Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/valerie-amezcua/)
A meeting last week drew a wide cross-section of city leaders and residents – including top officials from the city, schools, police, and nonprofit groups – amid a tripling of shootings in recent years.
Several programs created throughout Southern California in the wake of Proposition 47 in 2014, which called for releasing certain non-violent and drug offenders from state prisons, are beginning to bear fruit.
Organizing efforts and local restorative justice programs spearheaded by Orange County groups like Santa Ana Boys and Men of Color were highlighted at a forum at UC Irvine Wednesday evening.
The school board unanimously approved more than $400,000 for services that focus on underlying issues behind student misbehavior.
About a dozen residents attended a committee meeting Wednesday night to vent their frustration about a city ethics code they say has no teeth.