OC Political

This came over the wire from Supervisor Bill Campbell’s office on Friday…

Welcome to this edition of “Bill Campbell’s Third District Report,” an electronic newsletter keeping you updated about the events taking place in the County of Orange and in the Third 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. bill.campbell@ocgov.com IN THIS ISSUE… 1. BOARD AGENDA 2. ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY 3. SACRAMENTO UPDATE   OUR STAFF… Laura Cunningham Chief of Staff Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda Christine Compton Deputy Chief of Staff Irvine Louis Bronstein Policy Advisor Orange, Orange Park Acres, Villa Park Michael Johnson Policy Advisor Silverado, Santiago, Modjeska, Trabuco Canyons Whitney Ayers Policy Advisor North Tustin, Tustin Renee Chinchilla Office Manager/Executive Secretary Brent Kuluris Executive Aide Click here to subscribe. Click here to unsubscribe June 29, 2012   Volume: 10 Issue: 24 BOARD AGENDA Final FY 2012-2013 Budget Adopted– The Board approved a final budget for FY 2012-2013. The FY 12-13 Budget continues the funding of critical and core services with no reductions in the current levels of service. Overall, the budget demonstrates the County’s commitment to live within its means while maintaining essential services for residents. Report on Voter Approved Pension Measures in San Diego and San Jose– The Board received a presentation on the two voter-approved pension reform measures passed in the cities of San Diego and San Jose. Both measures amended the city charter to make substantial changes to their pension systems. The City of San Jose’s measure established a lower tier pension for new employees, and requires existing employees to pay more to keep their current retirement plan. San Jose’s measure also allows for existing employees to opt into the lower retirement benefit plan. In the City of San Diego, new employees will be entered into a defined contribution (401k) plan, with the exception of law enforcement. San Diego’s measure also requires equal pension contributions by the employer (city) and its employees. Employee unions have already initiated legal challenges to both pension reform measures. Statement of Votes Cast– The Board declared the results and received the certified Statement of Votes Cast for the Statewide Presidential Primary Election held on June 5. To read the Registrar of Voters Executive Summary of the June 5 election, please click here. To view the official election results for all ballots cast in Orange County, click here. Sheriff Service Contracts– The Board approved a number of annual law enforcement contracts throughout the County. The Board approved an agreement with the City of Villa Park for continued Sheriff’s Department service in the amount of $1,149,447. In addition, the Board renewed its annual agreement with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in the amount of $5,688,892. OC Animal Care Vicous Dog Ordinance– The Board amended its Animal Care Ordinance to increase the public’s protection when an owner ignores conditions set for vicious dogs. Once a dog is declared “Potentially Dangerous or Vicious”, the County’s Codified Ordinance 4-1-95 provides a hearing process for the owner to contest the finding. If the finding is upheld, OC Animal Care may impose a variety of safety restrictions related to secure housing and signage on the maintenance of the dog. The Board approved an amendment to the Ordinance which gives OC Animal Care the authority to impose dog ownership restrictions on individuals that do not comply with the “Potentially Dangerous or Vicious” restrictions. OC Animal Care may prohibit that individual from owning or having custody of any dog for a period of up to three years, if the owner’s negligence is deemed a threat to the public’s safety. This amendment implements provisions of the California Food and Agricultural Code 31646 that authorizes a City or County to impose such restrictions. Creating Family Connections Program– The Board approved a non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Court Appointed Special Advocates and Seneca Family of Agencies which includes Canyon Acres for the continuation of identification, search, and engagement services aimed at starting or re-establishing communications between dependent youth and their family members, relatives, and/or significant others. Early Childhood Education at Tustin Family Campus– The Board approved a non-financial MOU with Continuing Development, Inc. (CDI) for the Early Childhood Education Services at Tustin Family Campus commencing June 27, 2012 through June 30, 2013. CDI will assume service in the location where Head Start was previously located. ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY Taxable Sales Forecast– The OCTA Finance and Administration Committee received a presentation by Dr. Anil Puri of California State University, Fullerton on the taxable sales forecasting he performs on behalf of the Authority. The presentation provided the Committee with information regarding national and economic statistics within Orange County. To view a copy of the presentation, click here. New York Meetings Update– The committee received an update on the OCTA delegation meetings with the rating agencies and financial institutions in New York earlier this month. While in New York we met with Stantec to discuss the 91 Express Lanes toll policy, traffic volumes in the State Route 91 corridor, and the I-405 project. To view a copy of the presentation, please click here. Measure M Taxpayer Oversight Committee– Measure M was approved by voters in 1990 and funds transportation improvements throughout the county. The measure calls for a committee to oversee the program. The recruitment process to fill the committee for 2012 has been completed and a lottery was held during the OCTA Board meeting to fill vacancies. The four selected members are: Anh-Tuan Le of Fountain Valley, Jack Wu of Newport Beach, Phillip La Puma of Anaheim, and Katherine Koster of Laguna Beach. In addition, Resolutions of appreciation for the four outgoing members were presented. External Affairs Division Report– The Orange County Transportation Authority External Affairs Division presented performance metrics on their activities for the third quarter FY 2011-12. To view the report, please clickhere. Orangethorpe Railroad Grade Separation Project– The Board approved the bid opening for the construction of Orangethrope Avenue Railroad Grade separation project in the cities of Anaheim and Placentia. The project will elevate Orangethorpe Avenue and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) mainline tracks will remain at grade. The existing intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Chapman Avenue will be eliminated and replaced with a bridge separating the two streets. Chapman will cross under Orangethorpe and reconnect to Orangethorpe at Traub Lane. Orangethorpe will remain open during construction by maintaining one lane of traffic in each direction. Santa Ana and Garden Grove Fixed-Guideway Project– Staff presented an overview of the Santa Ana and Garden Grove Fixed-Guideway Project. In addition, the City of Santa Ana presented the status of projects and milestones. To view the presentation, please click here. SACRAMENTO UPDATE On Tuesday, I left the Board meeting at 10:30 am to travel to Sacramento on a legislative matter. I met with Senator Kehoe to discuss the County’s “Oppose Unless Amended” position on Senate Bill (SB) 1094. The California Department of Fish Game (CDFG) is requiring local governments to create endowments as financial assurance that revenue will be pledged for long-term management of mitigation sites. I do not support this requirement because local governments are enduring institutions with taxing authority and the financial flexibility to ensure adequate funding to meet the mitigation requirements. Further, these endowments will require Orange County to set aside tens of millions of dollars which would otherwise be used on needed flood control and road projects. Therefore, I met with the bill’s author, Senator Kehoe, and requested that she accept the County’s alternative language to allow for a “pledge of revenue” as a financial assurance. On Wednesday, SB 1094 was heard by the Assembly Committee on Local Government. The amendments were not accepted and the bill passed Committee by a vote of 8:1. Orange County Assemblyman Chris Norby was the dissenting vote. The bill will next be heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee. For pictures, click here. Last Friday, I toured wilderness areas in the Canyons with Irvine Ranch Conservancy Director Michael O’Connell. We toured an area referred to as “Dripping Springs” to observe spring water dripping out of an earthquake fault down a fern covered rock face. We also toured the “Sinks” in Limestone Canyon. For pictures from my tour, please click here. On Saturday, I attended the dedication of the new Mara Brandman Horse Arena in Orange Park Acres. This beautiful new arena includes a show arena and a warm up arena. The Mara Brandman Arena will continue to support and preserve the equestrian heritage and traditions of Orange Park Acres. For pictures, please click here. I participated in the ribbon cutting of the County’s solar photovoltaic power generation system which was built by Psomas-FMG. The system is spread-out over five county properties and generates 3.3 megawatts of electrical power. This is the County’s first large scale solar power project and another example of how the county continues to be a regional leader in renewable energy. Over the next 20 years, this system will save the County an estimated $4.4 million in electricity costs as part of the County’s Power Purchase Agreement with Psomas-FMG. For pictures, please click here. Mary and I attended the Timeless Melodies concert series at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. This month featured classic hits from African American artists. For the program, click here. For pictures, please clickhere. ANNOUNCEMENTS Orange Third of July Celebration– The City of Orange will hold its 17th annual 3rd of July Celebration on Tuesday, July 3, from 4 pm to 9 pm in Fred Kelly Stadium at El Modena High School. Tickets are $7 per person and children ages two and under are free. Tickets will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, call the Special Events Hotline at (714) 744 -7278 or please click here. OPA Fourth of July Parade– Orange Park Acres will host its 44th annual 4th of July Parade on Wednesday, July 4th, at 9:30 am. The parade will run its traditional route starting at Salem Church. The Third Annual Orange Park Acres pre-parade 5k run/walk will begin at 8 am. For more information, please click here. Silverado Canyon 4th of July BBQ– The community is invited to the fifth annual 4th of July celebration at the Great American BBQ and Potluck at the Silverado Community Center. The celebration begins at 1:00 pm. There will be food, drinks, games and other activities. For more information, please click here. Modjeska Canyon 4th of July Parade– The Modjeska Canyon 4th of July Parade will start at 11:00 am at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. At the completion of the parade there will be hot dogs at Fire Station 16. To view a flyer from the event, please click here. Anaheim Hills Fourth of July Celebration– The Canyon Hills Community Council’s Annual Fourth of July Celebration will be held on Wednesday July 4. Food, game booths and entertainment will begin in the afternoon. A parade begins at 3 pm starting at Canyon High School and proceeds west on Santa Ana Canyon Road ending at N. Pinney. A fireworks display at Peralta Park begins at 9 pm. Other events include a 5/10 K run, a pancake breakfast and the Yankee Doodle Dog Show. For more information, please click here. Yorba Linda Fourth of July Spectacular– Yorba Linda will be holding a special 4th of July festival on Wednesday, July 4 from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm at Yorba Linda Veterans Park. The festival will feature game booths, food, and music, followed by a fireworks show. Bring your own lawn chairs, and dogs are not recommended. Fireworks begin at 9 pm and last about 20 minutes. Richard Nixon Library Celebration– Celebrate Independence Day and meet President George Washington at the Nixon Presidential Library. Event is free with Library admission. At 1 p.m. enjoy a presentation by the Placentia Symphonic Band in the White House East Room. For more information, click here. Beach Conditions Website– The Health Care Agency’s Environmental Health Division launched an upgraded website just in time for summer. The upgrades create an interactive Google map for a quick check on current beach conditions. The menu bar provides easy access to find your favorite local beach and the color-coded pins (green-yellow-red) indicate the current conditions. A close up view of the beach, current weather conditions, beach amenities, directions, monitoring locations are also available. The program monitors Orange County’s 42 miles of open ocean coastline and 70 miles of harbor and bay frontage. For the website, click here. CalOptima Recruitment Extended– The Health Care Agency has extended the deadline to submit applications to the CalOptima Board of Directors from June 29th to Friday July 13th, 2012. For more information, please click here. Mary and I want to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July next week! It is a pleasure to serve the constituents of the Third District. Please pray for our armed forces and our foreign services personnel.