Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/author/tsears/page/2/)
Former Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry credits city council members for voting to reverse track this month on their decision to forgo state gas tax funds. Yet it was the public and columnists like Tom Johnson and Barbara Venezia, Curry writes, that really moved the ball. Curry notes the experience underscores the need for strong public comment, debate and engagement in Orange County’s civic life.
Westminster resident Keith Burgoyne writes that citizens of a representative democracy have ownership responsibility for the operation of their government but government officials undermine that role when they engage in efforts to obscure information from the citizen-owners of our government.
Former City Councilman Keith Curry criticizes a recent decision by the Newport Beach City Council to turn down nearly $500,000 in state funding because of their opposition to the state’s recent gas tax hike. Curry writes that council members were irresponsible to defer much needed infrastructure funding for locals just to send an ideological message to Sacramento.
Poseidon Water, and its Canadian-owned parent company Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, have spent millions trying lobbying for approval of a new desalination plant in Huntington Beach. The billion dollar facility would be the twin of a Carlsbad plant Poseidon built in December 2015, which has been plagued with problems since its opening.
Sue Parks, CEO of the Orange County United Way, and Shelley Hoss, President of the Orange County Community Foundation write about the importance of elevating civil, respectful debate and discussion in our collective civic life.
Santa Ana resident Daniel Allen writes that Santa Ana students won a contest to “Rethink High School,” which has officially been endorsed by the XQ Institute with a win of $2.5 million dollars to back the Círculos super school concept within SAUSD.
On September 5, 2017, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, on behalf President Trump, announced the end to the DACA program. Here is what you need to know about his announcement.
Heritage Museum in partnership with The Smithsonian hosts a FREE interactive day exploring the impact sports have on communities at The Legacy and History of Sports in Orange County
Ada Briceño, a Co-President for the hotel workers union, UNITE HERE Local 11, in Orange County challenges her labor colleagues this Labor Day to embrace immigrant rights and stand with 800,000 young people across the nation who receive refuge as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) just as President Trump reconsiders the program.
Public input is being sought on draft plans released this week that will guide the management of valuable wildlife and habitat on the Orange County Transportation Authority’s open space properties in the Aliso Canyon Preserve in Laguna Beach and Hayashi Preserve in Brea.