Excessive force claims have cost Orange County taxpayers over $13 million in payouts over the last decade, with total sheriff lawsuit payouts topping $40 million, according to county data.
Monthly Archives: August 2021
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Mission Viejo’s Tentative Plan For Drawing New Voting Districts Starts in December
The current plan would see most of the city’s discussion take place over the holidays, drawing criticism from transparency watchdogs who say residents may not have time to weigh in.
Posted inARTS & CULTURE
Conservatory Strives to Give Access to the Arts for All
Founder Debora Wondercheck strives to provide quality instruction about the arts to underprivileged and underrepresented students.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
OC Sees Increased COVID Vaccination Rates, But Danger Still Lingers
OC residents are increasingly getting vaccinated as the more contagious Delta variant spreads, but county health officials warn the stabilizing virus trends can still change.
Posted inEducation
Newport Beach City Council Members Rail Against State School Masks Mandates
More Orange County elected officials are pushing back against state school mask mandates, despite state public health officials having the sole authority over classroom masks.
Posted inEducation
OC Board of Education Hosts Second Ethnic Studies Forum as Debates Over the Course Persist
The Orange County Board of Education hosted a panel to debate ethnic studies Tuesday, which only saw one panelist support the class while most of the others discredited it.
Posted inFood
Panoringan: How Shipping and Swine Are Driving Up Costs in the Restaurant Industry
Nobody wants to pay more for food, but due to factors beyond a restaurant’s control, operators no longer have a choice. Indoor dining restrictions and being short-staffed were 2020 concerns; long-term effects on restaurants involve transport and recently passed legislation.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Eidt: Killing the Single-Family Home? Sacramento Housing Construction Gambit will not Solve Affordability Crisis
The push to create more housing supply with Senate Bills 9 and 10 would increase allowable density in single-family zones across the state – lacking affordability or environmental requirements. We have affordable housing solutions that would allow appropriate construction with community participation, but these one-size-fits-all bills will cause development fever across California.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Smoller, Moodian & King: Help Us Save the Earth
The Orange County Sustainability Decathlon will be held in 2023. Teams of college students from California design, build and operate highly efficient houses that are powered by renewable energy. Sustainability vendors will be on site to display and explain their products, services, and new technologies.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
New Probe Details ‘Troubling’ Use of Force Culture at OC Sheriff’s Dept.
The Office of Independent Review found various issues where some training instructors diminish policy or endorse mistreatment tactics, and use of force incident reports either lack details or are filed late.
