A host of Orange County elected officials hovered around local and federal courthouses in Orange County this week, with county supervisors complaining about how little their former colleague, Andrew Do, was ordered to pay back (about $900K) after being found responsible for derailing with a bribe scandal more than $10 million in COVID funds meant to feed seniors.
County supervisors, meanwhile, unveiled what they celebrated as a toughening up of their ethics commission – to ostensibly avoid such scandals – but instead triggered questions about the weak guard rails they have up around themselves.
Westminster Councilwoman Amy Phan West defended herself against a separate bribery scandal where local prosecutors say the councilwoman tried to improperly influence local police from towing her husband’s car.
West recently also found herself in court – lining up against her own colleagues who argued she’s created persistent disruptions of council meetings behind the governing dais.
Orange County state Assemblymembers Sharon Quirk Silva and Avelino Valencia joined State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas at a local hearing this week in Santa Ana where the group detailed the economic shocks of the recent federal immigration raids across the region.
In related news, Irvine officials voted to support the efforts of many cities across OC – Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Costa Mesa – who have either voted or are expected to vote on joining an ACLU lawsuit taking issue with the approach toward federal immigration enforcement.
Irvine officials spent considerable efforts in debating how they protect open space across the city with council members considering four different ballot measures about open space preservation — including the future of the Oak Creek Golf Club and whether or not it can be replaced with housing. They decided to continue discussions about asking voters about the issue to next year.
Another regional trend triggering significant debate this week is the aging of Orange County – with county grand jurors unveiling a hard critique of the county’s ineffective management of nearly $40 million aimed at making seniors more healthy and vibrant.
Anaheim Union High School District officials drew criticism as they quickly moved to install a top official – Jaron Fried – as superintendent after the announcement of the retirement of their longtime, popular leader, Mike Matsuda.
In Garden Grove, local public works crews took to the streets to protest stale wages, eventually challenging city council members directly at the public comment dais, just days before state mediators arrived to look into stalled labor negotiations.
La Habra officials took action this week to temporarily ban smoke shops – presenting a tally to residents of nearly 70 smoke shops in the small city – ultimately adopting a ban on any new shops for now.