A 10-year summary of the success rate of the Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission, including the difficulty incurred in getting the County Board of Supervisors to support such a Commission. Describes the Commission’s 100% success rate in attaining compliance with the county’s campaign rules, and discusses the inadequacy of the County’s “Hotline” system.
Tag: County of Orange
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Cosgrove: San Clemente Faces Long-Term Impact as County Moves Forward with Landfill Expansion
As the County of Orange moves to double landfill operations in South County, local communities face decades of increased traffic, pollution, and safety risks. This piece breaks down the proposal, raises key concerns, and explains why residents of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano should pay attention now.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Sarmiento: Why CalOptima Health Matters to Every Orange County Resident
CalOptima Health is the largest health insurer in Orange County and nearly one out of every three residents rely on it. With the healthcare system under pressure from federal cuts and policy changes, incoming Board Chair, OC Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, discusses the challenges and shares his priorities for 2026.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Lamirande: Orange County Government Makes Bad Decisions About Safety – and the Animal Shelter
Buried in OC’s bureaucratic jungle, crucial decisions are made with no citizen input, no explanation, and no evaluation. The “CEO Risk Management” office failed in matters ranging from a billion-dollar wildfire to the welfare of animals in the county shelter. Days ago, two dogs died in a county transport van. We must put an end to this culture of incompetence.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Stockstill: Some Not too Serious Advice for Hiring a New CEO for the OC
Hiring a new county CEO should be a priority, but to do so the OC needs to accentuate the positive and tell candidates what a fabulous workplace they will be moving to.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Trench Foot & Infections: Street Medics Treating Homeless People Brace for Storm Aftermath
After a cold weather shelter debacle among government officials last year, street medics are tending to the wounds of those who couldn’t get safe from the rain.
Posted inOutdoors
OC Officials Say Privatization of Newport Back Bay Land Will Harm Access, Wildlife
After facilitating a controversial near-sale of coastal parkland in 2021, county officials are now arguing against a wealthy GOP political donor’s case in court.
Posted inCOAST
Attempted Back Bay Land Sale, and Emails Between County and Wealthy Donor, Come Under the Microscope
Orange County grand jurors also took a critical look at how the county nearly sold off public parkland – and still “ceded” the land “to private use” despite the sale being stopped by residents.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Kriz: Another 35 people Died “Without Fixed Abode” in OC in December, Capping Off a Record Year
Another 35 people “without fixed abode” (more than one a day) died in OC in December, capping off a record year with 381 dead. Yes, many died of overdoses. Yet, if we don’t give people some place to go / stay, most will eventually self-medicate out of the simultaneous stress and boredom, many will die, and the quality of life of us all will remain diminished. It need not remain this way, but we have to choose to do the right thing … give people someplace, decent, to go. Or else this problem will remain with us … forever.
Posted inEquality & Equity
Orange County’s Public Anti-Hate Group Could Soon Get A Boost, Track Racism at Greater Level
The OC Human Relations Commission could be in line for expansion of resources and funding to monitor and combat hatred in the county at a greater scale.
