Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido personally intervened to save three jacaranda trees at Santa Ana High School, after he found out that the SAUSD School Board had approved the destruction of those trees and a number of historical deodora pine trees to pave the way for a new drop-off and pick-up area, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading
Press Release, For Immediate Release: June 10, 2011
For More Information Contact: Carol Chamberlain – Office: (916) 319-2069, mobile: (916) 804-5355
Solorio Bill to Clean Up Water Quality Moves to the Senate
AB 54 will help small, underfunded water companies secure funds for clean water construction projects
Sacramento – State Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim) presented to his colleagues in the Assembly the necessity for AB 54, a bill he authored to help solve the problem of many small California mutual water companies that cannot afford to upgrade their water quality.
Assembly Bill 54 will expedite state funding and level the playing field between mutual water companies and other public agencies that deliver drinking water to Californians’ taps. It also takes a number of steps to get drinking water quality problems on to the radar of the local government community. The bill passed the Assembly unanimously last Thursday.
“It is appalling that in an age when federal law ensures the quality of Americans’ drinking water, there are still areas in California where water is not fit to drink. AB 54 will help alleviate that condition,” Assemblyman Solorio said.
AB 54 was inspired by Assemblyman Solorio’s effort to try to help the Diamond Park neighborhood in Santa Ana secure state funding to connect to the larger, City of Santa Ana water system. Diamond Park’s 80 homes get their tap water from one groundwater well contaminated with nitrates. A non-profit “mutual water company” owned by the homeowners operates the well, although the City serves drinking water to almost all other Santa Ana residents. The neighborhood residents cannot afford to pay the high costs of cleaning up the groundwater, so the homeowners decided to dissolve the mutual water company and acquire drinking water from the City.
“We discovered many smaller public water systems throughout the state, particularly those operated by “mutual water companies,” also lack the funding and oversight to improve their systems and eliminate contamination,” explained Assemblyman Solorio. “All water providers, even small underfunded ones, need to be accountable for the quality of water they deliver.”
AB 54 expedites State funding by authorizing “letters of no prejudice” that would allow local water agencies to get started on clean water quality construction projects with their own resources while waiting for the state to finalize a loan or grant from the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The bill also take important steps to make mutual water companies more accountable. It requires company directors to receive training on their legal responsibility to deliver clean and healthy drinking water. And, when a small mutual water company receives a fine for violating the Safe Drinking Water Act, its directors and shareholders must share in the responsibility for paying the fine, or fix the problem as an alternative to paying the fine.
State Assemblyman Jose Solorio is the Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and also serves on the Assembly Appropriations and Transportation committees. He represents the Sixty-Ninth Assembly District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana. For more information about Assemblyman Solorio, visit www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio.
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State Assemblyman Jose Solorio represents the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana. To learn more about State Assemblyman Solorio and his legislative work, visit his official website.
City of Santa Ana Railroad Crossing Construction Update, from the OCTA:
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Day Work
Construction from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, continues this week at the following crossings:
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Night Work
Construction from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., Wednesday through Sunday, continues this week at the following crossings:
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All construction is subject to schedule changes unexpectedly. If you have questions about work at a specific crossing, please call (888) 855-RAIL.
This construction is part of OCTA’s rail safety enhancement program. OCTA is partnering with local cities on the first countywide effort to enhance rail safety at 50 railroad crossings in Orange County. |
Construction has started on a 155-room hotel that will further enhance the southern gateway to the City of Santa Ana at the 55 Freeway.
The four-story, 90,000-square-foot Courtyard by Marriott at MacArthur Boulevard and MacArthur Place is the newest addition to the Hutton Centre business campus that surrounds a 2.5-acre lake. The developer said the hotel, which targets business travelers, will help rebrand the campus
Santa Ana –based Nexus Co. will develop and own the hotel, which should be completed by early summer next year, according to Cory Adler, Nexus president.
An official groundbreaking of the new Courtyard by Marriott will take place Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. at 8 MacArthur Place at MacArthur Boulevard and MacArthur Place.
The less than 3 acres the hotel will sit on originally was supposed to be the site of the third Skyline condo tower built by Nexus. But changing market conditions caused the company to rethink the residential project.
“We are pleased to be bringing the Marriott name and a world class hotel to the city,” Adler said. “It sits at the southern gateway to Santa Ana and the 55 Freeway.”
San Marcos-based Lusardi Construction Co. will build the hotel.
Adler estimated that the hotel will bring hundreds of construction jobs to the area and as many as 60 fulltime positions when it open.
“It will also bring a lot of business travelers to the area,” he said.
The $24 million hotel also represents about $1 million in additional revenue to the city – an estimated $800,000 from bed taxes and another $200,000 in tax increment revenues from the enhanced value of the property.
Founded in 1981, Nexus is a full-service real estate services firm with offices in Santa Ana and Phoenix.
Nexus develops a wide range of real estate product s, including office, retail, industrial/R&D, mini-storage, mixed-use, hospitality, single-and multi-family residential, and conversions. The company has developed more than 1,000 hotel rooms in the past.
The Courtyard by Marriott customers includes the casual and family travelers as well as the business person. Amenities and features have been designed for comfort, style and room to stretch your legs and relax.