Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/type-of-work/news/)
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Fair Board directors at their first nighttime meeting on Thursday didn’t vote to approve any ticket price hikes at the fair gates for this summer, following public backlash and uncertainty by some directors that they had enough information to make such a decision.
Eddie Manfro’s planned retirement from his city manager post was made public by City Councilman Tai Do on Facebook, who called it “totally unexpected news.”
As a local housing and homelessness crisis continues to claim lives, Orange County officials may soon look to the 150-acre county fairgrounds for help by sheltering homeless people on the property.
It’s the earliest possible election date allowable under state law following the certification of the recall efforts by county elections officials, and gives prospective candidates hoping to replace the majority faction council members – Kimberly Ho, Charlie Nguyen and Mayor Tri Ta – just 14 days to pull nomination papers and gather between 20-30 signatures from registered voters to qualify as a candidate.
A conditional use permit for Florentine’s Grill seemed to be on track for approval Wednesday night, until questions arose over City Attorney Dick Jones’ owning a nearby property as well as the property owner’s opposition to the application.
Two recall movements in two neighboring cities are on the move against elected officials this year – one in Westminster that’s guaranteed a recall election and another in Santa Ana that has gathered the signatures but won’t find out until next month from county officials whether it can move forward.
Council members Kimberly Ho, Charlie Nguyen, and Mayor Tri Ta — who comprise a majority voting bloc dubbed by critics as “the Gang of Three” for frequently clashing with minority council members over ethics and power at City Hall — are now officially at risk of being unseated.
Council members at the beginning of the meeting unanimously agreed to drop discussion on the deal for now, hours after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel ruled the Council could vote to approve the agreement but couldn’t finalize it before the end of the year.
The ruling possibly ties Garden Grove’s hands on the golf course, with city officials now prohibited from finalizing any development agreement for the golf course likely until after an expansion of the Surplus Land Act — which goes further in restricting the ways cities can’t find exemptions to the law and circumvent it — takes effect next year.
Staff say increasing minimum wage and looming employee pension costs will make the admission price increases necessary.