Demands for canceling the contract with phone contractor GTL years ago have now given way to silence on the recording scandal as supervisors continue to extend the company’s contract – even as more revelations emerge of improperly-recorded calls.
Tag: Don Wagner
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
Orange County Officials Say Coronavirus Vaccine Passports Won’t Be Forced On Residents
It’s the second time in less than a week county officials have countered internet rumors surrounding the pandemic.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
Coronavirus Triggered Orange County’s Deadliest Year in Recent Times
Previously unpublished data from county health officials, obtained by Voice of OC, shows Covid was the No. 1 cause of death in Orange County in December and January. In those months, the virus killed more than five times as many people as the next biggest cause, Alzheimer’s.
Posted inCommunity Opinion
Underwood: On Covid Time – A Mid Pandemic Assessment
One year into this life altering pandemic we mark as Covid time, seems like a good time to take stock of our public health response in Orange County to the coronavirus thus far, and ask the critical question how fit is our frontline public health agency in seeing us through what will most certainly be a second year on Covid time?
Posted inGovernment
After Public Outcry Over Secrecy, County of Orange Changes Approach, Says it Will Start Publicizing All Planned Covid Contracts Before Approval
It comes after a public backlash to the county’s top official criticizing Voice of OC record requests for $220 million in secretly-approved coronavirus contracts that were never posted on public agendas.
Posted inCountywide
Journalists’ Association Calls on Top OC Official to Apologize for Criticizing Questions About Pandemic Spending
OC’s regional association for journalists is calling Andrew Do to apologize for criticizing Voice of OC’s questions and public records requests about secretly-approved contracts during the pandemic.
Posted inCountywide
Top OC Prosecutor Calls for Treatment Instead of Jail for Drug Use and Mental Illness
Todd Spitzer’s call for an overhaul is generating a welcome response from advocates, though they say it needs to be backed up with actual action – which they say there’s no signs of yet.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
What Are OC’s Actual Coronavirus Vaccine Demographics? Officials Say It’s Tricky
OC Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau said there’s still uncertainty on the actual number of people vaccinated.
Posted inCountywide
Orange County Already Had a Secret Contract for Vaccine PR Before Firm Was Publicly Hired
It turns out the county already had secretly hired the firm for COVID-19 outreach and secretly expanded the contract by $500,000 to include vaccine outreach.
Posted inCountywide
Over 400 Homeless People Infected and One Dead from Coronavirus Outbreaks Across 17 Shelters in Orange County
The ongoing outbreaks are prompting calls from activists for the county to reinstate a program that sheltered at-risk homeless seniors in motels, now that federal officials are agreeing to cover 100 percent of the costs.
