Header image with Photo of Supervisor Pat Bates. Followed by office information
August 8, 2014

Pat Bates's Picture

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. NOTES FROM THE FIELD

5. ENVIRONMENTAL MEMOS

6. CRITTER CHRONICLES

7. APPEALING UNAPPEALING ASSESSMENTS

8. SOUTH COUNTY CALENDAR

9. FIFTH DISTRICT WRAP-UP


OUR STAFF...

Don Hughes:
Chief of Staff

Brian Probolsky:
Interim Chief of Staff

Sergio Prince:
Policy Advisor

Erik Weigand:
Deputy Chief of Staff

Veronica Carpenter:
Policy Advisor

James Dinwiddie:
Policy Advisor

Ruth Strachan:
Office Manager

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Volume 8 Issue 31
BOARD BULLETIN BOARD

Civic Openness in Negotiations (COIN)

The Board voted to approve the Civic Openness in Negotiations (COIN) ordinance. This ordinance established procedures and practices that for the first time will require public disclosure to each step of the negotiation process for employment contracts negotiated between the Board and the County’s labor unions.

Currently, these negotiations are confidential until an agreement is reached and published in the public record. For more information, please click here.

TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION

South County I-5 Improvement Project Update

The I-5 project is a 5.7-mile project that extends from Avenida Pico in San Clemente to San Juan Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano. The project will add a carpool lane in both directions; reconstruct the interchange at Avenida Pico, which includes widening the ramp to three lanes; adding soundwalls where needed; and more.

As the project continues to develop, there will be nightly closures, all of which can be viewed in real time by clicking here.

Additionally, you can receive text message alerts from the South County I-5 Improvement Project by texting SOUTHOC5INFO to 67076. After signing up, you will receive a weekly text with important closure and detour information.

For more information, please click here.

La Pata Extension Project

Construction of the La Pata Extension Project continues on the La Pata Gap Connector Phase, which will extend the existing La Pata Avenue just south of Vista Montana to Calle Saluda with four new travel lanes for approximately 2.27 miles.

Clearing and grubbing has been completed for approximately 50% of the refuse removal at Prima Deshecha Landfill. Construction activities for the next six months will include earthwork, drainage improvements, refuse removal, utility relocations, and bridge construction.

Fun fact: Several artifacts up to 10 million years old have been discovered during earth excavation, such as fossilized feces, cetacean vertebra fragment, dolphin ribs, a pinniped pelvis, and a whale jaw. I will continue to work with OC Public Works to ensure these artifacts are preserved and handled with extreme care.

The La Pata Gap Connector Phase is expected to be completed in fall 2016.

For more information, please click here.

SAFETY SENTRY

OCSD Joins OCFA, U.S. Fire Service for Joint Exercise

On Thursday, July 31, the Orange County Sheriff's Department conducted a joint fire exercise with the Orange County Fire Authority and representatives from the U.S. Fire Service / Cleveland National Forest District.

The exercise simulated a wild land fire affecting a large portion of southeast Orange County. The simulation included studying evacuation routes, establishing shelters for area residents, and safeguarding the public and their property.

Given the drought conditions facing Orange County, these types of fire exercises allow public safety personnel to plan for natural disasters impacting our residents. This exercise was an excellent planning and training opportunity and helps to strengthen our service to the residents of Orange County.

For more information, please click here.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

2014 OC Parks Annual Passes Half Off

OC Parks 2014 annual parking passes are now available for 50% off the full price.

OC Parks annual parking passes and decals offer convenient parking at local, regional and wilderness parks, as well as all County beach parks. Experience hiking, mountain biking, exploring, surfing, or rest and relaxation in nature with convenient pre-paid parking at all locations!

For more information, please click here and here.

ENVIRONMENTAL MEMOS

Orange County Coastal Coalition

As Chair of the Orange County Coastal Coalition, our mission is to provide an opportunity to learn about current topics affecting our coastal county and related water issues.

On July 24, the Coastal Coalition hosted a meeting at the Newport Beach Library, which focused on California’s current drought. The meeting featured an update on current legislation and three presentations related to the drought.

First, Mr. Steve Aceti, Executive Director of California Coastal Coalition, provided a legislation update on various bills, including SB 270 (Padilla), AB 2516 (Gordon), SB 861 (Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee), SB 1168 (Pavley), and AB 2100 (Campos).

Next, Mr. Albert Napoli, Principal Government Affairs Representative from Metropolitan Water District (MET), provided a regional perspective of the water supply conditions in California.

Subsequently, Mr. Joe Berg, Water Use Efficiency Programs Manager from Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC), made a presentation related to the drought response from water districts.

Lastly, Mrs. Jenna Voss from OC Public Works/OC Environmental Resources provided an overview of the ‘Overwatering Is Out’ campaign, the importance of multi-organization collaboration, the value of having a “spokesgnome,” and methods for tracking and highlighting residential engagement.

For more information on these presentations, please click here and here.

Reduce Your Summer Outdoor Water Use

Summer's rising temperatures often coincide with rising outdoor water use, primarily due to an increase in landscape watering. In most areas, the amount of water homeowners use to keep their lawns green or gardens lush spikes in the summer – two to four times more water than they use the rest of the year!

Additionally, those with timed outdoor watering systems often forget to monitor the weather or set their irrigation controllers back in the fall, leading to more overwatering during the cooler months.

For more information and tips on keeping your water use under control, please click here.

Eco Challenge Poster Contest Winners Announced

Five young Orange County artists have earned the opportunity to serve as Honorary Bat Kids at the Angels baseball game Friday, September 12. Winners of the Eco Challenge Poster Contest were announced at the Eco Challenge Day Event at Angel Stadium on July 26.

In keeping with the 125th anniversary of the County’s founding, contestants were called to show what the next 125 years would look like if we all take the Eco Challenge. Judges selected the 2014 winning Eco Challenge posters based on originality, visual clarity, artwork, relevance to the theme and effectiveness of their message.

The five winning posters were selected from a total of 200 posters submitted by contestants throughout Orange County. The artists were between the ages of eight and fourteen. One winner was selected from each of the County’s five supervisorial districts.

The 2014 Eco Challenge Poster Contest Winners are:
  • Benjamin Muñiz, Santa Ana (First District)
  • Merrin Joseph, Buena Park (Second District)
  • Natalie Chang, Irvine (Third District)
  • Danilo Macias, Anaheim (Fourth District)
  • Charlie Adams, Ladera Ranch (Fifth District)
The poster contest was sponsored by the County of Orange, Discovery Science Center, and Angels Baseball. For more information, please click here.

CRITTER CHRONICLES

19 Dogs Flown to Washington for Adoption

On Wednesday, July 30, OC Animal Care was excited to partner once again with ShelterMe.com and send 19 available dogs to Washington to find their forever homes. ShelterMe.com, Bark Avenue Foundation and Wings of Rescue, which make up FlyMeHome.org, worked with Los Angeles and Orange County shelters to send almost 150 shelter animals to new homes in the Pacific Northwest.

OC Animal Care kennel and clinic staff did an amazing job getting our dogs ready for transport by making sure they had all of their vaccinations and were healthy enough to travel. Staff arrived at the shelter early to load the dogs and drive them to Long Beach Airport, where they were loaded onto a private plane and flown to Washington.

ShelterMe.com, Bark Foundation and Wings of Rescue did an outstanding job organizing and sponsoring this transport, and OC Animal Care was proud to be a part of it.

For more information, please click here.

APPEALING UNAPPEALING ASSESSMENTS

Property Assessment Appeals

Property owners may file appeals to their annual property assessments now through September 15 with the office of the Orange County Clerk of the Board.

Assessment appeals are available to those who believe the value of their property was less than the assessed value established by the Assessor for the January 1, 2014, lien date. The assessed value of a property is used to calculate annual property taxes due.

Property owners should be aware that they may file an appeal themselves. There is no requirement to use a tax agent to file an appeal, nor does the County of Orange charge a processing fee to file an appeal.

The Clerk of the Board encourages those filing an appeal to use the online e-file program that provides step-by-step assistance in completing the appeal form. The online Application for Changed Assessment can be located here.

Workshops are held at various locations throughout the County to provide the public with information on the appeal process and how to prepare for their hearing. Workshop schedules can be found here.

For questions regarding the appeal process, please call the Clerk of the Board at (714) 834-2331, Ext. 1. For more information, please click here.

SOUTH COUNTY CALENDAR

Dana Point: Summer Concert Series

The City of Dana Point invites you to enjoy Badd Co., A Tribute to Bad Company, and Led ZepAgain, A Tribute to Led Zeppelin, at the Dana Point Summer Concert Series on Sunday, August 17 from 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM at Heritage Park. For more information, please click here.

Rancho Santa Margarita: FREE Safety Event

TV network HLN will be at the Cox Solutions Store in Rancho Santa Margarita Saturday, August 9 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM to offer FREE digital fingerprinting for children. The event also will feature FREE food, face painting, animal balloons, a visit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority, giveaways and an iPad raffle. For more information, please click here.

Laguna Beach: Art Festival Season

Laguna Beach’s world famous summer art festival season runs daily throughout the summer. For information on the Festival of Arts / Pageant of the Masters, please click here. For information on the Sawdust Art Festival, please click here. For information on Art-A-Fair, please click here.

FIFTH DISTRICT WRAP-UP

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