On Tuesday Jan. 2, the City of Costa Mesa filed legal action in Orange County Superior Court against the owner and operators of three large sober living homes operating in violation of the city’s ordinances.
Author Archives: Theresa Sears
Theresa Sears is Involvement Editor for Voice of OC and works with active residents throughout Orange County helping to lift their voices by facilitating the publication of daily Op-eds from a broad array of perspectives.
Theresa also handles office administration and works to help organize Voice of OC civic training programs and policy events.
With an intimate knowledge of Orange County civic issues, Theresa has worked as an active grassroots community leader on a host of public land use and regional public-benefit issues across the region for the past three decades.
As a solutions oriented activist, she has taken a leadership role in grass roots efforts supporting the public’s right to know and petition their government, community engagement, legal remedies and direct democracy.
Her efforts have preserved Orange County’s fairgrounds, Barham Ranch which is now part of Santiago Oak Regional Park, as well critical open space in East Orange. She’s also led efforts to protect Orange County’s regional park system as a leader with the Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks
Languages spoken: English and some Spanish
Areas of expertise: Community organizing, direct democracy, open government – public oversight, land use, civic engagement and protecting public assets.
Posted inPress Releases
County Approves Purchase of Building for Behavioral Health Services
The County of Orange Board of Supervisors approved the purchase and sale agreement with Fountain Valley School District for purchase of an office building for the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) at 265 S. Anita Drive in the City of Orange.
Posted inPress Releases
Richard B. Ramirez is Running for Orange County Assessor
Richard B. Ramirez, Managing Appraiser with the Orange County Assessor, is announcing his candidacy for Orange County Assessor.
Posted inPress Releases
Important Proposed Federal Tax Changes Relating to Property Taxes!
The proposed federal legislation relating to the deductibility of State and Local Taxes (SALT) greatly scales back how much state and local taxes can be deducted on federal income taxes in 2018.
Posted inPress Releases
Public’s Voice silenced at Edison Community Engagement Panel
The San Juan Capistrano City Council voted to remove its former mayor and council member, Pam Patterson, from Southern Edison’s Community Engagement Panel (CEP). The CEP is a ratepayer funded forum controlled by Edison that educates the public on nuclear waste safety issues at the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
The vote has received howls of protest from local
nuclear safety advocates and consumer watchdogs
on the grounds that it does not serve the public
interest.
Posted inPress Releases
Palm Lane Elementary Becomes the First Conversion School In Orange County, CA
Palm Lane Elementary School will become Palm Lane Charter Elementary, the first conversion school in Anaheim under the Parent Trigger Law. The new charter school, operated by New Century Charter Public Schools, will open in August 2018, as it was approved unanimously (5-0) by the Anaheim Elementary School District Board.
Posted inPress Releases
CalTrout awarded $1.8M to pursue restoration and fish passage projects: $717K to benefit Southern California Steelhead
The California Wildlife Conservation Board awarded $522,762 in support of a priority project in Orange County, the I-5 Bridge Array Fish Passage Project on Trabuco Creek. This grant will allow CalTrout to move forward with a significant fish passage improvement project on Trabuco Creek, a major tributary to San Juan Creek in Orange County.
Posted inPress Releases
City Council Member Jerry Slusiewicz Resigns
Laguna Niguel City Council Member Jerry Slusiewicz submitted his resignation from the City Council just before the start of their regular meeting on Tuesday, December 5, 2017. He cited safety concerns for himself and his family as the reason for resigning.
Posted inPress Releases
Attorney General Becerra Files Suit Against Janitorial Subcontracting Company for Wage Theft and Violating Tax Laws
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today filed suit against One Source Facility Solution (One Source), a janitorial subcontracting company based in Orange County, and the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dilip Joshi.
Posted inPress Releases
Community: U.S. District Judge Permanently Blocks President Trump’s Executive Order to Deny Federal Grants to “Sanctuary Cities”
On Monday, November 20, 2017, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick issued a court order that permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s Executive Order to deny funding to cities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities, sometimes referred to as “sanctuary cities”.
