Last Saturday, I was honored to receive an award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Los Angeles Section Branch for "Excellence in Promoting Infrastructure." I'm very grateful for this recognition, as I have always been an advocate for strong infrastructure projects through our County agencies and Public Private Partnerships.

L-R: With Steven King (Past President, ASCE Los Angeles Region) and
Yazdan Emrandi, P.E. (Region 9 Section Governor).

In addition, six projects specific to Orange County won the following awards:

• Bikeways and Trails Project of the Year – Rancho Mission Viejo Multipurpose Path
• Construction Project of the Year – The I-5 HOV Improvement Project (between Avenida Pico and Avenida Vista Hermosa)
• Geotechnical Project of the Year – South Cove Development
• Parks and Recreation Project of the Year – Orange County Great Park Sports Complex
• Structural Engineering Project of the Year – Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena
• Transportation Project of the Year – Los Patrones Parkway

The winners from this year’s ASCE ceremony are now nominated for the statewide awards, which will be announced and awarded in March 2020.

Civil engineers are the backbone supporting our infrastructure, which plays a major role in our day to day operations and economy. Our civil engineers are a part of every project, whether it is transportation, water infrastructure, public works, housing and building construction, and much more.

The ASCE Los Angeles Region is made up of 7 regional branches, which include the following counties:

• Mono County
• Inyo County
• San Louis Obispo County
• Santa Barbara County
• Kern County
• Ventura County
• Los Angeles County
• San Bernardino County
• Orange County
• Riverside County

Click the image above to enlarge.

I'm pleased to report that by performing certain flood control related activities, the County of Orange has helped homeowners in the unincorporated areas of Orange County receive a 25 percent discount in flood insurance premiums.

The County of Orange is a participant in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System (CRS). Property owners whose properties lie within FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Areas or “100-year floodplains” are eligible to receive a discount in flood insurance premiums each year depending on the level of the activities performed by their local jurisdiction.

The CRS program requires completion of various flood control related activities, including construction and maintenance of flood control channels. Additionally, it requires CRS participants to provide an Annual Progress Report (Report) to inform the public of recent achievements in reducing flood risk in their communities. The Report summarizes the activities that the County is undertaking to reduce or eliminate its largest floodplains. The County manages and maintains approximately 380 miles of flood control channels throughout Orange County.

The Report includes activities for projects that are in the design phase or completed construction projects from the County’s 7-Year Flood Control Capital Improvement Program. Major improvements are in the Westminster and San Juan Creek watersheds, which have the largest floodplains in Orange County.

Information about the Report, including a summary of completed projects, can be found on the OC Flood section of the OC Public Works website (see the third item, Annual Progress Report for Floodplain Management Plan).

As Chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, I'm pleased to report that my fellow Supervisors and I issued a resolution this week, recognizing the official launch of StigmaFreeOC.com in partnership with the OC Health Care Agency and the OC Mental Health Board.

Presenting the Board resolution to the OC Health Care Agency and
OC Mental Health Board.

In support of National Mental Health Awareness Week, the launch of StigmaFreeOC.com creates an opportunity to focus on community outreach and public education regarding mental illness. Local businesses, municipalities, non-profits, faith-based organizations and individuals are encouraged to take the pledge and display their Stigma Free OC certificates with pride.
 
The website also features ongoing stigma-reduction efforts happening in Orange County and a robust toolkit that visitors can utilize to take action in building momentum around this important movement. 

 StigmaFreeOC.com additionally includes local resources available to support individuals and families struggling with mental illness and substance use disorders.

The site’s calendar enables visitors to view a list of upcoming activities that promote wellness and recovery, or submit their own for posting. 
 
As the movement progresses, residents can come back to the site often to check the current pledge tally, view the website’s interactive pledge map and learn about new ways to become involved. To read the full press release, click here.  

As your representative on the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors, I'm pleased to report that the California Coastal Commission has approved a coastal permit application submitted by OCTA for a restoration project at the Pacific Horizon Preserve, a 151-acre property owned by the county agency and tucked among the Ranch Hotel, Barracuda Way and Loretta Drive.

To that end, OCTA plans to close an unauthorized 843-foot trail and restore a half-acre of habitats disturbed by the unapproved modifications. It also will remove bike jumps and repair any damage caused by erosion.

Plans also include removing invasive plants, including artichoke thistle, pampas grass and ice plant, on about four acres of the preserve and replacing them with native vegetation such as Dudleya multicaulis, a perennial succulent.

OCTA also intends to repair 1,114 feet of fencing and install new signs and three monitoring cameras on the preserve.

Closure of the unauthorized path will not prevent public access to the preserve, officials said. The report describes the path as “duplicative” of the main trail.

Karl Schwing, South Coast District director for the Coastal Commission, said there was no known opposition to the plan’s approval.

The Pacific Horizon Preserve

OCTA purchased the Pacific Horizon Preserve in 2015 as part of the Environmental Mitigation Program included in Measure M — a half-cent sales tax for transportation infrastructure improvements approved by county voters in 1990 and extended in 2006. Measure M is expected to generate more than $13.1 billion through 2041.

The mitigation program allocates funds to acquire land and pay for habitat restoration efforts to offset the environmental effects of freeway projects. Pacific Horizon is one of seven properties the agency has purchased.

The agency will have a five-year authorization for ongoing restoration at the preserve.

As reported in my newsletter last week, John Wayne Airport (JWA) has announced the introduction of Viewpoint, a new user-friendly platform for community members to submit noise events.  Fully integrated with the Airport’s Noise and Operations Management System, this streamlined system automatically submits noise event information to the Access and Noise Office, improving consistency and facilitating more efficient data collection.

The Viewpoint portal allows users to submit questions or concerns about a noise event directly from their mobile device or computer and users can create a personal profile where a historical log of noise event submissions is stored. There is also an interactive telephone voice response system, including voice to text transcription. For more information and to download the Viewpoint portal, click here. To access the Viewpoint automated telephone system, call 949-252-5185.

Community members can also utilize the VOLANS flight track viewer, where users can view aircraft data including origin/destination, altitude, aircraft type, heading, and flight number. VOLANS allows users to view flights in near real-time, or to playback historical data. For more information about the John Wayne Airport Access and Noise Office, click here. 

At this week's Board of Supervisors meeting, I was pleased to present a resolution in honor of 5th District resident Scott Larson, Executive Director at HomeAid Orange County for the past 21 years, who has recently appointed to serve as the new Chief Executive Officer of HomeAid America.

Presenting a Board resolution to Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America.

2019 has been a year of change for Scott. Not only did he take time to explore his passions and enjoy some well-deserved rest during his three-month sabbatical provided through the Fieldstone Leadership Network Clare Rose Sabbatical, Scott is now taking on the new role of CEO of HomeAid America come October 14.

HomeAid was founded in 1989, by the Orange County chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIA/SC), an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

In 1995, HomeAid America was created to expand the effort throughout the country. Since that time, HomeAid has expanded to 20 chapters and has inspired the building industry, the business community, governments, and volunteers to take action to help those in need and is now a leading national nonprofit provider of housing and resources for people experiencing homelessness.

While Scott will be missed at HomeAid Orange County, we are all incredibly proud to see him transition into this new role! Congratulations, Scott!

As reported in my newsletter last week, Cox Communications and The Trust for Public Land has announced Laguna Bluebelt environmental leader Jinger Wallace as the “California 2019 Cox Conserves Hero” with an award of a $10,000 contribution to the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition – a community based non-profit dedicated to protect marine life and restore coastal “hope spot” habitats.  

Jinger is now a candidate for the National Award of $50,000 to also be donated to the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition. Voting by the public has begun and runs through October 15 at www.coxconservesheroes.com/vote.   

Jinger was honored for her work to reduce dry weather urban runoff, which endangered public health, polluted Aliso Creek, and impacted the nearby State Marine Conservation Area. 

After observing children playing in the polluted pond water at the beach, Jinger sought out partnerships with surrounding water districts, county and city agencies to address the source of the problem – inland urban runoff. 

Through her efforts and collaboration with my office, new signage at Aliso Beach now warns the public of the pollution dangers of urban runoff in the creek. 

Further success this summer resulted from working with inland cities and Moulton Niguel Water District to reduce the flow of dry weather urban runoff in Aliso Creek by 50%. 

The Aliso Beach Sand Berm now remains in place for longer periods of time to provide greater public access and safeguard public health from urban runoff. Jinger encourages local residents to become a “Berm Buddies” and speak up in support of protecting the Aliso Beach Sand Berm.

Jinger’s dedication to a healthy ocean has won the support and accolades of many, as she was also recognized by the OC Register as one of Orange County’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018. 

Ongoing community events raising public awareness include the Annual Laguna Bluebelt Photo Contest organized by Jinger’s dynamic team. Now in its 10th year, the contest engages talented photographers to capture the beauty and vitality of the ocean. The contest boasts over 500 entries and gives generous prizes from local businesses.

Other education events include the Laguna Art Museum’s “Art & Nature” Family Day, KelpFest at Main Beach, and presentations to regional government ocean water quality agencies. 

Congratulations to our very own Jinger Wallace! For more information, please click here. Let's all help Jinger now win the National Award and vote for her no later than October 15! 

The Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector (TTC) reminds us that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20 Secured Property Tax Bills were mailed to taxpayers the week of September 30. THE TTC will be mailing approximately 850,000 property tax bills over a seven-day period. The property tax bills are now available to view, print or pay on the TTC website. 

The first and second installments are due on November 1, 2019 and February 1, 2020 respectively. The last day to make your timely payment for the first installment will be December 10, 2019 and for the second installment will be April 10, 2020.

Payments made or postmarked after these dates will be assessed a late penalty. If you receive a RED property tax bill, you have a prior year’s property tax bill that is unpaid. To check to see if you have any delinquent property tax bills or any property tax refunds on your property, view your online property tax statement by inputting your parcel or address.

We encourage you to use the ease and convenience of paying your property taxes by eCheck at no cost through the TTC's secure website. You can also pay online using debit/credit cards (service charges apply). 

Please note that the property tax bills for the previous ten years and payment details for the last two years are also available on our website and you can view properties on a GIS map on our new “Mello” app  or at our other GIS site. You can also sign up to receive an email or text reminder!  

Laguna Beach Water County District invites you to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of its SmartScape Expo, Laguna's waterwise landscape event, Saturday, October 12, 8 AM - 2 PM, at the LBCWD Headquarters, 306 3rd Street, Laguna Beach. For more information, click here.

The Doheny State Beach Interpretive Association has released the October edition of its e-newsletter, The Doheny UPDATE, featuring information on upcoming events and activities at Doheny State Beach.

• Receive an award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Los Angeles Section Branch for "Excellence in Promoting Infrastructure."
• Attended the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce's Food & Wine Festival at Mission San Juan Capistrano.
• Chaired the Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting, presented Board resolutions in recognition of the launch of StigmaFreeOC.com and in honor of HomeAid America CEO Scott Larson, and adjourned the Board meeting in memory of The Honorable Wayne Peterson, former Mayor of Laguna Beach.
• Participated as 1st Vice President of CSAC at the Executive Committee Retreat.

At the ASCE Los Angeles awards ceremony with Steven King
(Past President, ASCE Los Angeles Region) and Yazdan Emrandi, P.E.
(Region 9 Section Governor).

At the San Juan Chamber's Food & Wine Festival.

Presenting a Board resolution in recognition of the launch of
StigmaFreeOC.com.

Presenting a Board resolutionin honor of HomeAid America CEO Scott Larson.

Speaking at the Executive Committee Retreat.

• Attended the Tri-Chamber Mixer held at Ytel in Lake Forest.
• Presented a certificate of recognition in honor of the ribbon cutting ceremony for Open Market OC at the Laguna Hills Mall.
• Presented a certificate of recognition in honor of the ribbon cutting ceremony for F45 Training Dana Point.
• Presented a certificate of recognition in honor of the ribbon cutting ceremony for See's Candies in Laguna Hills.
• Presented a certificate of recognition in honor of the ribbon cutting ceremony for Kintsugi Mind Spa in Laguna Hills.
• Presented a certificate of recognition in honor of the ribbon cutting ceremony for i-5 Freedom Network in San Clemente.

My Community Relations Advisor, Sergio Prince, presenting a certificate
of recognition at the ribbon cutting for i-5 Freedom Network in San Clemente.

At the Tri-Chamber Mixer in Lake Forest with Ytel CEO/Founder Nick Newsome.

At the ribbon cutting for Open Market OC at the Laguna Hills Mall.

At the ribbon cutting for Kintsugi Mind Spa in Laguna Hills.

At the ribbon cutting for See's Candies in Laguna Hills.

At the ribbon cutting for F45 Training Dana Point.