Top issues on this week’s public meeting agendas include release of the county’s community indicators report and Santa Ana’s hiring of a new city attorney.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors is set to formally receive its annual study on economic, environmental and population trends.
The 2012 Community Indicators report found improvement in Orange County’s economy, education and health, while the recession has affected the well-being of children, families and senior citizens.
One poverty indicator — the proportion of children eligible for subsidized school meals — is now at its highest level on record. More than 45 percent of Orange County’s children could receive subsidized food last academic year, up from 38 percent just four years earlier.
Additionally, nearly 38 percent of children and half of adults are overweight or obese.
On a brighter note, crime was found to have decreased for the sixth consecutive year, with Orange County having the lowest crime rate among similar areas nationwide.
And in Santa Ana on Monday, the City Council plans to appoint its first permanent city attorney in two years.
Sonia R. Carvalho has served as city attorney in Azusa, Claremont, Colton and Yorba Linda, and the agreement with her firm calls for at least $167 per hour in compensation for a total of $300,000 per year.
The city’s agreement is with the law firm Best Best & Krieger, where Carvalho is a partner.
Here’s a sample of items on this week’s agendas:
OC Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, April 1, at 9:30 a.m.
• Accepting the 2012 Community Indicators Report on economic, social and environmental trends in Orange County.
• Approval of an agreement with the law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge at a rate of $425-per-hour per attorney, with no limit.
• Approval of a three-year, $1.4-million contract with Civica Software for redesigning the websites of county agencies and upgrading the interface that the agencies use to manage their sites.
• Approval of a preannexation agreement with Stanton in preparation for the city’s absorption of the 11-acre Kermore Island area.
Closed Session
• Performance evaluation of County Executive Officer Tom Mauk.
• Property negotiations over Orange County Flood Control District property on Bristol Street beside the 73 freeway in Costa Mesa. No negotiating party listed.
• Labor negotiations with Association of County Law Enforcement Management; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Alliance of Orange County Workers; International Union of Operating Engineers; Orange County Attorneys Association; Orange County Employees Association; and Orange County Managers Association.
Santa Ana City Council, Monday, April 2, at 6:00 p.m.
• Hiring Sonia R. Carvalho as city attorney from the law firm Best Best & Krieger at a salary of $300,000 per year.
• Approval of a four-month, $1.2-million contract with Care Ambulance Services for emergency transportation.
Closed Session
• Existing claims/and awsuits: Alex Urtez vs. City of Santa Ana; Joseph Vasquez vs. City of Santa Ana; Thomas Skelly vs. City of Santa Ana; Autum Koertgen vs. City of Santa Ana.
• Labor negotiations with Santa Ana Police Management Association.
• Anticipated claim or lawsuit: one unspecified case.
• Appointment of city attorney and city manager.
Anaheim City Council, Tuesday, April 3, at 5:00 p.m.
• Continuing support for the proposed ARTIC transportation project and directing city staff to continue evaluating the proposed Anaheim Rapid Connection local transportation system.
• Update on the city’s graffiti removal program, for which the contractor has asked to cancel its agreement because it has failed to adequately do the job.
• Approve a $1.4-million contract with Best Drilling and Pump for drilling a new water well and demolition of two shallow wells.
• Increasing fees paid to RCS Investigations & Consulting for police officer background investigations from $1,650 to $1,800.
• Approving unspecified additional costs to Systems Research and Applications Corp. for more terrorism intelligence analysts.
Closed Session
• Appointment of a city manager.
Costa Mesa City Council, Tuesday, April 3, at 6:00 p.m.
• Midyear budget review with a request for $900,000 in unexpected costs for lawsuits.
• Agreement with city division managers to increase employee share of pension costs from 8.25 percent to 10.47 percent of pay for an expected savings to the city of $35,000 per year.
Closed Session
• Labor negotiations with Costa Mesa City Employee Association, Costa Mesa Firefighters Association, Costa Mesa Police Officers Association and Costa Mesa Police Management Association, Costa Mesa Fire Fighters Management Association, and Costa Mesa Division Managers Association.
• Existing litigation: Julie Folcik, vs. Orange County Registrar of Voters and Neal Kelley, Registrar of Voters; Costa Mesa Employees Association v. City of Costa Mesa.
Fullerton City Council, Tuesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.
• Approve the first phase ($43,000) of a study by Citygate Associates of sharing police services with Buena Park and La Habra.
• Receive feasibility analysis for sharing fire and emergency medical services with Anaheim and Brea.
Closed Session
• Property negotiations for 503, 505, 511, 525, 529, 535 and 539 S. Raymond Ave.
• Existing lawsuit: Catherine Sobieski v. City of Fullerton.
• Discussion of employment of police chief and director of parks and recreation.
• Labor negotiations with Fullerton Fire Management Association and Fullerton Management Association.