Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/author/tsears/)
Concerned with protecting the environment and California’s outdoor spaces. Neighbors kept complaining about new ankle-biting mosquitoes but didn’t seem to be getting good information. Meetings with Vector Control Districts in OC and LA gave more answers. New Aedes aegypti showing up where you don’t expect and they bite during the day. Vector Control only does part of the job. You can do the rest.
My piece is a critique of county officials’ responses to the Coronavirus pandemic. I am disappointed by their inaction and for ignoring science-based evidence to curb the spread of the virus. My hope with this piece is to encourage residents to register to vote.
Effective July 2, 2020, all bars are ordered closed in Orange County, California due to the increasing number COVID-19 cases.
On June 5th, a group of high school seniors, myself included, organized a protest on what would have been the last day of high school. Inviting Orange County Human Relations to teach de-escalation techniques, contacting the police to ensure our safety amidst gun threats, and encouraging Black students to speak about their experiences, we took initiative to provide a safe and productive environment for students to voice their opinions, and we did so peacefully.
While the demographics in Orange County have drastically changed in the past several years, the Board of Directors of Schools First Federal Credit Union, the largest financial institution in the county has not. The Board of Directors have created an exclusive private club atmosphere making it nearly impossible for anyone to serve.
After hearing calls for action, the Democratic Party of Orange County adopted a resolution calling for John Wayne’s name to be removed from Orange County’s international airport on Thursday, June 26. The resolution was adopted unanimously and can be viewed here.
Hon. Fred M. Whitaker, Chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County, released the following statement:
“Following the latest national trend, Orange County Democrats have demanded that John Wayne Airport change its name, and that John Wayne’s statue be removed. The Republican Party of Orange County calls upon all clear-eyed Democrats and all other Orange Countians to stand against the radicals who wish to erase our nation’s history.
As coronavirus hospitalizations continue to rise in Orange County, the politics of face coverings continues its downward spiral. If there’s anything more disconcerting than the rise of a vitriolic opposition to commonsense precautions designed to keep us safer, it’s the deafening silence from public servants charged with safeguarding that safety.
The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD) is observing an increase in mosquito activity in urban and coastal areas of the County. This increase marks the sixth week in a row that OCMVCD has recorded higher than average counts.
John Wayne’s white supremacist views came to light again when a 1971 interview he did with Playboy magazine went viral in early 2019. As symbols of racial intolerance are taken down across the country, the time has come to rename our airport and remove Wayne’s statue. The actor does not represent our diverse, cosmopolitan community.