Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/category/cities/lake-forest/)
Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and Lake Forest this week became the latest cities in Orange County to take stands against the state’s sanctuary laws, adopting resolutions and filing briefs in support of the federal lawsuit against California.
The crowded field of candidates running for four Orange County Congressional seats narrowed slightly Friday, as several candidates failed to file paperwork by the 5 p.m. deadline for their names to appear on the June 5 primary election ballot.
Former Lake Forest City Councilman Andrew Hamilton sat at the dais one last time Tuesday night to say farewell after residents recalled him through a vote earlier this month and replaced him with retired U.S. Army Colonel Tom Cagley.
Four Orange County Congressional Districts that pundits predict will be competitive races in November’s national election fight to control the House of Representatives have been flooded with 32 candidates as Democrats target the Republican-held seats and gear up for the June primary.
South Orange County had its share of challenges in 2017: a Laguna Niguel Mayor stepping down and eventually resigning from the council after being accused of bullying while he found contract cost overruns, two cities switching to district elections and a wireless firm contracting with various cities while making unclear promises of legal protections and taking a large percentage of revenue.
A contractor hired by 13 Orange County cities will begin a study in the next few weeks of costs the county Sheriff’s Department charges the cities and the services they receive after cities complained law enforcement expenses ate up as much as 50 percent of their annual budgets.
Lake Forest is moving away from at-large elections to district-based elections after the City Council finalized a map to avoid a potential lawsuit and create a district that potentially could be won by a Latino.
Lake Forest City Council members seemingly narrowed their choice of district election maps from five to two, but, in a meeting that confused even council members, directed their map maker to draw at least six maps of the two basic plans.
Lake Forest will finish negotiations with Verizon Wireless for small cell phone transmitter installations on city-owned streetlights but future wireless infrastructure contracts with wireless companies will be handled by the city’s consultant, 5 Bars Communities.
Irvine-based 5 Bars Communities won contracts with at least three Orange County cities, saying it could protect them from impacts of state legislation taking away city power to say where wireless transmitters are installed. Lake Forest may opt Nov. 7 to handle the issue itself.