Excerpted from Orange County Register
By Alicia Robinson
As the state-owned Fairview Developmental Center prepares to close in coming months, Costa Mesa officials are taking steps to ensure they’re involved in decisions on reuse of the center’s spacious campus in the heart of the city.
Excerpted from Los Angeles Times
By Bradley Zint
Local officials and activists gathered Saturday morning to unveil a new mural at a historic Costa Mesa church that aims to raise awareness for helping Orange County’s homeless population.
The artwork by Brian Peterson and Damin Lujan at First United Methodist Church was completed in three days on a small structure housing telecommunications equipment in the church’s parking lot.
Excerpted from Orange County Register
By Teri Sforza
His kids, ages 9 and 11, ran into the living room screaming. “There’s someone laying in front of our house in the middle of the street!”
Jeff Briney, a 20-year resident of Laguna Beach, ran to the window. Indeed, a young man was sprawled out, unconscious, on their narrow, winding South Laguna road.
Excerpted from Los Angeles Times
By Hillary Davis
A 5-mile stretch of the 55 Freeway running through Costa Mesa will be named in honor of a city fire captain who died last year after being struck by an allegedly impaired driver.
The newly designated “Costa Mesa Fire Captain Michael Kreza Memorial Highway” will run from 19th Street to MacArthur Boulevard, thanks to a resolution the state Senate and Assembly passed this month.
Excerpted from Los Angeles Times
By Daniel Langhorne
The Orange County Board of Supervisors accepted a $4.5-million state grant Tuesday that will fund a 150-day pilot program for a fixed-wing aircraft that will monitor area wildfires, providing incident commanders with real-time information on fire conditions.
The Orange County Fire Authority will oversee operation of the dual-prop plane, which will be flown by a contractor, Courtney Aviation.
Excerpted from Los Angeles Times
By Nina Agrawal
The Jewish experience in America, including teachings about anti-Semitism, must be included in California’s new ethnic studies curriculum, the state schools chief said Wednesday, following sharp criticism of the draft by many Jewish groups and an announcement by top education leaders that it “falls short” and will undergo substantial revisions.
Excerpted from Los Angeles Times
By Luke Money
State Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) has convened a group of her colleagues from both sides of the aisle to create a legislative coalition to tackle issues and challenges in California’s addiction-treatment industry.
“For years, attempts to address substance abuse treatment have fallen flat and people are dying,” Petrie-Norris said in a statement Tuesday announcing the Legislative Substance Abuse Treatment Working Group.
Excerpted from OC Register
By Teri Sforza
Democrats and Republicans plan to work together to revamp oversight of multibillion-dollar rehab industry
Excerpted from Los Angeles Times
By John Myers
California lawmakers from both major parties pushed Tuesday for a closer look at technology and security mishaps in last year’s launch of the state’s new voter registration system at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
“We have to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible,” Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) said. “We can’t tolerate mismanagement and poor leadership.”
By Cottie Petrie Norris
When it comes to government, I’m an outsider. That gives me a relatively unique perspective in Sacramento, one that is more closely aligned with the people I represent than those of the politicians I work with in the Capitol.
Along with many of my constituents, addressing Orange County’s homelessness crisis is one of my top priorities.