April 18, 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. SAFETY SENTRY
4. HEALTH HERALD
5. AIRPORT ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
6. HARBOR HAPPENINGS
7. NOTES FROM THE FIELD
8. CRITTER CHRONICLES
9. VETERAN VANGUARD
10. SENIOR SENTINEL
11. FIFTH DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT
12. SOUTH COUNTY CALENDAR
13. FIFTH DISTRICT WRAP-UP
OUR STAFF...
Don Hughes:
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, April 29. 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 |
The Toll Roads Removing Cash Collections May 14
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) recently introduced three new Express Account payment options that will give toll road drivers more options for paying tolls. With the transponder-free ExpressAccounts, images of a vehicle’s license plate taken on The Toll Roads are linked to an account and the appropriate toll is collected. When customers sign up for an ExpressAccount, they may choose from one of three payment options:
- Prepaid – Customers open an account with a prepaid balance and tolls are deducted from the amount whenever they use The Toll Roads.
- Charge – At the end of each day, customers’ tolls are charged to the credit card on file for each trip on The Toll Roads.
- Invoice – Customers are sent an invoice at the close of the month for tolls incurred that month; no need to use a credit card or link a bank account to your account. This account type includes an invoice fee.
In addition to the ExpressAccount option, toll road users can explore two more options:
- FasTrak® - Customers with FasTrak, which uses transponder technology fixed to a vehicle’s windshield, will continue to pay the lowest toll and may be used on all toll roads, lanes, and bridges throughout California. FasTrak customers won’t have to make any changes to their accounts when cash collection ceases on the Toll Roads.
- One-Time Toll – Great for visitors and infrequent users! Customers can pay their toll within 48-hours of a trip online without creating an account or purchasing a transponder. To pay, please click here or download The Toll Roads mobile app.
In anticipation of The Toll Roads removing cash toll collection, TCA is offering new FasTrak and ExpressAccount customers a FREE week of nonstop driving as soon as they establish an account (PROMO CODE: FREETOLL). The offer ends May 11.
For more information, please click here and here.
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| SAFETY SENTRY |
DUI Enforcement Operation Planned in Laguna Beach
Officers from the Laguna Beach Police Department will be deploying this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers in the Department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign. DUI Saturation Patrols will deploy Friday, April 18 between 6:00 PM and 3:00 AM in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.
For more information, please click here.
The Laguna Beach Police Department will also be conducting several proactive crosswalk enforcement campaigns to improve pedestrian safety along Coast Highway and other locations throughout the city. To raise public awareness, traffic officers will be conducting a crosswalk enforcement campaign Wednesday, April 23.
For more information, please click here.
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| HEALTH HERALD |
National Prescription Medication Take Back Day
Saturday, April 26 is National Prescription Medication Take Back Day. From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, please bring unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications to designated locations throughout Orange County, including the City Halls of Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita.
The event, which will be held rain or shine, is FREE and anonymous, no questions asked. For more information, please call (714) 647- 4133 or click here and here.
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| AIRPORT ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES |
John Wayne Airport: Mass Casualty Drill
On Friday, April 11, John Wayne Airport (JWA) conducted a full-scale mass casualty drill involving more than 500 volunteers, observers and emergency responders. The drill allowed JWA officials and emergency responders to test and practice operational capabilities in response to a simulated crash involving a Boeing 737 and a general aviation aircraft.
In addition to John Wayne Airport, the following agencies also participated in the drill:
- Orange County Transportation Authority provided buses to simulate the commercial aircraft for purposes of staging "victim" passengers for the drill.
- Orange County Sheriff's Department, Airport Police Services were first on scene with 30 Deputies and Sheriff's Special Officers, nine Sheriff vehicles and one helicopter, providing a safe and secure airfield and perimeter to the incident.
- Orange County Health Care Agency, Emergency Medical Services provided coordination and support of ambulance response, as well as coordination with the American Red Cross for patient location at hospitals.
- Orange County Fire Authority responded with more than 50 vehicles and 200 personnel from Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Station 33 at JWA, neighboring fire stations and their engines, medic units, command vehicles, a heavy rescue vehicle and various support vehicles, including two helicopters.
- American Red Cross, Orange County Chapter, simulated the creation and functionality of a Friends and Family Reception Center and a Family Reunification Center in partnership with Delta Air Lines and provided care and emotional support to victims and their families following the aircraft incident.
- Delta Air Lines represented the airline involved in the incident and simulated their response to passengers, family and friends.
- More than 60 ambulance rigs, coordinated by Doctor's Ambulance, responded and transported victims to area hospitals, as well as Mercy Air with an airlift operation.
- More than 185 members of local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) participated as volunteer victims and in other volunteer roles.
For more information, please click here. To view photos, please click here.
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| HARBOR HAPPENINGS |
Dana Point Harbor: Island Way and Bridge Repairs
OC Public Works Construction has advised that a significant phase of the construction project in Dana Point Harbor will occur next week as follows:
- Grinding on bridge deck - Monday, April 21
- Bridge deck resurface - Tuesday, April 22 through Wednesday, April 23
- Grinding on Island Way asphalt - Thursday, April 24
- Asphalt paving - Thursday, April 24, Friday, April 25, and Monday, April 28
The bridge and road will be open with one lane closure during working hours and open for 2-way traffic in the evening and weekends. We ask for your patience as you transit through the construction area your vehicle and/or vessel. Please obey all posted notices and onsite construction staffs’ instructions. If you must traverse through the construction area, please do so with caution.
For more information, please click here.
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| NOTES FROM THE FIELD |
OC Parks: Easter Parking Fees
Parking fees for some regional parks will increase for Easter Sunday, April 20. Large crowds are expected for the holiday, so please plan your trip accordingly. Parking lots fill early and additional vehicles may not be brought into parks that have reached parking capacity.
Fees for April 20 will be as follows: Laguna Niguel, O’Neill, Clark, Craig, Carbon Canyon, Yorba, Mile Square, Mason, Irvine and Santiago Oaks regional parks will be $7.
Caspers Wilderness Park’s day use fee will be $5. Fees for Aliso and Wood Canyons, Laguna Coast, Whiting Ranch and Riley wilderness parks, as well as Peters Canyon Regional Park, will remain $3.
For more information, please click here and here.
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| CRITTER CHRONICLES |
OC Animal Care: Spring Adoption Event
This spring, grow your family! Please join OC Animal Care as they host their Spring Adoption event. They will be offering Free Spay/Neuter & Microchips for all adoptions made Saturday, April 26 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
For more information, please click here.
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| VETERAN VANGUARD |
Veterans Service Office Now Taking Appointments
The OC Veterans Service Office is now scheduling appointments for free benefits claims counseling and information and referral assistance to veterans, their dependents and survivors.
To view a checklist to help gather the information you will need for filing a fully developed Compensation, Pension, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and Survivors Pension Claims, please click here.
Please ensure you bring all of the materials referenced in the checklist to your appointment. Once ALL materials have been gathered, please call (714) 480-6555 or email OCVSO@occr.ocgov.com to make an appointment.
For more information, please click here.
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| SENIOR SENTINEL |
Aerobic Exercise May Help Older Women at Risk for Dementia
Regular aerobic workouts increase the size of the brain's memory area in older women and may help slow the progression of dementia, according to a small new study. The study, conducted by the Physical Therapy Department of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, was published online April 8 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
A new case of dementia is diagnosed worldwide every four seconds, and the number of people with dementia is expected to rise to more than 115 million by 2050, according to the researchers.
For more information, please click here.
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| FIFTH DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT |
City Employee Saves Life of Senior Basketball Player
On April 11, a member of a senior basketball team suffered a heart attack while practicing at the City of San Juan Capistrano gymnasium. Kipp Lyons, the City’s Community Services Coordinator, jumped into action utilizing an AED machine, which is maintained at the City facility.
Fortunately, there was also a physician on scene that partnered with Kipp by providing chest compressions. The basketball player responded well and was transported by paramedics to the hospital.
"We are very proud of Kipp's fast thinking and heroic efforts to help this man," stated the City Manager." Kipp says he just went into action as he learned from his training.
For more information, please click here.
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| SOUTH COUNTY CALENDAR |
San Clemente: Animal Adoption Promotion
The San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter is currently hosting a Spring Egg-Stravaganza animal adoption promotion through Saturday, April 19. Pick an egg and receive a discount on your pet adoption! For more information, please click here.
Lake Forest: I-5 Improvement Project
OCTA is hosting an Open House to communicate with Lake Forest residents living adjacent to the I-5 about the upcoming I-5 Improvement Project and discuss any concerns or questions. The Open House will take place Wednesday, April 23 from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM at El Toro Water District. For more information, please click here.
Laguna Beach: Healthy Girl Festival
Soroptimist International of Laguna Beach is hosting the 2014 Healthy Girl Festival on the Festival of Arts grounds Sunday, April 27 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The theme this year, Educate Girls and Change the World, was inspired by the courage of Afghani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for simply going to school. For more information, please click here and here.
Heritage Hill Historical Park: Rancho Days Fiesta
Come explore the rich history of Orange County's past from Native American tribes to the Rancho period through hands-on activities, crafts, music and dance at Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest on Sunday, May 4 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For more information, please click here.
Rancho Santa Margarita: Is Your Teen at Risk?
Parents and their teens are encouraged to attend a forum titled “Is Your Teen at Risk?” featuring a panel of expert speakers Thursday, May 8 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Bell Tower Regional Community Center in Rancho Santa Margarita. This class is FREE but pre-registration is required. For more information, please click here.
Laguna Niguel: Business Training Workshop
The City of Laguna Niguel will provide a FREE business training workshop on social media marketing to help local businesses be successful. The workshop will take place Wednesday, May 14 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Laguna Niguel City Hall Community Room. A light dinner will be provided. 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 unveiling of the selected design and program for the Orange County Crime Victims’ Monument. For more information, please click here. To view a photo, please click here.
My office also:
- Participated in the OCTA Security Working Group meeting.
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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