Since Coronavirus broke out, county supervisors have spent most of their time on the public dais reacting to public health restrictions like mask orders or closures of beaches.
Tag: Norberto Santana Jr.
Posted inCountywide
Santana: CA Gov. Newsom Forced Beach Closures in OC Stir Local Partisanship
Orange County Republicans come out swinging against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s singling out of Orange County for bad beach behavior and an ensuing beach ban with OC GOP Chairman Fred Whitaker calling him “King Gavin: and calling for more localized health care decision making. Local Democratic Party Chief Ada Briceño backs Newsom’s closure effort and blames Republican-led local bodies like the board of supervisors for being behind on public health and forcing the governor to take action to protect public safety. Meanwhile, Orange County’s coastal cities scramble to figure out whether to fight or help enforce the governor’s initiative.
Posted inNorberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Newly Appointed Orange County Public Health Official Hired to Tackle Coronavirus Once Was Fined By State For Failing to Report Pharmaceutical Payments
Orange County’s newly-appointed Health Care Agency Director Clayton Chau – a well known clinician and public health executive known for his mental health expertise with immigrant communities – was fined by state authorities back in 2014 for failing to disclose lucrative drug company speaking fees from AstraZeneca and other pharmaceutical companies from 2009 to 2012 while he was worked as a top psychiatrist at HCA.
Posted inCountywide
Santana: What Does Orange County Look Like When It’s Back in Business?
Orange County Supervisors today are expected to start talking about the process of reopening local businesses. What will the new normal look like?
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: County of Orange Auctioned Off 100,000 Expired N95 Protective Masks
While OC Health Care officials have been scrambling daily for weeks to find more N95 protective facemasks for a variety of first responders, doctors and nurses, in February HCA procurement executives listed as government surplus more than 100,00 of the cloth masks, possibly selling them for as little as $1 a piece.
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Failing to Communicate
Whether it’s finding out about the readiness of hospitals or figuring out how many testing kits exist or asking about what cities’ residents are testing positive for the virus, the answer most often from the County of Orange in the past few weeks is we can’t say.
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana, Jr.
Santana: Coronavirus Requires Bold Civic Leadership in Orange County
It’s time for government leaders at the local, state and federal level to step up and work together to quickly figure out the nuts and bolts of pandemic response in an environment where they are clearly playing catch up.
Posted inCountywide, Norberto Santana, Jr., Top Stories
Santana: Politicking The Coronavirus
Politicians should pull away from the press conference podium and let public health professionals handle public information updates.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Norberto Santana, Jr., Top Stories
Santana: Top DA Spitzer Aide Gets $75K Settlement To Drop Corruption Allegations
Former Public Affairs Director Melanie Eustice was paid out a $75,000 settlement last fall after dropping her public contracting corruption claim against District Attorney Todd Spitzer and agreeing to silence. Eustice was one of Spitzer’s longest-serving aides.
Posted inTop Stories
Santana: MLK Holiday A Call To Confront Hate Together
A countywide report on hate incidents and hate crime data across Orange County shows that incidents have gone up by more than 100 percent since 2008 while crimes have spiked by nearly 50 percent.