Category: Orange County

Anaheim Tackles Homelessness Through Motel Conversion Program

April 8, 2021
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Aging motels, commercial, and office buildings in Anaheim are getting a second lease on life. The buildings are being converted into affordable housing units under the city’s motel and commercial and office building conversion ordinance, which was passed by Anaheim council in 2019. The first project to take advantage of the ordinance is the Econo…

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Reports of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine for Students Draw Ire of Orange County Parents 

April 8, 2021
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Hundreds of parents gathered at the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) April 7 over concerns COVID-19 vaccines would become mandatory for students without parental consent. During a regularly scheduled OCDE board meeting, more than 100 people spoke out against a widely-circulating—and unverified—claim that Orange County’s top doctor would force public school students to be…

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Orange County Fire Authority Honors Kids Who Helped Save Lives 

April 8, 2021
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BUENA PARK, Calif.—Teenage sisters who helped save the lives of strangers who were ejected from their car during a freeway rollover crash were recognized April 8 for their bravery. Stephanie Roa, 17, and her 15-year-old sister, Ashley, were driving with their father on a Long Beach freeway after dark Sept. 19, 2000 when they witnessed…

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‘Full Speed Ahead’: Officials React to California’s Planned Reopening

April 7, 2021
CaliforniaCOVID-19Gov. Gavin NewsomOrange CountypandemicRegional-Local NewsreopeningSmall BusinessesSouthern CaliforniaUS
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A small business watchdog is encouraging Orange County residents to support locally-owned shops in droves when California lifts its COVID-19 restrictions in June. “We’re excited about the reopening and we’re encouraging as many Californians to get out there and shop at your local toy store, restaurant, auto shop, café,” John Kabateck, California director of the National Federation of Independent…

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Orange County Tackles Its Human Trafficking Hotbed 

April 7, 2021
Anaheim PolicecrimeHuman TraffickingOrange CountyOrange County District AttorneyRegional-Local NewsreportSouthern CaliforniaTask ForceTodd SpitzertourismUS
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Visitors flock to Southern California for its beaches and sunshine, but there’s a darker side to Orange County’s tourism industry that law officials are working to combat: human trafficking. Orange County has become a destination location for human trafficking victims, officials from the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force said during an April 6 press conference in…

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Disneyland Reservations Expected to Be a Hot Commodity During Limited Reopening

April 7, 2021
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Disneyland fans can begin making reservations for the happiest place on earth April 12, but fans worry nabbing a slot could be easier said than done. “I do think they will go fast,” Marianne Rice, who has been an annual pass holder since 2005, told The Epoch Times. “If Touch of Disney tickets are any…

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Dock and Dine Options Aplenty in Newport Harbor

April 6, 2021
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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Some harborside restaurants are offering innovative dining options to stay afloat during the pandemic, and the approach appears to be working. In Newport Beach, restaurants with dock space navigated the pandemic closures in part by offering dockside options. Now, they are seeing a payoff when it comes to accommodating customers arriving…

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Orange County DA Says He’s Mulling Death Penalty for Suspected Shooter

April 6, 2021
crimedeath penaltyDistrict Attorney Todd Spitzermass shootingmental healthOrangeOrange CountyOrange County District AttorneypunishmentRegional-Local NewsSharon Quirk-SilvaSouthern CaliforniaUS
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The chief suspect in a mass Orange, Calif. shooting could face the death penalty if convicted, and Orange County’s district attorney said he’s pursuing the option. “With respect to the situation in Orange, I’m the only person in this county that makes the ultimate decision about whether we’re going to charge somebody with death,” Todd Spitzer said during…

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With Vaccines Expanding, California Plans Summer End To COVID Restrictions

April 6, 2021
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LOS ANGELES—Marking a major step in a return to normalcy, California health officials announced April 6 that all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, gatherings and recreational activities will be lifted June 15, although a statewide mask mandate will remain in place. Assuming continued availability of vaccines and no spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations—particularly among people who have…

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Does Legal Cannabis Retail Push Out the Black Market?

April 3, 2021
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SANTA ANA, Calif.—As cities in Orange County, California, continue to debate allowing retail cannabis, proponents argue that legal dispensaries will help drive out black market operations. But while that might be the case in some cities, the reality is much more complex. Elliot Lewis, founder and CEO of Catalyst Cannabis Co. in Santa Ana, said…

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