News

By Matt Szabo

Excerpted from the Daily Pilot 

Local elected officials took a tour of the oil-spill-affected Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Wednesday, as the cleanup continues.

Workers from Patriot Environmental Services, based in Wilmington, used rakes and large white bags to remove oil from the area near the rocks by the shore. The oil was then deposited in a dumpster at the marsh, located south of Brookhurst Street off Pacific Coast Highway.

By Patrick McGreevy

Excerpted from the LA Times

Faced with criticism from many Californians thrown out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday gave his approval to a package of bills aimed at reducing delays and fraud in the state’s beleaguered unemployment benefits system.

Excerpted from the LA Times

By Anita Chabria, Hannah Fry, Connor Sheets, Jacyln Cosgrove, Anh Do

Excerpted from Voice of OC

By Noah Biesiada 

Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency late Monday over the oil spill off the coast of Orange County while officials say that the leak is stopped and not continuing to leak.

The letter calls on a variety of state agencies to continue and enhance their work in Orange County after an oil spill dumped around 126,000 gallons into the water just a few miles off the coast of Orange County. 

Excerpted from CalMatters

By Emily Hoeven

At nearly 10 pm on Monday night, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County due to the region’s largest oil spill in three decades.

Excerpted from Nature World News

By Precious Smith

Fish dead, birds mired in petroleum and wetlands polluted as large amounts of oil spill off the southern California coast. This prompted local officials to call the event an environmental catastrophe.

[...]

A Democratic state assembly member who represents some regions which the spill affected, Cottie Petrie-Norris, said she had "huge concerns" regarding the amount of the damage done to the environment, local economy, and communities.

Excerpted from CBSLA

More than 120,000 gallons of crude oil from an offshore oil rig has leaked into the waters off the OC Coastline in what city officials are calling a potential ecological disaster.

According to the Coast Guard, which reported the incident at 12:18 p.m., the slick was approximately three miles off Newport Beach and 13 square miles in size.

[...]

Excerpted from the Laguna Beach Independent

By Daniel Langhorne

About 400 people turned out to Main Beach in solidarity with a national march supporting women’s reproductive rights on Saturday.

Orange County Sup. Katrina Foley and Assemblymember Cottie Petrie Norris (D-Laguna Beach) were among the elected officials who joined in the protest. They were joined by congressional candidate Harley Rouda.

Excerpted from the Sacramento Bee

By David Lightman and Hannah Wiley

Bills approved before the Legislature ended its 2021 session could mean important changes, some now, some later. Newsom has until October 10 to sign the bills, and his office said Friday it “typically does not comment on pending legislation.”

[...]

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Laguna Beach, said she’s confident “meaningful reforms” made their way through the Legislature this year.

Excerpted from the Orange County Register

By Teri Sforza

Deadly fentanyl infects street drugs. Overdose deaths are skyrocketing. And more treatment is the solution, many say — even as fraud and tragedy continue to plague the private-pay, insurance-money-fattened slice of the addiction treatment industry.