An Orange County Superior Court Judge agreed to plead guilty to federal fraud charges and voluntarily resigned his seat on the bench this week after U.S. prosecutors alleged he worked with a controversial doctor to defraud the worker’s compensation program.
In a separate court matter, Orange County Animal Care – which runs the county animal shelter – is facing a negligence lawsuit after a volunteer was allegedly mauled by a dog as her cries for help went unanswered.
But county lawyers denied the allegations and argued the animal shelter volunteer understood the risks.
Meanwhile, two sitting Republican Congressmembers – Rep. Young Kim (R-Anaheim) and Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) – are gearing up to go head to head in the June primary.
Residents will also see a new Orange County Supervisor this election season as at least four candidates have thrown their name in the hat to represent the Fourth District as Supervisor Doug Chaffee terms out.
New elected officials aren’t the only thing some OC voters will get to weigh in on this year – there’s also tax increase proposals that voters will decide on in at least two cities: Costa Mesa and Fullerton.
Voters in Newport Beach will decide on just how much housing the city can build after a prominent local developer successfully financed a ballot initiative that could toss out the city’s existing housing plan for one with fewer homes.
Facing $700 million in unclaimed property across Orange County, OC Auditor-Controller Andrew Hamilton worked with the state controller to overhaul a series of websites to make it easier for residents to find their unclaimed property.