia:
Deputy Chief of Staff
Sergio Prince:
Policy Advisor
Erik Weigand:
Policy Advisor
Emily Osterberg:
Policy Advisor
Veronica Yniguez:
Policy Advisor
Ruth Strachan:
Office Manager
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| BOARD BULLETIN BOARD |
No Board Meeting This Week
There was not a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Supervisors this week. To view the 2014 Board meeting schedule, please click here.
Our next Board meeting will be held Tuesday, March 25. Regular Board meetings begin at 9:30 AM in the Hall of Administration. For Agenda & Meeting Information, please click here.
Live Internet broadcasts of Board of Supervisors meetings can be viewed online and are archived as video-on-demand. To view live and/or past Board meetings, please click here.
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| TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION |
Orange County: On The Move
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has issued its latest edition of “Orange County: On The Move.” To view the OCTA e-newsletter, please click here.
All Aboard the Angels Express!
Back for the fourth year in a row, the popular Angels Express begins the season Monday, March 31. Fans can jump on the Orange Line to ride this special Metrolink train to all Angels weekday home games that start at 7:05 PM and the Inland Empire-Orange County Line to travel to every Friday night game.
Funded by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Committee, the Angels Express helps take cars off the road by providing safe, convenient public transportation directly to the stadium in Anaheim. Fans save money on parking and gas and enjoy a great evening at the ballpark while leaving their cars behind.
Last year, Angels Express trains had more than 34,000 boardings. To learn more about the Angels Express, please click here.
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| ENVIRONMENTAL MEMOS |
Community Invited to Obtain Information about SONGS
I was recently invited by Southern California Edison (SCE) to serve on the Community Engagement Panel (CEP) to encourage public dialogue on the San Onofre Nuclear Plant (SONGS) decommissioning.
The panel is comprised of members from all impacted jurisdictions and serves as a conduit of information between the plant owners and the public, and will foster public education and involvement during the decommissioning of the plant.
The first meeting of the CEP will be held Tuesday, March 25 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the San Clemente Community Center, located at 100 N. Calle Seville in San Clemente. The public is invited to attend.
A meeting agenda will be prepared by SCE prior to the meeting and the City of San Clemente will post this on its website. SCE has established a Community Engagement page at www.songscommunity.com. For more information, please click here.
Orange County Coastal Coalition
Please join me Thursday, March 27 for the Orange County Coastal Coalition meeting, which I am pleased to Chair. The meeting will be in the City of Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach.
Presenting will be:
- Phil Cruver, Catalina Sea Ranch – Shellfish Initiative Emphasizing Sustainable Aquaculture
- Dr. Jeff Armstrong and Dr. Sam Choi, Orange County Sanitation District – Disinfection Processes Degrading Marine Invertebrates
- Question and Answer sessions will follow each presentation. For more information, please click here and here.
2014 Eco Challenge Poster Contest
Orange County youngsters have the opportunity to participate in the 2014 Eco Challenge poster contest presented by the County of Orange, Discovery Science Center, and Angels Baseball for the chance to be an Honorary Bat Kid at a 2014 Angels baseball game.
For more information, please click here.
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| HARBOR HAPPENINGS |
Boater Advisory: Barge near Island Way Bridge
A barge will be located in Dana Point Harbor underneath or near the bridge until May 23.
The barge is needed for the contractor’s repair activities that will be conducted on the bridge and its structural supports from Monday, March 24 through May 23.
If you operate your vessel near the bridge during this time, boaters are asked to stay well clear of the work area.
During work hours, contractor staff will be monitoring VHF Chanel 16 and will be available to answer any safety related inquires by boaters as they approach the work area.
For more information, please click here.
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| NOTE FROM THE FIELD |
Caspers Wilderness Park: 40th Anniversary Celebration
Caspers Wilderness Park is an 8,000 acre protected wilderness preserve, nestled among the river terraces and sandstone canyons of the western coastal Santa Ana Mountains in San Juan Capistrano. The public is invited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Caspers Wilderness Park on Saturday, April 5 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, during Caspers Adventure Day!
Caspers Adventure Day is a fun-filled family event, featuring a full schedule of musical entertainment, guided hikes, arts and crafts, wildlife exhibits, games, pony rides, food and much more. FREE popsicles will be given to the first 400 people in attendance! For more information, please click here.
Caspers Wilderness Park’s many fertile valleys are complemented by groves of native Coastal Live Oak and magnificent stands of California Sycamore. These areas are further accentuated by seasonal wildflower displays and running streams. Wildlife is abundant and can be readily viewed from any of the parks numerous trails.
For more information, please click here.
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| CRITTER CHRONICLES |
Spring: Return of Baby Birds
With the spring season beginning this week, Mission Viejo Animal Services Center is asking residents to be aware of the return of baby birds. The center regularly receives calls during spring and summer months from residents needing help with abandoned baby birds; however, most of the time, these birds are not abandoned and are being cared for by their parents.
As a rule of thumb, if you are in doubt, leave a baby bird where it is. Most parents leave their young for long periods of time, sometimes all day, while they search for food. Unless you are certain the parents are deceased, you should assume they are nearby watching and waiting for you to leave.
For more information, please click here.
Charlee: Cadaver Dog
Orange County Sheriff’s Department Reserve Lieutenant Williams is the trainer of an 8-year-old Labrador retriever named Charlee. Charlee specializes in Human Remains Detection. Many people know this as a “cadaver dog.” Charlee can also locate people without a scent article which is referred to as Wilderness air scent.
Charlee has had eight incredible finds during her career. The most memorable two are when Charlee alerted two areas of a house. Three days later, the man was arrested and confessed that those two places were involved in homicides. The second, Charlee was assisting another agency when she alerted to an area in a backyard. They dug up the yard two days later and found a body buried four feet beneath the surface.
Charlee alerts Reserve Lieutenant Williams by sitting or lying down with her nose toward the source. Her reward after the fact is she gets to play “tug-of-war.”
For more information, please click here.
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| RECORDER RECORD |
Thousands Take Advantage of Special Saturday Hours
More than 2,740 customers have obtained a marriage license during Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen’s special Saturday openings at the department’s offices in Santa Ana, Fullerton and Laguna Hills.
Beginning in June 2013, the Clerk-Recorder started opening their offices one Saturday each month to help customers who are unable to make it to the office during regular business hours. Since then, the department has issued 1,371 marriage licenses and 820 couples have tied the knot during the special hours.
The department’s March 8 Saturday opening was another great success. This represented the department’s 10th Saturday opening. Department staff issued 159 marriage licenses and performed 93 civil marriage ceremonies in a five hour period. These numbers exceed regular work week averages.
The Old County Courthouse will open Saturday, April 12 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM for marriage licenses, civil marriage ceremonies and passport applications as well as the Orange County Archives. The department’s branch offices in Fullerton and Laguna Hills will also be open for copies of property records, vital records, as well as marriage licenses and civil marriage ceremonies. Free parking will be available at all three locations.
Please note that passport services are only available at the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana. For more information, please click here and here.
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| FIFTH DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT |
South County Surfers Take State Titles
Orange County recently picked up eight of 15 available state titles, six of which went to South County surfers, at the National Scholastic Surfing Association Interscholastic Surfing Championships.
The South County winners included:
- San Clemente High School – State team title.
- Shorecliffs Middle School – State team title.
- Conner Dand – The San Clemente surfer was No. 1 among high school men.
- Gus Day – The Shorecliffs Middle School longboarder was No. 1.
- Alexxa Elseewi – The Bernice Ayer student was No. 1 among middle-school girls.
- Gunner Day – The Shorecliffs student was No. 1 among middle-school boys.
San Clemente High’s team championship was its sixth straight, while Shorecliffs Middle School of San Clemente made it ten straight titles. For more information, please click here.
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| SOUTH COUNTY CALENDAR |
San Juan Capistrano: Swallows Day Parade
The 56th annual Swallows Day Parade and Mercado Street Fair will take place in downtown San Juan Capistrano on Saturday, March 22, beginning at 11:00 AM. The Swallows Day Parade is the nation's largest non-motorized parade. For more information, please click here and here.
Lake Forest: Electronic Cigarettes – The New ‘E-Diction’
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is hosting the last in a series of FREE public presentations in South County on “Electronic Cigarettes – The New ‘E-Diction’”. The presentation will take place Tuesday, March 25 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at Lake Forest City Hall. The presentations are intended for adults only. For more information, please click here and here.
Laguna Hills: South County Governance Visioning Process
Join the South Orange County Economic Coalition for an update from Orange County Local Agency Commission (LAFCO) Executive Officer Carolyn Emery. Learn about current LAFCO innovative projects, including an introduction to the South Orange County Governance Visioning Process. The meeting takes place Friday, March 28 from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM at the Orange County Association of Realtors, 25552 La Paz Road, Laguna Hills. For more information, please click here and here.
Rancho Santa Margarita: FREE Cyber Safety Class for Parents
A FREE Cyber Safety Class for Parents at the Bell Tower Regional Community Center in Rancho Santa Margarita on Monday, March 31 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM will provide parents with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively supervise their children in the online world of social networks. For more information, please click here.
Dana Point: FREE Community Electronic Waste Day
Monarch Bay Plaza in Dana Point is sponsoring a FREE Community Electronic Waste Day to safely dispose of old computers, printers, monitors, cell phones, TVs and more on Saturday, April 5 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For more information, please click here.
Aliso Viejo: Eat Healthy, Be Active
Parents are invited to learn how to help themselves and their families eat healthier and be more active in a FREE nutrition class Saturday, April 5. The "Eat Healthy, Be Active" nutrition class is from 10:00 AM to noon at the Aliso Viejo Family Resource Center located at 24671 Via Iglesia. For more information, please click here.
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| FIFTH DISTRICT WRAP-UP |
In addition to my many meetings, briefings, and other supervisorial activities, I also:
- Participated in the 2nd Public Outreach for the La Pata Groundbreaking, which was held at San Juan Hills High School.
- Hosted my 7th annual South County Senior Summit, which was held in Laguna Woods Village.
My staff and I look forward to continually providing you updated information in our Fifth District Newsletter and website.
Please feel free to contact my office with your concerns, comments or questions at (714) 834-3550. It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your Supervisor for Orange County's Fabulous Fifth District.
For an ADA version of our newsletter, click here.
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