Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Orange County

The Santa Ana City Council has decided to sue all Orange County cities over the homeless issue

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City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana Expands Legal Action on Homelessness. City Will Add All Other Orange County Cities to Lawsuit

SANTA ANA, CA – On Wednesday evening, the Santa Ana City Council directed the City’s legal counsel to take legal action against all Orange County cities and the County of Orange to compel parties to take immediate steps toward addressing homelessness throughout the County. Santa Ana will file the action by the end of the week.

The decision from the Santa Ana City Council closely followed a Tuesday afternoon decision from the Orange County Board of Supervisors to unanimously reject a shelter site proposal by south county mayors. Last week, the group of mayors proposed putting a homeless shelter in a remote canyon on property currently used as a pre-school and public library. The County has tasked cities with identifying and proposing homeless shelter sites. Continue reading→

The County of Orange has bolstered mental health services again

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Orange County Bolsters Mental Health Support Services

By: First District Supervisor Andrew Do

Orange County is bolstering its non-crisis mental health support hotline after experiencing a 56 percent surge in non-emergency calls last year.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a new contract today that will provide more than a half-million dollars in funding for OC Warmline, a free and confidential non-crisis service for residents that are experiencing a mental health problem or behavioral health issue. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council decides to sue the County and several cities over the homeless issue

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Courts, Housing, Huntington Beach, irvine, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 1 Comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana Council Calls for Legal Action on Homelessness. City to Sue County of Orange, Irvine, Laguna Niguel and Huntington Beach

SANTA ANA, CA – On Tuesday night, Santa Ana City Council directed the City’s legal counsel to move forward with a lawsuit against the County of Orange and the cities of Irvine, Laguna Niguel and Huntington Beach for their opposition to sheltering the homeless on available County land. A County plan to locate three temporary homeless shelters in each homeless services region of the County had been adopted earlier in March but was subsequently rescinded by the County Board of Supervisors following opposition from those cities. The City’s legal action seeks to compel the parties to take action rather than merely say “no” to being part of the solution. Continue reading→

New OC Clerk-Recorder pilot program will make it easier to get marriage certificates

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OC Clerk Recorder Hugh Nguyen officiating at a wedding

ORANGE COUNTY CLERK-RECORDER LAUNCHES PILOT PROGRAM TO HELP EXPEDITE THE ORDERING OF MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES

(Santa Ana, Calif.) — Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen is launching a pilot program that will allow couples to pre-pay for their marriage certificates upon completion of their marriage ceremony. This program will only be implemented at the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana and will only apply to couples who have a ceremony performed by one of the department’s deputy commissioners of marriage on site.

The program’s goals are to help eliminate confusion as to when a couple’s marriage certificate is available for purchase, eliminate the need for couples to return to the office to purchase their certificate or request it via mail, reduce the number of phone calls to the department’s information line and help shorten lines at the department offices. It will also help eliminate the need for couples to mail in a notarized application. Continue reading→

OC Health Care Agency completes assessments of the Civic Center’s homeless

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OC Health Care Agency Completes Assessments of Homeless Individuals in Civic Center

Santa Ana, Calif. (April 13, 2018) – As of April 10, the OC Health Care Agency (HCA), in partnership with the City of Santa Ana Police Department, completed all assessments of homeless individuals residing in the Civic Center. The Civic Center area is bounded by Civic Center Drive to the north, Santa Ana Boulevard/Fourth Street to the south, Flower Street to the west and Sycamore Street to
the east.

As of April 12, the Plaza of the Flags area in the Civic Center was cleared of any encampments. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s Civic Center has finally been cleansed of the homeless squatters

Posted on by Posted in Andrew Do, homeless, Orange County, Santa Ana 3 Comments

By: Supervisor Andrew Do

The Santa Ana Civic Center has been cleared of all encampments. I visited the Plaza of the Flags with Orange County CEO Frank Kim to see the now uninhabited area.

The Orange County Health Care Agency in partnership with the City of Santa Ana Police Department completed 234 assessments of homeless individuals residing in the Civic Center Plaza. The individuals have been placed in a variety of programs including the Courtyard Transitional Shelter, Bridges at Kramer Place, SAFEPlace and more. 135 individuals declined services. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s homeless shelter is getting more restrooms and showers

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By: OC Supervisor Andrew Do

New restrooms and showers will be coming to the only walk-in emergency homeless shelter in Orange County.

Today, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved the installation of a new 7-unit restroom facility and 8-unit shower facility at the Courtyard Transitional Center in Santa Ana. In October 2016, Supervisor Andrew Do spearheaded the effort to open the emergency shelter in Santa Ana, which now houses as many as 450 homeless each night and has transitioned 281 people to long-term housing.

In addition to short-term steps to increase restrooms and showers at Orange County’s only emergency homeless shelter, County Supervisors approved an additional $3.48 million for recuperative care beds as part of the county’s Whole Person Care pilot program. The total is now $8.38 million towards recuperative care for the homeless. Continue reading→

The O.C. armory homeless shelter program has been extended for another 90 days

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, homeless, Jerry Brown, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Governor Brown Acts to Extend Armory Shelter Program in Orange County

SANTA ANA, CA – Last week, the City of Santa Ana sent a letter requesting that the California National Guard consider the approval of an extension of the Orange County Cold Weather Armory Emergency Shelter Program for at least 90 days past the scheduled April 15, 2018 closure. This was followed up this week by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (District 65) and Assemblymember Tom Daly (District 69) requesting support from the Governor to make this request a reality.

“Now is not the time to turn our backs on some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva. “I truly appreciate the Governor’s fast response to this request,” said Assemblymember Tom Daly. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana River Trail has been cleared of the homeless and has reopened

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Closed Portion of Santa Ana River Trail to Reopen April 7

Santa Ana, Calif. (April 6, 2018) – A portion of the Santa Ana River Trail from Memory Lane in Santa Ana to Taft Avenue in Orange was closed to the public on January 22, 2018, for an environmental remediation project. It was anticipated to remain closed for up to three months.

The County has made significant progress on the project, and a modified public access route will be restored April 7, 2018. Continue reading→

Three Orange County men are facing Federal narcotic charges for alleged Fentanyl distribution

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Drugs, Federal Government, Orange County, Santa Ana 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 5, 2018

Three O.C. Men Face Federal Narcotics Charges that Allege Distribution of Counterfeit Opioid Pills Containing Fentanyl

SANTA ANA, California – Three Orange County men have been charged in a scheme to use the synthetic opioid fentanyl and a similar drug to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pharmaceutical pills designed to look like brand-name oxycodone pills.

A criminal complaint filed Wednesday in United States District Court alleges that the men obtained fentanyl and an analogue called cyclopropyl fentanyl through internet suppliers, used a pill press to make counterfeit pills, and distributed the narcotics through the mails, often arranging sales through a darknet marketplace. Continue reading→

251 homeless transients refused shelter and services after exiting the Santa Ana River trail

Posted on by Posted in homeless, Orange County, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Photo by Tim Houchen

County Concludes 30-Day Motel Program for Individuals Previously Encamped along the Santa Ana Riverbed

Santa Ana, Calif. (April 2, 2018) – As of March 28, 2018, the County of Orange concluded its 30-day motel program for individuals previously encamped along the Santa Ana Riverbed. The program, which began at the end of February 2018, involved 697 individuals and 51 motels throughout Orange County.

While the full text of a memorandum from County Executive Officer Frank Kim is available online, below are highlights from the data. Continue reading→

The homeless squatters are finally getting cleared out of the Santa Ana Civic Center

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City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana Works with County to Connect O.C. Civic Center Homeless Population with Emergency Shelters and Services

Today, the Orange County Health Care Agency, City of Santa Ana, CityNet began a joint, enhanced effort to connect the homeless population within the Orange County Civic Center’s “Plaza of the Flags” to emergency shelters and services. The planned joint effort will enforce a U.S. District Court ordinance to prohibit overnight camping within the Civic Center campus, starting on April 2. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana City Council voted to consider suing the County regarding the homeless problem

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City of Santa Ana

Community: Santa Ana to Evaluate Legal Options to Address Countywide Homeless Inaction

City Council Strikes Back for Shared Responsibility

SANTA ANA, CA – The Santa Ana City Council voted unanimously (6-0-1) to seek legal options for the City to motivate the entire Orange County community to take action on homelessness. The City Attorney is to return back to the Council on Tuesday, April 3rd with legal options to sue the County of Orange to force additional action to spread the responsibility of homeless solutions across the county. The action comes in response to the County Board of Supervisors’ March 27 vote to rescind a prior decision to create three temporary homeless shelters throughout Orange County. Continue reading→

The OC Board of Supervisors voted today to oppose California’s Sanctuary State law

Posted on by Posted in california, Civic Affairs, Crime, immigration, Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2018

Contact: Denis Bilodeau, 714-749-6386

Orange County Supervisors votes to join the Department of Justice litigation against California State Law Senate Bill 54 “California Values Act”

SANTA ANA, CA— Today on a vote of 4-0, the Board of Supervisors authorized and directed County Counsel to intervene in the pending case United States v. California, Case #18-264 on behalf of the County of Orange. The Department of Justice’s lawsuit seeks to restore the federal government’s Constitutional authority and sole jurisdiction over immigration issues and end the existing conflict that local law enforcement encounters with state law. The County of Orange seeks to join this lawsuit. Continue reading→