Category: Orange County

Man Found Fatally Wounded in Driveway of Home in Santa Ana

Police found a man fatally wounded in a driveway to a home in Santa Ana, authorities said March 6. Officers were dispatched at 11:26 p.m. Friday to the 1400 block of West Elder Drive in response to reports of a shooting victim and found the man suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body, the…


Effort to Recall Governor Newsom Receives Surge of New Signatures

With the campaign to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom nearing its final stretch, the two committees behind the effort submitted thousands of new signatures March 5. The campaign turned in 65,000 signatures to the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters and 35,000 signatures to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, organizers said. “It’s not a question of…


State Clears Theme Parks, Ballparks To Reopen, With Strict Capacity Rules

LOS ANGELES—Disneyland, Universal Studios and other theme parks across the state, along with outdoor ballparks and stadiums, can reopen as early as April 1 subject to counties’ rates of COVID-19 spread and with strict capacity-control mandates and required mask-wearing, state officials announced March 5. The announcement marks a major policy shift relating to theme parks,…


Irvine Launches Financial Relief Program for Struggling Renters

The City of Irvine is rolling out its emergency rental assistance program, and will begin accepting applications March 8. In partnership with Orange County United Way, Irvine will allocate about $17.7 million for the initiative, which was funded through state and federal dollars. “I continue to hear from our community about the hardships they face…


Newsom Signs $6.6 Billion School-Reopening Bill, School Year Could Be Extended

LOS ANGELES (CNS)—Gov. Gavin Newsom March 5 signed a $6.6 billion legislative package that offers incentives for schools to resume in-person instruction for students up to second grade by April 1 and provides funds to help recoup learning lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly by extending the school year. But whether Los Angeles Unified School…


Supervisor Candidates Share Plans to Manage County’s Infrastructure and Transportation 

With the special election for a vacant Orange County Board of Supervisors (BOS) seat approaching, March 9, The Epoch Times reached out to each candidate and asked about their infrastructure and transportation goals. More than $1 billion is spent every year on the county’s infrastructure improvement projects and public transit. The BOS oversees the public works department, and supervisors sit on the Orange County Transport…


Orange County Sheriff’s Officer Suspended in Capitol Riot-Related Investigation

SANTA ANA—A veteran Orange County sheriff’s employee is on administrative leave and the subject of an internal investigation for her part in attending the rally that led to the Capitol breach on Jan. 6. Monica Alston, a sheriff’s special officer, has been with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department since 1999, but was on personal leave…


Proposed Bill Would Delay Controversial Property Tax Law

A local state senator is working to delay a recently-passed proposition that could cause the taxable value of inherited homes to rise. Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) has introduced of a bill that would delay the implementation of a portion of Prop. 19 until February 2023. “While Prop. 19 is now law, the measure is…


Non-Citizens Could Soon Serve on Santa Ana’s Public Committees 

Santa Ana will likely become the first city in Orange County to allow non-U.S. citizens without legal immigration status to serve on its commissions, boards, or committees. During a March 2 city council meeting, council voted unanimously to remove a restriction that required a person appointed to one of the city’s boards, commissions, or committees to be an eligible voter. The…


State’s New COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Strategy Targets Disadvantaged Californians

California will now allocate 40 percent of all new COVID-19 vaccine doses for residents living in its most disadvantaged communities. The effort, announced by state officials March 3, seeks accelerate the reopening of the economy by slowing the spread of the virus in areas where it tends to propagate fastest. In Southern California, many of the communities that…