Spring is in the Air

With this week's warm temperatures, it already feels like summer! I hope everyone is enjoying the weather and spending times with family and friends.

There are many important events coming up in the weeks ahead in the First District. I hope you will find the information below helpful, as we have included information about the upcoming Special Election, the 2010 Census, OCTA updates and many events in and around the First District.

REMINDER: Town Hall "How to Get a Pass in Your Food Inspection"

Join me and the Healthcare Agency on May 7, 2009 for our Town Hall on how to "Get a Pass in Your Food Inspection."

All local food facility owners are encouraged to attend this town hall presented as part of the Orange County Environmental Health Food Protection Program. At this town hall, there will be discussions on the new inspection system and how to best comply with standards and the steps necessary to obtain a "PASS" seal.

The event will be held at the Orange County Community Service Center,15460 Magnolia Street Westminster, CA 92683 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. To RSVP or for additional information: Diane Nguyen at (714)834-3110

RESOLUTION: Adopted in Support of the 2010 Census

Every ten years, the United States Bureau of the Census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution to conduct a complete count of every person living in the United States. The Orange County Board of Supervisors adopted RESOLUTION: 09-037 at the April 7th board meeting to share the 2010 Census message and mobilize constituents in support of the Census Bureau's goal of achieving a complete and accurate count on Census Day, April 1, 2010.

Information from the Census will help the county to receive federal and state funding; allow cities and public agencies to effectively plan and allocate funds toward infrastructure and community projects; and assist businesses and organizations in identifying community and housing needs and business opportunities.

Based on census data, the federal government annually allocates more than $300 billion to states and communities for critical community services.

OC Registrar of Voters: Automated Vote by Mail Ballot Processing System

Good news for permanent vote-by-mail voters and taxpayers. The Orange County Registrar of Voters introduces its automated vote-by-mail ballot processing system. This system promises to reduce the cost and time routinely incurred in processing duplicate applications.

As recently as the 2008 Presidential Election, permanent vote-by-mail voters would receive the same sample ballots as poll site voters. Included on the back page of these sample ballots would be an application for a one-time vote-by-mail ballot. Seeing this application to vote by mail caused many voters to be uncertain as to their registration status to vote by mail.

In addition, many voters who registered to vote by mail sometimes choose, instead, to drop off their main-in ballots at local voting locations, but there is no such information provided on the ballots for these voters. Thus, these voters would have to call the Registrar of Voters or visit its website to know where they can drop off their ballots.

Now, the nearest poll site for each voter will be printed on all ballots, letting voters who vote by mail know where they can drop off their mail-in ballot in person.

In addition, a message will appear on the signature line of the one-time application informing them they are a permanent vote-by-mail voter and they do not have to fill out another application to receive future ballots. The OC Registrar of Voters is currently monitoring response and will make additional adjustments if necessary.

OC Jail Report

The Orange County Sheriff's department recently briefed the Board of Supervisors about the state of the Orange County jails.

The assessment, conducted by Crout & Sida criminal justice consulting firm, focused on four specific areas involved in the management of the OC jail system.

Department/facility policies and procedures: Central Jail operates under a budget of $70,097,782 and houses a total of 2664 inmates. Theo Lacy operates within a $52,802,387 budget and houses a total of 3311 inmates, while Musick has a budget of $14,145,322 and houses 1256 inmates.

1. Overall security: A number of structural modifications, such as cameras and recording devices have been introduced into the jails.



2. Staffing analysis: 250 personnel and 900 volunteers are currently working within seven County facilities. In comparison to similar sized jails, the sworn staff to inmate ratio for Orange County is nearly twice as much, 1:7 against 1:4. However, inmate assaults are significantly higher in these facilities, 2.7 compared to Orange County's .6.



3. Observations pertaining to best correctional practices: The Sheriff department has instituted ethics training using the Chamberlain case as an example.

Intelligence Assessment Center

Representatives from the Sheriff's Department and participating agencies presented a report about the readiness of the County's Intelligence Assessment Center. The Center brings together individuals and resources from law enforcement, fire protection, the medical community and the private sector to monitor any suspicious activity reported in Orange County.

Participating agencies include the Sheriff's Department, the Orange County Fire Authority and several local police departments including Santa Ana, Irvine, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Center utilizes a Terrorism Liaison Unit, a Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit, an Analysis Unit and an Intelligence Unit. The Center's mission is to provide an integrated, multi-disciplined information and intelligence sharing network to collect, analyze and disseminate information on all critical risks and safety threats to law enforcement, fire, health, private and public sector stakeholders in a timely manner in order to protect the residents, visitors and critical infrastructure of Orange County.

If you see any suspicious activity, please contact the Center at (714) 628-3024.

John Wayne Airport

Virgin America Comes to John Wayne Airport

Starting April 29th, the first Virgin America flight will land at John Wayne Airport. Virgin America will begin regular flights in and out of John Wayne Airport May 1st, using some of the airport capacity vacated when Aloha Airlines declared bankruptcy. Initially, Virgin America will provide direct air service to and from San Francisco with additional destinations to be added in the near future.

Open Bid - General Aviation Tie-Down Shade Structures

John Wayne Airport will be soliciting bids for a three metal aircraft tie-down shade structures for general aviation aircraft on the west side (baker tie-down area) of the airport. Each aircraft tie-down shade structure will be approximately 420 feet long by 50 feet wide and will provide shade for approximately 20 aircraft (coverage for 60 aircraft total when all three structures are completed). The tie-down shade structures will be supported by center columns positioned on concrete caissons.

Please, see the Notice Inviting Bids for more information.

Construction Alert for John Wayne Airport

As part of the John Wayne Airport Improvement Program, the Airport has begun the removal of Parking Structure B1 to make way for the new Terminal C. Trucks carrying construction materials will be accessing the Airport roadways, south of the terminal complex. Drivers should utilize caution when driving south on Airport Way near Campus Drive.

For information about the Airport Improvement Program, please visit: www.ocair.com/improvements.

In Memoriam

The Rev. Charlie Wilkins passed away from lung cancer on Friday, April 3, 2009. Rev. Wilkins was a prominent member of our community. I had the privilege of working with Rev. Wilkins on different projects throughout the years. He will be truly missed by all of us.

In 1979, he and his wife moved to the City of Westminster where they raised their two children. After working for GTE, now Verizon, for 25 years, Rev. Wilkins retired in 1997.

He remained active in the community, though, and was dedicated to serving others. His was a familiar voice in the community, as the announcer for Westminster High School's Lions athletics. In 2005, Rev. Wilkins founded Greater Grace Church of Deliverance and in October of 2006, he became a chaplain for the Westminster Police Department.

He was active in the Kiwanis Club of Westminster and was president at the time of his death. In 2008, Rev. Wilkins was named Citizen of the Year by the Westminster Chamber of Commerce. He had a deep love for the community and his presence will certainly be missed. Rev. Wilkins is survived by his wife of 40 years, Rosie Wilkins; son Eric Wilkins; daughter Shaun Miller; and three grandchildren.

OCTA

Recovering from the Freeway Fires

OCTA is submitting grant applications to both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) to cover costs incurred as a result of the Triangle Complex Fire. In response to wildfires and high winds, Governor Schwarzenegger and President Bush declared a State of Emergency in November of last year. OCTA will be seeking approximately $65,809 in eligible costs incurred by the fire.

Additional Lane on the 91 East

OCTA and CalTrans will be adding an additional lane to the eastbound 91 between State Routes 241 and 71. Although this project was originally selected to be funded through Proposition 1B, the State of California's financial difficulties had delayed the availability of the funding. Instead the $67.852 million needed for this project will be financed through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, more commonly known as the Federal Stimulus Package.

Extension of HOV Lanes on I-5

CalTrans and OCTA also will be working together to extend the high-occupancy vehicle lanes in both directions on Interstate 5. The project will add one HOV lane to the I-5 in each direction from San Juan Creek Road, in San Juan Capistrano, to Avenida Pico, in San Clemente.

New Sound Walls on State Route 22 (aka: Garden Grove Freeway)

In order to mitigate freeway sound along State Route 22, OCTA will be constructing new sound walls. These new sound walls will be located on the westbound 22 between Tustin Ave. and Cambridge St., as well as a section near Devon Road. Sound walls also will be added to the eastbound Beach Blvd. on-ramp and The City Drive eastbound off-ramp.

Crime Report Analysis

The OCTA Transit Police force recently presented its annual report. The Fixed Route Crime Analysis section of the report listed the number of violations per city.

I'm proud to report that in our First District, City of Westminster and the unincorporated community of Midway City had zero violations listed.

Tony Arreola, Cook Elementary, "The World Through My Eyes"

Gabriela Lopez, "Fenced In"

Armando Villalpando, "Ditch Weeds"